The One Ring plucked my cherry! - TOR Session #1

How did I go from a OSR enthusiast to playing my first ever tabletop RPG in Middle Earth? Beats me. But I'm glad I did. I was kindly invited to join an online Fantasy Grounds II campaign for The One Ring roleplaying game published by Cubicle 7 and written by Francesco Nepitello. So - 3 hours in - my immediate thoughts on:

Disclaimer: This is not a review - We shall leave such things for a time as and when I have a clue what I'm talking about. If it sounds like I am tripping off my first ever tabletop RPG session which just so happens to be based upon my favourite fantasy setting...then I most definitely am.

The System

My initial reaction? Pleasantly surprised. Despite lacking the real dice in hand experience of playing a d20 system such as Dungeons & Dragons, I have a working knowledge of the game and have witnessed many games over the years to which I can cast some contrasts. What do I feel comfortable suggesting at this point in time? The One Ring would not stand up to D&D in core functionality. I think I can say that much. My knowledge of TOR as it is today, I am immediately aware of a few mechanics which are rough around the edges and time can only expose more such difficulties. I will not go into depth on such issues however until I have a much greater working knowledge of the system (i.e find a situation in which there is any reason to wear any substantial grade of armour). What did surprised me however, was how little I cared. Such seemingly obvious issues were overwhelmed with a willingness to ignore them as I could not pull myself away from what the game was doing incredibly well; blowing my mind. It must be stressed that if you are not a fan of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, nor did the movies put you in a joy induced coma, the game may fail to measure up as a core system in light of the vast competition; my mind however was too awash with evocative imagery and emotive, epic soundtrack to care. The core game could do with some work, but the brand of gameplay it systematically encourages and the atmosphere it generates accurately evokes a Tolkien-esque experience. TOR is a springboard into Middle Earth, and I say so without having experienced much table time what so ever. I sincerely hope my praises stand the test of time.

The Session

The session was very much a setting of the scene as I, the new member of the group, was introduced to the party in Woodland Hall in the Wilderland. My character Hamarr, a Bardling of Dale had gained the friendship of Beli of Erebor on the Old Forest Road. Originally destined for Rhosgobel to seek the counsel of Radagast the Brown on behalf of his people, Hamarr meets the party:

Trotter - a hobbit of the Shire.

The Bride - a woman of Mirkwood.

Beli - a dwarf of Erebor.

The Healer - a man of Mirkwood.

Following introductions and a warm evening within the hall, the party turned in for the night, but to be awoken before sunrise by the town bell as the outer ring of the hall engulfed in flames as Orcs raided the settlement. Rushing to the aid of the woodsmen (and Beli collapsing faces with a mattock), the Orcs retreated into Mirkwood, but the party soon learnt that they had abducted a number of children during the raid (dinner?). Too worried by the missing younglings to consider continuing on to the Brown Wizard, a good Insight roll by yours truly leads Hamarr to claim the Orcs to be those of the Misty Mountain. Plans were hastily made for the travel phase as we quickly prepared to pursue our enemy before they built up an appetite for their prisoners. The early signs pointed towards the north east river Running as their route of escape. To make the first of many cringe worthy quotes I expect to make over the comings weeks and months: "Let us hunt some orc." Next week beckons.

My Thoughts

What pleased me the most was that I found a wholesome enjoyment of the game despite playing what I came to sense as somewhat of a functional first session. Combat got sluggish at times, roleplay a little slow and participation rates all over the place from players; I'm making a big deal out of what were relatively small or marginal elements, but my point is that despite these things I maintained a heightened interest in what was going to happen next and I was not remotely let down in any element of the game thus far (granted I have only scratched the surface).

Something that struck me immediately was that of the medium in which we played, and what I believe to be the single cause for the minor criticisms. Given my premature personal preference of requiring a more intimate set up than that of pure text based communication to which was being utilised, I maintain my initial judgement that the lack of real time 'banter' can lend itself to some lasting silences which can be detrimental to play. Structure can become lost as players rush to fill silences as the LM may simultaneously pounce with the next story element, that or more dreaded silence. Open lines of vocal communication allows for such to be a feature of the game itself than a number of silent participants routing through hardbacks and pdfs. This is not a criticism to the LM's prefered methodology; keeping things in soundwaves or scripture is definitively a position of opinion and individual taste. Given the formation of online 'plug & play' random groups, the restriction on individual expression and interaction as achieved by voice communications could be seen as a blessing; you would not invite a stranger from the street into your group, get chatty then assume you'll enjoy his company. Text does have the bonus of keeping the roleplay thick, the OOC thin and RL under wraps - I guess the longer I talk about it the more my opinion is seemingly swinging; we'll leave it at a matter of preference for now. I am enjoying myself and most likely picking nits as I am eager to get to a stage where I can have a face-to-face game.

How about the virtual tabletop? Come the day I run my own game, Fantasy Grounds is currently the front runner as a solid tool for a LM or DM to use should I decide to run an online game (more than likely). Rules can be configured, visual illustrations and battle maps drawn - all angles are covered. Bringing Skype into the mix would seem to be a pure winner for me as it brings the social element of the tabletop to the fore, whilst clearing the chat log for key text and visual illustration to make for a very strong device indeed.

In summary I can say I enjoyed myself, handsomely. Not my preferred medium, but as a testament to the players and the LM, I'd happily play for the next year and I feel lucky to explore The One Ring with them. Stay tuned as I'm hoping to make updates each Sunday on our progress, as well as a possible review of the box set when it arrives!