New players: a server nearest to your heart

I think it a sad loss that many who come to the game due to their love for the books (and/or Middle-earth role play) do not get to learn from the very beginning about the nature of the Laurelin server and of all that it has to offer which can be very dear to them and of deep significance for their stay in LotRO. Over the passing of years I have seen here on the forums more than a few times new folk learning scraps of information about the server from what little they are told by others, which sometimes is not correct; for instance, that rp is enforced there. And so this thread was created here (as new players cannot post outside this forum it seems) to openly welcome such newcomers and pass on to their knowledge things that most likely they would like to know before experiencing the wonder of Middle-earth for the first time and putting much of their time and effort on a server; for it is often seen, players moving worlds and starting all over again (as the cost of character-transfers is high).

Also, I would like to use this thread to share (in pictures, and in 'living moments' too) immersive times from the server, and thus a chance for newcomers to see here in this way some of the great artistry of the game and its world, and more importantly, how it is further enhanced through player-characters.

~*~

• Essay: The Most Middle-earth Immersive Server of the Lord of the Rings Online
  This is an essay written about this server and published here on the official forums. In that forum-thread one can learn in detail and depth about the people of Laurelin, and its lore-rich immersive nature, and many other designs inspired by the books (such as kinships and events). In a few words, how this server differs from the rest.
  
  
• Middle-earth Original Art by Laurelin-players
  There one can see the great skill and love for the setting that the people of Laurelin have poured into their creations that complement in-game experience through various ways.
  
  
• Additional Official Rules for a More Immersive Setting
  Laurelin is the only (English-speaking) server of LotRO with an additional set of rules and policies for a greater Middle-earth immersive environment. These policies are not the same as the Code of Conduct which apply to all worlds. They are in addition to those, and among all servers of the game they are in place solely on Laurelin (and Belegaer, the German RP server).
  
  
• The Complete Guide to Role Play, Immersion, and the Lore
  For newcomers to role play and the world of Middle-earth, or merely for those that may want to learn how to make their time in-game more immersive, spare some of your time to read this guide and you will then have a very good knowledge and understanding of these and other related things.

~*~

There is much more written in the essay linked above, and there are more sources shared there. Whether learned or not, if you come to LotRO after your love for the fascinating world and stories J.R.R. Tolkien created and want to experience the game in a more immersive, richer, and mature way, see many things inspired by the books, and be with a great many other like-minded players that share the same appreciation and interests, then read it for your own wisdom and benefit, as you will learn many things that perhaps you would not otherwise, or at least would rather knew from the start.


It is great to see more and more people who value the Middle-earth immersion among us.

Are you new to Laurelin? feel free to introduce yourself here in this welcoming thread!

Welcome to LotRO, and fair Laurelin!

I am new to this game, and have read all of Tolkien's sagas from the Hobbit to The Children of Hurin. I am very excited to start playing, but have been researching which server to get started on. Laurelin looks very promising! I am going to create my first toon there today! Thanks for the 411!

I think RP is more encouraged than enforced on Laurelin. That's why I chose it. I could also go for Landroval 'cause they specialize in music.

this might be a stupid question but as a newbie here it goes: what's RP? i've seen it next to some servers but thought it was a language i couldn't figure out... now i'm assuming it's something else?

RP = roleplay

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Originally Posted by Brandon_Blackbird

RP = roleplay

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oh so this server wants you to stay in the role when chatting and all that? or what does this mean exactly?

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Originally Posted by Pfianor

oh so this server wants you to stay in the role when chatting and all that? or what does this mean exactly?

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This is a late post, but I wish to reply to this question as it is reasonable that many other newcomers may not know what role play means.

To speak in brief and plainly, one of the many different ways role play can be described as, is when players adopt and act out the role of their characters. In this case (LotRO, and especially on the three RP supported servers) original characters fitting for the Middle-earth setting. The peoples of the World. For example: one of the Rohirrim, a weaver Elven-maid of Rivendell, a dwarf trader of the Lonely Mountain, a hobbit-lad of Bywater, a scholar in Minas Tirith, and a great many other such examples.

Though RP on Laurelin is well-supported and encouraged, it is not required. As for what the server expects you to respect and follow it is listed in the Official Roleplaying Rules and Policy thread here on the forums.

Its quite endearing to see servers like this. Truth be told, lotro feels like a game where you have to make your immersion. Otherwise the game does not support it much.

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Originally Posted by Erkenbrandy

Its quite endearing to see servers like this. Truth be told, lotro feels like a game where you have to make your immersion. Otherwise the game does not support it much.

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Perhaps not in all things role players wish for, but there is support on the Laurelin server, being the only Official RP (English-speaking) world of the game. This can be read in the link that is shared in the first post that leads to the thread where Turbine speaks of the additional rules and policies that apply on Laurelin (and the French and German RP servers).

Personally, I like Landroval better, especially since Laurelin will be moving to the EU and if you don't live in the EU you'll end up with higher latency times.

These days, there's the same amount of roleplaying on Landroval and Laurelin, but Landroval has more cool activities going on (check out the Landroval and Laurelin subforums here).

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Originally Posted by Banaticus

Personally, I like Landroval better, especially since Laurelin will be moving to the EU and if you don't live in the EU you'll end up with higher latency times.

These days, there's the same amount of roleplaying on Landroval and Laurelin, but Landroval has more cool activities going on (check out the Landroval and Laurelin subforums here).

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As the executive producer of LotRO has said more than once, ''nothing has changed in the way the worlds function or are supported. Players can still play on the worlds they wish to play on regardless of the region they are in.'' Transfers only work between the former EU servers and between the former US servers, yes. But this has always been so. The old EU servers going back to EU is only a physical move. The servers will still be run by Turbine and be here available for all to play.

As for Landroval having more 'cool' activities going on, it depends on what one sees as 'cool'. A Tolkien-lover who would love to experience the game in a more lore-rich immersive enviroment and see many things inspired by the books (kinships, events, storylines) may very well (and understandably so) not see all these known activities that Landroval has to offer as 'cool'.

And I too urge new players to have a look at the subforums of the servers to see the difference between them.

I really like the athmoshpere on Landroval but i seem to get alot of high latency and rubber lag (even though i got 100/100mbit fiber). I guess i will be forced to move to a EU based server instead. Not being said those are not good ones.

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Originally Posted by Almatir

I really like the athmoshpere on Landroval but i seem to get alot of high latency and rubber lag (even though i got 100/100mbit fiber). I guess i will be forced to move to a EU based server instead. Not being said those are not good ones.

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As for latency and lag, Turbine took over these servers back in 2011, and as a UK player I have had no problems playing the game, and during the two very active years that I have been on Laurelin I have rarely seen much talk and complaints about lag, and yet the server has been all these years in US ground. Do not mistake me, likely enough there will be a difference in performance but not so great that it would become a problem for those who play over the seas.

A kind welcome to all new LotRO-players that have come to fair Laurelin, and to others yet that may be joining today! Feel free to introduce yourself here, speak of your love and enthusiasm about the magical, mythical world of Middle-earth, about the game, and/or about role play.

I/we are ever glad and eager to have more Tolkien-appreciators, and people who just favor immersion and the things that greatly add to it such as story, song and music.

Hobbit-merrymaking in the Green Dragon!

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pseivxyeoy.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psf50xtqvh.jpg

I suggest joining Brandywine the most populated server.

Hi all. In connection with the closing of the Russian game servers I decided to move in with you. To settle on the server Landroval. Dwarf Charnation. Doing mainly musical activity. I think you'll hear about the little orchestra "The Hope")) Sorry for my English))

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Originally Posted by Charnota

Hi all. In connection with the closing of the Russian game servers I decided to move in with you. To settle on the server Landroval. Dwarf Charnation. Doing mainly musical activity. I think you'll hear about the little orchestra "The Hope")) Sorry for my English))

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This thread speaks of the Laurelin server. You may be confusing the names, perhaps, or so it sounds to me.

Oh, sorry, I did not understand. I will look for the theme of the server Landroval))

I've never RP'd before on this game. Always been a bit hesitant to as I don't know as much about Middle-Earth as I should. Still, how populated is the server?

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Originally Posted by SammySharpe

I've never RP'd before on this game. Always been a bit hesitant to as I don't know as much about Middle-Earth as I should.

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That's ironic, I don't RP because I feel like I know far too much about Middle Earth. And, I've found it incredibly difficult to feign ignorance so that my character would only be acting with the knowledge they're supposed to have.

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Still, how populated is the server?

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Which one? I see both Landroval and Laurelin being talked about here. Though, the peaks hours differ are Landroval is mainly a US-hours server, and Laurelin is mainly an EU-hours server. Both have decent populations if you're playing during their peak hours.

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Originally Posted by HaleElven

Which one? I see both Landroval and Laurelin being talked about here. Though, the peaks hours differ are Landroval is mainly a US-hours server, and Laurelin is mainly an EU-hours server. Both have decent populations if you're playing during their peak hours.

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Laurelin. Should have made it clearer I'm EU.

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Originally Posted by SammySharpe

Laurelin. Should have made it clearer I'm EU.

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Laurelin is among the highest populated servers of the game. Apart from information gathered outside the game showing this, and the number of players online that can be seen in social panel, the server is also one of those that will remain; for those that do not know, Turbine will be closing some (or all maybe) of the low populated worlds in the coming months.

It is true that the server is less active during the hours people from America and Canada play, but not to a point where it is not enjoyable or you cannot find others. There are many US players here, and even entire (rp at least) kins. Feel at ease.

Joyful gathering of Elves in the Hall of Fire.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psf6jbd3l3.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psq7zfnvtu.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pspel0juk4.png

Gatherings of the dwarf-folk under the mountains.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psuiz7pnbs.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pscgb0odvf.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pskssnkqdm.png

Various times of some Rangers of the North.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psbgrraie9.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pstzoo60cj.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pskqeft8x1.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psaexycodv.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psochaogby.png

Elves! under the starlight in the woods of the Shire on their way to the havens.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psubc7qcqw.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pskhucxim2.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pssfvnvqdf.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psm2umhqvt.png

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psqlcwbiwl.png

When you RP try not confuse middle earth with reality when not playing:)






LOL Just kidding!

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Originally Posted by Erennor

I think it a sad loss that many who come to the game due to their love for the books (and/or Middle-earth role play) do not get to learn from the very beginning about the nature of the Laurelin server and of all that it has to offer which can be very dear to them and of deep significance for their stay in LotRO. Over the passing of years I have seen here on the forums more than a few times new folk learning scraps of information about the server from what little they are told by others (usually not of Laurelin), which sometimes is not correct; for instance, that rp is enforced there. And so this thread was created here (as new players cannot post outside this forum it seems) to openly welcome such newcomers and pass on to their knowledge things that most likely they would like to know before experiencing the wonder of Middle-earth for the first time and putting much of their time and effort on a server; for it is often seen, players moving worlds and starting all over again (as the cost of character-transfers is high).

Also, I should like to use this thread to share (in pictures) immersive moments from the server, and thus a chance for newcomers to see here in this way some of the beauty of the magical, mythical world of Middle-earth, and more importantly, how that beauty is filled and further enhanced through the characters of players.

~*~

• Essay: The Most Middle-earth Immersive Server of the Lord of the Rings Online
  This is an essay written about this server and published here on the official forums. In that forum-thread one can learn in detail and depth about the people of Laurelin, and its lore-rich immersive nature, and many other designs inspired by the books (such as kinships and events). In a few words, how this server differs from the rest.
  
  
• Middle-earth Original Art by Laurelin-players
  There one can see the great skill and love for the setting that the people of Laurelin have poured into their creations that complement in-game experience through various ways.
  
  
• Additional Official Rules by Turbine for a More Immersive Setting
  This server is the only (English-speaking) server of LotRO with an extra set of rules and policies for a greater Middle-earth immersive enviroment. These policies are not the same (as some falsely say still, whether knowingly or not) as Turbine’s Code of Conduct which apply to all worlds. They are in addition to those, and among all EN-servers of the game they support solely Laurelin.

~*~

There is much more written in the essay linked above, and there are more sources shared there. If you come to LotRO after your love and enthusiasm for the magical, mythical world of J.R.R. Tolkien (whether learned or not) and wish to experience it in a more immersive and mature way, see many things inspired by the books, and be with a great many other like-minded folk that share a love for Middle-earth, then I humbly urge you to read it for your own wisdom and benefit, as you will learn many things that perhaps you would not otherwise, or would rather knew from the start.


It is a joy for me and others to see more and more Tolkien-appreciators and people who value the Middle-earth immersion among us. If you can spare a moment of your time, please do introduce yourself here in this welcoming thread.

Welcome to LotRO, and fair Laurelin!

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I really appreciate what you are trying to do here, misinformation is a curse even in the best of times...but...you would have been well-served to add a couple of qualifiers to the end of your post:

1) Your experience may vary
2) The way Laurelin operates today is not how it has always been; it has evolved

My own experience was generally good but there were times when I felt unwelcome on the server:

1) I was berated - our of character btw by a large group of die-hard Rpers, that my Hobbit was simply not allowed to wear shoes
2) I was told in no uncertain terms that as an Elf that was also an RK, no kinship would accept me; RKs in general were not frowned upon as it seemed to be a server mindset that the existence of the class broke lore
3) Almost everyone I met felt the need to help me "re-write" bio because I obviously did not understand all of the RP mistakes I was making
4) One player told me I was too dark skinned to be a Human from Dale
5) I tried to compliment some dwarves at the Prancing Pony that were playing music. I was not in RP mode, simply a player and I was told, "We don't take kindly to your type around here". I thought he was referring to the fact that I did not RP my compliments and when I tried to correct that, he explained to me in the open that no, Dwarves and Elves do not mix, leave us be before we call the constable. That interaction pretty much meant any player that happened to be a dwarf would not be friends with me if I was an Elf. I was starting to get the feeling that players were confusing RP with racism.

After two months of that sort of interaction, I left the server and have not been back. To be fair that was two years ago. It may be different now, but the reputation the server has is earned by the actions of its members. That can be changed by the same fashion but it is going to take time. I make sure everyone I talk to that even hints at going there know exactly what happened to me.

Where then is the false or inaccurate information in my post?


But regarding the other things you have shared:

1. Did people tell you this in that same way (that your hobbit-character is not allowed to wear shoes), or is this rather how you yourself felt? There is a significant difference here. I have seen sometimes people who have offered kind and mature advice to others, and yet they received it in a bad way, and later said that they were told to rp in that certain way, when in truth this is not how things were said, but rather how they felt them. This to me, being here for a long while, seems more likely than not. I do not now ever recall seeing someone on Laurelin saying to another person ''this is not allowed''.
2. As for the Runekeeper, class is of no importance in RP (other than certain things such as the use of bow if one wants to rp a hunter); it is a game mechanic. If some kins have this requirement, that is their own choice to make.
3. More likely than not they were offering friendly counsel and suggestions. Role players want newcomers interested in rp, they do not look down on them. This I have seen on a daily basis and I have been very active.
4. So a person shares with you an observation.
5. As for this, it seems that it was something directed at your character - not at you, the player behind it; the estrangement that devides each race in Middle-earth is very apparent in the books with a very many examples showing it.

In the end the actions and efforts of the people of this server, and of its community, are by far more than any negative experiences, or so I have experienced and observed as well as told by others over the more than three years that I have been there.

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Originally Posted by Erennor

What/where is exactly then the false or inaccurate information in my post?


As for the other things you have said here:

1. Did people tell you this in that same way (that your hobbit-character is not allowed to wear shoes), or is this rather how you yourself felt? There is a significant difference here. I have seen sometimes people who have offered kind and mature advice to others, and yet they received it in a bad way, and later said that they were told to rp in that certain way, when in truth this is not how things were said, but rather how they felt them. This to me, being here for a long while, seems more likely than not. I do not now ever recall seeing someone on Laurelin saying to another person ''this is not allowed''.
2. As for the Runekeeper, class is of no importance in RP (other than certain things such as the use of bow if one wants to rp a hunter); it is a game mechanic. If some kins have this requirement, that is their own choice to make.
3. More likely than not they were offering friendly counsel and suggestions. Role players want newcomers interested in rp, they do not look down on them. This I have seen on a daily basis and I have been very active.
4. So a person shares with you an observation.
5. As for this, it seems that it was something directed at your character - not at you, the player behind it; the estrangement that devides each race in Middle-earth is very apparent in the books with a very many examples showing it.

In the end the actions and efforts of the people of this server, and of its community, are by far more than any negative experiences, or so I have experienced and observed as well seen from others over the more than three years that I have been on Laurelin.

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You misunderstand my comment on misinformation. I was praising you for setting the record straight not that you were being deceptive. There is a lot of misinformation about the server out there and post such as yours goes a long way toward correcting that misinformation.

1 - I play a cadre of characters that form a family. When I am on a server, I usually play one of each class and they all have relationships with each other. I believe most would classify that as heavy RP. While I may only be able to play one of them at a time, they all act like the others are off in others places at the same time. Without slogging through the whole set up, the Hobbit in question was a female minstrel that was a house hold servant to a female human loremaster. The head of the household fancies herself as a minor aristocrat exiled from Gondor because of the coming war. She has a strict idea for what her staff wears and she made no exception when it came to minstrel. When I would RP the minstrel I would complain every so often about being forced to wear shoes. Of course as this is muttered, others see it and it was then that I was taken to task for being an rp noob. No matter how much I explained why it was like this, the group I spoke too did not care. I was wrong and they were right and that was the end of it. I could have left it there but this took place in a very crowded Prancing Pony and not one person from the room that was not directly involved said a thing to me in the open, in RP or in private IM. That told me the feeling was universal.

2 - I was not trying to get into a kin with my Elf Runekeeper. I was questing on my own and doing some light RP with the NPCs. I saw a conversation taking place in OOC about a new kinships and I enquired about it for general reasons. Several of those present let me know I was basically an affront to them as an RK, regardless of race. None of them even belonged to the kinship I was asking about.

3 - It was not presented in that fashion and they wanted to change the heart of the bio and not just tinkering around the edges. And, it was not one person at place that offered this "advice". It happened over the course of two months and each and every time it was offered without prior communication such as even a "hello, nice to meet you. I read your bio, could tell me more about it and why you have it that way?"

4 - It was a personal observation but one in which I did not get the chance to explain as they told me I obviously did not know anything about Lord of the Rings. For what it is worth, my character was not dramatically dark skinned, lightly tanned at most, but he thought she should be ghostly white. While this was just one person, there is this thing called context, when you have many such little incidents, a general pattern forms.

5 - Having read the books enough times to have to buy replacement copies more than once because the pages started to fall out, I think I have a good grasp on the racial dynamics of the universe. The racial estrangement only ever took place on home turf. You do not see Elves and Dwarves having issues when not on the soil of the other. Granted there are few times such moments happen when they are not on the soil of the other, but every time they were, the examples we have show us at least civility if not cooperation or even friendship. The Hobbit and the Silmarilion are filled with Elves and Dwarves "playing nice" together. Only in the War of the Ring do we see mention of distaste and then it seems to be on a personal level. I think the problem most RPers seem to have is that they take the movies as a foundation and not the books. So who is having an issue with proper lore and who is not?

I have seen nothing to change my mind that Laurelin is a good choice for anyone that does not adhere to the servers consensus of what RP is. If you fall into the group, you probably very happy. The problem is the server population leaves no room for any other interpretation.

Ah, I misread it seems. I am sorry then; and at least I have the heart and mind to do this, unlike others in our world who are unwilling to acknowledge their mistakes out of pride or spite, or other purposes of their own. But mind me not here Solarmax - my mind goes elsewhere.

Thank you for taking the time to explain further. But I too have read the books many times over the years, and for the past months I was working on The Complete Guide to Role Play, Immersion, and the Lore done especially for LotRO, and Laurelin. I re-read again all the books for the Guide to the Lore part, and this time I saved everything related, as I wanted for this guide to have information right from the books, and not my words and interpretation, or even those of Tolkien scholars. It is a compilation of words of J.R.R. Tolkien himself found throughout the books, letters, and notes -only few exceptions there are and that is shown when the wording is changed such as 'it seems', 'it has been observed' and so on.

The estrangement that devides each race of the Free People is one topic that this guide covers. Here is what has been gathered from the books about this and all put together in a coherent manner:

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Originally Posted by The Complete Guide to Role Play, Immersion, and the Lore

The Elves have their own labours and their own sorrows, and they are now little concerned with the ways of any other creatures upon earth. Men and Elves have become estranged by the arts of the Enemy, and by the slow changes of time in which each kind has walked further down their sundered roads. Even from distant times, the hearts of the Elves have been estranged from Men, (save only the Edain, the ancestors of the Numenoreans). And Men now fear and misdoubt the Elves, and yet know little of them. Dwarves, even from their beginning, Eru (the One) declared that often strife would arise between them and Elves and Men. Their friendship with the Eldar has ever been cool, even before those griefs that lay between them had yet come to pass. Always, it seems, that their relationship and alliance as a people has been rather for profit and common cause than love or league of friendship. As for hobbits, they are shy of the Big People, and are not concerned with them.

The Men of Gondor having grown like other Middle men, are untrusting and fearful of Lothlorien considering it perilous. The Dunlending are afraid of Elvish Folk and flee and hid themselves from them, though few indeed ever come to their country. And these men have for long been enemies of the people of Rohan who also shun the Elves and speak of the Golden Wood with dread; and there is no great love for dwarves either, descending even from older times, from the Éothéod: the ancestors of the Rohirrim. The Wood-elves of Mirkwood too, do not love dwarves, and in ancient days they had had wars with some of them. The Elves of Lothlorien, have not had dealings with them since the Dark Days, and they are not permitted in their land. Even their own kindred in Mirkwood are sundered from them. Also, before the hobbits of the Fellowship came to Lorien, the Galadhrim had not heard of hobbits, for many a long year, and did not know that any yet dwelt in Middle-earth. Elves in Eriador know of hobbits but they are not concerned with them and their small doings, thinking them dull. In the Shire, hobbits have heeded less and less the world outside, and people beyond their little land are Outsiders for them, even other hobbits. Bree-folk too, consider any beyond Bree-land as Outsiders, and affairs away south, are remote and therefore not important for them. Hobbits and men in Bree, though on friendly terms, each mind their own affairs in their own ways.

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References that clearly show that this estrangement is general and not based on location or personal level; and there are more from older times, but for this guide information that still applies in the Third Age was added. It is important to notice that the 'ever cool' relationship between Dwarves and the Children of the One, it was fated so by Eru himself, declaring that strife would often arise between them. It was doomed this way it seems, as shown by numerous examples in the books. The only one that seems to be based on the place itself and the people that live there, seems to be the case with Lothlorien. The name the Rohirrim have for it in their own tongue is translated as Vale of Phantoms, and even the men of Gondor are doubtful about it.

But without going further here, I will say that I am ever eager and glad to speak with other Tolkien appreciators in-game, so if you are willing do come to Laurelin again, even if it be only for a brief while and at times. There is the Tolkien Reading Day event; I and many others would gladly welcome you.

Wandering Elves under starlight halt and gaze over the river at the old ruins atop the hill yonder; perhaps a memory recalled out of older days.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psgudzchf1.png

As you said Solarmax in your post above everyones experience is different here on Laurelin. The server is great for those who role-play and those who just want to enjoy the game content offered by Turbine. A lot of role-play kins for example do both, they role-play and do regular end game content.

If I am honest I would like a role-play community which reaches out across all kinship where they all abide by the same code of conduct etc. Most players I have talked to in my 7yrs here tend to say that this is not possible, but it is if the player base want to and at this time they do not. It can be done for it was something which was done in my previous game Ultima Online on the Europa server and to my knowledge is still up and running.

What people forget is that everyone comes to Middle Earth to relax and have fun. This game is Turbines version of Middle Earth and not a copy of the world which Tolkien designed thus we find elves in Bree, Hobbits in Lothlorien and every player character created has seen orcs because they are but a half day ride north of Bree. In fact even the Bree in game is nothing like the Bree in the books.

So if Hobbits want to wear boots then go for it, I am sure you could even invent a tale (a reason why) around it all which to me is what role-play is all about. Personally I do not feel elves should be in Bree but I would never send an IM to someone telling them if they wish to play their elf "properly" then they should leave Bree. The game in its design sends everyone of every race to Bree and that is usually a players first exposure to the role-play experience. Like it or not in this game Bree is the center of role-play, it's a hub. Later on elves might meet those of our kinship of Vanimar and see a different side, I know both our kinships are very understanding of this fact.

From my own experience I was fortunate to meet a group of players from the Unfinished Tales/Silver Blades who from day one were very welcoming and helpful, and is one of the reasons I go out of my way to help anyone who comes to me with a question. It is also the reason why I joined the Laurelin Archives Web Team when I was asked. It is a way of giving something back to the community as we have here on LOTRO/Laurelin.

So in summary everyone has a different experience and it is down to the populace to be as understanding and as helpful as they can be. Treat others the way you would like to be treated is the way I look at. Sadly you will always get those who claim their way is the only way, I would suggest you just ignore them and get to know the other really nice players the server has plenty of and no doubt in the months to come will have more of. Laurelin has a lot of really great players and players who will go out of their way to help people myself and Erennor included even though at the moment we do not see eye to eye. We both see Laurelin as as a wonderful server for people to come and enjoy the world based upon the books by Tolkien.

Hobbit merriment in the Green Dragon!

http://i.imgur.com/morlJ14.png

http://i.imgur.com/oi1UnDH.png

[VIDEO]

Elves gazing over the river Lhûn at dusk.

http://i.imgur.com/gIv5uoA.png

Elven-maids dancing in the Hall of Fire

http://i.imgur.com/lqyuZct.jpg

[Screenshot taken by the player of Lhasbelin]

Hobbit merriment!

http://i.imgur.com/Oos9iSc.png

http://i.imgur.com/b513cVo.png

http://i.imgur.com/pa8BtbU.png

Elves travelling under skies dusky bright, till the stars are all alight!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WJO...ature=youtu.be

Isn't requiring lore appropriate names a form of enforced roleplay?

There are more than a few ways to illustrate what role play is but one of them and in brief is when a player takes the role of his character and through him acts and speaks as in the world of Middle-earth. It is not enforced role play therefore having the requirement of character names that are fitting for the setting. And it is not expected to have a flawless lore-appropriate name with the right suffix or meaning-it merely has to seem and sound fitting for the Middle-earth setting.

It is reasonable and easy to follow. Feel at ease.

In the Cat and Fiddle inn!

http://i.imgur.com/fsBBq7j.png

http://i.imgur.com/ee8MFUg.png

http://i.imgur.com/dBoNkdi.png

Rohirrim muster

http://i.imgur.com/NbDpYzh.jpg

this might be a stupid question but as a newbie here it goes: what's RP? i've seen it next to some servers but thought it was a language i couldn't figure out... now i'm assuming it's something else? http://imgupp.com/img/1447454487.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saharmali

this might be a stupid question but as a newbie here it goes: what's RP? i've seen it next to some servers but thought it was a language i couldn't figure out... now i'm assuming it's something else?

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RP = Roleplay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing

Basically we write out the character as if they're actually in Middle-earth through either Turbine-created or player-created storylines. Laurelin and Belegaer are RP, while Landroval is RP encouraged.

Cheers.

It is not a foolish question, and if you have more always feel free to ask, or write to me if you are/come on Laurelin. I am ever eager and glad to help especially when it comes to role play, and the lore (as my spare time allows).

Indeed, like Laire said, when a character is played as one of the peoples of Middle-earth. I know that it may be difficult to fully understand at first as I too was not a role player and knew naught about it when I first came to LotRO many years ago and when I learned it seemed strange, but another simple way to think of rp characters is as npcs, but much more of course.

But I spent much time a while ago over the span of many months writing a guide especially for LotRO concerning role play (and immersion and the lore). It is in the frontpage, but here is the description I have given for what role play is:

When a player takes the role of his character and through him acts and speaks as in the world of Middle-earth. This is known also as In Character (or IC in brief) and can be expressed in-game in written form by words (speaking, telling a tale, reciting a poem, singing a song), through music (by using the instruments), and visually-by merely making your character look realistic (walking, sitting by the hearth, fishing, and so on).

https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?572606-The-Complete-Guide-to-Role-Play-Immersion-and-the-Lore

I feel it covers it well.

Hobbit merriment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vklGBq_94YM

\bump above spam

Being a noob, I am ever amazed at the stuff I don't know.....

I will be switching from crickhollow tonight

Bump.

Sergio :-)

what server has the most people and what servers do you guys recommend?

So I went and signed onto that server, created a character, ran him through the intro and took him out into breeland....

and there were no other toons around. nobody chatting....nothing

So what time of day does the party start?

If you talking in order of size, from largest to smallest, its currently:

1) Brandywine
2) Landroval
3) Crickhollow (current "recommended" server)
4) Arkenstone
5) Gladden

But don't confuse quantity with quality..... As a new player, I would currently recommend Crickhollow. Because it is the recommended server, a lot of new players start on this server, which means you will have plenty of people in the lower level zones you could group up with, you may see a lot of newbie questions in World chat that you may also want the answer to, and there is a reasonable chance there are kinships recruiting new players because of the larger influx.

I am on Brandywine as I had heard that was the most populated. Although I only see maybe 5-10 players running around in the lower areas where I currently am. So if you want to be able to group up with other new players, check out Crickhollow. I do want to mention though there are at least two kinships recruiting actively on Brandywine that I saw!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KM3161

\bump above spam

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Olgomil

Bump.

Sergio :-)

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My thanks : )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HardestyGrimwall

So I went and signed onto that server, created a character, ran him through the intro and took him out into breeland....

and there were no other toons around. nobody chatting....nothing

So what time of day does the party start?

---

Welcome to Laurelin!

If you mean talking in the channels such as regional and LFF, role play talk goes on in /say. Player events start at (or around) 20:00 (UK time), but there are many other folk and role players that are on when EU sleeps, even entire (rp at least) kinships. In any case, feel free to write to me in-game and I will be glad to welcome you while on the server too.


~

And to the other recent posters, remember this thread was made especially about the Laurelin server, though I thank you for posting. But if the enviroment and community that this server offers does not interest you (and that is all right), I think it is not wise, nor profitable for you asking/talking about recommendations for other servers in this same thread. For apart from being not related to this thread and its content, and purpose (which is to welcome newcomers to Laurelin), if you start one yourself then more people will see your question and what you are looking for on a server, and you will have more replies.

As for population, Laurelin was very well populated even before the transfers, and since the server has ever being the only Official RP Supported (English-speaking) server of LotRO, along with the more Tolkien/lore immersive enviroment, naturally it has attracted very many over the years from other servers and this as you may understand has meant an important further growth of the population of the server. I have spoken with a great many players over the years who did/do not role play, but came to Laurelin for the additional rules, and the Middle-earth inspired creations that greatly enrich the experience one may have on the server.

Bump.

Sergio :-)

Bump.

Sergio :-)

regarding finding few folks online when it is off peak time... remember laurelin is a Europe server, meaning that is you are from NA, you will not find the bulk of population on and all the nice events at your prime time, that is off peak for everybody else. Despite what some may tell, the difference in population during prime and off time is definitely very noticeable. saying "many" online regarding off peak is very subjective

The server surely has many folk that play when EU sleeps, and if one thinks that this is not true, or subjective, then he/she has not done his research it seems. The social panel can show this. And when it shows that there are more than sixty or seventy, (and even one hundred it may chance) people just in Bree-land, Ered Luin, and in the Shire, then yes, the many players from US/Canada that play during these hours stands true, and it is the other opposite view that is rather subjective it seems.

It has not been said, or presented that there are more players during these hours than on the US servers, nor that there are events at that time. And as was said before, Laurelin was a former EU world. It is not just and only a EU server now. People from US servers have been coming to Laurelin since 2011, when Turbine took over Laurelin (and the other worlds) from Codemasters. I know this (as many others too on the server, for they have seen it through their kins, role play, events, and more), as I have seen it, and experienced it on an even daily basis a lot of the times.

hm... yeah. It might just be that I don't see everything with rose tinted specs. Or that I don't take the opinion of one as the absolute truth while mine is automatically wrong. A bit touchy hm. Oh well, nevermind

But it is not an opinion only, or over-positivism, when that is based on an official source such as the Social Panel in this case, (and that does not show all players as there may be some set as anon). And this, like a few others, one may know well enough in his/her mind, though not willing to accept it.

I have opened it before many times over the years and I have seen that many players on when EU sleeps.

A hobbit wedding in the Shire!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JuhkwzNtbY
[And to new folk that may be watching this and have not yet downloaded LotRO, this it seems is recorded on medium level; the graphics are more detailed in highest settings]

I love this server and its community/ies.

This is just another visual example of its long and rich Middle-earth immersive and player-character interactive nature captured in a video.

Elves and music under the starlight

http://i.imgur.com/QJQWGtv.png

In the

Hall of Fire

http://i.imgur.com/GfLX6VO.png

http://i.imgur.com/eF7OuGQ.png

http://i.imgur.com/YGWPkGs.png

http://i.imgur.com/Fwo5vcD.png

http://i.imgur.com/5XMhc09.png

[Pictures taken by the player of Herulomwe]

http://i.imgur.com/DflRZ1Z.png

Sea-elves journeying to Rivendell.

http://i.imgur.com/qLn9UEel.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RN4rhtKl.jpg

[Screenshots by the player of Istuir]

I am a new player and I joined Brandywine, as I know a couple people who play on it. I've been bringing a few friends over to the server as well. :) There are a decent amount of people that I've seen running around the lower level zones. If you're new and on Brandywine, hit me up! :D