Hands of the White Wizard is a beautifully designed expansion with a campaign that gives players plenty to get stuck into.
There are roleplaying games that take you by the hand and show you a good time and there are roleplaying games that make you feel as if you’ve stepped into another realm as they bring that world vividly to life. Very much in the second category is Free League’s Middle-earth RPG, The One Ring. It isn’t for everyone – set decades before The Lord of the Rings, the focus is on relatively small-scale adventures where the stakes are low. This is a game where you help a villager rescue his sheep from bandits, not one where you pop off to Mordor and poke Sauron in his burning eye. Still, it brims with atmosphere and Free League’s commitment to bringing players a fully immersive Middle-earth to wander around in is carried through with this excellent latest expansion, which is all about Gandalf’s wizard bestie, Saruman.
What’s that, Saruman’s a goodie now? Well, sort of. Hands of the White Wizard is set before the ruler of the fortress of Isengard is fully corrupted by Sauron. It features Saruman as a potentially benevolent backer who sends the player-heroes on quests. Rather than framing the characters as distant heroes, the campaign places them in proximity to power, asking them to navigate events that are already laden with narrative weight. This approach is one of the supplement’s defining qualities. It’s not simply about exploration or combat, but about witnessing and potentially influencing a well-known character arc. Can Saruman be turned away from the path of darkness if our heroes serve him sufficiently?
Hanrahan’s skill is in blending intricate worldbuilding with unsettling thematic undercurrents, making his portrayal of Saruman particularly compelling. Instead of presenting him as a straightforward villain, the book charts his transformation from respected loremaster to would-be tyrant with a careful attention to nuance. Each scenario adds another layer, showing how ambition, curiosity and pragmatism can gradually curdle into domination and self-deception.
Hands of the White Wizard is firmly grounded in the systems of The One Ring and it uses them with confidence rather than innovation. The focus is less on introducing new rules and more on applying existing mechanics to reinforce tone. The Shadow system becomes a central thematic tool: as characters engage with Saruman’s schemes or confront the moral compromises of the setting, they are drawn into the same gravitational pull that threatens to consume him. This alignment of mechanics and narrative is subtle but effective, encouraging players to feel the weight of their decisions.
The One Ring also includes a “patron” system whereby the party becomes agents of one of the Wise. Hands of the White Wizard gives them the option of pledging that service to Saruman. And there’s lots of serving to be done, across six linked adventures. Each scenario stands alone, yet together they form a gradual escalation – starting with a mission to help the wild inhabitants of Dunland deal with a murderous monster. Later, the player-heroes tangle with a pirate lord working for Sauron and investigate the region where Isildur lost the One Ring.
As part of Hanrahan’s affecting portrayal of Saruman, the supplement has detailed instructions on how best to play the White Wizard. Isengard itself is a fantastic sandbox, with lots for the party to explore. Best of all is the mini-campaign, which captures the strangeness of these far-flung parts of Middle-earth, far over the Misty Mountains and distant from the cosy fires and eight-course breakfasts of the Shire. Looks like a good time is back on the menu, boys!
Review by Ed Power
YES
Hands of the White Wizard is a beautifully designed expansion with a campaign that gives players plenty to get stuck into.
Category: Roleplaying
Designer: Gareth Hanrahan
Publisher: Free League
Pages: 148
Age: 13+
RRP: £35
LORD OF THE RINGS: FATE OF THE FELLOWSHIP
Fans of all things Tolkien and Middle-earth will get a kick out of romping around
in Saruman’s backyard.
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