Eä Games - Lord of the Rings: The White Council

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

A new game in development by Eä Games scheduled for release in late 2007.

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[Alatar]

Great news. I have been following Project Gray Company for a while, expecting this. Given the name and concept art it was obviously going to be a LotR game. Eä have brokered a great deal whereby they have rights to both the Movie world and the books. This means they can use the wonderful art design of the movies while also having access to stuff like Dol Guldor, Angmar and the rest.

Looks at first glance to be a single player RPG, like Oblivion, but I hope there's the option of playing with friends as a group, even if its not a MMORPG. Time will tell I suppose!

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

A link to an article at RPGamer.com courtesy of TORN:

New Details Emerge on The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

...The White Council is set 80 years before The Lord of the Rings, and the White Council itself is a group of powerful wizards and elves including Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Elrond, Galadriel and Círdan, who struggle to prevent the victory of evil. The player begins as a nobody, but strives to earn the Council's recognition by performing menial tasks. Once their importance can no longer be ignored, the Council appoints the player to assist in directly fighting the forces of evil...

Let's see, 80 years before LOTR (3018-3019 TA) would make it roughly 2960 TA, or about 20 years after Bilbo found the Ring (2941 TA). Frodo had not yet been born (2968 TA) nor, obviously, had any of the younger hobbits or Boromir (2978 TA), and Aragorn and Arwen had not yet plighted their troth (2980)...

However, Gimli was enjoying malt beer and ripe meat off the bone in front of a roaring fire in Erebor and Legolas had long been the prettiest Elf in Thranduil's kingdom in Mirkwood.

As for Old Tom and his pretty lady, it was pretty much a case of same old same old, you know, gathering buttercups and chasing bumblebees in the summertime, gathering waterlilies in early Autumn, hobnobbing with my forest friends, and making the occasional trip by water to Muddyfeet's house.

[superwizard]

I wonder just how faithful they're going to be to the story.

[Alatar]

Faithful to what? They have pretty much a free hand in that period. All we have are some basic events in the Appendices. Going back 80 years before the Hobbit brings us to 2861. Here's what we know about the previous 10 years and what is to come in the next 80.

2850 Gandalf again enters Dol Guldur, and discovers that its master is indeed Sauron. who is gathering all the Rings and seeking for news of the One, and of Isildur's Heir. He finds Thráin and receives the key of Erebor. Thráin dies in Dol Guldur.
2851 The White Council meets. Gandalf urges an attack on Dol Guldur. Saruman overrules him. Saruman begins to search near the Gladden Fields.
2852 Belecthor II of Gondor dies. The White Tree dies, and no seedling can be found. The Dead Tree is left standing.
2885 Stirred up by emissaries of Sauron the Haradrim cross the Poros and attack Gondor. The sons of Folcwine of Rohan are slain in the service of Gondor.
2890 Bilbo born in the Shire.
2901 Most of the remaining inhabitants of Ithilien desert it owing to the attacks of Uruks of Mordor. The secret refuge of Henneth Annûn is built.
2907 Birth of Gilraen mother of Aragorn II.
2911 The Fell Winter. The Baranduin and other rivers are frozen. White Wolves invade Eriador from the North.
2912 Great floods devastate Enedwaith and Minhiriath. Tharbad is ruined and deserted.
2920 Death of the Old Took.
2929 Arathorn son of Arador of the Dúnedain weds Gilraen.
2930 Arador slain by Trolls. Birth of Denethor II son of Ecthelion II in Minas Tirith.
2931 Aragorn son of Arathorn II born on March 1st.
2933 Arathorn II slain. Gilraen takes Aragorn to Imladris. Elrond receives him as foster-son and gives him the name Estel (Hope); his ancestry is concealed.
2939 Saruman discovers that Sauron's servants are searching the Anduin near Gladden Fields, and that Sauron therefore has learned of Isildur's end. He is alarmed, but says nothing to the Council.
2941 Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf visit Bilbo in the Shire. Bilbo meets Sméagol-Gollum and finds the Ring. The White Council meets; Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur, since he now wishes to prevent Sauron from searching the River. Sauron having made his plans abandons Dol Guldur. The Battle of the Five Armies in Dale. Death of Thorin II. Bard of Esgaroth slays Smaug. Dáin of the Iron Hills becomes King under the Mountain (Dáin II).

Not much to worry about really. They can do what they like and still be "faithful to the story". There's a full 30 years unaccounted for from 2860 to 2890, which I'm sure is why they chose this time period.

[superwizard]

Good point Al . I hadn't really paidatention to the date
Yeah I'm pretty sure it won't be too hard to follow that.