What if... D&D had been designed BEFORE The Lord of the Rings!

[Gentlegamer]

To me, the most defining feature that Tolkien gave to D&D had nothing to do with the fantasy setting, but rather the "adventuring team" concept, a disparate group of heroes each contributing in their own way.

Gotta disagree. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the setting of Middle-earth is a superb lesson on the art of sub-creation. It is the art we all use when designing a campaign setting. That is the Professor's most important contribution.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Tolkein (more or less) grandfathered the fantasy idea of creating an entire world from scratch. While Conan does have a unique setting, it is still meant to be Earth. Many or most of the cultures are borrowed directly from real world cultures. Even to the point where Conan "discovers" the New World at the end of the series.

Prior to Tolkein, most fantasy, like Lovecraft and others, are set in the real world. A fantasy version of the real world, but the real world nonetheless.

Good to see this is understood. Conan discovering the New World though . . . didn't happen. Howard never wrote that. You must be refering to the Carter/Camp stories.

 

[kanithardm]

You see if Dnd was made before LOTR, then this thread would be titled "What if Dnd was made after LOTR". Good thing i cleared this up for you all.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

As a matter of fact...

...there were quite a number of fantasy worlds created before JRRT did his about Middle Earth one...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Orius]

Good to see this is understood. Conan discovering the New World though . . . didn't happen. Howard never wrote that. You must be refering to the Carter/Camp stories.

Yeah, de Camp did write about Conan going off and battling a bunch of Aztec-type demon worshipping cultists, however, Howard did have the idea that Conan visited the "New World", but he just didn't write about it.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

Just to Clarify...

Just to clarify something about the intent of this thread...

It isn't meant to imply that there is anything wrong with LOTR, or that LOTR was the only influence on the design of D&D.

It is a "Fantasy League" concept. An ElseWorld or What If... approach to D&D.

Now, speaking of comics... what titles existed before LOTR that could possibly have been an influence on a fantasy RPG game?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Just to clarify something about the intent of this thread...

It isn't meant to imply that there is anything wrong with LOTR, or that LOTR was the only influence on the design of D&D.

It is a "Fantasy League" concept. An ElseWorld or What If... approach to D&D.

Now, speaking of comics... what titles existed before LOTR that could possibly have been an influence on a fantasy RPG game?

In fact I know of none, although there was Planet Comics around before the LotR was published, I believe. Of course I was reading Wierd Fantasy comics from EC when I was around age 10, long before I was aware of Tolkien's stories, the shambling mound was patterened after "The Heap" from Airboy Comics, and I lover the movie, The Reluctant Dragon when I saw it c., 1943, but all of that is irrevelent. I am just running on because as far as I know there were no such comic in publication other than possibly such inaginative ones as Tarzan, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon.

Cheers,
Gary