Over Hill and Under Hill, Beginner's Guide to One Ring 2e

Creating your character

There are six pre-generated characters provided for the starter session. Players may choose a character in advance. Each culture and calling (race/species and class in d&d terms) is represented with a colourful background and a link to one of the other characters. There is a list of characters below and I will send character sheets to players in a pdf. If you can't decide, or you fancy a more chaos-friendly approach, it can be fun to roll a dice for a character :) The pregen characters are most suitable for the Starter Set as time is a bit more limited and it's easier to drop into the game with everything already set up. If you enjoy the setting, however, we can look into creating characters for a longer campaign down the line. The party has been adventuring around Bree for a while working under the patronage of Lady Gilraen, a leading figure among the Rangers. Geira, Daugther of Gautarr: Barding from the east, proud warrior. Good all-rounder, persuasive, encouraging, and very well armoured. Regin Stonefist: Dwarf of Durin's folk, strong and stout-hearted warrior, excellent with a two handed axe and battle skills. Fimbrethil of the Havens: Elf of Lindon, expert with a bow and use of her wits. Can crack any riddle and knows much lore of the lands and holds the magic of the elven people at her back. Artie Wayward: A patient and insightful Man of Bree, this messenger has a range of skills and is an expert traveller and diplomat. Mentha North-tooks: A Hobbit of the Shire, Mentha is an eager and inquisitive burglar. An expert in stealth and spotting trouble, she has a heart to match her wits. Duinhir “Eaglenose”: A dour and stern Ranger of the North, Duinhir is deadly with a long sword and skilled in hunting, healing, seeing trouble that might be hunting him in turn.

Preparing for the session

The game will be run on Foundry so no account will be needed. When you follow the game link, you'll find a player listing in your name with the password you provided, follow that to get to your character. Foundry provides the game maps and mechanics but if you want to roll manually, you just need a number of d6. Please run the game on a PC if possible, tablets and such can be more difficult to use with a virtual tabletop. Video chat will be held over Discord so a Discord account will be needed. A headset would be preferred for the sake of easy audio and if you have a noisy background, push to talk is a good option. Naturally, a decent internet connection is a must.

What Loonequine brings to the table

I will provide a patient and fun session focused on ensuring all players learn the mechanics as we go and get to enjoy the story and adventure in full. There are several NPC's in this setting that I will be portraying with voices and mannerisms. I love playing orcs and villains so expect me to get into the spirit with them. I'm not a pro voice actor but I will play with voices and encourage everyone to be comfy trying new or fun stuff. There is no pressure to put on a show, voices and accents are all optional and should not be expected to be professional standard, just fun. Combat encounters will occur using the encounter system of One Ring. I like running cinematic style combat focussed on RP and teamwork. I will take some time to go over the stances and options that set this system apart, but if you choose to just swing that also works. It's your game, have fun! Player death is unlikely but there is plenty of opportunity to be wounded or suffer the growing malice of the Shadow so don't expect an easy run. There are wargs and wolves in the game but killing blows and such will be brief with no sound effects or over the top descriptions of harm to animals, evil or otherwise. Music and sound effects will be used throughout to add to the scenes. Foundry's soundtrack can be adjusted on your end to balance the audio as you need.

How Loonequine creates a safe table

Red flag options will be provided through Foundry, Discord, and with an on camera option discussed. A pre-game document will be sent out asking for any Lines (Absolute No) or Veils (fade out and imply with a discretion shot) so it is up to you how the scenes are played. The first 10-30 minutes of gameplay will be spent on a brief session zero, ensuring safety tools are known and adhered to and everyone is on the same page for gameplay and character work. There should be no cause for PVP in this module, but if it happens both sides must consent to it. As described earlier, character flaws are all well and good, but discrimination and abusive behavior will not be tolerated. There will be no depictions of sexual assault or other inappropriate behaviour. Whispers to the GM through Foundry or Discord will be available to report poor behaviour or request breaks, no judgement. I want everyone to feel safe and to enjoy exploring Middle-Earth together.