The One Ring: Hobbit Tales (RPG Review)

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Over the past few years, Free League Publishing’s The One Ring roleplaying game has continued to earn praise for its faithful vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. And while epic journeys and grand battles against the Shadow have often been the focus of the game’s adventures, sometimes players just want a quiet pint at the Green Dragon or a peaceful stroll through the Farthings.

Enter Hobbit Tales, a new adventure anthology for The One Ring second edition that’s just been released and is available for purchase now in hardcover and PDF from local game stores, DriveThruRPG, Free League and Amazon.

Designed to help players experience the cozy, low-key world of the Shire, the supplement offers a deep dive into hobbit life with a gazetteer and five interconnected adventures. Seasoned Loremasters, however, might experience a bit of déjà vu as this is actually a second breakfast of content you may have already seen before. In this review, we break down what’s inside the book and whether these new adventures are a delightfully unexpected journey or nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things that will make you late for dinner.

(NOTE: While we have received review copies from Free League in the past for other TTRPG products, a physical copy of The Hobbit Tales was purchased from our local game store at our own expense).

What is The One Ring: Hobbit Tales about?

Hobbit Tales is a 104-page book that consists of the following:

• A gazetteer of the Shire: Detailing the history, geography and lore of locations inside the four Farthings, Buckland and the Old Forest.
• Five short adventures: These can be run as one-shots or as a complete mini-campaign.
• Appendix: Seven pre-generated hobbit characters, including Bilbo Baggins.

It’s worth noting, however, that this content is not entirely new. In fact, it was previously released back in 2022 as a softcover booklet in The One Ring Starter Set (which is now largely out of print). A modified version of that booklet was also used in 2022’s Shire Adventures for Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, which is also identical, save for a few mechanical changes to work with the D&D 5E ruleset.

In other words, the content presented in Hobbit Tales is exactly the same as what we saw in 2022 (with the exception of the new cover art, some minor corrections and a new hardcover format). So if you have previously purchased The One Ring second edition starter set, you won’t really be getting anything new here.

What is the setting material like in The One Ring: Hobbit Tales?

The gazetteer included in the book offers a high-level view of the Shire and surrounding areas, breaking down the different Farthings (North, South, East and West), as well as Buckland and the Old Forest. While it is not an encyclopedic resource by any stretch of the imagination, it does provide excellent, table-usable material.

Loremasters get information on various points of interest, important NPCs and random encounter tables (the latter of which are particularly well done). Additionally, hardcore fans of Middle-earth may be happy to know that unlike the Peter Jackson films, Tom Bombadil actually does make an appearance, adding a nice touch of authentic Tolkien flavor to the book.

What are the adventures like in The One Ring: Hobbit Tales?

The adventures are set in the year 1360 Shire Reckoning (of the year 2960 in the Third Age). This means it’s several years after the events of The Hobbit but before the events of The Lord of the Rings.

Players take on the roles of Hobbits who are assisting the legendary Bilbo Baggins with research for his upcoming book. Since this is the Shire, however, the stakes are fairly low and lightweight in tone, leaning more into cozy fantasy than high heroics. You won’t be taking on Nazgûl or fighting off armies of Uruk-hai (although there are a few monsters here and there). Instead, your characters will primarily be relying on their wits (and a little luck) to get out of danger.

Each of the five adventures can be wrapped up in a single session and you can run them as one-shots, although they probably work best when run in succession as a complete mini-campaign since certain elements carry over from one adventure to the next.

*** MINOR SPOILERS ***

The five adventures are as follows:

• A Conspiracy Most Cracked: Bilbo Baggins gathers the characters (a group of adventurous Hobbits) at Bag End to help him verify historical details about the Shire for his book. He tasks the characters with travelling to the nearby settlement of Michel Delving to sneak into a local museum and “borrow” an ancient map.
• Expert Treasure Hunters: Using the recently acquired map, Bilbo discovers a clue regarding the location of the legendary lost club of Bandobras “Bullroarer” Took. He organizes an expedition to the Northfarthing, where the characters must question the locals of the village of Oatbarton before their search leads them into the perilous North Moors.
• Most Excellent Fireworks: Curious about Gandalf’s magic and looking for some fun, Bilbo asks the characters to track down the last of the Wizard’s fireworks, which were left over from the Old Took’s birthday parties. The group must travel to the region known as The Yale to discover what happened to them.
• Involuntary Postmen: The characters’ previous misdeeds catch up with them, with the authorities sentencing them to clean the storage and wine cellars beneath the Town Hole in Michel Delving. However, an overworked mail worker offers them an early release if they agree to deliver an urgent letter all the way across the Shire to Brandy Hall.
• To Soothe a Savage Beast: Bilbo and the characters visit a young Farmer Maggot, who is being terrorized by a mysterious, fiery-eyed beast that has been attacking his property. The hunt for the creature takes them beyond the safety of the Shire, forcing them to venture into the haunted depths of the Old Forest.

The adventures are fast, fun and easy to run. At the same time, they’re also fairly low stakes, so if you’re looking for more combat, drama and high heroics, you might want to look elsewhere.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

What’s the art and design like in The One Ring: Hobbit Tales?

As you might expect from a Free League book, the production quality is absolutely top-notch. The book is well put together with stitched binding and heavy paper stock, and will look absolutely beautiful on your shelf.

As with other Free League products, it’s also as much of an art book as it is as a TTRPG supplement. The illustrations follow the same format and style as previous products for The One Ring and The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, with a few beautifully illustrated, full-color images interspersed with black and white sketches that really bring the setting to life. The maps are also exceptionally well done and have the same look and feel of classic Tolkien maps featured in his original books.

How much is The One Ring: Hobbit Tales?

The hardcover version of Hobbit Tales retails for $39.99 USD (not including shipping and handling), while the PDF retails for $19.99 USD (with distribution for the latter handled exclusively by DriveThruRPG). Notably, if you order the hardcover directly from Free League Publishing, you’ll get the PDF at no extra charge.

Is “Hobbit Tales” worth picking up?

Pros

• Stunning art and design: The production value is incredibly high, with beautiful artwork and maps.
• A solid overview of the Shire: The gazetteer does a great job of presenting the world of the Shire, packing in a surprising amount of table-usable material in a short amount of space.
• Short and sweet adventures: The five adventures are all extremely well written, smartly paced and easy to pick up and play. While you won’t find any epic fantasy battles between the forces of good and evil, the cozy and clever premises are perfect for first-time players or The One Ring veterans looking for a change of pace.
• More bang for your Buck(land): While Hobbit Tales isn’t a massive volume, it’s also quite affordable and a great option if you’re thinking of getting into The One Ring for the first time or looking to drop The Shire into your existing campaign.

Cons

• Burgles previous material: The book is essentially a reprint and there is no new content if you already own the original One Ring 2E starter set.
• A niche setting: The Shire is an interesting location, but it’s not exactly the kind of place where danger and drama lurk around every corner, and it may not appeal to all players.
• Inflexible adventures: While in theory you could drop these one-shots into an existing campaign, it would require some serious work on the part of a Loremaster, and the adventures are really meant to be run together with the players taking on the roles of hobbits rather than any other kind of species or character.
• Light on lore: If you’re completely new to Middle-earth and Lord of the Rings, you’ll probably dig what’s in here. Hardcore fans, however, aren’t likely to find a ton of new information on the Shire.

Final thoughts and review score

In the end, Hobbit Tales is a beautifully written and designed adventure anthology that brings one of Middle-earth’s most iconic locations to life at the table. That being said, the lighthearted tone may not be everyone’s cup of cozy tea, and veteran players who already own The One Ring Starter Set shall definitely pass on this one. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a taste of the Shire, you’ll find plenty to love if you’re willing to go there and back again.

Final Review Score: 18 out of 20

You can pick up The One Ring: Hobbit Tales now from your local game store, DriveThruRPG, Free League and Amazon.