Written by: Ryan from the Czepeku team
For me, immersion in roleplaying games comes easiest when I have a true interest in the world and none are more immersive than J. R. R. Tolkien’s. I first experienced The Fellowship of the Ring as an 11 year old, over 20 years ago! Love of the films led me to read the books. Love of the books led me to read every bit of Middle Earth lore that I could find!
At the UK Games Expo in 2022, I managed to get my hands on a beautiful collectors edition of the One Ring 2nd Edition Core Book and Starter Set. My regular D&D players and I were instantly hooked by the game system and setting, and we’ve been playing a One Ring campaign ever since! Here are 10 great Czepeku Scenes and maps to use in a One Ring campaign. These TTRPG battlemaps will be a perfect addition to your world within Eriador and beyond!
1. Ages of the Vale Part 2
“Shortcuts make delays, but inns make longer ones.” - Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring
What fantasy campaign can truly begin without a session of drinking, feasting, and merriment? This could fit easily as the Green Dragon Inn, the Prancing Pony, or just about any other tavern within Middle Earth!
2. Elven City Centre
Almost any variation of the Elven City Centre Map or Scene will work in a Middle Earth setting. These would easily fit for the Grey Havens or perhaps your fellowship will even visit Elrond Half-Elven in Rivendell!
I personally love the Birch Forest Faction variations for these. They just feel beautifully natural.
3 . Underground Dwarven City Centre
Even though, unfortunately, the Halls of Moria are not currently ruled by the dwarves, it doesn’t mean your fellowship can’t visit other dwarf settlements and cities!
The Dwarven City Centre scene and map would fit perfectly for a visit to the Halls of the Dwarves in the Blue Mountains. Even though it’s not currently covered in any One Ring book, you could still absolutely journey the many leagues to the east to visit King Dain in Erebor, too!
4. Village Blacksmith
Honestly, this is a staple in almost any fantasy setting. Visiting the Blacksmith to sharpen your blades or even trade for a beautiful new axe or piece of armour is absolutely the treat your fellowship deserves after a hard-won battle with those orcs.
Use a Czepeku map or scene as a perfect location in your One Ring campaign.
5. Overgrown Magic Forest
Forests are such a huge part of Tolkien's work. The trees aren’t written as objects but as spirits controlling much of the forest. Steering those who wish to harm the forest into danger and those who wish to pass through harmlessly toward their destination.
Either the map or scene would work nicely as a clearing in the Old Forest, Lothorien, or the Trollshaws!
6. Mountaintop Altar
Mountain travel can add a lot to your games. Especially in Middle Earth, where there are so many significant mountain ranges. If you have any dwarves in your Fellowship, the likelihood is that at some point or another, you’ll visit either the Blue Mountains or the Misty Mountains at some stage.
With the new book from Free League coming very soon (Moria - Through the Doors of Durin), perhaps you’ll even make your way to Moria! The Mountaintop Altar variations should be just the right scene or map to create some suspense on your mountainous journeys.
7. Medieval Jail
Hopefully your party won’t end up as prisoners themselves, but you may potentially need to rescue one of the poor traders held hostage by Captain Gurnow in Tharbad. Maybe one of his personal guard could be bribed with that fancy elven dagger to ‘drop’ their keys?
These maps and scenes could also fit as cells within Gondor or Rohan, should you need to prevent your players from veering down the path of shadow!
8. Harpy Cove
Seafaring may not be your first thought when running a One Ring campaign, but there are so many opportunities to get your fellowship onto a boat and head out to one of the many areas around the coastline of Eriador or even further afield to the Isle of Mother, known as the Haunted Isle.
I’d highly recommend having a read through Chapter 2 of Tales of the Lone Lands called ‘Messing About in Boats’. It will give you brilliant mechanics for running journeys on the high seas and also a great questline to try and recover an ancient Numenorean longsword!
Use the maps or scenes to build out your adventure.
9. Crossroads
Honestly, this could fit in just about anywhere in your campaign. So much of the One Ring is based around traveling the ravaged lands of Eriador, and crossroads are a perfect opportunity to either create an encounter with a new NPC to introduce to the fellowship, set up the perfect ambush, or simply allow your players to choose 2 potential directions to divert themselves towards.
In my games, although I’ll put story hooks together, and my players will obviously have goals to work towards, I’ll always avoid railroading them down a certain quest path. This is a world we all want to enjoy, so when I get the opportunity, I’ll absolutely encourage the fellowship to go in whatever direction they choose!
Find the maps and scenes with variations!
10. Dark Woods Edge
Last but absolutely not least I’ve included Dark Woods Edge as a MUST include within any campaign. As I’ve already said, trees and forests are such a huge part of Middle Earth. This could be used in a situation as simple as escorting some traders through the Old Forest to the east of The Shire.
Your fellowship may have picked up a tip of a rescue mission in the Trollshaws. Has a ranger been captured and potentially about to become lunch for some vicious trolls up there?
This scene or map will be the perfect introduction to any woodland area that you want to create some unease around.
“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.” - Bilbo Baggins
There are so many more Czepeku Maps and Scenes that I have used and will continue to use in my One Ring Campaign! Perhaps we’ll revisit those with a Part 2 to these recommendations later in the year?