Friday, January 22, 2010

Welcome Back Weekend!


Hey Guys,

This is the time to get your tookish tookiss back into LOTRO. This weekend you can enjoy a 5% bonus to xp for mob kills. And travel is free! Every stable! This si the first time I have seen the travel being free and this is exciting. So get in game and take advantage of it!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

We go VIDEO!

Thats right folks. From now on I will be releasing small video episodes of the show on the site. Same great content that you were used to, but now in a different format. Enjoy the Intro episode!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Future Race/Class in LOTRO


A common thought amongst many LOTRO players is the idea of Turbine adding a new class to the game with upcoming expansions. The idea itself is not new to MMOs in general. It is a fairly standard thing in this industry to add a new class with a new expansion, but with LOTRO opinions differ on this idea.

First off LOTRO is based on a very much loved and treasured lore. This is one of the many things that make it stand out in the field of MMOs. But with this particular lore this is not as much wiggle room when designing classes or races. This has in turn started the idea that there is no real place for a new class in the game as it is now, and to create a new race or class would be risking violating the lore of the game thus alienating much of the player base.

Then on the other hand there are many LOTRO players calling out for a new class or race. Many of them have come from other MMOs where there are lots of race/class combination's and find LOTRO bit limiting.

All of this got me to thinking. Being a super fan of The Lord of the Rings books and all of J.R.R Tolkien's work I tried to rack my brain and figure out how adding a new class, and or race, could be accomplished gracefully .

My Answer:

Race: The Beornings

Class: Skin-Changer


First , for those unfamiliar with The Lord of the Rings books and The Hobbit, the Beornings are a race of Men , ( the truth of they're origins is not known for sure) but it is believed that they descended from the Misty Mountains. They live in the Vale of Anduin in the land between Mirkwood and The Great River. They are able to change from a Man to a Bear form at will. They are called the Beornings, being descendents of Beorn.

Beorn is first introduced in The Hobbit when Gandalf , Bilbo and the Dwarves arrive at his house on they're way to the Lonely Mountain. Beorn himself plays a pivotal part in the War of Five armies at the end of the Hobbit, while his son Grimbeorn plays a role in the Lord of the Rings, by him and his folk fighting against Sauron's northern army.

Some say they are men, but they're history is hidden in legend and even Gandalf was not sure what they were. They seem a race onto themselves. Not wholly human, so not of the race of man.

As for the class Skin-changer. I see it as a Druid/Hybrid class. Druid in the sense that they are men most of the time, but when they want to they can change into a Bear. In this form they would have bonuses to attack, sort of like a Beserking ability. They would have natural amour, that would allow them to be strong in battle, like a tank. Maybe there would be an incorporation of current skills that Bears have in the game right now. Possibly debuffing abilities like lowering armor or causing fright. Maybe while in bear form they naturally appear more threatening to enemies.

And what can a Beorning do while in Man form? Well maybe they can do something totally new. In the Hobbit, Beorn can talk to and has many animal servants and friends. Gandalf even says at one point that he" loves his animals like children". Perhaps in Man form the Beorning can call on different animals to aid him. But it doesn't have to be another pet, like the Loremasters and Captains have. Think of it more like a short term ability triggered by different skills only available while man form.

An example would be a skill called:

Cry to the Eagles
: when cast you call upon the eagles to aid you and your fellowship by healing everyone for a said amount.
(Picture an animation similar to the green CJ eagle over everyone's head.)

Or maybe a skilled called:

Bark at the Moon
: when cast you call upon a wolf pack to howl around your enemy causing a miss debuff to them.
(Picture 3 translucent wolves sitting round the enemy howling.)

Let me wrap this post up by saying this. This is just an idea. Have fun with it. Enjoy it. Expand upon it and alter it with your own ideas. I know that designing a new class and race is an enormous undertaking but don't for a second think that everything is set in stone and that there is no room for change. The only limit in Fantasy is your imagination.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Return of the Burg



Hello everyone. It has been quite some time since I have been able to put out another podcast and I am very sorry about that. I believe a brief explanation is required.

While doing the last episode I was working a ton, getting married within the month and dealing with the purchase of a new house. All of these things combined brought the podcast to a standstill. Not to mention killing my time to play LOTRO.

But time has passed. I am happily married now , work has settled down a bit and I have settled into owning my first house. I would like to thank everyone who has contacted me expressing how much you like the show. It means a ton to me.

Let me give you guys a rundown on what I have been doing since I 've made my way back into playing lotro:

Moormagil, my burglar is now 65- OH YEAH !

My baby captain is still a baby. But he is also a Supreme Scholar as well.

I'm still on Silverlode.

I got a bunch of the Moria radiance gear pieces and I am now working on the Dol Guldor ones.

And I stink at skirmishes. Its all my soldier's fault!
( Dam Bannergaurds and they're crappy glass candy.)

So whats the future for That LOTRO Show you ask?

Well?????
I am currently producing the next episode. Woo hoo, finally! I have decided to change things up with the way I podcast and produce an episode. The old way I did it was very tiring . I would do the episode after working all night and then try and stay up and edit it. Not a good idea. Plus I get to finicky and obsessed with little editing details. So now I will be recording around twice a month , on the days when I am off. Also the format of the show will be much more relaxed and less regimented and tightly structured. I want the show to be more like a gamer talking to another gamer, instead of a guy reading you a script.

So that's that. Keep an eye on those feeds for the next episode.

In addition I am going to be blogging a lot more on this site. Mainly because it is a bit quicker and more casual , thus allowing me to get a lot more stuff out there for you to consume.

Well I hope I explained everything clearly. And again, thank you all for the supporting the show and ......... I'M BACK BABY ! WOOOOOOOOO!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Episode 4 is here!


Yes fine peoples, Episode 4 is here. The show is packed with lots of great info and such.

This week I talk about some News from Turbine. The main segment of the show is called, Fellowship Maneuvers: Stepping outside the Red. In this segment I give you the complete and detailed run down on Fellowship Maneuvers. There is also a tip of the day on grinding Virtues. And the Top 5 , this week, is the top 5 reasons to play a hobbit. All this and more. Listen in and Enjoy!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Episode 3 is here!


Thats right folks, as promised Episode 3 is out and ready for you to give it a listen. In this episode of the show I talk about the latest news and announcements from Turbine. Along with the featured segment of the show called: The Auction House, How to make money and keep it. Plus there is the Tip of the Day and a new segment called The Top 5. All this and more is in Episode 3 so listen in and enjoy!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Celebration Contest!


To celebrate the launch of the show we are having a contest for all of you great listeners out there. All you need to do to enter the contest is to head on over to Itunes. Type " That Lotro Show" into the search box. This will take you over to our download page. Once your there write us a review and rate the show. Yup, its that simple. Our show has no reviews yet and so we are looking for your feedback.

Leave us a review, Good or Bad, telling us what you think about the show. This will be your entry into the contest. The most Creative review will win.

All reviews must be submitted by Thursday July 30th where upon I personally will read them all and select the winner. The winner will be announced on Episode 3 which will be out on Friday July 31st.
Winner of what you may ask?

The winner of this contest will receive a 60 day Lord of the Rings Online game card along with a brand spankin new Collectors Edition of The Lord of the Rings Online. The Collectors Edition includes the entire game , both Shadows of Angmar and Mines of Moria, on 2 disks, the Official Mines of Moria soundtrack, a book of art from Lotro, a beautiful cloth map of Moria, a fold out map of Middle Earth and a poster of Gandalf facing the Balrog and last but not least your very own replica of the one ring. ( Insert applause here :)

Good luck everyone!