“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” Bilbo Baggins – ‘Fellowship of the Ring’
Time for another update on my possible 2027 gaming project, now called ‘The Road Goes Ever On’ (RGEO) and since September is a special month for LOTR – it was both Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday, and the month when Frodo left the Shire to start his quest – I’ve released 3 Sample Booklets, plus the opportunity to purchase a (virtual) pint of Golden Perch Ale!
What is RGEO?
RGEO will be a solo game, combining the best elements of my recent projects (STAFF and DWSSG3e+ along with Barbarian Prince) where the player assumes the role of a fellowship of adventurers in Middle Earth!
Sample Booklets
The Sample Booklets - Rules, Adventures and Lands - show the layout and key concepts of RGEO and include:
· The values that you need to track in the game, such as Shadow, Eye, Fate and XP. If either Shadow or Eye reaches 50 then you lose the game. The object of the game is to reduce Shadow to 0.
· Characters in RGEO have 4 Qualities - Leadership (LDR), Might (MGT), SPR (Spirit) and WIS (Wisdom). These are used to perform ‘Tests’ which require some dice rolling.
· The different game components that go alongside the Booklets, such as a Fellowship mat, a Map of Middle Earth, tokens and cards. These are designed by Tyler Best, who I’m glad to say continues his work from DWSSG3e+ into this project.
· Examples of Encounters with famous characters of Middle Earth such as Gandalf the Grey or Bilbo Baggins, along with other events and encounters you can have in your adventures.
· Quests, including organising a Hobbit Party or escorting Bilbo to Rivendell. Quests are the main way to reduce Shadow, gain Fate and XP, but might attract the attention of Sauron and the Eye.
· Two sample Regions – The Shire and Arthedain. Each Region has distinct flavour with Journey times, Danger levels, Encounter tables and Quests.
· Sites that exist within Regions, including Bag End, The Green Dragon and Bree. Sites are of several different types, such as Ruins, and offer Actions you can complete and possible Encounters at the Site.
Why is RGEO only a ‘possible’ gaming project?
There are many, many games that take place that use ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’. I want to make sure that players would actually play another one before I commit myself to months of work only to find nobody will play it! I believe I do have some really good ideas to go forward to make RGEO more of a solo rpg experience than the a card or war game, to instead create heroic adventures in Middle Earth.
Hobbit and Wizard RGEO Memberships
To gauge interest in RGEO, I have created a membership scheme here on my website so that real support for RGEO can be determined. There are two tiers of membership – Hobbits ($2 a month) and Wizards ($5 a month). If there is not enough support for RGEO to go forward by November, I will close the membership so members will not lose more money. In this way, a 3 month pledge is only $6 (Hobbit) or $15 (Wizard).
‘Hobbit’ membership shows support and backing for RGEO. Think of it as buying a drink for me in ‘The Green Dragon’, and I’ll make sure all the Hobbits get some fun ‘second breakfasts’ on the journey. ‘Wizards’ also get some exclusive ‘first-looks’ at concepts and materials for RGEO. They’ll also sit on my ‘White Council’ for the game, where I’ll be asking them for feedback on possible content. Both will also gain exclusive RGEO cards.
Golden Perch Ale
If you don’t want to commit to a monthly membership, but would still like to support the RGEO project, then you now buy a (virtual) pint for me in September for $2. I’ll make sure that if RGEO is released, all those who do buy a pint, gain an exclusive RGEO card too!
AI and artwork
I want to avoid any use of AI in the project so have decided to use photographic images from the Peter Jackson movies as far as possible. This way I can also avoid stealing art from other sources. I hope the studios have made enough billions off the IP to not mind me using some...
If RGEO is commissioned as a project it will, as always, be a FREE set of PDF files to download and PNP here on my coffee website in April 2027: https://buymeacoffee.com/dragoncymru
I’m always open to questions and feedback about RGEO and membership, so please get in touch!