Roleplaying game in Gondor - looking for advice

[johniemi]

I'm the Dungeon Master (one who "writes" the plot, designs the encounters & quests, storyteller etc.) for our Dungeons & Dragons game that takes place in Gondor. First of all, english is not my native language so some terms might be a bit off but rest assured, I am trying to use the correct Finnish terms in our game :)

I would like some help from the people who are familiar with Tolkien's works, so I wouldn't spoil the Middle-Earth experience. After all, why play Middle-Earth if it looks and feels just like a vanilla D&D campaign...

We started playing some days after Sauron was defeated. The players started out as adventurers who had been recruited as troops to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron and now their assistance is no longer needed as Sauron is gone... to make a long story short, they are now free to do what they want.

They have already traveled to Pelargir and confronted a local villain in the harbor but now I'd like to know would it be possible that someone tries to rebuild the Tower of Sauron in Mordor? It would be a great adventure for our group - maybe hire them as coach escorts to rebuild Mordor for men... only to find out that the cargo is going to orcs in Mordor who are grouping up again.

Also, would it be ok to assume that Moria is still inhabited by goblins? If yes, that's one new quest as well: help the dwarves clean up Moria. (The players have befrendied Gimli already).

What other monsters could I make up in Middle-Earth? I already have Uruk-Hai, Trolls, Goblins, Orcs and Wargs. Also planning to add some ghosts & wraiths as soon as the players level up enough to cope with them.

Just please give me some ideas what I could do and what not, while keeping the Tolkien world pretty much Tolkien-like. I have already made spellcasting rare compared to the standard D&D game, but that's about all so far.

I have read LOTR when I was a child and I have seen the movies so my knowledge is pretty limited.

What about dragons? Not that they would be ready for one yet but still... rumours could already be thrown at them of a great treasure and a huge dragon.

Also, I haven't decided about the Shire yet. Is it intact or has it been pillaged... Maybe the latter would be better to get an adventure hook in but... well, that's as far as my imagination has gone.

So please, any ideas or comments, even just one-line suggestions like "Maybe they could try to find Sting" or something like that would be great! The more ideas, the better, as then the players feel like they are in a "real" world with more choices than just "go east" or "go west" :)

-John

[Sam]

Could I have some sort of a link?

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

If you want to play an RPG there is an RPG froum. :)

[Gwaimir Windgem]

One word of advice:

Scrap the D&D middle-earth thing. Dungeons and Dragons is a system which is too different from Tolkien's world to be really compatible with it. I advise you use Decipher's Lord of the Rings roleplaying game; it best captures the feel of Middle-earth of the systems I've seen. But D&D, while in some way inspired by Tolkien, is simply too very, very different, I think, to fail to completely bastardise any sort of Middle-earth experience.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

That said, for the purpose of increasing knowledge, to your questions:

They have already traveled to Pelargir and confronted a local villain in the harbor but now I'd like to know would it be possible that someone tries to rebuild the Tower of Sauron in Mordor? It would be a great adventure for our group - maybe hire them as coach escorts to rebuild Mordor for men... only to find out that the cargo is going to orcs in Mordor who are grouping up again.

No, I don't think so. Perhaps attempt to recivilise Mordor (though it's such a blasted land, I doubt it would be very successful at all), but rebuilding the Tower simply wouldn't work, IMO. Barad-Dur seemed to be very much linked to its Master, and it would be a mistake to attempt to have it without him.

Also, would it be ok to assume that Moria is still inhabited by goblins? If yes, that's one new quest as well: help the dwarves clean up Moria. (The players have befrendied Gimli already).

What other monsters could I make up in Middle-Earth? I already have Uruk-Hai, Trolls, Goblins, Orcs and Wargs. Also planning to add some ghosts & wraiths as soon as the players level up enough to cope with them.

You've basically listed it, but cut the ghosts and wraiths. They are too few and far-between, I think. One of the huge things that gives Tolkien's world its spectacular feel is the limitations (as you yourself noted, in limited spellcasting; however, I will say that you should rather cut out spellcasting altogether, since it simply would not have been around in the era after the Lord of the Rings, in all likelihood; if it was, it's sole manifestation would have been in a magic-using cult, not the good guys. You could still have some degree of magic, though. But this is one of the big things that make me strongly urge you do not try to blend Tolkien and D&D.).

Just please give me some ideas what I could do and what not, while keeping the Tolkien world pretty much Tolkien-like. I have already made spellcasting rare compared to the standard D&D game, but that's about all so far.

There's so very much, it's nigh impossible to know where to begin.

What about dragons? Not that they would be ready for one yet but still... rumours could already be thrown at them of a great treasure and a huge dragon.

I don't think Dragons were around anymore...I'm not certain, though. If they were, it would not be anything like the D&D chromatic/metallic dragons.

[orithil]

Smaug was the last dragon. you could always try some sort of scouring of the shire thing but without the shire or maybe a rebel band of easterlings. You could have your players meet someone like Tom Bombadil. :D

[Gil-Galad 2.0]

Smaug was NOT the last dragon. He was the last great dragon there are still lesser dragons somewere north of the lonely mountain. So if you were looking for another creature to fight a lesser dragon would be good. Plus since they are lesser you can add them sonner without all the upgrades.

PS- if you could post a link I would be thankful.

[orithil]

ok man but but lesser dragons probely don't count there probely just a bunch of comodo lizards or big snakes anyway to me a proper dragon is a greater one don't mean to start an argument though man.

Now i have to be off to watch doctor who

peace out :D

[orithil]

But all the same Gil-Galad you are right a lesser dragon would be good enemy to fight :D