At the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth, Sauron was thrown down, his armies scattered, and the One Ring destroyed. But as light has no meaning without darkness to bound it, so with Sauron defeated, the forces of good also departed Middle-earth, Eldar and Istari making their final voyage from the Grey Havens. The age of elves is over. Now begins the true age of man.
This module is not recommended unless you have played in a different module in the past. This is because the decisions you make when designing a nation have a large influence throughout the game, and if you make poor decisions through inexperience, this may cause you to have a disappointing game.
At the end of the First Millennia of the Fourth Age, North-western Middle-earth was a time of political and social upheaval. This area, known simply as the West, encompassed the lands north of Umbar, west of the Sea of Rhûn, and south and east of the Great Sea. Following the passing of the Third Age, climaxed by the exploits of the Fellowship of the Ring and the fall of Sauron, the West entered a brief period of consolidation and prosperity, followed by a long period of growth and migration, strife and despair, war and recovery, brought about by the constant expansion of Men. With the passing of Sauron and his mighty minions, the forces of the Dark Servants were in complete disarray. Most of the Orcs, Goblins and Trolls scattered into the mountains and wastes from whence they came, legion in their dark and foul holdings. Yet without strong leaders these races continually warred amongst themselves, their numbers dwindling. However, rumours of the demise of the Lord of the Rings were sure to reach far and wide over the expanse of Middle-earth, and there are Black Lords and Dark Mages eager to fill the power vacuum left behind in the West.
By early in the Fourth Age, almost all the other Free Peoples had vacated Endor forever. The Eldar had begun their departure to the West in vast numbers, abandoning many of their former sites. Those remaining of the Eldar travelled only in small companies and many of them wandered into the East eventually. The remaining woodland Elves retained control of only a few remaining well- guarded holdings, whilst to avoid the affairs of the outside world, the stout Dwarves withdrew to quiet bastions in remote hills and mountains. The reclusive Hobbits were generally protected and unnoticed, remaining as they were, holed up in the Shire.
But the expansion of the Reunited Kingdom could not go on forever. Internal strife and border conflicts with fierce human realms forced the split of the Reunited Kingdom into two separate nations known as the Twin North and South Kingdoms. And control over the surrounding vassal realms and neighbouring nations ebbed with the passing of time.
Year 1000 of the Fourth Age sees, then the rise of upstart nations: new human empires that share a common viewpoint but yet no formal allegiance, isolated Free Peoples who seek to drive men away and regain their former lands, and bastions of the Servants of Darkness with forces ever ready to rally to their cause. The time is ripe for a powerful lord to forge a strong alliance to liberate the remaining Free Peoples, to reunite the forces of Darkness under one strong rule, or perhaps to help establish a new Neutral order amongst the peoples of the West.
Unlike the other Modules provided by M.E. Games Ltd, 4th Age 1000 only has two pre-set kingdoms; The North Kingdom (NK) and The South Kingdom (SK). All nations, including NK and SK, are customized by the players.
There are 25 nations of Middle-earth in the Fourth Age 1000 Module. Due to the module’s nature, the rules and details covering nation creation are subject to change.
For more infomration on nation creation in Fourth Age, please review the Nation setup files for FA1000 as well as Section P of the Middle-earth Guide, both available for download on the Middle-earth Games Materials page.
The content in the Fourth Age 1000 section is from The Middle-earth PBM Guide by Middle-earth Games.