Giants vs Trolls

[Alexander Targaryen]

 Who do you think would win in a battle between the Giants of A Song of Ice and Fire against the Trolls of Lord of the Rings? Which race is stronger? Which race is more intelligent? And which race is best employed in battle?

 

Giants are large humanoids generally ranging between ten to twelve feet in height (some even reaching 14 feet), covered in thick fur capable of withstanding the harsh climate Beyond the Wall as well as most projectiles. Their eyesight is poor and they are equally reliant on smell and sight to navigate. They are sentient, capable of speech and tame mammoths to serve them as mounts, and they seem to have some sort of primitive tribal society. In battle they fight with huge clubs that are often no more than logs, though some tie boulders to the end to make crude mauls. Giants are strong enough to hammer men into the ground like nails or wrench the bars of an iron gate apart.

 

Trolls are monstrous humanoids between 8 and 10 feet in height (some even reaching 17 feet), with thick hide that is nigh-impervious to physical attacks and caustic blood capable of melting steel. Most breeds of Trolls turn to stone if exposed to sunlight, and all are extremely violent by nature - sometimes turning on their allies in the midst of combat. While all Trolls are dim-witted, some are capable of human speech (while others appear to be as irrational as animals) and can forge tools such as ladle spoons, kettles, some limited clothing and crude knives. In battle they often fight with steel weapons forged by their more civilized allies, and sometimes even wear armor plating, though most Trolls would not have access to this equipment. Ordinary Trolls likely fight unarmed, but may carry curved "knives" (longer than any human sword) or pick up nearby logs or rocks to use as blunt weapons. They are strong enough to toss fully equipped soldiers over a dozen meters and smash stone structures with any weapon they might wield.

[Alexander Targaryen]

I should also mention that there are many different breeds of Trolls, including Cave-trolls, Snow-trolls, Mountain-trolls, Hill-trolls, Stone-trolls, and Olog-hai. The Olog-hai are the only Troll race capable of enduring sunlight.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

 Between those two variants I'd have to go with the GoT Giants, as the sunlight weakness makes the LoTR Trolls a bit of a joke. If you don't have to deal with them on their home turf, they are kind of ineffectual.

 

 I always favored the Dungeon and Dragons troll, in that they are very hard to kill (due to their ability to regenerate), and tend to work in packs. I'd take them over the GoT Giant.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Giants.

[Alexander Targaryen]

On 2016-05-03 at 1:48 AM, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

 Between those two variants I'd have to go with the GoT Giants, as the sunlight weakness makes the LoTR Trolls a bit of a joke. If you don't have to deal with them on their home turf, they are kind of ineffectual.

 

 I always favored the Dungeon and Dragons troll, in that they are very hard to kill (due to their ability to regenerate), and tend to work in packs. I'd take them over the GoT Giant.

I agree that the weakness against sunlight is a decisive factor against the Trolls, from a strategic perspective. But who do you think would emerge victorious in a nighttime battle?

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Just now, Alexander Targaryen said:

I agree that the weakness against sunlight is a decisive factor against the Trolls, from a strategic perspective. But who do you think would emerge victorious in a nighttime battle?

They seem to be roughly similar in size and strength. That's a tough one. The LoTR trolls were kind of special in terms of intelligence, right? I suppose I'd have to give it to the GoT giants on the back of that. The fact that they've managed to domesticate mounts and the like seems to put them a step ahead of LoTR trolls. 

[Alexander Targaryen]

On 2016-05-06 at 10:33 PM, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

They seem to be roughly similar in size and strength. That's a tough one. The LoTR trolls were kind of special in terms of intelligence, right? I suppose I'd have to give it to the GoT giants on the back of that. The fact that they've managed to domesticate mounts and the like seems to put them a step ahead of LoTR trolls. 

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "special". But the intelligence of Trolls is normally negligible; while they can communicate with humans they are often regarded as dim-witted, gullible and completely ignorant of the world outside their own habitat. They cannot forge many items on their own, though the ladle spoon and long knife seen in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey must have been made by them, as they are far too large to be of human design (I am uncertain about the kettle, however, as it seemed very small compared to the Trolls). They could also make their own clothes, however limited, in the shape of loincloths and vests. However, the Olog-hai are implied to possess human levels of intelligence.