Tolkienmoot

Tolkienmoot (also advertised as Tolkien Moot and TolkienMoot (camel case)) originally began under the name of Merpcon in 2005. Always a convention focused on J.R.R. Tolkien and gaming in Middle-earth, as the venue expanded to include a broader array of game systems, guest speakers, and special events, it was decided to change the title to Tolkienmoot in 2009. The convention was founded, and continuous to be funded and run by Hawke Robinson,[1] founder of the Inland Empire Eä Tolkien Society[2][3] an official Smial of the U.K. Tolkien Society, RPG Research, Other Minds Magazine, Middle-earth Radio, Middle-earth Talk, Eä RPG, and other endeavours, as well as an active member of CAR-PGa (Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games website), WSTRA (Washington State Therapeutic Recreation Association website), and others.

Tolkienmoot
StatusDefunct
GenreGaming
VenueVarious Locations in Spokane,WA
Location(s)Spokane, Washington
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2005
Most recent2015
Attendance20-45 in-person, 100-200 online interactive participation
Organized byEä Tolkien Society an official Smial of the U.K. Tolkien Society
Filing statusnon-profit/free
Websitehttp://www.tolkienmoot.org/

Tolkienmoot is a convention dedicated to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and beyond (Numenor, Arda, and all of Eä), with an emphasis on role-playing games using this setting. The event is held annually, usually during the summer months, in Spokane, Washington, USA, typically spanning from 3 to 5 days.

To date the convention remains open and free to the public, but has limited seating, so generally provides a first-come, first-served, RSVP system, though walk-ins are welcome, and plenty of seating is available for the guest speaker session, participants cannot be guaranteed a seat to participate in the games without a reservation in advance.

The first event began with MerpCon I in 2005, transitioning to Tolkienmoot in 2009, and continuing each year. As of 2015, Tolkien Moot takes place annually for 3+ days on the third weekend of July.

Event details

The event is focused on J.R.R. Tolkien and his works, with a special emphasis on gaming, especially tabletop paper and dice Role playing games, using any role playing game system adapted or created for play in Middle-earth or any aspect of Tolkien's universe (Middle-earth, Endor, Arda or Eä depending on how broadly one's perspective is regarding the related works).

During the event, the Tolkienmoot website also enables remote participation, by providing the live webcams, streaming audio and video, and live real time chat rooms (using Internet Relay Chat), Skype, Google+ and similar technologies, interacting with the games, and especially with guest speakers by submitting questions and answers, in a very interactive format.

Special Guests

A number of MerpCon / Tolkienmoot guest speakers have been at each event, including noted Tolkien scholars, doctors, professors, and published authors. More detailed information is provided on the "Guest Speakers Biographies"[4] page.

Guest speakers to date include:

  • John D. Rateliff, residing in Seattle, WA, USA. Author of The History of the Hobbit, noted Tolkien scholar and known many role-playing gaming contributions over the decades working for TSR, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, and many freelanced products. Spoke 2008.
  • Rehtaeh aka Heather Downing, elvish singer performed and was interviewed by Michael Martinez during the "Raw Hobbit" segment of Tolkienmoot 2010.
  • Professor Chris Seeman, currently residing in Iowa, USA, professor of theology. Worked for Iron Crown Enterprises on MERP role-playing game system, also worked for Decipher Inc. on The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game. Creator of Other Hands Magazine[5] and founder of the Tolkien Music List. Spoke 2005 and 2007.
  • Michael M. Martinez, currently residing in Seattle, WA, USA, computer scientist specializing in search engine optimization, published author of Visualizing Middle-earth, Understanding Middle-earth, and Parma Endorian, and a prolific Tolkien essayist. Co-host on Middle-earth Radio. Spoke 2006-2011.
  • Doctor Thomas Morwinsky, editor of the Tolkien role-playing gaming periodical Other Minds Magazine, currently residing in Munich, Germany, doctor of entomology for the German government's military. Spoke 2007
  • Joe Mandala, currently residing in Kansas, USA. Co-editor of The Guild Companion online zine. Spoke 2007.
  • Cason Snow, residing in Illinois, USA, librarian. Spoke 2007, and wrote about his experience of MerpCon III / Tolkienmoot 2007 "Overdose" aka Tolkienmoot 2007.
  • Hawke Robinson, currently residing in Washington, USA, retired computer scientist published by the SANS Institute, creator of RPG Research, founder of merp.com, MerpCon, Tolkienmoot, Other Minds Magazine, Eä d20 RPG, Eä RPG, co-host on Middle-earth Radio. Spoke 2005-2013.
  • Brian Huseland, Eä Tolkien Society. Spoke 2011 & 2012.

Sffandom has created a compilation of many Merpcon and Tolkienmoot guest speaker videos and broadcasts.[6]

Event Overview

See the listing for Merpcon for details on the events, campaigns, and other details from 2005 through 2008.

MerpCon V also named Tolkienmoot 2009 was once again held in Spokane, WA, USA. There was no specific theme that year. Game systems included Iron Crown Enterprises MERP, a Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 variant known as Ea RPG d20,[7] and Harnmaster adapted for use in Middle-earth. Game Campaign authors included:

  • Hawke Robinson (MERP & Ea RPG d20)
  • David Johnson (Harnmaster)

Campaign Game Masters included the above authors plus:

  • Michael M. Martinez
  • Skylar Downes
  • Russ Patitz
  • William Robinson

Tolkienmoot VI (2010) was held in Spokane, Washington, United States with a more expanded Tolkien-related venue. The theme that year was "Elves". Besides Tolkien-based role playing games using systems such as ICE MERP, Harnmaster, Ea d20 RPG, GURPS, BRP, and others, there were other Tolkien-based activities including:

  • Middle-earth wargames
  • Middle-earth boardgames
  • Middle-earth PC and game consoles
  • Elvish singer Rehtaeh
  • Michael Martinez

"Hobbit Enthusiasts Converge on Spokane."[8]

Tolkienmoot VII (2011) will also be held July 15–17 in Spokane, WA, USA, and simulcast online with participants engaged through real time chat, streaming audio, and streaming video. 2011 will be a smaller convention than previously as resources are being dedicated to a larger MerpCon/Tolkienmoot in 2012 attempting to take the convention to "the next level" further expanding the venue, but always keeping the root gaming in Tolkien-inspired settings. The paper "Tolkien's Love of Trees and the Envirohnment" was first read and discussed at this moot, and later also read and discussed by the U.K. Tolkien Society at their annual Seminar series.[9] The Theme for Tolkienmoot 2011 was "Trees". The special broadcast guest speaker and talk show segments will be earlier in the day so that more online participants from Europe and elsewhere will not have to be up at 2:00 am their time to participate.

TolkienMoot VIII (2012) held July 13–15. The theme was "Hobbits". The campaign was "The Wandering Days" set in Third Age 1150 between The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. The guest speaker was Brian Huseland of the Eä Tolkien Society.

Tolkien Moot IX (2013) August 2–4. The theme was the Dunedain of the North. The primary campaign was "The Palantir of Amon Sul", though one table ran Iron Crown Enterprises MERP modules "Trolls of the Misty Mountains". RPG Game Systems: TOR RPG, ICE MERP, GURPS, Savage Worlds, Ea d20 3.5. The guest speakers were:

  • Andy Dopieralski of Zombie Orpheus Productions The Gamers, The Gamers 2 Dorkness Rising, The Gamers 3 Hands of Fate, Journey Quest, Rude Mechanical, and many others.
  • Dr. Thomas Morwinsky of Other Minds Magazine.
  • Professor Chris Seeman of Iron Crown Enterprises Middle-earth Role-playing, Other Hands Magazine, Decipher's Lord of the Rings RPG Moria supplement.
  • Michael Martinez of "Visualizing Middle-earth", "Understanding Middle-earth", Parma Endorian, and other Tolkien publications.
  • Brian Huseland of the Eä Tolkien Society
  • Hawke Robinson of RPG Research

Tolkien Moot X (2014) August 8–10.[10] Theme: No theme this year, each Game Master created their own campaign and characters. There was noted a significant reduction in comments regarding the shared experience in conversation between the different tables this year compared to the years that all had the same adventure setting. As per requests from the participants, future Moots will resume having themes and providing shared adventures. RPG Game systems: Cubicle 7's The One Ring Roleplaying Game (TOR RPG), ICE's MERP, GURPS for Middle-earth, and Ea d20 (D&D 3.5 for Middle-earth). The Ea Tolkien Society, an official Smial of the U.K. Tolkien Society, provided the main broadcast and presentation topics. Future Moots will be on a more standardized schedule, the 3rd weekend of each July.

Tolkien Moot XI (2015) (July 17, 18, & 19) All future Moots are planned on the third weekend of July. Theme: Giant Creatures of Middle-earth. Special Guests:

  • Michael Martinez
  • Scott C. Brown & Andy Dopieralski of Zombie Orpheus Productions The Gamers, The Gamers 2 Dorkness Rising, The Gamers 3 Hands of Fate, Journey Quest, Rude Mechanical, and many others.
  • Members of the Ea Tolkien Society
  • Members of the Wagnerian Society

Once again key events will be broadcast over Google+ Hangout and YouTube. Members will be participating from the U.K. USA, Finland, and elsewhere. RPG Game Systems: TOR RPG, ICE MERP, GURPS, Savage Worlds, Ea d20 3.5 Video Game Consoles & PCs running Tolkien-related games: Ps/2, PS/4, Wii, PC. Board Games: The Hobbit, Battle for Middle-earth Live-Action Role-Playing: Middle-earth: Scenario provided by Stormhaven Amtgard LARP member(s) from Spokane area.

Tolkien Moot XII (2016) (July 15, 16, & 17) Theme: The Undead in Middle-earth Special Guests: (Pending confirmations): RPG Game Systems: Video Game Consoles & PCs running Tolkien-related games: Board Games: Live-Action Role-Playing in Middle-earth:

Some of the campaigns over the years have been released incrementally with issues of Other Minds Magazine, or on the Ea RPG website, the website also has a section dedicated to the Númenor Project.

Both on site and online attendance numbers have continued to increase over each year.

Different approaches to the guest speaker segments have been used. The opening speaking session is typically presented by the convention founder, with a "state of the union" discussion about the current state of Tolkien fandom, role-playing gaming community & industry, and the RPG Research project updates. Other sessions have sometimes been in a format called "Raw Hobbit", hosted by Tolkien essayist and author Michael Martinez as an homage to William Shatner's Raw Nerve talk show. Other sessions have included the interactive "Tolkien Youth Panel", while still other sessions generally include notable guest speakers (see list) with local and online audience participation in follow-up Q&A. The final sessions often overlap with episodes of Middle-earth Talk Radio[11] as a live broadcast from the third day of the event with live audience participation both locally and online.

The founders of Tolkienmoot are also the founders of an official smial of the U.K. Tolkien Society, known as the Eä Tolkien Society based in Spokane, WA, USA.[12]

Role Playing Game Systems

Tolkienmoot has always been intended to support multiple game systems set in Middle-earth (and beyond).

There are several other role playing gaming systems that have been under independent unofficial development and/or release for several years now, including:

  • Ambarquenta
  • Hitherlands
  • Eä d20
  • Eä RPGS

There are many projects that have adapted existing game systems to better fit into Middle-earth ranging from the early years of Dungeons & Dragons, GURPS, and Runequest, to other systems that many claim are already meant indirectly for Middle-earth gaming, such as Harnmaster. Luke Crane's Burning Wheel system is reputedly also fitting for role playing in Middle Earth. The system includes rules for playing non-humanoid creatures that were nonetheless given an (often maligned) intellect within the professor's universe such as Wolves and Great Spiders.

Tolkienmoot supports many role-playing game systems due to multiple game masters and a greater variety of participants' gaming background interests. A lot of the renewed interest may be due to the earlier releases of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, causing a revival of interest in role playing in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, and the current releases of PJ's The Hobbit movies.

Game systems now supported include:

So far Tolkienmoot is the only regular convention dedicated primarily or exclusively to role-playing gaming in J.R.R. Tolkien's world. There are a few other gaming conventions past, present, and planned in the near future that sometimes host a role-playing gaming session with a campaign set in Middle-earth in their events, usually just a room or small area.

The other conventions that have some Tolkien related gaming may sometimes include:

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References
  1. Profile page and papers for Hawke Robinson
  2. Inland Northwest Tolkien Society
  3. SF Fandom information about related Tolkien Smial
  4. Tolkienmoot Guest Speakers Biographies Page
  5. Other Hands Magazine Archives
  6. Sffandom compilation of Merpcon & Tolkienmoot guest speaker videos, broadcasts, and discussions
  7. The Ea Role Playing Game System
  8. Hobbit enthusiasts converge on Spokane August 13-15 for Tolkien Moot
  9. This paper originally presented at Tolkien Moot and revised for U.K. Tolkien Society Seminar 2011
  10. The Tolkienist mentions Tolkien Moot X
  11. The Middle-earth Radio Talk Show Website Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  12. The Eä Tolkien Society Smial Website
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