It's been a while, but I finally received my Moria supplement from the Kickstarter. I went in for both a collector cover and the regular cover because both of them look awesome. I don't think I've posted or mentioned it but I've also received the previous supplements that came out prior,
Ruins of the Lost Realms and
Tales from the Lone-lands. The first is a guide to the places and people in Southern Eriador, essentially, it is an area that allows GMs to create and design their own adventures without the worry of interfering in the well known locales, already detailed in Middle-earth. The second book is a series of six adventures that take place in the north-western Lone-lands.
The books are of high quality, as one would expect from Free League. Everything from artwork, to layout, maps, to general information has been well done. It's a nice sized tome but doesn't feel massive or overweight as some published books, these days.
As for the content, Free League managed to pack in just enough information to allow a GM opportunity to setup and run adventures, without making it overwhelming.
The primary sections of the book include:
- Introduction: describes the history and shape of the place now called Moria.
- At The Gates, The Trumpets Rang: discusses several groups interested in Moria in the present era. These groups might be Patrons or rivals to the Player-heroes.
- Journeys in the Dark: contains a set of Journey rules adjusted for underground exploration, as well as Moria-specific Eye Awareness rules.
- Fell Foes: lists the Orcs and other enemies that may be found in the city and rules for risking an encounter with Durin’s Bane.
- Mansions of the Dwarves: the largest part of the book, describing Landmarks and hazards in the various regions of Moria.
- Appendix: describes the largest expedition to brave Moria, Balin’s expedition from 2989 to 2994, and magical treasures that might be found in Moria. It also presents a new playable culture of Dwarves, the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost.
Mansions of the Dwarves has some nice smaller sections, such as the stony valley of Dimrill Dale, various known Gates into Moria, the many halls within, Dwarrowdelf the capital city within Moria, chambers and vaults, the mountains above/outside, the various Roads that run through, Goblin and Orc strongholds, the Dwarven mines, and of course delving down, deeper below.
All in all, it's definitely a labor of love worthy of the good Professor's work. I hope Free League has more supplements planned.
