2018-11-19

There and Back Again

[Rules update log below downloads. Last update 1/31/2019 8:57 am GMT-8.]

This is a small game I have been fiddling with for some time. The inspiration came from two articles about how the 1937 edition of The Hobbit differed from its more commonly read revised version and what kind of world was implied by that edition, sans Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion. The articles probably explain it better than I can, so I linked them below, but here is the introduction text to the game.

You are an adventurer in the world of The Hobbit. Specifically the world as it appeared in the 1937 edition of that book. Anyone can be a wizard with the right knowledge, trolls turn to stone in the sunlight, animals or magical objects can speak, elves aren't always nice, and the wild is full of terrible creatures like goblins, giant spiders, and even dragons!

(Art © William McCausland, used with permission.)

You need 3d6 and the rules (link below) to play. When you print the sheet, set it horizontally/landscape, two-sided, binding on short edge. And don't let the printer scale it down. Then fold it accordion-style so that the title is on the front and the character sheet on the back. (Fold it once more if you want to stick it in your pocket.)

Rules

Articles (one is linked inside the other)

Rules Updates:
11/24/2018 - Ver 0.4b clarified player facing rolls, reorganized, added example dangers
11/23/2018 - Ver. 0.3 clarified how toughness works, failures, dangers, monsters.
1/31/2019 - Ver. 1.0 changed version number; no other edits.

4 comments:

  1. Played this game for two sessions and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Ray

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  2. We plan you using these rules with The One Ring/Adventures in Middle Earth: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild.

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  3. I like this a lot. Think I will run separate solos for my group and then wind their stories together as a fellowship.

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  4. I love this!! Can't wait to try it. I love how you've managed to capture everything high fantasy so elegantly

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