If they still had Gandalf...

[Formendacil]

The entire story would have been changed almost entirely... That's a little too much for me to wrap my mind around and speculate on, so I'll just look at one little part of it.

I've always wondered how Gandalf intended to get into Mordor. Obviously not by the Morannon, and just as obviously not by the way of Cirith Ungol. Therefore, it must have been by some other way. Personally, I've always been rather curious as to these other ways, for surely there is more than one.

Another thing I wonder about is how much of Fellowship would have gone on until the end. I don't think Gandalf would have sent Frodo and Sam alone, although in all likelihood he would not have gone himself. My personal conjecture is that Boromir and Aragorn would have gone on towards Gondor (possibly being diverted towards Rohan, and so saving that land), and that Legolas and Gimli would have been sent with Frodo and Sam to Mordor (with instructions on how to find their way in).

That leaves Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin. They might have gone with Boromir and Aragorn, or they might have gone elsewhere. I personally fancy elsewhere, but if not Minas Tirith, then where? Perhaps THEY would have gone to Rohan, while Aragorn and Boromir went to Minas Tirith. Except that Aragorn would not have been able to fulfill the Prophecy...

Of course, this is all idle speculation, but it IS fascinating. And one has to wonder, what would have happened to Saruman without Gandalf the White? I can see Gandalf the Grey having about the same skill against the Nazgul and the orks as Gandalf the White, but I cannot see Gandalf the Grey breaking the staff of Saruman. He wouldn't have had the authority. Yes, there are many questions....

[Lolidir]

i have found myself wondering this same thing as well as others. and i have been involved in some other "what if" threads. and one thing that i have been told and have given thought to is the fact that everything happpens for a reason, and everything has a purpose. even the tinyest detail has some sort of importance.

for something as big as Gandlaf dying to be changed would change the entire story. you wouldnt have Gandalf the white. the fellowship would still be together. its hard to say where the story would go because of how huge the change would be but i personally think as for Rohan it would have probably been defeated in Edoras and then at the battle of Pelanor Fields they wouldnt have been able to help, and they played a big part in that. the witch king might not have been defeated as a result of Eowyn not being there. as for Aragorn and Boromir, they would have prolly continued to Minas Tirith and gone to help hold Osgiliath and maybe over run since Gandalf wouldnt have been there to drive away the Nazgul because he was away in Mordor with Frodo. the Hobbits and Gandalf would have continued to Mordor and i have no idea how they would have gone because Gandalf prolly would have gone a totally different way. they prolly wouldnt have found Gollum and then who knows who knows if the ring would even be destroyed then, because it was an accident that it even happened in the first place. as for Legolas and Gimli its hard to say where they would have gone because if they didnt have to rescue Merry and Pippin they prolly wouldnt have gotten so close with Aragorn and might not have been willing to follow him to death.

so really its hard to say anything other than the story would be totally different.
sorry this is so long but i got started and once that heppens its hard to get me to stop.

[Ruoutorin]

Not to be controversial, but I don't thing the story would have changed much at all. Middle Earth seems to revolve around fate and destiny and there are characters in Middle Earth that have already seen the general outcomes of events . For instance, it was prophesized by Glorfindel that no man could kill the WitchKing. Prophacies by qualified characters in ME (such as elves) can pretty much be taken as gospel. So, IMO, the whole story is already pre-ordained. If Gandalf had not fallen in Moria, I believe that minor details may have been altered slightly, but big events such as the death of Boromir would have still taken place because it is that character's destiny to die.

[aelithes]

I agree with Ruoutorin that fate has a part to play in what transpires in LOTR, but it's certainly not absolute, nor does Tolkien wish us to think so; he is careful to not make his characters mere puppets to fate.

The most conspicuous and efficacious piece of evidence for this is that Frodo was in fact foreseen to fail (and fail he did) - it was precisely the compounding of various expressions of 'free will', the anti-fate (e.g., the pity of Bilbo, the pity of Frodo, etc.), that resulted in the ring's inadvertent destruction.

But to get back to the topic! Yes, the matter of still having Gandalf is definitely too big to wrap my head around. The repercussions would've been huge. I can only say that in terms of the Fellowship, it probably would have stayed together rather longer than it actually did. But as Galadriel says, the seduction of the ring would have consumed them all, and I am much more uneasy about Frodo's chance of success if he's surrounded by those who feign friendship while harbouring secret (not-so-secret) desires (Boromir, Aragorn, the rest of the Fellowship, inevitably) as opposed to those whom he is openly suspicious of (e.g., Gollum). It's an inexplicable hunch, but I just think the ring would not have made it closer to its goal than Minas Morgul, if that.

[Boromir88]

it was prophesized by Glorfindel that no man could kill the WitchKing.

That is "now man would kill the witch-king," much different then "could."

As for the question, I don't know if much would have changed. If Gandalf goes along, you will still have the uruk attack, which ultimately could end the life of Boromir and the capture of the two hobbits. That means again the fellowship is faced with do they follow Merry and Pippin? If Boromir doesn't fall to the ring WITH Gandalf being there then I think Frodo is along for the ride, because he would have no "desiding force" to have him go to Mordor. Frodo knew what he had to do, he just didn't want to do it, and it took an incident like Boromir falling to madness to get Frodo to realize he had to get out of the Fellowship. If Boromir doesn't fall to the ring, then Frodo doesn't go to Mordor, he'll go with the company. With that being said. Who's to say if Gandalf is there that the same thing won't happen?

The question still will remain, Boromir wants to go to Minas Tirith, Frodo doesn't. I could see Gandalf and Aragorn in letting Frodo be the deciding factor in which way to go. So, Frodo wonders off in the wild, Boromir goes to try to sway him towards Minas Tirith, goes crazy on Frodo, Frodo realizes he has to get away, so he does. Boromir comes back says he lost Frodo, they drastically go searching for him, Boromir stumbles upon Merry and Pippin (as well as a bunch of orcs), dies, Merry and Pippin captured. :breathes:

[The Saucepan Man]

I wonder if Gandalf could have received his power-up without dying. Given that the primary reason for it was Saruman's treachery and that it came direct from Eru, I don't see why not ...

[AragornII]

If Gandalf had been with Frodo, how would they have gotten to Mt. Doom once inside Mordor? I know someone said that Gandalf probably had a different route, but once they were in, weren't like 10,000 orcs between them and Mt. Doom? If Aragorn and Co. hadn't distracted the Eye of Sauron at the Morannon and drew all the orcs away, Frodo and Sam might not have made it through.
Someone might have said this but if Aragorn hadn't gone to Minas Tirith by way of Rohan, he wouldn't have brought the Army of the Dead with him to Pelargir to fight the Corsairs. The Corsairs would have come to Minas Tirith and there would have been no hope. This is why Aragorn couldn't have gone to the Black Gate.