From what I can see online it is still ongoing. Warner Bro countersued the Tolkien Estate in July 2013.Angelalex242 wrote:Ya know, for all this talk about a court case...
What I haven't heard is:Who won the court case? I assume Middle Earth Enterprises won, or the Hobbit movies couldn't be released.
It's fair to say that the D&D Balor was at least inspired by the Balrog of Moria. Dungeons & Dragons owes a lot to Tolkien and the game has its origins in a military tabletop campaign recreating the battles of Middle-earth.Angelalex242 wrote:Well, that's a Peter Jackson thing.
Who apparently subscribes to the idea of Balrogs=Balor.
Balor, of course, being the most powerful demon type from 3.5 AD&D. Jackson's Balrog greatly resembles the 3.5 creature. Whether it resembles what Tolkien actually had in mind is anyone's guess.
Considering the Balrog is of the same species as Gandalf and Sauron, however, you think it'd look more like the latter set on fire instead of a Balor. Unlike Sauron back in the day, Balrogs can't take pleasing shapes, so it'd be purely a thing of terror.
The D&D balor comes directly from Tolkien's balrog. It was even called a balrog in the first published D&D rules, but TSR was ordered not to use certain Tolkien references, so it was excised from the rule book and re-added later as the balor. Also, halflings were originally called hobbits and treants were originally called ents.Otaku-sempai wrote:It's fair to say that the D&D Balor was at least inspired by the Balrog of Moria.
That's a bit simplistic view. Yes they are all Maiar, but they are of different sub-group. IIRC Balrog are Elemental Maiar, Sauron was an Aspected Maiar and Gandalf (and they 4 other Wizards) is(are) Istari (Maiar that took a physical flesh body). So they are quite different and should be represented as such.Angelalex242 wrote: Considering the Balrog is of the same species as Gandalf and Sauron, however, you think it'd look more like the latter set on fire instead of a Balor. Unlike Sauron back in the day, Balrogs can't take pleasing shapes, so it'd be purely a thing of terror.
:Stormcrow wrote:Peter Jackson obviously "got the idea" from John Howe and/or Alan Lee, and they've been painting the balrog wrong since time immemorial.
: I liked how the Balrog was portrayed in the movies. Yes. The balrog was sculpted (by a sculptor, not Peter Jackson) based on paintings by the two gentlemen.Stormcrow wrote:Peter Jackson obviously "got the idea" from John Howe and/or Alan Lee, and they've been painting the balrog wrong since time immemorial.
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