Boy, does this conversation take me to Way Back When. Haven't played such games since college. But the discussion caught my attention because it reminded me of an article I read awhile back by a guy named Martinez, on the way (A)D&D and modern mass-market fantasy stereotypes the themes and backgrounds in Tolkien's works. It's a bit on the philosophical side, and would probably interest only hard-core gamers and/or Tolkien geeks (I at least qualify in the latter), but it does have interesting points...
Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth
EDIT - Quote from article most pertinent to this thread...
Quote:
The presumption of Class and Profession permeated the popular imagination and took readers away from the universal optimism which Tolkien advanced.
In Tolkien's world, a well-to-do Hobbit can be dragooned into masquerading as a common burglar (not a pocket-picking thief, although he tried a little of that to poor effect). Tolkien allows a common gardener (essentially an NPC henchman in gaming terms, a non-player character who tags along with the player character) to rise to become Master of Bag End, founder of a prominent Shire family, and Mayor of the Shire (perhaps with the longest ever tenure in that office). Sam wasn't just a gardener. He was an individual with feelings and priorities and desires. He just managed to focus so well on what he was doing that people are often surprised to learn Sam had a girlfriend.
Middle-earth allows kings to be bards, warriors, healers, scholars, and smiths. Barbarians transcend cultural boundaries and become civilized peoples. Ancient lore is not treated as something that only a special group of people can understand. Anyone may learn a little something of each race's special lore. Dungeons and Dragons removed these potentials, these aptitudes, from the imagination of fantasy readers and writers alike.
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[ June 19, 2004, 03:26: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]
Re: OT: D&D and multi-classing.
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