Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7388605" data-attributes="member: 82106">I don't really agree with this. I mean, I can't say what in theory is possible in GM-centered play, it TOTALLY depends on what the specific GM pre-authored, how they relate that to the PCs, etc.But I think that all the characters have significant motivations. Merry and Pippin are the least developed characters, besides Legolas who is almost really a minor character. They seem to be the quintessential "just along to have an adventure" types TBH. Even they find things which challenge them. Pippin comes face to face with madness and grief, and becomes torn between duty founded on honoring his oath to Denethor and love and pity for Faramir. I don't think this is just random stuff! Tolkien is turning Pippin into a fully-formed character here and creating a profound human conflict which he must resolve.  Later he's expelled from service to the Tower for his actions, though clearly everyone finds those actions laudable.Likewise Merry learns about true bravery and loyalty and about pushing yourself beyond the normal bounds of what is possible. He picks himself up and hews the flesh of the Ring Wraith regardless of terror, all for the love of an old man whom he hardly knows, and a woman he doesn't know at all! In the process he fulfills a prophecy, which is to say in Tolkien's parlance he plays his part in God's Plan of his own free will. This is not random stuff! Now, what agendas do hypothetical players of these 'characters' have? Well, at the point where those things happen, that's fairly obvious. What was Pippin's motivation when he hooked up with Frodo on his way to Took Land? We don't know, maybe just to find out how a foolish young man would mature in the face of danger. I think, partly, the trouble here is in not having a full explication of all the elements of Story Now. While we talk a lot about player agenda and character goals and relate the two, there ARE other formulations of Story Now. Eero Tuovinen mentioned some in passing. The entire milieu could present a question/challenge/agenda for example. I think this is a central point of Tolkien's work BTW, the question of free will and the 'playing of a part' in the unfurling of Illuvatar's plan, as shaped by the Great Music even before the founding of Arda. Melkor's great crime isn't opposing Illuvatar, his 'rebellion' is a vital part of Illuvatar's plan, NOTHING can truly be against the will of God! No, Melkor's great crime is the imposition of his will onto others. The evil that Sauron represents in LotR is just that, the will to dominate others and force them to do your bidding. This is the very reason why the Ring is unusable by free people, because its power is domination, it cannot be anything BUT evil and do anything but evil in accord with Tolkien's conception of good and evil. The point is that this makes the actions and plot of all the events in LotR quite central and vitally important. They directly address the central question. When Merry and Pippin arrive in Fangorn they become the catalyst which finally drives the Ents to assert THEIR free will, one of many such acts which collectively lead to the downfall of Sauron.</blockquote>

Verification