The first expansion for the official Lord of the Rings RPG, The One Ring 2e, has been announced. Ruins of the Lost Realm, like the base game, is set in the large region of Eriador, but looks to flesh out new areas in the Lone-lands. Publisher Free League says it provides new narrative elements, Loremaster characters, and “twelve sites of interest, in the style provided by the core volume”. The One Ring 2e Kickstarter previously described this product (which was a stretch goal for the campaign) as a “geographical guide” to the region.
The book is split up into three chapters, the first ‘Fog Over Eriador’ focuses on setting: “a description of the regions that once were part of the kingdom of Arnor, with a focus on the city of Tharbad.” The second chapter, ‘A Gathering Storm’, concentrates on character, and plot, “aimed at building a possible future for the land of Eriador as a whole”. And the third, ‘Landmarks’, is about locations – both original sites, and those you’ll recognise from the books.
Free League’s description is a touch short on specific details we can pull out, but it does say the region covered in the book is that in which the One Ring resides, so presumably that means more of the Shire? (Chronologically The One Ring 2e takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.)
They say a picture paints a thousand words, though, and luckily we’ve got lots of lovely artwork with this announcement. We can see waterlogged ruins; adventurers hiding from what could be a barrow-wight; and some friendly, intelligent otters.
Free League Publishing says the Ruins of the Lost Realm expansion is coming this autumn. It started shipping to Kickstarter backers just yesterday, on September 12 – a bit behind schedule, as previous updates suggested an August shipping date.