One thought is how will they approach sending the player characters there?
Before the fateful journey of the Fellowship into Moria during Fellowship of the Ring, we know of only three other trips into Moria – an ill-fated one by Balin in TA 2989, the other two are undated trips by Gandalf and Aragorn.
‘Good, Gimli!’ said Gandalf. ‘You encourage me. We will seek the hidden doors together. And we will come through. In the ruins of the Dwarves, a dwarf’s head will be less easy to bewilder than Elves or Men or Hobbits. Yet it will not be the first time that I have been to Moria. I sought there long for Thráin son of Thrór after he was lost. I passed through, and I came out again alive!’
‘I too once passed the Dimrill Gate,’ said Aragorn quietly; ‘but though I also came out again, the memory is very evil. I do not wish to enter Moria a second time.’
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (p. 297). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
We know Gandalf found Thráin in Dol Guldur in TA 2950, so his journey would have been prior to that. With that date and the fact Gandalf doesn’t mention any more trips into Moria in the quote above, we can rule out him as a guide to player characters.
But when did Aragorn visit Moria? Between TA 2957–80 Aragorn is of on his errantries and heads to both Rohan and Gondor. Perhaps it was during those? Aragorn states he entered Moria by the Dimrill Gate. In TA 2980 he meets Arwen in Lórien. Could it be around that time, whilst nearby, he went to Moria for an undisclosed reason? JRR Tolkien never explains why Aragorn went there or when.
The default setting for The One Ring roleplaying game 2nd Edition is TA 2965, fifteen years before Aragorn is nearby whilst in Lórien. But perhaps the Moria book/set will take us there to assist Aragorn in whatever he was doing when entering Dimrill Gate only to return with a memory of evil.
Balin enters Moria in TA 2989, twenty-four years after the default setting. We know his journey is ill-fated, but it is only when the Fellowship enter Moria that his death and the fate of the Dwarven expedition is known. I don’t think that would fit as a lead into Moria for player characters.
I think the Aragorn option is a great one, involving the player characters in his errantries (or perhaps the close of them) – something Cubicle 7 originally had in mind for one of their original three main sets.
Gareth Hanrahan was due to write the Moria set for Cubicle 7, so I assume he is still onboard for the Free League product.
Whatever happens, I am looking forward to finding out more about the Moria of TOR 2nd Edition.
Further reading
Two blogs were helpful in writing this, each exploring the possible journeys of Aragorn and Gandalf into Moria.
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-did ... -and-when/
https://sweatingtomordor.wordpress.com/ ... ugh-moria/
Some key dates from The Lord of the Rings
The Third Age
2957–80 Aragorn undertakes his great journeys and errantries. As Thorongil he serves in disguise both Thengel of Rohan and Ecthelion II of Gondor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (pp. 1089-1090). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2980 Aragorn enters Lórien, and there meets again Arwen Undómiel. Aragorn gives her the ring of Barahir, and they plight their troth upon the hill of Cerin Amroth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (p. 1090). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2989 Balin leaves Erebor and enters Moria.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (p. 1090). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Fun fact
Whilst checking through The Lord of the Rings, I rediscovered this awesome show of support from Aragorn to Gandalf whilst they were lost in Moria:
‘He is surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Berúthiel.’
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (p. 311). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.