How to have fun with your fannish friends at parties
So you're hanging out with other Tolkien fen, and you've run through all the inevitable conversations, such as discussions of the probability of wings on Balrogs, the nature of Tom Bombadil, and what lembas was really made of. You've even argued out whether there were two Glorfindels, whether Denethor was always like that, and which members of the Fellowship may have cuddled a little too close on cold nights. Now the conversation has faded, and you're wondering... what else is there to do when you have a handful of Tolkien geeks in the same room? Well, wonder no more, for your friend illwynd is here to illuminate you:
Play Tolkien Scrabble.
Yes, it is possible, and it's more fun than it sounds like. The usual rules apply, except that with Tolkien Scrabble, you can only use words that are directly related to Middle-earth. (For instance, "cup" could be acceptable, if you explain that you're spelling out the first thing Bilbo stole from Smaug's hoard. On the other hand, "his" would be unacceptable, as it's just too general.) Have fun trying to spell out "Helcaraxe". I was very proud of myself for spelling "ellon" on my first turn. :D
Arda Crossword Puzzles.
You'd have to have made these up in advance (and there's handy generators to be found online if you're lazy like me), but if you had the foresight to do just that, you can have a blast watching your friends trying to remember what Mandos' real name is, which hobbit invented golf, or how to spell "oliphaunt".
Middle-earth Madlibs
These can be done on the spot if you have your books handy, but it's easier to make them up in advance. Choose a passage from the books, probably not more than half a page or so long, and pick a selection of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and such to replace, and then ask your friends for random, non-Tolkienish words to fill in the spaces. Bag End will wind up full of vinegar, Elbereth's burritos will be shiny, and your gut will hurt from laughing.
Six Degrees of Sackville-Baggins
Played just like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, except that you're making connections between anyone in Middle-earth, and Lobelia (or any other character... but Sackville-Baggins sounds best in the name!). You don't know triumph until you've connected Glaurung to Lobelia in six moves or less.
Celebrimbor
Celebrimbor is like Botticelli, except that you're guessing Middle-earth characters. (And Botticelli, for the uninitiated, is like 20 Questions, except that you stick to people. There are many variants, but play it however it works for you and your group.) Make sure you set whether you're drawing biographical info from the books or the movies, as otherwise it can be difficult to answer truthfully when a guesser asks "Is this person blond?" and you're thinking of Legolas. -_-
Any of these options should prove at least as fun as Gollum's riddle game, and you will be far less likely to get eaten at the end.
(Is is obvious yet that I just got home from several hours with my local Tolkien geeks group, playing several of these games and having a darn good time? Is fun. Now bed--all that laughing wore me out.)
Play Tolkien Scrabble.
Yes, it is possible, and it's more fun than it sounds like. The usual rules apply, except that with Tolkien Scrabble, you can only use words that are directly related to Middle-earth. (For instance, "cup" could be acceptable, if you explain that you're spelling out the first thing Bilbo stole from Smaug's hoard. On the other hand, "his" would be unacceptable, as it's just too general.) Have fun trying to spell out "Helcaraxe". I was very proud of myself for spelling "ellon" on my first turn. :D
Arda Crossword Puzzles.
You'd have to have made these up in advance (and there's handy generators to be found online if you're lazy like me), but if you had the foresight to do just that, you can have a blast watching your friends trying to remember what Mandos' real name is, which hobbit invented golf, or how to spell "oliphaunt".
Middle-earth Madlibs
These can be done on the spot if you have your books handy, but it's easier to make them up in advance. Choose a passage from the books, probably not more than half a page or so long, and pick a selection of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and such to replace, and then ask your friends for random, non-Tolkienish words to fill in the spaces. Bag End will wind up full of vinegar, Elbereth's burritos will be shiny, and your gut will hurt from laughing.
Six Degrees of Sackville-Baggins
Played just like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, except that you're making connections between anyone in Middle-earth, and Lobelia (or any other character... but Sackville-Baggins sounds best in the name!). You don't know triumph until you've connected Glaurung to Lobelia in six moves or less.
Celebrimbor
Celebrimbor is like Botticelli, except that you're guessing Middle-earth characters. (And Botticelli, for the uninitiated, is like 20 Questions, except that you stick to people. There are many variants, but play it however it works for you and your group.) Make sure you set whether you're drawing biographical info from the books or the movies, as otherwise it can be difficult to answer truthfully when a guesser asks "Is this person blond?" and you're thinking of Legolas. -_-
Any of these options should prove at least as fun as Gollum's riddle game, and you will be far less likely to get eaten at the end.
(Is is obvious yet that I just got home from several hours with my local Tolkien geeks group, playing several of these games and having a darn good time? Is fun. Now bed--all that laughing wore me out.)