381 – The Bywater Village Committee — an interview with Wētā Workshop’s Darren Ormandy

The Prancing Pony Podcast

Alan Sisto

Film Reviews, Books, Tv & Film, Arts

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2025

⏱️ 122 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Alan and James sit down with fellow Tolkien-nerd and lead writer for Wētā Workshop's new game, Tales of the Shire. We discuss the depth of world-building by Tolkien and how to reflect that in a game set in the Shire, and celebrate the appearance of familiar names and places in the game. Darren tells us about an unbelievable meeting in Oxford, compares the Silmarillion to a dehydrated feast, and we all wonder about the lost company of Hobbit archers! Also, food is love, and we agree. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:15.8	Good evening, Little Masters, and welcome to episode 381 of the prancing pony podcast where we're wrapping up season nine of the prancing pony podcast with a nice cozy chat.
1:21.5	That's right. We're setting aside the appendices and heading back to the Shire.
1:25.9	Folks, pull up a bench in the common room and join us.
1:29.0	I'm James Taubour, the Sage of the South, and I'm here with the Man of the West, Alan Sisto.
1:34.2	Folks, later this week, Weta Workshop, the creative force behind the visualization of so many
1:39.6	of the places, things, and moments in Middle Earth that we love, will be releasing their first video game, Tales of the Shire. Part of the places, things, and moments in Middle Earth that we love, we'll be releasing their first video game, Tales of the Shire.
1:47.1	Part of the cozy game genre, think farming, cooking, fishing, decorating your Hobbit hole,
1:52.6	and so on, Tales of the Shire looks to be our best chance to experience life as a hobbit.
	...

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