Lord of the Rings Online, anyone?

I know we have a lot of MMO junkies out there and for a while the Ex Libris guild on World of WarCraft thrived (is it still there?), I figured I'd throw this bone out there.

Even if you've never played an MMO before, but are a fan of Tolkien's Middle-earth, give this game a try. The game just recently, in November '08, released its first expansion, The Mines of Moria, and the most recent free content "book update" opened Lothlorien up to exploration.

My favorite thing about LOTRO, other than the amazing storyline, is the Minstrel class. There's no health or mana bars here, but instead "morale" and "power". The Minstrel takes on the healing role, but there's also the screaming and shouting of War-speech, a special ability that maximizes DPS output. BARUK KHAZAD! KHAZAD AI-MENU! (English translation, just in case you don't know Khuzdul: "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!")

A ten day free trial can be found here: http://www.lotro.com/trial/. If you decide to give it a shot, head over to the Landroval server (which is also the unofficial roleplaying server) and give a shout to a young Dwarf Minstrel named Tofrlaug.

See you in Middle-earth, perhaps!





These videos were not made by me, but I think they're quite impressive and just a preview of the talent of the folks who play LOTRO - Landroval, in particular.