In episode 5 I am joined by Goldenstar, of A Casual Stroll to Mordor podcast, as we talk about the great lake of Eriador!

This week is a special interview with Alberos of the LotROCast. We cover a lot of the basic history of Middle-earth from the Ainur to the Eldar, all the way to the Fourth Age.

Episode 03 explores the various nooks and crannies of the village of Bree. As I wander the town, its history and geography are discussed.

Explore the Blue Mountains and their rich history.

Tolkien was uniquely placed to influence the vocabulary of modern English. In one sense, he was the last of the Victorians; he did not really live in the Victorian era, but was born at the tail end of it and carried along some of those traditions. Amongst those is a certain sense of propriety and conservatism and, I think, a love for being English; something...

This most recent entry is dedicated to Merric & Goldenstar of A Casual Stroll to Mordor. Thanks for your support over the years! Your podcast will be missed. Nan Curunír, the Wizard’s Vale, is a place of terror. When the heroes of Rohan, with Gandalf and the remnants of the Fellowship, arrive, they are greeted by a white hand, the emblem of Saruman,...

On this first episode I explore the village of Hobbiton! We’ll have a look at the village itself, its inhabitants, and its history. I’ll also announce the winner of the first screenshot contest.

The Bree-lands were little inhabited in the days of the War of the Ring, but they were a special place. The last home of good Men north of Gondor, save the lands where Rangers trod, is a green and pleasant place. It’s myriad lakes and fields, woods and downs, make for one of the more lovely and sprawling zones in LOTRO. It is a land little described in the...

“Many folk used to dwell away north, a hundred miles or more from here, at the far end of the Greenway: on the North Downs or by Lake Evendim.”  “Up away by Deadmen’s Dike?” said Butterbur, looking even more dubious. “That’s haunted land, they say. None but a robber would go there.”  “The Rangers go there,” said Gandalf. “Deadmen’s Dike, you say. So it has been...

The Ettenmoors is a tricky place to write about. The Moors, as we typically call them, are better known in LOTRO than they are in any other Tolkien adaptation. Since 2007 it has been the bane of those players who crave PvP action, first because it’s not really PvP (it’s PvMP, duh) and second because it is the only zone in the game that allows it (unless you...

There was much fanfare when it was announced that we players would be joining the Fellowship (or its remnants) in Rohan. The endless, rolling plains of the realm of the Horse-lords is perhaps second, depending on who you talk to, to the Shire for most idealized and beloved landscapes in Middle-earth. From the books and the films we get a great sense of speed...

Welcome, one and everyone, to an old-new series for CSTM. My podcast has mutated, if you like, and will continue here as a regular article with the same goals: to provide you with a look at the history, geography, and people of the various regions of Middle-earth! I hope you enjoy it. The first missive for the new Beneath Your Feet takes us to southern Mirkwood...

Christopher Tolkien was interviewed recently and made some depressing remarks about the state of his father’s intellectual property in the last decade or two. “Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed by the absurdity of our time,” Christopher Tolkien observes sadly. “The chasm between the beauty and...

I sometimes feel loath to commit to being one of “those guys”. I’m talking about those guys who create, on their own, exceptionally long blog or forums posts that outline a system that should be put into a their MMO of choice. It’s like fanfiction but for game mechanics, not characters or a story. My disdain is ridiculous because I do it...

I haven’t played Rift yet. I mean to at some point, as it has one of those endless free trial type deals, I just haven’t had the time. What appeals to me about Rift is not the “souls” aspect which allows you to basically swap classes at any point, nor the character design (which I’m not crazy about, honestly), but the main selling...

I’ve always had largely mixed feelings towards LOTRO’s free-to-play (F2P) model. On the one hand, it provides options for all players, is not essential to the enjoyment of the game, and lowers whatever obstacles there were for new players to get into the game and enjoy Middle-earth; on the other, the store casts a shadow on an otherwise elegant and...

Those of you who keep up with the news around The Lord of the Rings Online know that they are now selling game armor in the store after previously stating that such gear (with stats, as opposed to strictly cosmetic gear) would not be sold. For some strange reason this has got my feathers all a’ruffled.I’m not sure why this bugs so much, but I...