Butchering Middle Earth

[jdavis]

The Fourth age was/is the age of Men, the elves left, their time was done, it never says that Middle Earth was diminished in any way, just that what the elves loved was changing and they didn't particularly like that. The Elves had been leaving Middle Earth for thousands of years, and probably some hung around for thousands of years after, but it was their lot to leave Middle Earth to Man. It isn't a bad time in Middle Earth, it is the Dawning of the Age where Men will be dominant. What a perfect time frame to game in, there is no big evil to set right as there is no single world threatening evil, places that Western Men had not been to in thousands of years were opened back up. It was the birth of a new age, the time for adventurous souls to explore the world. Elves, well the Noldor Elves went home, what is sad about that, they went to where they belonged and could be happy. Dwarves, man what a great time to play a dwarf, the world was wide open, all that the dwarves had lost to the darkness could now be retaken. Magic, well good grief, that is so much of a non issue as far as gaming goes, make a judgement call, the fourth age opened up men to magic in all it's forms, the world was changing and what came before doesn't have to be the same as what is now. Problem solved, it's a wonderful time to game in a Middle Earth setting.

As for what Tolken meant in his books about magic.......well it's really hard to say as he never gave a definitive answer and we just can't ask him for clarification, so any argument for either side is just speculation, both sides are right, or both sides could be wrong, you will never know. Tolken never made the statement Magic in Middle Earth is this, _________. He talked alot about it but he never made the definative statement, it seems like that was on purpose too. This whole argument while interesting is compleatly futile. Magic in Middle Earth was vague. There is no right answer.