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Dungeons & Dragons, the granddaddy of all RPGs, contained elements inspired by JRR Tolkien's definitive fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings from its very first edition (Orcs, Halflings, mythril). However, D&D's flashy magic system and focus on loot are ill suited for a true 'Tolkienesque' adventure (as have previous attempts at Rings roleplaying games). Decipher steps in to fill the Tolkienesque void with their officially licensed The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game. But do they succeed where others (*cough*Iron Crown Enterprises*cough*) failed?
Keeping Up Appearances
The actual physical book is very aesthetically pleasing 304 page hardcover, incorporating stills from the Peter Jackson adaptations of the film with a muted, earth-toned layout that is very evocative of the setting. Plus, the pictures are actually relevant to the text they accompany. (I've actually seen RPGs that don't observe this seemingly obvious principle.) Overall, the visual design of the book itself is one of the finest I've seen. Nearly everything is presented clearly and is easy to find with the help of the table of contents and index. This was my first Role Playing Game but it was still very easy for me, with one or two exceptions, to find and understand the rules I needed, so for veteran RPG players it shouldn't be a problem.
Playing the Game
If you've read the Lord of the Rings or seen the films, you are likely familiar with Middle Earth, a world mostly based on Western-European mythology. Humans are not the only intelligent species, and share the world with immortal elves, stubborn dwarves, and gregarious Hobbits (the inspiration for D&D's Halflings). The Dark Lord Sauron, an ancient evil, was defeated but lives on in the spirit of the One Ring, a powerful artifact that corrupts those who wear it. Even if you aren't familiar with the setting, the game gives ample background information and, perhaps more importantly, explains the tone of the setting and what kind of heroes inhabit it.
The characters the player creates are members of the "free peoples" who oppose Sauron and his servants. The creation system is very traditional, with six attributes (that can be rolled at random or selected), "reactions" (similar to saving throws), races, and classes (here called 'orders'). Nearly any setting appropriate character can be created, with nine basic orders and six "elite orders", which all include unique order abilities to round out the character. The game allows starting characters to be extremely effective in their primary field of expertise very early on, or to choose to be more well rounded instead.
A "flaw" system allows characters to gain additional capability at the expense of setbacks, but only up to a point. "Edges" are like the opposite of flaws, special abilities the character can take like ambidexterity, weapon-mastery or healing hands.
The task resolution system is fairly easy to understand, 2d6 plus skill (and specialty, if applicable) and a modifier from the governing attribute. If the result beats the "target number", the character succeeds at their action. If they fail, they can choose to bolster their result with "courage points", a meta-game resource replenished by having your character do heroic things. On the other hand, doing evil things will earn you Corruption Points that can cause your character to go over to the side of Sauron, a fate worse than death and just as irrevocable.
Weapons and Wizardry
For an epic fantasy, combat and magic play an important role, and as such get extra treatment from the rules. The magic system has an admirable spell list, and does a good job of making even the most minor supernatural powers (lighting fires, opening locks, subtly enhancing a natural ability) seem special and powerful. Don't expect to fly, summon abyssals or shoot fireballs from your fingers in this setting, though a mist that aids in the speed of travel, summoning friendly animals or calling lighting out of the sky seem more incredible because of it. The only change I would make to the magic system (and did in fact house rule) is to use the Willpower reaction instead of the Stamina reaction for successfully casting spells.
Fighting, on the other hand, is a bit lacking. The base defense for most characters is rather low compared to most combat-ready characters' skill level, and defensive actions take up most of a character's turn. Also, it is very difficult to swiftly kill an opponent, something that happens a lot in the source material. This difficulty stems from the fact that when a character loses all of their hitpoints, they merely lose a 'wound level', and it takes a LOT of hits to get through them all. Combat, frankly, will get boring unless you find a way to raise the stakes and make each decision count.
In contrast to the lackluster individual combat system, the mass-combat system is loads of fun and abstractly involves the player's characters in a meaningful way. It allows for quick but crunchy resolution of the sort of epic battles that occur in the War of the Ring.
Yes, But Should I Buy It?
Though the game does an incredible job at communicating its setting, the mechanics leave a lot to be desired in places, with some rules, especially in the individual combat system, that quite simply make no sense and were likely not play-tested. When I ran a game for my friends, it went great up until the small-scale skirmishes, which were always the most boring part of the game due to the low-risk war of attrition they involved. Everything else went over swimmingly, with magicians using their low-key powers in creative and flavorful ways and everyone generally able to get in character and play in the world of Middle Earth. I would only recommend the game to fans of Middle Earth who are familiar enough with game rules to re-write the combat system to their tastes.
