A Company of Friends | Lord of the Rings - Shire & More
Twenty years is a long time for peace to last, and in many dark corners of Middle-earth a shadow is lengthening once again. Time for heroes to rise!
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 12:00 AM UTC
Feb 17 / Session 13
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
5 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
5/6
About the adventure
Rumours of strange things happening outside the borders of civilised lands are spreading with increasing regularity and, while they are dismissed by most as fireside-tales and children’s stories, they sometimes reach the ears of individuals who recognise the sinister truth they hide. These are restless warriors, curious scholars and wanderers, always eager to seek what was lost or explore what was forgotten. Ordinary people call them adventurers and, when they prevail, they hail them as heroes. But if they fail, no one will even remember their names. Join a Company of Friends to explore the Shire, the northern lands of Eriador, and the mines of Moria. ABOUT THE GAME Weekly 3-hour sessions hosted on Roll20, D&D Beyond Maps. Audio on Discord. Character sheets in D&D Beyond. Original D&D 5e rules, with supplementary rules from Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e. Experienced and/or new players welcome. You'll learn as you play. Characters will go from Level 1 to approximately Level 7 (perhaps beyond). ABOUT THE CHARACTERS There will be six original heroic cultures from the land of Eriador, six new classes, a host of terrifying adversaries, and comprehensive rules for journeys, councils, wondrous artifacts, and the subtle magic of Middle-earth. ABOUT THE SETTING Return to Middle-earth in this award-winning licensed adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien using the rules for Dungeons & Dragons 5E. Our tales will take place in the times between “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” It is the year 2965 of the Third Age and the Shadow is returning. Twenty-four years ago, an alliance of Elves, Men, and Dwarves defeated a horde of Orcs and Wild Wolves, under a sky darkened by Giant Bats, inaugurating a new era of prosperity for the Free Peoples. But twenty years is a long time for peace to last, and in many dark corners of the earth a shadow is lengthening once again. ABOUT AJAX DM Ajax DM offers paid weekly games you can count on. Weekly 3-hour D&D 5e game sessions on Roll20 using official campaign materials, premium licensed music and sound effects, 3D dice rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), sourcebook/compendium sharing and scripts which automate manual tasks. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to talk between games.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rules as Written (RaW)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(133)
5 years on StartPlaying
1776 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Teacher, Creativity
Average response time: 24+ hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Ajax DM is a full-time professional DM with 52 completed multi-year campaigns, over 3,000 sessions (in-person and online) - including 1,600+ on StartPlaying - and 10,600+ hours on Roll20 (since March, 2020). Ajax DM offers paid weekly games you can count on. Weekly 3-hour D&D 5e game sessions on Roll20 or Alchemy RPG, using official D&D 5e campaign materials supplemented with additional maps, premium licensed music and sound effects on Syrinscape, 3D dice rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), scripts to automate manual tasks, sourcebook/compendium sharing. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to talk between games. New or experienced players and those just coming back to D&D, learning 5th Edition rules are welcome. You’ll learn as you play. Ajax DM was honored to be selected to DM at Gen Con 2024 independently as Ajax DM, and with Limithron (Pirate Borg) in 2024, to DM for StartPlaying at Gen Con in 2023, for Kobold Press at Gen Con both 2022 and 2023, and as one of a handful of Dungeon Masters for Kobold Chronicles, Kobold Press’ monthly virtual play event.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will enter at the same level as the rest of the party. If you join after the group's Session 0, please set up a separate paid 1-on-1 with Ajax DM. In the Discord group channels, read the character guidelines. We'll be using the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e core rulebook as we’ll as the original 2014 Player’s Handbook as our sourcebooks. IMPORTANT SETTING NOTE for Lord of the Rings: races/species, religions, magic and classes will be those found in Middle Earth. We'll review this at Session 0 and reference guides will be available if you need them. Launch Discord and accept the invitation (sent when you join the game). Add yourself to the Company of Friends on Discord. Create an Account and follow the campaign link to D&D Beyond. - Early in the campaign, you can take an unassigned pre-built character or build your Hobbit character in D&D Beyond after our Session 0 and before the game. I’ll give you a link to the campaign and share my LOTR and D&D materials with you. Please allow at least one weekday for the DM to review any new character before the game. As we move out from the Shire into the wider world, you will be able to create a different character if you wish. - Include at least 2 paragraphs of background story with at least one named person in their story. Let’s collaborate on this story to try to connect you with this world. - Characters should get along with others. Please do not choose the "do not trust others" trait. - There are no evil characters, "neutral" characters that are veiled evil characters, no emo loners who don't trust others. - Fill in physical description and personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. - Edit your character sheet to include desired token image, or you can send token image to Ajax DM via Discord, or request to select one from Ajax DM collection in Roll20. - If you require a familiar or Wild Shape forms or Summon creatures, please alert Ajax DM well before the game so we can create these for you.
Currently Hobbits adventuring in the Shire.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Computer and Internet required. High speed internet will make for a more enjoyable experience. Mic and headphones required (speakers cause echo). Set up free accounts on Roll20, D&D Beyond, and Discord. Install free Discord app on computer. Join Ajax D&D server. Meet the group in your own designated group channels, and chat with other players in shared channels. Paid Session 0 required prior to game session. If you miss the group Session 0, please message Ajax DM to arrange for a 1-on-1 Session 0 once you join the game. It's your chance to let me know what you would enjoy (and would not enjoy), and an opportunity to learn about me as a DM, safety tools, table rules, the environment we'll be in and we can talk about your character ideas and how you're connected to the story. You can roll up a character and we'll get you set up. Ajax DM has hundreds of character tokens available. Either send your token image to Ajax DM or select one from the Ajax DM collection. If your character will require a familiar or Wild Shape forms or is able to Summon creatures, please alert Ajax DM well before the game as we'll need to set up character sheets for these.
What Allison - Ajax DM brings to the table
Ajax DM uses official D&D 5e campaign materials from Wizards of the Coast, Kobold Press, Free League, and others, supplemented with additional maps, premium licensed music and sound effects, 3D dice-rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), scripts to automate manual tasks, purchased tokens, sourcebook/compendium sharing as a Pro in Roll20. We use cinematic animated visuals with custom audio on Alchemy RPG. Sourcebooks in D&D Beyond. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to hang out, share notes, and start conversations between games.
Homebrew rules
At my table, fire spells do not work in water.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Allison - Ajax DM creates a safe table
We'll have a table rules and safety discussion as part of the group Session 0 or in a private 1-on-1. This is a welcoming table and we expect respect and kindness for all. Rape and Sexual Assault will not be part of our game. If you are entering the campaign after the group Session 0, please book a paid 1-on-1 with Ajax DM prior to starting the game. No homebrew characters. There are no evil characters, "neutral" characters that are veiled evil characters, no emo loners who don't trust others. Remember, you are heroes.
Content warnings
Safety tools used