Moria might just be the oldest MegaDungeon in fantasy, and Through the Doors of Durin for The One Ring by Free League captures both the grandeur and horror of this colossal underground kingdom. It's absolute gold for any GM looking to run a campaign steeped in history, mystery, and exploration. I've run many campaigns before, but this one? This one is pure Mithril, no doubt. Like Twilight: 2000, I’m going all in—running an open-table campaign, online and offline, until they burn my stuff or Balrog Come!

Moria is HUGE. Forget about mapping this SuperMegaDungeon in the traditional way—Free League’s approach is more indie, with a point-crawl method that makes this immense space manageable while keeping its grandeur. The book gives you a macro-level view of how Moria's halls and deeps are organized. Then it zooms in on key Landmarks, those legendary and forgotten locations described in The One Ring core book—places for your players to uncover. Add to that the Journey Rules (here with a "Delver" role replacing "Hunter") and some brilliant tables for generating a location’s purpose, current use, and condition. It’s like a perfect blend of point-and-depth crawl conceits. Instead of mapping every inch of Moria, you get the tools to flesh out its atmosphere, mysteries, and history on the fly, or be like me, pre-roll these, and stat up a dozen blank cards!

Through the Doors of Durin is steeped in Middle-earth lore, and it offers rich possibilities for setting up different campaigns around Moria, all rooted in the late Third Age. The book offers up plenty of motivations and patrons for exploring the halls of Khazad-dum...however, in the appendices is the real treasure: Options to recreate Balin's expedition, Aaragorn or Gandalf's excursions to Moria. These moments are full of written details, speculation, and unanswered questions—a GM’s dream! I chose to run Balin’s expedition as the backdrop for my open-table campaign. It’s got everything: tragedy, heroism, dwarven determination, and an inevitable sense of doom. The 5-year in-game timeline from Balin's arrival to his death is pure gold for sandbox play. And the book includes tons of other hooks: a treasure index for Moria, hidden lore, plenty of Orc factions, and even whispers of... Nameless Things deeper in the dark.

So far, I've got two sessions in my Book of Mazabul that are focused on a scenario I call Supply Runs. Players escort crucial supplies from the First Hall to the King’s Hall, with a few stops along the way to assist members of Balin’s expedition. It's the perfect way to introduce players to The One Ring, especially newbies to both the system and TTRPGs in general.

The early stops are safe enough—secured halls, teaching moments for core mechanics, and roleplay opportunities with other dwarves. But as they venture deeper, across bridges and through darkened halls, things get dangerous. Orcs lurk everywhere, each faction vying for control of Moria’s secrets.

What I love is the adaptability. Each supply run can take a different route; each encounter can evolve into something completely new. One group ran into a dwarf captain who tried to unload all their supplies at the first stop! Another group ended up in skirmishes with orcs before narrowly avoiding a battle in the King’s Hall... well, except for one brave Hobbit who soloed Azog the Defiler! Yeah, that happened. And yes, you let the Hobbits win—sometimes.

One challenge I’ve noticed in one-shots (especially with Hobbits) is managing Hope. Players tend to burn through it quickly in a single session without saving any for later. That wouldn't be an issue in a long-term campaign, but I’m still trying to figure out the best approach for one-shots. Also, the players have been weirdly hesitant to write in the Book of Mazarbul. Seriously! I had to encourage them to mark it up. It’s there to record their story as they traverse Moria!

From a GM's perspective, the physical materials are awesome. The cloth map is a showstopper, immediately drawing everyone into the game. I’ve also started using Fellowship and Eye trackers to monitor progress and the creeping Shadow. I’ll add some bust-style miniatures to up my GM showmanship!

Moria, as re-imagined in Through the Doors of Durin, is so much more than just a dungeon crawl—it's a living, breathing relic of Middle-earth’s history. Free League has crafted an incredible toolkit for GMs, giving you everything you need to make this space your own. The possibilities for exploration, treasure-hunting, and harrowing battles are outlandish!The only question is... who will survive the next supply run?

Next sessions:

Mark your maps, ready your axes, and watch out for those Nameless Things!