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Critical Update 09/22/06
Mae Govannen. I would like to welcome all those who have come to visit here. Though it has been quiet for some time, things are beginning to stir once again. On the anniversary of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins I would like to mark this special time by making an announcement: I'm back!
There are some positives that do occur when you step away from a project that allow for a wealth of ideas and opinions to set in. So with that said you will come to find that over the course of the next three months a number of revisions on Hither Lands will take place. The end result is to produce a complete roleplaying game for adventuring in Middle-earth.
Keep both eyes on news of forthcoming updates and information. |
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Critical Update
06/25/04
It is done!
You can grab the teaser character generation chapter
from Hither Lands here
(2.0 MB pdf).
Please discuss the teaser pdf in the Hither
Lands Message Boards.
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Update 06/24/04
Long time no update, folks ... but we
have been busy!
I have sent the current release candidate
for the character generation teaser chapter to Val and
I'm currently waiting for his approval. As soon as I
have it, the .pdf will go online - most probably tomorrow.
It is a 19 page fully-layouted .pdf and
comprises the complete first chapter of Hither Lands
(even though the .pdf says "Chapter Two" -
this is a typo I have caught just now:). The size is
roughly 2 MB. As soon as it goes online, I will announce
it here:)
Speaking of the full version of Hither
Lands, the book is currently 109 pages long (including
the title page); however the last 30 pages (history
& geography section) contain just a single piece
of artwork at the moment (I`m waiting for some more
text before I begin placing artwork into the section
for real) - so that section will increase dramatically
in size shortly.
Chapter two, Archetypes, is in its infancy
- the templates are currently written up while I'm figuring
out the layout for that chapter. Addionally, chapters
eleven and twelve (Allies & Enemies) are also unfinished
- in the end I expect the finished product to have no
less than 150 pages ...
So stay tuned! |
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Update 04/22/04
Val asked me to post a preview image of
the sample character sheet used in the Character Creation
Guide of Hither Lands. And so here she is - Beraenil,
Daughter of Herenil and Meiana ... |
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As you can see, the sheet is slightly different from
the posted one; I'm still not completely happy with
it yet, but I think it has already improved from the
first version.
If you want to take a closer look, you can do so here
(PDF, 257 kb).
Another news, for those who haven't already read it
in the forum, I have finished the main layout for the
next generation pdf, but we are still correcting some
sections and expanding others. So while I'm fiddling
with the character sheet and hunting the net for additional
graphics for Hither Lands, Val together with Malcom,
Dave and Neil are busy writing new chapters that will
also appear in the pdf (among them the notorious character
generation guide and chapters about starting
gear and a brief overwiew of Middle-earth). |
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Update 04/03/04
Val has sent me a new version of the Hither
Lands rules containing several label changes; they have
been incorporated into the online version. I have also
changed the character sheet accordingly. My time during
the last month was limited so I have made little progress
on the preview .pdf ... it should be finished soon,
but I have no ETA when the first version will be downloadable. |
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Update 03/05/04
A first sign of the new edition of Hither
Lands rears its head: the Character Sheet. Grab
it here. |
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Update 03/03/04
The most recent update corrects the spelling
of Ardour and changes Lot to Luck;
the Shoot skill has also been renamed to Fire.
Most notable however, is the inclusion of skill descriptions,
a Renown mechanic and a section on Further
Perils as well as short Healing rules.
More extensive healing rules are slated for a sunday
update, so watch this space ;)
Discuss the changes in the Hither
Lands Message Boards. |
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And now for something completely different,
the future:
just to let you know what I am currently
up to (apart from the recent update of the online version),
I have begun work on the new pdf version of Hither
Lands. I hope you all like the new look ... Here
is a little preview of the current cover for the new
Acrobat Version:
And this is how the interior is going
to look like:
Discuss the new look in the Hither
Lands Message Boards. |
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There have been a number
of attempts to design a system that allows those to adventure
in the wonderful realm J.R.R. Tolkien created, this is
but another one. The effort of Hither Lands
is to keep that journey as close to the true spirit set
in the texts of Middle-earth. A system cannot dominate
this place, it must be as transparent as a roleplaying
design can be, thus to prevent the rules from overbearing
the setting. The motive here is not for profit or personal
gain, only to seek out the highest standards for the greatest
of all fantasy settings. It is
not the intention, nor the endeavor of Hither
Lands to disparage the creative works
found in the LotR RPG from Decipher.
As an official product that game is bound to legal license
and therefore is limited in scope and context. The creative
freedom of being an unofficial game is that it does
not have to adhere to these restrictions.
Within these pages you will find the
basic information required to roleplay in Middle-earth.
This is the teaser version of Hither Lands
and not the final product. There are still some issues
to work out and it is an opportunity for you to make
an overall impact on the final version of the system.
A few friends, some pens and paper, and at least one
twelve-sided (d12) are all that is required to get started.
One fortunate individual is responsible
for the overall management of the game. Not an easy
task, but certainly rewarding and enjoyable if the effort
is put in to run a worthy campaign. A Gamemaster must
describe the happenings of the world around the players
and control the actions which will occur from encounters
with friend or foe. The other players form the Fellowship
and join together characters they have created to battle
against the forces who oppose them. |
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There are those of noble heart who have
stood steadfast against the forces of darkness never wavering
in the face of such vile wickedness. Middle-earth has
always been a place for heroes. It is a land like no other;
one that captivates as if magic was truly woven into its
elegant prose and verses. These Hither Lands have been
a place of awe and wonder to all those who have chosen
wander its narrative roads.
Here you will find adventure and drama
set against a beautiful backdrop of lilting, evocative
songs, poems, and vignettes. A place where moral, heartfelt
messages are entwined with storied histories, cultures,
and languages that waits to be discovered again and
again.
What has made Middle-earth so beloved
is the manner in which Tolkien seamlessly crafted a
classic struggle between good and evil. An epic work
of fantasy fiction, that is at the same time, so believable.
It is a place of vivid imagination that is both awe
inspiring and often times terrible to behold. It is
Light and Shadow. A world where the Children of Ilúvatar
– immortal wise Elves, stout stalwart Dwarves,
simple amiable Hobbits and the brave moreover passionate
Race of Men wage battle against the foul spawn of Dark
Lord Melkor – cruel Orcs, massive Trolls, ominous
Dragons, and terrible Balrogs.
It is here where you will have the chance
to storm into the First Age, with the Wars of Beleriand,
and aid the Host of Valinor in the overthrow of Morgoth.
Overcome the dark years of the Second Age, and bring
glory to Numenor in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves.
Answer the call of the Wise to see the One Ring unmade
as the Third Age draws to a close in the Great Years.
Sail with the light of hope into the Fourth Age to face
new dangers and the yet unknown threat of the New Shadow.
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Hither Lands is a completely unofficial site and
is in no way affiliated with Decipher Inc., New Line Cinema, Tolkien
Enterprises or the Estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose rights are fully
acknowledged. Unless specifically indicated, Hither Lands in no
way claims the artwork displayed to be our own. Copyrights and trademarks
for the names, items and events from the books, films, articles,
and other promotional materials are held by their respective owners
and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright
Law. Hither Lands design and original artwork however are copyrighted
under © 2004 Studio XII. Fundamental game design is copyrighted
as © 2004 Lucid System.
Contact: vgunn@operamail.com
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