Of Chansons and Orcs (continued)

Given that fate no longer dictates the plot, magic can play a more important role. Gandalf can throw spells at will and not worry about changing the balance of the cosmos. Secret doors opened only by the juxtaposition of certain factors can be created simply because no real person would have to open them. Crystals function very similar to modern devices Tolkien would have known. This magic opens up new avenues for strategic and tactical play.

Tolkien also provides the necessary menagerie of monsters and races. The epics give us the occasional dragon but little else in this area. The Lord of the Rings has stocked the monstrosity larder for games for the last thirty years. Orcs, balrogs, Black Riders, and goblins have been perennial sword and spell fodder. The friendly races, dwarves, elves and animate trees also spring from Tolkien's pages.

More importantly, Tolkien gave designers something subtler than characters and devices, a sense of history accompanied by relativism between good and evil. Middle Earth's adventures and troubles spring from age-old animosities, struggles and mistakes. The Ents almost sit out the war because of the dwarves. Elves and dwarves are uncomfortable allies. The other races dimly perceive that Men will dominate them when Sauron is overthrown. The struggle between good and evil for Middle Earth is not Manichaen. These fights are not inevitable but are based upon reactions to historical events. In triumphing, good loses some of its purity, thus leaving open the possibility of future struggles when weak individuals are seduced to act selfishly. None of this is evident in the epics, which subscribe to the Christian belief of continual progress and improvement as mandated by Fate.

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