Quote Originally Posted by TheArtilleryman View Post
So in my view, is it OK that the game invents its own lore to "flesh out" the story? Yes, as long as it it in keeping with the tone of the original material and there is a justification for it.
I totally agree and Shadows of Angmar is a masterpiece that should be written for none game players to read. Also Moria is great with actually in my opinion the same reasons you state. "Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things."

This shouldn't have spawned an early sequel to alien but it did and we complained at the time and they toned down the writing. Mirkwood was again a really great story line. Nothing too fantastical (as I remember)
Then good down to earth inbred tribal and regional fighting for a long time until we reach Mordor.... I can accept a little fantastic five in there as the sorcerers and the like would be doing some nasty things. However it didn't make great play even though the story just about made it.
Then we hit back into the land where we can breath some of the free air and boom.... fantasical hits us again. It really isn't required. It is a stretch to let us think that Radagast could have created the Beorning when remember what happened when the Valar Aulë created the dwarfs? Ilúvatar was kind of pissed and only intervened in their destruction when Aulë repented and showed faith by actually attempting to destroy his creation. So on what planet would he allow a Mair - Radagast to create essentially a species and then let that become corrupted.

Quote Originally Posted by TheArtilleryman View Post
I see your view on the shape-shifting, but it just about works
The thing is when you get to the limit of your allowance, it has to be reigned in. Otherwise what next? Flying eagle taxis and a rope to climb into the most secretive sanctum in the whole of middle earth notwithstanding the far sightedness of possibly the greatest immortals to live within mortality.

Lets just make sure we make ourselves heard when it gets silly like this and hopefully the creative juices are honed back to good old classic story lines.