Author: phillip

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Running The One Ring 2e for Two Players

I’ve been running a campaign of The One Ring for two players for over a year now. Questions about adjusting TOR for two players seem to come up surprisingly often, so I wanted to share my notes.

In short, I recommend giving 5 extra experience points, adjusting the fellowship pool amount, and playing as you normally would. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be!

Table of Contents:

  1. Character Creation
  2. Fellowship Pool
  3. Fellowship Focus
  4. Situational Difficulty
  5. Combat
  6. Benefits of Two Players
  7. References

Character Creation

I do not recommend reducing the attribute TNs (i.e., calculating from a base of 18 instead of 20). While it makes things initially easier, players can ramp up to a power level where it’s difficult to challenge them. Starting with base 18 makes this happen much sooner.

I do recommend adding 5 extra starting experience for each player.

Players need to be aware that in a two player game, not all combinations of cultures and characters will work. I recommend some extra hand holding here to make sure that there’s good coverage of the necessary journey/council/combat/healing skills.

We have not used the Strider distinctive feature in our game, and this hasn’t been a noticeable difficulty for the party. It is an option though.

You could start the characters at Valour and/or Wisdom 2.

Fellowship Pool

DanW uses (8 – player count).

“I sometimes calculate the base pool = 8 less number of heroes, rather than just number of heroes. It boosts small parties and debuffs larger ones, with no impact on a typical party of 4.”

We play 1.5 hr sessions, I gave them with an extra +1 to the baseline (i.e., 3 points per session before cultural and patron bonuses). The end result is effectively the same as DanW’s.

Fellowship Focus

With just two players, we don’t play with fellowship focus. No shadow point when the other takes a wound, only +1d when assisting.

Situational Difficulty

My personal approach was to start with mimimal adjustments, tell the players that we might have to adjust things along the way if we find there’s a balance problem, and then just dive into the game.

I think the big pitfall to avoid in a two player game is making things too easy out of worry about difficulty. I observe my own tendency to pull punches and give extra rewards when playing with two players. And this does help in the beginning, but it’s also easy enough to get yourself into a spot where it’s hard to challenge the players.

I recommend remembering you have the option to offer Success with Woe instead of a Failure in many circumstances. This can allow the players to push the narrative forward instead of getting stuck, while having fun, awful setbacks accompanying it.

Combat

Fights are definitely a place where I worry – I don’t want to make every fight easy, but I also don’t want to wipe the party unexpectedly. In the first combat roll of our campaign, one of my players took nasty wound and I thought it was going to be a TPK. But since then, they have gone better than expected.

It’s fine for parties to struggle with combat. My players have gotten wise about recruiting help, using situations to their advantage, and finding alternatives to combat.

Moria warbands are a good way to model help from multiple NPCs.

I recommend giving one of the players the Cleaving quality on a piece of treasure – this helps keep the momentum up in fights.

I’m open to Skirmish stance from Strider mode, they haven’t reached for it yet. But it’s something to consider.

Benefits of Two Players

We focus so much on the adjustments needed for smaller parties, I just want to talk about some of the benefits I see from my small group:

  • Scheduling is so easy – we played 44/52 weeks in 2025!
  • Each player gets plenty of spotlight time, and they also get plenty of breaks
  • Splitting the party is easy to manage – switch back and forth between players.
  • Decisions get made quickly

References

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Crime and Punishment in Eriador

Something that has come up in several different games of The One Ring has been the topic of taking someone prisoner and delivering them to justice in some settlement or other. This comes up especially often in relation to a certain published adventure with a despicable dwarf, but has also happened in other situations as well. I wanted to capture my thoughts on this matter, and how I approach this type of situation in my games.

I understand the drive to do this. We are roleplaying Tolkienian heroes, oriented to the good, and non-Orc enemies should be captured and tried by those with more authority. The problem is that the sense of justice and judgment that holds in our world doesn’t really hold in Eriador. We have a “justice system,” and we put punishment and locking people up out-of-sight and into the hands of “qualified people.”

But the towns and villages that remain in Eriador are small, disparate remnants of an emptied, collapsed kingdom. There is no central authority. Each settlement makes their own law. Nobody wants to take prisoners off of your hands. Nobody wants to lock up prisoners for long periods of time, continuing to feed and care for them in the meantime. People certainly would not appreciate you to bringing problems INTO their homes!

In fact, what we think of as “jails” or “prisons” are (mostly) non-existent!

  • Different villages might have a lock-hole to keep a drunk overnight or to briefly hold a criminal awaiting trial. This would be the most that you might find, and even this might be something that doesn’t exist!
  • Bree would likely have the above, or even a small jail of sorts. But a 1e adventure notes they would have to construct a gallows for an execution, they don’t have one ready.
  • The Shire is not a place I would take prisoners for justice…
  • Perhaps the Halls of the Dwarves are similar to Bree here.
  • Tharbad is probably the one place with a proper prison, but conditions are grim and justice is wanting in that place. Also, why would the Master want to take in an external prisoner, unless he was someone who escaped from the city that will be publicly executed as a warning to others?
  • Why would the elves appreciate you bringing a bandit to their borders to deal with?

If you bring a prisoner to one of these places, the first question that should arise is what do these people care about the alleged crimes?

  • If you take a dwarf to the Halls of the Dwarves (where they were already exiled from!) for troubles in another land, what do you expect these people to do about it? It didn’t happen in their land, you were the one who brought him back.
  • Perhaps you’ve taken a problematic dwarf to Bree for the Reeve to dispense justice. But the relevant crimes in Bree, at best, might be a failure to pay for goods and services. You probably had something bigger in mind for punishment!

In many cases, the people are likely to not be interested, and if they can be persuaded to care, they’re going to offer lesser punishments than what the players are expecting, including the prisoner’s likely freedom.

Because the nature of punishment is not quite the same as what the players are expecting. If you’re not keeping prisoners long-term, you are left with a small set of outcomes. These outcomes are not oriented around an ideal of “justice” as much as maintaining social stability and limiting the possibilities of vendettas and revenge cycles. Execution is extremely unlikely as an outcome, though if crimes were heinous enough it might happen. That means you’re left with:

  • Financial settlement (e.g., paying a fine, weregild for a death)
  • Another form of restitution, like a period of indentured servitude or manning a necessary-but-unenjoyable position for a time
  • Exile or outlawry (declaring them outside the protections of society, free to be hunted down and killed)

This judgment is likely to be decided by a local leader, a council of leaders, possibly involving a neutral arbiter to set the terms of settlement among the parties.

So, for the most part, nobody’s going to help you take prisoners off your hands and serve them justice (unless you’ve been asked to do just that). If they do, it’s not going to be the “justice” you’re wishing for. They’re likely to be banished at best, and that means their freedom to do the same elsewhere.

What options are left?

  • Make the prisoner swear an oath before releasing them (which should be taken very seriously, very Tolkien-esque)
  • Try to scare someone straight
  • Hope that the hard life in the wilds will care of killing them eventually
  • Eat the misdeed shadow and dispense your own justice

A tough set of choices for the heroic players who wish “justice” to be served in a more “civilized” manner!

References

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The One Ring 2e: Going to Rivendell with Bilbo

I started thinking about this after discussing a matter with other The One Ring loremasters: would Bilbo be able to find his way to Rivendell, or should they all still have to search?

First, there’s the question of what’s Bilbo’s actual familiarity with Rivendell? Because that can strongly impact the question. If he hasn’t been back since, he can’t offer any help!

Table of Contents:

  1. What’s Bilbo’s Familiarity with Rivendell?
  2. Opinons From Other Loremasters
  3. What I Did
  4. References

What’s Bilbo’s Familiarity with Rivendell?

For myself, it seems apparent that Bilbo has to have visited Rivendell more than the several instances we learn about in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We know that Bilbo remains odd and disappears from the Shire occasionally. But the biggest evidence to me is that he becomes quite proficient in Sindarin and has translated several Elvish poems and songs into the common tongue (or the Hobbit tongue), as we see in the final accounting of his writings at the end of Lord of the Rings.

Together with extracts from Books of Lore translated by Bilbo in Rivendell.

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord Of The Rings: One Volume (p. 1027). (Function). Kindle Edition.

To me, that seems hard to do this well with simply a short number of years spent in Rivendell at the end of his life – a period where the Ring’s preservation powers were no longer affecting him and he became increasingly tired. Is that the most likely time to pick up a new language, rather than continue to translate a language he’s learned well enough in years before? I, personally, do not think that he did most of this learning after giving up the Ring, when old age started setting in on him in earnest. Though it is not out of the question.

It is also noted that he taught younger hobbits songs and stories, and that happened years before he left the Shire for Rivendell.

‘He did not make it up,’ said Strider. ‘It is part of the lay that is called The Fall of Gil-galad, which is in an ancient tongue. Bilbo must have translated it. I never knew that.’

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord Of The Rings: One Volume (p. 186). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Another exchange shows that Frodo has been taught at least enough Elvish to have Bilbo be surprised at Frodo’s ignorance.

Suddenly Bilbo looked up. ‘Ah, there you are at last, Dúnadan!’ he cried.

‘Strider!’ said Frodo. ‘You seem to have a lot of names.’

‘Well, Strider is one that I haven’t heard before, anyway,’ said Bilbo. ‘What do you call him that for?’

‘They call me that in Bree,’ said Strider laughing, ‘and that is how I was introduced to him.’

‘And why do you call him Dúnadan?’ asked Frodo.

‘The Dúnadan,’ said Bilbo. ‘He is often called that here. But I thought you knew enough Elvish at least to know dún-adan: Man of the West, Númenórean. But this is not the time for lessons!’ He turned to Strider. ‘Where have you been, my friend? Why weren’t you at the feast? The Lady Arwen was there.’

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord Of The Rings: One Volume (pp. 232-233). (Function). Kindle Edition.

This passage demonstrates that Bilbo obviously has a relationship with Aragon. That relationship seems connected to Rivendell based on his ignorance of Strider’s Bree-name. We certainly know that Bilbo is the one who composed the All that is Gold lines that are associated with Aragorn.

There’s a strong possibility that this relationship developed in the end of his life. Bilbo settles in Rivendell in 3001, and Aragorn and Gandalf leave to hunt for Gollum in 3008, which does leave enough time for a friendship to develop in that period.

But it is also possible that Bilbo and Aragorn have a much longer relationship. Aragorn would presumably have been present in Rivendell during the stopover on the way to the Lonely Mountain. However, he would have been 10 and called Estel, with no knowledge of his heritage (which is revealed to Aragorn in 2951). There is also the potential that Bilbo visits Rivendell again sometime (or more than once) between 2951-2956, before Aragorn begins his errantry.

Another factor to consider is the change in disposition of the elves, as reflected on in the post Notes on ‘The Coming of Bilbo to Rivendell’ from The Blog of Mazarbul. In The Hobbit, the elves are mostly bemused at Bilbo, but he is a respected figure by The Lord of the Rings, and perhaps even a figure of curiosity. To me, this transformation in opinion speaks to more encounters than those described in The Hobbit.

While not cannon, in TOR 1e, the adventure “Concerning Archers” places Bilbo in Rivendell, too. That’s canon in my game, at least, and colors my thoughts.

Opinons From Other Loremasters

All of this musing is set to anchor a question of game mechanics:

My players have decided to travel to Rivendell for the first time with Bilbo. Bilbo’s visit was planned in advance. Would you still have them search for the entrance? Seems like they should have no trouble with Bilbo, but any return visit would require the searching.

Some opinions that I appreciated from the TOR discord:

  • FreesiaJasmine: “I would say canon says Bilbo knows the way for sure. Whether it’s simply a matter of him telling them the way so they can come back or not, though… I play it that the valley has guards so even if you find the way in, if you’ve not been given permission, you still ain’t getting in (except in pincushion form), but I also generally make sure my heroes have permission – or at least some of them do and are made responsible for the behavior of the others!”
  • DanW: “Even Gandalf struggled to find the white stones, so I would have them roll.”
  • robert20210126: “I’d assume that Vilya (Elrond’s one of the Three) plays a part.”
  • DanW: “I don’t think that finding Rivendell should play out as a genuine peril (unless they’re being chased by a giant ward or something), rather a few rolls to signal that it’s hidden and special. Get the players’ anticipation level up.”
  • DanW: “I might have Bilbo inconveniently disappear on the way. Thinking about it, he could literally disappear.”
  • RedneckRPGer: “How about have Bilbo get them in the general location, and then one of the Imladris Scouts/Guards recognise Bilbo and then escort the group to the Hidden Valley?”

And a counter-opinion:

I don’t recall any extravagant amount of time he spent trying to learn the path, though. Not even sure why he’d want to put in that kind of work. Even less likely a goal the more he aged.

I see Bilbo more as cheerily blundering along the woods, confident that sooner or later one of the elves will find him and escort directly to a banquet table.

What I Did

In my game world, Bilbo has certainly been back to Rivendell several times and has an ongoing relationship with the Elves.

This does not eliminate the need to find the stones, though Bilbo would have an easier time of it.

However, I had Bilbo disappear at an inopportune moment, causing the party to search for him and the path. Narratively, I described this as a situational problem: BILBO was invited to Rivendell, but he had extended this invitation to his friends as well, only remembering as he closed in on the valley that his two guests had not actually been invited by the elves… something he needed to sort out with the Rivendell wardens.

The players still executed the search, and they eventually found by Bilbo and the wardens, who then led them into the valley proper.

References

  • Phillip’s Notes on The One Ring 2e – for more Loremaster notes and resources
  • Aragorn/Bilbo Relationship Timeline | Mythgard Forums

    The earliest moment when Bilbo could have met Aragorn was in The Hobbit when 10-year-old Aragorn was living there with his mother. But Aragorn did not then know his true identity: he was Estel, and I don’t think anyone in Rivendell would have told the truth about the boy to a hobbit passing through.

    Aragorn learns his true identity at age 20, in 2951, which is two years after Balin and Gandalf visited Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit. So even if Bilbo had visited Rivendell during those 10 years he is still unlikely to have learned who Estel is.

    Aragorn meets Gandalf when he’s 25 (2956) and from age 26-49 he’s wandering Middle-earth, serving in Rohan and Gondor.

    Frodo is born in 2968; his parents die in 2980 (same year Aragorn meets Arwen again in Lorien!). If we assume that Bilbo adopts Frodo in 2980/81, it is unlikely that he would have left Frodo for long trips to Rivendell after the adoption.

    The Farewell Feast is 3001; that same year Gandalf ‘opens his heart’ to Aragorn and the Ranger guard on the Shire is doubled.

    Bilbo settles in Rivendell in 3002.

    Gilraen, Aragorn’s mother, dies in 3007. From 3008-3017 Aragorn and Gandalf seriously search for Gollum.

    So when did Aragorn tell Bilbo his story? The first option is that Bilbo visited Rivendell sometime between 2951-2956, before young Aragorn goes on his great wanderings. Aragorn, being new to his true identity, might have told Bilbo his story. But his identity was secret for a reason, and would he have revealed that secret to a visitor, even a respected one?

    The second option is that Bilbo didn’t hear Aragorn’s story until he settled in Rivendell. This is after Gandalf ‘opened his heart’ to Aragorn, who would then have had good reason to establish a relationship with Bilbo. This leaves only 6 years of regular contact (before Aragorn takes up the hunt for Gollum), but that’s long enough for mortals to become friends.

    My head-canon, thean, is that Bilbo composed the All That is Gold poem after Gilraen died in 3007, to comfort his friend and let him know that he, Bilbo, believed that Aragorn would fulfill his destiny and bring Estel back to the world.

  • Notes on ‘The Coming of Bilbo to Rivendell’ – The Blog of Mazarbul

    Further, I quickly decided that if I was going to attempt something fairly unique, it would be best to consider Bilbo from an outsider’s perspective…and not just any outsider, but the Elves of Rivendell. It may seem a strange choice, for upon Bilbo’s first coming to Rivendell, the Elves seem to think of him (not unjustly) as a fairly banal figure; amusing and good-hearted, but of little consequence.

    Yet it struck me that this perspective must have been altered by the time Bilbo returns to Rivendell to dwell there, following his 111st birthday. Not only is Bilbo a character altered by his experience, he is (I would contend) altered to the point of being amazing…even to the Eldest. For now, he is girt with a blade out of their own ancient history, bedecked in mail surpassing that of many of their captains and lords, with tales of dragons and eagles and gollums. Bilbo is not just strange, he is wondrous, even to an Elvish perspective.

    And he is ungreyed by age. Half a century and more has passed – a small span of time to an Elf, but not so small as to be wholly unremarkable. The Elves are not unfamiliar with mortals, they know how swiftly they wither and perish…yet Bilbo does not, Bilbo has not.

    And, of course, there is the matter of his magic ring. Of course, none truly guessed that it was the One at this time (and how much greater would their wonder have been upon realising what he had truly borne!), but for a mortal to have stumbled across, worn, and willingly given up even a lesser ring, one of the essays in the craft…even that is extraordinary. Even that is a feat.

    So not only is Bilbo exceedingly strange, he must be strange to the fairies themselves. It’s a rare thing, I think, for an Elf to truly experience that Faerie wonder…yet I am sure that Bilbo must have inspired it in them. He is extraordinary, quite simply, even to Faerie creatures. And I felt like trying to explore at that and pick at it was a worthwhile attempt.

  • How did Bilbo learn 🧝elvish? | 🧙The Tolkien Forum🧝

    It seems that he had some knowledge of Elves before LOTR or The Hobbit but had probably not met them personally before his journey unlike Frodo. The Baggins family never did anything unexpected and you probably knew what they would say to a question so usually you didnt bother asking them. Frodo did however most likely taught by Bilbo who became friends with the Elves after the Hobbit.

it was only due to freequent visits to Rivendell that he grew learned in the lore of the elve tongue…

He often visited elves, so one would presume he picked it up, as one would pick up Spanish, if one took a holiday in Spain annually, for instance.

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I prefer group work to one-on-one talk therapy

I have had many people describe how much they’ve gotten out of their one-on-one talk therapy sessions and encourage me to go to talk therapy. I have read many complaints (often from women) about how they can get their partners to go to couples counseling, but there’s a wall when it comes to one-on-one talk therapy, and they feel stuck.

So, I just want to flat out say it: I have been to one-on-one talk therapy, I don’t find much help in it. That’s ok for me, I hope it can be ok for you, too. There are other healing modalities to explore!

One-on-one therapy can certainly work well when you have found someone you have a good rapport with. I have tried several therapists, and I did not feel a rapport or really feel like their feedback spoke to me and my challenges at all. So, finding a therapist becomes a monumental task – searching for providers, figuring out insurance, scheduling initial consultations, repeating the same parts of the story over and over again, and perhaps even finding that it wasn’t much help in the end. Maybe your therapist has done a lot of work with their own suffering, maybe they haven’t. Maybe they specialize in your type of struggle, maybe they don’t. Maybe they can speak to you in ways that are impactful, and maybe they just annoy you. There is so much friction. I am very understanding of everyone who resists it, as much as I understand it has helped many people. It is not a universal solution, but one that relies on luck.

I went to therapy after my father tried to commit suicide. I didn’t feel like I got much understanding or tooling out of the process. Several people thought I should try to “get over it” in various ways, and there were many encouragements that I should focus on my studies and my work. Overall, that was a pretty big let down to me in a really difficult time in my life. Repeating the friction-involved process over the years has not encouraged me further.

But I don’t think that means we have an excuse to avoid help. Because there are alternatives – like group work. I have participated in several support and sharing groups. I’ve also offered peer-led support groups. It’s a format I love and have gained so much from, even though it gets much less attention than one-on-one talk therapy (at least in conversations I have).

In group work, I don’t have to find the right person to talk to or develop a rapport with anyone. I am exposed to others, some who I will resonate with and some who I don’t. The group isn’t there to offer advice, but rather to share their own experiences and to listen to others. And there is a great power in that. I find a lot of acceptance, simply by being listened to by others without interruption. I find that I’m not alone, that the struggle I thought was so lonely is shared by others. I am often surprised at how an individual I thought was so put together has many struggles on the inside. I gain insight into my own struggles and patterns by listening to the struggles of others. I can see what it looks like to be further ahead on the path of healing and transformation – and that it is still a path that has its ups and downs. I can appreciate how far I have come, and cultivate compassion for those who are just starting.

In group work, we practice showing up. We practice sitting and listening, without judgment or attempts to fix. We practice speaking about our own experiences only, not speaking for groups or for other people. We practice sharing honestly of our own experience, encouraged by the vulnerability of others. This is all valuable medicine, and I think medicine that is best administered in a group. Sure, you get less time to ventilate your problems than in an hour of talk therapy, but you gain so much more in terms of perspective and acceptance and a shared struggle.

And that’s the right format for me.

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Mindfulness in a Rush

Someone asked a wonderful question in a closed community, and it turned out to generate a lot of reflection and thought on my own practice. I wanted to capture that and share my answer more openly.

Question
How does one practice mindfulness in everyday life when, inevitably, we must perform tasks quickly? Examples include getting ready to leave the house quickly because you are running late, a recipe that requires a quick succession of focused steps, or simply playing a game that’s like a race. How do we stay with a mindfulness practice when we are hurried?

Speaking as an engineering consultant, a farmer, and a father: I acknowledge that there are so many tasks that must be done with some degree of speed or urgency. We operate on deadlines. We have limited windows in which to accomplish things.

Mindfulness, to me, involves recognizing the appropriate response to the nature of the moment and acting accordingly. “This is a moment that requires urgency.” So I must operate with a sense of speed. But it does not have to be hurried. I can still operate mindfully, with full presence and awareness, while working quickly. I can participate without getting overwhelmed or getting lost in feelings of anxiety and worry.

I often think about a story I heard told by one Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastics – I don’t have a source, unfortunately, but a vague feeling it may have been Br. Phap Huu in an episode of “The Way Out is In” podcast. When traveling, Thay liked to practice mindful walking through the airport. They had done this and arrived at their gate, where they waited to board the flight. Just before time to board, an announcement came on, and their gate had moved to another across the airport. The monastic telling the story recalls that they looked at each other with concern – how would they make it to the gate in time given the slow pace of walking? Thay looked at them and said, “Run!”

In these moments, I can apply mindfulness to the body from time to time. Even in the most urgent of paces, I can afford to pause, to take a break, even if only for 10 seconds, even if only for one breath. I can notice if I have let emotions take control. I can notice if I need a break. I can pause, reconnect, and engage with the wonders around me. This is necessary to avoid getting caught up in the energy of rushing.

I also practice by identifying transition moments: when I am not required to move with speed any longer. Because it is so easy to let that energy carry over into moments that do not require any haste, or to channel it into an interaction with another person.

In my own life, a consistent moment of practice here is the transition from “cooking and plating dinner” to “enjoying dinner.” Often, cooking dinner is a focused, fast-paced event: I’m often making 2-3 dishes, cleaning up after myself as I work, prepping the table, plating food. I like to finish eating dinner with most of the cleanup already done so I get to play time right away. I like to serve and eat hot food. It’s focused, it’s fast, I enjoy it. But it’s easy to let that feeling carry on into dinner. The transition from “chef mode” to “dinner mode” occurs in the moment between when my plate touches the table and I sit down. If I am swept up by a feeling of rushing, it’s easy to scarf down the food before I realize what’s happened, then feeling the horror of realizing I didn’t even taste the food I worked so hard for! Instead, I know that is a moment of mindful practice: to recognize the change of pace, to return to the body with a few breaths. And that’s often enough to shift everything. If I feel the energy has not dissipated, I quietly recite the contemplations or an expression of gratitude, and mindfully eat the first bite.

The practice of mindfulness may also result in recognizing the moments where there is a tendency to rush. Once there is awareness, there is an opportunity to change the conditions and allow ourselves to move slower. Perhaps there’s recognition that some things need to be let go to make more space.

It is also useful to apply mindfulness to the impulse to rush itself. Do we actually need to rush? Are there real benefits in this moment? If I get swept up in a rush to leave the house quickly because I’m late, how much time am I actually saving compared to a normal, or even relaxed-yet-focused, pace? I might find the difference is only a few minutes. But if I get into an accident because the energy of rushing and the anxiety over being late carried into the drive, I have only become more late. If I recovered a few minutes of lateness, but arrived overwhelmed and hurried and anxious, is that a good trade? Or have we only made the situation more challenging?

“Hello, my impulse to rush, to move quickly. Hello, my pressure to get something done by an arbitrary deadline. I know that you are in there. I see you. But I ask, where did you come from? Are you sure we need to rush? Or are you simply the habit energy of my grandmother, raising eight children, trying to get everything done and keep everything in perfect order?”

It helps to look into this and know. Sometimes, I see that I’m simply rushing out of habit or childhood training. Often, I can calm my body with the recognition that this is not an emergency. I do not need to move as quickly or urgently as my body feels the need to.

I find the practice of having periodic or random bells sounding throughout the day, used as a prompt to stop and return to the body, is very helpful for transforming this energy. This practice has revealed many times when I have become swept up by an energy or feeling and not been aware of it. I might even feel the impulse not to stop, to avoid it, because I have to keep going. The bell offers an opportunity recognize and reset.

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Acknowledging My Father’s Efforts

I’ve been in a space of reflection and atonement and forgiveness since Yom Kippur. And over the weekend I had a chance to engage in conversations and reflection related to the wounding and lack of skills that so many men walk around with.

I was so tough on my father during his life. I wanted more connection, more presence, more vulnerability, more ownership. He couldn’t offer me what I wanted so desperately. Hell, the only strong memory I have of him asking how I was feeling, I was 30! 

But now, as I am working on my healing and trying to do better for my kids, as I am looking around at others doing the same, I see just how much effort he put in and did not get the credit for. Or, at least, not from me.

My father never even knew his own father. That man walked out on his family. His mother worked several jobs to keep him afloat. He had to take care of himself from a young age. He did not have a parent to make him dinner every night. When his friends had to go home for dinner, he had to go to a lonely apartment and fend for himself. He did not have a role model of how to be a parent. He did not have enough love. He did not have people to connect with in his pain – his friends thought it was cool that he had so much freedom, and even they didn’t recognize until recent years what that freedom really meant. These are not things that he shared with me, but that I learned or rediscovered after his death.

My father has many faults. But he really tried to do something different for his kids, to give them what he did not have. He did it imperfectly. He created a lot of pain. But he also gave us love and great memories and so many valuable skills and a comfortable life.

Thank you, dad. I would like to acknowledge now all the effort you put in to make things better for your children. I would like to acknowledge that you were criticized for your shortcomings and incapacities by me and by many others. I see now that you were doing your absolute best, and nobody acknowledged that for you.

I wish my father was still alive so that I could offer him that. Alas, I can only offer it to the part of my father that lives on in me.

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Useful Item Ideas for The One Ring RPG

Characters in The One Ring RPG can carry useful items (with the number based on the character’s Standard of Living). In my experience, it can be difficult to come up with ideas for useful items, so I’ve collected ideas from various documents, Discord conversations, and games I’ve played.

Table of Contents:

  1. Useful Item Guidelines
  2. Useful Items by Skill
  3. Other Ideas
  4. References

Useful Item Guidelines

Here’s what the CRB says about useful items:

Each Useful Item is associated with a single Skill, and gives one bonus die for most instances of rolling on that Skill, but only for you. Be creative: an item for LORE can be a book (yawn) but it can also be a supply of coffee (nothing gets your mind sharp and your memory clear like coffee) or a particular pen you used when reading in the library which helps you remember the things you studied back then. For consumables, assume you always have an adequate supply.

Some items might be useful in other situations; for instance, a hammer that helps you with CRAFT might also be helpful when you just need to break something. The more likely an item is to be useful in situations other than rolling on a Skill, the stricter the loremaster will be when evaluating whether it is applicable to a Skill roll.

Note that you do not need to make sure every item you could ever need while traveling is accounted here. If you do not list a torch, you can still assume you have a torch, along with a bedroll, a cookpot, some rations, and other basic travel gear. It just won’t be a torch that gives a bonus die.

Guidance from the TOR discord suggests that:

Useful Item ought to be useful only on some subjects, or in some circumstances. The LM should not accept one that is likely to be useful on nearly every roll of that skill.

Useful Items by Skill

  1. Athletics
  2. Awareness
  3. Awe
  4. Battle
  5. Courtesy
  6. Craft
  7. Enhearten
  8. Explore
  9. Healing
  10. Hunting
  11. Insight
  12. Lore
  13. Persuasion
  14. Riddle
  15. Scan
  16. Song
  17. Stealth
  18. Travel

Athletics

  • A coil of rope [with grappling hook]
  • Set of climbing pitons
  • Gloves of supple leather to facilitate climbing
  • A spear or walking stick that can be used as a vaulting pole
  • Footware:
    • Snowshoes
    • Lightweight running shoes
    • Boots with a spring-heel
    • Well made boots

Awareness

  • An ear trumpet (to enhance your listening)
  • Glasses
  • A hat with a brim to screen the glare of the sun
  • Spyglass or telescope
  • Polished metal mirror
  • Clear crystal or lens
  • Wind chimes or small bells
  • Trained bird companion
  • Weather glass or barometer
  • Compass with detailed markings
  • Pocket sundial
  • Consumables
    • A type of tea with a mild stimulant to assist a night watch
    • Elven waybread
    • stimulating herbs

Awe

  • A suit of expensive clothing
  • Earrings of pearl
  • An impressive gold chain
  • A remarking torque
  • A striking ring
  • A fine cloak and hood
  • Elaborate hair combs
  • Exquisite diadem
  • A tattoo of something powerful (animal, symbol)
  • A necklace of claws/teeth
  • War paint
  • Prominent piercing
  • A bottle of good wine
  • Exquisite umbrella
  • Artful makeup
  • Delicate perfume
  • Impressive scar

Battle

  • Colour coded feathers on arrows (to choose right weight for the distance being shot)
  • Small feather attached to the tip of the bow to indicate wind direction
  • Figurines for setting up battle plans
  • Flint (to start a fire)
  • A finely crafted set of Dwarf made figures for setting up battle plans
  • A gold and silver chess set from the exotic south
  • A detailed map of a specific area and its surrounding terrain, useful for planning ambushes and tactics

Courtesy

  • A suit of expensive clothing
  • Earrings of pearl
  • Various small gifts to present
  • Striking ring
  • Fancy waistcoat
  • An [exquisite] umbrella
  • Small gifts to be shared (toys, pipe tobacco, wine, other consumable items)

Craft

  • A set of tools to carve stone / engraving tools
  • Fine wood-crafting tools
  • [Trusty] [work] hammer
  • Pickaxe
  • Drills
  • Magnifying lens
  • Measuring tool
  • Tool sharpener
  • Tongs

Enhearten

  • A liquor to infuse strength
  • A war horn
  • A fine crafted circlet
  • An engraving of meaning
  • A banner
  • A set of rattling bells tied to a spear to be shaken
  • A smooth stone to calm your thoughts
  • A carving to hold aloft as a totem for the group, celebrating a previous positive event or Patron

Explore

  • A wind-proof lantern
  • A detailed set of maps
  • Wayfarer bundle
  • Set of chalk in several colours to mark the way
  • Trusty tinderbox

Healing

  • A balm to soothe pain
  • A salve to dress wounds
  • Dried herbs to alleviate aches
  • Trusty pestle and mortar to make remedies
  • Strips of cloth that can be used as ties, or as bandages
  • A foul smelling unguent
  • Plant extract to induce vomiting (treats food poisoning)

Hunting

  • A knife for skinning rabbits
  • Hunting knife
  • A little box of salt to cook
  • Set of fine snares
  • Hunting dog or bird
  • Fishing gear
  • A bird call whistle
  • Bolas for use in a chase
  • A quiver
  • A lucky quiver

Insight

  • Pipeweed to use for gathering thoughts while observing someone
  • A fine pipe to find comfort
  • A deck of gaming cards or dice that permits close observation when playing with people
  • A bottle of fine beverage (to either use yourself or offer a glass to someone)
  • A journal for reflection

Lore

  • A rare book
  • An ink and quill set
  • An heirloom to help recall your studies
  • A worry stone to help recall your studies

Persuasion

  • Various small gifts to present
  • Pipeweed to share
  • A book with thoughtful insights on persuasion
  • A bottle of good wine to share
  • Delicate perfume

Riddle

  • A good pipe to help you think
  • A smooth stone to calm your thoughts
  • A pack of playing cards or dice to distract
  • A book of riddles
  • A trained animal (probably a dog, but a hawk might do, or even a ferret!) that will perform a diversion with a coded sound or signal

Scan

  • A wind-proof lantern
  • Pocket eyeglass
  • Magnifying glass
  • Sniffing salts to enhance focus for the task at hand
  • A trained animal to help locate certain smells

Song

  • An [exotic] instrument that you can carry (violin, lute, flute, harp, drum, viol, lyre)
  • A book of poems/songs

Stealth

  • Camouflage paint/makeup
  • A dependable cloak
  • Something you can throw to make distractions
  • Pinpoint lantern
  • Lockpicking tools
  • Noise reduction
    • A backpack with no metal exterior loops or buckles, and interior pockets that cushion the things inside
    • A scarf to cover mouth to reduce breathing noise and breath when cold outside
    • A strip of cloth that could tie arrows together in your quiver and stop them from rattling
    • Specially-designed chainmail that doesn’t rattle
    • Leather wrappings over/around metal bits
  • Shoes
    • Slippers (cushions the sound when sneaking)
    • Pair of soft soled shoes
    • Nimble boots
  • Consumables
    • Herbal mixture that heightens reflexes
    • A scent that drowns out your normal aroma

Travel

  • A sunstone to navigate in bad weather
  • Travel biscuits/dried meat
  • A walking stick
  • Camping gear
  • Sentimental handkerchief
  • A small tin of wax oil to waterproof boots or other leather kit
  • A bottle of tangy pickles as a pick me up
  • A hat with a brim to screen the glare of the sun
  • Tinderbox to light fires
  • Flint and steel
  • A detailed set of maps
  • Well prepared camping gear

Other Ideas

  • When stumped for coming up with items, consider consumables that can generate an effect.
  • Model animal companions as Useful Items – a hunting dog that’s +1d to Hunting
    • If you have multiple slots, the companion might provide a boon to multiple skills, e.g., +1d to Hunting and Awareness
  • DanW notes, and I think this has some merit to reflect on:

    I’m considering banning maps as a useful item. Apart from Thorin’s map (which has a very specific purpose), nobody ever carries a map in the books.

References

Posted on

Treating Handwriting as a Form of Practice

For most of my life, I have carried an identity of “having bad handwriting.” This is somewhat ironic, as I write by hand on a daily basis and fill multiple notebooks in a month. Having stayed in practice with so much writing, one would think that I would maintain a modicum of legibility. Yet even I struggle to read my own writing.

I was reflecting on why I stick to this identity. Why, exactly, do I need to write so small, so cramped, so quickly? What, exactly, is the value of saving space by cramming in my writing? Why does it have to be done in such a hurry?

Ultimately, I realized that at the root of “I have bad handwriting” is simply yet another form of “rushing.” My handwriting is poor because I “have to” write quickly, to get it all down before it’s too late.

But this is not necessary. It is not founded on any real concern of “losing something” if I slow down. It is simply conditioning.

Writing by hand can be another form of meditation. One can flow, engage fully in the physical act of writing, sit with and marinate in the words being written. My writing could be made beautiful and efficient. Ultimately, all of that would be much better than the cramped rush I have been committed to all these years.

There is no rush. I can just enjoy the act of writing. I can treat it, too, as another way to express art, to be fully present.

I shed this identity of having bad handwriting, and my need to be in such a rush while writing.

Posted on

Reentry is Always Challenging

No matter how many times you go through it, how ready you think you are, how much slack you’re prepared to give yourself: reentry is always challenging.

Reentry is painful, rocky, heated. The symptoms might vary –

  • You just can’t get yourself to focus on the work like you used to
  • Your mind is pulled to other projects, games, fun times
  • You feel overwhelmed at being so far behind
  • You lash out at those around you due to the frustration

You can’t avoid it. At best, you can minimize the impact. But really, the goal is simply to bear it compassionately while you build up momentum as quickly as you can.

Once you’ve picked up the flow, you’ll be good to go.

References

  • Walker Percy’s Problems of Reentry by Austin Kleon

    Percy points out that “the most spectacular problems of reentry seem to be experienced by artists and writers.” Percy then lists a bunch of reentry options, such as anesthesia (drugs), travel, sex, suicide, etc.

    One of the reasons I’m such a huge fan of a daily routine and the Groundhog Day approach to working is that it attempts to minimize these exact problems of re-entry that Percy outlines. By scheduling little doses of daily transcendence in which you work on your art, you can pop in and out of your everyday life without becoming a horrible parent or drug addict or total maniac. (Many argue that that’s just the price of Great Art, but I’ve never never bought it.)

Posted on

Don’t Check Email on Your Phone

There are a number of problems with having email on your phone. Here are some that I’ve experienced directly:

  • It’s like a slot machine to you brain (intermittent reward), so you will develop the habit of checking it frequently
  • Checking email on your phone when you’re not in a work mindset is disruptive. You risk pulling yourself out of what you’re currently engaged in. You might become distracted, feel compelled to go back to work, become upset in response to what you read, or otherwise disrupt your mood.
  • When you check email before you complete your most important work, you’re extremely likely to have your day hijacked by something in your inbox. It’s better to do your most important work, then deal with the outside world.

Don’t put email on your phone. Keep it on your computer. This way, you can actually isolate yourself from your phone. You can actually be free of work when you’re away from your computer – a proper break.

References

  • Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and DHH

    Having created conditions that necessitate getting off your comfy couch to check work email, your laziness will win most nights, leaving you to recharge your mental batteries until the morning.