The Hobbitjedi - J.R.R. Tolkien








This icon lets you know I cheated and made this site with a program. Hey, at least I'm honest.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's works helped to define the fantasy genre of literature as it stands today. Tolkien fleshed out a world filled with imaginative characters tied to a land that was given an equal amount of depth. Tolkien's vertically challenged protagonists, the hobbits, get thrust into an adventure that leads them to confront the ultimate evil of the Third Age of Middle Earth, the Dark Lord Sauron.

The Hobbit focuses on Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit whose adventure with a group of dwarves to reclaim their treasure and home from a dragon sets things up for what follows in the Lord of the Rings. Bilbo, who is not initially thrilled to have an adventure but comes out the better for it, stumbles upon on magic ring that can make the wearer invisible. He does not know of its true power and importance, but those are not the focus of the book.

The Lord of the Rings takes place years later when Bilbo has entrusted his ring to his cousin Frodo. Frodo is thrust into the battle with Sauron himself as the true nature of the ring, Sauron's creation and key to his enslavement of Middle Earth, is revealed, and he must embark on a quest to destroy it in secret at the only place it can be destroyed, Mount Doom in the heart of Sauron's realm.

Tolkien's novels focus on the struggle between good and evil with special emphasis on the difference the courage of one can make. The Hobbit is often regarded as more of a children's book, but it should not be ignored as it displays Tolkien ability to convey complex themes with a  child's sense of wonder. The Lord of the Rings is darker in tone but still maintains the wonder with more of and adult sense. As with most anything in life, you may like Tolkien's works and you may not. You should give them a try if you haven't, especially if you got forced to read them in school for a report and couldn't read it to enjoy it. In which case, you probably didn't give it a try.

Middle Earth: Collectible Card Game

In December of 1995 Iron Crown Enterprises, or ICE, released a CCG based primarily on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy with some supplemental material added to fill in gaps. The game captured nearly perfectly the feel of traveling through Middle Earth for the forces of good, and facing the forces of Sauron, later expansions let you play the bad guy. Unfortunately, it was not to last long. The game appeared to run out of steam fairly quickly and later expansions were not received as well as the initial launch. This appeared to coincide with the games continual drift from its source. Later expansions focused on playing the bad guy, and though this concept was intriguing, it was not in the true spirit of Tolkien's novels which focused on the triumph of good. ICE filed for bankruptcy shortly after the release of the Balrog expansion. This seemed unfortunate since the next expansion might have taken the game back to its roots. So, the Middle Earth CCG is gone for good, right? Wrong!

Currently all sets have been compiled into a program for Windows '95 and up. It will be updated if problems occur with later Windows versions by its creator, a really nice guy, Mike Collins. It's called NetMECCG. Though specific card images are not present, only generic ones for each category, the game has all the text for each card, including errata. It provides a simple way to play the game capturing the same feel, though getting image scans would only add to it. You can play a solitaire game, play a game against an opponent on the same computer by opening the program twice, and play against an opponent online. You should give it a try. Click on NetMECCG to go to the page where the game can be downloaded.

All things Tolkien are copyright Tolkien Enterprises.