The One Ring continued

This is a follow on from my previous posts on a number of RPGs, including The One Ring, and concentrates on what I found I very much liked about The One Ring.

The One Ring is definitely NOT D&D or any of the D&D derivatives out there.
For example, although you may have several encounters during a session you should only expect to have a combat encounter, on average, ONCE every two SESSIONS ;-) Normally you try to avoid combat as much as possible and only fight when you have no other choice.

This is very much in line with the Tolkienese style which can be read in the books and seen in the movies.

When there is no choice up to fight, The One Ring, provides you with an heroic system (basically simple with many options) in which you decide on the strength of your attacks balanced by the vulnerability of your character to counter attacks. Again very Tolkienese, and excellently done.

The game is devised to work on the premise that usually the company will have one Adventure (comprising 4 - 8 episodes) per year followed by a Fellowship Phase. In the Fellowship Phase you get to tell stories, sometimes go home to let the folks a home know you are still alive, undertake special projects and spend those Advancement and Experience Points you have accumulated on your latest adventure.

There are two types of experience points. Advancement Points come form using your Common (non-weapon) skills successfully over the course of your adventure. Experience Points are awarded for attendance, achieving, or at least moving towards, your companies goals and bonus points at the end of an adventure.

Advancement Points are used to improve your Common skills.
Experience Points can be used to increase your Wisdom or Valour (thereby gaining extra talents) or increase your weapon skills.

Another very Tolkienese style feature is Journeys. Traveling between various places tales time and effort. The One Ring makes this interesting and, sometimes exciting. The group plots there route on the player map, the Loremaster calculates the time and distance involved. The players take various roles (Scout, Look Out etc...). The distance, terrain, and locations define how many tests are required and who (what role) is required to make skill rolls. Threats may be encountered, which must be overcome or avoided, again by the various roles. The important thing is that there are no random Encounters on Journeys, you may have Encounters but only if the Loremaster wishes the company to have an Encounter. Threats result from random rolls but Encounters only happen if the Loremaster wants one.

Although the rules on Journeys are detailed, they are usually, in real time, completed quite quickly, although they may take up quiet a bit of "game" time and distance.

I could easily write many more paragraphs on The One Ring but the above is what stands out for me and makes the game stand out from the pack of standard fantasy RPGs.