J.R.R. Tolkien’s Influence on the World
It is the opinion of many, myself included, that Tolkien defined what we understand today as modern fantasy. While fantasy worlds and creatures existed for generations prior to Tolkien, the specific European medieval fantasy with the combination of wizards, elves, dwarves, and dragons was absolutely shaped by his skilled hands.
Tolkien’s epic stories have deeply inspired not only countless writers but countless game designers as well. Most evident is his his influence on Dungeons & Dragons. The DNA of a unique party made of various races and classes can definitely be seen in the Fellowship. Our current view of many magical races and monsters, many of which pre-date Tolkien, were defined by his reimagining of them. The Ranger class itself was specifically created to represent ‘the Ranger’ Aragorn himself as the halfling race was to represent hobbits.
Dungeons & Dragons, in turn, was massively influential on modern RPG video games. Current staples like parties, classes, character stats, experience based leveling up, custom characters, dungeon delving, were all lifted directly from D&D. One of my favorite video game series is Dragon Quest which has the fingerprints of both D&D and Tolkien all over it.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Influence on Me
My decision to quit a decades long career in IT Customer Service to start my own business dedicated to both Dungeons & Dragons and the fantasy genre as a whole, can be traced directly back to one solitary moment. When I picked up The Hobbit back in middle school for the first and discovered the wonderful fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit instantly became, and still remains, one of my favorite books of all time. Reading how Bilbo Baggins left the comfort of the Shire to go on a grand adventure left an indelible mark on my young heart.
The book planted two very potent seeds within me that took root and continue to flourish to this day. First, it was seed of a dream to one day go on my own grand adventure, which secretly grew under the surface, waiting for the right moment to burst out of the ground. Then, after years of toiling away to improve the bottom line for some large company, I finally decided to drop everything in order to start my own business with a pursuit to help others find their own grand adventures.
Second, was a seed of love for the works Tolkien himself. His masterful worldbuilding, poetic writing, epic adventures, and dedication to virtues have solidified him as the single most influential writer in my life.
Years later, I read and watched the Lord of the Rings, and I became transfixed by the adventures of the heroes in Middle Earth. Gandalf was my favorite character in The Hobbit, and his wisdom continued to shine through the The Lord of the Rings. In a moment of despair, Frodo laments that he wishes the troubling events were not unfolding in his time. To that, Gandalf responds with:
“So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
~ Gandalf the Grey
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings always stood out to me as a unique fantasy series not only for how influential it became but also because of its unique tone. Tolkien managed to make a sweepingly romantic grand adventure where a band of adventurers went from one quest to the next, sharing meals, songs, and stories along the way. There’s such a powerful warmth in his insistence on enjoying the beauty of nature while indulging in merriment with your friends in it.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
I went on to devour any Tolkien media I could, playing games based off his works, reading his other writings, and learning about his academic pursuits to defend the fantasy genre itself.
Building Quills & Quests
“Fantasy (in this sense) is, I think, not a lower but a higher form of Art, indeed the most nearly pure form, and so (when achieved) the most potent..”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
Much like the Prancing Pony in The Fellowship of the Ring, I built Quills & Quests as a tavern that acts as a starting point for adventures. It is a mystical place that exists at the crossroads between our real ‘Primary’ world and the fantastical ‘Secondary’ world of epic adventures and wild imagination! All of my content is split across these two Worlds to help make both your real-world life and your gaming life more heroic.
I adopted these distinctions from the Tolkien who, during his academic lecture ‘On Fairy Stories’, set out to define and advocate for the very concept of the genre of fantasy itself. He discussed how imaginary made-up worlds, like those of Middle Earth, can have profound impacts on our real-world lives.
“Fairy Stories” is an essay that J. R. R. Tolkien presented as the Andrew Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, on 8 March 1939, discussing the “fairy-story” as a literary form. It has since been published as “Tolkien On Fairy-stories”. Tolkien posited that fairy-stories are a type of story telling where we here in “the primary world, reality” attempt to see into or experience fantastical “secondary worlds“.
“Enchantment produces a secondary world into which designer and spectator can enter to the satisfaction of their senses while they are inside. But in it’s purity it is artistic in desire and purpose.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
It is in journeying through the fantasy of these Secondary Worlds that we learn of the courage, kindness, hope, and justice it takes to face the difficulties of our Primary Worlds.
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape? If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
For Your Secondary World
I’ll always focus on heroic storytelling and the stories that inspire me most. While I’ll primarily be focusing on TTRPGs like D&D, I’ll be covering a wide variety of games, books, tools, and creators that I feel are helpful, or just fun, for your Secondary Worlds. This can include game mastering tips, virtual tabletop tutorials, adventure reviews, or anything that can make your gaming experiences better. Being a professional Dungeon Master, a Foundry VTT Premium Content Provider, and a speaker at various conventions, I want to share the resources I’ve found extremely helpful for my own gaming journey that helped get me where I am today.
For Your Primary World
Of course, journeying through these Secondary worlds can have an incredible impact on our primary worlds. Whether you’re enjoying an engaging game or getting lost in an enchanting book, these fantasy worlds show us that being a hero is not just about wielding a sword or casting spells, but about being a force for good, standing up for what’s right, and inspiring others to do the same. It reminds us that heroism is not just about grand gestures, but about small acts of kindness, compassion, and courage in our daily lives.
These worlds can also help inspire us to find ways to reach for our most heroic selves as well as how to forge a path to our greatest potential. So, for content focused on Primary Worlds, I’ll talk about the tools, resources, and creators I feel can make an impact on our daily lives.
Being a Neurodivergent individual who’s had my fair share of struggles with physical and mental health issues as well as having faced a battle with addiction, I want to provide resources for improving your well-being, promoting a balanced life, inspiring your growth (or even your healing) and helping you know that you are not facing the difficulties of your journey alone.
Quills & Quests 