# 01 Introduction

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## Foreword

Fantasy role playing is akin to a living novel where the players are the main characters. Under the guidance of a referee, or “Gamemaster,” each player guides his or her character and, in the process, helps to write a new story. Each game is a new and unique adventure.

This work is part of a series designed as a flexible tool for Gamemasters who wish to introduce major characters from The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings into their fantasy games. ICE’s Lords of Middle-earth is a three-volume compendium of the major characters found in the remarkable works of J.R.R. Tolkien. A game supplement, it is a statistical reference for use with most major fantasy role playing games.

This supplement is based on extensive research and attempts to meet the high standards associated with the Tolkien legacy. Rational linguistic, cultural, and geological data are employed. Interpretive material has been included with great care and fits into defined patterns and schemes. ICE does not intend it to be the sole view; instead, we hope to give the reader the thrust of the creative processes behind, and nature of, each character.

This is an authorized secondary work. It is specifically based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and it has been developed so that no conflict exists with any of the other primary publications. Of course, always remember that the ultimate sources of information are the works of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Posthumous publications edited by his son Christopher shed additional light on the world of Middle-earth.

## Using Lords of Middle-earth

This volume of Lords of Middle-earth is divided into three parts:

- **(Chapter 02) Guidelines** · A section devoted to abbreviations, a citation key, and notes on converting statistics and adapting this work to any major fantasy role playing game;
- **(Chapters 03 to 06) Race Sections** · Sections describing the general character and principal individuals of the races covered by this work; and
- **(Chapter 07) High Level Characters** · A section providing a sampling of stats and bonuses for typical high-level characters, together with guidelines for generating and handling high level characters in a fantasy role playing game.

