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NNeewwss FFrroomm BBrreeee The Official Middle-earth™ PBM Newsletter Issue 32, December ‘06 “Strange as News from New Rules Released! Bree…” The Lord of the Rings Chapter 9 Well, it has been a long time coming. But, scattered across a variety of modules, after several years hard (or at least, websites and information sheets. We have sporadic) work, we are proud to announce also designed it to be easily updatable, so the release of a new comprehensive Middle- that changes and additions can be made The Talk at the earth rulebook: the Middle-earth Guide. without alteration to the essential format and Prancing Pony… structure. Good news for us, and good news Featured Articles Some thought for you in that, New Rules Released! Page 1 that this day once you have would never found your come. During way round it, Picture this Part II: Page 2 the long hours you will not Middle-earth c.TA 1650 of debate about have to learn to Easterlings: Page 4 just what do so again The Patsy Neutral? should go with every new where, the version! Maiden Voyage Page 5 months of Part II editing, and the In addition, Tolkien’s Parish: The Page 6 periods when, and arguably Canonical Middle-earth well, it just had most to sit in the importantly Fourth Age: Page 10 back of the since it weighs The Kingdoms office because in at well over Dawning of the Page 11 no one could 300 pages, it Fourth Age face looking at the Guide is the combat designed to be J.R.R. Tolkien Part II: Page 14 His Writing equation yet viewed either again, the task online or on a seemed an computer, and Regular Columns impossible is easily- Games Starting Soon & Page 3 one. But now, navigable Face to Face News thanks to staff, through Hall of Fame: Page 9 players and comprehensive Game Winners copious bookmarks. In quantities of addition, each A-Z: Page 10 coffee, the section Gandalf Guide is finally features Player Ratings Page 18 ready. ‘further reading’ advice, detailing where related information to the section can be Why call it a Guide? Well, because it is found in the Guide. Middle-earth PBM more than just a rulebook. For as well as Middle-earth PBM is a turn-based including the full rules for all modules, it The Guide is available for free from our strategic game set in the world of also contains a wealth of new material and website: Tolkien’s Middle-earth. For more details, please take a look at our information, including: www.middleearthgames.com/materials.html website: www.middleearthgames.com So please, take a look, and we hope you find Starting Nation Information it useful. Featured Artist Fourth Age Design Rules Jeff, from Feebleminds. Economic Advice Finally, you will notice that there is one Visit his site at: Examples covering all aspects of play final, thankless task to be undertaken, http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/ Detailed ‘at a glance’ charts and tables namely that of turning the thousands of Much more! further reading suggestions into active hyperlinks. Now I cannot imagine why Attribution The Rules of War article published Essentially, it is designed to be a single anyone would volunteer to help with this, last issue was by Chelsey Coughlin. source, containing everything you need to but if you are willing to do so, please get in play Middle-earth that was, previously, touch! Page 1 of 20 Picture This Part II: Middle-earth Circa T.A. 1650 By Michael Martinez Preamble distant city markets. Only J.R.R. Tolkien knew what he thought Middle-earth should look like. Most people associate Middle-earth with medieval Tharbad itself would have to have had farms and orchards in the Europe, but there is little agreement on which part of Europe at near vicinity, but the city may have experienced an exodus of what period of time. This series of articles suggests some ways people, both from fear of the Plague and for lack of food. As Tolkien might have depicted his Middle-earth Circa T.A. 1650. farms were emptied by death, Tharbad's citizens would have to Tolkien often described himself as a Classicist, but in his view a face the choice of slow starvation or relocating to empty lands to Classicist was anyone concerned with history and literature from start anew. Some support from the river itself would have been before the modern era (which began around the time Columbus possible, but it seems obvious that Tharbad would have begun its reached America). By his own admission, Tolkien drew long decline with the Great Plague. inspiration for Middle-earth from The Bible, ancient Egypt, Greek mythology, Anglo-Saxon poetry, Finnish poetry, Norse In Minhiriath, where thousands of years before a great forest had mythology, and events from his own lifetime. As numerous once stood, the empty lands were now open plains. Tolkien researchers have shown, Tolkien was probably also influenced indicates there were once settlements along the Baranduin river, by Babylonian traditions, Greek history, French history, Celtic but the region does not seem to have held any strategic or history and folklore, and American ethnology. economic importance for mid-Third Age Arnor. Across the Baranduin in Eryn Vorn a few descendants of the ancient "By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by Gwathuirim still lived much as their ancestors would have done: understanding he set the heavens in place" isolated families eking out an existence on small farms, --Proverbs 3:19, NIV supplemented by hunting. In the aftermath of the Great Plague, Arnor's culture would have Dunland's situation must have been radically altered. It is been greatly diminished. Outside of Tharbad, there appear to probable that Tolkien envisioned small villages throughout have been few survivors among Cardolan's people. Cardolan Dunland for much of the Third Age. The Dunlendings were had been closely allied with Arthedain since the War of 1409 continually expanding and coming into conflict with their because – presumably – the last of Cardolan's leaders had neighbours. By the time Eorl led his people to settle in perished in that war. The Kings of Arthedain by the time of the Calenardhon, for example, Dunlendings had settled throughout Great Plague had reclaimed authority over both Cardolan and the valley of the River Adorn in western Calenardhon. Post- Rhudaur, which no longer existed as an independent kingdom. Plague Dunlending culture probably expanded to include portions of Gondor near the Adorn, as well as portions of the Tharbad was a seat of royal authority, and housed a garrison of Ered Nimrais. soldiers from both Arnor and Gondor. When the Great Plague struck the western lands in 1636, Gondor withdrew its garrisons The Dunlendings may have tolerated the Stoor community that from the borders it had long defended. Tharbad's southern forts had settled close to Tharbad, but after the Great Plague no more were probably abandoned, perhaps at least partially dismantled, Hobbits lived in Dunland. When Gondor withdrew its troops and the Gondorian soldiers either died or returned home. If the from Tharbad, similar reductions in garrisons may also have ancient bridge built by Valandil or his heirs was still standing, it been made at Angrenost and Aglarond. The fortresses on the would have made sense for Arnor to let it fall into disrepair or western side of Calenardhon were almost certainly built to even to destroy it at this time. defend the region against incursions from Dunland and Enedwaith. The community at Aglarond would eventually move Cardolan itself would have seemed desolate, and almost like a north to merge with the community at Angrenost, and in time the landscape denuded by war. Whole villages and farmsteads must Dunlendings would infiltrate and seize Angrenost, using it as a have been wiped out by the Plague. However, the border base from which to attack Rohan. defences Arnor maintained against Angmar must also have been weakened. For why else would Sauron or the Lord of the Dunlendings probably had a clan- or family-based culture where Nazgul have felt capable of sending evil creatures to inhabit the local leaders met occasionally to set policy and work out barrows of Tyrn Gorthad only at this time? Let us assume, disputes. This low level of cooperation would have resulted in therefore, that the border from Weathertop to Rhudaur was the kinds of migratory expansions the Dunlendings experienced. probably only poorly defended. As the Dunlending population grew, clans and families would pick up and leave, seeking new lands to settle. The Misty The Greenway from Tharbad to Bree would still have been Mountains impeded eastward expansion, and Arnor's garrison at maintained, and perhaps a few farms remained along this vital Tharbad impeded northward expansion. So the Dunlendings pathway. The most likely families to have survived the Plague would have to migrate south. would have followed the ancient lifestyle Tolkien described for the Folk of Haleth in Brethil. Like Beorn in the Vales of Anduin, these families would have maintained self-sufficient farms with little interaction with outsiders. They would have been reclusive, perhaps producing little or no surplus for sale in Page 2 of 20 Games Starting Soon Much like Scotland in ancient times and the stayed behind and one group which sought The following new games are filling early Medieval period, Dunland may have out new lands. In practice, Celtic migrations up, so if you wish to play, get in become divided into two sub-cultures. The probably were led by charismatic figures touch! [Bracketed dates give the date deeper hills and highlands may have who recruited followers from more than one the game started filling up.] harboured insular clans with little interest in tribe.