Sebastian
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Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Tue 25 Jan 2022, 17:44

I definitely plan on running the adventures in the starter set with some kids one day. My son is yet too young, but in a few years that’s going to be fun. In other news, I think these stories can be also great fun for adults, who just began with RPGs. And even seasoned players can enjoy them, if you explain upfront, that you want to run adventures in the Shire with a specific low level feel. It is for sure a bit uncommon, but seriously how many dungeon crawl brutal orc killing adventures are there already?
 
Byrax
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Location: Mythic North

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Tue 25 Jan 2022, 23:04

I like the starter adventures but I also hope for more complex ones, like Bree 1e/Tales, using the area and the gorgeous (cloth) map.

PS any other (1e, other systems, fan-made) scenarios around that are set in the Shire and worth looking into?
Last edited by Byrax on Wed 26 Jan 2022, 13:28, edited 1 time in total.
 
ilgiallomondadori
Topic Author
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Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Wed 26 Jan 2022, 10:29

Have another question - in the mission where they have to deliver mail to farmer maggot to get out of the cellar dungeon, why do they have to stay off the roads and hide from the bounders? They've been given their community service by the mayor and the mail man, why do they have to hide again? The mayor has given them a reprieve on their sentence, hasn't he?
 
Byrax
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Location: Mythic North

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Wed 26 Jan 2022, 13:23

From page 21 "He has no one to send and got the impression from the tall, hooded figure that accosted him outside town with the letter that the message was urgent. Furthermore, there’s a lot of traffic on the main road – Dwarves mostly, heading west or east as the case may be, trying to get home before the year grows too long."

Not sure if it helps. There is a separate thread about this in the forum. viewtopic.php?f=132&t=8428
 
ilgiallomondadori
Topic Author
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Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Thu 27 Jan 2022, 11:25

Thanks @Byrax.

Still doesn't make a load of sense to me. Could be my understanding of "bounders." I assumed they were sort of Hobbit neighbourhood watch, semi-official busybodies trying to keep their town safe. If that were the case, the PCs are actually on official business by the post master and the mayor. Surely they could just say so, or if it was so urgent, the post-master and Mayor would just give them an official letter and let bounders know there's urgent mail on the way rather than forcing urgent mail to take roundabout routes and stay off the road, chancing delay?

I think it's largely the way it's written, now that I'm thinking about it. I guess what's really going on is a strange, hooded figure gave the letter to the postman and told him to let the PCs out of jail and send them on a VERY SECRET journey, and for them to stay off the roads. That might be clear, but it wasn't super clear to me reading it the first time.

I think that's easy enough to convey to the PCs and makes sense.

Thanks!
 
Otaku-sempai
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Location: Western New York

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Thu 27 Jan 2022, 16:06

Thanks @Byrax.

Still doesn't make a load of sense to me. Could be my understanding of "bounders." I assumed they were sort of Hobbit neighbourhood watch, semi-official busybodies trying to keep their town safe. If that were the case, the PCs are actually on official business by the post master and the mayor. Surely they could just say so, or if it was so urgent, the post-master and Mayor would just give them an official letter and let bounders know there's urgent mail on the way rather than forcing urgent mail to take roundabout routes and stay off the road, chancing delay?
.
The Bounders are the Shirriffs who work the outer parts of the Shire, patrolling the borders and on the look-out for troublemakers.
#FideltyToTolkien
 
Dunheved
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Location: UK

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Sun 30 Jan 2022, 15:36

Anyone thinking of Further Adventures still in the style of, or using the boundaries of the Starter Set?

I had an idea for a trigger of "Two dwarf wandering merchants, going through the Shire, witnessing Bilbo vanish before their eyes and naturally getting curious".
(a) the dwarves are adversaries - and wish to secure Bilbo's secret vanishing trick by whatever means they can. Other hobbits have to rescue Bilbo and lead these dwarves astray, while Bilbo protects his secret - from everyone!

(b) the dwarves are PCs themselves, and the adventure describes either what they learn / or how they learn about Bilbo's vanishing "skill". (And let's not forget that Thorin's company knew about Bilbo's magic ring at the time of the escape from the Elvenking's cellar.)



Does anyone else have other stories to expand the Starter Set?
 
LancasterMatt
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Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Wed 02 Feb 2022, 19:29

There are a few things I like about the starter set from a 'serious' perspective.

1. In the Prologue to the 'Rules' Bilbo explains that he has become more Baggins and less Tookish but that "there are a good bunch of eager lads and lasses". I see it that Bilbo is introducing adventure to the young-uns to sow seeds for the future. Clearly something he succeeded in with Frodo, Sam and Pippin later on.

2. It gives some good concrete examples of non-combat challenges and long-term consequences.

3. It gives a good feel for what it means to be Good. (Reforming evil dogs and being courteous to animals. It also embeds the concept of dislike of outsiders and adventurers which would be mirrored in different ways across Middle Earth.

I am tempted to run it on an evening with my 1e adventurers to blow off the cobwebs. I will then give them the option of either converting our 1e campaign to 2e and carrying on - or starting a new campaign in Eriador.
 
gyrovague
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Joined: Tue 28 Apr 2020, 16:52

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Wed 02 Feb 2022, 20:31

I'm with the OP. It's clever and cute but I wouldn't be interested in playing it myself, nor would I run it for other adults. Although, in my opinion, it strays a bit into the goofier, comic-relief portrayal of Hobbits from the movies.

On the other hand, I've always wanted to run a campaign for my older son (currently 8) and some of his friends who know the story from The Hobbit but not LotR, with the idea that by playing a game in between Hobbit and LotR, and meeting a lot of the characters, it will be mind-blowing to then eventually read LotR. "Wait....Strider is the KING!?!?!?!"
 
Otaku-sempai
Posts: 598
Joined: Wed 15 Apr 2020, 15:35
Location: Western New York

Re: Starter Set adventures too...simple? Childish?

Thu 03 Feb 2022, 23:28

Anyone thinking of Further Adventures still in the style of, or using the boundaries of the Starter Set?

I had an idea for a trigger of "Two dwarf wandering merchants, going through the Shire, witnessing Bilbo vanish before their eyes and naturally getting curious".
(a) the dwarves are adversaries - and wish to secure Bilbo's secret vanishing trick by whatever means they can. Other hobbits have to rescue Bilbo and lead these dwarves astray, while Bilbo protects his secret - from everyone!

(b) the dwarves are PCs themselves, and the adventure describes either what they learn / or how they learn about Bilbo's vanishing "skill". (And let's not forget that Thorin's company knew about Bilbo's magic ring at the time of the escape from the Elvenking's cellar.)



Does anyone else have other stories to expand the Starter Set?
.
I did write an adventure that was published in Other Minds (issue #24, January 2021) where a group of hobbit youths went on a fishing excursion to Lake Evendim and ran into trouble involving getting trapped in some ruins and visited by the ghost of a Dunedain woman. The heroes had to locate and rescue the youths, but a variant could have the young hobbits solve the problem themselves.
Last edited by Otaku-sempai on Sun 27 Feb 2022, 17:52, edited 2 times in total.
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