Yesterday brought exciting news for Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts, as D&D Beyond revealed plans to release the sourcebook for “The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying,” a project from the respected Swedish publisher Free League. While the platform’s announcement heralded this as a “brand new adaptation,” it’s worth noting that it actually hit the shelves last year. This guide draws its inspiration from the second edition of Free League’s “The One Ring” tabletop role-playing game, crafted by Francesco Nepitello. Regardless of its debut timeline, this celebrated ruleset—now tailored to fit Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition—stands as one of the most beloved tabletop RPG experiences set in the richly imaginative world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now, players can effortlessly blend this captivating universe into D&D’s custom virtual tabletop.
This 240-page epic contains a treasure trove for players, featuring six unique classes, 12 diverse subclasses, 14 distinct species, and 42 exclusive feats. All these elements can be woven into characters using D&D Beyond’s intuitive character creation tool. Free League has also devised journeying rules that capture the spirit of the original novels, the very texts that shaped the landscape of modern fantasy and D&D itself. The setting guide unfolds adventure paths designed for parties ranging from levels 1 to 10, introducing new maps and creatures that align perfectly with D&D Beyond’s tactical virtual tabletop, Maps, which is currently in its beta phase.
The mechanics in this sourcebook have been thoughtfully crafted with the fifth edition of D&D in mind. Although it doesn’t incorporate the newest 2024 edition updates, backward compatibility ensures players can still enjoy the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying guide in their future gaming sessions. D&D Beyond is offering their digital version of this guidebook at the promotional price of $29.99, while the original print version is available for just over $50 on Free League’s official website.
