More on winning...

[bertoid]

If you don't immediately collect Grond and the Mighty Iron Crown after defeating Morgoth (e.g., before making a hasty retreat to another level or, in the present case, speaking a word of destruction to quickly rid yourself of several Archliches, the Tarrasque, and Kronos), then they're gone forever? The alloc: lines in the gamedata file certainly suggest so...

Also, does anyone else feel like a dirty cheat when you find the One Ring and use it?

I'm asking for a friend.

[Timo Pietilä]

Also, does anyone else feel like a dirty cheat when you find the One Ring and use it?

When? What do you mean "when"?

It would feel very wrong to find it and not use it.

[Derakon]

The only time Grond and Morgoth's Crown can be generated is when Morgoth drops them. If you don't grab them at that time, then they are lost forever.

[bertoid]

When? What do you mean "when"?

It would feel very wrong to find it and not use it.

I've managed to find it twice in the last year. I guess "if" would have been the more proper programming sequence. Using it made ending the game seem exceedingly simple for fighting both Morgoth and the Tarrasque. I tried going up against Morgoth without it (even though it was in my house) and ended up running away to retrieve it and then it was a matter of slowly chipping away at him. Same with the Tarrasque and Kronos.

OTOH, there should be some catastrophic, game-ending effect if you were to throw the One Ring at Sauron...

[Derakon]

I've managed to find it twice in the last year. I guess "if" would have been the more proper programming sequence. Using it made ending the game seem exceedingly simple for fighting both Morgoth and the Tarrasque. I tried going up against Morgoth without it (even though it was in my house) and ended up running away to retrieve it and then it was a matter of slowly chipping away at him. Same with the Tarrasque and Kronos.

Okay, so to properly frame your perspective, there are many players here who have played for over a decade without once finding the One Ring. That is why it is so powerful.

[bertoid]

Okay, so to properly frame your perspective, there are many players here who have played for over a decade without once finding the One Ring. That is why it is so powerful.

Fair enough. I know it's a tough one to come by, and I must have had a lucky RNG for those two adventures. This past one also had my priest swinging the Great Hammer of Aulë, which I had never seen before.

But, damn! The One Ring is VERY powerful!

[Bimbul]

Sounds like it's precioussss

Me wants if for my birthday.

And I was pleased finding one of the Three Rings.
I found the ring of Tulkas too - that was rather a damp squib.

[Rowan]

Sounds like it's precioussss

Me wants if for my birthday.

You're making me wonder if there's a variant where you can play as Smeagol. Ha

[Derakon]

Sounds like it's precioussss

Me wants if for my birthday.

And I was pleased finding one of the Three Rings.
I found the ring of Tulkas too - that was rather a damp squib.

Tulkas isn't amazing, but it's a lot better than it used to be. +4 STR/DEX/CON and a haste activation is quite nice...it just has a lot of other really awesome rings to compete against.

[Bimbul]

I think I just found it a bit late in the game for it to be better than the other stuff I had. As a random find on lvl 10 or something - wow. Just as with a lot of other items. I'm being facetious a lot of the time - sorry if that's not clear.

[Bimbul]

You're making me wonder if there's a variant where you can play as Smeagol. Ha

When I meet smeagol, I really want him to hiss and ask to play riddles or something - that would be cool. Maybe a guttural 'Gollum' occasionally.
'What has it gots in its pocketses?'

Particularly when invisible and undetectable - it's not like it's hard to work out it's him in such as situation anyway.

I'm too much of a Tolkien geek I know. I deliberately left Huan the hound alone in my last game as I couldn't bring myself to kill him - he's a legend. Not happy having to kill Radagast either. Hrmrmrmrmrhh.

[Bimbul]

I deliberately left Huan the hound alone in my last game as I couldn't bring myself to kill him - he's a legend.

It's possibly part of the equation that he is a massive hardass too of course

[Egavactip]

After my first encounter with him, I called him Huan of the Dead.

[Rowan]

I'm too much of a Tolkien geek I know. I deliberately left Huan the hound alone in my last game as I couldn't bring myself to kill him - he's a legend. Not happy having to kill Radagast either. Hrmrmrmrmrhh.

UGHHH I know! >o< I can't stand fighting the good characters who show up. There should at least be some mechanic where they're initially not hostile.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

UGHHH I know! >o< I can't stand fighting the good characters who show up. There should at least be some mechanic where they're initially not hostile.

Hah! Who's to say that "@" is "good"? I'll don that One Ring if I find it and pry that Massive Iron Crown from Morgoth's cold, dead, fingers if I have too, in order to wield it. Yes, there's a new "Dark Lord" in town, and his name is "@"!