VIRB

I added something else to my plate recently. I am now the new leader of a guild in The Lord of the Rings Online MMORPG. I've been a member of the guild, The Forsaken Companions, for awhile now. They were started in Lotro during beta but they have chapters now in EQ2 and soon WoW. I stepped up to lead the Lotro Family. I've known most of the folks in the guild since early beta,some even longer: all the way back into DDO beta. They are a great bunch.

So now I manage three websites, an MMO guild, and working on my next book: not to mention my real job. I'm a little busy but enjoying the hell out of it. I love Lotro. I've been playing since early beta and it hasn't gotten old yet. I just started a new character and doing all the noob quests again is as much fun as it was the first time. I've done some of these quests a hundred times but i've never played a captain and it is totally new.

Turbine has added some great features since beta, both in-game and out. One is the Lorebook. It is a wiki for the game and anyone with a game account can add to it. You also have a personal page you ca build and you can build pages for each of your characters. I built a page for our Kinship (guild) and one for my primary character. It also has a ton of information on the game. Turbine set it up with the basic information, which is better than any hint guide you could buy, then players add to it and keep it current.

In-game they have done several free expansions with new areas, new quests etc. The big expansion, and increase in level cap, is coming soon. One of the features they added was social clothing so you can make your toon look any way you want without being constrained by equipment needs. You can wear that ugly breastplate for its stats and then put on a nice looking one that sucks for the look. No more mass of toons running around in the same gear because it is the best at that level. Everyone has their own style.

They added housing awhile back both personal and guild. Our guild has a nice large home in Thorin's Halls and my hobbit has a hole in the Shire. There is furnishings to buy, and craft. You can paint the walls, plant trees, hang pictures, even brig hoe stuffed trophies from your adventures: I have a winter wolf in my bed room. They keep making the game richer socially as they also add content for both solo and groups.

The next expansion is the Mines of Moria, so my dwarf can't wait to go there. It will add a huge new area to the game for the increased levels. If Turbine keeps up the quality of game play and graphics it is going to be awesome. I am sure they will. So far they just keep making the game better with each new update. Can you tell I am a fan?

Turbine disappointed me a little with DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online). Not that it is a bad game, it actually caught the feel of classic Dungeons and Dragons perfectly. I love the combat system. But maybe they caught the pen and paper game too well. It was just not mmo enough for me socially. It is a great online version of 3.5 D&D, I just prefer a more social game with a deeper story line. Turbine nailed that with Lotro.

Well, as I wait for ArchAngelxx to soar to the best seller list and try to finish my next novel I will be in Middle Earth killing orcs and trolls: defending the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. Come join me. Just look for neolythic the dwarf on the Elendilmir Server. He will have "The Forsaken Companions: Leader" over his head.

neo