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Journey to Fornost post-script- re-cap, analysis, and Tolkien references
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Ushgarak
Paladin

Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Co-Admin

Journey to Fornost post-script- re-cap, analysis, and Tolkien references

Well, that is the first game done, all in about half a year, which works out just fine.

The storyline for this first game was very simple, designed, as it was, to be an introduction to the world and for people to see if they liked the style. All the players needed was a reason to go to Fornost, and then anyone needing to get to Fornost shouls travel together. The reasons for going to Fornost boiled down to one of two things- asking for their help as the Witch-King's shadow spreads, or trying to establish diplomatic relations (Talin and William's trading thing counting as that).

On the way the players spend the night at a camp of refugees from Cardolan which, mainly defenceless, is being torn apart by rampaging mobs of orcs and Dunelendings, but such mobs leave even basic fortifications alone. Yet that night the camp is attackewd by a determined force of Orcs, and several people in the camp slain before they are beaten off. It turns out they attacked in order to give cover for a Dunlending spy to escape the camp- the spy having just murdered a Gondorian courier he was tracking, and wanting to bring the man's dispatch to his masters. The players chase the assassin into Rhudaur, where they confront him at a crumbling tower and slay him in a fight. The message he had intercepted was one telling of a mithril shipment that Gondor plans to send to Arthedain- but whilst the players have saved this message from being brought to the attention of the enemy, they learn of a plot by the Orcs to kidnap King Arvedui's daughter. The players, use of the Grewat East/West road denied to them, make their way over country to make it to the Princess's convoy shortly before the Orcs make their strike. In a furious battle most of the defenders are slaughtered but the players hold off the attackers just in time for help to arrive, and the Princess is saved. Finally arriving at Fornost, the players learn from the nobility there that most of their requests are impossible to grant as Arthedain cannot help anyone, hardly able to help itself. But King Arvedui, the Last King, has a different plan- a plan to beat the Prophecy that states he will be the Last King of Arthedain, by re-uniting Cardolan and Arthedain into the new, re-born Kingdom of Arnor, of which he will be the First King, and which will provide a rallying point for the free people's of the world to unite against the Witch-King. Gandalf has pointed out the players as people who can help Arvedui in this, so he asks for their help, and they accept.

Pretty simple stuff- mostly just going from one place to another and fighting what is there. Tolkien himself is my inspiration there, though, as this is exactly what happens in Fellowship of the Ring as well!

The game had its ups and downs, as expected for a new game. We had a LOT of players at the start- probably too many; there is only so much I can handle in a game like this. But now we are at a comfortable level. Dexx, BB, Rex and Zink are full-time players, and I hope Mah will be again once he gets back to the boards. Evy and Lily are going to be busy this summer but plan to play part-time, for which the second story will be adjusted for them. I am in regular contact with Narcil- who is away entertaining a friend right now, but is very happy to play on once she is available again, soon. Especially if I put more handsome men in the game. It is a solid group, with room for more if more people want to play.

With any luck, some lessons may be drawn from some of the problems people encoutnered in the game. Herew are some examples:

1. The bow is not King in Middle-Earth. If you play all the way through the campaign and increase your bow skill each time, then fine, you might be like Legolas. Before that, though, the bow's advantage is in picking people off at range, but in a serious battle you NEED to be able to handle yourself close up- or at least, in a tacitcal sense, be covered by other people. Juast about every hero in LOTR- including Gandalf- is a demon in close combat.

2. Talking of tactics... the fight at the Princess' caravan was a pretty hairy affair, as I am sure you are all aware! I hope to see you guys working more as a team in future, and working out a dedicated plan. People were running from one side of the battle to the other, leaving gaps in the line, ignoring the parts of the battle that were in trouble... everyone without a bow considerd the scattered javelineers firing at the caravan top to stop the friendly archers as not their problem. This was a mistake- one person like Talin running up the hilltops to drive those javelineers off would have made Vardalain's life MUCH easier! And he in turn could have helped the rest of you more. This is the sort of tactical co-operation you need in harder battles in future. The other issue, of course, is that the Star Wars rp veterans will have to remember that they are not carrying lightsabres, and lingering under enemy fire will get you wounded and, soon enough, killed.

3. Try not to be QUITE so suspicious of everyone you meet... some of these people are powerful potential allies.

Anyway, all in all, I am rather happy.

But meanwhile, an issue that always exists with this game is that I am frolicking around with Tolkien's history. How much of it is mine and my brother's invention, and how much of it is his?

Well, it is about 50/50. A very great deal of it is Tolkien's word. Obviously the settings and major events are as Tolkien tells them. Arvedui and Aranarth are Tolkien characters (I am unlikely to create a character with 'Ar' at the fron of his name, though I have no problem with players like Mah doing the same)- as is Malbeth. Malbeth, in fact, gets a significant mention near the start of Return of the King; I am not sure if any of you recognised the name though. He really was an impressive Dunadan and his Prophecy for Arvedui that I quoted is from Tolkien also. The rest of the Council is invented. Arvedui did indeed try to beat the curse of his name by unification with Gondor. That he also tried it by unifying with Cardolan is an invention for this story but it is an utterly logical thing for Gandalf to have advised him to do.

Rhudaur's desolation, Cardolan's fragmentation and Arthedain's inability to withstand the apparently unbeatable Witch-King's army is also from Tolkien- as is the Elves' apparent total indifference to their fate. Remember this is a different time to that in the films and the events to come may shape what characters in the time of LOTR think and feel about things. Certainly the free peoples are NOT allied as one force against the Dark. This is Gandalf's dream and right now it remains a dream, though in Arvedui he has found someone who could make it come true. Elrond does in fact concur with Gandalf that Arvedui is a man of talent... which is why he has sent emissaries to Arthedain, to see if they report hopeful news about this man back to him. That the people of Gondor cared little for Arthedain but that Gondor's King WAS sympathetic, is also as Tolkien says it.

The descriptions of Cardolan and Rhudaur are much as Tolkien describes them himself. In FOTR, Strider tells the Hobbits of how the men of the west fortified their borders against the evil that came out of Angmar. As the for the towers in Rhudaur, like the one you killed the messenger at, Frodo asks Strider how they came about, not knowing a Realm was once there. He thinks it was trolls.

"No," said Strider, "Trolls do not build. No-one lives in this land. Men dwelt here once, ages ago, but none remain here now. They became an evil people, as legends tell, for they fell under the shadow of Angmar... but that is now so long ago that the hills have forgotten then, though a shadow still lies on the land."

These days are indeed just legend by the time of the books, but there is still much to come. Perhaps just one thing remains the same in all this time- the flocks of Crebain that harrass you throughout the story are still there, harassing the Fellowship of the Ring in the same way.

And so, on now, to see what comes next, in part 2- The Fortress of Baronar, starting tomorrow.


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Last edited by Ushgarak on Jul 10th, 2003 at 01:32 PM

Old Post Jul 10th, 2003 01:27 PM
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REXXXX
Networking

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Location: San Diego

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Wow, that was the shortest description of the gameplay you've ever given. eek!


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Old Post Jul 10th, 2003 07:10 PM
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Dexx
wingless

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Location: Bucharest, Romania

well...there haven't been as much things happening as in a sw game.
It re-caps pretty well...

Old Post Jul 10th, 2003 07:31 PM
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Bespin Bart
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Dexx has a point.


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THIS IS WHAT WE'VE WAITED FOR
THIS IS IT, BOYS, THIS IS WAR!

Old Post Jul 10th, 2003 08:56 PM
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Ushgarak
Paladin

Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Co-Admin

It really was a simple story.


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"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"

"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"

BtVS

Old Post Jul 10th, 2003 10:45 PM
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REXXXX
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I can tell.


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Old Post Jul 11th, 2003 05:20 AM
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narcil
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Gender: Female
Location: the centre of the universe

*lol* hey guys---i'm back (sorta)

i'm afraid i might not be able to keep up with the rpg anymore...i might just not have enough time. we'll see. (yes, in spite of the promise of handsome men. >.< ) sorry!


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-the Shinsengumi

Old Post Jul 16th, 2003 12:19 AM
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REXXXX
Networking

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Location: San Diego

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Bumping. Having to move the interactive stories from the General Fiction area to the RP area has lowered all the important things.

Sorry to hear that, Narcil. sad


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Old Post Jul 19th, 2003 05:14 PM
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Muck101
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Gender: Male
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Wow..... over three years, and no ones posted..... Till now!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HEEEEHEEEEHEEEEHAAAAAHHHHH!


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Thanks beta ray howard!!!

Old Post Jan 3rd, 2007 06:24 AM
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REXXXX
Networking

Gender: Male
Location: San Diego

Moderator

Er, congrats? That's because the game was over three years ago. Good job.

But hey, now I can remind myself what happened! eek!


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Old Post Jan 3rd, 2007 06:30 AM
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