History TabletopGame / TheOneRing

** The rules in the Starter Set for the Second Edition do not allow the player characters to die. A pc wounded a second time is knocked unconscious rather than killed. A sidebar explains that this is to better fit the mood of the included starter adventures which all take place in the Shire with Hobbits as the primary characters. Since the pre-generated characters are Bilbo, Balin, Lobellia, or the parents of Frodo, Merry, and Pippin before they were married, having any of them killed in an adventure would also break ''Lord of the Rings'' cannon.

* AllianceMeter: Heroes have a Standing score that represents their status in their culture, which grants both numerical bonuses and the ability to declare how they've affected events in their homeland offscreen. They can also gain Titles, which apply their Standing score to another culture than their own.

* ContinuingIsPainful: Unlike any other culture, High Elves can't reduce their [[SanityMeter Shadow score]] without permanent cost. Every time they do, they need to mark off a {{skill|ScoresAndPerks}}; from then on, every Eye roll (a 1/12 chance) with that skill is an automatic CriticalFailure ''and'' incurs a Shadow Point. It's both a balance feature and a representation of the malaise [[DyingRace driving the Elves away from Middle-earth]].

* EmergencyWeapon: Daggers have the worst stats of any weapon, but have no Encumbrance cost to carry. Every adventurer begins with a dagger and one point of proficiency, as well as their specialized weapons.

* FantasticRacism: This is a mechanic for social encounters -- if an NPC is prejudiced against an adventurer's home culture, they'll accept fewer failed social skill checks before cutting off conversation entirely. In particular, [[ElvesVersusDwarves elves and dwarves dislike each other]], and Beornings have a one-sided prejudice for dwarves.

* PerpetualPoverty: Characters from cultures with a Frugal standard of living, like Woodmen of Wilderland, can generally see to their needs as traveling adventurers, but can't afford amenities like upscale inn rooms without a more affluent comrade's support. They can invest Treasure to raise their standard of living temporarily, but this requires a precious Downtime phase to do.
* PlayerHeadquarters: A company of adventurers can use their downtime to establish a "Sanctuary" where they can spend future downtime periods for certain mechanical advantages, such as a bonus dice roll to heal Shadow points. Sanctuaries can be anything from a remote outpost to an existing tavern in the middle of town.

* ReducedDowntimeFeatures: Traveling Gear is kept abstract and is assumed to include anything that makes sense for a traveling adventurer to have, as well as anything appropriate to the PlayerCharacter's profession and wealth level. Gear is assumed to be replenished whenever the characters visit a settlement.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Bardings with the "Birthright" cultural Virtue get a single-use UnexplainedRecovery from otherwise certain death, but their Standing score is reset to zero because they're presumed dead.

** The One Ring is of course naturally mentioned in the rules, but Loremasters are generally discouraged from letting players have access to it, except in adventures where Bilbo Baggins is a playable character, due to it being a major part of the canon lore and protected by predestination (see also ArbitraryEquipmentRestriction and PlotArmor on this page).[[note]]Not to mention all of the many ways such an attempt to take the Ring would lead to a major source of Shadow points, let alone being made outlaws or PersonaNonGrata of the Shire[[/note]] [[spoiler:However, should for any reason a character have possession of the Ring, they can gain several powers, but the Loremaster has free rein to have the Ring curse and betray the bearer at the worst time possible.]]

* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Beorn the [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Skinchanger]] can teach a trusted adventurer to speak to some types of animals, one type (e.g.: birds) per lesson. It's not quite "fluent" though, requiring a skill check to understand the animal.

* WeaponsBreakingWeapons: A successful called shot with an axe or mattock smashes the target's shield in addition to its usual damage. If a player suffers this, they're generally stuck without the shield until they can visit a settlement to have it repaired.

* ResourceReimbursement: Adventurers spend Hope points to [[LuckManipulationMechanic boost dice rolls]] and activate special abilities. If they do so to protect their Fellowship Focus -- their dearest companion in the PlayerParty -- from immediate danger, the cost is refunded.

Both editions have had sister titles, using much of the same art, but running on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition'' rules. The first edition's conversion was titled ''Adventures in Middle-earth'', and the second edition conversion is titled ''The Lord Of The Rings Roleplaying''. ''Adventures...'' had some of the same adventures that first appeared in the parent game adapted to it.

** The One Ring is of course naturally mentioned in the rules, but Loremasters are generally discouraged from letting players have access to it, except in adventures where Bilbo Baggins is a playable character, due to it being a major part of the canon lore and protected by predestination (see also ArbitraryEquipmentRestriction and PlotArmor on this page).[[note]]Not to mention all of the many ways such an attempt to take The Ring would lead to a major source of Shadow points, let alone being made outlaws or PersonaNonGrata of The Shire[[/note]] [[spoiler:However, should for any reason a character have possession of the ring, they can gain several powers from The Ring, but the Loremaster has free-reign to have The Ring curse and betray the bearer at the worst times possible.]]

The game uses custom dice, but is completely playable with regular d12s and d6s. The basic game mechanic is to roll the d12 "fate die" and a number of d6 "skill dice" equal to the skill you are using to beat a given target number, usually 14 for average tasks. A 12 on the fate die is an automatic success, indicated by the Gandalf rune on the custom dice. Roll an 11, however, and you get the Eye of Sauron instead, which isn't an automatic failure but usually means that bad things happen if you did fail the roll. If you succeed, the number of 6s you rolled on the skill dice indicates if you had a great or extraordinary success. This is indicated by a "tengwar" rune on the six face of the custom dice. If you fail a roll, you can spend a Hope point to add the appropriate attribute rating to the final result, possibly turning failure to success. Spending too many Hope points, however, leaves you open to becoming miserable or the corruption of darker powers.

Both editions have had sister titles, using much of the same art, but running on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition'' rules. The first edition's conversion was titled ''Adventures in Middle-earth'', and the second edition conversion is titled ''The Lord Of The Rings Roleplaying''. ''Adventures...'' had some of the same adventures adapted to it.

* PlotArmor: Equipment that costs Experience Points, like cultural Rewards, is supposed to be safe from loss or destruction, as it's an important part of the character.

A tabletop role-playing game based on ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/TheHobbit''. It has now published two editions, the first designed by Creator/SophisticatedGames and published by Creator/Cubicle7 from 2011-2020, the second published by Swedish publisher Creator/FreeLeaguePublishing and released in 2022.

* EmergencyWeapon: Daggers have the worst stats of any weapon, but have no Encumbrance cost to carry. Every adventurer begins with a dagger and one point of proficiency, aside from their specialized weapons.

* PowerUpFood: Beornings can [[SkillScoresAndPerks learn]] to cook honey cakes that are healthful enough to reduce the difficulty of Fatigue tests and boost the Company's Fellowship score.

* RolePlayingEndgame: If an experienced adventurer retires from play, the player's next character starts with bonus experience points, as they're assumed to have been mentored by the retiree.

* TakingTheBullet: A hero in [[StanceSystem defensive stance]] can choose to intercept a hit against another hero and become its target instead. However, if the original attack roll isn't high enough to strike them, it misses entirely.

Both editions have had sister titles, using much of the same art and information, but running on the 5th edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules. The first edition's conversion was titled ''Adventures in Middle-earth'', and the second edition conversion is titled ''The Lord Of The Rings Roleplaying''. The first edition had some of the same adventures adapted to it.

A sister game called ''Adventures in Middle-earth'' with the same setting and artwork but using the 5th edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules was also published by Creator/Cubicle7. It has even had some of the same adventures adapted to it. See also ''TabletopGame/MiddleEarthRolePlaying'', the 1981 game from Iron Crown Enterprises that is mechanically ''very'' different.

* ArbitraryAugmentationLimit: Each piece of war gear can be upgraded with a total of three special qualities by spending ExperiencePoints. These can be general qualities, like increasing a weapon's chance of a CriticalHit, or rewards unique to a specific Culture.

* EasyLogistics: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Adventurers' traveling gear is assumed to include anything that would make sense for a long journey, as well as anything appropriate for their career and wealth level. However, there are detailed mechanics to plan and execute a journey, and any trip through the wild longer than a week needs to be supplemented by hunting for food.

* RunicMagic: Dwarves can learn fragments of old magic through a cultural Virtue, including runic inscriptions to [[PerceptionField conceal objects]] or [[InstantWakingSkills set a silent alarm]].