[Child of the 7th Age]

Shire posters,

Background

Several weeks ago, I mentioned I would like to see a Shire RPG which featured realistic female characters from Middle-earth. The game would not include shield-maidens or quasi-magical Elves, but would focus on other types of women who normally don't appear in our RPGs.

I even expressed the hope that some of our male posters would take up the challenge of developing and using a female persona. It is not unusual for women to play male characters, but the reverse is still uncommon.

Three Shire posters immediately took me up on developing a suitable storyline: Manardariel, Nurumaiel, and Sophia the Thunder Mistress. Manardariel submitted several story seeds. Some were light hearted, some somber; some focused on poor refugees and others on privileged members of the ruling class. They decided to adopt the following seed.

The Princess Guard - 2976 TA - Finduilas of Dol Amroth is to marry Denethor, the future Steward of Dol Amroth. A group of girls/women (ladies-in-waiting, maids etc.) is to come to Minas Tirith with her. There, they are shocked by the cold, masculine Court Ecthelion and Denethor are keeping. The game would describe how they manage to organize parties and bring some more life into the Citadel.

This can hopefully be the foundation of a witty, humorous game which explores the relations between men and women in the court of Minas Tirith. Manardarial, Nurumaiel, and Sophia will submit the proposal and act as co-founders for the RPG.

This discussion thread has been set up to help them develop their ideas. At the end of the planning process, they will fill out the standard games worksheet and submit it to Piosenniel, Shire Mod, for editing and hopefully eventual approval.

Requirements for Participating in this Planning Process

Anyone who is interested in this game, or wants to learn how RPGs are developed, is welcome to follow along with the thread. However, in order to post on this thread and actively contribute to the planning process, you must meet the following criteria:

1. You must have participated in at least one game in the Downs.

2. You must put a small note on this thread, explaining why you'd like to help with the planning. One of the founders will get back to you, either on the thread or by pm and grant or withold permission for your request.

Please note that I will be quite ruthless with folk who simply set down their ideas without first requesting permission from the founders. Such posts will be immediately deleted. So make sure and ask Nuru, Manardariel, or Sophia first, so I don't have to wear out my delete pen!

Historical Background

Here are a few pertinent historical facts which may prove useful to your planning. These come from the appendices of LotR.

Ecthelion II was the son of Steward Turgon, and was a wise and foresightful Man. He put his efforts into strengthening his realm against the approaching danger of Sauron, who had openly revealed himself in the last years of Turgon's Stewardship. He was aided in this work by Gandalf, and by a mysterious stranger named 'Thorongil', who was later known to be none other than Aragorn. It was Throngil who constantly urged Ecthelion to take a stand against the rebels in Umbar. In 2980, just four years after this story takes place, Thorongil finally got permission from the Steward to go ahead and destroyed most of the Corsair ships with little loss of life. After this Aragorn disappeared, never having set foot in Minis Tirith.

Tolkien implies that Ecthelion's son Denethor viewed Thorongil as his rival and was pleased to see him leave. Moreover, Denethor had a much more negative attitude towards Gandalf. It is said that, even before becoming steward, Denethor learned of Gandalf's plans to restore the Heir of Isildur to the throne, and this accounts for his lifelong distrust of both the wizard and Aragorn.

In 2984, Ecthelion died and was succeeded as Steward by Denthor, who ruled Gondor at the time of the War of the Ring. Denethor's later history and eventual suicide is well known from the LotR.

Finduilas of Dol Amrothwas born in 2950 TA, and married Denethor in 2976, the year this game takes place. She was a lady of great beauty and gentle heart who died when she will still young, just twelve years after her marriage. She was the mother of Boromir and Farimir, characters well known to us from LotR. Tolkien states the following:

Denethor loved her, in his fashion, more dearly than any other, unless it was the elder of the sons that she bore him. But it seemed to men that she withered in the guarded city, as a flower of the seaward vales set upon a barren rock. The shadow in the east filled her with horror, and she turned her eyes ever south to the seas that she missed.

With her passing in 2988, Denethor became increasingly depressed and withdrawn.

[ May 20, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]