Play a Hero

More on The One Ring
One of the several aspects of The One Ring which I really enjoy is the assumption that the player's characters are going to be heroes. The author in fact refers to PCs as "heroes" throughout. You roll up your hero, you play your hero, your hero journeys, etc. The main characters in the developing story are "heroes".
If all my going on about playing a "hero" doesn't immediately contrast with characters you recall from other systems, let me expound on my obsession. Part of the way The One Ring stays true to the work of Professor Tolkien is by casting the player characters as heroes. They are the epic good folk, the free peoples of Middle-earth out to help save the world from the forces of evil. Tolkien is epic fantasy. His characters are not anti-heroes (except maybe Gollum), but rather do-gooders... heroes!
In other systems it can be fun to play the thief, the assassin even, the witch hunter or the anti-hero. Some enjoy playing the most broken, min/maxed or crazy character they can devise and push the system rules for character generation to its limits in order to create such a character. If that is your goal, you may find The One Ring a bit frustrating.
The One Ring supports characters that fit into the existing fiction of Middle-earth, characters who may be central to the stories that emerge through your game-play, but who also are less powerful than many of the prominent characters Professor Tolkien created for his novels. There are no Gandalf or Galadriel  player characters in TOR. The stories that TOR encourages all fit within the plots and themes of Middle-earth and involve good folk trying to resist the schemes of the dark master.
TOR reinforces the role of heroic goodness mechanically through valor and wisdom, hope and shadow. If the character commits bad acts such as stealing or killing an innocent in TOR, their shadow score goes up. Once shadow equals or exceeds hope, the character may succumb to a bout of madness and fall under control of the referee/ lorekeeper. This can result in the permanent retirement of the character reflecting their status as a minion of evil. TOR is not a game that encourages you to explore your dark side during play.
This appeals to me on several levels. I enjoy the zero-to-hero tale of common folk who make a difference in their world through heroic endeavor. Sometimes this is achieved by just resisting the temptations evil presents. Strength of character is just as important as strength of arms. The story of Frodo and Sam is just such a tale famously told by the good professor himself in the trilogy that takes place soon after the period which is covered by The One Ring. Bad choices and bad behavior frequently have bad consequences in real life and making the game world work in a similar way makes it all the more believable (and therefore more enjoyable in my opinion).