The One Ring 2e Solo: Hobbit Tales Part 1
I got into the mood lately for some lighthearted adventures and thought I would break out my The One Ring 2e starter set, kindly sent to me by Free League for a solo playthrough.
It’s a gorgeous package that came with the core rulebook, pre-gen character sheets, cards, stance and journey coasters, dice, an adventure module, a supplement on the Shire, and a double-sided huge map with the Shire and Eriador.
I decided to start with the five adventures in the Shire made for the pre-gen characters. They are very low stakes and use only part of the main rules to ease players into learning the game.
As a heads up, there will be spoilers for this adventure book.
This won’t be a full actual play. I’ll do something different here, summarizing my playthrough and giving my thoughts on it.
I also saw this as the perfect opportunity to try out Cezar Capacle’s new Triple-O zine, a character emulator where you act as the GM and control characters with random actions based on their traits. Triple-O stands for Obvious, Option, and Odd actions.
I’ll go over it during the playthrough. I also intend on writing a more thorough overview of the system in the future, as I really enjoyed using it.
Edit: Here's a complete review of Triple-O!
Conspirators of the Red Book
So what are these adventures about? Well, it all starts at Bag End. Bilbo Baggins, or Mad Baggins, as he’s known, has gathered a group of adventurers he named the Conspirators of the Red Book. He offered the Conspirators payment and plenty of adventure to help him gather notes for his book. The party must confirm various details about the Shire, traveling the different farthings, interacting with people, and causing all kinds of trouble.
The first and most important item is a map of the Shire that is kept locked away in the Mathom-house, at Michel Delving, which he believes was sketched by none other than the Old Took himself! These conscripted conspirators will need to travel there, slip past any watch without arousing suspicion, and pilfer the ancient map before returning to Bag End.
We can choose from 6 pre-made hobbit characters to play. They are all notable figures in the LOTR universe.
I’ve chosen:
- Primula Brandybuck, Bilbo’s cousin and Frodo’s to be mother!
- Rorimack Brandybuck, Primula’s brother.
- Paladin Took II, future father of Pippin, fool of a Took!
Triple-O sheets
Now I need to write down the details that will inform their decisions. Triple-O uses a simple sheet to note characters’ traits and details. Here’s the sample one from the zine:
Primula is engaged to Drogo Baggins, and is going into the adventure level-headed and skeptic of the whole affair, according to her pre-gen sheet. I’m giving her the trait Investigative and Inquisitive (Personality).
I’ve added Courtesy (Skill) as well, as she’s Favoured in it. For (Motivation), I rolled on Triple-O for it. The zine has various tables to roll from: Action, Focus, Method, Disposition, Motivation, Dynamics, and several reaction tables for different situations, like Combat, Downtime, etc.
I chose Motivation and rolled Legacy. What does the future hold for her family as it grows closer to Mad Baggins?
I also rolled for (Background) on Action + Focus, getting Deceive + Determination. Prim worries about her marriage, but pretends she’s sure.
Rory is Protective and Suspicious, meaning to find what Mad Baggins is up to. For motivation, I got Hate, which I interpreted as ‘Something to prove,’ as he hates stiff hobbits like the Bucklanders who say the Brandybucks don’t amount to anything.
Action + Focus gave me Dodge + Courage. I’m reading it as willing to be decoy and divert danger from his friends, especially his sister.
From his sheet, Paladin is ‘Seeking fun & adventure.’ His personality is ‘Lighthearted, cheerful.’ For motivation, I rolled Guilt. As the eldest son, he’s to be Shire-Thain (like the military leader of the hobbits) and hasn’t accomplished anything of note. As great-grandson of the legendary Old Took, Rory feels he isn’t deserving of his lineage yet.
Note: The Old Took had twelve children, was Thain of the Shire, and the oldest hobbit in Middle-Earth. To live naturally, at least, as Bilbo outlived him, but we all know Mad Baggins was a fake natty.
And that’s it for my Triple-O sheet:
Adventure 1: A Conspiracy Most Cracked
Part One: Off Into the Blue
The Conspirators join Bilbo in Bag End to hear his request.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘There goes Old Bilbo again, taking after that Wizard Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins sending you Hobbits off into the blue. Well, I can assure you it is nothing of the sort. Just a little trip to Michel Delving and back to recover what one might call a family heirloom from the Mathom-house: a map of the Shire supposedly made by the Old Took himself, with all sorts of precious annotations.”
He’s sent multiple letters to the custodian, but never got a reply, so he’s taken matters into his own hands. Or rather into the hands of the Conspirators.
“I know some of you place more value on local gossip than others — and even just being seen at night in the Company of ‘Mad Baggins’ might be enough to ruin your reputation forever. But for those of you with spirit — which I know you all have in spades, or I’d have not called you here tonight — won’t you aid me on this errand of particular importance, my fellow conspirators?”
Primula indeed worries about associating with Bilbo, but this little project will serve to take her mind off the marriage for a bit.
Rory, her brother, couldn’t help but become extremely curious about the whole affair. Besides, there was no way he would let Primula go by herself.
Paladin felt inspired by Bilbo’s speech, and saw this as an opportunity to prove himself and honor his great-grandfather’s memory.
And so, after second breakfast, Bilbo set a path for them to follow: north to Overhill, turn west and cross the Water, follow the road until Waymeet, rest for the night, then continue to Michel Delving.
And with the setup done, I’ll end it here for now. Let’s continue with the adventure next time!
The One Ring is available on the Free League site and wherever RPGs are sold.
Triple-O is available on Itch.