Hey all
With the release of 'Quest of the Ringbearer' and the inclusion of Fantasy Fellowships within, I thought it'd be great to get several of us to create our own Fellowships and play through the campaign when we can. In this post, I'll go through our players creations, listing their roster, going through the background of the idea and certain moments I can foresee being entertaining with them. I will finally choose the three characters (beside the doomed to die) that I think are most likely to be slain by the campaign's end.
So without further ado, let's begin.
Roster
Ringbearer- Smeagol
Companion- Lotho Sackeville-Baggins
Mischievous friend- Aldor
Fool of a Took- Grima Wormtongue
Wizard- Saruman the White
Champion- Theodred, Prince of Rohan
Elf- Haldir
Dwarf- Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills (King of Erebor by now)
Doomed to die- Aragorn- Strider
Theme
Beginning with my Fellowship, many who know me, know that my dice rolling leaves a lot to be desired and that even the most sure of situations can and has blown up in my face. So with that thought in mind, I decided that the least harmful thing I can do to Middle-Earth's chances since my characters are almost certain to die, is to use character's doomed to die anyway*.
*- Except Aragorn, who replaces the doomed Boromir, that's just me being cruel and wanting to see the world burn.
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I suspect that I will lose Grima very early on as his lack of might will mean that I have no control over his recovery rolls besides rolling the dice- oh dear. However, Saruman will become an insane caster after his rebirth as Saruman the Ariel White in 'the Two Towers' section. Also Lotho's ability to pay off potential attackers, could be a very useful tool in protecting Smeagol, who pinky promised to destroy the precious before wandering off muttering.
The three hunters of Theodred, Haldir and Dain, I can see being a really nasty challenge for the evil opponents, particularly once they have the elven gifts from Galadriel! And they will need all the help they can get with Isildur's Heir dead in Amon Hen!
Characters expected to be lost
Grima, Haldir and Dain.
CJ
Roster
Ringbearer- Bilbo Baggins
Companion- Dori the Dwarf
Mischievous friend- Alfrid
Fool of a Took- Grima
Wizard- Saruman the White
Champion- Bard the Bowman
Elf- Legolas
Dwarf- Dwalin the Dwarf
Doomed to die- Tauriel
Theme
CJ went for the theme of Gandalf pulling Bilbo aside after the success of the Quest for Erebor's liberation. A council is called and the champions of the time are pulled in to be their LOTR counterparts. Grima is their just because, we can assume it's his grandad or just another sneaky treacherous Rohirrim man.
Views
The Ringbearer and his companion are going to be solid, Dori's ability to allow Bilbo to use his M/W/F stores will keep the Ring as safe as can be. While Dori can hold his own in a fight very comfortably!
Similar to my own Fellowship, I would be concerned for Alfrid and Grima's welfare but have faith in CJs ability to keep them protected and unlikely to be put in a dangerous situation as long as he can possibly avoid it. Also the same as my own, Saruman will become terrifyingly powerful in the second act.
The three hunters potential 6 shots a turn is going to be nasty as evil rushes to combat. And then it gets even better! As they'll be on the receiving end of one of Dwalin's three axes! And we thought Gimli was a tough nut to crack... I do like that Tauriel will have a conclusion to her story and her rules for being surrounded will make sure she has an end worthy of song!
Characters expected to be lost
Grima, Alfrid and Dori.
Tom
Roster
Ringbearer- Bilbo Baggins
Companion- Balin the Dwarf
Mischievous friend- Bifur the Dwarf
Fool of a Took- Ori the Dwarf
Wizard- Gandalf the Grey
Champion- Dwalin, Champion of Erebor
Elf- Oin, Champion of Erebor
Dwarf- Gloin, Champion of Erebor
Doomed to die- Bombur, Champion of Erebor
Theme
For Tom's theme, the approach that he went for was, what if Bilbo had admitted to Gandalf what he had found in Gollum's cave. We assume that Gandalf would then have gone off to Minas Tirith as he instead did 60years later, and sets in motion the same events but earlier. This time we assume that Balin, Bifur and Ori all arrive at Bag End to escort Bilbo to Rivendell, where the other members of their Fellowship (Dwalin, Oin, Gloin and Bombur) will meet them with Gandalf, ready to go on another adventure.
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I think Bilbo is going to be very well protected on the journey to Rivendell, a couple of natural 6s with Ori's slingshot at Weathetop and they're home free. As well as that, Bifur's potential to get free heroic moves will be insanely invaluable with the lack of Aragorn.
However, Balin is not built to be a fighter so he and Bilbo will be relying heavily on stealth in their later missions (much like Frodo and Sam I suppose) as they could struggle in a fight.
The three hunter mix of Dwalin and Gloin being healed by Oin has good potential but Oin may have trouble if he gets stuck in the fighting. However, he will have a shield to keep his head above water. Gandalf will make them even worse to face while he is around.
Poor Bombur, what did he ever do... :(
Characters expected to be lost
Ori, Bilbo and Dwalin (controversial I know).
Will
Roster
Ringbearer- Frodo Baggins
Companion- Pippin, Guard of the Citadel
Mischievous friend- Damrod
Fool of a Took- Denethor
Wizard- Gandalf the Grey
Champion- Boromir, Captain of the White Tower
Elf- Faramir
Dwarf- Irolas, Captain of the Guard
Doomed to die- Hurin the Tall, Warden of the Keys
Theme
Will has gone for the simple but fun approach of Gondor being the only faction with the strength and determination to see the Ring destroyed and most definitely not locked up in the deepest vaults...probably... So they send their finest men to protect Frodo on his quest.
He also added as a footnote to me that Frodo, Pippin, Damrod and Denethor are best friends after meeting in Farmer Maggot's field, stealing his crops, as all good friendships begin.
Views
Frodo and Pippin will be an interesting duo for the approach to Mt Doom. Pippin will no doubt be displaying his new found courage that the armour gives him. While Damrod and Denethor will be a hilarious pairing and I love the idea of Denethor being carried away by the Uruk scouts yelling about how Faramir has failed him again!
The three hunters, I suspect will be very reliant on Boromir doing a lot of the heavy lifting. As while Faramir and Irolas are capable in combat, they don't match up to the standards of our arguing elf/dwarf pair. However, Irolas' block and stab will be very useful for holding up large groups.
Hurin will be a great sacrifical character, as I can see him building up a steady and impressive kill tally before being taken down.
Characters expected to be lost
Damrod, Faramir and Irolas
James
Roster
Ringbearer- Bilbo Baggins
Companion- Hamfast 'Gaffer' Gamgee
Mischievous friend- Fili the Dwarf
Fool of a Took- Kili the Dwarf
Wizard- Gandalf the Grey
Champion- Aragorn- Strider
Elf- Glorfindel
Dwarf- Faramir
Doomed to die- Balin, King of Moria
Theme
James hasn't gone for a particular theme as such but a mix of little ideas. He wanted Bilbo as his Ringbearer and decided that Balin and Gandalf would join out of their friendship to him, while Fili and Kili are capable fighters.
He says that there was no chance that Aragorn would sit out being a part of the Fellowship.
Glorfindel and Faramir have always been 'what if' members of the Fellowship to him and so were conscripted.
Hamfast must have have just used his silver tongue to get in.
Views
Bilbo and Hamfast will make a fun pairing, and the Gaffer's flowers could add an interesting new approach to protecting the Ring. Although after a while you'd start to wonder whether he cares more about its destruction or protecting his flowers...
Fili and Kili should make the early campaign a breeze for their group, with fight five and two attacks a piece against the pursuing wraiths.
The three hunters are one of the nastier of the groups that we have seen. Aragorn being Aragorn, Glorfindel being a fabled elven warrior who can take on a Balrog and Faramir backing up is not to be sniffed at.
Balin being slain would be a nasty gut punch to Bilbo due to their friendship although maybe they will have had it a little soured, if Balin has made a little grab for the Ring...
Characters expected to be lost
Faramir, Kili and Fili
Vince
Roster
Ringbearer- Smeagol
Companion- Farmer Maggot
Mischievous friend- Baldo Tulpenny
Fool of a Took- Will Whitfoot
Wizard- Saruman the White
Champion- King Theoden
Elf- Elrond
Dwarf- Dain, Lord of the Iron Hills
Doomed to die- Grima Wormtongue
Theme
Vince enjoys using Hobbits and so it's no real surprise that he has three in his Fellowship. He also unintentionally rallied many of the leaders of various races together, since he has five.
Views
There is a lot of strength in this Fellowship, Theoden, Dain, Elrond and Saruman are not to be sniffed at. While Grima's interference will be a problem for their opponents until fate catches him. Smeagol and Farmer Maggot being the pair destined to go all the way to Mount Doom will increase their numbers by more than double and give them great opportunities. While we can only imagine what Will and Baldo will get up to.
Characters expected to be lost
Theoden, Will Whitfoot and Elrond.
Kieran
Roster
Ringbearer- Frodo Baggins
Companion- Samwise Gamgee
Mischievous friend- Damrod
Fool of a Took- Aldor
Wizard- Galadriel
Champion- Aragorn- Strider
Elf- Haldir
Dwarf- Gwaihir
Doomed to die- Theodred
Theme
Kieran tells us that his main goal was that he wanted Gwaihir involved, particularly with the benefit he'll receive from Galadriel's gift... Frodo and Sam are such an iconic duo that he was reluctant to change them, while Damrod and Aldor are nice cheap heroes with bows, meaning that they can sit back and shoot. Galadriel is there simply for her evolution in the second act. Theodred seems like an appropriate sacrificial character. And Aragorn because well Aragorn...
Views
Kieran has concocted a nasty little mix of heroes. He'll have four shots a turn with this group with plenty of rerolls once all the bonuses are in effect. Galadriel is destined to become a terrifying entity with her rebirth and Gimli has grown massively, sprouted feathers and gained monstrous charge (Just like he always should have been). Theodred should also be a good solid hero to fill Boromir's shoes. Plus, we know that Frodo and Sam are capable of destroying the Ring together.
Characters expected to be lost
Damrod, Haldir and Galadriel.
As everyone has played each scenario, I'll do a post with details such as highlights for each. Who (if anyone) claimed the fabled 'Fool of a Took' prize and why as well as whether they were victorious or not.
Look forward to seeing where this goes!
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