For Whom The Die Rolls
Slightly Silly Variant for Map T
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For Whom The Die Rolls
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I designed the Middle Earth Railway Rivals map ('T' for Tolkien) way back in 1980, and published the instructions for making your own copy in issue 22 of Griffin. I was quite surprised to come across a printed copy of the map a few year's later, drawn up by Rip Gooch if my memory serves me correctly. I discovered even later that David Watts had produced a trial map using my design. There were a few changes and omissions:
Not that any of these points affected things greatly. Forlindon is on the extreme west coast and nobody in their right mind was going to build out there anyway, and few people consider building in the mountains worth it either.
Shortly after starting For Whom The Die Rolls I discovered that the Middle Earth map was one of the top ten maps for postal games. Now, having opened a list for this map, Jim Reader mentioned the Slightly Silly Variant. I had to know more, and he sent me the details. It's grown way beyond any expectations. They've even made a film of the map, due out any day now...
I decided that the best way for me to avoid losing the rules for this variant is to publish them, so here they are, 21 years after the map itself. My thanks to those who created them (credits are at the end).
The normal rules of RR apply except where modified below. This variant uses the Middle Earth map (T) and requires standard (20:10) scoring. At the start of the game the Palantir and Character cards (A-KS and A-5D) are randomly placed in eighteen towns on the map, excluding the start towns. No more than one Palantir or Character card should be placed in a single town.
Players start the game as normal, with no event cards, and draw one event card at the end of each turn (the Ring counts as an event). Palantir and Character cards are picked up when a player builds into a town where a card was placed at the start of the game. A player may not begin a turn with more than three cards - the excess must be played or discarded.
All cards are kept secret and may be played on anyone, traded, sold or discarded, with the exception of Sauron. The player who picks up Sauron becomes the Dark Power (note: this card does not count towards the three card limit). The Dark Power may not play or keep any Character card except Gollum.
All cards, with the exceptions detailed below, are discarded after use. The 'extra die throws' on Character cards represent 'shovellin' coal' - after which they're knackered. Gollum does not shovel coal and may be reused for swamp passage. Elven Navvies and Chainsaws apply for one entire forest crossing, even if this takes more than one turn. Counter cards (e.g. Gandalf counters 'Balrog Eats Train') may be ordered for automatic use when the need arises; this is the default condition. Palantirs allow conditional build orders, although the Dark Power may also use a Palantir to reverse the logic of a conditional build. The Dark Power may also use a Palantir to counter one undesirable effect.
The game ends with two special races.
NMRs count as 'Bemused by Worm Tongue' and orders will be written by the Dark Power (if available).
Builds from mountain to mountain across a river are not possible, except with Elven Rope, when it costs five.
| The Cards | | P = Palantir | C = Character | E = Event | | ||
| A-6S | P | Palantir | Allows conditional build orders The Dark Power may use this to reverse the logic of a conditional build or to counter one undesirable effect |
| 7S | C | Frodo | Counter Boromir seizes Ring (9H) Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 8S | C | Sam | Counters Shelob Eats Train (6D) Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 9S | C | Merry | Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 10S | C | Pippin | Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| JS | C | Gandalf | Counters Balrog Eats Train/Navvies (7D) Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| QS | C | Aragorn | Counters Dead Men Eat Train/Navvies (9D) Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| KS | C | Boromir | Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| AD | C | Gimli | Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 2D | C | Legolas | Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 3D | C | Bombadil | Counters Barrow Wights Eat Train/Navvies (8D) Allows one extra die throw during one race |
| 4D | C | Gollum | Allows builds through the swamp at normal cost Only usable by the Dark Power |
| 5D | C | Sauron | The player who draws this becomes the Dark Power, who may not play or keep any Character card except Gollum |
| 6D | E | Shelob Eats Train/Navvies (victim loses race or Navvies but gets 6 points from the bank in compensation) | |
| 7D | E | Balrog Eats Train/Navvies (same effect as 6D) | |
| 8D | E | Barrow Wights Eat Train/Navvies (same effect as 6D) | |
| 9D | E | Dead Men Eat Train/Navvies (same effect as 6D) | |
| 10D | E | Shadowfax Pulls Train (+1 die on all rolls for one race only) | |
| JD | E | Nazgūl Eats Shadowfax (counters 10D) | |
| QD | E | Olifaunt Treads on Train/Navvies (same effect as 6D) | |
| KD | E | Nazgūl Eat Olifaunts (counters QD) | |
| AC | E | Saruman Blockades Isengard (races cannot be run to or from Isengard until blockade is lifted - see 2C) | |
| 2C | E | Ents break into Isengard (counters AC) | |
| 3C | E | Bilbo Tells a Story (player races at -1 on all die rolls for one race only) | |
| 4C | E | Elven Rope (allows movement through one mountain hex at normal terrain cost; allows mountain to mountain builds over a river for 5) | |
| 5-6C | E | Chainsaw (allows movement through forest at normal terrain cost, for the duration of the forest crossing; only usable by the Dark Power) | |
| 7-8C | E | Elven Boat (allows one river crossing without additional cost) | |
| 9-QC | E | Lembas (build one extra hex regardless of terrain cost) | |
| KC | E | The Ring (can be used to claim a 50 point outright victory in the special Hobbiton-Mount Doom race) | |
| AH | E | Elven Carriage (player gains 10 extra points from the special Rivendell-Grey Havens race, if entered) | |
| 2H | E | Denethor Foresees Doom (player loses 10 points - may only be played by the Dark Power) | |
| 3H | E | Galadriel Gives Gift (player gains 10 points - not applicable to the Dark Power) | |
| 4-6H | E | Elven Navvies (allows movement through forest at normal terrain cost, for the duration of the forest crossing; only usable by players who are not the Dark Power) | |
| 7H | E | Beguiled by the Voice of Sauron (player takes wrong turning, if possibility exists) | |
| 8H | E | The Black Gate Opens (pass through Durthang at no extra cost) | |
| 9H | E | Boromir Seizes Ring (The Ring goes to the player with Boromir as Character, or is discarded) | |
| 10-KH | E | Gandalf blows smoke ring (no effect) | |
| Three trains for the Elven Kings under the sky Seven for the Dwarves in their shuntings of stone Nine for mortal men doomed to go by bus One for the Dark Lord in his Dark Siding In the land of BR where the shadows lie One train to rule them all, one train to outsteam 'em One train to race them all and in the tunnel cream 'em In the land of BR where the shadows lie |
Original rules and poem (with apologies to JRR Tolkien) by Steve Guest. This 2nd edition further modified and adapted by Steve Guest, Jim Reader, Chris Green and Bob Gingell.
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© Keith Thomasson March 31st 2002 |