The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games - Michael J. Tresca [23]
“Halflin” derives from the Scots word “hauflin,” predating The Hobbit and Dungeons & Dragons. It was used to describe a rustic teenager, neither man nor boy and thus a bit of both. Another word for “halflin” is “hobbledehoy” or “hobby.” The word “halfling” was used by Shakespeare to mean a boy-sized man (Bevington 1992).
If elves are the upper class and dwarves the middle class, hobbits are the agrarian culture that Tolkien feared would be overwhelmed by industrial progress. The farmers of the fields, hobbits have a deep connection to and love of their rustic roots. In The Hobbit the small stature of Bilbo also served as a proxy for children reading the novel.
Early editions of Dungeons & Dragons used the word “hobbit” to describe its race of short folk until Tolkien’s estate protested (Kuntz 1978). Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), then publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, switched to the more common word “halfling.” This term is also used in The Lord of the Rings to denote hobbits, so the transition seemed natural.
The notion of a hobbit’s propensity for thieving ways is firmly established in The Hobbit, where both Gollum and Smaug accuse Bilbo of theft. And Bilbo is, after all, out to steal treasure from someone, even if it is from a dragon.
In Chainmail, Gygax explained that “these little chaps have small place in the wargame,” but were included for the re-creation of certain battles (presumably battles inspired by Tolkien’s Middle-earth). They were able to blend into the background and thus made excellent scouts. They could also fire a stone as far as an archer shoots (Gygax 1975:29). In Dungeons & Dragons, halflings were limited to the fighting-man class of fourth level, possessing magic resistance and deadly accuracy with missiles (Gygax and Arneson 1974:8).
For players role-playing halflings, a particular challenge was their size. In earlier editions, halflings could weigh as little as 30 pounds, an issue that the designers felt was an obstacle in making them heroic (Carter 2007:43). Fourth edition Dungeons & Dragons increased their size to an average of four feet, shades of Merry and Pippin drinking “Ent-draught.”
ORCS AND HALF-ORCS • Although orcs were never part of the Fellowship, they bear mentioning here because they’ve become a fantasy trope for a faceless foe or as an antihero for player characters.
Orcs are usually the bad guys. Dark-skinned, yellow-eyed, and redtongued, they are filthy, vile, crude, and violent. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay established the popular image of an “ork” with a distinct porcine look, sporting tusks or huge fangs (Aeon 2001).
The term “orc” originally meant “ogre,” a devouring monster, from the Italian “orco,” which in turn has its roots from the Latin “orcus,” meaning “hell.” The phrase is used in Beowulf, as Grendel’s race is described as “orcneas,” meaning “corpses of orcus.” Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso features a tusked sea monster called an “orc.” Tolkien takes pains to distinguish the word “orc” as a hobbit form of the name for goblins and distinct from any sort of “sea-animal” (Tolkien 1937:8).
In Middle-earth, orcs were once elves tortured by Melkor who became a loathsome, twisted race. Stunted and hideous, they have long arms like apes, black skin, jagged fangs, and red eyes. They fear sunlight and were prolific breeders, which made them excellent warriors (Gehl 2007:258). Vin Diesel, an American actor, writer, director, and producer, named one of his favorite Dungeons & Dragons characters, a half–Drow witch hunter, after Melkor (Archer 2004).
Orcs first appeared in Chainmail, which made the connection to The Lord of the Rings quite clear. They were described as nothing more than “over-grown Goblins,” and were divided into five tribes or clans: the Red Eye, Mordor, Mountains, White Hand, and Isengarders (Gygax and Perren 1971:30).
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