The life simulation game Tales of the Shire already plans to include many aspects of J. R. R. Tolkien’s iconic hobbit community: shared meals, cottage-core decoration, lovingly maintained gardens, and much more. But there is another area in which Tales of the Shire could pay homage to the original The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels: humor. Although Tolkien’s books are not often thought of as funny, they contain many often unacknowledged moments of humor, especially in scenes predominantly featuring the hobbit characters.
Related
Tales Of The Shire Would Feel Incomplete Without Its Own Sam
Tales of the Shire would benefit from having a Samwise Gamgee-like companion character for the player to befriend.
Hobbits Are Frequently A Source Of Humor
The Lord of the Rings books are thought of as epic fantasy, filled with memorable characters and action-packed battles – not necessarily humor. But the books are funny, particularly when the hobbits are involved. Pippin Took is never without a quip, calling Gandalf’s proclamations of doom “cheerful” or bragging that he himself is “particularly large and strong” – as hobbits go, at least. At least a few readers have likely chuckled when Merry Brandybuck wakes from near-death in the House of Healing and immediately loudly announces that he’s hungry. And Sam Gamgee, though typically steadfast and noble, is quite funny when he gossips so much that nearly everyone in Hobbiton becomes aware of Frodo’s impending departure with the Ring.
Bilbo’s Birthday Party Is One Of Tolkien’s Funniest Scenes
Without question, one of the funniest scenes in The Lord of the Rings is Bilbo Baggins’ “long-awaited birthday party” early in The Fellowship of the Ring. Bilbo proudly declares that he is “eleventy-one,” tells his guests that he “like[s] less than half of [them] half as well as [they] deserve,” and then dramatically disappears with the aid of the One Ring.
The gifts he leaves behind for the Shire residents are a masterpiece in passive aggression: a man who does not return borrowed books gets a bookshelf, a woman obsessed with her looks gets a mirror, and the spoon-stealing Lobelia Sackville-Baggins gets the silverware she desired while also being called out for her thieving ways. Tolkien commenting that Lobelia “took the point at once, but also took the spoons”, is sure to get a laugh from at least a few readers.
Tales Of The Shire Could Include Humorous Dialogue And Quests
Tales of the Shire could reflect Tolkien’s dry, witty humor in the dialogue between its many hobbit characters. A large part of the game will involve the player befriending their neighbors, leaving plenty of opportunities for joking and quips. As players can throw shared meals and parties with the other hobbits, they might even get the opportunity to give a memorable Bilbo Baggins-inspired celebratory speech of their own.
Quest design is also an area in which Tales of the Shire could inject some humor. It could be hilarious to see hobbits treating relatively minor requests, such as asking for a specific fish or crop, as equivalent to life-altering epic quests. Hobbits do, after all, take food and cooking very seriously. Other potentially funny quests include looking for mundane missing items, eavesdropping on gossipy neighbors, or recreating the iconic “second breakfast” meme by preparing that particular meal – or simply offering an apple, like Merry and Pippin had to be content with in the films.
While the hobbits themselves could easily be the game’s primary source of humor, the wizard Gandalf, should he appear, is also potentially quite funny. Gandalf’s grumpy temper, especially surrounded by cheery hobbits, could cause a few laughs. Tolkien’s most famous wizard is prone to dryly humorous blunt statements, such as “I was there, and now I’m back,” and he could easily have similar banter with Tales of the Shire’s player character.
Life Simulation
RPG
Adventure
- Released
-
March 25, 2025
- Developer(s)
-
Wētā Workshop
- Number of Players
-
1