The Redbook of Westmarch is supposedly how we got the LOTR. But, it is all
(mostly) from the writings of Bilbo and Frodo. A limited view perhaps. Made into a fine tale. Thus that leaves open all the room you need to do what you want

AFAIC, when it comes to RPG's, canon is what happens around the table.

I want to clarify. I don't support ignoring what the professor has written per se but that there is a lot of wiggle room to add to a tale. Take what C7 has done with Radagast. I think it is great. It may not be canon but it fits the world IMO. I didn't wish to give the impression that I was in for wholesale re-imagining of the world.

HN

It depends on what you and your players want. Do you want to follow the story line as written or do you want to write one of your own. I have seen this with other games to and it depends on the players and LM to decide this. While I love the prof's writting this is a game to be played for fun you should do what feels right to you and your players IMO.

This would seem to be supported by Francesco's comments on p9 of the LMB.

I agree that it's very suspicious the way Bilbo, the hero and (conveniently) the narrator of the Hobbit, describes the dwarves as such a hopelessly inept bunch!

I hadn't even read the LMB yet. Thanks for posting that.

HN

None of us are the Professor, though I would say that all or most of us love and respect his works.

He said himself that his works could provide a broad canvas upon which other hands and other minds could work from.

That would be us!

I would suggest, Stay within the framework but be imaginative. I wonder what the Professor might think of today's gaming society(s), would he admonish or encourage?

I think the latter... game on!

...or he might have relegated us to the same 'deplorable cultus' he felt his overly enthusiastic fans belonged to...

Francesco

I also saw a post wherein the original story was about the forging of the 'false' one ring. Forged by the elves in order to draw Sauron's minions away from the real fellowship and the real ring bearer(s).

Ohh! I had not thought of that!! hehe

I felt that he always had a twinkle in his eye when he was speaking of his Cults, no matter what you'd have to be tickled to see that you caused such a response to a book, CS. Lewis and other writers haven't been able to duplicate the same, and even when they do write new fantasy books they are always compared to LotR, even the Dark Tower is, and all of those new stories have cults, I have no idea what I'm saying anymore, you can get around canon buy knowing that the Professor would've liked your tales as much as his own, he was a storyteller and that is a very different creature then a novelist.