You can have mideval Europe in your game and not have it feel like Tolkien; Pendragon does a good job of this. It's very much of a Camelot RPG.
You can also change certain aspects of the game to have it model fantasy archetypes in a different light. Tolkien's elves are noble, fair, wise, and graceful. But if elves are connected to Faerie, which they are in many myths, then elves become malicious, vindictive, spiteful and mischevious. In a celtic game, that's how I'd run elves. Removing races is also a good way to go. Do you not want orcs to be powerful, but rather wretched creatures? Remove the orc and half-orc races, and call Goblins "Orcs" and there you are.
Also, the lack of an extraordinarily powerful Evil will make your setting seem less of a Sauron look alike contest. Have your villians be just people; powerful, influential, but just people. And people only out for their own self-interest, instead of World Domination.
Thirdly, the presence of a Church, or several Churches, will make your setting seem much less Tolkienesque. Organized religions were downplayed in the books, even though the whole story is heavy with overtones; but the world does lack a centralized religious organization.
You can also change certain aspects of the game to have it model fantasy archetypes in a different light. Tolkien's elves are noble, fair, wise, and graceful. But if elves are connected to Faerie, which they are in many myths, then elves become malicious, vindictive, spiteful and mischevious. In a celtic game, that's how I'd run elves. Removing races is also a good way to go. Do you not want orcs to be powerful, but rather wretched creatures? Remove the orc and half-orc races, and call Goblins "Orcs" and there you are.
Also, the lack of an extraordinarily powerful Evil will make your setting seem less of a Sauron look alike contest. Have your villians be just people; powerful, influential, but just people. And people only out for their own self-interest, instead of World Domination.
Thirdly, the presence of a Church, or several Churches, will make your setting seem much less Tolkienesque. Organized religions were downplayed in the books, even though the whole story is heavy with overtones; but the world does lack a centralized religious organization.