The end of the “fellowship of the ring” and how it would have happened, as played by D&D players.
A play by play analysis of the events:
<Player 1 – Boromir> Talking to the DM.
“This is bull shit! You’re playing favorites and giving all the good loot to
<Player 2 – Frodo>. He’s got the mithral armor, the only “working” magic
sword <Player 4 – Strider>’s magic sword doesn’t count because it’s
broken. And he has the ring of invisibility. All I have is a stupid horn that
doesn’t even summon berserkers.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> Repies child-like. “Well I’m
roll playing. What are you doing is power gaming.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> In an irritated
mood. “Fine, I’ll wait until we camp for the night and then I’ll look for an
opportunity to catch you alone. Then I’ll kill you and take all of your stuff.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “Go ahead and try.
Let’s roll for initiative.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “Ha! I won
initiative.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> rolls a d20 and
rolls a 16. “That’s a modified 26. A hit!”
<Player 1 – Boromir> rolls his damage
dice and tells <Player 2 – Frodo> “Take 12 damage.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “I have plenty of hit
points left. I put on my ring and become invisible. Then I take my free 5 foot
step, so now you don’t know where I am. Asshole!”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “My two hobbits go looking for them”
<DM> “But you are not there. You don’t
know what is happening”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “Sure, but I my guys must think is strange how long they
have been gone.”
<DM> “All right, go ahead and make a
search roll”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “And my guys are moving silently. I want to sneak up on
them”
<DM> Exasperated. “But you don’t know
what is happening”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> Rolls a 6 and 8 on his search rolls.
<DM> “Well it doesn’t matter. You don’t
find them”
<Player 4 – Strider> “My ranger is going
to try and track them.”
<DM> “But you don’t know what is
happening”
<Player 4 – Strider> “Yes, but 4 out of 9
characters are missing. I must think something is wrong”.
<Player 4 – Strider> Rolls a 3 on a
d20. “That’s a modified 15. It should be good enough”
<DM> “Ok, but there are 4 people out
there, you are not sure who’s trail you are following”
<Player 4 – Strider> Frowns.
<Player 5 – Legolas> “My elf has good
listening skills. I’ll go into the woods and try to hear what is happening”
<DM> Giving up all hope of the players
behaving like they don’t know what is happening.
<Player 6 – Gimli> “Well my dwarf never
trusts an elf. He follows the elf and keeps a close eye on him in case he tries
to steal the ring.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “ I am still trying
to find the invisible guy”
<DM> “Well you don’t find him.” The DM
rolls for a random encounter then consults his books. “Roll for surprise. “
Both <Player 1 – Boromir> and the DM rolls.
<DM> “No surprise. A band of half-orcs
come wandering your way”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “Bring ‘em on. I can
mow them down with my great cleave feat.”
<DM> “Only a few run up to fight you.
Most of them stay back and shoot arrows at you”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “That’s BS!
Half-orcs shouldn’t be that well organized”
<DM> “Yeap, but these ones are.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “Well I’m screwed.
I’ll have to run up to a single half-orc, take only one swing and have nobody
to cleave into. Then the half-orc will get his full attack round while the rest
of them shoot arrows at me.”
<DM> “Well you are the one who chose to
run around woods all by yourself”
<Player 2 – Frodo, who also happens to be running
two characters> Pissed at <Player 1 – Boromir>. “I’m out of
here guys. He’s trying to kill off my character and steal my equipment, I’m not
having any fun. I’m taking my two hobbits and leaving the group.”
<Player 4 – Strider> Who’s character is a
ranger but insists on playing him as a paladin. “Don’t go, I’m coming to help
you.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “Forget it. I sneak
back to the camp invisibly and moving silently, hop in a boat and take off.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> ”If you are
invisible and sneaking how is Sam going to see you” he says with a sneer on his
face.
<Player 2 – Frodo> “He stayed back at
camp the whole time. He’ll notice the boat moving by itself and figure it out”
<DM> “Hmmm, better make a spot check roll
for Sam”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “A modified 22”
<DM> “He sees the boat leaving and chases
after it. The river gets deep quick. It’s over his head.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “He’ll swim”
<DM> “Make a swim roll”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “I never put any
points into swimming”
<DM> “Then it’s just your roll plus your
strength modifier”
<Player 2 – Frodo> Rolls a 13. “That’s a
modified 11”
<DM> “He’s sinking and drowning”
<Player 1 – Boromir> Munching on Doritos
complains. “Hurry up. Your hogging all the DM’s time”
<Player 2 – Frodo> ”Hey, it’s your fault.
Go get some more pop from the fridge. It has to be cold by now.”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “Frodo goes back and
gets Sam”
<DM> “Can he swim?”
<Player 2 – Frodo> “No, he stays in the
boat and sticks an oar in the water so Sam can grab it pull himself out”
<DM> “Ok, that will work”
Back to Boromir after a few rounds of combat.
<Player 1 – Boromir> “Crap, after that
last round I am going to die with a bunch of half-orc arrows stuck in my butt.
I’m at minus 1 hit point.”
<DM> “You can still do partial actions”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “I blow my
horn so everyone can find me.”
<DM> “Everyone hears the horn. What do
you do?
<Player 4 – Strider> “I start running to
him”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “My guys start running to him also”
<Player 5 – Legolas> “I start running”
<Player 6 – Gimli> “Wait a minute. I
can’t run as fast as you. You need to stay with me <Player
5 – Legolas> or we will both die like <Player 1 – Boromir>.
<Player 5 – Legolas> “But I can run a lot
faster than you. I’m an elf and I took the run feat”
<Player 6 – Gimli> “I don’t care, we need
to stay together”
<Player 5 – Legolas> “Ok”
<DM> “Everybody roll a d10 and see how
many rounds it takes for you to get to <Player 1 – Boromir>”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> Rolls a 1.
<Player 4 – Strider>Rolls a 4.
<DM> “<Player 5 – Legolas> and
<Player 6 – Gimli> make one roll that will be for both of you. And add +2
because the dwarf is slow”
<Player 6 – Gimli> Rolls a 9. “It’s a
modified 11”
<DM> Talking to <Player 3 – Who plays
two characters, Merry and Pippen>. “You guys get there first. Roll for
surprised.”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “Surprise? We know there is something there”
<DM> “And the half-orcs know that there
is someone else coming. So the set up an ambush.”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> Rolls a 2.
<DM> Rolls a 6.
<DM> “They surprise you. What is your
flat footed AC”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> Still protesting about being surprised. “How can we be
surprised. We are hobbits moving silently in the woods”
<DM> “You just told me that you were
running”
Three rounds later…..
<DM> <Player 4 – Strider> make a
spot check to see if you notice the half-orcs fighting the hobbits.
<Player 4 – Strider> Rolls a 1. “Crap
another 1. Rangers suck”
<DM> “Ooh, too bad. You missed the
hobbits. Make another spot check”
<Player 4 – Strider> Rolls a 4 on a d20.
“That’s a modified 16”
<DM> “That’s good enough. You see a band
of half-orcs looting <Player 1 – Boromir>’s body and taking all his
equipment.
<Player 4 – Strider> “I charge them”
(After all that's what a paladin would do).
A few rounds later and the half-orcs are dead.
<Player 1 – Boromir> Complaining. “They
didn’t just stand back and shoot <Player 4 – Strider> full of arrow like
they did me.”
<Player 4 – Strider> “Hey, I got your
stuff for you. We’ll get you a rez.”
<Player 1 – Boromir> “Don’t bother
rezzing me. This game sucks.” He tears his character sheet in half and then
crumbles up both halves together and throws the paper wad in the general direct
of the trash can.
<Player 5 – Legolas> and <Player 6 – Gimli>
Together saying “When will we get there.”
<DM> “In just one more round.”
<Player 6 – Gimli> “Well they are all
dead so let’s look for treasure.”
<Player 4 – Strider> “I think it should
be all be mine. I killed them all.’ Then his paladin mindset sets in. “No it’s
only fair that you get to loot also”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “Forget looting, come and save my guys.”
<DM> “Everyone make a listen check to
hear the hobbits.”
Everyone rolls.
<Player 5 – Legolas> “I got the highest
roll. A modified 24.”
<DM> “Not good enough.”
<DM> talking to <Player 3 – Who plays
two characters, Merry and Pippen>. “The half-orcs notice you are close to
dying so they start doing subdual damage.”
<Player 4 – Strider> “I use my tracking
skill to try and find the hobbits.”
<DM> “The hobbits were never over here.
The only tracks you have to follow is the ones you left behind between here and
the camp.”
<Player 4 – Strider> “Then I go that way.
I’ll track the hobbits starting from the camp”
<Player 5 – Legolas> “I’ll go with the
ranger.
<Player 6 – Gimli> Still stuffing his
pockets with gold pieces. “I’ll stay and finish looking for treasure. Did
<Player 1 – Boromir> have anything good?”
<Player 3 – Who plays two characters, Merry and
Pippen> “This is all of <Player 1 – Boromir> fault. Now I
am going to lose all my equipment.”
<DM> “Oddly enough the half-orcs have
only taken your weapons. You still have all of the rest of your equipment”
<Player 4 – Strider> “When we get back to
camp I’ll start tracking”
<DM> “Make a tracking roll”
<Player 4 – Strider> “CRAP a 3. Rangers
suck!”
<DM> “When you get back to camp you see a
boat is missing and the hobbit you left behind to guard is missing also.”
<DM> “Well you guys only have of 3 of the
original 9 characters left. I’m not sure if this campaign has any hope. Perhaps
we should all roll up new characters”