Making HEROQUEST into LOTR
Given the flexibility of a purely narrative style RPG converting the existing setting into one that is more familiar and dramatic is child’s play and highly recommended. Heroquest in particular is ideal when it comes to this type of tinkering, since many RPG standards, like levels, hit points and wealth are abstracted to emphasize the story and character.
Getting Started
So, how do I go about changing the Heroquest RPG into a good Lord of the Rings RPG? Well I started by pulling out my copy of LOTR ($20.00) and the Tolkien Bestiary (24.99) for Reference. I also printed out a copy of a map of middle earth available at
http://www.taylorcustom.com/localinks/mearth/mearthmap.html. The only useful book for this project in the Heroquest line is the core book.
Grab a few pencils, some scrap paper a couple of Pepsi’s and your collection of soundtracks from the movies and your ready to get to work.
The big change from Heroquest to LOTR is going to be in the cultural Keywords section, but just in case I browse the occupational keywords to see if every character type I want is represented. (Remembering that Wizards and Magicians are found in the Magic section of the book and may require the most revisions)
Off the cuff I decide that the occupations will be ok as they represent standard fantasy professions.
Cutting out the common magic
While magic itself can be relatively common, magic as known in Heroquest does not mesh well with LOTR. Everyone can of course learn some form of lore, and the names of ancient heroes and forgotten gods do hold some power, but there are few charms and spells available to the average inhabitant of middle earth. Magic items are common, or at least not unheard of and so can definitely be left in the rules.
Cultural Keywords are Key
The chief obstacle to successfully converting HQ to LOTR is the cultural keywords. Basically they need to be completely scrapped. This doesn’t mean you should tear them out of your book and never look at them again; after all they’re going to make nice templates for you to base your new templates off of.
Decide what skills you want your culture to impart your character, and what occupations are allowed to them, the Rohorrim for example will not have any sailors, or warriors (as described by the Heroquest standard) but will have an abundance of Cavalry Soldiers, Farmers and Merchants, with the occasional Entertainer and Petty Noble. Hobbits and Dwarves wont produce any Cavalry Soldiers.
For my Conversion I am looking at anywhere between 6 and ten Cultures. I finally settle on Hobbits, Dwarves, Gondor Men, Rohorrim, High Elves, Wood Elves, Dunedin, and Common men if more cultures seem appropriate to add later I’ll add them.
Since hobbits are clearly a Tolkien favorite, I’ll do them First.
Hobbit Cultural Keyword
Occupations available
Entertainer (singer, storyteller), Farmer (tobacco planter, Gardner), Merchant (Publican, Miller) Warrior (Sheriff), Scholar
Native abilities;
Shire Geography, Farming, Shire Customs, Speak Common, walk silently, Cook
(Fallowhides only Ancient tales, Sing songs.)
(Stoors only Boating, Fishing)
Typical personality traits: Stubborn, curious, outgoing,
Typical Relationships: To family, To Farthing or town, to clan.
Magic: Not common
Common Names etc…
And by the time you get to the names that’s where the appendices from LOTR and the Bestiary come in
A cultural Keyword just has to touch the surface of what your character is likely to know where he’s from. Additional lore and skills can be added like you would normally in Heroquest.
You can add a few extra skills if you want to make up for the lost magic, but it wont matter too much, in the scheme of things.
Customizing magic: use the magic from the book but let Players choose only the Theism option as it is less complex and doesn’t require the use of books or props. As A gm you can use the other two types of magic freely or just use the common magic rules to screw with the players.
And that’s about it; you don’t need to alter anything else to play. Just start writing your adventures and have a great time.
