The best games set in the J.R.R. Tolkien "Middle Earth" world 2023

Looking for a really good game set in the Middle-earth world of J.R.R. Tolkien? Then we have just the thing: The list with the best Middle-earth games.

Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 2, 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist and academic, best known as the author of the fantasy works The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful books of the 20th century and is considered a foundational work of modern fantasy literature.

Professor of English at Oxford

From 1925 to 1945, he was professor of English at Pembroke College, Oxford - and from 1945 to 1959 at Merton College, Oxford. Tolkien was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on March 28, 1972, for his works.

Hobby becomes profession - from storyteller to author

When his children were old enough in the early 1920s, Tolkien began telling them imaginative stories on a regular basis. The disappearance of a toy dog belonging to his second son Michael, for example, led to the story "Roverandom." Then in 1930, he began writing the children's story "The Hobbit." Through connections with a publisher through one of his former students, the book "The Hobbit" was then published in 1937.

Work on Lord of the Rings interrupted by World War 2

The direct follow-up project was "The Lord of the Rings," but due to other tasks, World War II, and several publishing disputes, completion dragged on until 1954. Due to paper prices skyrocketing as a result of the World War, the book was published in 3 volumes. Tolkien always rejected the term "trilogy" - actually the book had 6 parts. An unauthorized pirated printing in the USA then finally triggered the wave of success of the fantasy world Middle-earth.

Middle Earth... what is that?

Middle Earth is the fictional setting of much of J. R. R. Tolkien's works. The term corresponds to Miðgarðr of Norse mythology and describes the world inhabited by man. This is the central continent of the Earth in Tolkien's invented mythological past. Tolkien's most widely read works, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," are set entirely in Middle Earth. "Middle-earth" has come to be used as an umbrella term for Tolkien's legendary works and his fictional view of the world.

Where is Middle Earth located?

Middle Earth is the main continent of Tolkien's Earth "Arda" in an imaginary period of Earth's past with the end of the Third Age about 6,000 years ago. Tolkien's stories about Middle-earth focus mainly on the northwest of the continent. This part of Middle-earth suggests Europe, the northwest of the Old World, with the environs of the Shire being reminiscent of England (more specifically, the West Midlands, with Hobbiton being on the same latitude as Oxford).

Games based on works by other authors:

A lot of games are based on the works of book authors. Just check out our list of games based on authors below.

List of the best board games from the Tolkien world of Middle-earth that you can buy 2023