Back to Middle Earth (The One Ring Season 7)

The One Ring image - By Xander - own work, (not derivative from the movies), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1953341

Tonight saw a return to our ongoing Google Hangouts game of The One Ring RPG, run by Paul Mitchener. We've been playing for a number of years now, and this is the 'seventh season' if we looked at it as a TV show. It certainly has that kind of feel and reminds me of what I love about campaign play. I think that it's the longest ongoing campaign that I've been involved with, certainly since I was a teenager. The plots have been based loosely around the Darkening of Mirkwood supplement. Our characters have grown; there is a core group of three characters who have been there from the start, and a number of others who have passed through our Tale of Years. Paul has written up the background so far on his personal blog here and there's really nothing more I can add to that except that it is deeply satisfying to drop back into this.

The core comprises my character; Nali, a Dwarf from the Lonely Mountain; Elina's character Aeldra, one of the Woodland Folk; and Miriel, a Wood Elf played by Jag, with whom Nali always argues. Tonight, we were joined by Simon R, playing a High Elf from Rivendell, and the deep long term perspective of one of the firstborn immediately changed the dynamics again, in a good way.

The story and the characters grow; one day our heroes will fall out of the tale, but along the way, they've told a wonderful story and held a candle up against the darkness.