In 1930’s Britain, the average lifespan of an Englishman was 60. Hobbits had an average lifespan of 100. So a 51 year old Bilbo was the same as a 30 year old Englishman.
Exactly. Nothing wrong with a hero being at least middle-aged. Maybe they even have a spouse and kids they’re leaving behind, or the kids are coming with them on the quest.
You could swap the main character from how a realist hero saved a kingdom to a 55 year old bureaucrat and nothing in the story would change. The marriage to the princess would be creepy though.
Would read a book about a 40-50 year old that has to leave his job to slay the dragon and save the world.
Not too far off. The main character is a venerable 51.
In 1930’s Britain, the average lifespan of an Englishman was 60. Hobbits had an average lifespan of 100. So a 51 year old Bilbo was the same as a 30 year old Englishman.
Sounds like Rincewind and Cohen the Barbarian, all right.
Ah ha ha gotta reread those gems!
Exactly. Nothing wrong with a hero being at least middle-aged. Maybe they even have a spouse and kids they’re leaving behind, or the kids are coming with them on the quest.
The classic hero arc is that the “to be hero” don’t want to go, but is more or less forced, so that fits perfectly with a family!
Also, 40-50 year olds discovering magic would be a rare or never seen in a film/book.
Have you tried Kings of the Wyld?
Its about an older band of adventures getting back together.
I can’t be the only one that immediately thought of The Blues Brothers, right?
Yeah I think thats a good match up, if ever there was a film that caught the DnD party vibe without being a DnD film
Bilbo was 50
Not a book, but it’s thematically similar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrX_u2no6OA
Ignore the Amazon Prime garbage. It was a Mondo Media production, which was the main reason I ended up watching it.
And a few years later his nephew is saved by an 80yo geezer.
You could swap the main character from how a realist hero saved a kingdom to a 55 year old bureaucrat and nothing in the story would change. The marriage to the princess would be creepy though.