The One Ring, 2nd Edition

Necron 99 · Post October 18th, 2019, 11:46 pm

Some images of the map that will be in the new edition:

rredmond · Post October 20th, 2019, 11:46 am

Darn it, I don't want to love these maps and their computer-ish enhancements (hand-drawn all the way!!) but I do.

PS: Apparently when I click on the embarrased smiley next to the message box, it gives me an Oops smiley.

Necron 99 · Post October 20th, 2019, 12:12 pm

rredmond wrote: ↑October 20th, 2019, 11:46 am Darn it, I don't want to love these maps and their computer-ish enhancements (hand-drawn all the way!!) but I do.

PS: Apparently when I click on the embarrased smiley next to the message box, it gives me an Oops smiley.

Another mistake in the smilie code, all fixed now.

But yes, the map is nice, I'll give them that.

Necron 99 · Post December 4th, 2019, 8:03 pm

Whoa...kind of a big deal here:

From the C7 Website:

We have some very unfortunate and unexpected news to share. Contractual differences arose recently which we have been unable to resolve, and so we have decided to end our licensing agreement with Sophisticated Games. It is with regret that we have made this very tough decision to withdraw.

This means we will cease publishing The One Ring and Adventures in Middle-earth™ in the first half of 2020. Unfortunately, this doesn’t give us enough time to release the much-anticipated The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game second edition.

As many of you know, our first edition of The One Ring is eight years old, and we had high hopes of a full product line to support our second edition. Our team have worked incredibly hard on this new edition; with many of the announced titles already written and edited, so being very close to completion makes this decision even harder.

Although we were very close to the finish line when these issues arose, as gamers ourselves we did not feel it was right for the game, or fair to you, to release a new edition which we would be unable to support.

We appreciate how passionate so many of you are, especially those who have followed our journey from first edition or have pre-ordered the second edition. Thank you for your support over the years.

From Sophisticated Games on FB:

Sophisticated Games commissioned The One Ring RPG from Francesco Nepitello back in 2008. The game that he - with Marco Maggi - created, exceeded our best expectations and has gone on to become one of the best - and successful - Role Playing Games of all time. Francesco and Sophisticated Games have had many other collaborations since then.

We were saddened - and indeed surprised- to learn this week from Cubicle 7, our long term distributor and publishing partner, that they had decided against publishing the 2nd edition of TOR. This came in the middle of some discussions on the dynamics of how Francesco, Sophisticated Games and Cubicle 7 should work together in the future. But at no stage had there been any suggestion that TOR2 would not be published.

Fans of the game should be assured that Sophisticated Games, in conjunction with Francesco and Marco, will do their best to rectify the current uncertainties.

Personally, I think C7 may have decided that the line just wasn't doing the volume to maintain, or that they are just so wrapped up in the new WFRP game to devote the time to TOR. The only slight I have is C7 never putting out the Moria expansion box set they originally spoke of. Regardless, I have the full line of The One Ring and could still run many adventures with just that, so if the line is done, I'm not too put out.

Ancalagon · Post December 5th, 2019, 7:57 pm

This is unfortunate. I have the first print of TOR Core book and the Bree book and would certainly have picked up Moria. Maybe I'll grab a copy of Rivendell instead.

Necron 99 · Post November 30th, 2020, 12:58 pm

Well, news that somehow I missed out on at the beginning of November, this came out back around the 3rd and I just happened to stumble across it while surfing the Free League website.

Free League, the current publishers for the Alien, Forbidden Lands, Tales from the Loop, Vaesen, Mutant: Year Zero and others, has actually picked up the license for The One Ring and will be putting out the 2nd Edition that Cubicle 7 had initially planned to produce.

Personally, I like Free League, I think they do good work and I especially enjoy the quality and direction of their Forbidden Lands RPG which very closely mimics the aesthetics of old-school D&D, Warhammer, and Fighting Fantasy game books. Their Alien RPG looks great, but I just don't think I would ever make the time to run any adventures in that setting.

Regardless, I'm glad to see that The One Ring is getting back to the market in 2021; a recent article had quite a few details about the upcoming plans. I'll be looking for this one, whether it's pre-order directly from Free League, or a kickstarter campaign.

Speaking to Dicebreaker, Free League developer and project lead Martin Takaichi described the publisher’s relaunch of The One Ring - designed by original co-creator Francesco Nepitello - as “a proper second edition of the game, not a new version altogether”.

“Most of it will be familiar to anyone who has played the first edition, but of course there are a number of tweaks, revisions and improvements that have been introduced,” Takaichi said. “It retains the same core system where you roll the 12-sided feat die plus a number of success dice to try and beat a target number.”

Takaichi revealed that “aspects” of gameplay from the cancelled Cubicle 7 edition would be included in Free League’s version, combined with the open-world elements seen in fantasy throwback RPG Forbidden Lands, cited by Nepitello as an influence on the new edition’s journey system.

“Something Free League has always tried to bring into our games is a sense of openness and freedom, be it the hex-crawl of Forbidden Lands or the Mystery Landscapes of Tales from the Loop,” Takaichi said. “Several of the sourcebooks for The One Ring - like The Heart of the Wild, my personal favourite - did something similar, but we really want to bring a bit more of that sandbox-inspired gameplay into the new edition.”

The revised RPG will feature a different visual style - including black and white interiors from Forbidden Lands illustrator Alvaro Tapia and cover artwork by Coriolis artist Martin Grip - and take place in a new period of Middle-earth history, moving around 20 years forward from The One Ring’s original timeline.

The core rulebook will focus on the region of Eriador, which previously appeared in past supplements for the RPG but will be explored in greater detail in the new game, Takaichi said. The developer added that The One Ring 2E would also feature places new to the RPG, including The Shire, which will be the focus of the game’s starter set.

Free League currently plans to release The One Ring 2E in the first half of 2021, according to Takaichi. The game will launch with a core rulebook, starter set, Player’s Companion - including additional rules for playing as other inhabitants of Middle-earth - and a supplement set in Eriador. The starter set will include playable versions of characters from Tolkien’s books.

The studio is also working on a new version of Moria - The Long Dark, the adventure set in Khazad-dûm originally planned for Cubicle 7’s first edition of the game before being delayed - and subsequently cancelled - alongside its second edition.

“I know this is *the* sourcebook everyone was waiting for for the first edition, and we of course jumped at the chance to make it for the second edition,” Takaichi told Dicebreaker, adding that the revised supplement will likely release under a new title. “We've decided to start from scratch to really get the sense of Moria we've always envisioned ourselves, and [roleplaying designer] Gareth Hanrahan is currently busy working on an expansive supplement! There aren't many details I can share about this project, but rest assured we are giving Moria all the attention it requires.”

Ancalagon · Post December 1st, 2020, 11:37 pm

I'd pick up a Moria supplement but would be hard pressed to go beyond that.

Necron 99 · Post February 9th, 2021, 3:22 pm

Teaser trailer for the upcoming Kickstarter on Feb 11th. Looks like they're using the same art style as their Alien and Symbaroum games. It gives it a much darker feel than the 1st edition art direction of Cubicle 7. Kickstarter Link: HERE

Ancalagon · Post February 10th, 2021, 7:32 pm

Will you jump in on this KS?

Necron 99 · Post February 10th, 2021, 8:57 pm

Ancalagon wrote: ↑February 10th, 2021, 7:32 pm Will you jump in on this KS?

More than likely. I like Free League and the high quality games/products they publish. Over the years, I've owned several of their RPG lines in some form or another. I really like their Forbidden Lands fantasy game and have everything, in print, for it. Everything from the simple system to the black and white art feels like an RPG you'd have seen in the 80s. Good stuff.

I was a bit dismayed when C7 announced a 2nd edition, I definitely don't want to get caught up in an edition war for TOR the way some other system lines do. If for any reason Free League or another company decides to go with a 3rd edition, I would most definitely jump ship for good. I'm willing to give this one a go and see what they make of it. At least 1e and it's supplements are compatible with this edition which helps to soften the blow for many who already own that one and have no desire to buy this one.