The Flummery Tap (OOC)

[roryb]

I should offer here: my situation doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Does anyone else want to run this? No use waiting for me if this is going to be more weeks of this new way of life.

[tibbius]

Glad to hear that your business continues to operate; sad to learn that you don't see any reduction in workload in the near future (not only because it would have been great to play with you again!).

Does anyone know of someone who might be interested in running this game? I can ask Leitz, he's a good writer with creative ideas.

[Leitz]

Are you assuming people who have played in any of my games would want to do so again? And what, exactly, does that say about their mental state?

I'm looking at what you all have done so far. My first question, to the group, is, "How do you see the 1937 edition of The Hobbit different from the later editions; specifically, as it might influence the game?"

Once I realized I was failing High School Latin, with no understanding of how to fix that, I sat in class and read the Hobbit and LotR.

[tibbius]

One of the changes from 1937 edition to the later books was that magic became reserved to the Maiar. Originally, Gandalf was just a very old and clever human. The angelic nature came in with the LotR and then was retconned into the later edition of the Hobbit.

A bigger change from the original Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings, the older book has more of a "cheerful cleverness wins the day" theme consistent with European fairy tales (the Take Courage mechanic in There and Back Again reflects the more light-hearted tone of the original book), and even the major setbacks are written in a fairly droll fashion, whereas the later books have a darker tone and grimmer events, so that Tom Bombadil in LotR often is regarded as a distracting diversion whereas in the Hobbit he'd be a significant and thematically consistent part of the story. I think we all anyone please correct me if I'm mistaken hope for more of a lighthearted romp with setbacks (maybe even character deaths as in the Battle of Five Armies), rather than the grim grinding of Helm's Deep or the Gates of Mordor. There are subtle but significant differences in how Tolkien described the deadly mass combat in the Hobbit as compared to the similar events in LotR.

Additionally, we've taken some liberty with the "history" of Middle Earth by having a king (not Aragorn) sitting in Gondor before and soon after Dwarves reclaimed Erebor.

Can anyone else think of significant differences about the older book?

[Rex]

I think you hit it on the head. Gollum wasn't evil. The magic ring didn't show any signs of any negative influences on Bilbo. In truth a much better story than the revised version.

[tibbius]

Another song by Tarabim.

A dragon's heart is very hot
and filled with wicked hungry thoughts.
A halfling's belly's warm and snug
when filled with food that halflings love.
When a halfling meets a dragon then
new entrees come to each of them;
the wyrm considers hobbit feet,
the halfling ponders dragon meat.

[roryb]

I may not have time to run, but I can still lurk and applaud the good stuff here.

[Mr Stereo1]

Damn shame to hear that rory, and I hope you'll be okay. It's always good to play with you, but don't feel the need to rush into running a game to reach out or check in. Always nice to hear from you.

On the game, I think rory put it well in the beginning with "boyhood adventure". Tibbius' piece above reflects my view too. I'd be hoping for a tone dealing with important issues, like war and death etc, but with a general lightheartedness. Silly things like escaping an Elven dungeon hidden in wine barrels, for example, can be mixed with a lonely mountain giant singing sad songs about being the last of it's kind. The King might die in a last great battle to save the kingdom, but someone captured by Orcs doesn't get brutally tortured for information.

It's cheerful, almost childish, fantasy adventure without any of the higher theological undertones Tolkien brought into later works.

[Leitz]

A light hearted adventure sounds fun. Here's what I understand from the game so far:

Some combat ability in the group.
A desire for different types of solutions to the challenges.
A strong drive for song and verse.
Starting already in the journey.
Some house rules. (Read them, let's see them in play)

Have I missed anything?

Here are my thoughts so far, open to comment.

Tarabim is the central connection between everyone. He sets out on the quest, why does he bring the other characters along? You don't need to draft all that before starting, but keep it in mind. You are all an existing group, and know each other.


Who all is in?

[tibbius]

Tarabim brings the others because ... he sings, he tells stories, he's charming, he's perfectly suited for life at court. Has absolutely no road skills, never slept rough, can't hunt worth anything. Though he may be the motivating force he is very much aware that he's got very slim chance of surviving without the company.

[Rex]

Lotho is along because he is just sort of going where things take him. He doesn't really have any goals.

[Leitz]

Okay, let's try a scene. tibbius, I'm going to rely on you to help ensure I get the game mechanics right. Everyone else, I look for feedback on how the game feels, and if things make sense.

The party is on the Anorien side of the Mering Stream, near where it joins the Entwash. They need to get to Bree, but hopefully you don't expect it to be easy, right?

[Jernau35]

I'm going to have to drop out too. Sorry. I've had problems with seizures in the past. Now I'm doing a lot more work on line I'm noticing certain signs popping up again. Best that I limit my screen time.

Good journey everybody!

[Leitz]

I'm going to have to drop out too. Sorry. I've had problems with seizures in the past. Now I'm doing a lot more work on line I'm noticing certain signs popping up again. Best that I limit my screen time.

Good journey everybody!

Sorry to hear! Rest, and enjoy life.

[Rex]

Keep safe Jernau, good luck.

[tibbius]

I'm going to have to drop out too. Sorry. I've had problems with seizures in the past. Now I'm doing a lot more work on line I'm noticing certain signs popping up again. Best that I limit my screen time.

Good journey everybody!

That's ... really a difficult thing given the times and circumstances. Here's hoping that there might be some medication to keep that under control! Best wishes for your life off-line.

[Mr Stereo1]

I'm going to have to drop out too. Sorry. I've had problems with seizures in the past. Now I'm doing a lot more work on line I'm noticing certain signs popping up again. Best that I limit my screen time.

Good journey everybody!

Damn shame to hear, but understandable. I hope you get better soon. A suggestion occurs (I've never thought to look into before) but have you ever tried using a paper-like ereader? My Kindle's Paperwhite screen is this glare free thing that takes longer to load than a normal monitor but really feels like paper to read from. The time delay is barely noticeable so if you have health problems it might be worth looking into a tablet like that?

EDIT: Right, it's called E-Ink technology. Here's an article on the subject if you're interested.

https://cloudconfusing.com/2020/02/07/e ... rime-time/

They do look quite expensive though, and I don't know what causes your own problems, but if you aren't watching videos or playing video games maybe it's a worthwhile trade off for you. Just something I thought I should mention.

[OGRE MAGE]

I hope your condition improves quickly, Jernau! Take it easy, man!

Sadly, my wife’s mother is in a battle for her life right now which has been an absolute nightmare during these weird times of shut downs and personal distancing. I need to be there for her as best I can, which will limit my time here greatly. I don’t mean to say that I need to bail out on this game, but my creativity level is in the cellar and dropping right now, so I can’t say for certain how much I can contribute for the next little while.

If you need to find a replacement player, I understand completely.

Stay safe and stay healthy everyone!

[Leitz]

If you need to find a replacement player, I understand completely.

I enjoy gaming with you, and understand that some times are tougher than others. Contribute as you can, no worries.

[Mr Stereo1]

Wow, I hope things turn out okay Ogre. That's a way more important thing to focus on keeping up online gaming, though if you're able to chip in as Barwuf intermittently I'd love to play off with my wild man buddy.