D&D 4E 4E Halflings unrecognizable from Tolkien hobbits

[Brother MacLaren]

A class-stratified, idealised "vanished England" that ignores the hard work that the exploited "common people" Tolkien casually patronises in the figure of Sam and others had to do to keep "gentlemen" like Frodo in the comfort to which they considered themselves entitled.

As I've said elsewhere, Sam resists the lure of the Ring because he knows his place in the world. He is a simple gardener and that's all he wants to be, so the Ring's lure of power has no hold over him. His lack of ambition, rather than immense willpower, is his salvation. It is rather an uncomfortable message for a 21st-century primarily-American audience to embrace, since we are conditioned to think of ambition as a good thing. On the other hand, I think Tolkein was coming at the idea of the perils of ambition less from a class-stratification point of view than from the point of view of a Christian theologian (think Lucifer).

 

[Satori]

A class-stratified, idealised "vanished England" that ignores the hard work that the exploited "common people" Tolkien casually patronises in the figure of Sam and others had to do to keep "gentlemen" like Frodo in the comfort to which they considered themselves entitled.

Yikes!

I refuse to believe that Tolkien had underlying political motivations for his stories!

Next you'll tell me that Doctor Seuss and George Lucas had politically inspired works of fiction!

 

[The Little Raven]

Well, a few more than that.

Well 4, if you go by the 3 published books rather than the 1 novel that Tolkein intended. Are there more than that?

 

[Voss]

As I've said elsewhere, Sam resists the lure of the Ring because he knows his place in the world. He is a simple gardener and that's all he wants to be, so the Ring's lure of power has no hold over him. His lack of ambition, rather than immense willpower, is his salvation. It is rather an uncomfortable message for a 21st-century primarily-American audience to embrace, since we are conditioned to think of ambition as a good thing. On the other hand, I think Tolkein was coming at the idea of the perils of ambition less from a class-stratification point of view than from the point of view of a Christian theologian (think Lucifer).

It was both. Class issues are a pervading theme in LotR. Especially with regard to knowing ones place, whether its Sam being just Sam or Aragorn having to take the throne because he is of the proper bloodline. The divine right of kings (and by extension, the other Men with the High Blood) is also a duty.

 

[Agamon]

I love the new halflings. Reading R&C stirred my imagination a lot, and one of the cool ideas that might become first my 4E game is a halfling clan campaign. I've had ideas of a river barge/nomadic clan game before and the flavor text in R&C really sold it for me. Good stuff.

The only thing that I wasn't big on from R&C is the look of tieflings. Smaller horns and tails would have been nice.

 

[Jayouzts]

So what

I have been critical of 4E, but the change to the conception of halflings is the least of my worries.

In fact, I will give WOTC credit for thinking outside the box and trying something new with what had been IMHO a boring race.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

I love the new halflings. Reading R&C stirred my imagination a lot, and one of the cool ideas that might become first my 4E game is a halfling clan campaign. I've had ideas of a river barge/nomadic clan game before and the flavor text in R&C really sold it for me. Good stuff.

The only thing that I wasn't big on from R&C is the look of tieflings. Smaller horns and tails would have been nice.

I'm tempted to africanizes them a bit more, but removes the potential troubling gypsy-like side. Noble pygmies.

I just have to work a bit to be sure it don't come off as... well...

 

[rkanodia]

I'm tempted to africanizes them a bit more, but removes the potential troubling gypsy-like side. Noble pygmies.

I just have to work a bit to be sure it don't come off as... well...

I think you already failed.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

I think you already failed.

Dunno. *shrugs* 'Pygmies' is a bad term and not the right way perhaps.... the real bad thing is however the possibility of unrthrustworthyness, and the thieves bit. Removes this and it's much better.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Yikes!

I refuse to believe that Tolkien had underlying political motivations for his stories!

I don't tend to believe that Tolkien was deliberate in his classism. I think it was something quite ingrained in him, as a privileged British academic who grew up in the first half of the 20th century.

Next you'll tell me that Doctor Seuss and George Lucas had politically inspired works of fiction!

Heh. Are you saying they don't?