# D & D on the Straight Dope setup thread. (In Middle Earth FA63)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276>\
**Category:** Thread Games\
**Tags:** middle-earth-game\
**Created:** [February 26, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276 "2008-02-26T20:17:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1432

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/1432 "2009-01-06T20:11:22Z")

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I pm’d this to the thieves but then realized I should just post it as it helps explain some of my game mechanics.

> [@Middle Earth FA63 D&D Game: Fifth Adventure - War in Goblin Gate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-fa63-d-d-game-fifth-adventure-war-in-goblin-gate/475898/444):
>
> One of these days, read languages will work :rolleyes:

> [@](#):
>
> **Read Languages abilities and failures**.
> 
> Sorry about that but you only have a base 30% chance and minuses on these really ancient oddball non-elven based or magic based runes and pictographs that you encounter. You are still studying and need to seriously study languages and scripts to improve these rolls. I recommend Rivendell or Minas Tirith.
> 
> It is not a magical ability and the Shire just wasn’t the place to study these oddities I have tossed at the party.

I will add that while this one ability\* seems to suffer in my game. I think I have help make all three thieves much better in combat than D&D normally sees.

- In fairness, the pickpocket skill has largely been rendered useless by the way the adventures play out. I don’t think anyone has really noted this yet though. 5 thieves in two games in the same world and I think there has only been two attempts to pick pockets.

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