Tolkienesque (meaning like Tolkien) is a fantasy subgenre that indicates similarity with The Hobbit (1937), The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), and other related works by author J.R.R. Tolkien set in his fictional Middle-earth. While Tolkien is the source of such a genre, however, its tropes were codified by later authors, most notably Terry Brooks in his Shannara series (beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977, which was highly successful despite being criticised as derivative of Tolkien's work).
When used in an RPG context, Tolkienesque typically means:
- The standard Tolkien races, humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and orcs. A setting might omit one or two of those and still qualify.
- An identifiable force for evil.
- A Dark Ages or medieval pseudohistorical milieu. Some anachronisms, such as plate armor or fencing weapons, might appear, although Tolkien armed his heroes with swords, mail, and helms. In general, firearms, modern democracies, and the like are right out.
- Magic is powerful, natural, and everpresent, but rarely flamboyant. In Tolkien's work, magic is an understanding of moral forces, life and death, living things, and the Eternal. Fireballs and genies are not Tolkienesque.
Rarely is a setting Tolkienesque in its entirety. Rather, when several elements are present, one might identify specific elements as Tolkienesque. For instance, Dungeons & Dragons has Tolkienesque races and a Tolkienesque medieval setting, but a very different kind of magic (Vancian, based on the works of Jack Vance). Some settings have a Tolkienesque moral force; for instance, Greyhawk has Iuz, while Dragonlance has an ancient conflict between good, evil, and the balance.