The Games Pit

Review: Lord of the Rings Online (Lotro)

mrmcblonde — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:09:24 +0000

This first review is generously provided by fellow wordpress blogger matildascott. You can find her blog here and hopefully this will be the first of many reviews. So with a big thanks to matildascott for being my first contributor, on with the review…

This was my first experience of an online computer game (mmorpg-massive multiuser online roleplaying game, I think that’s what it means!). To start with I enjoyed creating a character and naming her, I decided to be an elf hunter. There are a choice of races and classes which fulfill certain roles and are good at certain things. The hunter is good at dealing out ranged damage (from a bow) but does not do so well at close quarters. I then started the game proper and died several times before I got the hang of it. When I say I died I really mean that I got beaten in a fight and ran out of morale, in this game you don’t “die” you just get sent back to one of the many safe points near where you were. I thought the graphics were pretty good but not at all what I thought middle earth should look like. The novelty of a new game and one where I could interact with others (once I finally worked out how to do that and had learned a bit of online gaming lingo) lasted quite a while. I enjoyed the fact that when I killed a monster or completed a quest I would gain experience points which would build up and once I collected a certain amount I would go up a level. When I went up a level I would get more hit points (morale) and more power points (energy for certain skills) and every couple of levels new abilities.

I could choose which quests I wanted and leave the ones I couldn’t be bothered with which suits my nature. You can just run about exploring and/or killing monsters but that can get boring. Most of the quests are either killing stuff, finding items or people or a combination of the two. I found this got boring after a while.

As you kill things and do quests you pick up coinage and various items, armour and weapons for example. You can also learn crafting skills which mean that you can make things and with practice (a lot of practice) improve your skill and eventually make some semi-useful items.

There are group quests which if you can find people to join in with can be fun but again get samey.

All in all it was good to start with but I got bored with it. The graphics are good but in my opinion not really very “Lord of the ringsy”. Having read the first book and been read all three as a child plus the hobbit I felt it didn’t have the right “feel” to it. I know this might not be a glowing review but condsidering they overcharged me every month (you have to pay a monthly subscription as well as buying the game) double sometimes triple the fee (they did pay me back intitially but then denied it which is when I stopped playing and cancelled) I think I’ve been quite fair.

Gameplay 3 stars

Longevity 3 stars

Addictiveness 2 stars

Value for money 1 star

Overall 2 stars

Talislanta 2nd Edition

mrmcblonde — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:06:36 +0000

At the moment, our group is involved in a picaresque campaign set in the Seven Kingdoms and the Western Lands of Talislanta. In an effort to avoid an over arching meta-plot, the direction of play has been largely left up to the players. In response to this, the characters have resolved to swindle and steal their way around the lands west of the Dead River. In brief, the group is comprised of Parlivir, a Pharesian trader with a fiery grudge against the Koresians of Cymril. Coco Moonflower, a Sarista rogue with an extensive family to support and Inir, their Arimite bodyguard. Details on the characters and their exploits will be posted as they unfold, as this is an ongoing campaign.

The ‘Old School Renaissance’ Part 1

mrmcblonde — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:58:49 +0000

The Old School Renaissance (OSR) is a curious beast. I must confess to being slightly fuzzy on the precise definition of the term, but it seems to be comprised of a number of factors. I first became aware of the term when the most recent version of Dungeons and Dragons was released (the Fourth Edition). Initially, the OSR seemed to be a reaction to the way in which the details of the latest D&D were presented. Those who considered themselves to be part of the OSR seemed to take exception to the artistic style of the new books and particularly the use of terminology from online games such as World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online to describe the characters role in the adventuring party. Before going any further, I will point out that these were by no means the only complaints levelled at the new iteration of D&D, just the ones that seemed to crop up the most. These gamers felt that D&D had moved to far away from the original concepts to be considered the same game. As a result, they began to look backwards, to earlier versions of the game, in search for a system they could accept.

It is worth noting that the OSR is not limited to players of D&D, there seems to be a trend across the community to rediscover lost gems from the early days of the hobby. I find this quite intriguing. I have been involved with roleplaying for about twenty years and the main difference I have noticed is in actual game mechanics. By and large, the RPG industry has benefitted from years of fine tuning and seeing what doesn’t work. My impression is that the ‘looser’ systems have grown in popularity over the more detailed or ‘crunchy’ systems. The actual quality of settings comes and goes, though the preference for world detail versus world with ‘elbow room’ seems much the same.

So then, how would we define a practising member of the OSR? Well, there is certainly a tendency to favour older versions of game systems though this is not always the case. The reason for this I feel, is that the OSR is more reflected in a certain style of play. The style is more competitive in nature and less forgiving. An example can be found with OSR D&D players. These are the GMs who insist you roll 3d6 for each attribute and assign them in order as you roll. Their dungeons are famously ruthless, it’s up to the players to assess each situation and decide how to respond. You are on your own, the GM will not come to your aid. The OSR also favours the ‘sandbox’ style of play, where much of the activity is decided upon by letting the characters wander about, rather than a specific plot. It would seem to me that much of the OSR is in the mindset of the participating players. Unfortunately, this is frequently obscured by the frenetic edition wars that are also a part of this hobby. Is this a genuine return to a ‘simpler time’ of gaming or is this simply a vigorous reaction from players who don’t like having to update their ruleset and background material every couple of years? Perhaps this question is more complicated than I had originally thought…

As I stated at the outset, I am not an expert on the OSR. I do find it very interesting though. Should any OSR grognards stumble across this post, feel free to add your 2 cp worth. This will require further rumination and your expertise is appreciated.