 | |
| Designers | Jessica M. Ney and Pete Fenlon |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Iron Crown Enterprises |
| Publication | 1991 |
| Genres | Fantasy |
| Systems | unique system |
Lord of the Rings Adventure Game is a role-playing game based on the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien (specifically The 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. [1]
The setting for LOR is an expanded version of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Published campaign sourcebooks are set just before the year 3018 of the Third Age, i.e. just before the War of the Ring. The Player Characters are able to interact with the main characters of The Lord of the Rings, but do not take direct roles in the outcome of those events.
Originally published by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.) in 1991-1993, LOR was a simple, "level-less" roleplaying system designed to help introduce new players (and game masters) to roleplaying in the world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It uses only two 6-sided dice to resolve skill checks and combat. It was an expansion of the even simpler rules used by ICE for its Middle-earth Quest books. It was intended as a stepping stone to I.C.E.’s more complex Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) system and game modules.
Players can create characters from the races of Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and Half-elves.
Characters possess Attributes and Skills rated between -5 and +5. Skills can be modified to a rating above or below these limits (i.e. under -5 or over +5). An attack roll consists of a roll of 2D6, to which the attacker's skill rating and appropriate weapon rating are added and the defender's defense and armor rating are subtracted. The result is looked up on a table to determine success or failure, and if it is a success how much damage is done.
Spell casters can only learn a very limited number of spells. Some feel this is more in tune with the flavor of Tolkien's writings than other systems.
The system’s first entry was a boxed set (ICE #LR0) containing the scenario "Dawn Comes Early" which also included guidelines, maps, character bios, and cardboard characters with stands. The next was the scenario book "Darker Than the Darkness" (ICE #LR1) and then the scenario book "Over the Misty Mountains Cold" (ICE #LR2). Two more scenario books in the series were planned but never published.
In the fantasy of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting Middle-earth, the central continent of Arda in an imagined mythological past. They are based on the dwarfs of Germanic myths who were small humanoids that lived in mountains, practising mining, metallurgy, blacksmithing and jewellery. Tolkien described them as tough, warlike, and lovers of stone and craftsmanship.
Glorfindel is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a member of the Noldor, one of the three groups of the Calaquendi or High Elves. The character and his name, which means "blond" or "golden-haired", were among the first created for what would become part of his Middle-earth legendarium in 1916–17, beginning with the initial draft of The Fall of Gondolin. His name indicates his hair as a mark of his distinction, as the Noldor were generally dark-haired. A character of the same name appears in the first book of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, which takes place in Middle-earth's Third Age. Within the story, he is depicted as a powerful Elf-lord who could withstand the Nazgûl, wraith-like servants of Sauron, and holds his own against some of them single-handedly. Glorfindel and a version of the story of the Fall of Gondolin appear in The Silmarillion, posthumously published in 1977.
Thranduil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He first appears as a supporting character in The Hobbit, where he is simply known as the Elvenking, the ruler of the Elves who lived in the woodland realm of Mirkwood. The character is properly named in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and appears briefly in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.
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.
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, the Eagles or Great Eagles, were immense birds that were sapient and could speak. The Great Eagles resembled actual eagles, but were much larger. Thorondor is said to have been the greatest of all birds, with a wingspan of 30 fathoms. Elsewhere, the Eagles have varied in nature and size both within Tolkien's writings and in later adaptations.
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 term Middle-earth canon, also called Tolkien's canon, is used for the published writings of J. R. R. Tolkien regarding Middle-earth as a whole. The term is also used in Tolkien fandom to promote, discuss and debate the idea of a consistent fictional canon within a given subset of Tolkien's writings.
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.
The fictional races and peoples that appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth include the seven listed in Appendix F of The Lord of the Rings: Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents, Orcs and Trolls, as well as spirits such as the Valar and Maiar. Other beings of Middle-earth are of unclear nature such as Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry.
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.
Tolkienmoot is an annual convention run by The Tolkien Society, the Eä Tolkien Society, created for scholars, gamers, and enthusiasts of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. It began under the name of Merpcon in 2005. Always a convention focused on J.R.R. Tolkien scholarly discussion and gaming in Middle-earth, its name was changed in 2009 as the venue expanded. The convention was founded by Hawke Robinson and others.
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.
Angmar: Land of the Witch King is a fantasy role-playing sourcebook published by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.) in 1982 based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The book expands upon Tolkien's few brief mentions of Angmar, an evil kingdom, providing gamemasters with enough material to create a setting in which player characters can experience Angmar.
Ents of Fangorn is a supplement published by Iron Crown Enterprises in 1987 for Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP), a fantasy role-playing game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Riddle of the Ring is a board game published by Fellowship Games in 1977 based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings; it was republished by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) in 1982.
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.
Trolls of the Misty Mountains is a supplement published by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) in 1986 for the fantasy role-playing game Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP), which is itself based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.