The Fellowship Phase: An Adventures in Middle Earth Podcast

49. Fair words and foul deeds (creating a villain)

Josh and Callum reflect on how to make a villain. Someone your players will love to hate; and who fits well into the world of Middle Earth. Listen in to hear about "Valter the Bloody" the main villain of our campaign; as well as some villainous laughter.

48. Rivendell (region spotlight)

After an extended fellowship phase, Callum and Josh are back -  discussing Rivendell. They explore Rivendell’s history, its role as a refuge and council site opposing Sauron, and why it’s an iconic rest point for characters and readers. Callum explains how he prepped and ran Rivendell in their campaign using published resources, focusing on spotlighting each character through non-linear, roleplay-heavy scenes, research, and councils. They cover mechanics tied to Rivendell and  they brainstorm story hooks for Rivendell as a haven or campaign hub.

47. The Time that is Given to Us (Dates and Calendars)

Join Josh and Callum as they discuss keeping track of time as a Lore Master. In particular the calendars of Middle Earth and how important the passage of time is to adventures set in Tolkein's world

46. Good for a beginning (prepping the game)

Join Josh and Callum to hear about their experiences preparing to run the game, from the beginning of the campaign into each session. We discuss what aspects we each prioritise and how we think about prep as well as some resources that we've found helpful.

45. A Madness Took Me (Madness episode rules)

Callum and Josh bring some mad energy to this discussion on MADNESS EPISODES. Building on our discussion on the shadow in episode 8, we talk though the AiME and LOTR RPG 5e rules, and how these memorable events have played out in our game. Finally Josh shares some insights from other game systems with similar mechanics

44. To Dungeons Deep and Caverns Old (Dungeon Crawls)

Josh and Callum return to Gundabad to discuss all things dungeon crawls. Listen in for their shared learning from running Dungeon Crawls and some ideas on how to make these work in a LOTR RPG setting

43. Golf and Golfimbul (minigames in Middle Earth)

Josh and Callum discuss their thoughts on running minigames in Middle Earth. Listen in for some top tips for introducing these successfully; what purpose they may serve; and some games we've found worked well in our games

42. Deor and Valacar's chosen (character creation)

Josh and Callum are joined by THE Bert. The player behind such classic characters as Isambard, Durnir, Dolfnir and Deor.
 
In this episode we talk about character co-creation; the implementation of a shared vision on lore, and finally the warden class. Oh and yes, we will do an episode on songs in the future!

41. The Magic of Elves (using magic in your game)

Join Josh, Callum and resident podcast wizard James for a magical discussion on... magic in LOTR. In this episode we try to answer:
What did Tolkien write about magic in his world? What rules are there in AiME and LOTR 5e for running magic? What homebrews are available? And finally, our conclusions on implementing magic use for player characters in a Middle Earth set TTRPG.

40. The Bright Sword for its Sharpness (efficient combat)

After a prolonged fellowship phase over Yuletide and the winter... Josh and Callum return to discuss Combat. 
Have you ever felt your combats drag on? Do you feel bogged down trying to create an battle as epic as Peter Jackson's big screen adaptations? Well here are some hints and tricks that we find help with the clash of sword and shield.

39. Ellaras the searcher (NPC to PC character creation)

Join Josh, Callum and Scott as they discuss Ellaras the searcher. This Mirkwood elf appears as an NPC in the Rhovanion region guide, but in our game was converted to a PC played by Scott. We discuss how to go about doing this, the benefits of co-creation and how a new character can change the party dynamics.

38. They were made in Gondolin (Wondrous items and Legendary weapons)

Josh and Callum discuss MAGICAL ITEMS. Listen to hear about the rules for creating both wondrous items and legendary weapons/armour in AiME and LOTR-RPG.  
 
Spoiler: the rules are great!

37. The lost watchtower of Amon Forod-Tir (encounter design)

Josh and Callum head northwards to the lost and hidden ancient tower of Amon Forod-Tir (Tower of Northern watch). In this episode we continue along Halmir's quest and discuss strategies to make a "lore dump" interesting for players as well as getting the balance between directive story telling and providing freedom for players.
 
Here's a link to the art Josh and Callum discuss in this episode: https://www.deviantart.com/nm-art/art/Winter-castle-652510042 

36. The History of Rhovanion part 2: from Lore to Game, bite by bite (Lore)

Those pesky Rhovanions are back! And this time they've taken a big bite out of Mirkwood. Rejoin the triumvirate of Rhovanion RPGs JJC (James, Josh, Callum) as they discuss how you can implement the lore of the lost Kingdom of Rhovanion into your own Middle Earth based adventure

35. The History of Rhovanion part 1: Gondor and the kin-strife (Lore)

Let Josh James and Callum talk you through the history that lies between Gondor and the lost Kingdom of Rhovanion. Prepare for a real deep lore dive which we hope will provide you with some new ideas for running a AiME/LOTR 5e RPG game in Rhovanion!

34. Dale of the Dale of Dale (Region Spotlight)

Join Josh James and Callum as they explore the history of Dale (including the mysteries of the origin of its name), what resources there are to support running an RPG set in Dale and finally some ideas for games you could run there!
 
 

33. "Lake Town" (Region Spotlight)

Josh and Callum are joined by returning guest James to sail into the port of Lake Town and take a look around. What sort of adventures could you run in Lake Town? What places are there to explore? What lore is known about this famous Tolkien location? These questions will be answered, but you'll need to listen in to know if the most important question of all is finally answered.... WHY IS IT CALLED LAKE TOWN? 

32. All that Glitters is Gold (Money in Middle Earth)

Join Josh and Callum as they explore the theme of money in Middle Earth and how this impacts on role playing games such as AiME and LOTR RPG 5e. Listen as they share how this has worked (and not worked) in their game and some suggestions for your own games.

31. Nameless Things (Creating a monster)

Join *?&^*" and &*$&" as they discuss the nameless things of Tolkein's world. Ominous and unknown these terrifying creatures are ripe for roleplaying opportunities. We take a look at the rules in Freeleagues LOTR RPG for 5e about creating your own nameless things. Listen to hear all about the "Lurker in the Abyss"

30. A Short Rest (resting rules)

Join Josh and Callum as they deep dive into the rules around short and long rests in AIME. We compare and contrast how rests work in 5e D&D standard rules, gritty realism variant rules, AiME, LOTR RPG and our own game rules. Make sure to use those campfire tales!