I was planning on opening up CT and Clix mafias, but I seem to be missing many, MANY actions for both.

Eh, LotR opened the door, but I view it like I view D&D. Pioneering thing, but there's better stuff out there. I personally prefer The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

*looks at your avatar* Should have seen that one coming.

to quote a phrase: "can't tell if trolling or really stupid."

Yeah, something it wrong with that girl's face, and not all of it is because of the make-up.

Well, when the first book starts with 30 pages worth of describing the world, it's easily off-putting to read.

This is pretty much exactly where I'm at with it.

I have this really nice box set for the books, but they do not get read. I feel like I'm reading The Jabberwocky as a ####ing novel.

This is madness! This is blasphemy! Robert Jordan readily admitted that he ripped off Tolkien. His body of work is derivative - and nowhere near as polished as LotR. Let's not even talk about Terry Brooks and other would be wanna-be's.

As far as pioneering, I'd have to say that Tolkien did way more than that. He set the gold standard. Without Tolkien, where would the whole genre of heroic fantasy begin in modern day? And about the 30 pages in the book that describe the world, it is precisely the minute attention to detail that imbues the setting with depth and some form of believability. I mean, this whole body of work started with Tolkien's creation of a language. After he had come up with it, Tolkien decided that there should be a whole world to go along. That is an admirably insane amount of background and history. So very few writers nowadays can begin to boast the same.

Gentlemen, if you don't like Tolkien's books, I must agree to disagree with you while respecting your tastes and opinions. That having been said, LotR stands as an achievement and a monument to heroic fantasy that is far above our likes and dislikes. Do you dislike the Great Wall of China? Well, that's quite all right - it still remains an impressive cultural feat of architecture, has lasted for decades, and will outlive us all. As will JRR Tolkien's opus.

(And by the way, back in high school not only did I read Lord of the Rings every year, but I also got laid on a fairly regular basis. So there it is and there you have it. )

Forgive them, Father, for they do not know the frabjous folderol of which they speak.

I've had trouble getting into LotR myself. The movies have proven to be a great cure for insomnia for me though. No disrespect to Tolkien's work, I get his importance, I just can't get into it.

I go through similar arguments with my friends and Iron Maiden. Just because they're one of the pioneers of modern heavy metal doesn't mean I have to like them. Metal heads tend to be a little more bull headed though...

Your right hand doesn't count.

And neither does your left.

No, really.

When I played a competitive writing RPG, one of my regular opponents wrote like Tolkein.

I beat him all the time, because nobody wanted to read 5 pages of him describing his sword.

Well, I know more about literature than all of you strange people combined, and I declare that charlesx is right.
Matter settled.

His sword sword, or..... because that might explain something.

You're german, your opinion doesn't count. Except when it involves the hotness of Ms Ricci or 70's german porn. Or a combination thereof.

Days like today, I hate my job.

Storm hit Nebraska pretty hard two nights ago. It took out a lot of ####. It broke a lot of stuff. So here's the conversation I'm constantly having with customers:

"Hey, is the internet down? I mean, if it is down, that's okay, because we had a storm, so we understand."

"Yes, it is. We're hoping it will be fixed soon!"

"WHY THE #### IS IT NOT FIXED YET????"

I never said I didn't like LotR, I just said that it laid the foundation and that now, there are better works in my estimation. I've read the books several times, and they're in my rotation for books on CD, but Robert Jordan, derivative as his work may be, has more to offer.

Before anyone gets on a high horse to lecture me on literature, all literature is subjective. For whatever reason, people put William Faulkner in a genius category. Goodie, he made puzzles out of literature that once unraveled, the vast majority of people think it was a complete waste of time and energy to unravel. Whereas J.K. Rowling has a rudimentary style, but her style and subject matter appeal more to the masses. Harry Potter won't be taught in any advanced English classes, but it's done more in the way of helping children to learn to read and write than Faulkner ever did.(sorry, I hate Faulkner)

So yeah, not wanting to start a war and my last post was typed in haste because my son was crying. You've got your opinion and I've got mine.

So, anyone here interested in paying $11.95 for a virtual booster of heroclix?

Ah, the joys of working with the public. Last night at my job, I was marveling that more people that have to deal with the general populace DON'T snap and engage in acts of violence.