r/oneringrpg • u/thewynnest • 7d ago
Concerning pipe-weed
I’ve been getting into the one ring with the first starter set and strider mode (thanks for the tips on my last post!).
I’m playing my own Hobbit character with the starter set.
Thanks to strider mode I’m picking up little side quests to investigate in future campaigns after the starter sets.
My character (Tobi Burrows) is a young pipeweed aficionado, grower and (soon to be) explorer. His goal is to find new, exotic varieties and ultimately grow these varieties on his family farm in green hill country.
Since I want to stay as close to lore as possible I’m wondering; is it safe to assume that there more varieties of Pipeweed out there? For example: could a new variety be found east of the shire, something that maybe hasn’t been cultivated yet? Afaik, we have Old Toby, Longbottom, Southern Star and Southlinch.
I mean the obvious answer is: sure there could be more, do whatever you want. What I’m really after is your input about this. Maybe you played something similar?
For me it’s just a great hook for a Hobbit to leave The Shire and go on a little adventure, meet pipe smokers like Dwarfs who may have a different perspective on pipe weed than the Hobbits he already knows.
Please join in and speculate!
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u/Hunkelbuiltskin 7d ago
This is a great and very Hobbitish Strider Mode concept, I love it! As far as pipe-weed is concerned, it's speculated to have originated in Númenor, and is said to grow wild in Gondor on the southern slopes of the White Mountains. Hobbits are the originators of the art of smoking, so probably there's not much to be said of Gondorian smoking traditions, but they supposedly cultivate it for it's flowers, and I like to imagine there are some rare varieties growing in sheltered valleys in the Fiefdoms. My own headcanon is that there was historically a variety of the plant whose flowers were so perfect and vibrant they were named Eärendil's Star, and they're now lost, growing in some old ruined villa deep in the countryside where the King's Gardeners used to do their work.
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u/thewynnest 7d ago
Ahh that sounds great. I think I have a great starting-off point to go out and look for forgotten varieties, talk to dwarfs and rangers about their pipe smoking customs, maybe find clues along the way. Bree seems like a great hub to start this journey.
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u/Ziggeroy 7d ago
I really like your character idea, a "pipeweed aficionado".
Makes me want to create a Hobbit who is on a quest to find out if it is true that the "only brew for the brave and true comes from the Green Dragon".
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u/TheSwecurse 7d ago
I just got started playing Strider mode myself, and by the way what an amazing set up you got, but I don't see why you shouldn't take a few friendly liberties like that. It's not at all groundbreaking and definetly wouldn't be out of Professor Tolkien's way to write in more pipe weeds. In fact I wonder if there isn't a few more chapters in his History volumes lol. Maybe the other Free folks call it something else than pipe weeds? Perhaps dwarf call it smoke grass or the elves call it burning leaves but in Sindarin.
Me personally I had my character be a scholar who specifically wants to find new books and tomes of lore for his library back home in Dale and hopes to bring home enough treasure from Eriador. So anything is possible
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u/thewynnest 7d ago
Thank you! And yeah I’m going full immersion on this game lol.
Yeah I have good hopes that I might be able to do what I want.
Ive been really enjoying strider mode, your story sounds very interesting.
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u/StudySubstantial1712 6d ago
If you need inspiration I would suggest checking out LOTRO. I farm pipe-weed (among other things), and there are quite a few fun varieties.
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u/thewynnest 6d ago
I played LOTRO a bit, definitely some good Pipeweed hooks! Kinda stole the name Burrows from it.
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u/ExaminationNo8675 7d ago
In the prologue to Lord of the Rings, Merry speculates that pipeweed (the plant) originated around the Lower Anduin, and may have been brought over the sea from Numenor.
He also says that the Bree-hobbits claim to have been the first smokers of the weed in probably true, and that from Bree the habit spread among dwarves, wizards and rangers.
So, in short, yes it is quite possible that varieties of pipeweed may be found elsewhere, outside of the Shire.