Join us this coming Saturday (July 19th) for an exclusive chat preview of Shadow and Flame! Shadow and Flame creators Alessio Cavatore and Alan and Michael Perry will be joining us in #Havens to discuss their work on Shadow and Flame and answer questions about Game Workshop’s latest expansion to the Lotr Tabletop Battle Game: Shadow and Flame!
The chat will be held at 1:00 pm EST (6:00 pm GMT, 10:00 am PST, and 3:00 am AEST for all you down-under night-owls) at #Havens in Barliman’s chatroom, which is located at irc.theonering.net port 6667. For instructions on how to get to Barliman’s, check out Barliman’s homepage here. If you don’t have an IRC Client and would like to connect directly through your browser, you can access #Havens by clicking here.
Bring your questions and enthusiasm. We hope to see you there!
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There is no doubt that trees had a special place in Tolkiens heart. In Middle-earth they whisper, they walk, and before Sun and Moon was made, two trees gave light to the world. The forces of darkness, like Saruman and his orcs delight in cutting the woods down, but in Middle-earth the trees themselves can go to war, led by those most curious of Tolkiens creations: the shepherds of the trees. [More]
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There is no doubt that trees had a special place in Tolkiens heart. In Middle-Earth they whisper, they walk, and before Sun and Moon was made, two trees gave light to the world. The forces of darkness, like Saruman and his orcs delight in cutting the woods down, but in Middle-Earth the trees themselves can go to war, led by those most curious of Tolkiens creations: the shepherds of the trees.
Trees and Tolkien
Some of the most enchanted places in Tolkiens world, like Lorien and Ithilien, were covered with woods. Where else find Galadriel and the heart of elvendom than in a golden wood of Mallorn trees? And the elves were not the only ones who gave special significance to trees. The very symbol of the Numenorean culture is a White Tree. When Aragorn, whose name means ‘royal-tree’, ascends the throne of Gondor, a sapling of the White Tree is sought out and found.\par
It is therefor not surprising that when Tolkien set out to write an allegory about storytelling, he chose to compare a story with a Tree. Most fitting when considering how The Lord Of The Rings branches out as we move from the gardens of Bag End.\par
Join us this weekend in #thehallofire as we explore the importance of trees in Tolkiens writings.
Upcoming Topics:
July 19-20: Tooks and Brandybucks
July 26-27: What fascinates you most about LoTR and Middle-earth?
August 2-3: RoTK, Book 6, Chapter 1: The Tower of Cirith Ungol.
August 9-10: Tolkien and Canon
August 16-17: Colours in Tolkien’s World
August 23-24: RoTK, Book 6, Chapter 2: The Land of Shadow.
Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
Having trouble working out a time zone near you? Try this.
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net. And don’t forget that you can check out previous chats here.
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US Cable Network “Starz” will be showing the FOTR extended edition all through July. If you haven’t had a chance yet to see the full 208-minute version, here’s your opportunity! [More]
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Gaming Havens has updated with a plethora of information including Exclusive Screenshots from Middle-earth Online, and Treason of Isengard as well as stunning new screens from EA’s Return of the King! To top it all off they also have an interview with Chris Taylor, producer on Middle-earth Online! Truly your ONE Resource for Tolkien Gaming. [Gaming Havens]
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Screenshots, interviews, it’s a Middle-earth Online frenzy! Take a read through July’s letter from the MEO Team!
Hi all,
Close your eyes and picture Bag End. Chances are that you can see it almost as clearly as many of the places that you go every day. The homes that Tolkien visits throughout The Lord of the Rings are described in such vivid and loving detail that they are almost characters in and of themselves. One of the tasks of the MEO team is to recreate these dwellings so that players can live as well as adventure in Middle-earth. This month we’ll be sharing more information on the MEO housing system.
The first step with every aspect of MEO game development is to look at how a feature fits into the work of Tolkien. In this case one of the things that immediately springs to mind is that the races of Middle-earth live, for the most part, in distinct towns and regions, such as the Shire or Rivendell. At the same time, individuals of every race wander through the world, and frequently take up residence with new friends. To conform to this vision each race in MEO will have separate housing areas within the game, but any characters of any race will be able to stay close to their friends by purchasing housing in any town they can reach.
Another question that had to be addressed was the issue of who could claim a house. There had been some thought that only Kinships should be allowed to own housing. Ultimately, we thought that this system would be overly restrictive – after all Bilbo owned Bag End all by himself. So players in MEO will be able to inhabit individual houses, which they will have to pay individual rent on.
But there are some areas of the world where paying rent would conflict with our goal of staying true to Tolkien’s vision. For instance, gaining a house among the Elves will be based on proving your usefulness to their cause and your importance among your peers, as measured by Kinship size, not by paying rent!
Those are just some of the issues that we wrestled with in designing the housing system of MEO. Each week this month we’ll be releasing more info about the houses; their look and style, how they’ll be rented, and even some artwork. Stay tuned!
Namarie,
-The Middle-Earth Online Team
So who wants to come crash at Camp Flinch? Middle-earth Online is just going to be one awesome Tolkien Gaming Experience!
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