Pikanchion wrote:Is anybody playing more than one character?
I am. I'm a schizophrenic.
Pikanchion wrote:Minister Masket wrote:
FOS Pika
Gollum can't die, cause then who will destroy the Ring?
Oh uhh....spoiler alert.
FOS Minister MasketIf Gollum dies he can't be tortured to reveal the location of Bilbo and The Ring to Sauron, thus preventing the Ring Wraiths their ability to give chase to the Hobbits prior to them forming The Fellowship. This would prevent Frodo from being stabbed by one of their blades and potentially prevent The Fellowship being broken up during Boromir's attempt to seize The Ring for himself as the probability of Orc attack at that time would be somewhat reduced. Whether this would have a negative consequence on the ability to fend off Saruman is a matter of some debate due to Merry and Pippin only meeting the Ents after their capture during the Boromir incident, however Gandalf seems knowledgable about the Ents and may have enlisted their help himself if not for the Hobbits. Without these setbacks Frodo would have carried The Ring for considerably less time, reducing its hold over him and preventing the need for Gollum to wrest it from Frodo's hand at Mount Doom.
Oh, and... spoiler alert.

The timing of everything leading up til the Uruk (not Orc

) attack would've likely been unaffected as we see Boromir and the others arriving at Rivendell even while Frodo is recovering. Also Boromir being tempted by the Ring was probably always likely to happen as that's the Ring's M.O, so the Breaking of the Fellowship was kinda always written in stone too.
Now granted you're almost certainly right that there'd have been a big chance Frodo would not have had to bear the Ring as long regardless, however it is known Khaleesi that the Ring's burden is strongest at the Crack of Doom, and only the greatest of wills could've resisted it at that point.
Incidentally we've both sorta forgotten about Gollum being the one to guide through the Mountains of Cirith Ungol, so without him, that leaves the party possibly stuck for ages at the Gates of Mordor scratching their heads about how to get through.
Your move Pika.
