The halfling point of view

(Dragon #59)

Roger Moore credits Master of Middle Earth as a source for fleshing out the races in his "Point of View" articles. Are his halflings just hobbits?

What’s it about?

Roger weaves rules into lore while exploring halfling society. Fun fact: they’re called halflings because they’re half the size of humans. With a favorable racial reaction table, they get along with everyone, which explains their survival in a harsh world—they have strong allies. If you know the Shire, you’ll recognize much of the halfling lore: peaceful farmers with the occasional misfit adventurer, often thieves due to their natural stealth. 

However, Roger struggles to reconcile the idyllic Shire-like halflings with their game mechanics as woodland stealth snipers. The "take no prisoners" 1–4 surprise rules and +3 to hit with bows & slings feel at odds with their community-minded, pastoral lifestyle. 

Anything insightful?

• More justification for halflings’ +3 to hit with bows and slings.
• Halflings struggle to take prisoners because they’re too short to subdue them properly.

Should I share this with my players? 

Yes. This article, along with the dwarf article and probably the other "Point of View" pieces, belongs on the "best of" list. They provide missing context to players and supplement the PHB’s sparse race descriptions. While Moore leans more toward Tolkien than Gygax might prefer, it’s no secret Tolkien heavily inspired the core races and the game itself.