Wed 11 Nov 2020, 01:10
A cinematic mode would be great for some scenarios in Middle Earth. I'm a big fan of Alien RPG and the cinematic mode has been a great way of introducing RPGs to a very casual audience. In Middle Earth there is fertile ground for this style of play - Balin's Expedition for one, with the Balrog picking off players one by one. Of course, if you want a comparable example to a Xenomorph there is always Shelob...
Edit: On further thought, one of the features that makes the cinematic scenarios so engaging in Alien RPG is the use of secret agendas and/or secret identities. For example, a PC may have as a secret mission to "Obtain a live Alien specimem at all costs" : whereas another PC may have "Protect all your crew and let none perish". Even better, sometimes a PC will be a secret android which is only revealed under certain circumstances and immediately makes them a hostile NPC. These secret agendas provide an exciting element to the scenarios, and LMs can award 'Inspiration' points based on how successful the PC is in implementing their agenda. This would need to be handled tactfully in the Middle Earth context so as to not stray too far from Tolkien's vision and make it unnecessarily dark. However, I think there is scope for having some PCs work subtly against each other and/or having a secret agent of Sauron in their ranks.