The One Ring Review

Written by James R. Brown

As posted on RPG.NET on October 1, 2012

INTRODUCTION

For full-disclosure, I was on the team of fans that

helped build the expanded index. I hope that doesn't
detract from the credibility of this review. Instead, let
it serve as a testimony to the publisher's dedication
to perfecting the game and listening to the fans.

I pre-ordered The One Ring: Adventures Over the

Edge of the Wild in July of 2011 hoping for a better
roleplaying game in Middle-earth than the previous
attempt (which I felt was unbalanced and broken).
When I got my copy in August, I started reading and
I was immediately drawn into the setting like never
before. I am the type of person that likes to know the
basic mechanics of a game right away (especially
combat mechanics), so I
skipped to the Combat section
and took a look. That's when I
got really excited I discovered
that miniatures and tactical
maps were not necessary, and
it was possible to play the game
sitting in my living room,
relaxed in my recliner, laptop
powered up, with a TV tray by
my side for dice rolling!

Lesser criticisms would have to do with personal

style and preferences and nothing to do with how
solid the game is. One of these is the choice of
binding for the rulebooks. It would have been nicer if
they were hardcover but
nevertheless,
these
fit
perfectly in their sturdy
slipcase. It also would have
been great if they had
combined the rulebooks into
one volume but to each his
own many players like a
separate Adventurer's Book. I
see that point too. The game's
balance of narration and
crunch is pitch perfect for me;
others may have a different
opinion, wanting minis and
tactical movement or less
mechanics
during
social
encounters. But hey, this is my review! This is all
minor stuff.

I became a member of the

Cubicle7 forums and have
been an active poster, enjoying
interaction with other fans as well as the publishers
and authors for over a year now. I play the game
regularly and love to teach others how. It is fun and
easy, interesting and addicting. I have honestly not
felt this level of excitement playing a roleplaying
game since I was ten years old when I first
discovered the red box Dungeons & Dragons classic
roleplaying game, even though this game is very
different.

Here are some of my thoughts concerning style and

substance. I hope you find them useful and they
justify my very high ratings.

Concerning Style:
The artwork is simply fantastic! Every page
features some form of art, even if its only the
beautiful design of the top and bottom border
and the background of the page. My favorite
paintings are scenes of battle. The layout and
graphics capture the setting perfectly, right down
to the cool font selections and the warm colors.
Everything "fits" Middle-earth.

I put The One Ring at 5 out of 5 in both style and

substance because it is truly worthy of those ratings.
The only drawback (as others have stated) was not to
build better indices (the ones in the rulebooks are
slim, listing items you would find in a table of
contents, rather than referencing key words).
However, this oversight has been corrected by
Cubicle7 and Sophisticated Games they now have
an expanded index available as a free pdf download
that is 15 pages in length.

The One Ring Review

The Adventurer's Book and Loremaster's Book are
softcover, but very well crafted (although there
have been reports of a few bad batches of bindings
and the company has replaced those for free).
They come in an attractive and sturdy slipcase
along with two maps of Wilderland (one for the
players and one for the Loremaster that includes
hexes to calculate distances and other marks of
important gaming information). Also, a plastic
dice tray slides in place on top of the materials
within the slipcase. It holds 6 cream-colored
Success dice (six-sided) and a Feat die (12-sided).
As seen in pictures, the Success dice feature an
Elvish font; Tengwar symbols accompany the 6's;
the 1's, 2's, and 3's are in outline form (these are
not counted on rolls when a hero is Weary). The
Feat die features a Gandalf rune ( A ) in place of
the 12 and an Eye of Sauron ( C ) in place of the
11. The A is an automatic success and the C is
a zero result during action resolution. The
opposite is true for Shadow creatures. Very
stylish!

and language. Indeed, the authors encourage

Loremasters to take another look at the books to
present the players with an authentic Middleearth experience.
Another general observation is this: The One Ring
has two core rulebooks filled with tables, stats,
and pieces of critical gaming information, and yet
there is a microscopic amount of errata associated
with this game. I truly cannot say the same thing
for many of my other favorites. This is a triumph
in itself!
The basic mechanic of the game is simple to
execute. To resolve any action, roll a Feat die and
a number of Success dice equal to the appropriate
skill rating, plus one bonus die (if available). To
succeed, you must equal or exceed a Target
Number. The game uses a default moderate
difficulty (TN 14) for most actions. If you roll a A
icon, it counts as a success regardless of the total.
If you roll the C, it counts as zero toward the
total. If you succeed with one Tengwar ( B ), it is a
great success. If you succeed with 2 or more
Tengwars ( B, B ), it is an extraordinary success.
All Common skills and Weapon skills have a
rating between 0 and 6. So, the higher the skill
rating, the more Success dice being rolled, and
there is a better chance for higher qualities of
success.

The writing style is pleasant, and because the

rules are explained so plainly, I find it easy to
remember them without needing to re-read as
often as I have for other games. Clarity has been
needed because of a few choices in wording, but
the authors and designers are great to answer
questions on the Cubicle7 forums when asked, no
exaggeration.

Now, for the rest of this review, please allow me to

explain the rich content of this game in a way I hope
you find entertaining and informative let me tell
you a story. And remember...

The character sheet is organized brilliantly. I

especially love how the 18 Common skills are
divided into three columns of 6 skills, each linked
to one of the character's three Attributes (Body,
Heart, or Wits). But then, horizontally, the skills
are broken down into six Skill Groups: personality,
movement, perception, survival, custom, and
vocation. For example, the personality skills are
Awe (Body), Inspire (Heart), and Persuade (Wits).
Very well designed. Again, the fonts, colors, and
style of the character sheet fit Middle-earth
perfectly.

...this is just scratching the surface of what you can

do with this game!

Concerning Substance:
Let me begin by saying that this is distinctly a
Middle-earth roleplaying game, and you will not
find more dedication to the source material than
you will here. Every aspect of the game, starting
with character creation, captures Tolkien's values

The One Ring Review

forget and be merry, but he knows that evil is seldom

Wargs in the Realm

conquered forever.'6 This is why he found friendship

among the Dwarves.

"In the year 29461 of the third age, an Elf of

Mirkwood2 named Amras3 joins a fellowship of

Because of his background, Amras has become a quick

Dwarven companions near Esgaroth, the newly built

thinker and physically fit, but he lacks spirit 7,

Lake-town a few miles north of where the bones of

preferring to lurk in the shadows using his knack for

Smaug rest undisturbed. Among them is Bruni, his

stealth8. He is wary and keen-eyed9, and like all the

very best friend , who gives him hope and inspiration.

4

Elves of Mirkwood, his senses are sharper in the forest

It is Amras's job to protect Bruni during their

and under the moonlight and starlight 10.

adventures. When he does, it rejuvenates Amras, but if

Bruni were ever to be harmed or killed, it would affect

Amras has 'sworn to defend all who cannot defend

Amras deeply .
5

themselves. Often, this choice forces him to forsake

civilised areas, to better guard their inhabitants from

'Long ago, Elves akin to his folk dwelt around the

what lurks right outside their fences. This has made

Naked Hill in the south of Greenwood the Great,

him a stranger to the eyes of the common folk, a

before the Necromancer claimed it to build his fastness

threatening figure like those he is protecting them

of sorcery. Now that the Shadow has fled, Amras has

often journeyed there to spy upon that dreaded place,

6 Every culture has 6 different backgrounds to choose

from. This one is called 'Memory of Suffering.'

years of cruel warfare. Many of his kinsmen prefer to

7 Backgrounds determine a hero's three basic

Attribute scores (Body, Heart, and Wits). Amras'
scores are: Body 5, Heart 3, and Wits 6. At character
creation, a hero will also choose his favoured
Attribute scores by adding 3 to one of them, 2 to the
second one, and 1 to the third one. Amras' favoured
Attribute scores are: Body 6, Heart 5, Wits 9.

to ponder on the hurt suffered by his people in many

1 This is the default starting year for the game (five

years after the Battle of Five Armies in The Hobbit).
2 This is one of six playable heroic cultures. The
others are: Bardings, Beornings, Dwarves of the
Lonely Mountain, Hobbits of the Shire, and
Woodmen of Wilderland.

8 Backgrounds give a hero a favoured skill. Amras'

favoured skill is Stealth. Anytime a hero attempts an
action and fails, he can spend a point of Hope to add
either his basic Attribute score to the total, or if the
skill is favoured, he can add his favoured Attribute
score to the total.

3 Amras is one of the suggested male names for

Mirkwood Elves.
4 Bruni is his chosen Fellowship Focus.
5 Protecting a Fellowship Focus allows a player to
regain Hope points, while failing to do so causes a
gain of Shadow points. Hope points are used to
succeed at actions and are a depleting resource.
Amras begins with 11 Hope (8 for being an Elf and 3
for his basic Heart score). Shadow points are gained
through corruption during adventures (see item 14
below).

9 Backgrounds allow a hero to choose two Traits from

a list of Distinctive Features that describe him best.
Amras chose 'Keen-eyed' and 'Wary.'
10 Every culture has a Cultural Blessing, which is a
special ability. Elves of Mirkwood have 'Folk of the
Dusk,' which allows them to do better with their
Common skills under the conditions described here.

The One Ring Review

from.' But this is his calling 11, and he will not falter,

Master of Esgaroth. Amras will not tolerate this

making use of his personality and survival skills

to

breach of the Woodland Realm! His companions agree

constantly crouches at his

king himself about the matter (although they are

collect knowledge of the Shadow

However, the lure of power

14

13

12

everywhere he goes.

to journey to the Elvenking's Halls to encounter the

door, and he must resist the flaws of resentment and

nervous to do so). The more cooperation and

arrogance that sometimes haunt him .

information they can gain from Thranduil, the easier

Interrupting their annual travel plans to Dol Guldur in

they can combat them and restore peace to the

a pack of Wargs has recently attacked some raft-elves

Elvenking's Halls, cementing their relationship with

15

it will be to hunt down the lair of the Wargs, where

Southern Mirkwood, rumours reach the fellowship

region17.

on the banks of the Forest River, only ten miles from

Afterwards,

they

will

winter

at

the

Thranduil and his people 18.

the palace of King Thranduil. The Elves were

preparing to steer casks of artwork down the river to

The companions follow the river by foot, travelling 50

Lake-town

miles through marshes and dense forest. During the

16

under the new trade agreement with the

journey, Amras acts as a scout19, always gathering

11 All heroes have a motivation for adventuring

referred to as a Calling. There are 5 Callings to
choose from in the game: Scholar, Slayer, Treasurehunter, Wanderer, and Warden. Amras is a Warden.

17 There are two phases to every tale in The One Ring

an Adventuring phase and a Fellowship phase. The
Adventuring phase includes several parts played in
one or more gaming sessions with the Loremaster as
the main storyteller. Each part usually highlights one
of the three heroic ventures that really make the game
shine and feel like the books: Journey, Combat, and
Encounter. Journeys are very important in the game
as much as they were to J.R.R. Tolkien, testing the
travelling Fatigue of each companion; Combat is
unavoidable amidst the increasing threat of Shadow;
Encounters with allies become necessary to muster
unity and cooperation between cultures.

12 A hero's Calling determines his favoured Skill

Groups, from which he can choose two favoured
skills. Amras has chosen Awe (personality) and
Explore (survival).
13 Each Calling gives the hero a new Trait. Amras has
'Shadow-lore.'
14 Each Calling has a unique Shadow Weakness that
is used to describe the degeneration of a hero as he
gains Shadow points through corruption. If the
number of his Shadow points equals or exceeds his
Hope points, he is made Miserable and risks a bout
of madness. Each time he experiences a bout of
madness, he gains a new Flaw. There are 4 Flaws
associated with each Shadow Weakness in increasing
seriousness. Wardens have a Shadow Weakness
called 'Lure of Power.'

18 A Fellowship phase follows an Adventuring phase

and gives the player-heroes a chance to perform
important Undertakings, which they tell the story
about. The one described here is called 'Open New
Sanctuary' which allows heroes to establish free
access to a new location and good relations with the
people of that culture. Having a sanctuary outside of
home is important for performing undertakings.

15 The four Flaws for 'Lure of Power' are: resentful,

arrogant, over-confident, and tyrannical.

19 Every companion chooses a travelling role for the

Journey. The game has 4 roles to choose from: Guide
(only one hero can choose this role), Scout,
Huntsman, and Look-out Man. Each role uses a
signature skill to accomplish actions.

16 Each hex on the Loremaster's map represents 10

miles. The distance between the Elvenking's Halls and
Esgaroth is 5 hexes (or 50 miles), about 2.5 days
travel downstream.

The One Ring Review

information about obstacles and dangers. However,

against Amras' Dwarven friends, Thranduil is not as

the company makes a bad choice that leads them down

tolerant as he would have been otherwise 23. While

knowledge of Mirkwood assists him in finding a way

that he likes confident and brief introductions 24. He

not even losing a day's time . They are eventually

and deeds, which makes a good impression25, however,

them to the palace. The trip has been easy on them,

Amras cannot clearly make his points, nor inspire the

a path blocked by a large fallen tree 20. Amras'

observing the king for a moment, Amras remembers

around, and he succeeds extraordinarily at this task,

gives a powerful summary of the Dwarves' lineage

21

met by a band of Elves, who blindfold them and take

interaction with Thranduil is a bit awkward, as

leaving them unencumbered by their travelling gear .

court26. The encounter is over quickly27. They did not

22

After a short wait, they are finally given audience

23 At the start of any Encounter, a Tolerance rating is

established. This number is based on the highest
Wisdom or Valour rating among the heroes,
depending on the preference of the host, and then
modified by a number of factors. At character
creation, every hero must choose whether to begin
with (Wisdom 2, Valour 1) or (Wisdom 1, Valour 2).
Wisdom is used to resist corruption; Valour is used to
resist fear. In addition, starting with a 2 in Wisdom
grants a Virtue, while starting with 2 in Valour grants
a Reward (see item 36 below). Thranduil is impressed
by Wisdom and Amras has chosen a Wisdom of 2.
But Thranduil is prejudiced against Dwarves, so the 2
is modified down to 1 for this Encounter. The meeting
will end if the heroes fail more than 1 roll and no
more progress is made toward the objectives.

with the wise Elf-king, but because of his prejudice

20 During a journey, if any companion fails a Fatigue

test and rolls the C too, a Hazard episode is
triggered. This Hazard is called 'No way forward' and
a Scout must solve it.
21 Amras makes a roll of Explore to find a way
around the fallen tree. He rolls an extraordinary
success and does not add another day to the Journey
like he would have if he failed. Because he succeeded,
Amras invokes his 'Mirkwood-lore' Trait to explain his
knowledge of the forest and to gain an Advancement
point. Advancement points are earned several ways
in the game and are used to improve a hero's
Common skills during a Fellowship phase.

24 All Encounters have two stages: Introduction (to

properly introduce the companions) & Interaction (to
make further progress toward the objectives). Amras
makes a successful roll of Insight to know the best
course of action. The Loremaster rules that this gives
him a bonus Success dice to use anytime during the
Encounter.

22 After the length of a Journey is calculated, the

season determines the number of Fatigue tests each
companion must make. Since it is spring, Amras and
his companions make 1 Fatigue test every 5 days. The
entire Journey is only 2.5 days, so they each make
one roll using their Travel skill. The land they are
travelling is mostly hard, but they are also joined
part way by the Elves. The Loremaster rules that this
is a TN 14 test. Amras has two ranks in Travel and
easily makes his roll, along with the rest of the
fellowship. If anyone had failed, they would have
raised their Fatigue score by 1 point to account for the
encumbrance of their travelling gear in the spring.
Weapons and armor have encumbrance ratings that
always make up a hero's Fatigue score. If their Fatigue
score ever equals or exceeds their Endurance score
(see item 39 below), they become Weary and cannot
count 1s, 2s, and 3s on any Success dice until
properly rested.

25 To properly introduce the fellowship, Amras

makes a roll of Awe using the Feat die, 2 Success dice
for his skill, and the bonus Success die he gained
from Insight. He rolls a total of 16 with one Tengwar,
a great success! This is recorded because every
success leads to better results toward the objectives.
26 After making such a great
however, Amras fails back-to-back
and Inspire during the Interaction
ranks in those skills made things
him.

first impression,
rolls of Persuade
stage. Having no
very difficult for

27 These two failures exceed the Tolerance rating of 1

The One Ring Review

gain the information they sought, but they did get

signals the Dwarves to draw their weapons and move

permission to spend a week hunting Wargs in the

in for the ambush. But as they move forward, Bruni

Woodland Realm , but no more.

steps on a tree root that snaps in half and alerts the

28

Wargs of their presence32. They quickly assess their

Early the next morning, the heroes join a group of

surroundings to make good use of the terrain 33. The

cargo rafts headed down-river. A half day goes by and

battle is on!

Investigating

immediately

Amras only has time for one shot with his bow before

numbers, he suspects they are spies sent by an evil from

lets it go35. Speaking strange words in his Elven

they pull ashore at the location of the attacks.

the

scene,

Amras

recognizes the tracks of the creatures. Due to their low

the Wargs close in34. He draws back the string and

the south29. They follow the tracks into the forest.

recently introduced in the Lake-town Sourcebook).

A short while later, under the dark canopy of

32 Setting an ambush in the wild against a small

number of adversaries is best represented by a
Hunting roll. Since the enemy is busy eating and not
watching, it is a TN 12 test. Bruni fails his test and the
ambush is blown. If anyone else had gotten a great or
extraordinary success, they would have cancelled
Bruni's failure.

Mirkwood, they hear the sounds of growling and

chewing up ahead. Amras sneaks up to take a peek 30

and discovers two Wargs ripping the flesh off a dead
Elf. He quickly looks away in anguish, trying to put

the image out of his mind31. These are the culprits! He

33 Before Combat begins, player-heroes are allowed

to check for combat advantages. Everyone makes a
roll of Battle against TN 14. Amras rolls and gets a
success. This will give him 1 extra Success dice to use
during the battle. He may also give it to someone else
to use if he wishes. Great successes grant 2 extra dice,
while extraordinary successes grant 3. Only one extra
Success die may be used per turn, however.

and Thranduil ends the conversation.

28 After considering the great success during the
Introduction, the Loremaster rules that it was enough
to grant the fellowship permission to be on Elvenland for a short time, but he gives no help.
29 Amras invokes his 'Shadow-lore' Trait to ask for an
automatic success when recognizing the tracks and
where the creatures came from. The Loremaster rules
that this is appropriate and keeps the narrative
moving.

34 Before Combat moves to close quarters, the

Loremaster decides on the number of ranged volleys
allowed. Here, there is only time for 1 round of
ranged volleys. If the adversaries had ranged
weapons in this situation, they would be able shoot
as well because Amras and the Dwarves failed their
ambush attempt. But Amras is the only one with a
ranged weapon.

30 Using his Stealth skill to keep them from noticing,

Amras rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice against TN
14. He fails with a terrible total of 5 (getting the C,
1, 4). Spending a point of Hope, he adds his favoured
Wits 9, to succeed with a 14.

35 Amras makes an attack roll using his Bow skill

that is favoured. He rolls a Feat die and 2 Success
dice. The TN for ranged attacks is equal to 12 + the
Parry rating of the target. The Wild Wolf has a Parry
rating of 5. So, the TN to hit the wolf is 17. Amras rolls
an 18, B, B an extraordinary success! If he had
missed, he could have spent a point of Hope to add
his favoured Body 6 to the total.

31 The gruesome scene triggers a Corruption test.

Amras rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice for his
Wisdom rating and fails against TN 14. He gains 1
Shadow point. In the game, there are several sources
of corruption with various amounts of Shadow gain.
This one is called anguish. Blighted places and
misdeeds can also corrupt (cursed Treasure was

The One Ring Review

tongue, the arrow flickers as with magical fire and it

torches!" he yells to the Dwarves.

pierces the neck of the beast . It makes a horrible

36

squealing sound and falls with a thud.37 "Light the

The remaining Wild Wolf continues the charge as

Bruni aggressively engages him and prepares to be

36 When Amras chose Wisdom 2, he also chose a

Virtue. Virtues are special abilities categorized into
Masteries and Cultural Virtues. There are 6 different
Masteries available to any culture and there are 5
different Cultural Virtues for each culture. Amras
chose the Cultural Virtue 'Wood-elf Magic' which has
three levels of power. The first level of power is called
'Stinging Arrow,' which allows him to spend a point
of Hope to have an arrow fly up to twice its range, or
grant an automatic Piercing blow on a successful
attack with an arrow. Later, if he wanted to increase
his Wood-elf Magic, he would need to raise his
Wisdom to 3 and unlock an additional power.
Raising Valour unlocks Rewards. These are special
items (such as improved or unique weapons and
armour) divided into Qualities and Cultural Rewards.
There are 6 Qualities available to any culture and
there are 3 Cultural Rewards for each culture.

bitten38. Amras swiftly runs to his side to protect him

from all harm. The wolf lunges at Bruni, saliva

dripping from its sharp fangs, but Amras shoves the

Dwarf to the side and takes the bite instead, wincing

in terrible pain39. Bruni plants his feet well and with a

The Wound has been stopped. However, Amras rolled

an extraordinary success, so he gets to add his basic
Body 5 rating to the damage twice! If he had only
rolled a great success, he would only add it once.
Amras does 15 damage from his arrow. The Wild
Wolf's Endurance score is only 12, so it passes out on
the ground.
38 Since the fellowship failed the ambush, the Wild
Wolf will hold the initiative and make its attack first,
then the companions. However, since there are more
companions than enemies, the player-heroes decide
how to engage the creature. Bruni, Amras and one
other Dwarf will attack it at close quarters (there is a
limit of 3 close combat attackers against a creature of
that size). At the top of every round, all player-heroes
must declare a combat stance that determines the
base TN for attack and defense, as well as the turn
order among heroes. There are four choices of stance
in the game: Forward (TN 6), Open (TN 9), Defensive
(TN 12), or Rearward (TN 12). Bruni chooses the
Forward stance, Amras chooses Defensive, Dwarf #2
chooses Defensive, and Dwarf #3 chooses Rearward.
The turn order is always Forward, Open, Defensive,
Rearward. If more than one hero is in a stance, the
one with the highest Wits goes first. This means it will
be Bruni, Amras, Dwarf #2, then Dwarf #3.

37 Every weapon has a static damage rating that is

subtracted from the Endurance score of a target.
Bows do 5 damage. However, if the attacker rolls a
great or extraordinary success, he adds a bonus to
the damage. Weapons also have an Edge rating,
which tells you if the blow was Piercing or not. Bows
have an Edge of 10. That means, a successful Bow
attack is Piercing if the Feat die shows a 10 or higher
(in this case a 10 or a A ). Weapons also have an
Injury rating, which serve as the TN for a Protection
test against a Piercing blow. Bows have an Injury
rating of 14. A Protection test is made by considering
the armour of the target. All armour has a rating in
Success dice. For example, a leather corslet is rated
2d. This means that to stop a Piercing blow from a
bow, the target wearing a leather corslet would roll
the Feat die and 2 Success dice against a TN 14. If he
fails, he takes a Wound. All Shadow creatures are
killed when they take a Wound, unless they have a
special ability that says they don't. Heroes don't die
unless they have a Wound that goes untreated after
being reduced to zero Endurance, or they take a
second Wound and are reduced to zero Endurance at
the same time. Amras spends a point of Hope on his
attack to allow his Wood-elf Magic to gain an
automatic Piercing blow. The Wild Wolf rolls a Feat
die and 2 Success dice for his 2d armour rating
against the Injury 14 rating of the bow and succeeds.

39 Every combat stance also has an associated

special combat task. Amras is in Defensive stance, so
he chooses to perform the Protect Companion
combat task. This allows him to spend a point of
Hope to protect someone in Forward or Open stance
by receiving the attack himself. The Wolf rolls a Feat
die and 2 Success dice for his favoured Bite skill.
Adversaries do not have Attribute scores, nor do they
have Hope points to spend to improve rolls. Instead,
they have an Attribute level that they automatically
add to rolls using favoured skills and they add it as a

The One Ring Review

mighty swing of his axe, he cuts the body of the

goes after Bruni again, this time grabbing hold of his

wolf . Amras draws his sword, but swings and

arm and violently shaking it as its teeth grind against

burn the Wolf but is unsuccessful. The other Dwarf

his sword deep into the creature's gut44. The battle is

40

misses . With a lit torch, one of the Dwarves tries to

the coat of mail43. Amras increases his fury, driving

41

stays back waving the fire and lighting up the forest.

over quickly, but healing will be necessary 45.

The Wild Wolf seems to be afraid of the fire 42, but he

The heroes are filled with joy as they return to the

Damage bonus if they roll a great success and twice if

they roll an extraordinary success. The Wild Wolf has
Attribute level 3, so he adds that to his roll against TN
18 (Amras is in Defensive stance TN 12 + Parry 6 determined by his basic Wits 6). The Wolf rolls a 19
with one Tengwar - a great success! The bite normally
does the Wolf's Attribute level in damage + 3 more for
the great success = 6 damage! Amras subtracts that
from his starting Endurance of 25 (22 for being an Elf
+ basic Heart 3) and is reduced to 19 Endurance. If he
falls to his current Fatigue score of 11 or below, he
will become Weary. In addition, the Feat die result
shows a 10 (a Piercing blow for a bite). Amras rolls a
Protection test using a Feat die + 2 Success dice for his
armour against a TN 14 (the Edge rating of the bite).
He fails miserably and takes a Wound!

palace of the Elf-king to talk of their experiences 46."

43 It is the top of a new round. Amras switches to
Forward stance while the other companions keep
their current stance. The Wild Wolf attacks Bruni by
rolling the Feat die + 2 Success dice + 3 Attribute level
for favoured Bite against TN 11 (Forward stance TN 6
+ Parry 5). It rolls a 10 (a Piercing blow for a bite), a
3, and 2. The 3 and 2 do not count because the Wolf
is Weary. However, it adds its 3 Attribute level for a
total of 13, a hit. Bruni makes a Protection test rolling
the Feat die and 4 Success dice + 4 (for armour and
helm) against TN 14 (the Edge rating of the bite). He
easily makes the roll to stop the Wound. Yet, he still
takes 3 Endurance damage from the bite.

40 Bruni goes first among the companions. Amras

gives him the bonus Success dice he earned at the
beginning for combat advantage, hoping Bruni will
put the Wolf down). Bruni rolls the Feat die + 2
Success dice for his favoured Mattock skill + a bonus
die (he plants his feet well) against TN 11 (Forward
stance TN 6 + Parry 5) and hits, but he gets no
Tengwars. The mattock does 8 points of damage to
the Wolf. Subtracting that from the creature's 12
Endurance leaves it with 4 points left.

44 Amras attacks before Bruni because of his higher

Wits. He rolls a Feat die + 1 Success die for his Sword
skill against TN 11 (Forward stance TN 6 + Parry 5).
He rolls a Gandalf rune (automatic success + Piercing
blow) and a 3. The Wild Wold makes a Protection test
against TN 16 (the sword's Injury rating) by rolling
the Feat die + 2 Success dice for armour and fails. It
takes a Wound and dies.
45 Amras' Wound should be treated if he wants to
heal quicker. As is, he will only gain 1 Endurance
point per prolonged rest (a night's sleep). A successful
roll of the Healing skill (TN 14) will let him gain 2
Endurance points per prolonged rest. Once he
reaches 25 Endurance again, he will no longer be
Wounded.

41 Even though Amras used the Protect Companion

combat task this round, he does not forfeit his attack
roll. However, he rolls a Feat die + 1 Success die for
his Sword skill against TN 17 (Defensive stance TN 12
+ Wolf's Parry 5) and gets the Eye and a 3 - a failure.
42 Every creature has Hate points and special
abilities (which can also be limitations). The Wolf has
1 Hate Point and a few special abilities. One of them
is called 'Fear of Fire.' If any hero directly opposes the
Wolf while wielding a torch or burning item, the
creature loses its Hate point at the end of the round. If
any creature loses all its Hate points, it is considered
to be Weary. This is what happens here.

46 During the adventure, Amras spent 3 Hope points

(the first on a Stealth test, the second to use 'Wood-elf'
magic, and the third to use the 'Protect Companion'
special combat task). Every adventuring group has a
pool of Fellowship points that can be used to
replenish Hope points. Fellowship points reset
between gaming sessions and are equal to the
number of companions in the company (although
Hobbits add an additional point each).

The One Ring Review

Amras recovers 1 Hope point because his Fellowship

focus wasn't Wounded. Then, he takes 2 Fellowship
points from the pool and brings himself back to his
original total. At this point, the company enters the
Fellowship phase and the Loremaster awards them
each with 2 Experience points. Experience points can
be accumulated and spent on improving Weapon
skills, Wisdom or Valour. If they had enough
Advancement points, they could improve Common
skills.