Trials Of Saruman Officially Revisits The War Of The Ring

It’s a good time to be a fan of The Lord of the Rings. With multiple new movies on the horizon, a show on Amazon, and a new open-world RPG announced so far, returning to Middle-earth has never felt easier. Now, LOTR fans have the perfect reason to revisit the War of the Ring with a special focus on Saruman’s role and everything that led up to the treason of Isengard.

Available to pre-order from Free League Publishing, Trials of Saruman is a new supplement to The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. This is compatible with D&D 5e rules, but it contains similar mechanics and world-building as Free League’s The One Ring RPG, which is also excellent. The One Ring RPG‘s version of Trials of Saruman, called Hands of the White Wizard, is also releasing this month. Depending on which ruleset you prefer, you can pick up either (or both) to enjoy.

Six Adventures, All Compatible With D&D 5e

The book begins by giving a roleplaying overview of Saruman the White, along with information players will need while in service to him. There’s also details on Isengard and other locations, as well as backgrounds for both Isengard and the White Wizard. There’s an Index in the back, which is immensely helpful. The bulk of the book, however, involves various adventures that put Saruman front and center.

Trials of Saruman features six adventures, taking place from 2965 to the beginning of the War of the Ring. In some adventures, you and your party will serve the White Wizard, while in others you may be tasked with keeping a close eye on him. All of this translates into an intriguing look at one of The Lord of the Ring‘s best antagonists that allows fans to roleplay through J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

The adventures included in Trials of Saruman are:

1. The Beast of Dunland
2. The Sea-Prince of the Shore
3. The Disaster of Gladden Fields
4. There Let Them Lie Until The End
5. The Quest of Moria
6. The Ithil-Stone

You can play the adventures in order, which is what I’d recommend, or take them on as one-shots or shorter sessions. The adventures are designed in such a way that you’re able to see Saruman before the treason of Isengard and, depending on how you play, you’ll eventually even be able to stop him from becoming corrupted, altering the events of The Lord of the Rings forever. This concept alone should make it an ideal RPG for LOTR fans.

As you can likely tell by the adventure titles, you won’t just be resigned to hanging around Isengard. A number of iconic locations, items, and enemies from The Lord of the Rings are found within each chapter. For GMs, there are even a few surprises you can toss in along the way.

For players, the first chapter is designed for 3rd–5th level characters. As you progress through the adventure scenarios, you’ll naturally need to be at a higher level. The final adventure, “The Ithil-Stone,” is meant for 7th level characters.

Follow The Corruption Of Saruman In Middle-earth

As with everything in The Lord of the Rings RPG 5e, there’s great attention to detail. A good example of this is the way the book handles Isengard. On top of pages about its backstory, there’s also a map with detailed locations. You’re also given key information on Saruman’s servants, guards, and others you might find around the property.

If you’re playing this as a campaign (and again, that’s what I would recommend), you’ll notice that Isengard changes over the course of the story. Saruman does as well, mostly through corruption. As Saruman gets +1 Shadow, he’ll perform different actions. Some of these alter the property, and others offer a foreboding look into what may happen if Saruman reaches Shadow 16+.

Everything about Trials of Saruman feels perfect for LOTR fans. Whether you’re a fan of Tolkien’s works, love the Peter Jackson films, or both, you should enjoy everything being offered here.

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien