Francesco Nepitello (The One Ring)

Today in a special feature of Meet The Makers, Justin connects with Francesco Nepitello, the co-creator of The One Ring, to talk about the ongoing kickstarter success for it’s second edition, partnering with Free League Games, and the unique foundations of the Lord of the Rings mythology in crafting their game.

From Wargames to Boardgames to Role Playing Games

Francesco shares with us his past and how he came to fall in love with role playing games. From early days in Venice playing wargames with his brother to the lucky happenstance of getting to meet a legendary game designer and coming to recognize the joy in developing games himself. Francesco is also one of the three creators behind the War of the Ring strategy boardgame and in 2011 co-created the first edition of The One Ring.

There And Back Again, A Game Designers Tale

For years fans of The One Ring have been waiting on a second edition, a new book that would streamline the old rules and provide a more cohesive experience and iron out what Francesco himself calls the “fiddly bits” of the game. Promises of a second edition and of a Moria campaign setting have gone unanswered as Francesco and his team have battled through complications with their old publisher. But those days are behind them now as they’ve found a new home with the prestigious Free League Games (Forbidden Lands, Tales from the Loop). Their attention to detail and connections with award winning artists and writers have made a perfect match for Francesco’s desire to serve up the sort Second Edition that The One Ring deserves.

Language Is Key

Francesco recognizes the unique qualities of the Lord of the Rings as a setting and understands that at the core of Tolkien’s work was a love of language. Which is why he shares us how the mechanics of the game are all informed by the language of the game, from the names of skills and stats, to the three core pillars of the game (Journeys, Councils, and Combat). And even if certain other world famous tabletop RPGs also use three pillars to describe their gameplay and dice mechanics that seem suspiciously similar, Francesco will kindly point out that they had it printed in the One Ring before they did. It wouldn’t be the first time Lord of the Rings has helped inspired tabletop games

Kickstarter Is Happening

The One Ring kickstarter is happening right now and you can check out the offerings at kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/the-one-ring-roleplaying-game-second-edition

You can follow Free League Games on twitter @FreeLeaguePub

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