The "Your-Canon-Concerns-Me-Not" Middle-Earth Campaign

I've been re-reading Lord of the Rings the past two weeks or so, getting through a chapter some mornings, and one to three chapters in the afternoon/evening. I started on Feb. 28th (Monday) and I'm currently up to the chapter Flotsam and Jetsam. And of course it's got me thinking about how I would run a Middle-Earth campaign. 

I'm not going to do this. At least, not any time soon. My TS&R Jade game is going strong, and I've got some ideas percolating for continuing my Star Wars campaign. But maybe one day, I'll do this. 

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So, the first thing is, what rule set to use? There are plenty of "official" Middle-Earth games to choose from, and unofficial OSR games like Balrogs and Bagginses. But me being me, I'd probably stick to either BX or BECMI style D&D, just with a few house rules. Maybe this could be a TS&R Silmaril version? I'd have to file off lots of serial numbers if I did that...

I've seen ideas bandied around to modify BX/BECMI for ME gaming. Some say use the Elf class but with the Cleric (or Druid) spell list for elves (or at least the Noldor) and the Cleric minus weapon restrictions for the Wizards (Istari). Some say use the Cleric class for the Noldor and use the Elf class for the Wizards (with a curated spell list, or the Cleric spells). Some say all Men should just be Fighters, but Numenoreans might get some Cleric spells (like the BECMI Paladin/Avenger), or porting in the Ranger and/or Paladin from AD&D. I've seen debate on whether Burglars (the Thief class, but for Hobbits) should be included as its own class or not, or if a few more Thief skills should be added to the Halfling class. It seems that the only BX/BECMI class people find suitable without change is the Dwarf.  

I would probably end up doing some combination like the above, except I might still keep the MU class for the Istari, only with an edited spell list and a few more weapon options, and probably the Lore ability of my TS&R Bard class. Possibly with a custom spell list for each Wizard! This would limit player options for Wizards though, and as the title of this post says, this is a "screw canon" campaign. 

For Elves, I think probably the regular Elf class could be the Noldor (Galadriel, etc.) just with the same edited spell list for the Wizards. Sindar (like Legolas) would use the Fighter class, but with the Elf class special abilities (ghoul touch immunity, secret door finding). Some Sindar might use the Cleric class to give them some magic ability.

For Hobbits, there could be Bounders (the Shire's guard/militia/border patrol) using the regular Halfling class, and Burglars using the Thief class plus Halfling special abilities. I don't think there would need to be a difference between the different types of Hobbit. 

Dwarves? Yep, as is. 

Men -- now we need to consider a few things. Are they all just Fighters (and maybe Thieves) with some cosmetic differences for Breelanders, Numenoreans, Men of Dale, Rohirrim, Beornings, etc.? Or do we need special classes for some? I'd say most Men could be covered by the four normal BX/BECMI classes, with a few limitations to make Clerics and Magic-Users rare. 

I could modify my old Barbarian class (cut from TS&R before release) for Beornings, and make it into a werebear class with increasing transformation abilities as they level up.

Numenoreans/Dunedain are the tricky part. The Rangers of the North are all Dunedain, but not all Dunedain are/were Rangers. Also, Gondor had rangers, but while they may have been descended from Numenoreans, they don't seem to have the pure bloodline like Aragorn. I'd probably just use normal human classes for them, including Cleric and Magic-User, and give them my TS&R Human special ability of rolling twice for hit points each level and keeping the better number, but making sure they have some ability score requirements like the demi-human classes to be one. 

Nope, sorry, you can't play an Ent or Eagle. Or an Orc or Troll or Giant Spider. 

The biggest "chuck canon out the window" thing I'd do would not be related to PC options, though. It would be the campaign world itself. I'd use one of those maps that float around where 1st Age Beleriand and 2nd Age Numenor haven't sunk under the waves, along with the 3rd Age Shire, Mordor, Mirkwood, etc. most people are familiar with. I'd keep Aman on the 'straight path' while the world is bent thing, to keep all except very high level PCs (if we ever got there) from raiding the Undying Lands.

Now, to really chuck the canon out with the bathwater, Morgoth would rule over Angband, Sauron would be in Mordor, the Witch King ruling Angmar, and sure, the Necromancer in Mirkwood. Elves would have several kingdoms in Beleriand, plus in Mirkwood, Eregion, Lothlorian, and Rivendell. Hobbits would have the Shire (and share Breeland), and maybe I'd throw in Smeagol's folk in Wilderland near the Beornings. Dwarves would have isolated strongholds in Moria, the Lonely Mountain, the Iron Hills, Belegost, etc. and they would be commonly coming and going between their strongholds. Arnor would still be a kingdom, as would Gondor, Rohan, Dale, and other human lands from the 3rd Age. There would also probably be a kingdom of Men somewhere in Beleriand, for Beren, Turin, Hurin, and all those guys from the Silmarillion. Oh, and yeah, I already mentioned Numenor would be there.

Basically, it would be more D&D in Middle-Earth than Middle-Earth role-play. And in proper D&D fashion, it all goes in the blender and gets turned into what James Mal once called an "unholy goulash" of a campaign setting.