Welcome back to another #TORsday! We’ve already had quite an adventure: We’ve talked a bit about the characters, the maps, and lots about Councils, Combat, and Journeys. Now it is time to head home (or at least to a safe place), where we can relax and perhaps reflect upon our experiences.

The Fellowship Phase is a critical part of The One Ring. It was one of the most innovative parts of the first edition and is now a staple in a lot of modern RPGs. It allows heroes to have a home and a safe place in the world to return to after facing untold dangers during their adventures. In the second edition of the game, Fellowship Phases come in several sizes, depending on how much time the heroes are taking to recover. During Year’s End, most Companies take an extended break, allowing heroes to return home for festivities.

A short Fellowship Phase lasts just a few weeks, allowing a hero to improve themselves somewhat and undertake one special task. A medium length phase allows two activities, and a long Fellowship Phase allows three undertakings. During this time, the Loremaster should reference the information included in the Tale of Years to show the Player-heroes the passage of time and remind them that the world moves on while they rest. Campaigns such as The Darkening of Mirkwood and The Errantries of the King have a number of yearly events that help to bring the world to life.

The special tasks that a hero can focus on during a Fellowship Phase are called Undertakings. Some focus on healing the character’s woes or improving their outlook, while others allow the character to make a new song, learn a new speciality, or inquire with a lore-master about the history of the items they may have discovered on their travels. Heroes can also raise their Standard of Living or Standing in their home communities. In second edition heroes can work to improve their Standing, meaning they won’t necessarily need to donate Treasure to be well thought of in their homeland.

As a famous Hobbit once said, “Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.” So it is with Fellowship Phases. They can easily come at the end of an adventure and allow the heroes more narrative control than normal, but soon enough the Loremaster will pitch the heroes back into another adventure — after all, the road goes ever on.

Speaking of adventures, we are having one of our own in finishing out The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game. Every day and every week brings us closer to completion, and we want to make sure we’ve done everything we can to provide the perfect Middle-earth experience for our fans.

You can pre-order the standard or limited editions on the Cubicle 7 webstore here. Once ordered you will receive the PDF as soon as it is available.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages and our website for more information!

The One Ring, Middle-earth, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises and are used under license by Sophisticated Games Ltd and their respective licensees. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.