In 1974 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published the first roleplaying game and created a new hobby - role-playing games. Their game was subtitled - Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns... because "wargaming" was a thing in 1974 even if "role-playing" wasn't. In their original edition, reference is made to a previously published set of "medieval wargames rules" called Chainmail, which serves as the basis of the new game's default combat mechanic. The published works of J.R.R. Tolkien are mentioned nowhere in those three little brown books (although certain other authors are: Burroughs, Howard, Leiber and de Camp & Pratt are specifically referenced in the author's Foreword).
Chainmail famously includes a "Fantasy Supplement" penned by D&D author Gary Gygax. In his Fantasy Supplement Mr. Gygax lists a number of fantastic creatures that are given stats for play in tabletop miniatures wargames using Chainmail. Among the creatures listed are hobbits (later on referred to as halflings), (tr)ents, orcs and elves: all creatures that populate the good professor's popular fiction set in Middle-earth. But Chainmail's "Fantasy Supplement" is not directly aimed at playing tabletop battles just in Middle-earth. In fact, it is equally useful for battles set during the reign of King Arthur or any number of other fantastic settings.
The first five printings of the original three little brown books making up the Dungeons & Dragons boxed rules set refers to a number of fantasy creatures, "hobbits", "ents" and "balrogs" - specific creature names that are later changed to "halfling", "treant", and "balor/demon type VI", etc. Why? Because D&D is not based on the works of Professor Tolkien. That would be a violation of copyright because the publisher, TSR, does not hold any rights or license to use those specific intellectual properties.
Starting with the release of the Monster Manual in 1977, Gary Gygax and Tactical Studies Rules (better known today as TSR) began a second era of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game with the added moniker "Advanced..." preceding the by then familiar "Dungeons & Dragons" name. In the Monster Manual author Gary Gygax states that halflings may belong to subgroup called the "Tallfellows" or another called the "Stouts". Where might such names be borrowed from?
Elven subgroups listed in the Monster Manual include "High Elves", "Grey Elves", and "Wood Elves" - terms which can be found associated with the folk of Middle-earth known as "Noldor", "Sindar", and "Silvan" respectively. The Advanced game also includes Half Elves and Half Orcs - now playable character types. Elves and orcs are creatures that can be found among various sources that may have influenced or inspired the authors of D&D, but there are relatively few sources for "half elf" or half orc" - both of these terms do conveniently appear in the work of our good professor, however. But D&D is not a game based on Middle-earth!
Part of the genius of the Original Edition of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game is that it draws from so many varied sources for inspiration. The authors were both widely read and shared an interest in history, in mythology, in fantastic fiction and in cinema. They brought all their personal loves into their shared game creation and gave the world a tool for exploring virtually any world the imagination can devise through the medium of tabletop gaming (later adapted to play on personal computers). Is the World's First (and still) Most Popular Role-Playing Game about Middle-earth? It is definitely much more than just that as can be seen by the fantastic number of settings published for the game. Can D&D be used to play in a personal version of Middle-earth? Well, I have been doing just that for over forty years now. (Smile and a wink!)
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