Lord Of The Rings Fans Get Two New Games On June 2
The Lord of the Rings is getting two new RPGs this summer. J.R.R. Tolkien's seminal fantasy series has often served as a point of inspiration for games: officially, the trend goes as far back as 1982's Middle-earth Role Playing, but Lord of the Rings definitely indirectly inspired lots of fantasy games that came before that. More recently, the series was adapted into the Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War duology of stealth-action games, in addition to the cozy game Return to Moria and that one Gollum game we don't talk about. Two of its newest and most expansive tabletop releases, though, are about to get much bigger.
On June 2nd, we'll see three new releases for two major Lord of the Rings tabletop games: Hands of the White Wizard and Hobbit Tales for The One Ring, and Trials of Saruman for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. All three releases are through Free League Publishing, and are currently available for preorder on their website. The reason these only count as two new "games," though, is because Hands of the White Wizard and Trials of Saruman are technically the same campaign. Both include an almost-identical series of quests revolving around Saruman prior to the War of the Ring: only Hands of the White Wizard is designed for use with LOTR's original One Ring RPG system, while Trials of Saruman is adapted for its Dungeons and Dragons 5e-based Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. Players will be sent to aid or observe Saruman in his role as Lord of Isengard and, depending on their actions, may aid his descent into treason or attempt to redeem him. There are six missions in the book, each of which may be played individually or tied together into a larger adventure.
Also on June 2, Free League will put out another set of adventures called Hobbit Tales. This features five ready-to-play quests for The One Ring RPG only, naturally featuring Hobbits and, according to a Free League press release, "the kinds of adventures Hobbits get up to when they cannot avoid it." You'll be able to play as one of several notable Hobbits whose descendants are featured in the main series, including Primula and Rory Brandybuck, Paladin Took, and Bilbo Baggins.
Each of the books goes for $41.61 at the time of writing; prices on the site are in Swedish kronor and may be subject to exchange rates. Your purchase includes a physical book, which won't arrive until after release, and a PDF version to be delivered through DriveThruRPG. All three new Lord of the Rings adventures will be released on June 2.
