J-Term Day 1: Welcome to the Lord of the Rings Online!


7 January 2018

Dear students,

It is with much excitement that I get to share one of my great loves with you over the next two weeks:
The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO)! Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous work, The Lord of the Rings, LOTRO is set within Middle Earth, and allows players to immerse themselves in the storyline in a way Tolkien never could have imagined.

Over the next two weeks, you can expect the following: each morning we will create our own fellowship and work our way through the game’s epic book quests on low-level starting characters (all hobbits). In the afternoon, we will roam Middle Earth on our choice of characters, and I will introduce you to deeds,
crafting, and hobbies.

Our first few days are designed to introduce you to Tolkien’s secondary world, the lore behind the series, and the playing style of the game. Resource management, collaboration, and communication will be our primary objectives as a class.

Perhaps my good friend Bumbo, the Happy Hobbit, put the rules of the game best: “Be nice, have fun, kill stuff, get things, and try not to die.”

Welcome to the Lord of the Rings Online!
-Dr. Helana E. Brigman
English Instructor
The Maine School of Science and Mathematics

Two-Week Schedule
9:00 a.m.--12:00 p.m.:
Epic Storyline

1:00 p.m.--3:00 p.m.:
Deed Runs & Solo Adventuring
(If you created a character over Winter Break, now is the time to play him/her!)

Monday, January 8th
9:00 a.m.--12:00 p.m.:
-Introductions
-Information about MSSM
-Starting zone & character: Hobbits, Hobbits, Hobbits!!!!!


The Hobbit prologue quests begin in Little Delving within the region of The Shire.

10:30 a.m.:
-Short break

10:40 a.m.:
-Class resumes
-Resume epic storyline (above)

12:00 p.m.:
-Break for lunch

1:00 p.m.:
-Class resumes
-Introduction to deed runs
  1. Brigand-Slayer (30, for 5 LOTRO Points!)
  2. Brigand-Slayer (60, for  10 LOTRO Points!)
  3. Slug-Slayer (30, for  5 LOTRO Points!)
  4. Slug-Slayer (60, for  10 LOTRO Points!)
  5. Wolf-Slayer (30, for 5 LOTRO Points!)
  6. Wolf-Slayer (60, for 10 LOTRO Points!)
  7. Goblin-Slayer (30, for 5 LOTRO Points!)
  8. Goblin-Slayer (60, for 10 LOTRO Points!)
  9. Harvest-Flies (30, for 5 LOTRO Points!)
  10. Harvest-Flies (60, for 10 LOTRO Points!)
  11. Spider-Slayer (30, for 5 LOTRO Points!)
  12. Spider-Slayer (60, for 10 LOTRO Points!)
  13.         TOTAL: 100 LOTRO Points



-Shire Explorer Deeds: https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Explorer_of_the_Shire
-The Sights of the Shire Deed:
  1. The Party Tree (28.9S, 71.5W)
  2. Methel-Stage (32.5S, 69.9W)
  3. The Stocktower (33.0S, 63.6W)
  4. The Quarry (27.9S, 65.7W)
  5. The Bridgefields Wall (30.6S, 64.1W)
  6. The Great Willow (33.6S, 69.9W)

-The Farms of the Shire:
A. Dora Brownlock’s Farm (31.3S, 72.7W)
B. Bamfurlong (34.3S, 64.4W)
C. Old Odo’s Leaf Farm (33.8S, 68.0W)
D. South Fields (34.4S, 74.4W)
E. Appledores (29.4S, 72.0W)
F. Puddifoot’s Fields (31.1S, 64.2W)


Great resource!: https://fibrojedi.me.uk/lotro/explorer-of-the-shire-deeds/
Note: there are no LOTRO Points for these two deeds, but they do count towards a larger “meta-deed” titled, “Deeds of the Shire.” Upon completion, this deed grants you 100 Marks (we will discuss this when we hit level 15), a Bronze-bound Lootbox, a Sturdy Steel Key (worth 40 gold in the current Auction Hall Economy!!), and Increased Reputation with The Mathom Society (1,200).

2:00 p.m.:
-Short break

2:10 p.m.:
-Class resumes
-The Life of a Bounder (Complete a certain # of quests to complete a “meta deed”):
  1. The Life of a Bounder (complete 15 quests  for 10 LOTRO Points): https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/The_Life_of_a_Bounder
  2. The Life of a Bounder (advanced, complete 40 quests for 10 LOTRO Points): https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/The_Life_of_a_Bounder_(Advanced)
  3. The Life of a Bounder (Final, complete 75 quests for 15 LOTRO Points): https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/The_Life_of_a_Bounder_(Final)
3:00 p.m.:
-Surprise present!

3:15 p.m.:
-Exit Ticket: Post a comment on the class blog—
—about any questions you still have and things you are excited about as our J-Term progresses. Also! Suggestions are welcome (just make sure they are constructive!). Remember: this classroom is as much your teacher’s as it is yours, and I welcome opportunities to make it more productive and better for you.


Homework: Finish The Life of a Bounder, Advanced--complete a total of 40 quests within the Shire for 10 LOTRO Points.
You can check this by clicking “Shift + L,” selecting “Eriador” in the upper-right-hand-corner of your screen, and “Shire” at the bottom-left tab. Scroll through until you see where you are with “The Life of a Bounder, Advanced”





Comments

  1. Personally I am having trouble equipping my two best weapons; they currently replace each other. Alt- Dohldar

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weapons will say if they are main hand or main hand and off hand or purely off hand. To equip a weapon that is also off hand, provided you have the skill for wielding two weapons at the same time, press 'c' to open your character screen and click and drag the weapon into the offhand slot. Hope that helps!
      Bri

      Delete
  2. Despite (all of) the tricky circumstances today, I think that we made the best of it! I enjoyed playing today a lot, especially all of the antics that our group of hobbits got up to. I don't have any questions, really, since I've been playing since before break. However, I look forward to tomorrow!

    ~Gwea / Perbirvert

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have no questions, but I am really enjoying this J-term already. Playing video games is always fun, and talking with Bossa, Ooger, and Bumbo is great! My alt is Fernwood, a man captain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Daniel Brower- One thing that I am unsure about is how to find how much currency i have without a vendor being present. I enjoyed the running mob of hobbits mentality. Alt: Dravenn the hunter elf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To see your wallet, press 'c' to open your character screen. On the bottom of that window will be a button that says Wallet. Click on said button.
      Bri

      Delete
    2. You can also just press the B button to open the wallet straight up

      Delete
  5. I think this will be the best J-Term I will take.
    Being a hobbit rather than an Elf gave me a different perspective to the game.
    It should be an interesting two weeks, with all the mic issues(including myself).
    I look forward to this
    Can't think of any questions atm.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought today was fun! A little too fun... I think we should be a little more productive to catch up a little. My alt is Naethlegol, a hunter man.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am new to MMOs, so this is my first experience with many of the gameplay mechanics of such a game. After playing all of today and last night, I can say that I prefer the gameplay of single-player RPGs more than this, but the whole point of an MMO is obviously to connect with a whole community of people, like your friends that we met, so perhaps not as much effort went into gameplay. I do find the quest-based nature of the game really fun, and it reminds me of the two years I spent playing Skyrim... My alt is a man guardian, Etheyrferth.

    ReplyDelete
  8. All i am gonna say is that yall are an amazing group of people. MSSM is lucky to have you as students!! (And an incredible teacher too)

    Bossatron. LOTRO Guide

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hit 'B' to view the barter wallet with your currency and some other tokens.

    ReplyDelete
  10. How can I join this class! I promise to make a new toon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dr.. Brigman, my hat's off to you for this!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dr.. Brigman, my hat's off to you for this!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is wonderful! I'm really impressed, and will be following your adventures.

    ReplyDelete

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