Starting as Bilbo

[Marble Dice]

Sauron was reduced to "unblinking eye" form for the third age, while in Angband he appears to inhabit his second age humanoid form. Morgoth of course was killed at the end of the second age.

There's plenty of other inconsistencies: Saruman has already created the Uruk-hai (third age), but if player race preferences can be trusted, Dunadan and Noldor are still around in full force (second age). I dunno how long trolls live naturally, but it seems unlikely Tom, Bert, and Bill would have been around in the second age, not to mention everyone wants the long bow made famous by Bard when he killed Smaug in the third age. Smaug is alive and well, along with Bard's time paradox of a ranged weapon.

And let's not forget how the mortal races didn't even have a chance at killing Morgoth without Valar intervention in the first place! Although sometimes I feel like Angband is pretty accurate in that department.

Since time vorticies and hounds are not part of Tolkien lore, I choose to blame them for this contradictory state of affairs.

[NotMorgoth]

Since time vorticies and hounds are not part of Tolkien lore, I choose to blame them for this contradictory state of affairs.

I blame the yeeks!

I haven't played FA or any of the variants that are more rigorous in adhering to the Tolkien storyline; but I don't know how it would be possible to stick strictly to the mythology as there wouldn't be enough different types of monster to make it interesting. TOME certainly has yeeks, kobolds, minotaurs and many other non-Tolkien monsters.

[Nick]

OK, time for some unbridled pedantry.

Sauron was reduced to "unblinking eye" form for the third age, while in Angband he appears to inhabit his second age humanoid form.

Sauron as just an eye is a movie construct. At one point Gollum says "He has only four on the Black Hand, but they are enough", referring to the fact that Isildur cut the ring and a finger from his hand.

Morgoth of course was killed at the end of the second age.

First age.

There are certainly more anachronisms than you can poke a stick at in Angband; trying to pin it down to any specific time would remove a bunch of monsters/uniques/artifacts/egos. I have done it to some extent in FA, but I've still cheated rather a lot.

[Nick]

I haven't played FA or any of the variants that are more rigorous in adhering to the Tolkien storyline; but I don't know how it would be possible to stick strictly to the mythology as there wouldn't be enough different types of monster to make it interesting.

There are several different problems here:

1. Anachronism: having monsters/items/map locations available at the same time that shouldn't be;
2. Wrong mythology: having monsters like Medusa;
3. Making things up: yeeks, quylthulgs, etc

FA has almost resolved problem 1, although it's not strictly possible for Glaurung to be alive and Menegroth accessible, for example; also some artifacts stretch belief a bit (how would you get Ulmo's trident?). Problem 2 has been dealt with in a number of variants; when I forked FA from O, I don't think I had to deal with this at all.

Problem 3 I don't really consider to be a problem. The Silmarillion refers to fell beasts roaming the land during the darkness created by Morgoth, and Gandalf's says that "Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things." So I see no reason to assume that all creatures in the world appear in the books, and so making things up for gameplay reasons is fair enough.

[buzzkill]

Off Topic...

I blame the yeeks!

The problem with Yeeks is, well, just what is a Yeek. As long as we are borrowing from D&D, why not just change the name from yeeks to Goblins. They would mesh well with the numerous Orcs. Little, if anything, else would need to be done. Browns could be garden-variety, Blues -> warriors, and Masters -> wizards. And isn't Blue (Yeek) a poor descriptor, implying an electrical attack/resistance.

[Pete Mack]

I would agree that Goblin might be a better name, but the nice thing about yeek is it starts with 'y'. The other nice thing about yeeks is that it's good to have some ferocious low-HP summoners early in the game. (Make them "least yeek", "lesser yeek", "master yeek", and the two uniques, and you solve the problem of blue and brown.)

And whatever you do, don't take away "icky things." That's a great name. Maybe there should be a unique Queen icky, like in FA...

[d_m]

And whatever you do, don't take away "icky things." That's a great name. Maybe there should be a unique Queen icky, like in FA...

Multi-hued icky thing?

[Pete Mack]

Multi-hued icky thing?

Great Icky of Power

[zaimoni]

The problem with Yeeks is, well, just what is a Yeek.

The Forum Knows All: they are recognizable from H. Beam Piper's novellas.

[Pete Mack]

The Forum Knows All: they are recognizable from H. Beam Piper's novellas.

Hmmm. yeek isn't quite an anagram for ewok.

[Rizwan]

Make them "least yeek", "lesser yeek", "master yeek"

How about yeek, yeeker, yeekest

[PowerDiver]

Maybe there should be a unique Queen icky, like in FA...

I cannot speak to a unique icky, but perhaps there should be a unique louse.

Sprague de Camp named him, but no one knows who or what he is.

"Yngvi is a louse!"

[Ghen]

How about yeek, yeeker, yeekest

I always change yeek to yeast in my head. funnier that way.

[Antoine]

Sprague de Camp named him, but no one knows who or what he is.

Sounds like the Stig to me

A.

[BSVeteran]

I cannot speak to a unique icky, but perhaps there should be a unique louse.

Bless the idea, how wonderful to have a louse that cannot breed! (It is unique, isn't it?)

I move that all louse types be uniques!