OD&D OD&D Design Choices... Why?

[prosfilaes]

Someone with a clearer memory can either correct or confirm this, but wasn't there some issue with the Tolkein estate not allowing D+D to use any of their material? EGG was thus forced to downplay the Tolkein influence, at least in what he said, to avoid problems here.

Lan-"what you call halflings I call hobbits"-efan

I seem to recall the lawsuit was over a board game, and with a licensee, not the estate itself; Original D&D Set says that between the fifth and sixth printing of the OD&D books, "References to Hobbits and Ents have been changed to Halflings and Treants (see page 9 of Men & Magic), due to copyright conflicts with the Tolkien estate (with the exception of a single leftover reference on pg 6 to Hobbits!). Furthermore, many other infringements on Tolkien's literary license were excised or changed; notably, references to Balrogs, Nazgul, and even several mentions of Tolkien himself". No mention of a court case, or any direct contact, so it may have just been a purely defensive move.

 

[Thanael]

Lots of links about the history of D&D for the interested:

Dungeons & Dragons - history, versions, and revisions
http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...-history-d-d-some-other-rpgs-1967-1979-a.html
GameSpy: Magic & Memories: The Dungeons & Dragons Index - Page 1
WotC archive: The History of TSR
From the Basement to the Basic Set: The Early Years of Dungeons & Dragons by Erik Mona
ars ludi Braunstein: the Roots of Roleplaying Games
D&D Monster Origins
Sources of D&D
History of D&D on Tome of Treasures
A History of Role-Playing by Steve Darlington