Playing The One Ring RPG in “Strider Mode”

A few months ago I wrote a review of a relatively new TTRPG (table-top role playing game) called The One Ring by Swedish company Free League Publishing.

Since that time, I’ve been having a fun time playing this game in “strider mode” or solo mode. This is named after the iconic character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn, who often went by the dubious nickname “Strider” despite his royal heritage.

I play a session of The One Ring, often at night when my son is asleep, for an hour or two, a couple times a week. I enjoy bookkeeping my own progress, deciding where to travel next in Middle-earth and so on.

This post is a guide on how to get started, tips for play, and so on.

How Does Strider Mode Work?

Strider Mode means that you are both the Loremaster and also the sole player. The idea is that your character has enough grit and resolve to go adventuring alone, and so for 95% of the game rules, everything stays the same. The other 5% is mostly slight alterations to character creation process to make a solo play more feasible:

• The TN difficulty is 18 minus attribute (18 – Wits for example), instead of 20 minus attribute.
• If you spend a hope point, it is automatically inspired, so you get two extra d6 dice, not just one.
• Fellowship points are (iirc) fixed at 3.

Because you are your own Loremaster, the Strider Mode resources (listed below) give lots of really handy tables for helping set the scene, or deciding why something might turn out a certain way. These tables are your best friend in Strider mode. Once I realized what these tables did, I found my story-telling experience in Strider mode got a lot better.

How Do I Play Strider Mode?

Strider Mode only requires a two things:

• The core rulebook for The One Ring, 2nd edition. There is a PDF version in DriveThruRPG, and also the physical book. Personally, the print quality of the book is really nice, so it is worth it if you can afford it. Also, if you order the physical books through Free League Publishing’s site, you get a voucher to get the PDF anyway.
• The Strider Mode PDF available on DriveThruRPG. This is indispensible, but also very affordable.
• D12s and D6 dice, or better yet, use the specially printed One Ring ones to make life easier.

Optional, but recommended:

• The character sheet PDFs, downloadable from the publisher website.
• Blank journey log sheets, also downloadable from the publisher. You will go through these fast, so print several, or keep a nice log book instead. I have an old engineering sketch book (the kind with grid paper), and it’s a great tool for recording travel.

Tips for Strider Mode Play

I have played a couple characters so far, a Dwarf (mentioned in my last review), and an Elf from Lindon, but so far I’ve noticed some play patterns that help your character succeed.

First, make sure you invest sufficient skill points in skills you’ll need for traveling. This includes Travel, but also Explore, Awareness, and Hunting. Since you are solely responsible for your own welfare in the wild lands, you need to know how to survive each challenge. I nearly lost Frar my dwarf after a nasty fall in the Blue Mountains. For my Elf, I spent too many points in Song and Lore, and not enough in Hunting.

Second, combat is extra difficult. My Elf, Belegon of Lindon, has had three combat encounters, and failed two of them. The first time he fell unconscious and was robbed by bandits. He also had to retreat from a battle with undead Marsh Dwellers. Since The One Ring doesn’t depend on combat like D&D, you should be more considerate about whether to engage in battle or not. Because one bad roll by one monster is enough to put you out. Just like real life, if you think about it. Also, make good use of the skirmish combat feature exclusive to Strider Mode, and make sure you have a ranged weapon.

Third, be frugal in how you travel. Without help from other party members, you have to be careful about how much load you carry, because fatigue can add up fast. This also means it’s a good idea, just in like in real life, to pace yourself in travel, travel smaller distances between towns if you can, etc.

Fourth, get to know the extra tables in the Strider Mode PDF. The Telling Table is a handy way of answering “yes or no” questions that the Loremaster would normally answer. The Oracle tables are a great way to answer “why” or “how” questions: how this elven cloak ended up in a hoard, why the bandits broke camp unexpectedly, and so on. These aren’t required, but they’re all handy narrating tools, so use them as you see fit.

Finally, treat your character the way you’d treat yourself: don’t hesitate to give them some much needed break during a Fellowship phase to research, socialize with characters, undo shadow points, etc.

Conclusion

Strider mode is a great way to experience The One Ring RPG at your own pace, play at as much or at little as you want. Having a fellowship with other players is a really great experience, and The One Ring emphasizes the importance of fellowship and kindred spirits (which is really nice), but even Strider mode lets you have a lot of fun too, especially in side quests or adventures where you get to explore, rather than hack and slash. The expansion books such as Realms of the Three Rings provide many nice, short, introduction adventures that are low-risk, but nicely suited for a lone adventurer.

Happy Adventuring!