Review: Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e

Back after a long hiatus. This week I take a look at Lord of the Rings Roleplaying (5e) and talk about how it compares with The One Ring and its 5th Edition predecessor Adventures in Middle Earth. There were some strange choices made by the designers of this RPG which I note around 14:00. I discuss Jouneys, Counsels, and other mechanics specific to this game. Chapter timestamps below (sorry about the audio delay in the middle).

TLDR: This is an excellent adaptation of The One Ring to 5th Edition mechanics. However, if you are not adverse to trying a new system, consider picking up The One Ring instead, which in my opinion captures the "feel" of Lord of the Rings slightly better than the 5th Edition mechanics.

Lord of the Rings Roleplaying - https://amzn.to/43swqrm
The One Ring - https://amzn.to/3P26I8O

Side note: I forgot to mention in the video that if you have any Adventures In Middle Earth books, do not fret. Adventures are almost entirely compatible and will likely translate with minor adjustments. Any cultures not in the core book will need some adjustments to fit the new design.

00:00  Intro
00:25  Overview of Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and The One Ring
02:00  Setting of Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and The One Ring
04:10  How Lord of the Rings roleplaying adapts 5e mechanics
04:50  Cultures (similar to Races in D&D)
07:45  Callings (similar to Classes in D&D)
08:30  How Callings maintain the lower magic feel of Lord of the Rings
    09:25  The Captain
    10:38  The Champion
    11:20  The Messenger
    12:32  The Treasure Hunter
    12:54  The Scholar
    I forgot the Warden which is somewhat like a D&D Ranger (or a LotR Ranger, for that matter). 
13:58  Some 5th Edition rules are missing from the book.
19:50  Journeys
24:12  Differences in Healing and Resting
28:20  Patrons
30:10  Counsels
31:50  Shadow Points
34:06  Differences between Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and Adventures in Middle Earth
36:30  Skill Differences
41:30  Is it a buy?
44:55  Maps of the Shire and Eriador
46:50  Outtro

The One Ring Unboxing

Unboxing the The One Ring, which recently released in its second edition by Free League publishing, who also publishes such RPGs as Tales from the Loop, Alien, Twilight: 2000, and Forbidden Lands. I browse the Starter Set contents and Core Rule as well as discuss some of the changes in the game between the first edition and second edition. Timestamps below the video.

00:15  Introduction
01:35  Core Rule Book and Box set covers
02:30  Mini-GM screen in the box lid
04:10  Poster map
06:13  Starter Set (white) and Sauron (black) dice
10:00  Stance / Journey Cards
11:25  Equipment Cards
14:00  Endurance vs. Load encumbrance system
15:20  Timeline and content focus of The One Ring 1st edition vs 2nd edition
18:00  Hobbit pre-gens
19:54  Starter Set booklets
20:40  Twitch viewer comment about BattleTech
21:05  The One Ring core rule book
22:40  Free League publishing art direction
24:20  Second Edition vs First Edition art style
32:30  Comparison of Middle-Earth maps in the editions
34:15 Map of Eriador
37:45  Map of the Shire
39:40  Hobbit characters
41:15  Attributes and Skills
44:25  How Skill rolls work
48:00  Travel and Journeys
52:00  Starter Set rules vs. Core rules content
52:30  PC Cultures in Middle Earth
54:25  Monster Bestiary
56:00  Content left out of the 2nd edition. Possible supplements?
58:50  Adventures In Middle Earth
1:00:20 Outtro

Adventures in Middle Earth and The One Ring - D&D Alternatives

2022 UPDATE: The One Ring is now back in print with its second edition. Adventures in Middle Earth is currently still out of print, but may be coming (somewhat) soon.

In the 3rd episode of my impromptu series, I explore two RPGs set in the Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe -- The One Ring and Adventures in Middle Earth. 

Both RPGs are low fantasy / low magic to match the narrative feel of the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The One Ring has a mechanic based on d6's and a d12, while Adventures in Middle Earth uses the familiar D&D 5th Edition / d20 mechanics. Both systems are wonderful, although The One Ring has a bit less power creep than its 5th Edition translation. Adventures in Middle Earth has many ideas and mechanics that can be adapted to your standard D&D 5th Edition game or other d20-based low fantasy game.

If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings and D&D-style fantasy, you absolutely need to pick these offerings while they are still available at retail prices (they are now out of print). See the video for what I love about these two games and how they differ.

The One Ring RPG - Books / PDFs
Adventures in Middle Earth - Books (currently out of print)