The Welcoming Committee. Race Matters Part 3: The Race of Man

[The Welcoming Committee is a category of posts created in the spirit of Meavar’s New Player Relations initiative.]

One of the first things we do as LOTRO players is create a character; and one of the first choices we have to make here is what race our character will be. In this four-part series, we will look at each of the races from the perspectives of lore and gameplay.

Today, we look at the Race of Man.

What is the Race of Man?

In Tolkien’s Middle-earth lore, the Race of Man (also called Man/Woman in LOTRO) is the second branch of the “Children of Ilúvatar.” While the Elves are the “First-born,” Men come along at a later stage in Middle-earth history.

There is very good background material on the Race of Man, both in The Silmarillion and the Appendices to The Lord of the RIngs. One of their distinct characteristics, and what sets them apart from the Elves, is the “Gift of Ilúvatar” : death. When we look at the Elves, we’ll see that Elves, although they can die, are irrevocably tied to Middle-earth, until a new era arrives and they join Illúvatar in creating a new Music. Men, however, are subject to disease, have shorter lifespans, and don’t know what happens to them when they expire (it’s suggested that Hobbits are similar in this respect).

So why is this a “gift”? There’s actually a mutual jealousy of sorts between Elves and Men on the subject of death: while the near-immortal but often weary Elves envy the freedom of Men to leave Middle-earth when they die, Men long for the immortality and knowledge (knowledge of what happens after death) of the Elves. This conflict is, in fact, at the heart of one of the most important events described in The Silmarillion: the fall of Númenor. In the Appendices to The Lord of the RIngs, where we read the story of Aragorn and Arwen, we see that at the end of his (extremely long) life he decides to “go to sleep.” This suggests that at least some Men also have control over when they expire.

The history of the Race of Man is long and complex, and often tied to that of the Elves; there are intermarriages and the existence of half-Elven folk. The union of Beren (Man) and Lúthien (Elf) (see The Silmarillion), for example, further strengthened these ties by leading to the start of an especially long-lived branch of Men: the Númenoreans, of whom Aragorn is a descendant. The first king of Númenor is Elros, brother of Elrond; the brothers were mixed descendants of both Elves and Men, and were given a choice as to how they would live out their lives. This is why we see Elrond referred to as “half-Elven.” in The Lord of the RIngs. The Númenoreans are also called Dúnedain or - in The Lord of the Rings - Rangers.

The Race of Man comprises several groups that settled into different regions of Middle-earth, such as Gondor and Rohan. Their stories are also included in Tolkien’s writings.

So how does all this translate to LOTRO?

Playing a Man/Woman in LOTRO

Passive Skills and Traits

For players who choose race/class combinations according to traits and bonuses, it’s important to know what makes the Race of Man special in gameplay. But even for those of us who don’t take these characteristics into consideration when making a character, it’s interesting to see how the lore was adapted by LOTRO.

The LOTRO Lorebook has a nice chart with a detailed description of Man/Woman Skills and Traits. Here’s what you get as a member of the Race of Man:

1. Passive Skills (these exist and are in effect from the moment the character is created)
   • Diminishing of Mankind: reduced Will.
   • Easily Inspired: Men/Women regenerate Morale more quickly than other races
   • Gift of Fate: Improved Fate. While the Elves and Dwarves are passing from Middle-earth, it’s the Race of Man that will dominate the Third and Fourth Ages.
   • Strong Men: Increased Strength that leads Men like Bard of Dale or Aragorn to accomplish great feats in battle.
2. Slotted Traits (these are earned after certain levels/deeds, and must be slotted the way Virtues and Class Traits are)
   • Balance of Man: increased combat proficiency.
   • Duty-bound: a bonus to fellowship morale
   • Man of the Fourth Age: The Race of Man is ready to fulfill its role in Middle-earth’s future. Increased Will, to help balance the reduces Will from Diminishing of Mankind.
   • Man Sword-damage Bonus: Men/Women deal more damage when using a sword
   • Fateful Dwarf: improved Fate (helps balance the Lost Dwarf-kingdoms passive)
   • Return to Bree: a Map back to Bree (you will appear in the stone circle outside the West Gate), which allows you a second instant-return if your main Map is set elsewhere
   • Upper-cut: A short-distance melee attack.

We can see how much of the character described by Tolkien has been incorporated into these characteristics: while the Race of Man lacks the endurance and resilience of other races, its increasing proficiency in warfare and willingness to lead the charge signal that Men/Women will become the leaders of Middle-earth’s future development.

Male or Female?

Before you choose your Man’s/Woman’s class, origin, appearance, and name, you will need to decide whether to play a male or a female avatar. There are absolutely no differences in terms of stats or bonuses: in LOTRO, male and female characters can play the same classes and are affected equally by their race’s Passive Skills and Traits.

Class

Your next choice will be class. We will go more into the various classes in LOTRO in our next Welcoming Committee series, but for now it helps to know what classes a Man/Woman can be. And really, the Race of Man is one of the most fortunate class-wise in LOTRO, because players have eight out of the nine total classes open to them. This includes one class (Captain) not available to anyone else.

Therefore, we can choose to play a Burglar, Captain, Champion, Guardian, Hunter, Lore-master, Minstrel, or Warden. The class not available is the Rune-keeper, which only Dwarves and Elves can play.

Origin

One of the interesting aspects of character creation in LOTRO is that you not only get to choose a race, but also an origin within that race. Choosing an origin will affect the appearance of your character (general body shape, plus available ranges of skin, hair, and eye color) and also give you a backstory to work with for roleplaying.

For the Race of Man, this means that you can choose from one of four nationalities:

1. Bree-land: Bree-land is a cosmopolitan area, at the crossroads of two major paths. Its main village is Bree-town, which has become the meeting place for merchants, mercenaries, and wanderers of all nationalities and races.
2. Dale-lands: Located at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, Dale thrived anew after Bard the Bowman helped slay the dragon Smaug, and subsequently drove the goblins out with help from the Dwarves and Elves. Dale features mainly in The Hobbit. In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo orders wondrous toys and trinkets for his birthday party from the skilled crafters of Dale.
3. Gondor: The heirs of Elendil ruled Gondor until their deaths; since then, the kingdom has been managed by a Steward, and become a barrier trying to hold back the evil marching out from Mordor.
4. Rohan: The inhabitants of Rohan are highly skilled warriors who possess a special skill and empathy with horses. These Horse-Lords have their capital at Edoras, where King Théoden sits in the golden hall of Meduseld.

Thus, origin gives us important details about Men/Women: where they originate; their ties to other famous figures; and their place in Middle-earth history. There are no advantages or disadvantages to choosing one branch over another; it’s simply a matter of personal preference.

Name

The character creation screen gives us some good tips for naming our Man/Woman. Characters from Dale and Rohan generally have Norse or Anglo-Saxon sounding names (the “eo” element that is present in many of these names actually comes from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) word for “horse”). Gondorians, however, tend to have Sindarin names, while Bree-landers prefer simple English names (Bill Ferny, for example). Some examples of Anglo-Saxon names can be found at Behind the Name; this website also has pages for Norse and Scandinavian names

“Tomorrow we will make a song-worthy end...”*

I hope this has been a useful introduction to the lore and characteristics of the Race of Man, both in Tolkien’s works and in Lord of the Rings Online. Next up: the Elves!

*From Théoden’s speech to Aragorn at Helm’s Deep

The Welcoming Committee. Race Matters Part 2: The Dwarves

[The Welcoming Committee is a category of posts created in the spirit of Meavar’s New Player Relations initiative.]

One of the first things we do as LOTRO players is create a character; and one of the first choices we have to make here is what race our character will be. In this four-part series, we will look at each of the races from the perspectives of lore and gameplay.

Today, we look at the Dwarves. Khazâd ai-menu! The Dwarves are upon you!

Who are the Dwarves?

Dwarves can be found throughout Tolkien’s Middle-earth works. For me it’s The Hobbit that best depicts their society and customs. To understand the origin and early history of the Dwarves, however, we do need to turn to The Silmarillion. There, in the Valaquenta, we are told how the Vala Aulë, master of crafts, created the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves in secrecy. Aulë had been impatient for the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar (the Elves, and later Man) because he wished “to have learners to whom he could teach his lore and his crafts.” Because he didn’t have a very clear image of what the Children should look like, Aulë took a more functional than aesthetic approach to the look of the Dwarves: knowing that Melkor/Morgoth’s shadow was ever present, he made the Dwarves sturdy and strong. Of course, Ilúvatar (the Creator, the highest being in Tolkien’s mythology) soon found out what Aulë had done; when he confronted the Vala, Aulë offered to sacrifice the Dwarves, saying that he had not created them in order to wield power (the way Melkor/Morgoth would by transforming Elves into Orcs) but as an expression of admiration for Ilúvatar’s own craft. The Creator turned the Dwarves from what had basically been automatons to full beings, and “adopted” them as his own. And thus the Dwarves were born.

Later sections of the Silmarillion offer more details about the Dwarves. We learn the name they used for themselves (Khazâd), and what they were called by others (Naugrim: the Stunted People; Gonnhirrim: Masters of Stone). We’re also told that they moved westwards, from far to the east (where they originated) through the Blue Mountains in Ered Luin, and towards Beleriand (keep in mind that the post-Silmarillion map of Middle-earth is missing a great portion of land west of Ered Luin, after that part of the continent sank into the sea). And, of course, we learn about their great love for crafted things, and their tremendous skill. The Dwarves craft dwellings and items for other races, especially the Eldar, although their relations aren’t always cordial: “Ever cool was the friendship between the Naugrim and the Eldar, though much profit they had one of the other.”

As I mentioned, for me the Dwarves are best depicted in The Hobbit. Although The Silmarillion gives us the most important details about their birth and early times, it’s The Hobbit that really brings them to life, in my opinion. From the moment they come trooping through Bilbo’s door, singing songs of war and treasure, through their long journey and final battles at the Lonely Mountain and Dale, we come to understand much about the personality and customs of these master crafters. Bilbo provides a perfect guide, as he (like the reader) struggles to comprehend what drives Thorin’s company to seek out an ancient home and dragon-held treasure; to be willing to alienate Elves and Men in order to protect their belongings; and to finally turn around and ally themselves with Elves and Men when a common enemy arrives. We learn here that many of the troubles of the Dwarves are related to the very objects they so lovingly craft, and that there’s a complex blend of justified pride in their craft and jealous protection of its secrets. However, once the greater foe arrives, the Dwarves prove to be honorable and brave, and (thanks in part to Bilbo’s diplomacy) finally settle into peaceful coexistence with the Men of Dale.

In The Lord of the RIngs, Dwarven culture is represented mainly by Gimly, a member of the Company that sets out from Rivendell. Here, we focus even closer, for a look at how an individual Dwarf interacts with other races. We see both the secrecy and noble bravery that are present in The Hobbit, even as Gimli’s relationship with Galadriel and Legolas seem to herald a new age in the relations between Dwarves and Elves. He will become the only Dwarf to eventually sail west, leaving with Legolas once his final times draw near.

So how does all this translate to LOTRO?

Playing a Dwarf in LOTRO

Passive Skills and Traits

For players who choose race/class combinations according to traits and bonuses, it’s important to know what makes Dwarves special in gameplay. But even for those of us who don’t take these characteristics into consideration when making a character, it’s interesting to see how Dwarf-lore was adapted by LOTRO.

The LOTRO Lorebook has a nice chart with a detailed description of Dwarf Skills and Traits. Here’s what you get as a Dwarf:

1. Passive Skills (these exist and are in effect from the moment the character is created)
   • Lost Dwarf-kingdoms: reduced Fate. Like the Elves, the Dwarves are fading out of Middle-earth by the time the War of the Ring begins.
   • Stocky: Dwarves have less Agility than other races, because of how they were fashioned by Aulë
   • Sturdiness: however, Aulë’s design provided for higher Might and Vitality than other races, as well as more common damage mitigation
   • Unwearying in battle: Dwarves enjoy increased in-combat Morale and Power regeneration, although they regenerate more slowly out of combat
2. Slotted Traits (these are earned after certain levels/deeds, and must be slotted the way Virtues and Class Traits are)
   • Guile and Conviction Bonus: increased effect to certain fellowship maneuvers
   • Dwarf Axe-Damage Bonus: increased damage with axes. Baruk Khazâd!
   • Dwarf-endurance: increased Vitality for your group
   • Endurance of Stone: a skill that temporarily lets you take less damage
   • Fateful Dwarf: improved Fate (helps balance the Lost Dwarf-kingdoms passive)
   • Head-butt: a short-distance melee attack. Fun!
   • Return to Thorin’s Gate: a Map back to Ered Luin, which allows you a second instant-return if your main Map is set elsewhere
   • Shield Brawler: improved combat defense

We can see how much of the character described by Tolkien has been incorporated into these characteristics: sturdy and strong, knowledge of a passing time, and great combat skills. These are the traits that will help your Dwarf face the numerous dangers that await throughout Middle-earth.

Male or Female?

One of the first things you will notice about the Dwarf creation process is that there’s no option for Male or Female: the screen simply says Dwarf. This is an often-debated feature, since many players assume that their Dwarf character will, by default, have to be Male. But there are both lore-appropriateness and flexibility here, depending on one’s play-style. First, there’s the reason why no explicit Dwarf genders are offered upon character creation. There is little information about Dwarf society from the standpoint of male/female relations. We know that Aulë first creates the Seven Fathers, and that the rest of the Dwarves are descended from them. There’s also some mention of the highly secretive nature of Dwarven society: they often don’t share their real names with strangers, they don’t teach their language the way the Elves do, and they keep many of their family details to themselves. It is hinted that there are relatively few Dwarf women compared to men, and that they often choose not to marry, no matter how many suitors they may have. There’s also a mention of the women heavily disguising themselves when they travel, so that to outsiders they can seem indistinguishable from the men of their race. It is nowhere stated that Dwarf women are hidden away and used to keep the race alive, or second-class; indeed, we get the sense from the few mentions in Tolkien’s works that the women are actually fairly powerful, and that there are few (if any) new Dwarves being born.

How does this influence our character selection? Well, once again, the creation screen says “Dwarf”. It doesn’t say “Dwarf (Male).” This means that, for people who wish to play a female Dwarf, the option is entirely possible. Now this is also something that’s been debated by the community (Dwarves in dresses, or with openly female names), because some people think it’s pushing the option too far; after all, the nature of the Dwarves dictates that a female out and about would never give away her gender. However, this shouldn’t keep players from creating a Dwarf they truly love, so the choice is up to you.

Class

Your next choice when creating your Dwarf will be class. We will go more into the various classes in LOTRO in our next Welcoming Committee series, but for now it helps to know what classes a Dwarf can be, since not all of them are available.

For a Dwarf, we can choose to play a Champion, Guardian, Hunter, Minstrel, or Rune-keeper. The classes Dwarves cannot play (mainly due to reasons of lore) are Captain, Burglar, Lore-master, and Warden.

Origin

One of the interesting aspects of character creation in LOTRO is that you not only get to choose a race, but also an origin within that race. Choosing an origin will affect the appearance of your character (general body shape, plus available ranges of skin, hair, and eye color) and also give you a backstory to work with for roleplaying.

For Dwarves, this means that you can choose from one of five branches:

1. Blue Mountains: From Ered Luin, where many Dwarves had lived in exile after being ousted from the Lonely Mountain
2. Grey Mountains: The birthplace of Durin, the first Father of the Dwarves
3. Iron Hills: The birthplace of Dáin, a relative of Thorin Oakenshield, and known as the King Under the Mountain
4. The Lonely Mountain: These Dwarves were once driven out by Smaug, but (see The Hobbit) have reclaimed their ancestral home and treasure. Ruled by the King Under the Mountain
5. White Mountains: A southern kingdom, lately besieged by Oathbreakers

Thus, origin gives us important details about Dwarves: where they originate; their ties to other famous figures; and their place in Middle-earth history. There are no advantages or disadvantages to choosing one branch over another; it’s simply a matter of personal preference.

Name

The character creation screen gives us some good tips for naming our Dwarf. Dwarves tend to have short names, inspired by Northern European languages. For example: Thorin, Durin, Gloin, Gimli, Ori, Dori. If you need some inspiration, the Viking Answer Lady has a good list of Old Norse names, along with their meanings. There’s also an interesting Dwarven Name Generator at this site that also lists meanings for whatever you get.

Baruk Khazâd!

Before I end this article, I’d like give one further roleplaying tip for Dwarves, although I know many people are already aware of this. We’ve all seen the Dwarf stereotype that has appeared repeatedly throughout games and movies in the past couple of decades: always drunk (or looking for a drink) and speaking in a terrible mock-Scottish accent. Tolkien’s Dwarves are, however, nothing like that. As you read through the books, you will notice that they’re extremely thoughtful in their song and poetry (See Gimli’s beautiful recitation of the song of Khazâd-dûm), and use common formulas for courtesy (“At your service, and your family’s!”). In The Hobbit, the Dwarves arrive at Bilbo’s house in an orderly (though loud) fashion, and promptly sit down for tea, not a drunken brawl! Also, the cultural “feel” to the Dwarves is certainly more Norse than Scottish.

Of course, this doesn’t preclude the possibility of boisterous drinking and merry-making in our Dwarves, and I’m sure that some of them might even take it a bit too far and become bad eggs. But in general, there’s a real sense of nobility and honor to Tolkien’s Dwarves that I feel is often buried by the stereotype.

I hope this has been a useful introduction to the lore and characteristics of Dwarves, both in Tolkien’s works and in Lord of the Rings Online. Next up: the Race of Man!

The Welcoming Committee. Race Matters Part 1: The Hobbits

[The Welcoming Committee is a category of posts created in the spirit of Meavar’s New Player Relations initiative.]

One of the first things we do as LOTRO players is create a character; and one of the first choices we have to make here is what race our character will be. In this four-part series, we will look at each of the races from the perspectives of lore and gameplay. And of course, being The Hobbit Collective, we’re starting with the Hobbits!

Who are the Hobbits?

In Tolkien’s works, the Hobbits are present mainly in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. There is some mention of them in The Silmarillion, when the War of the Ring is recounted, but otherwise they’re not the protagonists of the First or Second Ages.

Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937, but it wasn’t until 1954-55 that The Lord of the Rings came out. In the interval, he seems to have taken a lot of time to flesh out the history and character of the Hobbits. Certainly, we get a clear sense of hobbit culture in the first book: their love of comfort, their distaste (with some exceptions) for adventure, and their surprising strength and resilience when put to the test. The Hobbit shows us Bilbo Baggins on his journey, “there and back” between the Shire and the Lonely Mountain; buy it also follows his internal odyssey from a timid Hobbit who clings to a comforting routine, to a peerless “burglar,” diplomat, and even warrior.

The Lord of the RIngs, however, gives us much more of the backstory of Hobbit society. In the Prologue, “Concerning Hobbits, and other matters,” we learn how the Shire came to be settled by these “unobtrusive but very ancient people.” While their origins are not explicitly chronicled (“Hobbits had, in fact, lived quietly in Middle-earth for many long years before other folk became even aware of them”), there is a sense of deep connection between Hobbits and the land: “they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth;” “a close friendship with the earth.”

In this second work, the idea of a “hidden strength” that we see in The Hobbit is reinforced. Right at the Prologue, we are told that though Hobbits love to eat, dance, drink, and have a generally merry time, they are nonetheless capable of taking up arms when the times call for it. “They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or kill; and they were, perhaps, so unwearyingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well-fed faces... If any Hobbit stooped for a stone, it was well to get quickly under cover.” This resilience is certainly evident in Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin’s adventures in The Lord of the Rings.

So we can see that Hobbits are quite complex beings: joyful and peaceful when all is well with the world, but fearless and fiercely protective of their way of life when threatened.

How does this translate to LOTRO?

Playing a Hobbit in LOTRO

Passive Skills and Traits

For players who choose race/class combinations according to traits and bonuses, it’s important to know what makes Hobbits special in gameplay. But even for those of us who don’t take these characteristics into consideration when making a character, it’s interesting to see how Hobbit-lore was adapted by LOTRO.

The LOTRO Lorebook has a nice chart with a detailed description of Hobbit Skills and Traits. Here’s what you get as a Hobbit:

1. Passive Skills (these exist and are in effect from the moment the character is created)
   • Hobbit-courage: increased resistance to Fear
   • Hobbit-toughness: increased vitality
   • Rapid Recovery: increased out-of-combat morale regeneration
   • Resist Corruption: increased Shadow mitigation
   • Small Size: reduced might
2. Slotted Traits (these are earned after certain levels/deeds, and must be slotted the way Virtues and Class Traits are)
   • Guile and Conviction Bonus: increased effect to certain fellowship maneuvers
   • Hobbit Club-Damage Bonus: increased damage with clubs
   • Hobbit-resilience: increased Hope for your group (doesn’t stack with other Hope buffs)
   • Hobbit-silence: allows you to play dead and lose aggro
   • Hobbit-stature: improved Might (helps balance the Small Size passive)
   • Hobbit-stealth: allows you to move without being noticed
   • Return to Michel Delving: a Map back to the Shire, which allows you a second instant-return if your main Map is set elsewhere
   • Stoop for a Stone: a short-distance ranged attack; at higher levels, it has a chance to stun

We can see how much of the character described by Tolkien has been incorporated into these characteristics: small but potentially strong, the use of stones, resilience through Hope and Vitality, and the ability to move about quietly. These are the traits that will help your Hobbit face the numerous dangers that await throughout Middle-earth.

Male or Female?

Before you choose your Hobbit’s class, origin, appearance, and name, you will need to decide whether to play a male or a female Hobbit. There are absolutely no differences in terms of stats or bonuses: in LOTRO, male and female characters can play the same classes and are affected equally by their race’s Passive Skills and Traits.

Class

Your next choice when creating your Hobbit will be class. We will go more into the various classes in LOTRO in our next Welcoming Committee series, but for now it helps to know what classes a Hobbit can be, since not all of them are available.

For a Hobbit, we can choose to play a Burglar, Guardian, Hunter, Minstrel, or Warden. The classes Hobbits cannot play (mainly due to reasons of lore) are Captain, Champion, Lore-master, and Rune-keeper.

Origin

One of the interesting aspects of character creation in LOTRO is that you not only get to choose a race, but also an origin within that race. Choosing an origin will affect the appearance of your character (general body shape, plus available ranges of skin, hair, and eye color) and also give you a backstory to work with for roleplaying.

For Hobbits, this means that you can choose from one of three main branches: Harfoot, Stoor, or Fallohide. This is how Tolkien describes each family in his Prologue to The Lord of the RIngs:

Harfoots: “The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet were neat and nimble; and they preferred highlands and hillsides.” “The Harfoots had much to do with Dwarves in ancient times, and long lived in the foothills and the mountains. They moved westward early, and roamed over Eriador as far as Weathertop while the others were still in the Wilderland. They were the most normal and representative variety of Hobbit, and far the most numerous. They were the most inclined to settle in one place, and longest preserved their ancestral habit of living in tunnels and holes.”

Stoors: “The Stoors were broader, heavier in build; their feet and hands were larges, and they preferred flat lands and riversides.” “The Stoors lingered long by the banks of the Great River Anduin, and were less shy of Men. They came west after the Harfoots and followed the course of the Loudwater southwards; and there many of them long dwelt between Tharbad and the borders of Dunland before they moved north again.”

Fallohides: “The Fallohides were fairer of skin and also of hair, and they were taller and slimmer than the others; they were lovers of trees and of woodlands.” “The Fallohides, the least numerous, were a northerly branch. They were more friendly with Elves than the other Hobbits were, and had more skill in language and song than in handicrafts; and of old they preferred hunting to tilling. They crossed the mountains north of Rivendell and came down the River Hoarwell. In Eriador they soon mingled with the other kinds that had preceded them, but being somewhat bolder and more adventurous, they were often found as leaders or chieftains among clans of Harfoots or Stoors.”

Thus, origin gives us important details about Hobbits: the races with whom they most associate; their preferred environment; and their place in Hobbit history. There are no advantages or disadvantages to choosing one branch over another; it’s simply a matter of personal preference.

Name

The character creation screen gives us some good tips for naming our Hobbit. Male Hobbit names tend to have specific endings (for example, many end in -o, such as Bilbo and Frodo), while female Hobbits are often named after flowers or gemstones (for example, Lobelia, Ruby, or Rose).

If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, there are some resources that can help. Appendix C of The Lord of the Rings contains some Hobbit family trees. There is also a very useful Wikipedia page that lists the names of the Hobbits mentioned in Tolkien’s works. Finally, you can always try the Hobbit Name Generator!

Happy Hobbiting!

I hope this has been a useful introduction to the lore and characteristics of Hobbits, both in Tolkien’s works and in Lord of the Rings Online. Next up: the Dwarves!

The Nosey Hobbit. A funny thing happened on the way to Weatherstock...

The Hobbit Collective sends out its seasoned social sleuth, Avellana Addlefoot, beyond the borders of her beloved Shire to cover the event of the year in Middle-earth: Weatherstock! And she almost made it...

So there I was, with my pack full of bread and jam, and a bottle of Blagrove’s Brown in a flask (courtesy of my dear Pumpkinella). I had made the long trek up to Weathertop hours before the festival, and looked around for a choice viewing spot.

I finally sat down next to a handsome Dwarf, making small talk until nightfall (he assured me that the postal service in Thorin’s Hall was the most efficient in Middle-earth) and writing down a poetic description of romantic Amon Sul.

And then I received some interesting news from a fellow hobbit who had recognized me. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was heading back to Michel Delving, map in hand. Yes, dear readers, I am that easily distracted.

But all is not lost!

Before I rushed back down Weathertop, my gallant Dwarf agreed to take careful notes during the concert, and relay them to me immediately. His company didn’t pass through the Shire several days later, but I now have his notes on the table in front of me. The pages are ale-stained and burnt from the fireworks, and his scrawl is frankly unreadable at times. But I’m transcribing them as best I can. Never say that I’m not a dedicated reporter!

A Weathertop Evening

by B.

for Miss Hobbit Reporter

The Weathertop Music Festival, hosted by The Lonely Mountain Band, featured several talented musical groups in a two-part competition. First, each band had a chance to showcase their talents on the main stage.

Then a battle of bands ensued, with one band in each corner.

The Sons of Numenor:

The Hobbiton Philharmonic:

The Green Hill Music Society:

More bands! (Sorry, Miss Hobbit, I’m not good with names):

[Edit: This is the Eriador Music Society. Thanks, Rebecca!]

[Edit: This is Ingolemo’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Thanks, Rebecca!]

The main presenter was Harperella, who announced the bands and events:

Harperella was later joined by her co-host Galenswerd, to announce the winners:

I forget who the winners were.

The night was lively and no weapons were drawn, although some clumsy hobbit singed my beard with his contraband fireworks (not meaning a slight on your people, Miss Reporter).

At your service and your family’s!

B.

That’s all I could decipher, unfortunately.

And what did the hobbit whisper in my ear that made me abandon this assignment? That, dear reader, will be revealed soon. The wait will be worthwhile!

I’ll do better next time!

Avellana Addlefoot, Nosey Hobbit

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[A very special thank-you to my wonderful partner, who made his Dwarf trudge up that long hill to Weatherstock. My little laptop couldn’t handle the large number of people for long, and all the screenshots other than the two first ones are his.

Also, if I have gotten any details or band/character names wrong, please leave a comment, and I will correct the error(s). I’m also missing a couple of band names; if anyone knows them, please leave a comment as well]

The Welcoming Committee. What kind of player are you?

[The Welcoming Committee is a category of posts created in the spirit of Meavar’s New Player Relations initiative.]

Now that the dust has (hopefully) settled on Turbine’s announcement last week about a new free-to-play pricing option for Lord of the Rings Online, I’d like to kick off a new category of posts called The Welcoming Committee. The goal of these posts is to introduce basic aspects of LOTRO to players who are just starting out, or who are considering joining us once the new pricing model goes into effect this coming fall.

One topic I feel was overlooked in the passionate discussions that took place immediately following the announcement was the fact that people have many reasons for choosing to play a game without subscribing to it. Free or Premium players were often branded as cheap in comment after comment, and their maturity was usually called into question. There will, of course, be all kinds of player coming into the game once the free-to-play option launches; and yes, I’m sure many of them will come simply because it’s “free” (though that’s not really the case, if you read the player chart linked below). However, there are also many players for whom the new pricing model might be a great incentive to immerse themselves in Tolkien’s world. In this post, I’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of the three play options that will make up the LOTRO community in a few months, and who might best benefit from them. For a full description of what each category has access to, and for answers to common questions, please see the official FAQ, the Player Chart, and this great resource thread posted in the forums.

Free Players

Who are they? Free Players are those who have not (yet) paid for any content in Lord of the Rings Online.

Advantages: It’s free!

Disadvantages: Well, it’s kind of free. As you will see in the player chart linked above, Free Players are quite limited as to where they can quest, what they can own (money, storage space), and what classes they can play.

The Free option is great for players who want to try out the game without having to make a quick decision as to whether they want to subscribe. Think of it as an unlimited free trial. It’s also an interesting option for anyone simply wanting to role-play a character: make your hobbit, set him/her in the Shire, and role-play to your heart’s content!

However, my guess is that the Free Players who choose to remain in the game will normally take one of the following two options.

Premium Players

Who are they? Premium Players are those who are either (a) former subscribers to the game, and now want to keep playing without a subscription, choosing rather to pay through Turbine Points for the content/items they’re interested in; or (b) Free Players who have purchased Turbine Points in the Turbine Store. As soon as a Free Player purchases Turbine Points, they become Premium Players.

Advantages: Premium play is like ordering from an à la carte menu. Players can quest at their own pace, without worrying about “making the most of” a monthly subscription, and they can purchase only the content/items that they want at any given time.

Disadvantages: Being a Premium Player might feel cumbersome to people who have become deeply invested in the game and its community, since the have to make sure they are “on level” with the people they normally play with if these fellowship members/friends/kinmates are subscribers. For example, making sure you all have the skirmish you want to go into; or being able to enter Moria or Mirkwood. Premium Players are also limited in terms of possessions (unless they purchase cap removals).

The Premium category is a wonderful option for players who go through content slowly. These might be players for whom LOTRO is a second (or third, or fourth...) game, and who don’t feel they can justify another subscription; or they may not get a lot of play time(or be able to afford it) due to work/personal circumstances. To them, it makes more sense to expand their content as needed, instead of being given 50 levels’ worth of quests that will take them many months of subscribing to complete. This is a model that works for me as a DDO player. LOTRO is my main game, but I like DDO too; I just know I won’t be playing it enough to go through the content at “subscription-rate.” Whenever I’m ready to move ahead, I’ll purchase adventure modules separately; and if I want to try out one of the restricted classes/races, I’ll buy those separately too.

V.I.P. Players

Who are they? Any player who subscribes to LOTRO is a V.I.P. Player. This category includes players with Lifetime Subscriptions.

Advantages: With a V.I.P. account, there’s no need to worry about limits to money/mail/etc. At this point, it also seems like this category of players will receive some content updates free of charge (although I’m sure there will be expansions/packs that they’ll also have to purchase, as they do now). Thus, the play experience is more seamless, since there will be no barriers to the game for V.I.P. Players. V.I.P. Players also receive 500 Turbine Points a month, just for being subscribers.

Disadvantages: Some players may feel that they’re not taking full advantage of a subscription model, especially if they don’t have a lot of time to play (for work/personal reasons, or because LOTRO isn’t their only game).

The V.I.P. category seems best for players who have decided that LOTRO is the game for them, and that they want all the available content at once. They may have established themselves as part of the community, joined a kinship, and have a desire to experience the highest level content.

As you can see, there are reasons to choose each one of the three pricing models that Turbine will offer within the next months. There are good reasons for being a Free or Premium Player, just as there are good ones for following the traditional MMO subscription scheme.

We are all part of the community.

The Welcoming Committee

The Hungry Hobbit. Inns of the Shire: The Bird and Baby (Michel Delving)

The Hobbit Collective sends exuberant eater Pumpkinella Plumpfoot to sample the offerings at Michel Delving’s premier inn, the Bird and Baby. There’s more to this inn than meets the eye (or mouth)!
If there’s one thing Michel Delving is known for (besides young hobbits hiding on the roofs of buildings), it’s food! Michel Delving is home to the Shire’s best oven, and the headquarters of the Cooking Guild. This town’s passion for food is so deep that even the Mayor is popularly known as Flourdumpling!
But of course, all that food and drink has to end up somewhere (before reaching the bellies of all the hungry hobbits roaming around, that is):

When I asked this gentlehobbit where one would go to get a good meal and beer, he immediately directed me to the Bird and Baby. He also asked me to take him along, but I told him I wasn’t going today, and managed to avoid him when I sneaked back into town!
A short walk down the road, and I was at the door to the famous Bird and Baby Inn!

It was still very early morning, and I had to wait for the tavern keep to open. Once he did, I rushed inside to sample the goods.

Carlo Blagrove is the tavern keep in charge of the Bird and Baby.

Mr. Blagrove was kind enough to give me a tour of his collection of fine ales and spirits.

When I asked him what the town favourites were, he pointed at the casks of Old Winyards (especially popular among the older hobbits), Cider (for those who enjoy a fruity yet potent beverage), and plain beer (a favourite with the younger crowd). Of course, we must also mention the Inn’s special, Blagrove’s Brown.

Carlo also sets a fine table, with all kinds of stews, roasts, and of course the Shire’s favourite pies, lovingly crafted by Holly Hornblower!

However, there’s more to this inn than food and drink. Respected fisherman Estmar Bolger holds introductory classes in the Bird and Baby’s common room. He assures us that it’s all in the wrist!

For the more accident-prone hobbits, healer Gardenia Bracegirdle has a small booth with plenty of first-aid supplies.

I had also heard of a private parlour for members of the Shire-wide Inn League association. Alas, I could not persuade our gentle tavern keep to open the door for a quick peek.

Back in the common room, however, I realized that I had missed a cozy corner with a fireplace, where town barber Tulip Chubb was hard at work trimming hair and beards.

As a dedicated reporter, I decided to try out her shop. Tulip offers a full range of services, from cut to color.

The result was... interesting.

The Bird and Baby Inn is located in Michel Delving. Direct travel is available from Bree, Thorin’s Gate, Celondim, and other locations. For reservations, please send a letter to tavern keep Carlo Blagrove (although the way postal service in the Shire has been lately, you might have to deliver it yourself!).
Joyful eating!
Pumpkinella Plumpfoot
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[The Bird and Baby was a nickname for The Eagle and Child, a pub frequented by J.R.R. Tolkien and his friends. It is located in Oxford, England, and is owned by St. John’s College.]

The Nosey Hobbit. Fireworks in the Shire

The Hobbit Collective sends out its seasoned social sleuth, Avellana Addlefoot, to delve into a story that has caused an uproar from Michel Delving to Hobbiton! Avellana interviews some local folk, including the woman at the center of the scandal: Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

There have been rumours around Michel Delving of a feud between mayor Will ‘Flourdumpling’ Whitfoot and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. This seems to be supported by the mutterings I hear from the mayor and his assistant when I quietly approach them. I distinctly hear the names ‘Lobelia,’ ‘Lotho,’ and ‘Mundo,’ as well as mentions of money and “that nuisance of a family.” I’m on the right track!

However, when I finally speak to the mayor, he’s tight-lipped about the whole affair. He will only say that the negotiations to settle the fallout from Mundo’s kidnapping are private (kidnapping!!???), and that he is not involved in Lobelia’s latest tantrum, which actually includes the respected Tuckborough fireworks maker, Hyacinth Took. That, he assures me, was the real reason the Westfarthing is awash with gossip.

So I hop onto my pony and ride east; Tuckborough seems like a good place to start. On the road, I can already see signs of discontent with the Sackville-Bagginses; a gentlehobbit in Waymeet has a strong opinion about Lobelia’s latest antics:

More curious than ever, I make my way up the steep road to Tuckborough, where I find Hyacinth Took standing outside her fireworks shop. This is what she has to say:

Avellana: Ms Took, how would you describe Lobelia Sackville-Baggins?

Hyacinth: She’s (here, her face contorts... it’s quite frightening to watch, actually)... She’s... aaargghhhggrmph!

Avellana: Would you say that she’s a difficult customer then? I’ve been told that you’re making some fireworks for a very special party she’s hosting.

Hyacinth: She... can’t... make... up... her... MIND!!!! And she wants it all NOW NOW NOW!!! And I’m missing ingredients! And a cart was stolen! And... and... {here she seems reduced to unintelligible whimpering).

Avellana: Um... anything I can do? (There must be some way to make her talk!)

Hyacinth: (She finally dries her tears, honks noisily into her flowered handkerchief, and looks up). Well, actually....

Back down the hill. Hyacinth has entrusted me to carry out the transaction with Lobelia herself! Now I should get to the bottom of what we can justifiably call ‘the Lobelia effect.’

But first, a stop at the Ivy Bush Inn, purveyor of Hobbiton-Bywater’s finest ales and distributor of the Shire-famous Hornblower pies! The Ivy Bush Inn is a proud sponsor of The Nosey Hobbit.

Up the Hill...

... and I decide to make a stop at the Party Tree, to have a look at the preparations for Lobelia’s mysterious feast. Neither the Planner nor the workers will answer my questions, but I can guess their mood by the way they carelessly toss the tables and benches onto the green, and by the frayed edges of the Planner’s notebook.

I decide to make one more visit before hitting Bag End, and ride back down to Bagshot Row, where respected gardener Gaffer Gamgee is tending a small vegetable patch. He, too, refuses to say much about Lobelia, mentioning only his “beloved Bagginses” and “the end of happiness as I knows it.” He does, however, give me a lovely apple pie (although I did have to pick the apples for it myself!).

So off I go, back up the Hill. And here I am finally, at Bag End.

Lobelia is, conveniently, outside the house, talking with her son Lotho. Well... talking is not the right word, as I soon discover. I’d say haranguing, or tormenting. But then, this is what I now must assume passes for a conversation with Lobelia.

I try to catch a few words from a distance...

... but Lobelia has an eagle’s eye! She imperiously beckons me over, and I figure this is as good a time as any for an interview. She could look a bit friendlier, I suppose, but here goes

Avellana: So, Lobelia-

Lobelia: MRS. SACKVILLE-BAGGINS!!!

Avellana: Mrs. Sackville-Baggins...

Lobelia: Who are you? Are you here with the money? The fireworks? Or are you one of those good-for-nothing hobbits who still think there’s a treasure trove in my cellar? I assure you, I’ve checked, and-

Avellana: The fireworks! I’m here about the fireworks! So, Mrs. Sackville-Baggins, rumour has it that you’re hosting-

Lobelia: I’m hosting the biggest party Hobbiton has ever seen! Where are my fireworks?

Avellana: Well, I spoke to Hyacinth Took, and she tells me that-

Lobelia: Hyacinth Took? Did she give you the fireworks, lass?

Avellana: Well, no, but...

Lobelia: THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE FIREWORKS??? THE PARTY IS TOMORROW!!!

Avellana: Well, I was just wondering...

Lobelia: WONDERING??!!! Wandering is more like it! You get yourself back to [NAME] and tell her that I need those fireworks TODAY!!!

Avellana: But I-

Lobelia: NOW! GO!

Forgive me, dear reader, for not having a better ending to this story. There are these fireworks to put together, you see, and it seems that I’m now in Lobelia’s service.

I’ll do better next time!

Avellana Addlefoot, Nosey Hobbit