https://www.reddit.com/r/oneringrpg/comments/1i23y7t/feeling_overwhelmed_help_needed/
created by Fun_Recommendation99 on 15/01/2025 at 18:21 UTC
28 upvotes, 10 top-level comments (showing 10)
Hi everyone,
I recently got super excited about The One Ring RPG 2nd Edition and ended up buying literally everything for it. This is my first time GMing an RPG, though I’ve played a few sessions of D&D before. Honestly, I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the rules and details, and I’m not sure where to start.
I’ve been reading through the books, but it’s a lot to take in, and I’m finding it hard to imagine how to structure my first session or even run the game smoothly. The travel mechanics, the combat, the unique phases, it’s all fascinating, but also a bit confusing to wrap my head around.
I’m really eager to get into this game as soon as possible, but I think I need some guidance. Can anyone recommend: • Good tutorials or videos that break down the rules or help new GMs? • Online resources like cheat sheets or simplified guides for running the game? • Any friendly online groups or games for The One Ring that are newbie-friendly, where I could observe or participate to get a better feel for the flow of the game?
I’d love to hear any advice, tips, or encouragement from more experienced GMs or players. Thanks in advance for your help!
Comment by Will_AtThe_WorldsEnd at 15/01/2025 at 18:34 UTC
31 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It is a lot to get your head around. I've made a bunch of videos that might help you. Some of them are a little out of date because Free League has changed some of the rules since I made the videos but they should get you going: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtzrTJmLT7YShtRB8JAxi46WWy4ZTslbE[1][2]
Also, if you join The One Ring Discord: https://discord.com/invite/the-one-ring-lotr-rpg-348254014598545408[3][4] Lots of people have made player and LM aids.
1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtzrTJmLT7YShtRB8JAxi46WWy4ZTslbE
2: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtzrTJmLT7YShtRB8JAxi46WWy4ZTslbE
3: https://discord.com/invite/the-one-ring-lotr-rpg-348254014598545408
4: https://discord.com/invite/the-one-ring-lotr-rpg-348254014598545408
Comment by madlee at 15/01/2025 at 18:44 UTC
20 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The starter kit has a premade adventure that's lighter weight, and could be a good way to learn the game with a group of people. There's also rules for solo play (strider mode), which is how I got into it (and is nice for learning since you can play entirely at your own pace).
I've found a couple of youtube channels helpful, particularly Ryan of the North[1] and Will at the World's End[2]; both of these have tutorial videos that go over specific mechanics.
1: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanoftheNorth
2: https://www.youtube.com/@willattheworldsend
There's also a pretty active discord[3] that has lots of resources and helpful people on all the time.
3: https://discord.com/invite/the-one-ring-lotr-rpg-348254014598545408
My personal recommendation would be to just make a character, and do a short "quest" without worrying about the story or the details too much; Pick a place to start, do a council (just run through the mechanical bits without worrying about role playing too much). Pick a spot on the map and do a journey, then when you get there, do a small combat. Then you can either throw that away, or start to build a story from there. That's just how I learn best though (hands on). I started with a strider mode character and used ChatGPT to help flesh out some details / come up with ideas.
Comment by Isenskjold at 15/01/2025 at 18:37 UTC
15 upvotes, 0 direct replies
What helped me a lot when starting was just listening to different actual plays of TOR on YouTube, they give you a good idea of what actually happens when playing. There is a few good ones, I'd just listen to different one until you find one you like.
Otherwise Ryan of the north and will at the Worlds end did some very nice rules-Videos on Youtube, very useful to quickly familiarise yourself with the mechanics.
Finally I would really recommend the starter set adventures if you are just starting out. A friend who never DMed before ran them for my group and they were really fun! The more light hearted tone makes it much easier to GM, especially for new groups that like Tolkien and are excidet to get to do stuff like interact with bilbo
Comment by ExaminationNo8675 at 15/01/2025 at 20:07 UTC
8 upvotes, 0 direct replies
1. Seconding some of the other comments to start with the Starter Set. It's ideal for people new to TTRPGs, whether they are the Loremaster or a player. Pick a character and step through it by yourself, rolling the dice and applying the rules as you go.
2. The Star of the Mist example landmark in the Core Book has good explanatory notes about how to handle obstacles and so on. I wouldn't recommend it as a first adventure because the undead adversaries can be tough (both for new players and for new heroes).
3. If you're able to join a game as a player, that would be an easier way to learn the system than as LM. Or you could offer to run a game for one or more experienced players (either as part of your group, or as a separate training session), who could help you navigate the rules.
4. Here's a link to a good, fan-made, short adventure you could either play through solo to practice the rules yourself, or use as an introductory adventure for your group: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y[1][2]
1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y
2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y
5. General advice for a new Loremaster / GM in any system: start small and simple. Watch the first five videos in Matt Colville's 'running the game' series to understand just how simple! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP%5C_[3][4]
3: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP%5C_
4: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_
6. For a good example of a long campaign, try the Waking of Angmar actual play by Adventures in Lollygagging. They mess up a few of the rules, but the Loremaster is very good at framing scenes and prompting the players to keep moving while leaving them freedom to make their own choices (the players themselves are less energetic, unfortunately).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUvp9tkyA0&pp=ygUMI25ld19yaW5nb25l[5][6]
5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUvp9tkyA0&pp=ygUMI25ld19yaW5nb25l
6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUvp9tkyA0&pp=ygUMI25ld19yaW5nb25l
Comment by queefmcbain at 15/01/2025 at 20:20 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I'm running my first TOR game this week and was also confused about the rules but now I've read the starter set it has made it much easier to follow. Start there.
Forget about any of the other supplements apart from the core rules for now.
Once you've done the starter adventures, you should be ready for Star of the Mist in the back of the core rules, then you can look into the other stuff.
Comment by KWinkelmann at 15/01/2025 at 18:39 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Did you get the starter set? I haven't played it yet but it looks pretty straightforward. Completing that will give you some practice with the basic rules and confirm that you and your group want to continue playing. From there, you'll be in a better position to dive into the core rules.
Comment by Harlath at 15/01/2025 at 20:48 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Lots of good resources linked here, but I'll add a solo adventure I wrote (with notes for adapting it to group play too). Playing through solo can help learn the system, and others have reported success using it as an introductory scenario - it takes you through a journey, skill endeavour, combat etc. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y/view?usp=drive%5C_link[1][2]
1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y/view?usp=drive%5C_link
2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YSUpPzsakef23AWG9n4FM1sHQGEEC-y/view?usp=drive_link
Comment by NuclearDice at 15/01/2025 at 23:52 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Thanks for sharing,
My way around it when I learn and introduce it to new players is to learn rules together.
Explain how the general rules work and then make it simple and try to practice new aspects of the rules step by step while you play. This way you work on it as a team and everyone gets involved! :)
After the first session you probably covered some aspects, and continue from there on.
Comment by shadram at 16/01/2025 at 00:23 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
An alternative to the starter set, if Hobbity shenanigans is not your thing, is the Tales from the Lone Lands book. The Troll Hole... or Kings of Little Kingdoms adventures are nicely self contained and work for new players. They both present a setup, short journey, and an adventure site, so give you a feel for the different parts of the game.
Comment by cometscomets at 16/01/2025 at 18:49 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The thing that’s most helpful to me is realizing the game is made of discrete, modular sections.
So when you’re in a Council, you only need to pay attention to the council rules. When you’re on a Journey, open the book to the journey section (which is very well laid out) and ignore the rest of the book.
Combat is arguably the most complicated, but if you’re doing starter adventures you may not have combat for the first couple of sessions. That will give you weeks to get comfortable with the game