New The One Ring story expansion will "hint at a growing danger" for Lord of the Rings RPG
More adventures in Middle-earth are coming with Tales From the Lone-Lands
The first dedicated book of adventures for The One Ring tabletop RPG is on its way, dubbed 'Tales From the Lone-Lands'.
Although it's not the first expansion for The One Ring (Ruins of the Lost Realm launched late last year), this is the first real 'campaign' it's had since its Starter Set joined the best tabletop RPGs at the beginning of 2022. Rather than being a collection of lore and plot hooks for players to hinge stories around, Tales From the Lone-Lands collects six pre-written stories for adventurers to test their mettle against. All of them can be played individually, but you're also able to combine them into a longer narrative if you'd prefer.
Crucially, these stories are more in-line with The Lord of the Rings in terms of tone than the light-hearted, Shire-based Starter Set; there are hints of an increasing threat as Sauron grows in power. (This game takes place after The Hobbit but a few decades before The Fellowship of the Ring, so that darker atmosphere is fitting.)
No release date has been set for Tales From the Lone-Lands yet. However, considering the short turnaround between Ruins of the Lost Realms' announcement and release (it was revealed in September 2022 before hitting shelves last October), it's possible that we could be seeing it arrive within the next few months.
According to the press release, the following stories will be included within the book:
- A Troll-Hole, If Ever There Was One + Kings of Little Kingdoms: "Relatively self-contained adventures, but still hint at a growing danger."
- Messing About In Boats: "Involves directly one member of the Company, in an unexpected way!"
- Not To Strike Without Need + Wonder of the Northern World: "Follow the slow infiltration of spies of the Enemy."
- The Quest of Amon Guruthos: "Challenges the heroes to battle an ancient evil."
Judging by how good the rest of The One Ring's second edition has been so far, it's worth getting excited about Tales From the Lone-Lands. As I said in my The One Ring Starter Set review, it packs "straightforward rules with a deceptively deep bite." The TTRPG's sense of place and authentic approach to Middle-earth really adds to this, so I've got high hopes for this new book.
For more recommendations, be sure to check out the best Dungeons and Dragons books and the best board games. You can also see what to play next with these board games for adults.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
As the site's Tabletop & Merch Editor, you'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news. I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and can normally be found cackling over some evil plan I've cooked up for my group's next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
This new indie D&D campaign setting brings Studio Ghibli and Zelda: Breath of the Wild aesthetics and worldbuilding to the tabletop RPG, and I'm already scheming hard as a DM
D&D Monster Manual 2025 is going to pack a serious punch thanks to a family of monsters descended from gods, and frankly I’m terrified