 Cover of the Player's Guide | |
| Designers | Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Jon Hodgson, Francesco Nepitello, Marco Maggi |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Cubicle 7 |
| Publication | 2016 |
| Genres | Fantasy |
| Systems | D&D 5e |
Adventures in Middle-Earth is a tabletop role-playing game originally published by Cubicle 7 in 2016 that uses the milieu of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings .
Adventures in Middle-Earth is set in the 60-year period between the Battle of Five Armies at the end of The Hobbit and the second departure of Bilbo Baggins from The Shire that marks the beginning of The Lord of the Rings . Adventures take place to the east of the Misty Mountains, in the Wilderlands of Erebor around the Lonely Mountain, as well as the Mirkwood Forest. [1]
The game uses a somewhat modified set of rules drawn from the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons under the Open Game License (OGL) created by Wizards of the Coast. Due to the relatively low use of magic and the lack of magical healing in Tolkien's works, the usual D&D rules and character classes built around magic and healing are not used. Instead, the system introduces new character classes, as well as new Cultures, Virtues and Backgrounds more in keeping with the Middle-earth setting. Similarly, magic items usually found in D&D are replaced by "heirlooms", items of lesser power that nevertheless are valuable in the low-magic setting. [1]
In 2011, Cubicle 7 published The One Ring , a licensed fantasy role-playing game set in Tolkien's wilderness of Eriador west of the Misty Mountains that used an original set of rules. Five years later Cubicle 7 released a new Tolkien-related role-playing game, Adventures in Middle-earth, set to the east of the Misty Mountains that used D&D rules under the OGL. The Player's Guide was the first Middle-earth property released, a 224-page hardcover book designed by James Brown, Paul Butler, Walt Ciechanowski, Steve Emmott, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, John Hodgson, Shane Ivey, Andrew Kenrick, T. S. Luikart, Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Francesco Nepitello, James Spahn, and Ken Spencer, with interior art by John Howe, Jon Hodgson, Jason Juta, Naomi Robinson, Sam Manley, Jan Pospisil, Andrew Hepworth, and Tomas Jedrusek, cartography by Paul Bourne, and cover art by John Howe. Over the next three years, Cubicle 7 released a variety of source books and adventures for the Middle-earth setting.
In November 2019, Cubicle 7 announced that publication of both The One Ring and Adventures in Middle-earth would cease due to contractual issues with the license holder. [2] The game license for both systems was subsequently acquired by Free League Publishing in 2020. [3] In August 2022, Free League Publishing announced that it would be publishing The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, an adaptation of the second edition of The One Ring (released in 2021) that also uses a modified version of the D&D fifth edition ruleset, with preorders for the game's core compendium scheduled to open in fall 2022 and a retail release planned for early 2023. [4]
John Farrell of Gaming Trend called Adventures in Middle-earth the "reunion of two franchises [Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings] that in many ways directly created the modern conception of fantasy wholecloth." However, Farrell noted that however the two franchises had been thematically joined in the beginning, "we have seen a stark divergence in how fantasy is presented under the two legacies." Farrell liked Cubicle 7's changes to the rules to make a low-magic system more in line with Tolkien's world, but noted that "none of it can completely escape being an adaptation of a game that was never made with Middle-earth in mind." Farrell concluded by giving Adventures in Middle-earth an above-average rating of 85%, saying the game "remains an engaging and exciting experience. Adapting itself to the 5E engine has diluted it in a few ways, but has mostly given us a fresh, intelligent way to experience Middle-earth. The good design choices far outweigh the questionable ones, resulting in a stylish, exciting, dark mystery that I am eager to experience." [1]
Lindsay Janice of Gamers Decide liked the new parts of the rules system, saying the game "truly brings its own originality when being compared to other iconic games." Although she admitted that players would need to purchase a variety of books, she thought that these were cheaper and therefore better value compared to other systems. Janice concluded by giving the game an above-average rating of 8 out of 10, commenting, "Adventures in Middle-Earth is the game for those Tolkien fans that want to be more immersed in Middle-Earth and have their own character walking through the iconic hills of the Shire, or through the valley of Rivendell." [5]
At the 2018 Origins Awards, Adventures in Middle-earth won in the category "Best Role-playing Game of 2017". [6] [7] [8]
| Title | Release Date (PDF format) | Notes & Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Player's Guide | September 7, 2016 | |
| Loremaster's Guide | January 31, 2017 | |
| Wilderland Adventures | April 19, 2017 | |
| Rhovanion Region Guide | July 5, 2017 | |
| The Eaves of Mirkwood & Loremaster's Screen | July 31, 2017 | [9] |
| The Road Goes Ever On | August 29, 2017 | [10] |
| The Mirkwood Campaign | November 9, 2017 | [11] |
| Rivendell Region Guide | March 13, 2018 | |
| Eriador Adventures | May 23, 2018 | |
| Bree-land Region Guide | March 14, 2019 | |
| Lonely Mountain Region Guide | August 9, 2019 | |
| Erebor Adventures | September, 2019 | |
| Rohan Region Guide | November, 2019 | PDF only |
| Moria | 2019 (cancelled) | deluxe boxed set |
Beorn is a character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, and part of his Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Hobbit as a "skin-changer", a man who could assume the form of a great black bear. His descendants or kinsmen, a group of Men known as the Beornings, dwell in the upper Vales of Anduin, between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains, and are counted among the Free Peoples of Middle-earth who oppose Sauron's forces during the War of the Ring. Like the powerful medieval heroes Beowulf and Bödvar Bjarki, whose names both mean "bear", he exemplifies the Northern courage that Tolkien made a central virtue in The Lord of the Rings.
Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) is a 1984 role-playing game based on J. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.) published the game until they lost the license on 22 September 1999.
Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) is a publishing company that has produced role playing, board, miniature, and collectible card games since 1980. Many of ICE's better-known products were related to J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, but the Rolemaster rules system, and its science-fiction equivalent, Space Master, have been the foundation of ICE's business.
The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, released by Decipher, Inc. in 2002, is a tabletop role-playing game set in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien. The game is set in the years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, but may be run at any time from the First to Fourth Age and contains many examples of how to do so. Sourcebooks cover the events of The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation.
Elendor is a free online text-based multi-user game that simulates the environment of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Users create characters by determining species, sex, culture, description, history and then role-playing with other users within the setting and atmosphere of Tolkien's world. For the purposes of consistency, the game accepts The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion and to a lesser extent the other works of Tolkien as canonical materials. The time frame is shortly before the onset of the main events of The Lord of the Rings with Bilbo having gone to Rivendell. The game is run on a MUSH server using a variant of PennMUSH.
Barrow-wights are wraith-like creatures in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. In The Lord of the Rings, the four hobbits are trapped by a barrow-wight, and are lucky to escape with their lives; but they gain ancient swords of Westernesse for their quest.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the real-world history and notable fictional elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe. It covers materials created by Tolkien; the works on his unpublished manuscripts, by his son Christopher Tolkien; and films, games and other media created by other people.
The works of J. R. R. Tolkien have served as the inspiration to painters, musicians, film-makers and writers, to such an extent that he is sometimes seen as the "father" of the entire genre of high fantasy.
Do not laugh! But once upon a time I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic to the level of romantic fairy-story... The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.
Middle-earth Enterprises, formerly known as Tolkien Enterprises, is a subdivision of the Embracer Freemode division of Embracer Group and formerly a trade name for a division of The Saul Zaentz Company. The subdivision owns the worldwide exclusive rights to certain elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's two most famous literary works: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These elements include the names of characters contained within as well as the names of places, objects and events within them, and certain short phrases and sayings from the works.
Numerous computer and video games have been inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's works set in Middle-earth. Titles have been produced by studios such as Electronic Arts, Vivendi Games, Melbourne House, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Lord of the Rings Adventure Game is a role-playing game based on the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.) published the game until they lost the license on 22 September 1999.
Mirkwood is a name used for a great dark fictional forest in novels by Sir Walter Scott and William Morris in the 19th century, and by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 20th century. The critic Tom Shippey explains that the name evoked the excitement of the wildness of Europe's ancient North.
John D. Rateliff is an author of roleplaying games and an independent scholar. He specializes in the study of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, particularly his Middle-earth fantasy writings.
Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd is an Irish games company that creates and publishes tabletop games. Best known for its Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings games, Cubicle 7 offers titles covering a range of licensed and self-developed properties.
The One Ring Roleplaying Game is a tabletop role-playing game set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, set at the time between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Designed by Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi, the game was initially published by Cubicle 7 in 2011 under the title The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild. Cubicle 7 continued to publish the first edition of the game until 2019. Nepitello and Maggi developed the second edition, which is published by Free League Publishing under the same title, The One Ring Roleplaying Game.
Dominic McDowall-Thomas is a game designer and publisher who has worked primarily on role-playing games and card games.
The geography of Middle-earth encompasses the physical, political, and moral geography of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, strictly a continent on the planet of Arda but widely taken to mean the physical world, and Eä, all of creation, as well as all of his writings about it. Arda was created as a flat world, incorporating a Western continent, Aman, which became the home of the godlike Valar, as well as Middle-earth. At the end of the First Age, the Western part of Middle-earth, Beleriand, was drowned in the War of Wrath. In the Second Age, a large island, Númenor, was created in the Great Sea, Belegaer, between Aman and Middle-earth; it was destroyed in a cataclysm near the end of the Second Age, in which Arda was remade as a spherical world, and Aman was removed so that Men could not reach it.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game developed by Daedalic Entertainment, who also published the game with Nacon. The game, set in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, takes place in between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. The player controls Gollum through a series of locations, such as Cirith Ungol, Barad-dûr, and Mirkwood, as he attempts to find Bilbo Baggins and retake the One Ring whilst battling himself and avoiding Sauron.
Lórien & The Halls of the Elven Smiths is a supplement published by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) in 1986 for the fantasy role-playing game Middle-earth Role Playing, which is itself based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
