So - figuring out what the touchstone experiences of Middle Earth are and spinning that - or even distilling it to "what is it about this setting, in terms of feeling instead of physical elements, that's so compelling to people, especially in terms of gameplay?"
Evidently, a lot of people tried to do just that and came up with inane simplifications.
To a lot of people it turned out to be that elves are some kind of sexy ninjas, dwarfs are stupid berserkers with eyes crossed who usually spit all over themselves when eating and drinking and that everything is clearly divided into black and white - which its not.
And what makes Tolkien setting so special is the opposite of that. (if it can be put so simply in one sentence at all)
I dont think you can really pin point the thing you are searching for by distilling it or breaking it into smaller segments because its gestalt effect of all of them combined that matters.
Like Fallout. As soon as you take it apart and start picking feature by feature it falls apart because this is bad, that is not right, bla, bla, bla...
But when you just play it its an experience of a lifetime and in its own gestalt better parts bolster weaker ones and the whole makes even the mistakes funny or entertaining.
It may sound too simple or even pathetic to modern sensibilities but that line of Gandalf :
"And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom."
Is true on many levels and appropriate for this speculation.
With that in mind i could dare to single out a few things from his setting and "feeling" of it that i think are important cornerstones in the whole story.
Love and respect of the nature is one of the obvious ones. It plays a great role in his works, not one of scenery or background for acshun.
First of all it is a delicate creation of Valars and high God as ultimate manifestation of their combined powers.
Its further strengthened by creation of Elves as a first race and their connection and manner of relation to it.
Elves talk to the trees not because they are some funny treehuggers but because they see them as kindred living creatures - to the point that they teach some of them how to talk. Other elves who have great craftsman talents always use them to revere nature. Feanor created Silmarils so he could save the light of two great trees that gave light to the world before there was a sun and other elves who dealt with masonry shaped the stone with love and care for it so much so that Legolas can still feel it when the fellowship comes across remnants of their work.
And Lothlorien is one huge fusion of nature and elven respect, love and ability to live with it and use it without destroying it.
Then you have the example of Elrond using a river to defeat Nazguls - a clear example of connection to the nature instead of some sort of elemental (vomit) magic.
The examples go on and on and on.
Its also pretty clear what Tolkien feels about blind industrialization from his descriptions of Saruman and closing chapters in Shire.
He must have been ridiculed for it in those times of rampant industrialization hailed as the second coming even more then today.
Next easy to spot important feature is surely his meditations on entropy and easy short term solutions against harder, long term decisions.
What to do when faces with tough choices, how to act in the face of evil and fear.
Do you toss the Ring into the sea or give it to someone else then hide and hope for the best?
To do something when you are afraid or not?
Persist despite of it all?
Simply, do you surrender to greater force or fight desperately. And can you, by your actions create some meaning where there isnt one.
Fear and dealing with it is a great part of the story. from standing up to Nazguls who are fear incarnated to the king of Numenor who Sauron corrupted (and then many other Numenoreans) because of his fear of mortality and so caused the complete destruction of Numenor.
And how the war affects everyone included. Look what it did to elves that came across the sea. Even if it could be said they have "won" they lost too much. They even fought and killed each other and been betrayed and destroyed which must be very hard thing to experience when you are otherwise immortal.
There was no victory for them, only loss.
LOTR is epic? Yes, and not because of the action and huge battles and badass this and that. (which it has more then enough)
Its no secret Tolkien setting contains much more food for thought, i barely mentioned the Ring and whole "power corrupts" because i dont see it as separate from themes i mentioned above.
But this is already long enough and i made my point, i think.
