Staying in the Silver

Like everyone else who's trying to level I too hate it when my bags are full and I have to stop questing and head back to a town to sell off junk. Recently, in order to level faster, I started being very selective as to what I picked up. I left all the "junk" loot on the bodies as I solo'd through several levels and deeds. It seemed very efficient.

But without warning I found myself broke.

I mean the "can't pay for a horse to Bree", "can't cover my repair costs", "can't afford training", "can't cover the costs to post things on the Auction House" and "can't afford to mail stuff to kin" kinda broke.

I was reduced to begging for a handout in Kin-chat.

Thanks to a friend, I was able to get moving again. I thought about what had changed and why I might have been so broke. Though I did spend the previous night working Farming from near no skill to mastered-expert I realized that the real issue at hand was the limited amount of silver coming in.

I mustered back to Ost G and worked on finishing my Spider killin' deed. As I started I had 112 silver left. This time I looted everything, leaving nothing behind. I killed the 40 or so spiders I had left to complete the advanced deed and headed back to Ost G. I sold everything, did my repairs, and amazingly I was over 300 silver!

So, it seems clear to me now that:

There's no such think as "junk"
The trips to vendors to sell off brownish items
IS WELL WORTH YOU TIME!

I hope this helps others avoid my silly mistake.

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Roleplaying

What is Roleplaying? There are at least as many different answers to this question as there are people who'd attempt to answer it (you'll find two such answers in the links at the bottom of this page). As a result, giving a definitive answer to this question is difficult. All we can really do is answer it from our own perspectives. In this post, I try to present my own.

Roleplay is a word used to represent many different things. What I'm referring to in this post is roleplay in games. My perspective on the subject is rooted in my own personal experiences. Nearly 30 years ago I met some kids at my school who were playing Dungeons and Dragons, the "Basic" version of the game that came in a red boxed set (before Advanced Dungeons and Dragons). I believe it was about the 11th printing or so for those who are interested.

We would get together semi-frequently to play the game. One of my friends was our "Dungeon Master" (AKA the DM), the person who runs the game. The rest of us were players in the game. The DM created and ran the adventures we played, the world it took place in, and assumed the roles of all the NPCs (Non-player characters) we'd encounter along the way. The PCs (Player Characters) assumed the role of individual heroes. Usually each person played a different class. I was fond of the Cleric (a kind of warrior-priest) early on, but came to love the Ranger (similar to the hunter in LOTRO). In an online game like LOTRO the game itself takes on the role of the DM, allowing everyone who logs in to play within that world.

When it came to table top gaming and the like I've participated in several variations of D&D, and a host of other games including Shadowrun, ConspiracyX, Vampire the Masquerade, Top Secret, and many more. But somewhere along the line I got away from RPGs around a table and only played on my computer both on and offline. For the most part I lost the roleplay feel in the process and I've come to miss it.

Roleplaying is the act of assuming roles, in this case the roles of heroes in the story (your character). Doing this is similar to acting, only in a free-form kind of way that's similar to improv. There are no scripts, only motivations, backgrounds, character histories and similar information to guide you when trying to decide what the character would do in a given situation.
That's Roleplay in a nutshell to me. Using the information you have about what makes up the character you've created to interact with other player's characters (with their own individual motives, hangups, etc) and the world around you.

Role-playing can certainly get more complicated than that, though it doesn't have to. It means different things to different people. For some it's a competition of knowledge. Always challenging those who don't get this or that piece of Lore perfect, or don't quite use language appropriately for the time period / setting. For others it's can be an excuse to act badly, incite conflict and be generally rude. For most however, it is far more relaxed with the goal being simply to have fun and enjoy portraying their character the way they see them to the best of their ability at whatever level of imersion they choose.

For the most part, how you choose to roleplay doesn't matter so long as those you roleplay with appreciate it. Ultimately, roleplay is about social interaction, so whatever works for you and your social circle is all that should matter.

I've not Roleplayed in years, but I have a hankering to do it again. So I'm beginning to look into ways to roleplay in LOTRO with Vigilo. I've taken the first step by working out who I think he is and what his motivations are. The next step I imagine would be to turn on my roleplaying flag (/rp on) in game. For there I'll have to see what develops and what I can find. I don't claim to be a excellent roleplayer. I just want to find some casual players who enjoy interacting in game as their characters. It's a wonderful form of escapeism thats great for relieving stress, inspiring laughter, and just plain having a good time.

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The Warden Class in LOTR Lore

The few things I've read suggest that the Warden Class is based on Haldir the elf. Having just watched the Two Towers movie with my daughter last night I find that hard to understand. I never saw Haldir with a Shield, or a Spear or Javelin. Sword and Bow, classic elf all the way.


While the protector concept suits Haldir, nothing else really does. I tried searching for other sources in the lore for Wardens to call their own. Unfortunately I've found nothing so far. (I'd love it if someone could point me in the right direction).

All that comes to mind is the popularity of the movies 300 and Troy (the Developer Diary post on Wardens even hints a bit at this).

While I don't consider myself a Lore-purist (if I did I image I'd be unable to play LOTRO) I'd like to see some basis in Lore for the class, however thin, just to give them a bit more depth. Brad Pitt just doesn't inspire my inner Middle-Earther.

I see Wardens as Militia fighters. Men who tend farms, shops, etc and come to the walls of their villages at times of need. Common folk who are sometimes called to take on extraordinary tasks. In LOTRO I see Wardens as people who have left their homes to join the fight against the rising tide out of a sense of duty. Choosing the meet the threat head on rather than wait for it to come to their communities gates.

Spears and Javelins being simpler weapons to learn as well as manufacture would be common place among militias. Additionally, heavy armor was horribly expensive and out of reach of most folk in Middle-Earth. Shields were much cheaper and many knew how to make crude medium armors from animal hides. As a result the weapon and armor choices of the Warden class fit much better with a militia concept that a Haldir concept in my opinion (no matter how brave and selfless he was).

This is why I see Vigilo, my Warden as a former Militia man who left the farm to defend common folk full time.

I'm curious to know what other views there are on this subject.

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Where's THE Story?

A few folks have asked me why I've not included the main storyline of LOTRO in my posts over at Vigilo's Views. So I thought I'd take a moment to explain my thinking.

I decided to avoid the main storyline as much as possible for two reasons. The first is that I don't want to inadvertently spoil it for anyone. Sure I could put up "spoiler alert" tags and such but who really stops when they see those? The other reason is simply that everyone that plays the game sees that same story. Why would I want to rehash it for them? This might not be the right, or even the best choice I suppose but its the choice I've made.

Also, I'd like to thank two of my Kinsfolk from Light of Fëanor Laerian and Glambowin for being willing to jump in and help me with some coding issues at VV even though they were in-game at the time. I really didn't expect anyone to stop playing to assist a novice with coding, but I GREATLY appreciated it! Their efforts helped me think through options and eventually stumble upon the solution (that was extremely simple and had been right in front of me the whole time). I still have to make those corrections here, so for now, comments are still down and links in some places are still very difficult to see at the Life of Lore.

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Un-Undying

I've been really impressed with the Warden class. I'd thought I wouldn't like it, or that I wouldn't be able to keep up with it (the jury is still out on that one), but as it turns out, I've been doing pretty well so far. I've actually done much better than I have with any other class.

As you may know, LOTRO has a series of deeds that grant you titles if you make it to several level marks without dying. They are:

• The Wary - Achieve 5th level without falling in battle
• The Undefeated - Achieve 10th level without falling in battle
• The Indomitable - Achieve 14th level without falling in battle
• The Unscathed - Achieve 17th level without falling in battle
• The Undying - Achieve 20th level without falling in battle

Prior to my Warden I'd never made it past Indomitable and I'd only achieved that once. So, when I hit Unscathed I was ecstatic and started really focusing on my game-play, stressing caution as I tried to make it to Undying.

All was going well, I'd just made it to level 19 on Saturday when I had to log off as I had promised my daughter (who likes to watch me play LOTRO) that we'd watch The Fellowship of the Ring move together (her first time). I had pushed the envelope on time so I needed to log quickly if I was going to get the movie started so she would not have to be up too too late (as it was she was going to be going to bed nearly 2 hours late). I decided to do something I rarely do, I logged off in a dangerous are (the Old Forest) rather than in a town. I wasn't too concerned though, as I had been doing well there, and I was no where near any elite trees.

We had a wonderful time with the movie. She was totally engrossed and my fears about some of the imagery turned out to be unfounded. When some of the scarier things came up, I'd ask here about it. Instead of "that's scary", "Icky", etc, I was treated to a bright eyed "it's sooooooo cool". Add to that the fact that it's now been 3 nights since the movie with no bad dreams. All in all we had a great time with the movie, and I'm looking forward to watching the others with her in the near future.

The next morning I signed into LOTRO. I had been working on these websites and wanted to go into the game for some screenshots. The login was seriously lagging and I was ultimately distracted by trying to get the server status tool working just right. When I finally got it working the way I wanted I remembered I had logged into the game.

I switched windows to find I was no longer in the Old Forest. I was in the circle of stones in Buckland. My casual gaming attitude and my easily distracted nature got the best of me. the Title "Undying" would not be mine.

I have to admit I was frustrated for a bit (my wife heard my "cry of pain" in the other room). However, it didn't take long before I realized that now I could relax and just play the game again. Throwing caution to the wind I tried to take on the Haunted Barren-Oak to complete the Haunted Forest quest (something I'd been avoiding as I tried to reach level 20 without a defeat). I described this fight IC in Beaten to a Pulp.

So why the bit about the lost eye? Well, one of those secret admirer gifts was a Black Corsair Eypatch (not a muffin recipe, I know, I was shocked too). So I thought this was an excellent opportunity to work it into the character (because let's face it, it's cool looking). To add to the image I visited the barber at the Prancing Pony Inn and added a scare to Vigilo's face that lines up perfectly with the patch.

So, I may have lost my chance at the Undying Title, but I gained game-play freedom, a cool look, and an excuse for a story that involved a host for tree puns.

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A return to LOTRO

I played LOTRO when it first came out and while I truly enjoyed it, I did miss a few things from World of Warcraft. A strong PvP system, hunters with pets, the warlock class, etc. So when a real life friend discovered WoW and asked me about returning to that game I decided to do it, even though I had a life-time membership with LOTRO.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed WoW and had alot of fun with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. I finally hit the level cap with my Paladin, the first level capped character I've ever had in any game. I was a bit lost for a bit there. What do you when there no more experience to gain? I kept busy with daily quests, PvP, and helping lower level players. I avoided end game raids and the like because I'd solo'd my character all the way to 80 and I was a bit gun shy of content where others would be depending on my not screwing up.

Then along came the economic melt-down we're all facing these days. Though $15.00 or so a month wasn't going to break us, I had a hard time justifying it when we kept tightening our belts everywhere else at home. Finally practical reality won out of casual pursuits and I closed my WoW account.

Being basically a gaming / MMO addict it didn't take long for me to reload Lord of the Rings Online. I already had a lifetime membership so playing the game would be effectively free at this point. When it was finally fully installed and updated (I have to admit that I splurged on the cost of the Mines of Moria expansion) I was treated to some real surprises.

The game was always beautiful to look at. Having been back to WoW for awhile I'd forgotten how good LOTRO was visually. I actually found myself running around just looking at the landscape with my daughter. Another treat for me was the complete lack of in-game SPAM. While I'm sure gold farmers exist in this game as they do everywhere else they apparently police LOTRO better because there's no random tells asking if I need gold or want my character power-leveled.

One of the best surprises was finding out that so many people I'd known and gotten along with so well were still there (or had returned semi-recently as well). LOTRO has a strong fan base of diehard players, the bulk of which are surprisingly casual and non-elitist. Additionally, in my opinion it's a much more mature environment than most games as I run into many more older players than younger. I have to admit, at 40+ years old, it's nice to be one of the younger (marginally) people I know in- game and not the "wise" old man of the group.

While the game still lacks some of the classes that I like in WoW they added a few. I can't speak to the Rune-Keeper as I've not given that a try yet, but the Warden is a unique class all its own that's rapidly becoming a clear favorite of mine with it's rare choices in primary weapons and it's sofisticated gambit system.

As a result of all of the above I'm hooked again. I had to start over as I couldn't remember how to play my old level 38 Guardian (Gillimer) or level 21 Burglar (Epicurean) but that's just fine with me. It was an excuse to try classes I'd ignored before or had just become available in the recent expansion, like the Warden.

If you're like me, a fan of Middle-Earth, an older gamer, and someone who appreciates a visually stunning game then I can't recommend Lord of the Rings Online strongly enough. Why not give their 10 day free trial a shot?

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