Tolkien fans get one of the more interesting Middle-earth roleplaying releases in years this June, with Free League Publishing putting Saruman the White himself at the centre of the table. Two new books, Hands of the White Wizard for The One Ring and Trials of Saruman for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e, are out as a paired release, both packing six adventures into a single hardcover.
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See how it worksThe hook here is the timeline. The adventures span TA 2965 through to the opening of the War of the Ring, watching Saruman shift from respected counsellor to the would-be tyrant of Isengard. Heroes can work for him, dig into his secrets, accelerate his fall, or, in one of the bolder design choices, actually attempt to redeem him. The six adventures play standalone or stitch together as a campaign covering decades of Middle-earth history.
The pedigree is hard to argue with. The One Ring's second edition won a Gold ENNIE for Best Interior Art in 2022, and last year's expansion Moria: Through the Doors of Durin took home Gold for Product of the Year, Gold for Best Cartography and Silver for Best Supplement at the 2025 ENNIES. Free League itself has been voted Fan Favourite Publisher at the ENNIES in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
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Find events near youBoth books are hardcover, priced at $45.69 USD (around £36 GBP), with a PDF included for pre-orders via DriveThruRPG. They land in June 2026, which gives groups time to start a long Middle-earth campaign and have it crash into Saruman's downfall right around the next Hobbit anniversary. Worth pencilling in.
Sources: Free League Hands of the White Wizard | Free League Trials of Saruman | TTRPG Fans | EN World
