You must read 'Silmarillion' to understand 'Angband'

[tangar]

You must read 'Silmarillion' to understand 'Angband'

I've tried to read Silmarillion several times in the past. But it felt too boring for me, something like a Bible (no offence, guys, but it's boring ) So I've started and dropped it several times over past 20 years since I've become interested in Middle-Earth.

At the same time I've re-read Lord of The Rings something like 15 times; it's one of my favorite books. So I had some knowledge about Middle-Earth anyway.

And now when I've started to work on my variant – and made a decision to make it about my vision on The Fourth Age (and to put together classic lore from Angband, which got a lot of DnD stuff in it) – I've written draft of the storyline.

But actually I've recognized that it's the time. I need to read 'Silmarillion' to have proficiency in polishing my ideas.

So I've started to listen audiobook. Before that I've tried to read 'Silmarillion' from hard copy book and it was.. ok, as I said – boring.

But audiobook was alright actually. Maybe I've just finally matured to be able to enjoy 'Silmarillion, don't know.

Anyway, when it's started it wasn't too great, as I've read the beginning of 'Silmarillion' several times – and yes, it's a Bible. BUT! When it came to the chapter 'Of the Flight of the Noldor' – I got hooked It's really awesome and interesting details which uncover a lot of stuff which I've read so many times in LoTR books. When you meet some similar names which you know from LotR books – you feel the depth and beauty of the Universe from a new angle. After 'Silmarillion' all parts of the puzzle starts to fits.

So instead of estimated 'boring' reading I've got great joy and desire to re-read 'Silmarillion' again.

And… I've understood Nick's design on transforming Vanilla monsters to Tolkien lore. It actually makes sense. But to comprehend it you MUST read Silmarillion. Even if you know LotR by heart – a lot of stuff in new V will be just strange to you. As we all brought up by DnD setting and LotR become part of pop-culture already – we won't get the meaning of Angband game without getting 'soul' of Tolkien lore – 'Silmarillion'. Without completing this puzzle in our heads.

I don't wanna go back to past V monster's argument, it still ambiguous – should we change traditional stuff or not. But at least now I see the point. Why it was made. And I see the beauty of the result – to come closer to the Tolkien world. Without reading Silmarillion, new monsters from V just won't touch any strings in your soul. But if you will read the book – you will understand and you would like these new monsters.

Some tips for people who didn't read 'Silmarillion' yet:

1) to read 'Silmarillion' you should first read 'The Lord of the Rings'. Then read 'Hobbit' (it make sense because LotR will make you hooked to the Universe, while Hobbit could look not too serious if you didn't read LotR before it).

2) While reading LotR – always have Middle-Earth maps nearby, to 'feel' the world. Be calm and patient – even if you didn't remember positions and geography – just try to look at it from time to time; and you will get it some parts of the puzzle eventually.

3) The best way to read 'Silmarillion' for the first time – is the audiobook. Also prepare some maps, especially Beleriand map. You will notice that it's connected to the familiar (as you should have read LotR by far) land on the east. LOOK AT MAPS! With them it will be 100500 times easier to get into 'Silmarillion'. My mistake in old times was that I didn't had any maps and reading was somewhat pointless as it's very hard to imagine positioning and moving characters – story goes through giant expanses of land and waters.

4) Be calm and prepare that the beginning of 'Silmarillion' could be boring. BUT at a certain moment you will be hooked, guaranteed! That's why it's better to listen audiobook – even if you are bored at the beginning (and may have lack of will to continue reading) – audiobook will make you through like a Great Eagle

So…

'Silmarillion' is a preliminary requirement to play modern Angband, to be able to enjoy it. Maybe it's a good idea to write about it somewhere at Angband website or in the guide. Without reading it, you won't get the 'feel' of this game entirely. I've played TomeNET (based at V 3.x) for long years and for me Angband lore concentrated in that version (which had also Z&Cth stuff as it's part of TomeNET). DnD is common and easy to understand; while to get 'taste' of recent Angband stuff you are obliged to make some effort and to read the Book (no worries, you will enjoy it eventually! )

That's my story. I'm still didn't finish with 'Silmarillion', a lot of joy ahead! This book gave me a lot of thoughts and it will help me to polish my variant story (it's raw like a gollum's fish).

Hope to see your feedback Tell your story – when did you read 'Silmarillion' and how did you came to it? Did you make it from the first attempt? Do you plan to read it in future? Do you prefer a hard copy or audiobook?

p.s.
I just thought that it will be fun to buy a map of Arda, to put it on the wall

[Nick]

I was looking for the "I have read all the volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 'History of Middle-Earth' more than once" option

[Estie]

Thats all very nice but isnt this going to end with a C+D letter by whoever owns the rights ?

[Sphara]

I knew there was a book called Silmarillion by the time I first beat Angband. Hadn't read Tolkien at all. All my knowledge was based on Ralph Bakshi's LoTR movie (which fell incomplete).
I've read both since. It was fun bumping into characters I'd seen in this game.

[Pete Mack]

@Estie-
It isn't commercial, and it has a tiny fan base consisting largely of people who have read all the books. Probably in the same category as fanfic, from the estate's POV.

[EugeneLesnov]

Huh, I read Silmarillion for few times just to understand Angband better;
After second read I realized that I'm really hooked in

All I want is to see Angband even more "Tolkienized" than it is

[Voovus]

Some tips for people who didn't read 'Silmarillion' yet:

Sadly, it's more complicated than that. What you really somehow need to do is restart life, read "The Hobbit" at age eight or nine, read LoTR in your early teens, and only then pick up the Silmarillion a few years later.

[Monkey Face]

I was looking for the "I have read all the volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 'History of Middle-Earth' more than once" option

I guess I need to start rereading the History of Middle-Earth (although given how much repetition there is within the books and with the official cannon, reading them the first time frequently felt like rereading).

[DavidMedley]

I love the Silmarillion. I love the "boring" chapters. I love the epic histories. I love the more character-centric parts. I like the Silmarillion a lot more than LotR. I think an adult should read Sil first, then LotR. But I think Tolkien made this mistake, from an accessibility point of view: He should have started in media res and used some wise old narrator to tell the old tales when they come to have relevance on the story at hand. Or just mixed the chapters up to not be chronological.

My GF recently wanted to read LotR, and I insisted she start with Sil. I don't think she had any interest in it at all until Thingol met Melian. That scene captured her imagination.

[Sky]

NEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRDDDSSSS











no srsly tho the silmarillion is boring

[Anomander]

Read the Silmarillion after LotR and the Hobbit. Love the epic scope that is even grander than LotR as well as the stories about individual characters with their resemblance to greek tragedies (as in the stories of Feanor and Turin to give just two examples). And who dares to say the Ainulindalë is boring
I don't think reading it is necessary to play Angband, but it definitely enriches the experience.
One thing I'd like to add is how closely the appendices to LotR and some minor characters are referenced in Angband. There are quite a few named characters I never paid attention to, that are uniques in Angband. An example would be Angamaitë and Sangahyando. Especially with Sangahyando I honestly thought 'That's definitely not a name by Tolkien' although in retrospective it fits.
But I really liked seeng some of these names when skimming through the appendices recently.

[Grotug]

I got through half of the Similarillion when I tried reading it over ten years ago. I didn't find it very engaging and I don't remember really anything from it; except maybe something about two trees and silmarils. Maybe I should give it another try.

[sffp]

Gonna say I skimmed much of the Silmarillion and read the interesting stories. I may give it another shot - but a lot of other things require my time too...

[Grotug]

I knew there was a book called Silmarillion by the time I first beat Angband. Hadn't read Tolkien at all. All my knowledge was based on Ralph Bakshi's LoTR movie (which fell incomplete).
I've read both since. It was fun bumping into characters I'd seen in this game.

How come Tom Bombadil isn't in Angand? He should be rare and not show up in vaults.

This creature should show up pretty early (natively DL32 or so) and have 100,000 hitpoints and 255AC. Move extremely quickly and very randomly. He won't attack. He will sing a lot of his wife, however, whenever @ does attack him; he'll also sing of the rivers, and dales, and willows, and Old Man Willow and other things of nature.

Killing him would give 1,000,000 exp for a level 50 character but would ultimately be pretty much impossible: if he suffers a lot of damage, he will simply heal up 5% of his max hit points (so 5,000 heal) and laugh and say something to the effect that @'s efforts to kill him are cute.

Some of his tricks would include phasing, teleporting, teleport-to, teleporting @ off the level, teleporting himself off the level, immunity to *destruction*, immunity to the elements including poison, sound, shards, light, dark, chaos, disenchantment, nether, plasma, Time, but maybe not gravity. He is immune to stunning, blindness, confusion.

He would drop one good object.

Also, might we get the boots of Tom Bombadil as an artifact? <+10> speed, <+3> stealth, <+1> CON, pFear, FrAct, rDisenchantment, rNexus, provides immunity to curses (including the curses belonging to certain artifacts that are part of the Randart set [you know of which I speak]). Activation: restores some mana, cures confusion, cures fear, cures hallucination, provides resistance to confusion and chaos for 50 +7d7 turns.

[DavidMedley]

That sounds horrible