Rohan – Close the book, Turbine, I don't want to read anymore

[AltitudeAvalanche]

Amusing post. Very funny.

However I only agree with a few small part of it, in that the Horn/Nona storyline is pretty ridiculous, although some of the quests are fun. I really don't see the point of the Elf that's involved either. Oh, and just about everyone in Rohan does look alike.

But I find most of the epic questlines to be well thought out and constructed, but too brief.

[ingo2]

Adds Chrysoprase to my "Swallow Coffee Before Reading Any Posts" list.

While I don't agree with you, I find your post very agreeable. Thanks for the laugh!

[Candaithfan]

I'd love to read your opinion on the Wildermore questlines . Especially the later part, once you're done with people telling you about their tragic past ...

But keep your hands off Nona. My hobbit girls love to finally travel with an intelligent, independent young lady after ages and ages dealing with cowardly dwarves and incompetent rangers for so long

Huh? How are the rangers incompetent?

[job2]

Nona and Horn are like a rug that really ties the room together.

[Goodgoing]

I want Horn and Nona to be killed off. The rangers were more interesting company than them. IMO At least they could have the Epic Story focus more on the members of the Fellowship now that we caught up with them in Rohan.

[randomthing]

Seriously, nobody even seems to NOTICE that I'm a hobbit. Chances are they've never seen or heard of a hobbit in their life and they don't even question my presence. Heck, I wouldn't mind doing extra quests to "prove myself" to them as a hobbit, it would add to the story.

I'm having the opposite problem... Everyone keeps telling me that i am not of the Rohirrim, even when i have the "of Rohan" title.

[Gedrevn]

I feel terrible to have missed this post in July.

Definitely truths, especially now with Rohan where every single region can be summed up to:

"Thane sends you on 1,100 menial quests before being backstabbed by one of his advisers who was secretly working for Saruman"

Or Edoras where you've been welcome in the Halls of Rivendell, come through the depths of Moria, traveled with Aragorn, Gandalf, and Frodo...so now you can help two brothers look for notes and clean their house, epic.

[OldMadeOfLions]

the Horn/Nona storyline is pretty ridiculous, although some of the quests are fun. I really don't see the point of the Elf that's involved either.

I don't think the things that Horn and Nona are dealing with are that ridiculous (especially after playing through Volume III again over the past couple weeks), but we won't be seeing them for awhile now.

And I like Corudan because he gets to say many of the things that they're too human or too involved to say. Also he's just so happy to meet an Ent.

MoL

[Darlgon]

I'm having the opposite problem... Everyone keeps telling me that i am not of the Rohirrim, even when i have the "of Rohan" title.

OMG, YES. I want to coldfish slap them. Hello, I am a fellow countryman. Thats WHY I CREATED MY ARDEN AS A ROHIRRIM. For this part of the story.

Nona and Horn are like a rug that really ties the room together.

Something to walk all over, spill drinks on and generally look to replace in a few years when they are out of style?

I don't think the things that Horn and Nona are dealing with are that ridiculous (especially after playing through Volume III again over the past couple weeks), but we won't be seeing them for awhile now.

And I like Corudan because he gets to say many of the things that they're too human or too involved to say. Also he's just so happy to meet an Ent.

MoL

I agree MoL. I may not be a great Horn Nona love affair fan, but the comments they made as we went into.. Woodhurst.. were pretty insightful and pretty much explained how they fit into this part of the book. Hoping to find a place where their cross-faction love would be accepted. Too bad it turned out the way it did.

Corudan appears to be a sniper, taking pot shots at the lovebirds, the thains, the player, whoever he can hit. I do wish he would have had a few lines more in the concluding battle of HD, maybe hanging out with Legolas, trying to get him to run out to see the wood that appeared overnight out there.

[Bobby_Crocker]

Nona and Horn are like a rug that really ties the room together.

Well then I hear The Dude wants his rug back - we should let him have it (them) and get them out of our game. This drawn out love story will not stand, man.

[Halanderiel]

The main problem with the post-Great River epic is that the central drama that we keep returning to - Nona and Horn - is one that neither affects us, not one that we can solve or even influence by our actions. It's a will they/will they romance between two characters that we have no pressing reason to travel with or necessarily care about. At least Nona appears in a dream, but when she leaves...

The epic as a whole is a confused mess. Our main mission was supposedly to chase the Three Hunters (when we know where they are, what happened, and that we can't do anything about it from the books/films), but that conflicts directly with using the epic as a guided leveling tour of the landscape, which as a result is defined as vaguely 'aiding the people of Rohan' in the exact same ways non-epic questing would have us do. 'We need faster horses' leads to a long quest chain when you can ride a standard horse to Fangorn in 5 minutes, and then when you get your warsteed the epic sends you riding in the opposite direction for more 'we need unspecific aid' reasons.

No mention of the Fellowship, and a good reason to investigate the towns, would have worked far better. HD suffers from the same problem, with the added kick in the teeth that all questing is gated behind watching wooden re-enactments of book scenes.

Rohan really should have been a single expansion. Same area, half the villages/towns, no Hytbold, The Battle of Helm's Deep its own separate release (in place of entirely skip-able Wildermore), and an Epic not treading on the coattails of the books. Would have cut out a lot of busy work and artificial obstacles to us accomplishing what I thought were supposed to be our goals, not had us stuck in a single culture for 2 years, and maybe let us see Mordor before the world ends.

[Bobby_Crocker]

I just had a perverse thought for when we finally do get to Gondor and see the end of the war ...


We meet Aragorn as he exits the Houses of Healing.

“Well met again, <PlayerName>. We’ve come a long way, have we not? From the soup-stained tables of The Prancing Pony, to the top of the Hornburg, and now the city of Gondor herself!


“We’ve been through so much together already, but there are still great deeds before us. Tonight the entire city gathers to feast someone of great importance. A potter recently developed a new glazing technique, and thanks to the improved tiles he’s able to make, the rate of sewage removal from the city has increased by almost 2.5%. Truly, this is an age of wonders!


“This celebration would not be complete without you, <PlayerName>. One of the cinder-maids has absent mindedly tracked soot all over the floors of the feasting hall. Please take this mop and bring the floors back to a sheen worthy of our honored guest the potter. Once that is accomplished the kitchen stewards will have something for you – empty plates you’ll need to fill and bring to our hungry guests. All of Rohan speaks with wonder and amazement at your deftness in cleaning off and filling plates. They speak of you as if you were Skoraa the Scullery Wench reborn, so I know you will not need to be reminded that an important guest such as the potter should never see his plate empty.


“I’ve also been told that, during the Battle of Pelennor Fields, you braved almost the entire host of Mordor to bring Lady Eowyn her sword, which she then turned and used to slay the Witch King. Such bravery must be rewarded! Please take these 172 silver pieces. When you next purchase a stable ride look on those coins and remember your friend Aragorn.”



You get [mop].

[Rowellan]

Loooool!

Thanks for making me spit coffee allover my monitor

[Eldarian_Grace]

I just had a perverse thought for when we finally do get to Gondor and see the end of the war ...


We meet Aragorn as he exits the Houses of Healing.

“Well met again, <PlayerName>. We’ve come a long way, have we not? From the soup-stained tables of The Prancing Pony, to the top of the Hornburg, and now the city of Gondor herself!


“We’ve been through so much together already, but there are still great deeds before us. Tonight the entire city gathers to feast someone of great importance. A potter recently developed a new glazing technique, and thanks to the improved tiles he’s able to make, the rate of sewage removal from the city has increased by almost 2.5%. Truly, this is an age of wonders!


“This celebration would not be complete without you, <PlayerName>. One of the cinder-maids has absent mindedly tracked soot all over the floors of the feasting hall. Please take this mop and bring the floors back to a sheen worthy of our honored guest the potter. Once that is accomplished the kitchen stewards will have something for you – empty plates you’ll need to fill and bring to our hungry guests. All of Rohan speaks with wonder and amazement at your deftness in cleaning off and filling plates. They speak of you as if you were Skoraa the Scullery Wench reborn, so I know you will not need to be reminded that an important guest such as the potter should never see his plate empty.


“I’ve also been told that, during the Battle of Pelennor Fields, you braved almost the entire host of Mordor to bring Lady Eowyn her sword, which she then turned and used to slay the Witch King. Such bravery must be rewarded! Please take these 172 silver pieces. When you next purchase a stable ride look on those coins and remember your friend Aragorn.”



You get [mop].

A superb satire

[Frieja]

I think Bobby_Crocker is a writer at Turbine. Now we know how the story ends