Day 28 (almost there) and the entry for the 2026 #Character Creation Challenge will be The One Ring by Free League Games. This is the last of the books that I selected from this publisher. This a game officially connected to the Lord of the Rings franchise. I had a chance to play this game at a past SaltCON, and from what I wrote in the blog entry I really liked the system as it worked very well with the Middle Earth universe that we were familiar with. I have a lot of these game books on PDF which makes me think I picked it up on a sale with DriveThruRPG or one of the charity bundles. My apologies if this entry seems rushed, I don’t have a lot of time today.
The character creation steps start on page 28, but they are in categories from the looks of things. So I won’t really be numbering the steps. But first is to pick the Heroic Culture that your character came from. These are the various cultures that are seen in the books and movies. Bardings (Northmen from the Wilderland), Dwarves of Durin’s Folk, Elves of Lindon (aaahhhhwoooo… oh sorry that’s Werewolves of London), Hobbits of the Shire, Men of Bree (from Bree-land) and Rangers of the North. Yes, I’ve made halflings before, but never a Hobbit since that term is copyrighted. So, I’m making a Hobbit. I’m instructed to follow the steps in the write up for this Heroic Culture then return to start the steps of character creation. Interesting, I can pick from a set of attributes, or I can randomly roll for one of the six. guess what I’m doing (dice clatter on table) and wrote down the score for his Strength, Heart and Wits. This also gave me some derived stats (I wrote them down in my notes) and Skill ranks. I was then instructed to pick some combat proficiencies, distinctive features and a name. From the list I picked Reginard Grubb. Boy there was a lot in that first “step”.
I guess there was a reason there was a lot in the Heroic Cultural portion, most of the steps now numbered on page 28 are already filled in. Let’s see, the Target Number mathematical formula is listed for each attribute so I can write that down. Ah, I was also supposed to pick an age. Well, it states that Hobbits come to age at 33 before they leave their comfortable lives. So, 33 he is.
Answer the call to adventure on page 44 is what is says next. Pick a Calling (aka Class), spend some experience points, pick some gear, record a score for Valour and Wisdom (1 each) and choose a Starting Reward and Virtue. The options for Callings are: Captain (leader), Champion (warrior), Messenger, Scholar (I think Gandalf is here), Treasure Hunter (gold, gold, gold, gold…) and Warden (protectors). Originally when I was thinking ahead on a possible character concept, I was thinking that Grubb was going to be an outcast. But that doesn’t seem to be an option, so I’ll go with Treasure Hunter. Perhaps he’s trying to gain a fortune so he can obtain the hand of a rich family daughter. Yea, that’s it. I followed the steps in this section and added the information to my character sheet.
For Previous Experience, I’m given 10 points to spend on skills and combat proficiencies. The higher the skill, the more the cost. So I filled in what I thought my wandering Grubb would need to try to survive while finding his fortune.
As for Gear, I’m instructed to pick a weapon for each combat proficiency (based upon the limitations of a Hobbit), some armor (including helms and shields) and common items (based upon the standard of living). The last item is a starting reward (better armor) and virtue (I picked nimbleness).
The last step is The Company. This is the group that Grubb would be adventuring with and requires some help from the Loremaster (aka GM). I’m instructed to choose a Patron (I wrote one down from the list), a Safe Haven (a village or who knows) and something called a Fellowship Rating. I think this is determined with the group and the voices in my head are mad at me and not talking right now. Plus I’m running out of time so I think I’m done. Here is the sheet.
Afterthoughts:
I thought the way of getting the gear was simple and easy. In fact creating this character was easier than I thought it would be. Again, I’ve played this game in a one-shot and I thought it made sense at the time. but that was back in 2024 so I don’t recall much off the top of my head. But I’d be willing to play again.
Additional Notes:
On the same day that I made my Terminator RPG character, Three Kobolds With A Trench Gun had posted his Terminator character on BlueSky. I had to laugh because we had both picked Historians and we both had about the same views on the game.
Coming Up Next:
Other Dust
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