Category Archives: Discussion

Discussion: The Downfall of Númenor – Part 4

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Beorn

Time moves on, and the bear just keeps rolling with the tumult. This series looks at the modern world through the lens of Tolkien’s legendarium. You can find the previous parts here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. In particular, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Community, Discussion, Legendarium, Series, The Silmarillion | Tagged Discussion, Gun Violence, Legendarium, Opinion, Second Amendment, The Bear is Tired of Bad Faith Arguments, The Downfall of Numenor, The Only Solution to Gun Violence is More Guns, Tolkien, Uvalde | 4 Comments

Discussion: The Downfall of Númenor – Part 3

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Beorn

This article continues a series of discussions (Part 1, Part 2) about the modern world through the lens of Tolkien’s legendarium. For those seeking game-specific subjects I encourage you to check out Vision of the Palantir, where you will find … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Discussion, Legendarium, Series, The Lord of the Rings | Tagged Adapting, Aragorn, Boromir, Community, Culture, Denethor, Discussion, Evolving, Frodo Baggins, Frodo of the Nine Fingers, Gollum, Gun Control, Gun Rights, Heroism, Immolation, Learning from Trauma, Legendarium, Mass Killings, Mexico, Mythology, Pacifism, Protecting Life, Self Destruction, The Downfall of Numenor, Tolkien, Traditions, Travel, Uvalde, Violence | 6 Comments

Discussion: Valiant Defense

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Beorn

We Ukrainians are a peaceful nation. But if we remain silent today, we will be gone tomorrow! —Volodymyr Zelenskyy I mentioned in my previous post that Russia was making aggressive gestures towards Ukraine. Unfortunately, our fears have come to pass and the … Continue reading →

Posted in A Long-extended Party, Archetypes, Books, Community, Decks, Discussion, Legendarium, Mono-Sphere, Series, The Lord of the Rings, Theme, Tribal | Tagged Community, Deck List, Fantasy Flight Games, Gondor, Good vs Evil, Living Card Games, Lord of the Rings LCG, Russia, Sauron, Support, Support Ukraine, The Red Cross, Tolkien, Ukraine, Unicef, Valiant Defense | 2 Comments

Discussion: The Downfall of Númenor – Part 2

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Beorn

Nonetheless for long it seemed to the Númenóreans that they prospered, and if they were not increased in happiness yet they grew more strong, and their rich men ever richer. For with the aid and counsel of Sauron they multiplied … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Discussion, Legendarium, Media, Series, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Writing | Tagged Addictive Technology, Analogia, Apathy, Birmingham 1963, Compassion, Corruption, Dangerous Technology, Edward P Jones, Ego, Elbow Room, George Dyson, James Alan McPherson, John Stuart Mill, Smart Phones, Social Media, Temptation, The Downfall of Numenor, The Known World, Tolkien | 2 Comments

Discussion: The Downfall of Númenor – Part 1

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Beorn

But for all this Death did not depart from the land, rather it came sooner and more often, and in many dreadful guises… now madness and sickness assailed them… And men took weapons and slew one another for little cause; … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Discussion, Legendarium, Media, Series, Writing | Tagged Capital Punishment, Edward Gibbon, Hatred, Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, JRR Tolkien, Kenosha, Kyle Rittenhouse, Power, Self Defense, Self Destruction, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Fall of Númenor, The Fall of Numenor, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Tolkien, Violence | 6 Comments

Discussion: The Second Coming

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Beorn

The Second Coming Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Control, Decks, Discussion, Legendarium, Series, The Lord of the Rings, Theme | Tagged Argorn, Contract, Discussion, Ents, Fantasy Flight Games, Gandalf, Gandalf the White, Living Card Games, Poetry, Power, Saruman, Sauron, Secrecy, The Grey Wanderer, The Lord of the Rings LCG, The Nature of Power, Theme, Tolkien, Tribal Deck, William Butler Yeats, Wisdom | 6 Comments

Deck: 2020 – It’s a Trap!

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Beorn

Then Denethor leaped upon the table, and standing there wreathed in fire and smoke he took up the staff of his stewardship that lay at his feet and broke it on his knee. Casting the pieces into the blaze he … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Con of the Rings, Contract, Control, Decks, Discussion, RingsDB, Series, Theme, Tribal | Tagged 2020, Black Lives Matter, Breonna Taylor, Deck List, Denethor, Equal Pay For Woodswomen, Fantasy Flight Games, Fascism is Bad Mkay, Frustration, George Floyd, Isolation, Living Card Game, Pandemic, Politics, Rant, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Traps, Year End Retrospective | 1 Comment

Discussion: Isolation and Tribalism

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Beorn

Isolation is a bitter pill. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it is becoming clear that I will look back on my life before the outbreak of Covid-19 as one belonging to someone else. Essentially every one of my daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Discussion, Tribute | Tagged Black Lives Matter, Community, Compassion, Covid-19, Dehumanization, Fellowship, George Floyd, Immigration, Isolation, Love, New, Quarantine, Racism, Society, Tribalism | 13 Comments

Discussion: Long are the Waves on the Last Shore

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Beorn

To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying, The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying. West, west away, the round sun is falling. Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling, The voices … Continue reading →

Posted in Austin Community, Community, Con of the Rings, Contract, Discussion, Fellowship Events, GenCon, Lure of Middle Earth, Theme, Tribute | Tagged Adventure, Caleb Grace, Cardboard of the Rings, CardTalk, Christopher Tolkien, Community, Con of the Rings, Czech Republic, David Poage, Derek Kamal, Fantasy Flight Games, FFG, France, Friendship, Gen Con, Germany, Gratefulness, Hall of Beorn Card Search, Hiatus, Ian Martin, Japan, Living Card Games, Lord of the Rings LCG, Master of Lore, Matt Newman, Matthew Dempsey, Portugal, Spain, The Grey Company, Tolkien, Traveling, Tribute | 7 Comments

Discussion: Beorn 2020

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Beorn

For far too long, the needs of Skin-changers have been ignored in modern politics. This slight against multi-body beings is becoming unbearable. It is high time that someone addressed the needs to this historically under-represented group, and I’m just the … Continue reading →