The One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm is the newest supplement to the tabletop RPG from Free League Publishing that takes players into J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. As with The One Ring RPG's Core Rulebook and Starter Set, Ruins of the Lost Realm takes place in Eriador - with 12 new points of interest and a specific focus on Tharbad. For fans of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, this presents an exciting opportunity - since locations like Tharbad got little more than a mention in those books. The new One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm is a chance to see and explore these areas, rather than retreading a lot of familiar ground.
That's not to say there's no familiar ground to cover, of course. Iconic landmarks like Weathertop have now been fleshed out more and are included here. Each of the 12 new landmarks comes with interesting lore tidbits, incentives for exploration, and interesting hooks. Talking otters at Swanfleet (a personal favorite) and a ghost bird roaming the forest also means there's more to see than the usual dwarves, elves, and orcs.
Tharbad is the largest location included in The One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm, and the once-prosperous city has fallen into disrepair. The NPCs and side stories are intriguing and can serve as a bit of a hub for players exploring the other new landmarks included in the supplement. And while most of this book is focused on adding locations to The One Ring RPG, the Appendix also includes alternate rules the Loremaster can utilize.
In many ways, The One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm is just what the tabletop RPG needed. The One Ring Starter Set primarily focused on hobbits and The Shire, which meant a more light-hearted adventure. There's still plenty of lightheartedness to be found here (depending on the Loremaster, of course) but there's also a greater sense of lurking danger. There can be places of general safety - such as the Ranger-Haven - but there are also darker, grittier locations like Fort Arlas.
And that's really what makes Ruins of the Lost Realm work so well - there's a lot of variety. From diving into dwarven mines to hanging out in elvish havens, island-hopping around the Shrouded Islets to climbing through the enormous Tree of Sorrow, there's a little something for everyone, no matter what kind of environments they prefer to explore. Of course, there's still plenty of fan service, too. Because of the placement here on The Lord of the Rings' timeline, the White Hand of Saruman is one of the new narrative points and characters like Gandalf have chances of appearing. The One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm is an excellent supplement that should have a lot of fans excited for what the TTRPG does next. It's a must-buy.
Screen Rant was provided with a copy of The One Ring: Ruins of the Lost Realm for the purpose of this review. The book is available now.
