Character Generation

I was working on my Source book for elves I and I was contemplating the fact that I am not quite in agreement with the Character generation rules. What is basically boils down to it the facts. Dwarves and Elves take longer to reach maturity. Ie the threshold when they become deemed mature by their respective cultures. The same could be said for the Dunedain and hobbits (33 is adulthood)

I think this should be reflected in the generation, While I acknowledge the racial bonuses contained in the Racial abilities... would you agree the skill pick for background should shift as well ? I have plumed the depths of the Christohper Tolkiens History of Middle earth and the Martinez Essays.

My intial opinion is thus:

Elves are mature at 100 according to the Tolkeins... Thus a background package should reflect this time period of training and learning ( Tolkien mentions that while you they had a very vigorous mature mind) I propose a 10 pick shift ....

Dwarves and Hobbits according to to the LOTR RPG mature at 30 & 33 Respectively... I propose a 7 pick shift for background.

The Lesser Dunedain mature at 25 I think a 7 pick Background shift as well .... why 7 because so much is expected of the Dunedain and so much training and lore is passed on to continue the blood lines and culture.

I understand this can be seen as unbalancing the game and maybe a shift in people playing middle and lesser men. I think the perceived inequity can be rectified by racial experience penalties for advancement. Elves 200% of the standard, Dwaves, Hobbits and Dunedain 120% of the points needed.

Please I encourage you to debate this with me and I want your opinions.

Been playing around with it further I think I found the remedy.. additional racial abilities.... but not to the point of an OP for the PCs

I really don't think that any additional picks are necessary. The races are already somewhat unbalanced, for one thing. Also, just because they take longer to reach maturity doesn't mean some races learn more in that time. Take Hobbits, for instance - I highly doubt that they learn any more during their 33 years before adulthood than a Man in their 18 years. More time does not necessarily equal more training.

Plus, it's seems like a pretty minor thing for Elves: given their huge lifespans, you'd really have to up their background picks by an enormous amount to properly simulate their accumulated experience.

Bottom line: I think what you outlined above adds unnecessary complications to the game, but do whatever works for you. :)

I tend to agree with Nolmar on this one. I believe that elves and even dwarves will operate at a slower pace than humans. Since an elf has 100 years to learn their childhood education, they will simply go at a slower pace.

Christopher T's ... Editing of his fathers work disagrees with both of your opinions that the maturity of an elf surpasses the expectation of human development.
As told in The History of Middle-earth and in Tolkien's Letters, Elves had a different life cycle from Men. Most of the following information strictly refers only to the Eldar, as found in his essay Laws and Customs among the Eldar, found in Morgoth's Ring.
[edit] Early life

Elves are born about one year from their conception. The day of their conception is celebrated, not the actual birthday itself. Their minds develop more quickly than their bodies; by their first year, they can speak, walk and even dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem, to Men, older than they really are. Physical puberty comes in around their fiftieth to one hundredth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), and by their first hundred years of life outside the womb all Elves are fully grown. Elven bodies eventually stop aging physically, while human bodies do not.[18]

Game Set Match

Actually, that does not necessarily disprove my point(s). Do Elves achieve mental maturity more quickly than humans? Yes. Do they actually learn more during the span of the childhood/adolescence? Not necessarily. For all we know, those 50-100 years go by as quickly to Elves as a Man's 18 years. Then again, maybe not. Maybe they learn more and go through more training. Maybe not. The information provided by Tolkien is simply inadequate for the purposes of an rpg. His writings were not intended to be used for this.

However, my more relevant point (that you neglected to address) was that, in Middle-Earth, a mature Elf is almost always going to know much more and have much more experience than any Man. If you follow strictly by that, Elves would have to start gameplay with far more skill picks than a Man (more than the 10 you suggested) to make it 'realistic.' Is this worth the complications inherent in assigning those picks and managing the experience penalties you propose? For me, the answer is no, but as I said, do whatever works for you.