Lacking Natural Simplicity (Posts about j.r.r. tolkien)https://tkurtbond.github.io/categories/jrr-tolkien.atom2024-01-23T18:49:41ZT. Kurt BondNikolaJohn D. Rateliff's Brief History of Tolkien RPGshttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2020/03/11/john-d-rateliffs-brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs/2020-03-11T13:25:29-04:002020-03-11T13:25:29-04:00T. Kurt Bond<p>The Internet provides: <a class="reference external" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnzZhCDU_Ew">John D. Rateliff's</a> “Brief History of Tolkien
RPGS” (<a class="reference external" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnzZhCDU_Ew">Video</a>, <a class="reference external" href="http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2012/07/brief-sad-history-revisited.html">Commentary</a> on the video, and the essay in four parts:
<a class="reference external" href="http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/11/brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs.html">Part 1</a>, <a class="reference external" href="http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/11/brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs-part-two.html">Part 2</a>, <a class="reference external" href="http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/11/brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs-part.html">Part 3</a>, <a class="reference external" href="http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/11/brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs-part-four.html">Part 4</a>), linked here for
reference.</p>
<p>Part 1 ends with:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Given the uncertain state of the Tolkien copyrights in the 1970s
(which is another story I can come back to later it you like),
it's almost certain that it was NOT the Tolkien Estate, but rather
Zaentz's Tolkien Enterprises, that sent TSR their cease & desist
back sometime in late 1977. Whereupon Gygax and Company at once
filed the serial numbers off, except in a few odd cases such as
"orc" (which they ludicrously began to claim came not from Tolkien
but from an Irish word for pig, leading to the silly-looking
pig-snouted orcs of the Monster Manual [page 76]) and 'mithral'
(which they simply decided to misspell) and otherwise went on
their merry way.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'd never heard of this origin for pig-faced orcs!</p>The Siege of Gondor (at acoup.blog)https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2020/03/06/the-siege-of-gondor-at-acoupblog/2020-03-06T11:13:01-05:002020-03-06T11:13:01-05:00T. Kurt Bond<p>There is a very interesting six-part series of articles (<a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondor/">I</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/17/collections-the-siege-of-gondor-part-ii-these-beacons-are-liiiiiiit/">II</a>,
<a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/24/collections-the-siege-of-gondor-part-iii-having-fun-storming-the-city/">III</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/31/collections-the-siege-of-gondor-part-iv-the-cavalry-arrives/">IV</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/06/07/collections-the-siege-of-gondor-part-v-just-flailing-about-flails/">V</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/06/14/collections-the-siege-of-gondor-part-vi-black-sails-and-gleaming-banners/">VI</a>) written by military historian <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/author/aimedtact/">Bret Devereaux</a> at
<a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/">A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry</a> that analyzes the Siege of
Gondor in the Peter Jackson film and in the Tolkien book, including
logistics, operations, cavalry mechanics, the physics of supernatural
creatures and their weapons, and the role of motivation and cohesion.
As is not surprising, the sequence in the Peter Jackson film makes
compromises with the story to better suit film, while the sequence in
the book is better grounded in the reality of historical battles.</p>
<p>There is also a review of the Gondor Heavy Infantry <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2020/01/10/collections-gondor-heavy-infantry-kit-review/">Kit</a>, which
depends on the discussion of armor in the <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/12/new-acquisitions-lannister-infantry-kit-review/">Lannister</a> Infantry Kit
review.</p>
<p>And, there is a three part series (<a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/07/26/collections-war-elephants-part-i-battle-pachyderms/">1</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/08/02/collections-war-elephants-part-ii-elephants-against-wolves/">2</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/08/09/collections-war-elephants-part-iii-elephant-memories/">3</a>) on War Elephants.</p>
<p>His <a class="reference external" href="https://acoup.blog/2019/05/03/blog-overview-a-collection-of-unmitigated-pedantry/">Blog Overview</a> gives a good description of what he's doing on
his blog and his credentials as a professional military historian.</p>