Discuss Lord of the Rings: The Retelling [Underground, M-V]

[Jokopoko]

[COLOR=TEAL][SIZE=1]This is just an idea I?ve been working on for a while and I just want to see what people think of it and see if it?ll be worth putting into The Arena.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=4][COLOR=CRIMSON][CENTER][B][U]The Lord of the Rings
The Retelling[/U][/B][/CENTER][/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[I]Three Rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-Lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for the Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.[/I]

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As time goes by and History becomes legend, legend becomes myth and myth becomes forgotten the records of these events can go astray so when one wishes to recount these tales and tell them once more their meaning, along with the facts, have become so wrapped up within the legends and myths that now surround it. Such a thing has happened to King Elendil II, ruler of the twin realms of Arnor and Gondor and descendent of King Aragorn Elessar, for he desires to learn of the Third Age of the Sun and the War of the Ring but none now live who remember it.

Long has it been since Mordor was a threat, long has it been since Middle-Earth knew conflict and long has it been since the Fellowship of the Ring departed the land of Middle-Earth for now many of them have departed this world for the world beyond.

So it came to pass that Elendil II sought the records of the Third Age of the Sun for he wished to study in depth this dark time and make certain that the inhabitants of Middle-Earth know why they are now kept safe from the enemy. Thus Elendil II has called together a council comprising of the direct decedents, or their relatives, of those who were know to have taken a great part in the War of the Ring. From the Hobbits of the Gardener Kin founded by Samwise Gamgee to the ruling family of Rohan who trace themselves back to Éomer Éadig, Third Marshall of the Riddermark and first King of the third line.

Though many details regarding the War of the Ring remained hidden from this council they were able to discover much concerning the nine companions known collectively as the Fellowship of the Ring. Of men there were two, Aragorn son of Arathron and another from Gondor who was son of the ruling steward but his name has been obscured through time. Of the Elven-Kin there was one, the prince of Greenwood and son of Thranduil but his name was also lost.

The Dwarves sent one of Durins Line, he was of Erebor though his name has also been lost in time. Of the Istari, or wizards, one was present and by the Elves he was known as Mithrandir but more commonly he was Gandalf the Grey who later became the White Wizard. The Hobbit-Folk sent to Rivendell four of their kin and they were Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins, the remaining two were of Brandybuck and Took decent yet their fore-names remain hidden.

Frodo Baggins was the most important member for it was he who bore the Ruling Ring along the Quest of Mount Doom. Though only a few of the Fellowship have been named it is entirely possible that the group had more than nine among it?s number and the Free-People of Middle-Earth sent more of their Kin on the Quest of Mount Doom but none of this can be sure as it has been a terrible long count of years since the events of the Third Age though it will not prevent the telling of the Fellowship of the Ring and their exploits, though it may not be entirely accurate.

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As I?m sure you?ve guessed this is running along the same lines as the ?Fellowship of the Ring? RPG Vicky made some time back but I?ve tweaked it just a little. Basically we?re going to be taking the place of the characters in the Fellowship from the start and then play it from there and see how the plot develops due to our different choices i.e. taking the Gap of Rohan, not going into Moria and so on.

The nine original places of the Fellowship are there and they have to be filled with characters equivalent to that character, for example Boromir cannot be replaced by an Elf or a Dwarf because he has to be a Man of Gondor and son of the ruling Steward. The four places that cannot be changed are ARAGORN, GANDALF, SAMWISE and FRODO this is because these four are integral to the plot of the story and cannot be replaced. The other five are open to changing but they still have to be two hobbits, one man, an elf and a dwarf.

I?m going to allow four more places bringing to total to thirteen but for these places I?d rather have characters from the books as opposed to originals, this is because I want to make it seem that the historical records aren?t that well kept and it can also have an effect on the storyline, for example Elladan or Elrohir could have chosen to accompany the Fellowship, the same can be said for Beregond for he may have travelled with Boromir to Rivendell. I?m doing this in the hopes that it?ll make for an interesting RPG.

As for main ?bad guys? I?ll have some cameo?s for them so you don?t apply to play as Saruman or Sauron etc but I?ll send some people PMs and see if they?d be interested in playing the enemies and make note that it?s not just Saruman and Sauron to play but others like the Orkish commanders or the Ring Wraiths.

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[U][B]The Characters[/B][/U][/CENTER]

I?m not sure if all of you will fully understand what I?m wanting to do with this so I?ll take the time to explain by listing each of the characters that are playable for the RPG and what changes, if any, will occur. [The four main characters will have players selected for them before the recruitment starts]

[U][B]Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor[/B][/U]
Aragorn will remain as he is because he is one of the key characters within the story and all storylines involving him will have their key plots remain true such as the re-forging of Narsil, his coronation in Minas Tirith and etcetera. He may not be killed at any point. Aragorn will be played by me.

[U][B]Frodo Baggins, the Ring bearer[/B][/U]
Frodo will remain as he is as well because he is the key character within the book and he may not be killed at any point before he has destroyed the Ring. All storylines which revolve around Frodo will remain basically the same yet there will be room for change. Frodo will be player by _____.

[U][B]Samwise Gamgee, gardener of Frodo Baggins[/B][/U]
Due to his proximity with storylines concerning Frodo Samwise will remain unchanged and the other reason is because he is a key player in future storylines such as when Gollum arrives in ?The Two Towers?. Samwise must not die before the Ring is destroyed. Samwise will be player be _____.

[U][B]Gandalf, the Grey Pilgrim[/B][/U]
As another key player in many storylines and events surrounding the Lord of the Rings (Or the War of the Ring in the book) Gandalf cannot be changed. Gandalf will be killed at some point during the Fellowship retelling but the manner of his death may be different should we choose not to go to Moria but his death will still have meaning. Gandalf will be played by _____.

[U][B]Peregrin Took, heir to the Thain of the Shire[/B][/U]
While Peregrin [Pippin] is another key character he is not so key as to have certain parts of his character changed. For example his name can change, his personality but he must still perform all the other tasks performed by Pippin in the story i.e. bring the Ents to Isengard and ride to Minas Tirith with Gandalf.

[U][B]Meriadoc Brandybuck, heir to the Master of Buckland[/B][/U]
Similar to Pippin, Meriadoc [Merry] is a main character but can still have parts of his character changed such as him name or his overall personality. But he must still play the key roles he played in the story i.e. killing the Witch-King along with Éowyn and so on.

[U][B]Legolas, Elven Prince of Mirkwood[/B][/U]
Being, for the most part, one of Aragorn?s main companions Legolas is a main part of the plot as well as aiding the Fellowship in their dealings with the Elves, should any occur. Much like Merry and Pippin his name may be changed, overall personality and such but the key things must remain i.e. he is the son of Thranduil, an excellent scout etcetera.

[U][B]Gimli, Dwarven Lord of Erebor[/B][/U]
Being, for the most part, one of Aragorn?s main companions Gimli is a main part of the plot as well as aiding the Fellowship in their dealings with the Dwarves, should any occur. Much like Merry and Pippin his name may be changed, overall personality and such but the key things must remain i.e. he is the son of Glóin, he can be highly stubborn etcetera.

[U][B]Boromir, Captain of Gondor[/B][/U]
Though Boromir dies in ?The Fellowship of the Ring? it is quite possible for him to survive the Battle of Amon Hen and continue on with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. As with the pervious four members of the Fellowship his name may change, his overall personality and such but key things remain i.e. he is son of Denethor and a brave Captain of the Gondorians.

[U][B]The Four extra positions[/B][/U]
As explained above I?m going to add four more positions in the Fellowship bringing the total to 13. With these you can make up original characters if you wish but if you do make sure they fit in well with the ?Lord of the Rings? universe. I would prefer you to play a character from the book that did not join the Fellowship i.e. Beregond or Glorfindel. This makes it easier because it allows you to integrate actual characters into the story and see how things unfold. With these characters I want the details to remain essentially the same but they can still have alterations akin to those of Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir.

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I welcome any and all comments so please, feel free to give me your views on the idea.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Che]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]I think it's a great idea! I've been meaning to make a LotR rpg, but I didn't have a good story. One thing though, are the characters that aren't Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf, like, family? I just didn't get that part...[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Dragon Warrior]

Just a thought here... LOTR the books and the films (I have read parts of the books, mind you ;) ) may have violence in them, but it's not entirely adult-like. These are children books as well, so I'm wondering why you made this RPG "Mature" for violence. I think it'd suit it just fine for "PG-13" or perhaps even just "PG." Unless, since this is a retelling, you plan on making it violent as all get-out. XD

And I didn't know we could play as Pippin. I would =/

[KKC]

[size=1]I think it sounds really cool Poko. You always have a way of planing out RPGs really well. I'll join if it gets started up.

So, will the breaking of the Fellowship also occur with the characters spliting up (like, Sam and Frodo being alone)?

DW, I think cutting off limbs and impaling people with arrows can get pretty nasty sometimes. Pippin is the shiz.[/size]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

Well as I said to you over AIM this is a fascinating idea, and I love to get the chance to take part in it. However I'm afraid that I am a little stuck on whether to be Boromir or Gimli, in the books both characters are actually quite cool [Gimli not having been reduced to comic-relief]. I'd say it's a toss-up situation but as I'm always the dwarf in these excursions I may actually choose to be Boromir this time around. Honestly I agree with Gavynn, this RP wouldn't really need any more than a PG-13 rating, it's not like there's going to be any hardcore "situations".[/SIZE]

[Dragon Warrior]

[quote name='Quad][size=1'] DW, I think cutting off limbs and impaling people with arrows can get pretty nasty sometimes. Pippin is the shiz.[/size][/quote]

True, but this series doesn't have amazing descriptions of guts falling out, privates being ripped to shreds, and all the nasty situations that would be in something like a "Dawn of the Dead" RPG. And yes, Pippin is the shiz all the way to the bank.

[PWNED]

[quote name='Kane][SIZE=1']Interesting, most interesting.[/SIZE][/quote]

I agree that It could be very interesting but you would have to possibly make different alterations of the characters eg: Boromirs equivalent would still be a gondorian but he could be changed to be a cleric or holy warrior or something like that.