[Gumby Bush]

I like to start from something familiar and then tweak it heavily. So, I tend to start with Tolkienesque, but layer on my own associations and interpretations. Often, this means building the races according to a Tolkien-inspired vision (with dashes of D&D and Banestorm), then seeing what such a race might reasonably do. Halflings have traits to explain why many like good food, but those same traits can benefit alchemy and ranger-type activities. I conceive of dwarves as Jewish, German, or Russian, based on linguistic elements, so then I can expand on dwarven culture (and religion) based on those cultures. Elves are vegetarian, so living in the woods is just easier for them (burning down the woods is a bit like busting a fridge--and eating meat just sounds gross).

Like Bill, I set aside the idea of races being inherently good/evil. I find such sharp distinction dull and would much rather explore the philosophical differences between cultures.

I doubt I could ever run a straight setting from fiction, and even running one inspired by fiction will involve a lot of tweaks.