Message Board / Lore Appeal
Started by AppealSeeker92 | 37 replies
Last night's game included the question:
"What creature captures Bilbo and the dwarves before they escape through the mountains?"
The official answer was "Goblins."
One team wrote "Orcs."
The host ruled it incorrect.
I appealed because Tolkien later stated that goblins and orcs are essentially the same creatures.
Thoughts?
The host was correct.
Per Handbook Section 4.3.4, answers are evaluated according to the wording and context of the question.
The term used in The Hobbit is "goblins."
I agree.
The answer key should reflect the source material.
If the question had asked about Tolkien lore broadly, "orcs" might have been acceptable.
Interesting.
Everyone keeps citing the Handbook.
Nobody ever asks where the Handbook got its standards.
The Handbook got its standards from committees and administrators.
That's the official story.
Oh no. Here we go again.
Look into the original TFA quotations found in the front matter of the First Handbook Edition.
Several are attributed to anonymous scholars.
No names.
No sources.
Just "Ancient Wisdom."
Why?
Because somebody forgot to cite their sources fifty years ago?
Or because the sources predate the Crusades.
How did we get from goblins to the Crusades?
Follow the timeline.
The oldest quote attributed in the TFA archives allegedly dates to the 11th century.
The First Crusade began in 1096.
Coincidence?
Almost certainly yes.
That's exactly what they want you to think.
I've wondered about this myself.
Has anyone ever noticed that several early TFA sayings mention "guardians of knowledge" and "keepers of questions"?
Those are unusual phrases.
Those are also extremely generic phrases.
Maybe.
But who preserved them?
The Circle.
I thought The Circle was just a joke people made on this forum.
That's what The Circle says.
Reminder that The Circle is not a recognized TFA organization.
Not publicly.
Has anyone looked into the Vatican connection?
Serious question.
Many of the oldest surviving libraries were maintained by religious institutions.
If The Circle was collecting trivia and historical facts, where would they have stored them?
Libraries.
The answer is libraries.
Exactly.
Who had the biggest libraries?
I'm already regretting asking.
Think about it.
The Crusades moved people, books, maps, records, artifacts, and knowledge across continents.
Officially they were military campaigns.
But what if they were also a massive information-gathering operation?
For trivia?
For trivia.
This may be the single funniest sentence I've ever read on this forum.
Laugh all you want.
Where did medieval Europe suddenly acquire vast amounts of information about distant lands?
Why do so many early trivia categories involve geography?
Why does the TFA Handbook contain twelve sections?
Why are there twelve months?
Because that's how calendars work.
That's what THEY teach.
The more you investigate, the more questions emerge.
Question collection.
Question preservation.
Question control.
What is trivia if not information?
What is power if not control of information?
What is this thread if not evidence that I need a vacation?
As entertaining as this discussion has become, I would like to remind everyone that the original topic concerned Tolkien terminology.
The official ruling remains unchanged.
"Goblins" was the intended answer.
That's exactly what someone protecting the archives would say.
Thread locked.
Reason:
Original question answered.
Discussion drifted into unsupported theories involving medieval history, secret societies, and international religious institutions.
Several reports were received from members requesting a dedicated "Conspiracy Corner" subforum, which does not exist and will not be created.
Please keep future discussions focused on trivia administration and gameplay.