Sounds like a good plan.

If I may I'd like to give a plug for Battle Companies. I've been working for some time on combining the rules redux from WD with those in BGIME. It is almost at the stage where it is ready for serious play testing.

On completion of the SBG and BC updates we'd all have access to all that would be needed for LOTR gaming from small/individual skirmish games up to major conflicts as provided by WoTR.

Kalatha

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"Do Right, Fear Naught"

sounds great.
So whats the best way to get going with this?

a new thread on the SBG bit of the forum?

Try to read some of the house rule-warriors/heroes, i tell you, to bee amatours these guys come up with many clever rules

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Cheers!

If you guys are serious about this, you will need to -

1. Have access to a variety of source/journey books, in order to ensure the new material is compatible and/or balanced with current books.

2. Have a very good grasp of the English language, grammar and lexical styles. You will need both flowery prose for background material and straight, concise language for rules.

3. Consider the fact that the game (or the SBG rules) could be pulled at any time and have a system in place to replace it, should new players want to participate.

4. Take into account that certain aspects of the game may already be flawed and require clarification or an update.

or, alternatively -

1. Start completely from scratch with a brand new system that is in no way tied to GW, but for which existing GW LotR miniatures would be entirely suitable to use.



Personally, I would suggest starting from scratch with a brand new rules system, very possibly based on d10 use rather than d6. Sure, you can 'borrow' or be inspired by a variety of games already on the market, but you could also create your (our) own Middle-earth, which, at the end of the day, is what we all do anyway in our own way, whether through gaming, house rules, homebrew scenarios, sculpting or fan fiction.



EDIT - also, by starting from scratch, you are under no obligation to follow PJ's vision of Middle-earth, and have all of Tolkeins works as a source of inspiration.

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Studio gaarew; Gaming armies, by gamers, for gamers.

Oh, I was under no impression that it would be easy. It may not even be possible, but I think we could have a good go at it if we get enough of the people here and possibly from TLA together.

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Gondor: 2339pts
Rohan: 1318pts
Dwarves: 2482pts
Elves: 1091pts
Mordor: 2305pts
Isengard: 1762pts
Moria: 1463pts
Evil Men: 381pts

Hi - points taken. Im wondering, though, whether it might be too much hassle (and would put players off) to completely start from scratch: not least because a major part of my complaint about WoTR is that the SBG is actually a good system, that just needs some tweaks.

I agree though that different skills are required for the background material (which would require a knowledge of the topic, idiom etc) and the rules - which just need to be clear and to the point.

I dont envisage there being any problems though with creating scenarios, as these would just require an outline and a diagram.

There's also, as i said, a lot of material around that could be drawn on.

Have to agree with gaarew, but with one extremely minor quibble: use a d10 or d20, not a d12. In my D&D games with my son, the d12 just will *not* stop rolling, and when it does, half the time it's a leaner

If anyone wants to start a Tolkien-based system I'd love to help.

I would err on the side of caution, and suggest a smaller team to begin with, before branching out with a view to play-testing and so on. Still, everyone would get a chance to make suggestions, provide inspiration.





The reason I suggest starting from scratch is that I don't really see a point in continuing to generate material for something that is pretty much dead in the water. Basically, if you are going to screw with something already in play, you might as well break it down to the bare bones first. People might be upset about starting from scratch, then again, they might relish the chance to be part of something that is potentially huge from the very start. At the end of the day, you've already got the models, so would you rather continue to play a game that is getting no official support, or use the same models to play a game you may have had a hand in designing, with a huge community, online access to the developers...

It's not reinventing the wheel, it's more like adding low profile tyres and some alloys. There are systems already in place, but by starting from scratch, you aren't constrained by someone elses perceived notions, and have full artistic license.



No quibble at all really, I meant to put d10, just had a brain fart... See, it's already been changed.

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Studio gaarew; Gaming armies, by gamers, for gamers.

It's a great system that accomplishes the following (in no particular order):

- minimal record keeping: most figures are either dead or alive and for small games you can keep the hero conditions in your head.
- a very "flat" stat impact model: by this I mean boosts in stat lines usually translate into only minor benefits on a per-model basis
- broad ripple effect: by this I mean minor differences in stat lines when carried over many models can have profound tactical impacts.
- fairly low lethality: the best kill chance you can get is 67% (3+)
- solid math that effectively translates "average chance" into a point value.

Something to strive for...

Well, if we keep the stats system that sbg uses, we can just post stats to new models we would like to use, If we all chip in, everyone can do a little part

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Cheers!

yep!

This would be something I would love to get in on, but am not sure how much time I would have.

I think it's a great idea, though!

youbetcha!

maybe the initial thing would be to start compiling scenarios? We can do that without having to do the rules or the supplements?

This sounds like a great idea!
I would love to help you guys with it! (Time might become an issue now and again, but I'll try my best to help as much as I can!).

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard

i sign in too^^
but whats it going to be like? a combination between sbg and wotr?

If the idea is to create a smaller scale game, Tolkienbased, I'm definetly in!
Count on me when you need someone!
(In july i've got lots of time, and I'm rather good in backgroundwriting,
or creating rulesets themed around specific fractions, I would really like doing High Elves)

d10 all good and well, but I think it would be usefull to use a majority D6 as they are more common, like you would not need to buy a lot of rather rare dice, which would hold new people of the game,

I for one thought SBG or another game alike a very good instep to what would become a WOTRarmy for newbies, it would drop the instepcost dramatically

gogo OR, gogo TLA

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It's not about our past.
It's about our future.

Hey all. I'm back after a spell in the far future (sorry admin )

This sounds like a good idea. I've written a few supplements myself (not fluff, just profiles, scenarios, and special rules) and think that this would help keep SBG out of the "Specialist" category. I feel though that we should get two teams up and running, one to write supplements, the other to start on the new rules, so the cast off fans can be satisfied in the short term. Also, maybe we should email GW and ask if we can take over SBG where they left off (I mean come on, let's not beat about this, they were doing a pretty Devlan Mud job, so why wouldn't they?)

But, in the meantime, this sounds like an awesome idea. I can PM you all my ideas for fan made supplements if you like.

Rock on

Doopy

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Kill WOTR, yeah?

I apologize for the thread necromancy, but I just came across this thread and noted the above statement. What is the source of this information? I was under the impression that SBG and WotR would coexist, similar to 40K and Apocalypse.

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Respectfully,
Jonathan

Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly

Battle Companies

Indeed and that's what GW is officially saying, but with the recent favoritism shown to WOTR over SBG, some players fear WOTR could spell the end for SBG...

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard