I've been playing
Lord of the Rings Online for the past 2 months. It's free to play right up to the level 65 cap for all players. I've bitten the bullet and bought 3 months worth of VIP play for about $45. The main differences between buying a subscription and playing for free, is that I get more storage space ingame, the ability to have 5 characters (free to play has 2), and 500 points per month to spend in the LOTRO store. As you complete quests ingame, you accumulate points which you can spend in the store for clothes, weapons, crafting items, mounts, travel, housing decorations, etc.
There is a good backstory, of course, but also there is a crafting element. My character is an Elf, my class Hunter, and my craft guild woodsman. So while I am out killing orcs, goblins, bears, wolves, I can also collect their belongings and skin/fur/ears, etc. I can sell their ears as trophies, and use my woodsman skills to tan and treat the fur/skin into leather which I can then use for crafting my own weapons, or sell for more coin. Likewise, I am always coming across Rowan,Ash, Yew branches which I can chop into logs, which I can use my crafting skills to turn into clubs/maces/spears/bows/crossbows, etc. at the next crafting Hall I come across.
Since the November update, they've added a 'tasks' notice board to each major settlement. The tasks are basically repeatable quests for trophies (ears, paws, carapaces, wings, etc) from wild animals. These can now be traded in for reputation points with various vactions.
From level 15 and up, you can purchase your own house in Middle-Earth, you can own your own horse to make going from place to place easier. There are dozens and dozens of basic quests available, from collecting someone's lost pig, to helping Farmer Maggot with his lost produce, to hiring yourself out as a guard. There is also the Epic Quest arc available after level 15, starting with talking to Strider in the Prancing Pony, and I'm assuming after many levels ending up at Mount Doom. At the moment, you can't progress further in the game past Moria (but to get that far includes 1000's of quests), but the Rise of Isengard expansion has been announced for release next fall.
The server game space is immense. I once decided, for the hell of it, to run on foot between Hobbiton and Bree - took me about an hour!
If anyone wants to join us, Seamaiden and I are playing in the "Dwarrowdelf" server; my character's name is "Ladhon" and Seamaiden's is "Seadal"
There are lots of good resources out there for gameplay, but this one is the best for starting out:
LOTRO Quick Start Guide
Other great resources are:
A Casual Stroll to Mordor
LOTRO Plugins
The Breeland Times (Eriador, yours to discover)
LOTRO Wiki
Screenshots
