In this review we want to tell you about Ruins of the Lost Realm, a setting module for The One Ring. The second edition of the highly acclaimed role-playing game dedicated to The Lord of the Rings delves into the lonely lands of southern Eriador. Over a period of renewed attention to the Tolkenian work, we thank Free League for providing us with a digital copy of this volume.
You can find the manual for sale on the official Free League store. At the price of 398 crowns, just over 36 euros, the physical version is available. Along with the whole range of products and accessories for The One Ring created by Free League, of course. If you are interested in the game but you don’t know it yet, you can read our review before going on.

Review Ruins of the Lost Realm: the Handbook
The manual is adequate to the very high standards that Free League has always accustomed us to. 127 pages laid out neatly without sacrificing style: each one recalls an ancient tome, perfectly matching the vibes of the game. The illustrations (by the team of artists that includes Antonio De Luca) are a delight for the eyes; and above all, they perfectly give the reader the atmosphere that the text wants to convey.
The maps, of which the manual abounds due to the nature of the module, are simple but very clear. And they manage to be an added value from an aesthetic point of view, because they really seem taken from the game context. This is a work that from the first glance denotes not only its graphic care, but also the attention paid to the atmosphere. After all we are talking about of the perfect marriage between RPG and Tolkien and the atmosphere is everything.

A Dutiful Premise
After Arvedui the North-kingdom ended,
for the Dúnedain were now few
and all the peoples of Eriador diminished
As anticipated, the manual expands the setting to southern Eriador. But with a fundamental premise: it is an area whose history is not among those to which Tolkien has devoted the most attention. Too often at the margins of the narrative (focused on more important events), the region has just a few references in the original work.
For this reason Gareth Harnrahan and his team of authors decided to include a lot of original material in this supplement. Obviously these are ideas designed to offer a gaming experience that is absolutely compatible with the vibes of Middle-earth. In addition to having a precise fit with its lore. But it is important to know that Ruins of the Lost Realm, when necessary, is forced to add material not present in Tolkien’s books, not even in those published posthumously.

Review of the Contents of Ruins of the Lost Realm
The manual is divided into three main chapters.
In Fog over Eriador the most important places in Eriador are presented; vast wildernesses and cities, dwarf halls and ruins. Enough for any kind of adventure.
A Gathering Storm is instead the chapter dedicated to the presentation of the threats that can be found in these territories. They are many and well diversified: an inexhaustible series of ideas. Note that each opponent (and each faction) has its own history with relative chronology. Since here too there is original material, the authors created alternatives potentially in conflict with each other: it is up to the game master to choose the version that he deems most appropriate for his campaign.
Landmarksit deals with “landmarks”; locations more restricted than those of the first chapter, in which you can move with relative ease. Each of these landmarks, a hallmark of The One Ring, offers what you need to lead an adventure of its own. A complete package of maps, hooks and NPCs ready to use, already placed on the map of the region.
Finally we find a short appendix with optional rules, and a series of errata tables for the basic manual of The One Ring.

Fog over Eriador
The first chapter of Ruins of the Lost Realm opens with a description of the city of Tharbad; an outpost that almost forgot its glory days, now struggling not to vanish entirely. It is an ancient place, dating back to the First Era, constantly on the verge of vanishing. Yet today a new Captain has claimed it, trying to bring it back to its ancient splendor. Articulated and full of hooks, Tharbad can be a refuge as well as a pitfall for heroes. And it can offer a game that goes from the dark alleys to the courtyard with surprising ease.
The Swanfleet are swamps inhabited by savage men, driven from their ancestral lands when the Numenoreans needed new territories to escape the grip of Sauron. It is a land of contradictions, hard and inhabited by tough people, but at the same time able to provide hospitality and solidarity to the most unfortunate.
Lond Daer is a settlement that, over the centuries, has known as many fortunes as misfortunes. After being forgotten for a long time, it is returning to shine, especially thanks to the commitment of Nimue, its new ruler. Few shining buildings and many others decidedly more humble, Lond Daer lives to the rhythm of the tides; and when the waters recede, the mysteries of the ancient kings re-emerge.

Review of the Other Locations of Ruins of the Lost Realm
Harmlet’s Dwarf-halls are the great underground halls that the dwarves have chosen to inhabit under the Blue Mountains. Once the iron mining veins have been exhausted, they started to look for gold. And the dwarves, you know, have a particular weakness for sparkling metal.
Three other locations close the chapter. The Ruins of Cardolan, a third of an ancient kingdom now forgotten, hold ancient memories and not all are pleasant to bring back to the surface. Eryn Vorn Forest is one of the last green areas that the men who came from the sea failed to dent, also because it is protected by the mysterious and dangerous Tree Men. Finally, the Lone-lands of Minhiriath are close to the inhabited lands of Bree and the Shire; but these wastelands are not entirely uninhabited, and Rangers constantly guard their borders to prevent the dangers residing there from spreading elsewhere.

A Gathering Storm
The first threat presented in Ruins of the Lost Realm is the Black Numenoreans. Those who succumbed to the Enemy’s lure and became first allies and then slaves still inhabit these lands, and carry out Sauron’s plans with meticulous efficiency. Commanders and soldiers of this dark lineage are presented with compelling factsheets and stories, ready to serve as a backdrop to an adventure as well as a complement to a more articulated and planned campaign.
The White Hand of Saruman is perhaps the most particular faction among those present in the game. This is because the sorcerer is not yet the adversary that the heroes will face at the end of the Third Age. He is certainly on the verge of becoming one, but he is still on the side of Good. At this moment Saruman can be as much a mentor to the group as a hindrance. He has his own agenda, and he has no hesitation in pursuing it, but at the moment he just wants to understand the Enemy’s weapons to fight him, not to increase his own personal power.
The Dunlending are instead the members of a nomadic barbarian population. Violent slavers, in recent years their raids have become increasingly aggressive, pushing again as far as the city of Tharbad. Ivoch the Boneless, their current King, has been characterized since childhood by his tenacious ruthlessness, and there is no chance of making him desist from his intentions.
Finally, there are other threats presented in this chapter, to which less space is dedicated but not for this reason to be underestimated. Greyflood’s water serpent, for example, or the spirits awakened from their graves north of Minhiriath. The mines of Moria still hold their secrets, and the decline of these lands now seems impossible to stop.

Review of the Landmarks of Ruins of the Lost Realm
The third chapter of the manual offers twelve ready-to-play scenarios. Their structure is similar: each of these “landmarks” is presented first through the rumors that circulate about it, and then through the historical knowledge that one may have of the place. After these two introductions of purely in-game knowledge, the manual presents the background of the scenario, deepening its history and all the events that determine its current development. Then we can read about the locations, which are described with essential but not poor traits, and accompanied by an abundance of maps.
Finally, the plot in progress in the landmark and the possible problems that can be encountered are analyzed. Special text boxes tell more about the NPCs to meet or some particular aspects of the region. Particularly in some landmarks it is possible to find characterizing elements of the setting, such as the famous Palantir brought to Middle-earth by the Numenoreans. Then ancient restless ghosts, which cannot always be faced; or in any case, not always doing it is the right choice. On the contrary, beasts distorted by the powers of the Enemy are adversaries that can only be killed, beyond any form of redemption.
Lost elves, greedy dwarves, humans sometimes proud and sometimes corrupt, violent orcs and even an heir to Ungoliant, the monstrous spider servant of Morgoth. The Landmarks of Ruins of the Lost Realm represent the spark that allows you to transform the scenarios presented in the first section of the manual into a real Adventure, as intended by Tolkien.

Conclusions of the Ruins of the Lost Realm Review
The One Ring is a unique game. Free League means quality, but also in its catalog this roleplaying game takes a position outside the box. The type of adventures proposed is in fact the most classic possible in fantasy, the heroes fighting against the signs of the advancing darkness. And they do it in very traditional adventures, including dungeons and maps. Yet for mechanics and style of approach to the game, it is at the same time a game with an extremely modern design.
No contradictions, just a very remarkable result; Ruins of the Lost Realm helps take it to the next level. The original elements inserted in the narration do not spoil the Tolkenian atmospheres at all, on the contrary they respect them perfectly. They allow you to explore the same themes in new stories, giving great importance to the heroes’ decisions. Once again, Free League gives us a gaming experience that is absolutely highly recommended for everyone.