Matrix Games Forums

I am thinking of making a LoTR mod. Does anyone have a suggestion about how I can implement the idea of a character carrying the Ring? Obviously, the victory condition for the Fellowship side is someone (Frodo) getting the Ring to Mount Doom. Thanks.

The simpliest way is to set up an event where there is a small chance that the good guys win (e.g., ring is destroyed) and a small chance the bad guys win (ring is captured) each round after a certain round number is past.
 
A more elegant way would be giving each side action cards that could influence the chance of capture or the chance of winning (e.g., go through a certain pass, use gollum's help)
 
Both of these are fundamentally abstract. 
 
Another idea would be to add a prelude type scenario before the main battle.  In the first scenario, you could do the whole part about getting to rivendell but do it with ships.  Frodo would be a sub and have to get across the map.  You could implement different types of water to represent different land types (and even change coloring).  The nice thing about water is it does not leave a trail.  If the Frodo character gets to Rivendell, you could then load the next scenario which would be the battle part. 

Go jremilla! That would be great!

I still have SPI's Middle Earth game from the late '70s. Had a lot of fun playing that one.
I've had good success taking pictures of board game maps and using the overlay feature in the editor and getting the hexes to pretty much line up. If you'd like a picture of the map from Middle Earth I'd be glad to send it to you. It's big [;)]

I actually think that some of the earlier (much bloodier) periods in Middle Earth would map better to a wargame than the LotR period. The stuff in the Silmarillion and LotR Appendices.

Possibly a bit obscure for general interest though

db99:
Thanks for the encouragement. I was also a big fan of the SPI game, which I still have. My thought was to scan it in and use it as a template to make a map.

Captain Cruft:
You are probably right about the Silmarillion being a better source of war game material, but as I said above I really loved the SPI board game and am determined to either goad a real game developer into making a War of the Ring game for the computer or do it myself if I have to!!

ORIGINAL: jremilla
Thanks for the encouragement. I was also a big fan of the SPI game . . .

I can provide you with a jpg of the map used for the TOAW version of WotR. It was made from the SPI game.

Regards, RhinoBones

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I actually think that some of the earlier (much bloodier) periods in Middle Earth would map better to a wargame than the LotR period. The stuff in the Silmarillion and LotR Appendices.

Possibly a bit obscure for general interest though

Correct, but these wars lasted for a few hundred years (hard to simulate in AT) and once the gods intervened the war was pretty over. Maybe it would be possible to allow Morgoth to win by destroyng the Elfic and human kingdoms earlier?

i think the actioncard driven system is most realistic.

i would make it so that the ring would move slowly forward, but can be slowed down by Sauron playing costly PP cards.
the ring should imo only be capturable by Sauron after he has won on the battlefield (capturing Rohan and Gondor). 

it might be a nice touch to actually physically show the location of the ring on the map by changing around landscapetypes.

kind regards,
Vic

I actualy thought about doing a scenerio for the War of the Ring myself.... had a good amount of work done with a map and some custom sf types..... but then I got scared off by the copyright implications.
 
Mel

Is anybody actually working on this since i started designing a "Lords of the Tactics" scenario as a "fun project".
 
kind regards,
Vic
 

I have made a map of middle earth if you want it Vic.

Nah i am making my own, but i was just wondering of i am not stealing somebodys vibe here

It seems a lot of people were making fantasy scenarios at one time or another. How far did you guys go? Any possibility of handing over unfinished work?

Vic for example, what happened to your lord of the tactics?
Grumpy what happened to your work?
Delyn? Do you still have the map?

I got the system pretty far.
i'll zip it and mail it to you.
 
It was time and the fact that its odd if a designer releases copyrighted material that stopped me completing it.
Also my version would only be playable HUMAN to HUMAN since i was very creative in creating this scenario. (all land except towns is done as sea so that you can keep your units hidden very well)
 
but i'll mail you. take a look and see if you can continue the work.
 
it would be a cool scenario.
 
kind regards,
vic

Thanks for the goods. The scenario looks really far out. Had already started my own so ill keep it though. Might steal some ideas though.

Here is a mapoverview. I went for simulating a smaller part of the map but to get a more "strategic feel" for the central area of the war.


Does anyone know where you might find really nice SFT symbols. Such similar to the ones used in the civil war scenario would be perfect?

Also ideas for units events, pictures and flags are appreciated.



The six playable regimes are Mordor, Isengaard, Moria, Gondor, Lorien and Rohan.

Ok. If anybody else wants to get mailed my work in progress LOTT files i can send them to you too. just ask. you can send an email to vic@xs4all.nl
 

It would be possible to define Frodo as a land unit with carrier capacity, and the Ring as an nuclear bomb with range of one and self destruction? If activated close to the Tower, it would destroy it. Sauron could de defined as a fixed unit with a very high command rate. Once Sauron is destroyed the game isn´t automatically ended. It will be necessary to wipe out the enemy units (in the book, they actually lost their "command and control chain" and were beaten), but it will be a relatively easy work. I always found the book a little unrealistic, because the numeric superiority of Sauron was so massive and Gondor´s Army was so overextended that they could have won even if the ring were destroyed....
-Only trouble with my model is, how to have all the nazguls dead if the ring is destroyed?

Thanks for all ideas. I am working a little here and there on the scenario. When i have time.

Here is a screenshot of some of the units that will be in the scenario.

Units should include

Basic infantry
Rangers (good side only)
Scouts
Longbowmen
Uruk Hai (evil side only)

Officers
Wagons

Field war machines
Siege Machines

Light Cavalry
Heavy Cavalry

Troll/Ent
Olifant

Dragon/Eagle

War ship

Suggestions on other units to include are welcome.

Screenshot of a unit guarding the entrance to Isengaard

After much searching i finally found some countergraphics that i actually like. The screenshot depicts some of them. If someone by chance should happen to recognize them from somewhere there is no need to point out from where

Some thoughts about the scenario.

Since this is a strategic scenario my goal is to simulate a strategic conflict in middle earth. Although i am not nescessarily opposed to small roleplaying element they are not the main thing. The scenario will also probably focus on creating feeling rather than on groundbreaking new events and mechanics. My limitations as scenariodesigner is not insignificent in this choice.