The Fellowship of the Fourth Age (Part 1): A New Beginning Discussion Thread

[Child of the 7th Age]

This is not something that Durelin and I have talked about at length, but this is my perception. Durelin -- if you see things differently, please pitch in and we can hammer this out.

I have been involved in a number of games that initially had two or three separate story lines. Generally, we have not made an effort to coordinate the time line for these different groups until the actual point when the characters met up in the story. Thus, the fellowship/slaves might be settling down in camp for the night while the orcs are posting in the morning (or vice versa). It might be day one for the Orcs on the trail and day three for the other group.

The same is true for the two-month gap. You are certainly correct that the Orcs left their plantation (not necessarily the same one from which the slaves escaped) months later than the slaves. This is why the Orc posts were put at the end of the first posts....after those of the slaves and those of the fellowship leaving Gondor.

If it would make things clearer, I will gladly append a heading to the first orc post (I believe Regin's) that would simply say "Two months later"... or some such indication that time has passed.

I think we have very good precedent for treating time like this: the example of Tolkien himself. LotR consists of a series of interlaced stories. Tolkien did keep strict account of the various days the different groups spent on their activties in his outlines, but he was very loose about this in the story itself. We don't get an exact accounting with days and nights matching up purposely between Sam and Frodo, for example, and those of the rest of the group.

I think this loose correspondence will work till the point when the groups actually meet. I do have some thoughts on the Orc situation and will post when I get back from my taxi duties as mom.