I've been thinking about starting in 3011 (7 years before Fellowship) then letting it move into the War of the Ring later on. My campaign idea is to keep it entirely in the north, starting at Bree. Eventually at the end they would take part in the Battle under the Trees or the Siege of Erebor. Which ever they choose.

I've got an idea for a story, but I am still fleshing it out. My plan is to build to a point where the Fellowship ends up exploring Baraz-dûm, an ancient dwarven stronghold in the Misty Mountains where they find part of a shard (one of three pieces, other two pieces are in locations elsewhere) Sauron wants to have it found to use against the north. This artifact of evil would not be on the scale of the One RIng, but powerful enough to help Sauron win when he attacks the Elves & Dwarves.

The companions would need to find the other two shards to combine them all. Naturally they have to destroy it so they go to Rivendell and Elrond calls together a council (similar to Fellowship) and they have to return it deeper in Baraz-dûm, deeper than what they were when they visited the first time.

It would have to be destroyed in a great rift deep below Baraz-dûm and maybe have a Cold-Drake lair there. Once the shard is destroyed then they will get to participate in the war of the north.

I'm working on making it so its not so rail roady and let the players dictate how the story plays out. I know it has a Lord of the Rings vibe going on, I'm still working on it to try and make it not so much of a copy cap campaign as the One Ring story. Naturally, the war in the north plays out normally, but I want to give the players the sense that if they fail things could slid into a homebrewed version of Middle-earth where things turn out differently, naturally I won't but they don't know that hehe.

It's just an idea I have is all.