‘The One Ring RPG’: One Game To Rule Them All
Think you’d take on Sauron better than the Fellowship? Check out The One Ring RPG to see if you are, in fact, built differently.
The One Ring RPG 2nd Edition is a tabletop roleplaying game set within the span covering The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It uses a system of Success and Fate. There’s no need to keep it secret, this is The One Ring RPG!
Intro to The One Ring RPG
As you’d expect, The One Ring RPG is set in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth in the end of the Third Age, during and between the times of The Hobbit and the events of The Lord of the Rings. However, players are encouraged to forge their own narrative and take on the mantle of “Adventurer” for whatever reason suits them best.
Assuming you’re familiar with the basics of tabletop roleplaying games, the two questions you’re asking yourself right now are, “What do I roll?” and “What number am I trying to reach?” So, let’s jump right to it.
Let’s Get Rolling
The One Ring RPG uses a system of dice rolling which uses d6s and d12s. The d6s are called Success Dice and the d12s are Fate Dice. Whenever a Player-hero, as they’re called, is faced with a challenge, they will need to roll to determine the result. This could be a Skill Roll or a Combat Roll.
The player rolls 1 Fate Die, plus up to 6 Success Dice, and adds the results together. The number of Success Dice rolled depends on the Player-heros rating in the corresponding ability. The player is attempting to roll equal to or greater than that attribute’s Target Number or TN.
The One Ring RPG Starter Box comes with a few example characters, like Drogo Baggins. Drogo has 3 Strength, 6 Heart, and 5 Wits. Typically, a Player-hero’s TN for each attribute is 20 minus their rating, but the starter kit uses 18, for some leeway for newer players.
The Player-hero will have anywhere from 0 to 6 rating in each of the 18 skills, as noted by the check marks to the right of each skill. They will also have a few Favoured Skills, as marked on the checkbox to the left. When rolling, a Player-hero rolls a number of Success Dice equal to their rating for that skill, and one Fate die. If the player is rolling for a Favoured skill, they roll an additional Fate Die. If the result is equal to or greater than that attribute’s Target Number, they succeed!
However, there’s a little more to it than just that.
Success and Fate
The dice in The One Ring RPG have some extra tricks up their sleeves. The Fate Die shows numbers from 1 to 10 then two special runes, the Gandalf Rune and the Eye of Sauron.
Rolling the Gandalf Rune indicates a complete and total success of whatever the player was attempting, regardless of the numerical result of the Success Dice. However, the Eye of Sauron counts as a 0 on the Fate Die. Additionally, for each roll of 6 on the Success Dice, the success of the action is made all the greater.
There are additional modifiers players can gain, for their benefit or detriment. Players can spend Hope Points to roll bonus dice in dire moments that require it or become Inspired for even greater effect. However, becoming Weary means rolls of 1-3 on the Success Dice count as 0, and becoming Ill-Favoured means players roll 2 Fate Dice and choose the lower result.
Final Thoughts
The One Ring RPG gives the Player-heros and the Loremasters tons of tools in order to weave their tale of adventure and glory. This brief overview is obviously only just a taste of what this system has to offer. It’s clear and concise where it needs to be, with some parts intentionally left a little open-ended to give players the options for grand storytelling.
There are a bunch of additional modules and add-ons as well. Including Strider Mode, which offers the option for full solo play!
