“You are a very fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” – Gandalf (towards the end of the Hobbit)
In an attempt to get off my Youtube addiction I have made a conscious effort to try and listen to more podcasts lately. In doing so, I have come across “Gone Medieval”, where two or more academic scholars talk about events or aspects of that most delicious thousand year period.
The most recent one focused on the medieval influences found in Tolkien’s writings, and provided much food for thought regarding how we approach TTRPGs. In particular was a part of the conversation on how Bilbo is chosen as the least likely to adventure, and even after he adventures is humbled by Gandalf to remind him he is still a little person in a big world despite his achievements.
Part of Tolkien’s appeal is that his works position the ‘Little People’ – those not of any great skill, might or valour – at the heart of the story. This is in stark contrast to other works such as the Arthurian legends, Nordic Sagas or Beowulf. This makes it more easy to associate with his characters. Reflecting on RPGs, it seems relevant to think where we are trying to position our characters in the world.
These fantastical, larger than life heroes such as Conan shine in the Old School style of play, but Old School play also has the versatility to tell tales about the down and out, inconsequential knaves who disappear into dungeons to not be seen again. Modern playstyles purport to tell the tales of Little People (often quite literally), but through game design turn these little people into mighty plane-traversing heroes. For my own RPG, I would love to keep the Hobbits as Hobbits – to humble the heroes. This means telling tales of the small folk, but also guarding against power creep.
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