[Child of the 7th Age]

Meoshi,

When I first saw this question, I went running and shrieking in the other direction. It wasn't a pretty sight!

I think this is because, as a moderator in the Shire, and as someone who enjoys writing, I feel your question has no easy answer. Let me raise a few points that weren't addressed before.

First, I do not think this issue is limited to the Shire, or, for that matter, to RPGs alone. The same holds true in much fanfiction. However, the problem is probably more widespread in the Shire than in Rohan because the gamers tend to be less experienced. (Although even that is an oversimplifcation, since we have some who are unusually skilled.) As others have observed, a girl or young woman writing in her first story naturally feels more comfortable playing female roles, just as a young man prefers male roles.

As a mod in the Shire, I feel a particular obligation to encourage quality in writing but, at the same time, to permit the free expression of ideas and to craft an environment where beginning writers feel comfortable. Piosenniel and I have repeatedly explored the whole question of what is true to Tolkien and what is not, and then tried to apply what we’ve learned to help founders develop stories.

Like you, we've thought some folk were too predictable in the characters or games they created. We increasingly found ourselves saying “No” to a whole list of things, and compiling formal guidelines to that effect.

Shire guidelines now stipulate many devices and attributes that are strictly "forbidden" in games unless they are an integral part of a storyline or something inherent to a specific character such as an istari's magic staff. Among the list of general "no-nos" are these: half-Elven, half-hobbit or half-anything characters; dwarves (or anyone) bearing Mithril; the use of magic; any super-human skills with weapons. Yes, Tolkien does give Elves some attributes and devices which Men and Hobbits term "magic," although these were regarded differently by the Elves. But the Shire guidelines still forbid such things because we've found they can be overused to the point where the story becomes predictable and lazy.

At the same time, other issues have come up that we've addressed only obliquely. This includes themes such as you identify: orphaned characters, folks with shady pasts, overly romanticized portrayals of Elves, and various gender questions. There are no blanket rules about any of these. However, any game founder is free to stipulate in his or her proposal the guidelines that are to be used in a particular RPG. For example, founders can and have required that all characters be male.

However, having said this, I'll add that things aren't always as simple as they appear. You state that the device of the "orphaned child" was only used twice by JRRT. Actually, there is a thread in the Books forum started by Birdland that explored this question some time ago. Posters found example after example of characters in Tolkien who had lost one or both parents (usually the mother), frequently through violent means. In fact, this is a common motif not just in Tolkien, but in a great many legends and faery stories. So is the orphaned character of the RPG a "cliche" or is he rather an example of an archetypical figure whose roots go very deep indeed?

Finally, I'm going to take off my mod hat and talk as an individual writer. Meoshi, you confine the brunt of your criticism to those posters playing Shield-maidens or certain strange Elvish types. Well, I've got a gripe that's even bigger than that! I feel there are too many games on the Downs where the focus is too strictly on what I term "hack and whack". This criticism includes both male and female characters.

Tolkien's Middle-earth, although a dangerous world, was a place where there was a great deal more going on than folk taking hacks at each other with weapons. I don't think we do enough to explore those other aspects: character development, outwitting your opponent through brains and deception rather than sheer might, exploring historical trends like migrations, etc.

I think the Downs' RPGs have come a long way from where we started. I see people whose writing has dramatically improved, and a variety of stories within the Shire and Rohan. But you're right. We still have a ways to go, both individually and as a site.

Cami Goodchild, Shire Moderator

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]