Originally posted by whiteknight Well, if your refering to me, I'm sorry if I came of as a smart arse. It just seemed to me that the easiest solution was already in your hands.
Dude no offense meant or implied, I thought your use of a in the original post meant a tounge in check sort of deal... hence the winky.
If they don't know Middle-Earth very well, then they probably haven't read the books. So, here's my suggestion:
Tell them to read The Hobbit.
Seriously, it's a great introduction to the world of Middle-Earth, and Tolkien wrote it to read to his kids (so its not that rough of a read). Bilbo goes through much of Middle-Earth in his journey, hitting several major areas (The Shire, Rivendell, the mountains, Mirkwood, the Elvenking's abode, and Lake-town). If your PC's started near any of these areas, it's a great way to give them more info.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy can be daunting for many people, and I won't even mention the 'S' book. But The Hobbit is a great way to get the uninitiated interested in Middle-Earth.
Or, if that's still too much for your players, pull out your Fellowship of the Ring DVD and hold a showing of the movie.
I would also recommend the book included with the first map set. Though it is mostly a reprint of information in the base rulebook, it is more portable, and certainly easier to copy information out of and hand out to players.
It gives a general, regional view of the world, and includes some history and cultural notes.