EDITORIAL: ARNOR...WITH A VENGEANCE

The theme of this double issue is Arnor, and with it we salute the publication of the new edition of ICE's Arnor realm module. The original edition of Arnor (1994) marked a new beginning for the MERP series, and in many ways it remains the flagship for the line; likewise, the second edition exemplifies many of the far-reaching changes that have been taking place (I should hope, for the better) within MERP over the three intervening years, so that Arnor may continue to serve as a model and an inspiration to future authors.

With this issue I also hope to reaffirm the fundamental raison d'être of Other Hands: to provide an open forum that celebrates a diversity of viewpoints on Tolkien's world as it relates to role playing—practical and theoretical, critical and appreciative, scholarly and sub-creative. The selection of offerings for this issue embrace all of these perspectives.

I thought it would only be fitting to start things off with an interview with Wesley J. Frank, author of the Arnor module, and to find out first-hand what sort of considerations went into the orchestration of this massive tome. I'm sure all will find Wes' words of wisdom interesting and insightful.

Next up is a roster of Angmarean villains that player characters in an Arnor campaign might encounter. Wes originally prepared this material for the first edition of Arnor, but space constraints prohibited its inclusion into either edition, and so we present them here.

Since the Arnor module included coverage of the city of Tharbad, I thought it appropriate to invite Sam Daish, author of the new Tharbad citadel module (currently in preparation), to contribute two pieces relating to his work. The first is "The Beggar-king of Tharbad," an overview of one of the many colorful groups inhabiting the criminal underworld of that city. The second, "A Dog's Life," is a short scenario set in Tharbad.

We are honored to print a pair of independently written essays by Michael Martinez and Lalaith, each of which seeks to synthesize and interpret Tolkien's many references to the inhabitants of Eriador. The inclusion of these well-researched pieces serves, I think, to underline the different kinds of assumptions and inferences one needs to consider when tackling the formidable task of "world-building" in a gaming context. It also illustrates how purely "scholarly" research into Tolkien's world can become a valuable resource for GMs who want to explore the background of Middle-earth in greater depth.

Finally, I've decided to include a glossary of corrections and modifications to the invented names (primarily Elvish) appearing in the Arnor module. This will be especially useful for those of you who are familiar with the first edition and want a quick and easy reference guide to how the linguistic end of things has evolved.

Chris Seeman