Joyful GMing: Read Tolkien to Enhance Your GMing Skills

The Fellowship of the Ring remains a brilliant source of inspiration and guidance for GMs. From an opening that reads like an excellent 0 level adventure to how to dungeon crawl in the Mines of Moria, the book covers so much GMs need to know. It also serves as a reminder to slow adventures down, let the player characters take in and appreciate the world, and reminds GMs to contrast the actions of the brave and self-sacrificing against those that are craven and selfish.

Fantasy Forest - Free photo on Pixabay​

There are more examples in The Fellowship of the Ring than I can cover in one article. I’m going to start with Book I and connect what is in the first half of the novel to an example from an RPG. My thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien for creating Middle-earth.

0 Level Adventure​

Three to four Hobbits wandering cross country is the perfect 0 level adventure. Pursued by mysterious black riders, trapped by an angry sapient willow, and captured by a wight, the Hobbits experience adventure. They also befriend Farmer Maggot and Tom Bombadil. If you’ve only watched the movie recently, the book is a nice contrast with the Hobbits being fully grown adults (no stealing fireworks or vegetables) fully capable of planning a long journey and devising plans to avoid enemies. They are still inexperienced though and get in over their heads more than once.

The One Ring Starter Set provides a similar adventure along with rules, pre-generated PC Hobbits, and even dice. A group of Hobbits on an adventure is an excellent way for GMs to introduce roleplaying in Middle-earth to a group of players.

How Big is the World?​

When Sam gets to Bree, he seems human houses for the first time. He sees Men for the first time. Think about that for a moment. Many fantasy RPGs feature a baker’s dozen of species of all shapes and sizes. But imagine Sam, seeing human habitation for the first time and not finding it to his liking. Slowing down getting to world spanning travel and cosmopolitan mixing of species lets PCs grow and take in things in their world more slowly.

Again, The One Ring Starter Set is a great way to start much slower and focus on a small forgotten corner of Middle-earth. The Hobbits in the adventure may have never met Men, Dwarves, or Elves. Players can share the wonder of their characters as they interact with the bigger world for the first time.

How Folk Get Along​

Bree is an interesting contrast to the Shire. While Shirefolk think of themselves as normal and others as odd, it is the people of Bree who really show how folk get along. Men and Hobbits not only live in the same settlement, they consider themselves all Bree-folk. This harmony leads to their settlement being a crossroads or perhaps it is the crossroads that makes them welcome Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, and even Wizards to their settlements. While modern fantasy RPGs show many cultures hanging out together, it is more likely that suspicion and mistrust would exist between different peoples. But not in Bree. Although they aren’t too keen on Rangers, which is ironic considering it is the Dúnedain who, unknown to Bree-folk, keep their villages safe.

The One Ring introduces Bree-hobbits by mixing the base attributes of a Hobbit with the culture of the Men of Bree. Physically they are Hobbits but with the skills of Men of Bree and a mix of cultural traits from both. I created a Bree-hobbit for adventures I’m running in Moria this year, and he is more worldly than Shirefolk, even going so far as being a scholar with a broad knowledge of other cultures. His experiences in Bree allows him get along with and inspire everyone in his Company and his presence raises the Company’s Fellowship rating by one point.

It Starts in a Tavern​

The larger story of the War of the Ring really kicks off when Frodo meets Strider in the Prancing Pony. This trope is well known and has been used many times in many different adventures.

Love and Sacrifice​

Strider tells the Hobbits a story of ancient love and sacrifice that led to the creation of half-elves including Elrond. If an Elf chooses to love a human, that Elf must give up immortality and become mortal. Descendents of such a union must also choose to stay immortal or become mortal. In this way, Arwen can love and stay with Aragorn, but her Elven people lose her forever. It is powerful, sad, and beautiful all at once. From such things do great player characters spring and that combination inspires and drives amazing adventures.

Many editions of Dungeons & Dragons already have half-elves. Keepers of the Elven-rings is a great source of inspiration for DMs. For DMs running Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Edition, half-elves can be found in the Player's Handbook Fifth Edition. GMs running Basic Expert D&D/Old-School Essentials can find half-elves in Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome. That book also has rangers and knights for DMs wanting Dúnedain and Riders of Rohirrim options in a campaign.

Your Turn: How does Tolkien and Middle-earth inspire and direct your GMing?

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Are you saying all trees look alike? That's so arborist!

Are you saying all trees look alike? That's so arborist!

If I was an arborist, I'm sure I wouldn't have any problem identifying different trees!

 

[Zarithar]

Slightly off topic, but having read fantasy for several decades now, I find myself more and more aware that modern fantasy has drifted away from the mythic and into the mundane. I am just finishing up Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy and it's a stark contrast to reading something by say... Brandon Sanderson or Joe Abercrombie for example.
I enjoy modern fantasy, but the older stuff - the closer you get to Tolkien - had a much more mythic, poetic, and otherworldly feel to it.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Slightly off topic, but having read fantasy for several decades now, I find myself more and more aware that modern fantasy has drifted away from the mythic and into the mundane. I am just finishing up Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy and it's a stark contrast to reading something by say... Brandon Sanderson or Joe Abercrombie for example.
I enjoy modern fantasy, but the older stuff - the closer you get to Tolkien - had a much more mythic, poetic, and otherworldly feel to it.

I agree, and I think it is more than that. I know that Sanderson and Abercrombie are good writers. However, I also think that Sanderson and Abercrombie write about themes completely opposite to Tolkien.

Evil wins. Sacrifice doesn't lead to victory. Less so in Sanderson's books of course, but still he starts with the victory of evil. But in Abercrombie's world the protagonists kill kids, torture the innocent, and betray the ones they love. The Gandalf like figure in his books is a red herring and is actually the cause of great suffering in the world, worse on a global scale than what Saruman or even Sauron accomplished. I actually find the nihilism and embracing of despair, pain, and loss in The First Law trilogy tiring and depressing.

Tolkien wrote about the everyman sacrificing himself to save all and we believe it, because Tolkien saw it. He lived it. Evil doesn't win no matter what modern fantasy tries to get us to believe. Those stories ring hollow which is why Tolkien, being full of myth and poetry and wonder and love of fellow beings and self-sacrifice for the greater good, is so powerful.

Tolkien had flaws of course and so did his protagonists. But they didn't celebrate or revel in those flaws. They actively fought against their base natures. And those people in the books that gave in to despair, nihilism, and evil caused great suffering. But even those people could be redeemed or at least end up doing some good in the end. That is a powerful and mythic narrative.

 

[Mannahnin]

Tolkien had flaws of course and so did his protagonists. But they didn't celebrate or revel in those flaws. They actively fought against their base natures. And those people in the books that gave in to despair, nihilism, and evil caused great suffering. But even those people could be redeemed or at least end up doing some good in the end. That is a powerful and mythic narrative.

Good post.

I watched a video essay recently on flaws in Samwise (for example his love for Frodo contains an element of jealousy, and overprotectiveness taken to the level of suspicion) and in a moment when Gollum was nearly redeemed. It centered on his internal struggle after being "betrayed" by Frodo with the rangers in Ithilien; how he largely understood, but his hateful Gollum "side" and loving Smeagol aspect were in conflict, and he deferred his decision about Shelob until they were climbing the stair above Minas Morgul.

There's a scene where he returns from scouting to find Frodo fitfully sleeping with his head in Sam's lap, and Sam has dozed off too. Smeagol feels this wave of sympathy and fellow-feeling and reaches out a hand in toward Frodo, but Sam jerks awake and in his jealous suspicion he castigates and insults Smeagol. And this verbal/emotional abuse basically turns Gollum, who was on the precipice of committing fully to being Smeagol again, back to the dark and commits him to the betrayal. Tolkien apparently talked in an interview about how this was a heartbreaking scene to write.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Good post.

I watched a video essay recently on flaws in Samwise (for example his love for Frodo contains an element of jealousy, and overprotectiveness taken to the level of suspicion) and in a moment when Gollum was nearly redeemed. It centered on his internal struggle after being "betrayed" by Frodo with the rangers in Ithilien; how he largely understood, but his hateful Gollum "side" and loving Smeagol aspect were in conflict, and he deferred his decision about Shelob until they were climbing the stair above Minas Morgul.

There's a scene where he returns from scouting to find Frodo fitfully sleeping with his head in Sam's lap, and Sam has dozed off too. Smeagol feels this wave of sympathy and fellow-feeling and reaches out a hand in toward Frodo, but Sam jerks awake and in his jealous suspicion he castigates and insults Smeagol. And this verbal/emotional abuse basically turns Gollum, who was on the precipice of committing fully to being Smeagol again, back to the dark and commits him to the betrayal. Tolkien apparently talked in an interview about how this was a heartbreaking scene to write.

I saw that too. I'm reading the Fellowship again and you can see glints and hints of Sam's darker side. Subtle writing; brilliantly executed. And heartbreaking in the end. Sam didn't learn his lesson that I remember. Although if he did end up sailing to the Undying Lands, his journey and some of his decisions may have haunted him after all.

Of course, Sam was a hell of a hero also. He took on Shelob in one-on-one combat. And he was the only one in the Fellowship who carried the Ring to destroy it on his own (thinking Frodo was dead). A complex. well-written protagonist.

 

[Mannahnin]

I saw that too. I'm reading the Fellowship again and you can see glints and hints of Sam's darker side. Subtle writing; brilliantly executed. And heartbreaking in the end. Sam didn't learn his lesson that I remember. Although if he did end up sailing to the Undying Lands, his journey and some of his decisions may have haunted him after all.

Of course, Sam was a hell of a hero also. He took on Shelob in one-on-one combat. And he was the only one in the Fellowship who carried the Ring to destroy it on his own (thinking Frodo was dead). A complex. well-written protagonist.

Indeed. Sam has come in for a ton of well-earned plaudits, especially in the wake of the movies, as perhaps the greatest hero of the story. He not only tried to carry on the quest by himself but was able to willingly give up the ring!

But I think the movies undersell Frodo's quiet heroism, and miss a lot of subtleties from the books, so it's nice to revisit the books and see some of the beautiful nuances.