LOTRO Players News Episode 44: Hobbit Peasants

“The epic quests were a shining jewel of LOTRO when it launched. I’m not aware of any other MMO games at the time that had such a heroic thread running through them, although they seem more common in games I’ve played since then. I think the biggest change is that they were originally designed with lots of quests intended for a full fellowship of players. But the story has become much more personal over the past couple years, to the point that they can only be attempted solo now. This probably benefits the play style of the majority of players, and allows the designers to more easily control and customize what happens in scripted encounters.

I think Volume 1 had the most interesting characters. We were flung to the very ends of Eriador to deal with some grave threats to Middle-earth, while Tolkien’s heroes were busy escorting the ring. The sheer variety of people we met along the way was amazing. Almost every book sent us to a huge new region, which I think was part of the appeal for me. Some of my favorite characters were Radagast in Book 2, Gloin in Book 5, and (despite all the travel) Golodir, Laerdan, and Narmeleth in the entire second half of Volume 1.

In terms of storytelling, I think Volume 2 was the best. There was an excellent mix of exploration and adventure, and it had a perfect pace. Volume 2 had a clear beginning, middle, and end in Moria, Lothlorien, and Mirkwood. Neither of the other volumes had a narrative structure quite as strong, in my opinion. The addition of skirmishes into the story allowed us to experience some exciting moments completely solo all the way up to a raid of 12 players. Turbine has never quite matched this flexibility since then, even with epic battles.

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite volume in terms of quest design. In Volume 1, it felt like almost every chapter was something new and important to do, even if the mechanics weren’t terribly exciting. Volume 3 introduced some fun mechanics, but many chapters felt like their only purpose was to move me from place to place. I think I’m going to have to stick with Volume 1. Its quests were most tightly integrated with the overall story of each region, and it really made me feel like a local hero by the end of each book.

Looking forward to Volume 4, I hope Turbine is able to plan out a strong narrative structure in advance. Although I’ve enjoyed interacting with Tolkien’s fellowship so closely at the end of Volume 3, I actually wouldn’t mind putting some distance between us again. I didn’t realize it until just now, but I really enjoy being part of my own story, and not part of someone else’s story whose ending I already know. I’d really like it if Turbine sent us off on our own new adventures again, at least for a little while.”

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Tsu left a comment on episode 43 of LOTRO Players News:

“TSU POEM WARNING!

There Was A Dionaea Muscipula

There was an Pine leaf who swallowed a fly,

I don’t know why he swallowed a fly,

Perhaps he’ll die.

He swallowed a Braxwolf,

That ‘engaged socially with tables’

He swallowed a Draculetta,

That ‘counted, laughed and faded out’

He swallowed an Ethelros,

That ‘asked difficult questions’

He swallowed an Andang,

That ‘answered difficult questions with the wisdom of a flaming torch’

I don’t know why he swallowed the LOTRO Players News team, and the fly,

Perhaps he’ll die.

There was an Pine leaf who entrapped them all,

But the show was a ball,

Luckily he didn’t swallow a horse,

Cos he’d be dead—of course!”

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LOTRO Players News Episode 44: Hobbit Peasants

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