“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
— Haldir, The Fellowship of the Ring

Tolkien’s narrative technique is remarkable for its ability to shift seamlessly between intimate personal struggles and vast epic conflicts. From the desperate flight across Weathertop to the thunderous charge of the Rohirrim at Pelennor Fields, he moves between scales with a master’s touch. This essay explores how different gaming systems capture—or fail to capture—these different scales of conflict.

Tolkien’s Narrative Technique

The Zoom Lens Approach

Tolkien doesn’t simply alternate between skirmish and mass battle—he uses a narrative zoom lens that can focus on individual moments within larger conflicts:

• Weathertop: A desperate skirmish that determines the fate of Middle-earth
• Helm’s Deep: A siege that shifts between individual heroics and army maneuvers
• Pelennor Fields: A vast battle that zooms in on Éowyn’s duel with the Witch-king
• The Black Gate: A massive confrontation that focuses on Frodo’s final struggle

Why This Matters

This technique serves several purposes:

• Personal Stakes: Even in vast conflicts, individual choices matter
• Narrative Control: The author can emphasize what’s important
• Emotional Impact: Intimate moments within epic scope
• Thematic Unity: Small and large conflicts serve the same themes

Skirmish Gaming: The Personal Scale

What Skirmish Does Well

Skirmish games excel at capturing the personal scale where every model’s actions matter and players make meaningful tactical choices. They provide strong narrative control as stories emerge from individual actions, while allowing character development as models grow and change over time.

Skirmish Strengths in Middle-earth

Skirmish games capture the personal stakes of the Fellowship’s individual struggles, providing tactical nuance through complex positioning and timing. They maintain character focus where named heroes matter, while enabling narrative emergence as stories develop naturally from individual actions.

Skirmish Weaknesses

Skirmish games have limited scope and cannot represent vast armies, while larger forces feel artificial when abstracted. They have narrative limitations in showing strategic impact, and some conflicts are simply too large for the skirmish scale to handle effectively.

Mass Battle Gaming: The Epic Scale

What Mass Battle Does Well

Mass battle games excel at capturing the epic scale where operational decisions matter and large formations move and fight across the battlefield. They abstract command and control where leadership becomes a mechanical system, while creating epic spectacle with hundreds of models on the table.

Mass Battle Strengths in Middle-earth

Mass battle games capture the epic scope of Pelennor Fields, Helm’s Deep, and Dagor Bragollach, where strategic decisions have world-changing consequences. They represent army dynamics where different factions fight according to their cultural characteristics, creating a historical feel that makes battles feel like real conflicts.

Mass Battle Weaknesses

Mass battle games can lose individual heroes in the crowd, making it hard to focus on specific moments that matter. They suffer from abstraction issues where individual actions get lost in the larger scope, while some conflicts are simply too small for the mass battle scale to handle effectively.

The Missing Middle: Midway Battles

What Makes “Midway” Battles Distinct

The Battle of Five Armies represents a unique scale:

• Individual Heroes: Bilbo, Thorin, and others matter
• Army Maneuvers: Large formations clash
• Chaotic Fragmentation: Alliances shift, communication breaks down
• Narrative Perspective: Limited viewpoints reveal larger picture

Why This Scale is Challenging

• System Limitations: Most games focus on one scale
• Command Complexity: Messy, not clean orders
• Narrative Control: Hard to manage both scales
• Mechanical Tension: Individual vs. army mechanics conflict

System Comparisons

Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game (MESBG)

Skirmish Strengths:

• Individual heroism matters
• Tactical choices are meaningful
• Character development possible
• Narrative control maintained

Mass Battle Limitations:

• Large games become unwieldy
• Individual heroes can dominate
• Command abstraction limited
• Strategic scope constrained

Warmaster Revolution

Mass Battle Strengths:

• Epic scope and spectacle
• Command and control mechanics
• Army-level decision making
• Strategic depth

Skirmish Limitations:

• Individual heroes abstracted
• Personal stakes reduced
• Narrative control difficult
• Tactical nuance lost

Midgard Heroic Battles

Midway Potential:

• Heroes matter individually
• Armies maneuver as units
• Command system creates friction
• Scale between skirmish and mass

Challenges:

• May not capture Tolkien’s tone
• Magic system needs adaptation
• Balance between scales difficult
• Narrative control still limited

The Tolkien Challenge

Why Scale Matters for Middle-earth

Tolkien’s themes require both scales:

• Personal Growth: Characters must develop individually
• Epic Stakes: Conflicts must have world-changing consequences
• Narrative Unity: Small and large conflicts serve same themes
• Emotional Impact: Intimate moments within epic scope

The System Design Problem

Creating systems that handle both scales is challenging:

• Mechanical Tension: Individual vs. army mechanics conflict
• Narrative Control: Hard to manage both scales simultaneously
• Player Agency: Different scales require different decision-making
• Thematic Consistency: Must maintain Tolkien’s tone at both scales

Potential Solutions

Hybrid Systems

Some approaches to handling both scales:

• Scale Shifting: Rules that adapt to different scales
• Nested Mechanics: Individual actions within army context
• Narrative Framing: Story structure that accommodates both
• Player Choice: Let players choose their preferred scale

Campaign Integration

Linking different scales through campaigns:

• Skirmish to Mass: Personal actions affect larger conflicts
• Mass to Skirmish: Army outcomes create personal scenarios
• Narrative Bridges: Story elements that connect scales
• Character Progression: Heroes grow from skirmish to mass battle

The Missing Middle

Developing systems for midway battles:

• Hero-Army Integration: Heroes matter but don’t dominate
• Command Friction: Orders don’t always work
• Narrative Perspective: Limited viewpoints reveal larger picture
• Chaotic Fragmentation: Alliances shift, communication breaks down

Practical Implications

For Game Designers

• Scale Awareness: Understand what each scale does well
• Narrative Integration: Design for story, not just mechanics
• Player Agency: Ensure meaningful choices at all scales
• Thematic Consistency: Maintain tone across scales

For Players

• Scale Choice: Pick the scale that serves your story
• System Mixing: Combine different systems for different scales
• Narrative Focus: Use story to bridge scale gaps
• Campaign Design: Structure campaigns to use appropriate scales

For GMs

• Scale Transitions: Plan how to move between scales
• Narrative Control: Use story to manage scale shifts
• Player Engagement: Keep players invested at all scales
• Thematic Unity: Ensure consistent tone across scales

Conclusion

Tolkien’s mastery of scale is one of his greatest achievements. He shows us that personal struggles and epic conflicts are not separate—they’re different perspectives on the same themes. The challenge for Middle-earth gaming is not to choose between skirmish and mass battle, but to find ways to honor both scales while maintaining the narrative unity that makes Tolkien’s work so powerful.

The best systems for Middle-earth gaming are those that:

• Respect both scales: Don’t force one scale to do everything
• Maintain narrative control: Allow focus on what matters
• Preserve thematic unity: Keep Tolkien’s tone across scales
• Enable player agency: Provide meaningful choices at all levels

In the end, the scale question is not about mechanics—it’s about story. And in Middle-earth, every story, from the smallest skirmish to the greatest battle, serves the same themes of hope, courage, and the long defeat.

This essay is part of an ongoing exploration of how to capture Tolkien’s themes in tabletop gaming. For more on this topic, see the other essays in this series.