The Dark One
Auror
I think there's a huge difference between absolutely zero conflict and I want a story that's character-driven. I thought we were talking about the first?
Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones are all character driven. The plots, even the adventuring aspects, are used to highlight those characters. Lord of the Rings is not about a ring but about a hobbit.
Are you kidding?
LOTR is certainly partially character driven, but it's the classic, watershed, fantasy plot. Ancient evil rising again, searching for that ring of power that would make his victory certain. Ring falls into the hands of a small unlikely hero who must first get the ring to safety against overwhelming odds and then set off on a quest to destroy the ring in the absolute heart of the enemy's realm...
The characters are only interesting (and evolving) because of the role they play within the structure of the plot.
To suggest the story is character driven is to somehow suggest that Sauron's actions were somehow inspired by Frodo's personality.