The Lord of the Rings; but with more advanced technoligy

I came up with an idea yesterday: how would the War of the Ring change if both the forces of Darkness (Mordor, Isengard, etc.), and the Free Realms (Gondor, Rivendell, Rohan, the Dwarves) had considerably more advanced technology. Due to the tech gap we saw, I thought that Darkness would have technology anagolous to 5 years into our future (exoskeletons, railguns, etc.), with the Free races having tech anogolous to the 80's or 90's. This made me rethink several things. The One Ring becomes a bigger-on-the-inside quantum computer. Uruk-Hai use flechette rifles instead of scimitars. The Nazghul ride VTOLS instead of Fell Beast. Rohan are APC Vikings instead of Horse-Vikings. The Mumakil become super-heavy tanks. I was just wondering what TV Tropes would think of this?

Hmm... One question that comes to mind is that if the Ring has become a quantum computer, what reason would the Free Peoples have for not using it against Sauron, instead of taking the risky journey into the heart of the Enemy's territory in order to destroy it?

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AI Is A Crap Shoot. The ring has a malevolent mind of its own, and it can only be used through a direct neural interface...giving it access to the user's brain.

Reality is for those who lack imagination.

Wasn't there some semblance of tech in original drafts of Lord of the Rings? Like "Steel beasts that spit fire" (flamethrower tanks FTW) and "Glass Ships that could touch the Aether"

It sounds like a Cyberpunk take on Warhammer 35,000 (or is it 50,000 now?) to me.

Though I do question how the technology managed to increase to that point, with the situation still remaining in the stalemate that I recall from the movies.

Two words. Absolutely AWESOME!!!

It also fits in a way. Saruman, Sauron and their henchmen absolutely love technology. The Elves surpass even them with their skill when they are at their finest. Dwarves was created from the earth/rock if I remember The Silmarillion right. Why not let them return halfway to it in a way, becoming cyborgs. And then we have the skill of the Men of Numenor which almost rivals Elven skill at times...

I too have heard about those magitek/sci-fi/whatever things that was mentioned earlier. I recall something about elves or numenoreans building something that you could interpertet as an spaceship. And then there is mentioning of warmachines for the dark side.

edited 6th Nov '14 8:50:28 AM by TheBorderPrince

I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!

Elves would of course be known for their amazing skill with sniper rifles.

Reality is for those who lack imagination.

An entire species inspired by Simo Hayha . Or at least the wood-elves are...

edited 6th Nov '14 9:23:08 AM by TheBorderPrince

I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!

Ooh, I like that. Building on it from the original lore, it might contain a partial upload of Sauron's mind (most notably his impulses and tendencies to domination); when Sauron wears it, it supplements and works in harmony with his mind and abilities.

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...geez. That makes more sense than it really ought to. It changes how I see the original story.

I think that got shift back 'to an earlier age'.

Yeah, those cool machines were suposed to exist back when Numenor were still above water and the world were still flat.

To imagine those ship fly east across the ocean from the Undying lands or Numenor, heading towards Beleriand is not too impossible. Or not to imagine those orc-crewed tanks leaving the smithies of Angband to fight the free peoples.

edited 6th Nov '14 10:25:26 AM by TheBorderPrince

I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!

So Orcs with flamethrower tanks could come back?

Maybe the Shire would be some kind of Amish-style intentionally-low-tech community then?

edited 6th Nov '14 12:10:24 PM by MattStriker

Reality is for those who lack imagination.

Why not, Sauron loved to look for ancient artifacts and tech, so I do not find it too unlikely that he had found some blueprints or old machines belonging to Morgoth or his enemies.

I envision this take on the story having the following races when I read this:

• Orcs being hordes of cheap, massproduced and most likely wierdlooking clones/vat-grown soldiers given an AK-47 or something similar or put in an equally sturdy and deadly vehicle and sent into battle.
  • Uruk-hai. Same as above but much better made, trained and equipped. Also looks more human.
• Elves. (Possibly also the Numenorians.) The idealized human with equipment decades more advanced then others.
• Normal Men. More or less as you suggested.
• Dwarves Shorter ofshot of the Elf / Human but have gone VERY heavy into cybernetics.
  • Hobbits same as above but modern tech or lower...

Not sure on the more magical stuff...

edited 6th Nov '14 12:36:20 PM by TheBorderPrince

I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!

Noldor Space Program is canon in the Silmarrilion.

The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable

Yep. The Vingilótë is basically like the Yamato...an oceangoing ship converted into a spaceship :P.

Reality is for those who lack imagination.

Holy crap, I didn't expect such a quick response...

Also, I was thinking that the Elves would use super-advanced compund bows (cultural hangover), but sniper rifles work far better

I also think it would provide a partial justification for why the Orcs were a chaotic evil race. Remember, J.R.R. Tolkien was VERY disturbed about the implications of the orcs being all evil. However, in a Sci-Fi setting, the Orcs minds could be wired to that they receive a dopamine high whenever they are hearing Sauron's voice. Here, I'm thinking about R. Scott Bakker's Neuropath.

However, a modern setting could also bring out a sort of "Orc Independence Movement". After all, prolonged exposure to the "Free Realms" might induce many of the Orcs to find some way of breaking free. This would explain how Frodo and Sam were able to survive in Mordor - Orc dissidents helped them in the hopes of destroying their oppressors.

edited 16th Nov '14 10:22:05 PM by Coinage