As the current campaign I'm running is winding up, I'm starting to plan a new campaign in Middle Earth. This particular campaign will be based on the Shadow of War timeline, and the players will actually be playing a mixture of orcs, uruks, and ologs from the seven different tribes (Dark, Feral, Machine, Marauder, Mystic, Terror, and Warmonger).
They will be starting at level 5 and their background will depend on their tribe.
My questions is this; because Frodo leaves on September 22nd and destroys the ring March 25th of the next year, I will need to get them lots of content and allow them to try and either track down and kill the Fellowship to retrieve the ring for Sauron, or try to climb the ranks of Sauron's army in order to better defend Mordor from the encroaching Hobbits and the armies of the free peoples.
I can track where the Fellowship is at any time during the campaign by following the timeline. But does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about passing this information on back to the party quickly? Or suggestions on how to let them go about gaining power in Mordor?
Doesn't Sauron have spies, like his crows and such? They could relay information to the party.
And I think you gain power in Mordor the old fashioned way, you kill the dude ahead of you.
I think this could be a fun campaign, but I'd also suggest maybe don't stay too true to the books, in particular the timeline. I like the ticking clock aspect of it, just make sure the clock is ticking on your schedule. Tolkein's story might not line up with yours. If you want to let the players gain a couple levels before a certain event happens, go ahead and do it. Also, it will be really tempting for players to meta-game it, and look up what is supposed to be happening when and where. A few tweaks to the timeline (either faster or slower) can really help throw them off the scent.
Doesn't Sauron have spies, like his crows and such? They could relay information to the party.
And I think you gain power in Mordor the old fashioned way, you kill the dude ahead of you.
I think this could be a fun campaign, but I'd also suggest maybe don't stay too true to the books, in particular the timeline. I like the ticking clock aspect of it, just make sure the clock is ticking on your schedule. Tolkein's story might not line up with yours. If you want to let the players gain a couple levels before a certain event happens, go ahead and do it. Also, it will be really tempting for players to meta-game it, and look up what is supposed to be happening when and where. A few tweaks to the timeline (either faster or slower) can really help throw them off the scent.
Yeah. The birds and some of the trees and other creatures are spies of Sauron's. But since I'm going with the Shadow of War timeline, I can alter the Fellowship's path a bit. But since the Fellowship spent at least a few weeks in Elrond's house and almost two months in Lothlorien, it gives a lot off wiggle room to let them gain some levels or move to where they'll guess the Fellowship will head to next.
You could really throw them a curve and have merry or pippin have the ring. Maybe I’m too worried about meta game knowledge, though. If your players can keep player and character knowledge separate, it won’t be a problem at all.
Do you want the party to succeed and rewrite the history of Middle Earth? Because if not the group knows from the very beginning of the campaign that they are doomed to fail, which might be demotivating.
If I remember the books right, there is a Nazgul attack close to the beginning of the fellowship (Weathertop or something?) where Frodo gets injured.
Maybe the Nazgul were accompanied by some Orcs who can start tracking the fellowship from this point?
You could really throw them a curve and have merry or pippin have the ring. Maybe I’m too worried about meta game knowledge, though. If your players can keep player and character knowledge separate, it won’t be a problem at all.
They won't meta game knowledge. It's a good group.
Do you want the party to succeed and rewrite the history of Middle Earth? Because if not the group knows from the very beginning of the campaign that they are doomed to fail, which might be demotivating.
If I remember the books right, there is a Nazgul attack close to the beginning of the fellowship (Weathertop or something?) where Frodo gets injured.
Maybe the Nazgul were accompanied by some Orcs who can start tracking the fellowship from this point?
Oh, they can succeed. And if they do, they can change the fate of Middle Earth. They're more than welcome to do that. I'm not going to give them a goal they can't achieve.
I don't know. I wish you luck, but how could any group not Meta-game this and intercept the party at any of the chokepoints on the fellowship's route? I could only imagine how my friends and I would do it, if we thought we could thwart the god-like powers of Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandolf. I would win the battle of Fangorn, then take Helms Deep, then crush Gondor and still get back in time to catch those little buggers at the foot of Mt Doom after checking that the goblins didn't already have them near Shelob's Lair.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Just saying, side missions for gaining power--there are lots of missions you could be sent on related to cleaning up after the fellowship, or things that orcs/Sauron's forces were reported as doing in the background, or just suggested by events. Actually tracking the fellowship could come from time to time when the books had actual contact with the enemy. Orcs are grunts, they have to do what they are told, when they are told.
Gollum made his way to Mordor. SOMEONE must have captured him and dragged him to Sauron so that Sauron learned of Bilbo and the ring.
Steal a Palantir from an elf stronghold. Then carry it to Saruman's tower so Sauron can communicate with him, while fending off Radagast's bunnies.
The King of the Nazgul's horse got swept away in Elrond's river. Capture him something more impressive and durable to ride on. There's rumors of this flying monster off in a corner of Mirkwood...
Some fool killed the Balrog in Moria. Ally Saruman wants the remains for...something that is not your concern.
Saruman is getting too uppity and Sauron doesn't trust him. Go undercover in his forces and report on his actions.
The forest needs cutting down to make seige engines. Go protect the woodcutters from Treeants.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) WoodElf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2 Last Tree StandingTabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1 Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
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As the current campaign I'm running is winding up, I'm starting to plan a new campaign in Middle Earth. This particular campaign will be based on the Shadow of War timeline, and the players will actually be playing a mixture of orcs, uruks, and ologs from the seven different tribes (Dark, Feral, Machine, Marauder, Mystic, Terror, and Warmonger).
They will be starting at level 5 and their background will depend on their tribe.
My questions is this; because Frodo leaves on September 22nd and destroys the ring March 25th of the next year, I will need to get them lots of content and allow them to try and either track down and kill the Fellowship to retrieve the ring for Sauron, or try to climb the ranks of Sauron's army in order to better defend Mordor from the encroaching Hobbits and the armies of the free peoples.
I can track where the Fellowship is at any time during the campaign by following the timeline. But does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about passing this information on back to the party quickly? Or suggestions on how to let them go about gaining power in Mordor?
Doesn't Sauron have spies, like his crows and such? They could relay information to the party.
And I think you gain power in Mordor the old fashioned way, you kill the dude ahead of you.
I think this could be a fun campaign, but I'd also suggest maybe don't stay too true to the books, in particular the timeline. I like the ticking clock aspect of it, just make sure the clock is ticking on your schedule. Tolkein's story might not line up with yours. If you want to let the players gain a couple levels before a certain event happens, go ahead and do it. Also, it will be really tempting for players to meta-game it, and look up what is supposed to be happening when and where. A few tweaks to the timeline (either faster or slower) can really help throw them off the scent.
Don't forget there was a period of time when the orcs had members of the Fellowship in thier grasp.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Yeah. The birds and some of the trees and other creatures are spies of Sauron's. But since I'm going with the Shadow of War timeline, I can alter the Fellowship's path a bit. But since the Fellowship spent at least a few weeks in Elrond's house and almost two months in Lothlorien, it gives a lot off wiggle room to let them gain some levels or move to where they'll guess the Fellowship will head to next.
Yeah. The Uruk Hai caught up with them along the Anduril river. And Frodo was caught by the Orcs just past Shelob's lair after she poisoned him.
The orcs were hot on their tail when the Fellowship entered Lothlorien as well. There are a number of chances for the party to catch up.
You could really throw them a curve and have merry or pippin have the ring. Maybe I’m too worried about meta game knowledge, though. If your players can keep player and character knowledge separate, it won’t be a problem at all.
Do you want the party to succeed and rewrite the history of Middle Earth? Because if not the group knows from the very beginning of the campaign that they are doomed to fail, which might be demotivating.
If I remember the books right, there is a Nazgul attack close to the beginning of the fellowship (Weathertop or something?) where Frodo gets injured.
Maybe the Nazgul were accompanied by some Orcs who can start tracking the fellowship from this point?
They won't meta game knowledge. It's a good group.
Oh, they can succeed. And if they do, they can change the fate of Middle Earth. They're more than welcome to do that. I'm not going to give them a goal they can't achieve.
Even if they fail, there is still room for adventure.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I don't know. I wish you luck, but how could any group not Meta-game this and intercept the party at any of the chokepoints on the fellowship's route? I could only imagine how my friends and I would do it, if we thought we could thwart the god-like powers of Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandolf. I would win the battle of Fangorn, then take Helms Deep, then crush Gondor and still get back in time to catch those little buggers at the foot of Mt Doom after checking that the goblins didn't already have them near Shelob's Lair.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Just saying, side missions for gaining power--there are lots of missions you could be sent on related to cleaning up after the fellowship, or things that orcs/Sauron's forces were reported as doing in the background, or just suggested by events. Actually tracking the fellowship could come from time to time when the books had actual contact with the enemy. Orcs are grunts, they have to do what they are told, when they are told.
Gollum made his way to Mordor. SOMEONE must have captured him and dragged him to Sauron so that Sauron learned of Bilbo and the ring.
Steal a Palantir from an elf stronghold. Then carry it to Saruman's tower so Sauron can communicate with him, while fending off Radagast's bunnies.
The King of the Nazgul's horse got swept away in Elrond's river. Capture him something more impressive and durable to ride on. There's rumors of this flying monster off in a corner of Mirkwood...
Some fool killed the Balrog in Moria. Ally Saruman wants the remains for...something that is not your concern.
Saruman is getting too uppity and Sauron doesn't trust him. Go undercover in his forces and report on his actions.
The forest needs cutting down to make seige engines. Go protect the woodcutters from Treeants.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) Wood Elf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2
Last Tree Standing Tabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1
Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive
Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth
Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia