One Ring: A Failure of Genre

Posted in Tabletop on Review

This is a review of the One Ring TTRPG by Free League publishing. It is also a chronicle of my descent into Middle Earth and a philosophical exploration of genre. It is far longer than it should be, so here is the short version:

The Short Version Permalink

1. The book is beautiful and fun to read.
2. The game does not seem fun to play.
3. The book and game are both limited by the source material.

Overall I recommend it for reading and enjoyment, but I do not recommend playing the One Ring TTRPG. Read on if you want to hear these thoughts expanded in (too much) detail.

An Unexpected Journey Permalink

The past few months have been difficult ones for me. Work is stressful, some personal issues have drained my energy, and the online flood of misery makes me want to disappear to another world…like, say, Middle Earth. And thus began an epic journey of research and immersion I’ve never before experienced.

I grew up loving the movies, like everyone. And I have tried to read the books a few times, but found them slow and dull compared to the modern fantasy I usually read. But a few months back I found “The World of Tolkien” at a steep discount. I picked it up, and was determined to immerse myself into Tolkien’s world. I suspected there was joy and inspiration to be had, if I just dug deep enough.

The Tale of Months Permalink

When life is difficult, a massive and complex fictional world becomes much easier to engage with. Here’s a brief timeline of my descent into The Lord of the Rings:

• October 2024: I purchased “The World of Tolkien” collection. I read most of it; enjoying the peek into Tolkien’s inspirations and deeper world building…but I can tell it only scrathes the surface.
• November 2024: I finished reading “Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring” on kindle. So far so good.
• December 2024: I picked up the audiobooks read by Andy Serkis and quickly finished “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”.
• February 2025: Some friends of mine decided they also want to read LOTR (some for the first time, some for the 21st time). We formed a little bookclub and I started my second re-read.
• March 2025: I snagged a used copy of the LOTR hardcover books illustrated by Allen Lee. They are a joy to read through, and I ditched the audiobooks and kindle completely.
• April 2025: A used copy of “Unfinished Tales” showed up in the mail, and I got a glimpse of Tolkien’s other stories and poems. They are a great little distraction.
• May 2025: I completed my Tolkien hardcover collection with a few more books. These were not written by Tolkien directly, but were compiled by others and assembled from unfinished bits and pieces:
  • “The Reader’s Companion”, a collection of definitions, trivia, and footnotes. It’s made my second reading so fun and engaging.
  • “The Silmarillion”, the famously complex ancient stories of Middle Earth.
  • “The Children of Hurin”, an expanded version of a story from the Silmarillion.
  • “Unfinished Tales”, a collection of stories set in Middle Earth.
• June 2025: My friend lent me their copy of “The One Ring TTRPG”, and I began compiling this review.

Until this year I thought that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were the only things of note that Tolkien ever wrote. I was amazed and delighted to discover all of these other books and stories; unfinished though they were. It’s incredible to see how much care and attention people have paid to collecting and completing Tolkien’s work. I even have a book of 500+ letters that he wrote throughout his lifetime!

“Surely for these books to inspire so much effort they must be filled with wonders”, I thought to myself. And for the most part I’ve found that to be true. Right now the greatest value these books bring is escapism. I really feel like an explorer researching some alternate dimension, discovering little treasures and clues on every page. Some parts are boring or cliche, but it’s so dense and detailed that I’m enjoying my delve.

A Warm Welcome Permalink

Naturally I was excited to read the One Ring TTRPG. Most role-playing games already feel like doing research on fictional worlds, and Middle Earth is already one of the most detailed stories to ever exist. Seems like a great fit for the numerous bits of lore and information that an RPG requires.

Additionally since basically ALL fantasy stories are inspired by the Lord of the Rings to some degree or another, I was curious how an official LOTR game would make itself stand out amidst a sea of imitators.

Things started off well. The One Ring is a stunningly beautiful book. It’s something that we as TTRPG fans have been spoiled by; beautiful books overflow our shelves. But even among them The One Ring stands out. In particular it feels at home alongside the other deluxe Tolkien hardcover books. In particular I like how the red text matches the red print from the hardcovers.

Very easy to read, well-organized, and absolutely packed with evocative art. Just holding the book was a joy; some books just FEEL good. This is one of them. I enjoyed (almost) every page and even enjoyed re-reading it for this review. But I’ll never play the game itself.

The Review Goes South Permalink

I had originally planned to play the game. I found a few people who were interested, and I started making reference sheets and notes for our first session. But after a week or two of prep…I was just dreading playing this thing. It is possible that when the game hits the table all of the rules combine to provide a seamless and engaging experience…but I highly doubt it.

The whole game just feels overly complex and fiddly. A few examples that contributed to my dread:

• The most common roll is 1d12 + a number of d6s (depending on skills and bonuses). The goal is to beat a target number. So if the target is 20, what are the chances that 1d12+3d6 will succeed? Oh, and if the d12 rolls a 12, you succeed automatically and fail on a 1, regardless of other dice. It just feels hard to estimate chances and make informed decisions.
• Each round of combat players choose which stance their character is using: Forward (deal more damage and take more damage), Open, and Defensive (deal less damage and take less damage)…oh and Rearward for ranged weapons. Each stance additionally allows for different combat actions and limitations, and some character skills modify different stances. It just feels like more complexity to an already slow and boring part of the game.
• Some treasure hoards are tainted, and if players loot them they suffer Shadow points from greed. But…why? Is this really a fun decision to make? The rest of the game is about getting stronger and upgrading equipment. And then you punish players for wanting those things?
• Some of the skills seem too niche and lackluster; like they were added just to fill out the character sheet:
• AWARENESS, SCAN, and INSIGHT are very similar skills
• COURTESY and SONG could just be cultural knowledge
• TRAVEL and EXPLORE also seem very similar
• RIDDLE is used for obscuring the truth or figuring out puzzles. I actually love this one, and wish the other skills were as evocative and fun as RIDDLE.

In isolation none of these are a deal-breaker. Every game has weird bits or strange details. But while reading the One Ring I never felt like I grasped the overall gameplay loop. I never understood the purpose of each piece as a part of the whole. I never found the fun.

However all of that might have been worth it if the adventure content of the book wasn’t so dreadfully limited.

Lord of the Tropes Permalink

This feels like a tangent, but bear with me.

I avoided reading the LOTR books (in part) because I assumed they would be cliche. Almost every work of fantasy has its roots in Tolkien’s work; so obviously his stories, while groundbreaking at the time, will feel stale and worn out to modern readers. Right?

I was delighted to discover that was not the case. Sure, in broad strokes you can describe the LOTR using cliches and tropes. But it was the little details that I found to be as fresh and exciting. Tolkien seemed to go out of his way to avoid certain tropes and add nuance to familiar themes:

• TROPE: Aragorn is the prophesied hero with the secret blood of royalty who will defeat the dark lord and rule the kingdom (and get the girl).
  DETAILS: Aragorn doesn’t defeat the dark lord and the only prophecy he fulfills is taking the Paths of the Dead.
• TROPE: Gandalf the wise wizard has a plan and guides everyone to victory.
  DETAILS: Gandalf regularly falters, makes mistakes, and nearly dooms the world. He has flaws like anyone.
• TROPE: After the dark lord is defeated, everyone lives happily ever after.
  DETAILS: The heroes return home to a ravaged town that they have to work to save. Frodo never truly recovers from his adventures. Evil still exists and there is a lot of work left to do.

When lesser skilled writers attempted to duplicate Tolkien’s success, they kept the broad strokes but were unable to come up with their own details. It is in these details that Tolkien’s work shines: his poems, clever turns of phrase, small character moments, and subversion of tropes.

My favorite example comes from the Swedish version of LOTR. When the books were translated into Swedish the translator made a bunch of unauthorized “improvements” to fit his idea of what the story should be. In one instance he re-wrote the battle against the Witch King so that Merry was the one who struck the final blow (since the idea that a woman defeated a powerful foe seemed like an error to him). The translator brought back an old trope that Tolkien went out of his way to avoid!

And it feels like the One Ring TTRPG makes this same mistake. Instead of adding unique details that would inspire players, they simply brought back the tropes we’ve all seen a million times before.

Scouring of the Book Permalink

My biggest criticism and overall disappointment is that there’s nothing new here. I don’t expect the writers to exceed Tolkien’s skill with worldbuilding or prose, but I do expect them to present something new and exciting for players (who presumably already enjoy Tolkien’s work).

Now the counter-argument is that Middle Earth is so intricate and detailed that there isn’t any space for new content! After all, you can’t invent a new country or culture. But that’s exactly what I was excited about. Despite Tolkien’s attention to detail, it’s a BIG world with a lot of things left unexplained.

Let’s use an example to demonstrate what I mean, something that should be a slam dunk: The Forsaken Inn.

In the Hobbit the dwarves mention camping in a long-abandoned building, but by the Lord of the Rings Aragorn calls it “The Forsaken Inn” (italicized like a location rather than just any old forgotten place). The implication being that at some point the Inn was revived and perhaps even in use. But Tolkien never mentioned it anywhere else, or expanded upon it’s history or function. What a fantastic place to drop some new lore or contribute to the world. The One Ring TTRPG gives us three paragraphs about the inn:

On the eastern edge of Bree-land there is a ramshackle wooden hovel that is easily mistaken by the casual observer for a forgotten and abandoned cabin, rotting by the road. It is only the steady stream of unsavory characters trickling in and out of the crooked front door that reveals it to be an inn – if only in the most broad sense of the word. Aptly called The Forsaken Inn, this establishment attracts patrons fitting its appearance and name. Criminals, desperate wanderers, and those who are best avoided seek refuge here, drinking the worst kind of swill, and sleeping on flea-infested mattresses set out beneath the leaky roof of the common room. Those who complain of a draft in the evening are given a lice-ridden blanket and charged and extra silver penny for the privilege. Even the ill-favored Rangers of the North do not often go here. The proprietor, who refuses to give his name even to paying customers is then called simply ‘Jack the Forsaken’ by most, has no concerns about who enters his establishment, as long as they have silver to spend. Unfortunately those with coins to pay had best sit with their backs to the wall, lest a patron make quick use of a dagger and relieve them of their wealth. (pg. 191/192 of the One Ring TTRPG)

So…why would anyone go here? Why would they pay for “the worst kind of swill” or “lice-ridden blankets”? What criminals are seeking refuge in such a crappy and miserable place? Why would the Rangers not visit a place filled with dangerous people?? That’s their whole thing! They’re the vigilante heroes of the West! This place is devoid of interesting hooks or engaging characters. And it barely makes sense as a location that people in this world would visit.

By contrast, the Lord of the Rings Online video game fleshes this place out considerably:

In this adaptation, the role of the inn is greatly expanded. It is the Lone-lands settlement closest to Bree-land and lies in the shadow of Weathertop. A respite for travelers, the Inn has a milestone, mail service, and many merchants, in addition to a great number of people in need of travellers’ assistance. These include the Inn’s proprietor, Anlaf, and his staff as well as travellers, guests, and some of the Eglain, meaning the Forsaken, that have recently been displaced from Minas Eriol. (Tolkien Gateway Wiki)

What a cool twist on the meaning of “Forsaken”! A place for refugees and travelers. Lots of people who need help from the players, or folks looking for escorts to return to the dangerous wilds near Minas Eriol (which was a new location added to the world of Middle Earth).

Here’s another example: Carn Dûm. It has a rich history as the previous stronghold of the Witch King of Angmar. Tolkien mentions in Appendix B that orcs have begun making a secret stronghold in Carn Dûm, some of whom traveled into the Mines of Moria (eventually chasing the fellowship to the Balrog). But Carn Dûm itself is a blank slate, ripe for ghosts, balrogs, dark wizards, or orc chieftains building power. This is what we get in the One Ring TTRPG:

Once the seat of power of the Witch-king of the North, this icy tower is hidden in the endless labyrinth of passes and tunnels that snake through the Mountains of Angmar. Even though the Witch-king himself has yet to return home, rumors of rekindled forges, gathering armies, and fell sorcery occuring in the dungeons of the broken tower are heard as far as Bree itself. Whether these rumors have any substance to them or not remains to be seen, but the growing threat of the Enemy’s forces and their increased presence in Eriador hints at there being a terrible truth behind these dark whispers.

“remains to be seen”?!? Why did I buy a book of ideas and inspiration when the writers refuse to provide any? This made me so mad. “Ooohooo, who can say if something cool might be here?” YOU! You can say, and help me run an adventure for my friends. Ugh. What a wasted opportunity.

Flotsam and Jetsam Permalink

The bestiary is another disappointment. Here’s all the creatures included in the One Ring TTRPG creature chapter:

Evil Men, Orcs, Trolls, Undead, Wolves…and that’s it. Now you might think “maybe there are some cool troll variations: stone trolls, ice trolls, forest trolls, mithril trolls, dragon trolls, etc.” Alas. We have two kinds: Cave-Trolls that hunt deep under the earth. They hunch a little and walk on all fours. “Nobody knows if Cave-Trolls can endure sunlight” OH GOSH I GUESS I DON’T KNOW EITHER! And we have Stone-Trolls who are a bit smarter and turn to stone in sunlight. No other cool details or fun abilities or anything.

Same with Undead: We have Barrow-wights, Fell Wraiths, and Marsh Dwellers. Orcs, Wolves, and “Evil Men” are even more cliche and boring. Heck, they include Werewolves, but this is the bland description:

Chosen for its ferocity and malicious intelligence, a Hound of Sauron is a minion of the Dark Lord, a servant sent on a precise errand, be it the gathering of forces for a coming war, the hunt for a specific individual, or spying on an area. Hidden by the shape of an ordinary Warg, a Hound of Sauron conceals much greater powers.

These greater powers are not mentioned or detailed. We just get a statblock and things like “This creature deals piercing blows to armor.” No shapeshifting, or cool abilities, magic spells, or anything. Just a big wolf.

Of course the argument could be made that these are all the creatures that Tolkien himself detailed. We can’t just be adding new creatures to an existing and cohesive world!

Except Tolkien describes all KINDS of awesome monsters and beings in his stories:

• Massive intelligent spiders that have a web (heh) of informants and influence.
• Twisted creatures like Gollum with strange motivations and uncanny intelligence.
• Oliphaunts and Giant Eagles (and presumably other massive creatures).
• Sentient trees that trap you inside and absorb your nutrients.
• FLYING DINOSAURS.
• Massive tentacled THINGS that live in deep water.
• And so much more!

The Intro Adventure Permalink

Actually this review is long enough already. It’s a bad adventure.

Many Partings Permalink

I know I went into this book with high expectations, having just started my deep dive into Middle Earth. Tolkien is a hard act to follow, and I don’t envy the writers in their task. But I feel like it would have been a let-down even if it was my first roleplaying game and the first I’d ever heard of Middle Earth. I can only explain this blandness in one of three ways:

1. They’re saving all the cool stuff for the published adventures. Which could be true and would be very lame.
2. Everything magically works better at the table, but because I never played it I won’t really know.
3. A dedication to the source material that is borderline cowardly and fearful. Each page is filled with direct quotes, examples from the books, and lore from Tolkien’s writings. However the game refuses to expand any further. It is determined to help you tell stories just like LOTR, and no other kinds of stories.

The end result is shockingly dull and disappointing. Tolkien found a way to engage with classic tropes, fleshing them out with unexpected and beautifully written details. The book refuses to add any more details of its own, and hides behind an already well-crafted world.