I did receive a copy of The One Ring RPG rulebook and starter set as PDFs to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. These are my honest impressions.
I’ll be writing a more detailed review when I get a little deeper in the campaign, so stay tuned for that. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
I ran my first session of The One Ring roleplaying game this week and had a blast. I am running through the starter set adventures, and I was a little nervous because it is a little more roleplay and lore-heavy than what we’re used to. I was surprised by how quickly my players found their characters, and even more surprised at how true they stayed to their characters. It was a huge shift from where we started three years ago where we were all a band of murder hobos.
Typically, our roleplay is just dominated by the person with the most TTRPG experience, but this time it was pretty consistent. Even my player with the least experience was into it. Having that session zero where we all came together to make the characters broke the ice enough to get the RP juices flowing. I never thought I would have so much fun in a game where we didn’t do combat and barely made any rolls.
The Adventure
The starter set comes with five pre-written quests and pre-generated characters to get you started. While I understand the adventure was designed for these characters, I didn’t see the harm in letting my players create their own. We might encounter some balance issues in the future, but I can always balance on the fly if I need to.
The first quest is designed to set the scene for the adventure and get players comfortable with the game’s mechanics. The adventure starts at a party where the players can use the time to find their character and get comfortable with roleplay. It’s a solid way to start a campaign, but it’s only fun if everyone can get into character and participate. The adventure starts with a simple fetch quest, but it took us the entire session to get to the first skill check because we were having so much fun hanging out in this world with our characters.
Tips
Don’t be afraid to go off the book. We’ve all fallen into the trap of overpricing, but the most I’ve had in any RPG were in the sessions that I went into with only a handful of notes. TTRPGs are supposed to be a collaborative experience, and while you may have your plans, the players will always do something else. It’s okay if they do.
The One Ring RPG has a well-written template of how to run the campaign. The prewritten sections have paragraphs with descriptions and dialogue to set the scene. We didn’t use any of it. I spent my prep time setting up Foundry VTT, reading over the adventure, and practicing what I had to say. Except for using Foundry for a couple of checks, we didn’t use any of it. My players started exploring the world outside of the script, and I went along. Occasionally I would gently nudge them towards a checkpoint, but I lost track of time and barely started the campaign.
Another tip to run this campaign is to use the motivation and features offered at character creation. It helped my players find characters outside what they usually play, and it was fun to see the characters start to take shape at the table. Depending on your playgroup, you might want to brush up on the lore. At my table, lore isn’t so important, but it’s nice to have a reference for when it comes up. We usually make it up as we go because it is easier to keep track of, but The One Ring has interesting lore, and my players are actively trying to stick to it.
The last bit of advice is to create an opening scene where the players can interact with each other as they walk to Bags End to start their adventure. This helps the players get into character and breaks the ice if it needs to. Once at Bags End, spend as much at the party as necessary. We spent most of our session at the party and exploring the world in character. We’ll eventually get to the combats, quests, and skill checks, but the party was a proper way to get the players excited for the rest of the adventure.
Impressions
I was nervous about starting The One Ring because of how different it is from everything else I’ve run. We aren’t the biggest Lord of the Rings fans, and aside from the movies, our connection to the lore is minimal at best. That said, I love reading the lore that fills the pages of the rulebook, and I am enjoying the world it is trying to create. We may not stick to every bit of lore, but it’s the first time my players actually seem to care. I see them putting more effort into memorizing characters and places at least.
The One Ring RPG is a narrative-focused system. Its mechanics are designed to foster this collaborative story between you and your friends. It is a beginner-friendly system, even if you’re not familiar with the works. The mechanics are easy to learn, and the lore is an interesting read, but you and your playgroup should be comfortable enough with each other to actively participate. There won’t always be a battle to fight or a check to roll. Sometimes, you just get to party as a dwarf.
I’m enjoying the system so far and like the starter set as a way to get things started. If you’ve been looking for a new system to run, love The Lord of the Rings, and aren’t afraid to roleplay, go give it a shot. I will be writing a more detailed review once I get deeper into the book. Stay tuned for that.
