Narrators, what are you looking for supplement-wise?

[Feanorgil]

Software... beer and a matrix for bad guys Tolkien style.

[Good Gulf]

I would love to see supplements on Harad, the Sea of Rhun, and the East, focusing on ways to design adventures and chronicles set in both the 3d and 4th ages. The Harad supplement would link nicely with a Mariner supplement.

Jeb

[Elendur]

More Majic, more monsters/evil dudes...

A complete adventure.

Extended combat and mass combat rules (possibly combined with warrior/barbarian book)

[ReptileJK]

Hi All. New to the board, but love talking LOTR RPGs. Very plush set up you have here! Much more user friendly than the Decipher boards.

Anyways, I think some great suggestions have been made already. Some additions that w0uld tickle my fancy:

Racial Sourcebooks (Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs/Trolls, Ents, etc.). I realize that discussions of history/evolution in such books would be limited due to Decipher's inability to use info. from the Silmarillion. However, there would still be plenty of material to work with. IE., prominent personalities in each race (who might not be discussed in detail in sourcebooks), and lesser characters from the trilogy that folks might feel more comfortable introducing into their campaigns (maybe it's just me, but I always felt it was cheesy to have PCs running around with folks like Gandalf or Aragorn. But hey, to each his own).

Detailed information about each race's culture and society would be great (ie, religions, interactions, trade). As well as DETAILED info on prominent locations/strongholds for each race (not a cursory overview like given in FOTRSB).
Furthermore, detailed info about different tribes or households, and how they interact, within each group would be cool (a huge sourcebook/tome on the human races alone would be a killer product).

I definately agree with others that having many sourcebooks regarding strongholds/regions is absolutely essential. The FOTRSB was very dissapointing in this regard.

I'd also like to see more info on beasties. Maybe it's me, but I'd like to see some facts on the (for lack of a better term) "ecology" of the creatures in Tolkiens world. Predators/Prey, mating, periods of activity throughout the year, habitats, etc. and etc.
Some artistic liscense would have to be taken here, but if done properly it could be a very beneficial resource. In my opinion, details are all the difference in making a creature either sword fodder or something with substance.

Just some thoughts,
Reptile

[ben hur]

Originally posted by ReptileJK
(maybe it's just me, but I always felt it was cheesy to have PCs running around with folks like Gandalf or Aragorn. But hey, to each his own).

Yeah, the problem with someone like Aragorn in your chronicle seems to be... well, firstly you usually want to make sure he's available for adventure at that time (i.e. not off in Rhun while your PCs are in Bree), and then when he is there he usually steals the show and makes the chronicle almost a "Diary of Aragorn from the Point of View of Menelcar, Gror, Celebeth, and Company" type thing.

So usually I tend to have lesser guys in the chronicle if they are playing a major part, such as Halbarad instead of Aragorn, Fatty instead of Sam, Haldir instead of Legolas, and so on, and have the high and mighty like Gandalf make more of an appearance or something; like they'll see an old man driving a cart into Bree before the War of the Ring and be thinking "wait... that was Gandalf we just passed" or they'll hear from Elrond "I've heard of an up and coming Elf prince in Mirkwood who's pretty good..." and they'll be like "gasp; Legolas!" or maybe just have some dispute settled by King Aragorn and that's the only place that he really takes part in.

And the thing about LotR is there is so much extra material and characters that aren't major that can be involved! Like in most books there will be several major movers and the rest of the characters don't even have names and might not have hardly any contact, but in LotR every which way you turn there are half-detailed characters just waiting to have more of their story told.

[Ineti]

Originally posted by ReptileJK
Detailed information about each race's culture and society would be great (ie, religions, interactions, trade).

Interesting idea, though I'd have to wonder how much of that would be pure fabrication on the part of the writers. I never really got a sense of religion from the various characters or the sense of specific religions from the various races.

I've only read LOTR and the Hobbit, though, so I may have missed something.

[ReptileJK]

"Interesting idea, though I'd have to wonder how much of that would be pure fabrication on the part of the writers. I never really got a sense of religion from the various characters or the sense of specific religions from the various races."

Yeah, there's not much in those works (Hobbit and LOTR) about religion, so Decipher would most certainly have to fabricate certain things. More information available on Religion in Silmarillion, but as we know, they don't have the rights to that information. Those sort of details are a pipe-dream, I guess. However, there is a finite amount of Tolkien-written material to work with. At some point, the game designers are going to have to start coming up with some of their own stuff.

Perhaps there is no way for this to ever happen, but maybe it's time they (Decipher) started doing whatever it takes to come to an agreement with the Tolkein estate, and get the rights to use material from the Silmarillion.

Reptile.

[Liquidator Queeg]

Honestly, I'm not looking for nuttin'.

All I need to run a game is the core book and my collection of Tolkien books. $60 CDN for a hardback core book is enough of an investment for me. Particularly when the spine fell apart within a month and the editing was less than stellar.

I still love the game though! One of the best $60 I ever spent on a gaming book. I just won't be buying any other books.

Gifts, on the other hand ...

Steve

[ben hur]

$60? Wait, you're Canadian, dollars are worth more? (btw, Canadians are awesome, nearly all the ones I've 'met' rock)

I spent $30 U.S. for it, free shipping from Amazon. It took a while to get here, but Decipher also sent me three Eowyn, Lady of Rohan cards for free so I'm happy!

Actually, take a look at the picture, it so rocks (I love Eowyn though, so I'm biased, hehe): http://decipher.com/lordoftherings/c...R-EN00017.html

And yes, I haven't bought any sourcebooks either (too little money).

[Liquidator Queeg]

Originally posted by ben hur
$60? Wait, you're Canadian, dollars are worth more? (btw, Canadians are awesome, nearly all the ones I've 'met' rock)

The opposite, Canadian dollars are worth less than US dollars. The exchange rate is hovering around $0.73-0.75 at the moment, but when I bought the LotR RPG core book the exchange rate between Canadian and US dollars was about $0.65-0.66. Which means, a book that costs $10 US, actually costs me around $13-14 Canadian.

So, the LotR RPG is listed as $40 US, divide that by 0.65 (the value of a Canadian dollar and the rate at my time of purchase), and you get ... around $60. Excuse my averaging out math.

Unfortunately, RPGs are almost always priced over the exhange rate here in Canada, unless the store owner is your friend or a really cool guy. In which case you get the "special" price. I managed to get my core book for just around $60 taxes included. The sticker price was $63, plus 15% taxes at point of sale .. then you're looking at around $72.

I love Canada! No really!

Yes, we are nice considering the outrageous taxes we pay. Average of 20% right off the top off the top of your paycheques (income taxes, Canadian pension payments, Employment Insurance, and things like that), then 15% goods and services and sales taxes on just about every dollar you spend. Woot! Mind you, I live in Ontario, it varies slightly from province to province.

Steve

P.S. I now return you to your regularly scheduled, non-tax related Narrator Wish List thread! Sorry folks!

[ben hur]

Originally posted by Steven A Cook
The opposite, Canadian dollars are worth less than US dollars.

My gosh, so stupid of me, I meant they are worth less, my bad! I was sort of rushed, had to go to a soccer game (out in the rain, it was interesting; we won, even though the ref was horrid, heh). The Classic American Blunder: Going Too Fast.

P.S. I now return you to your regularly scheduled, non-tax related Narrator Wish List thread! Sorry folks!

Hehehe, Classic Canadian Trademark: Outrageously Funny.