> What does D&D feel like for me? For me, it feels more like Conan than Tolkien, for example.
It seems like this is very much this author’s spin on his version of Appendix N, rather than primarily an exploration of the actual Appendix N. More like what he’d like Appendix N to be rather than what it actually was.
AD&D particularly is at least 50% Middle Earth the roleplaying game, and the other 50% split among all the other influences. Halflings, elves (even specific types of elves ripped directly), dwarves, rangers, orcs, dragons, wights, wraiths, walking trees, goblins riding wolves, magic swords, magic rings, mithril, magic cloaks and boots, giant spiders, giant eagles, were-bears, it’s hard to think of anything in Tolkien at all that isn’t directly cut-and-pasted. Meanwhile yes specific elements were taken from other settings, such as the magic and a few other things from Vance, and the barbarian class from Howard, maybe thieves and thieves guilds from Lieber. The Cleric is an interesting one, it was added specifically for a vampire hunting adventure in the Blackmoor campaign. Middle Earth provides the base layer the whole thing is built on though.
Many of those elements Tolkien took from older sources, which he studied professionally and know every well (including magic rings). Arguably, AD&D also used the same old sources.
It seems like this is very much this author’s spin on his version of Appendix N, rather than primarily an exploration of the actual Appendix N. More like what he’d like Appendix N to be rather than what it actually was.
AD&D particularly is at least 50% Middle Earth the roleplaying game, and the other 50% split among all the other influences. Halflings, elves (even specific types of elves ripped directly), dwarves, rangers, orcs, dragons, wights, wraiths, walking trees, goblins riding wolves, magic swords, magic rings, mithril, magic cloaks and boots, giant spiders, giant eagles, were-bears, it’s hard to think of anything in Tolkien at all that isn’t directly cut-and-pasted. Meanwhile yes specific elements were taken from other settings, such as the magic and a few other things from Vance, and the barbarian class from Howard, maybe thieves and thieves guilds from Lieber. The Cleric is an interesting one, it was added specifically for a vampire hunting adventure in the Blackmoor campaign. Middle Earth provides the base layer the whole thing is built on though.