The One Ring: Strider Mode, Episode 1
Not all who wander are lost
For those of you who don't know, there is an official Lord of the Rings tabletop role playing game (TTRPG). It's called The One Ring, produced by Free League Publishing. The idea is that it is meant to evoke the feeling of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Mainly, that you aren't necessarily an epic badass who mows down armies with your magical powers. While there is certainly combat, The One Ring focuses more on what really stands out in the books; important conversations, long journeys, and witnessing strange wonders.
Free League also put out a supplement for the game called Strider Mode, to provide a guide for playing this game solo. Solo gaming has gotten a higher profile in recent years thanks to the success of titles like Ironsworn. The idea is that rather than having a dedicated game master and a small number of players, there is just one player involved who fulfills both roles. The story beyond the player character's control is often generated using tables or other means of generating randomness.
In essence, it's a more complicated way of writing a story. One where you forego most planning, and leave the plot up to fate.
A few things drew me to The One Ring, and Strider Mode in particular.
- I am a lifelong Tolkien-freak. One of my earliest memories is listening to The Lord of the Rings on casette during a road trip through the American Southwest. It looked like this:
- The One Ring's mechanics are not entirely focused on combat, unlike a certain dragon-themed TTRPG. A good game's mechanics support the type of story you're telling. I do have some issues with The One Ring's various rules for dice-rolling, but overall it provides a Tolkien-esque experience.
- Especially since COVID-19 hit, getting a group of players together at regular times is a hassle. I've tried out several solo TTRPGs while trying to chase the high that the group version gives me, with varying degrees of success.
Another reason I was eager to tackle Strider Mode is that I had previously been in a One Ring campaign that had gradually ended after scheduling issues, as many do. This campaign was set during the Second Age of Middle-Earth, several thousand years before the events of the novels, and my character was an elf. There was more story to be told for her, and this felt like the best way to do it.
I'll be using this space to record my various play sessions of Strider Mode. I will be writing out the mechanical bits to show how I roll the dice and make decisions, while the rest will be written out narratively. Think of it as a bit of mechanical fan fiction. As of writing, I've already played several short sessions, and I hope to include future sessions in real time.
