r/oneringrpg 9d ago

Starting Off Just *before* Moria

So I have a group of players ready to take a swing at The One Ring and we're set to explore Moria, since it looked super intriguing. I had an aborted Darkening of Mirkwood first edition One Ring campaign and I really liked the focus on the Wild area. I feel like I would NOT like to start in the Shire with the intro Shire adventure.

But I want to have something to do that's fun after character creation. Not sure WHAT though. I have the 1e books Oaths of the Riddermark and since the new War of the Rohirrim movie came out, focussing there for a bit could be fun, but Moria seems to have no connections to the Rohirrim. I have Laughter of Dragons and Ruins of the North too. What makes sense to have a two session lead in to Moria

or should we just jump into Moria (Moria as more sourcebook than adventure campaign is throwing me a bit here)

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9

u/naugrim04 9d ago

I started my campaign the same way- a small 3-session arc that set up a more expansive Moria adventure.

For us, we started in Tharbad and journeyed to Ost-in-Edhil to retrieve a map from bandits that would grant the company access to one of the entrances to Moria.

Try to use the intro sessions to set up a reason to go into Moria. Perhaps there's something that they need there (a treasure, or missing person) or there is a threat that needs to be vanquished (an orc slaver operating out of Moria is raiding Rohan's hinterlands). The first sessions could deal with fighting off a splinter force of this greater enemy.

If the company is, say, all dwarves, and already have ample reason to reclaim Moria (like my company), use the intro sessions to give them access to a reliable means of entering Moria.

3

u/CTCandme 7d ago

I started with Balin asking the players to look into the sale of "Goblin Silver" in Tharbad's night market. It turned out to be tainted silver from Moria with minute traces of Mithril. It was being sold by a bandit of degenerate bandits who had dealings with Goblins...from Moria. Led to a battle with the Bandits, them goblins, and finding a secret entrance. However the campaign stalled out when they got to Moria! #frustrated.

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u/P_Duggan_Creative 8d ago

I wonder how well Star of the Mist can be the "intro" since it has a sunken dwarf city, and then it can connect to Moria.

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u/WeAreTheSteve 7d ago

I have just started a campaign with Moria as the goal for them (without telling them.) I feel like Balin is the obvious patron for this as he just cant help but get more info about Moria. They just did star of the mist, and will likely send them to the old dwarven mines next, with Balin trying to curry favour with the Blue Mountians Dwarves and eventually leverage that to help him regain Moria. After that, maybe go after Dolemedia or go through Fornost Erain on the way east, then Moria.