Skip to content

The Mead of Storytelling

How did I come up with the timeline and ideas for the “Sagas of the Northmen” campaign? I was inspired by “Beowulf” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay about it. But more on that next time. Essentially, I wanted to explore the core ideas presented by the Professor in accordance with the canon of the” “Lord of the Rings” and Middle-earth history.

First, there’s the “circle of light” – a small part of the world protected from evil and darkness by courage and camaraderie – even though they seem doomed to fail. That’s another one – virtue and fight in spite of the ever-impeding defeat. And third, that’s also the theme of battling monsters as deadly as they are incomprehensible. So I chose the era of twilight when the great powers of old still endured: the Dúnedain kingdoms, the dwarven kings of Khazad-Dûm, and even the silvan elves of Lindórinand (which was named “Lothlórien” in the later years).

What do you say of great deeds?

Anyone but me having trouble getting those high-minded concepts like heroism, solemnity, or living in a mythical age through? For me, at least, they often translate poorly to fun gameplay. But how do you actually make a game feel like Beowulf’s “circle of light”? And what is there to make adventures about? There are two things to consider here, actually.

Eotenweardas – the Monster-slayers

First, there’s the theme of fighting monsters, the “offspring of darkness.” That’s pretty straightforward in the Middle-earth. Orcs, trolls, and wraiths (even dragons, at that point in Third Age’s timeline) are a constant threat. But to really drive that notion home, it had to be a “long defeat,” as Master Elrond would put it another thousand years later. So, the monsters are winning – slowly but steadily. The Northmen (more on them in just a few lines below) are escaping. They are refugees in the Vale of the Great River. Their kingdom – Rhovanion – was gone two or three generations ago. The powers of Easterlings, Dol Guldur, and Angmar press them from the south, east, and north. But there’s more to the campaign than fighting off evil.

Laughing Shall I Die!

 

Second, there’s the human aspect of the Northmen. They were pictured in the likeness of the Anglo-Saxons’ predecessors – the Germanic tribes of late antiquity and early Middle Ages. Their grim folklore and gruff manners – together with a strong sense of honor and heroic bravery – lend an unmistakable tone to any tale of theirs.

 

Hwæt! Listen, and you’ll hear more…

 

How did I blend it all together? How did I manage to incorporate the huge hoard of The One Ring’s published material? I’ll be writing more about this in the days to come. Meanwhile, make sure to check in on my blog or FB page.
There’s a weather effect generator I use A LOT during TOR Journeys, plus my Middle-earth-themed, hand-picked playlist to listen to while reading all this here:
https://dramatistofmind.com/more-depth/