ISSN: 1081-8359 The International Journal for Middle-earth Gaming Issue 10/11 November 1995 EDITORIAL: IN THIS ISSUE Editorial: Spreading the Word ..... 1 SPREADING Communications .............................. 3 Frontlines............................... ............ 4 THE WORD Digital Hands .................................... 5 Welcome to our second annual double issue! Among our many new subscribers we are It's been a long haul since our last issue in April, honored to include Wesley Frank, eminent The Streets of Minas Tirith ............ 6 with the completion of the Southern Gondor author of the Arnor and Shire realm modules, manuscript and other commitments hanging who heard about us from the advertisement we Some brief thoughts on magic in over me; but at last we are back, and will hope- put in the Gencon issue of The Gamer’s Connec- Middle-earth............................ 11 fully be able to stay on schedule with future tion. This is heartening, because the more active issues. (It all rests on YOUR submissions com- MERP authors we can get on the bandwagon, The Power of Spells in ing in on time, so don’t be squeamish!) the more Other Hands will be able to serve its Middle-earth .................................... 13 Anyway, there’s plenty to tell about before intended function as a forum for discussion, Scenario: we get to the introductions for this issue. debate, and presentation for honing what gets The High Cost of Living................. 17 Firstly, the Southern Gondor realm module is published by ICE. A final bit of news is that ICE FINISHED and safely in ICE’s hands! Jessica has begun to commission and actively search for All That Glitters .............................. 21 Ney-Grimm has begun editing, and we can look writers to author new MERP modules, which forward to an early 1996 release date (further means that we will (hopefully) see a lot of great An Interview with Laurie Battle .. 29 details on this and other forthcoming publica- new products coming out in the not-too-distant tions in “Frontlines” for this issue). Even better future. Map of Forochel............................... 30 news: since April the number of subscriptions And now for the introductions. To begin has reached the highest yet— 51! And the with, Fredrik Ekman, a Tolkien-related com- Product Preview: The Wizards ..... 32 number is growing every few-weeks. Thanks to puter games enthusiast, has proposed a new- Product Reviews: all of you for your continued support. column, rather appropriately dubbed “Digital The Shire................................... 33 Hands,” in which he hopes to keep us abreast of Lake-town................................. 34 the latest and the greatest products available in Rolemaster Standard Rules.. 34 that field. To be sure, this is not strict Contributors Editing Artwork Fredrik Ekman Anders Blixt Chris Seeman Sophia Caramagno Bernie Roessler Laurie Battle Alina Nemirova Submission Deadline Dirk Brandherm Chris Seeman Layout Patrick Wynne for next issue: Wesley Frank Michael Bailey & Design December 20,1995 Torquil Gault Sam Daish Lisa Disterheft Magnus Seter Gerrit Nuckton OTHER HANDS role-playing, but if you, the readers, would magic “in general,” and have moved on to talk in charge of the Harithilien material for the like (or not like) to have this as a regular fea- about magic and spells in the concrete, with a module, and his scenario “The High Cost of ture of Other Hands, let me know. Another view to practical application within a game. Living,” deals with the greed of one of the “crossover” area with Middle-earth gaming will Dirk does a close reading of some key texts in Harithilien nobility, and opens possible avenues be ICE's new line of collectible card decks The Lord of the Rings, and has come to the impor- for getting player-characters mixed up in local (following from the success of Magic: The Gath- tant conclusion that Tolkien himself appears to crime and punishment. Continuing in what ering) adapted to Tolkien's world, beginning have made some fairly precise internal distinc- might be called the “Gondorian vice” genre, with their core release (due out this Christ- tions between different kinds of magic. Anders has devised a mini-campaign set on the mas), Middle-earth: The Wizards. I have inter- For his part, Wesley has assumed the per- eastern frontiers of Harondor, in which player- viewed Coleman Charlton of ICE (the game's spective of a Gamemaster who wishes to run a characters can take part in an unexpected gold- principal designer) and have summarized the game with Tolkienian flavor while still satisfy- rush that has swept across the foothills of the substance of our discussion of the game in a ing the expectations about magic-use that most Ephel Dúath. With strong evocations of the short article in this issue. One of the ways in fantasy role-players will bring with them to American West, Anders depicts a land of rug- which this line of products will overlap with Middle-earth. From the vantage point of the ged prospectors, greedy criminals, resentful the existing MERP series will be in its use of Tolkien purist, Wesley's treatment might well natives, and corrupt Gondorian officials in “All characters, artifacts, and sites developed in the be viewed as “unorthodox;” but then again, not That Glitters.” MERP modules, accompanied by lavish new all gamers who are attracted to Tolkien's world Several of our readers have, in the past, que- artwork. are interested in meticulously adhering to holy ried me concerning Tolkien Enterprises, who We begin our larger contributions with a writ. The play's the thing, whatever style one were responsible for licensing ICE as the exclu- lengthy essay by Bernie Roessler entitled “The may prefer. sive publishers of Middle-earth role-playing Streets of Minas Tirith,” which is a response Not to be outdone, Torquil Gault returns to products. It is therefore with great pleasure that and development of some of the logistic issues our pages with a set of helpful herb and spell we are now able to offer the transcript of an raised by Anders Blixt in his article on the reference tables for those who roleplay in Mid- interview conducted with Laurie Battle, the same subject a few issues back (OH 6/7: 25). dle-earth with MERP or Rolemaster. Also as an licensing director for Tolkien Enterprises, on Whether one agrees or disagrees with Bernie’s insert we are featuring an annotatcd map of the the subject of the Middle-earth license. I'm sure analysis, I think the enduring value to be found Ice-bay of Forochel which Wesley had origi- vou will all find this of great interest, whether in such exercises is that they help uncover the nally prepared tor the Arnor module, but which or not you actually play MERP. implicit assumptions that govern rational game never made it to the final version. Jessica Ney- To round things off, we have three new design. Who knows? Perhaps we will get a Grimm has informed me that another author product reviews: of The Shire realm module, of third viewpoint on this next issue. has undertaken the task of a Forodwaith module, the Rolemaster Standard Rules, and of the Lake- In the preamble to his article, Dirk Brand- which may present a map that differs from that town citadel module. All in all, I hope that this herm anticipates your response as “Oh no, not of Wesley. Still, it will be nice to have some- double issue will measure up to the success of again an article dealing with magic in Middle- thing to carry us through the interim. its progenitor from last year, and I hope to see earth!” Indeed, we have TWO articles on Following the tradition begun last issue, we many new exciting pieces to fill the coming magic in Middle-earth this issue (the other by have printed some more adventure material January issue. Until then, happy reading! Wesley Frank). But I think that Dirk and excised from Southern Gondor due to space Wesley have both made a real advance over limitations. This issue's offerings are by Magnus Chris Seeman previous discussions of this topic in that they Seter and Anders Blixt. Magnus was have moved beyond the topic of October 31, 1995 MAE CULPA: ERRATA FOR OTHER HANDS 9 Agh! More mistakes to report. Oh well, here are the corrections... Deena McKinney-Martin > Deena McKinney [Hickman article] Glidor > Gildor Martin Runqvist > Martin Rundkvist (who is an archaeologist—not anthropologist—by trade) FINE PRINT Other Hands is an international gaming journal devoted to fantasy role-playing set in J.R.R. Tolkien's secondary world of Middle-earth. It is a quarterly, nonprofit publication welcoming submissions dealing with any aspect of gaming in the context of Tolkien's world: scenario ideas, rule suggestions, gaming product reviews, gamemastering aids, bibliographic resources, essays on Middle-earth, and whatever else our readership would like to see in print. In a word, Other Hands aims to be the definitive Tolkien-related gaming journal for a worldwide role-playing community: Within the pages of Other Hands, the interested gamer may publish materials with reference to any game mechanics he or she chooses (including Rolemaster and Middle-earth Role Playing). Such gaming material may deal with any time period ol Tolkien's world, and need not be bound to what has already seen print in Iron Crown's modules. Other Hands provides this freedom because it is a nonprofit pub- lication. Subscription rates are as follows: inside the USA—1 issue $3/4 issues $12; outside the USA—surface 1 issue $3.50/4 issues $14—air 1 issue $4.50/4 is- sues $18. Payment should be made to Chris Seeman: PO Box 1213, Novato, CA 94948, USA.