Oooh, here’s a good one. What is the most obvious Tolkien thing in D&D: Halflings, Mithral, Rangers, or Balors.
Mithral. Elves have too many distinct subraces, and live shorter (though high and wood elves...), Dwarves also draw heavily on tolkien, but they live shorter, halflings have the name and many ideas from hobbits, but a portion of those also went to gnomes, orcs are not irredeemably evil, Balors have a lightning sword, Rangers get spellcasting, but mitrial is litterally the exact same as Tolkien. (I added orcs, elves, and dwarves)
Also there's the Treant, but how many varieties of walking, talking tree can there be?
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
If you are looking to write a biography, the best place to start would be the man himself, rather than facts garnered from folks on the internet. If you want to get your first taste of the man himself, I recommend checking out the website for the Tolkien Estate. They update their website a couple months ago to be a little more interesting--it now contains a number of his watercolors, some recommended secondary sources, and a small collection of his letters (which are the bread and butter of any biography). Would be a great place to get your start if you are interested in taking on such a project.
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
If you are looking to write a biography, the best place to start would be the man himself, rather than facts garnered from folks on the internet. If you want to get your first taste of the man himself, I recommend checking out the website for the Tolkien Estate. They update their website a couple months ago to be a little more interesting--it now contains a number of his watercolors, some recommended secondary sources, and a small collection of his letters (which are the bread and butter of any biography). Would be a great place to get your start if you are interested in taking on such a project.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
In early editions of D&D, haflings were called hobbits, treants were called ents, and balor were called balrogs. The Tolkien estate sued over the use of these terms, as well as the terms elf, goblin, orc, and dwarf.
Elf, goblin, and dwarf were all pretty clearly public domain, being phrases that predated Tolkien by generations. Orcs are problematic from a rights issue - Tolkien pretty much invented the modern concept of the orc, taking only the name from fragments of old texts. But the D&D orc is vastly different in character from Tolkien’s corrupted elves, even if their general mannerisms are similar. That likely was enough to save them from being transformed too terribly by the dispute.
Hobbits were changed to the pre-Tolkien term “halfling” and references to hairy feet were removed. Ents were also changed to reference a much older mythical creature. Balor had their name changed as well, and the description updated to less directly reference Tolkien (it helps that Tolkien is a little vague about what balrogs look like).
Also, the hobbit race was split between gnomes and halflings
And hairy feet were removed :(
I will never be Frodo
Or Sam Gamgee
The real hero
That's just the joy if D&D though, isn't it? Wizards might not be able to publish LotR-style hobbits (currently--more on that in a second), but you can homerule anything you want!
Interestingly, however, there is a non-zero chance we will see a LotR D&D expansion or a Wizards product that utilizes the D&D system for a tabletop game (and thus could be transplanted into D&D without modification). Next year, Wizards will be releasing a LotR supplement (based on the books, not the films) to Magic: the Gathering under their "Universes Beyond" product line--official Magic cards made with non-Wizards' intellectual property. On an investors call a couple weeks ago, Hasbro indicated they wanted to expand this "Universes Beyond" model to the D&D system. I expect they will start with other Hasbro-owned properties, like GI Joe and Transformers, but it is not inconceivable that they would license other non-Hasbro IPs, like they are presently doing with Magic. Considering Hasbro was able to secure the licensing to make LotR book Magic cards, it is well within the realm of possibility that they can or already have secured rights in such a manner that a LotR D&D/D&D system product could be produced.
Adventurs in Middle Earth, by Cubicle 7, is a D&D expansion for Middle Earth. I’ve checked it out, and it’s really good. Minor issue is that it’s been out of print for years. But Cubicle 7 have announced a new “edition” of it will be coming out.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
Well, thanks anyway. I have a couple biographies that I am going to read. I’ll tell you if I see something about it.
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
Just make sure that is says his estate sued D&D, I personally think he's to kind to do that, especially when so many people enjoyed the game.
(Let's not talk about how people thought it was witchcraft around that time)
Also - he loved turning general words into proper names.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
Just make sure that is says his estate sued D&D, I personally think he's to kind to do that, especially when so many people enjoyed the game.
(Let's not talk about how people thought it was witchcraft around that time)
Also - he loved turning general words into proper names.
The Shire, The Water, The Hill, etc.
Admittedly, as he was a Catholic, he might have had a TEENY TINY problem with the with the whole “spell” portion. Although, there were Wizards in LotR… so maybe not.
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
Just make sure that is says his estate sued D&D, I personally think he's to kind to do that, especially when so many people enjoyed the game.
(Let's not talk about how people thought it was witchcraft around that time)
Also - he loved turning general words into proper names.
The Shire, The Water, The Hill, etc.
Admittedly, as he was a Catholic, he might have had a TEENY TINY problem with the with the whole “spell” portion. Although, there were Wizards in LotR… so maybe not.
Yeah. Gandalf was said to have cast spells. and he included gods other than God so...
well... Tolkien wasn't referenced as inspiration for D&D so he may have asked for that...
Considering he was dead and buried for a few years when D&D first came out, I would be incredibly surprised if he made any such request.
I will also note that Tolkien’s lore is monotheistic, and shares some elements with Christian canons.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
I am Groot!
Call me Blond. James Blond.
All right. I’m PROBABLY not qualified to write one, but I want to anyway. Though it would be great to have some help. I’m also going to read already existent ones. And it wouldn’t get published (or probably finished) until I’m an adult (I’m 15). But I REALLY want to write a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m also going to rewatch that movie based on his life (Tolkien), and watch that interview with BBC. I’m going to soak up all the information I can. In other words: who has some random Tolkien facts?
Call me Blond. James Blond.
If you are looking to write a biography, the best place to start would be the man himself, rather than facts garnered from folks on the internet. If you want to get your first taste of the man himself, I recommend checking out the website for the Tolkien Estate. They update their website a couple months ago to be a little more interesting--it now contains a number of his watercolors, some recommended secondary sources, and a small collection of his letters (which are the bread and butter of any biography). Would be a great place to get your start if you are interested in taking on such a project.
His real last name was Tollkiehn, but it got Anglicized to Tolkien during WWI.
Thanks!
Call me Blond. James Blond.
I didn’t know that! Cool! Thanks! I like exclamation marks!
Call me Blond. James Blond.
No prob 😊
I had not heard that before; do you happen to have a citation? The only source I can find--and not a particularly great one at that--indicates that the Tolkien family changed to a more Anglicized spelling in the 1700s.
I read a biography of Tolkien when I was a kid. Idk the title. I might be misremembering the details. It also said that Tolkien’s son Christopher changed his name to Tolkin, but then changed it back to Tolkien when his dad got famous.
Adventurs in Middle Earth, by Cubicle 7, is a D&D expansion for Middle Earth. I’ve checked it out, and it’s really good. Minor issue is that it’s been out of print for years. But Cubicle 7 have announced a new “edition” of it will be coming out.
I'm the Valar (leader and creator) of The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/Anything Tolkien Cult!
Member of the Cult of Cats, High Elf of the Elven Guild, and Sauce Priest & Sauce Smith of the Supreme Court of Sauce.
If you want some casual roleplay/adventures in Middle Earth, check out The Wild's Edge Tavern, a LotR/Middle Earth tavern!
JOIN TIAMAT'S CONGA LINE!
Extended Sig
Well, thanks anyway. I have a couple biographies that I am going to read. I’ll tell you if I see something about it.
Call me Blond. James Blond.
Duly noted.
Call me Blond. James Blond.
I vaguely remember SOMETHING like that.
Call me Blond. James Blond.
Me too. Unfortunately, my memory is really hazy.
Whoa! What’s it like to have “memory?”
Call me Blond. James Blond.
Admittedly, as he was a Catholic, he might have had a TEENY TINY problem with the with the whole “spell” portion. Although, there were Wizards in LotR… so maybe not.
Call me Blond. James Blond.
Considering he was dead and buried for a few years when D&D first came out, I would be incredibly surprised if he made any such request.
I will also note that Tolkien’s lore is monotheistic, and shares some elements with Christian canons.
Even more fun than an attention span lol
Are the Valar technically gods?
I think a better point of comparison would be archangels, serving below the monotheistic god, but above the maiar, which would be regular angels.
This also tracks with the Lucifer allegory of Melkor, where an archangel falls and sets forth on destruction of the god’s creation.