Terrible Warriors

For years fans of The One Ring have been waiting on a second edition, a new book that would streamline the old rules and provide a more cohesive experience and iron out what Francesco himself calls the “fiddly bits” of the game. Promises of a second edition and of a Moria campaign setting have gone unanswered as Francesco and his team have battled through complications with their old publisher. But those days are behind them now as they’ve found a new home with the prestigious Free League Games (Forbidden Lands, Tales from the Loop). Their attention to detail and connections with award winning artists and writers have made a perfect match for Francesco’s desire to serve up the sort Second Edition that The One Ring deserves.

Francesco recognizes the unique qualities of the Lord of the Rings as a setting and understands that at the core of Tolkien’s work was a love of language. Which is why he shares us how the mechanics of the game are all informed by the language of the game, from the names of skills and stats, to the three core pillars of the game (Journeys, Councils, and Combat). And even if certain other world famous tabletop RPGs also use three pillars to describe their gameplay and dice mechanics that seem suspiciously similar, Francesco will kindly point out that they had it printed in the One Ring before they did. It wouldn’t be the first time Lord of the Rings has helped inspired tabletop games