Switching Systems Mid-Campaign
I gave up! In a recent session of The One Ring, I asked my players if they minded switching to Adventures in Middle Earth. I’ve run The One Ring for about three sessions, and I was getting really frustrated. The abstract nature of the travel and combat were giving me trouble, and I had to rely on one of my players as the resident rules expert. I’m fine with another player being the rules expert, but I felt like I just had NO answers, no mastery of the rules in any way whatsoever.
Adventures in Middle Earth is also by Cubicle 7, but serves as a 5th edition overhaul. It doesn’t require the PHB, has brand new classes and races, and features rules for travel and corruption that could really be used for most 5e games.
The players all happily agreed, and it took a huge weight off my shoulders. I can run 5e with my eyes shut, so I’m much more easily able to run the game.
Here are my tips for getting a game converted to another system mid-campaign.
- CHARACTER CONVERSION: I went in and converted everyone’s characters over myself, so that the players could just jump right into play. We had all previously played D&D together on Roll20, so everyone knew the system and how to use the app for 5e. I did it myself, so that the players wouldn’t need to take any further time doing so, or cutting down on gameplay time. Since it was me who asked for the change, I figured it was only fair that I shouldn’t bog things down for them. Also, I and one other player are the only ones who have the book, so…
- GETTING RIGHT INTO IT: It makes it easiest if the players all know the mechanics. The players were all able to access Roll20 and so check out their character sheets in the week leading up to the game.
PREPARE DM-SIDE: By making sure I had all my ducks in a row, including making tokens and maps for everything, it made immediate play a lot easier. It’s pretty easy for LOTR, especially with the immediate enemies they’d be facing, because pretty much any monster in LOTR is in D&D. In Roll20 I’ve got about a dozen different generic maps set up for areas of the Wilderlands.
The players have enjoyed it so far. I think as long as I really play up the LotR aspect of the game, focusing on the setting, it won’t feel like LotR has been slapped over D&D. I’m looking forward to the game going forward, and can’t wait to see where our adventures take us.
