Polygonal Hobbit Waffling, or “Tolkien goes to 11.”

I think part of the betterment of Midkemia as a playable game world as opposed to Middle Earth is that Midkemia was created by people playing games with it as a setting. So the world itself was always built upon the fact that not much was really dictated about facets of it. Ray has done a great job with his works, and I rush to buy each new one that comes out. But he has always tended to minimize world-involved events and concentrated mainly on the actions of a small few. Lord of the Rings was always a Sauron vs the world conflict.

Can’t wait until Midkemia Online starts taking beta players though. I’ve been dying for an IRE version of it since before the first agreement was reached.

I’d say the difference between Midkemia and Middle Earth is in size. Although the Silmarillion gives a rough outline of a bigger and far older world, few games (and definitely no writer, since that would be sacrilege) go outside of the familiar places (and timeline) of the Hobbit and LOTR.

Midkemia and its timeline on the other hand are big. You can hide several excellent games in there without ever touching upon the events from the books. And with the interworld travel … *drool* …

Actually, you’ve hit upon what makes me stick (or not) to a game. I have to be able to limit my involvement with rl-people and still find the game enjoyable/challenging. At the moment I find that in a universe where thousands are present and although they are of course impacting my experience, they’re presence does not define it.

Actually I think the main difference is gameplay. People don’t come to IRE games only to run around and bash - though we do do a very large amount of it. We come to roleplay in an environment the game constructs. With an MMO like DDO and LotR its just sort of dropping people in a setting to do stuff but there’s no enforced roleplaying.

But yeah.. people suck! They ruin tons of things for me, heh. Can’t wait to see any new IRE game, no matter what it’s based on.

“Angmar is not a name casual fans of the movies are going to be familiar with.”

-Is too! Not that they’d know any of the history or deeper meaning behind it, but they do know that the head of the Nazgul is “the Witch-King of Angmar”.
(Then again, I probably stopped qualifying as a “casual fan” of the movies after the third time or so, or fifth at the latest, but I do have faith that someone who’s only seen them once would remember it.)

Yeah, the casual movie-watcher probably didn’t understand when Gandalf said that. Once you’ve read the appendices to the books though you start to be more familiar with it.

The casual movie-watcher also ponders getting up for more popcorn at around that time, I suppose. Filthy heathens.
One more thing though, I have to say I loved Arwen’s “Xena” scene. One of the things that really, really pissed me off in the books was how Arwen does nothing but sit around and wait to get married, and while Eowyn looks for awhile like she salvages the image of the female sex, she starts babbling about no longer wanting to be a shieldmaiden and some such nonsense towards the end of RotK, too….having seen David Wenham as Faramir, I can relate somewhat, but I nonetheless wanted to smack her for it. Anyway, so, I very much like that scene the movie gave her (and introducing the character of Glorfindel would only have added to the confusion of the poor “casual” moviegoers)…even if it’s heresy to a Tolkien fiend.
Especially since having read the appendices, you know that the vision of Arwen’s future Elrond lays out is exactly what’s going to happen, which leaves one with the sad impression that the Arwen character is kinda screwed either way.

Matt wrote:
…Midkemia doesn’t inspire the kind of religious devotion that Middle-Earth does.

For you. But, there are probably people out there that thinks Middle-Earth is an okay story, but that are fanatically devoted to learning as much about Midkemia as possible. These are your future star customers.

For whatever reason, I love both those worlds, but for some reason, I’m just able to accept the idea of Midkemia as a game more easily than Middle-Earth.

Probably because, as someone else said, it’s a more open world. I think the biggest problem of LotRO is that most people are going to want to be part of the Fellowship, just as nearly everyone in SWG wanted to be a Jedi. Unfortunately, the setting doesn’t allow this. (40 man raid on the Cracks of Doom! Who brought The One Ring? Mike, George, and Tom? Okay, it’s Mike’s turn this week.)

I wish Turbine every bit of luck in their work. But, I think it’s an uphill battle that won’t be easily won.

My thoughts.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and be the contrarian.

The Lord of the Rings books are unreadable and the films are unwatchable. In the former case Tolkein’s style of writing is cumbersome (more than simply out of date), and in the latter Peter Jackson’s shortcomings as a director are dismally apparent (pacing, continuity, sfx).

Fiest’s writing style and world are eminently more readable, yet lack none of the depth of Tokein’s world. The difference is that Feist is smart enough not to dump it all out there at once.

I expect it is this very presentation that makes Midkemia better suited to a gaming environment. Middle Earth feels scripted, whilst Midkemia gives the sense that real people (ie characters) are driving events.

We can give a nod to Tolkein bringing together the myths to create the template for modern mythology, and like the Magna Carta or the Mona Lisa, let’s just leave it under glass to be admired from afar by those who appreciate such things.

The rest of us can get on with creating our own legends in a place better suited.

Por dios la foto de los dos hobitts es realment easquerosa y repugnantemente cochina, comportense son hombres además San ama a Rosita Coto como se mete con su lord Frodo is feo. guacala