Other Hands #5 - April 1994

As we begin the second year of Other Hands’ existence, I thought that a ​“state of the union address” might be appropriate. As of April, our journal has a total of thirty-five subscriptions (two of them complimentary, four exchange-based). Our readers range throughout the US and Europe: twenty-six in America, four in England, the others in Germany, Sweden, Spain, Austria, and the Netherlands.

In issue #1 of Other Hands, I wrote an article on how to set adventures in the First, Second, and Fourth Ages of Arda, which led to a further discussion between myself and Mats Blomqvist, one of the fellow gamemasters in my gaming group and a co-writer of the Kin-strife and Southern Gondor modules. Mats doubted whether it was possible to run a campaign in the Second Age, due to the scarcity of Tolkien’s sources.

An Introduction to a Second Age Campaign. It is the year 2217 of the Second Age. In Númenor, the king, Tar-Atanamir, once the strongest of his line, is failing into weak-willed dotage as he clings to life. Repercussions are inevitable: in Númenor, in western Middle-earth, and in the distant lands of Rhûn and Harad of which only dark rumor comes over the sea into the West. The Wars of the Jewels are long gone. The War of the Rings also is over, with Sauron’s heavy defeat and expulsion from Eriador at the turn of the eighteenth century — or is it? Who will uphold and who will betray the principles of peace and law in a changing world?

This is the personal journal of Eponian Círdanson, a character taken from a First Age campaign which began with the awakening of Elves. Poni is a latecomer to the campaign and is therefore the first of the children of Elves in play. While most of us were born and raised in Beleriand, some were born on Ulmo’s island during the voyage to Aman.

Despite the central role it plays in the history of Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien had precious little to say about the layout and topography of Umbar, that most infamous haven where Ar-Pharazôn, last king of Númenor, humbled the might of Sauron in the year 3261 of the Second Age. One of the few features of Umbar which Tolkien does relate to us pertains (not surprisingly) to this very event.

The character of Aelindur, daughter of Sauron, was created (without any RPG intentions) in 1989 by my friend Kathrin Vestergren. She had limited her story to the Second Age, being somewhat uncertain about what Isildur and Elrond would do with Sauron’s daughter when she was discovered in the ruins of Mordor (perhaps sending her to Amon to stand trial before Manwë).

We would like to have our readers submit reviews of the 2^nd edition MERP rules, as well as for the Arnor realm module (which should be out well before our next issue).