New Middle-earth Network Radio Show Explores the Lands and Peoples of Middle-earth

If you, like millions of others from around the world, find yourself captivated by Tolkien's Middle-earth and the lands and peoples he created, then Middle-earth Network Radio's new show will catch your interest. Titled 'Beneath Your Feet', every "episode explores a region of Middle-earth and looks at it's geography, history, and peoples" says the shows host who goes by the name of Shipwreck. "I have been a Tolkien fan since the movies captivated me and the books spirited me away to parts unknown." he went on to explain when I asked him what had inspired him to host the show. "I've been a LOTRO player since 2008 and enjoy many other online games. I wanted to create a show that would be informative for general Lord of the Rings fans and LOTRO players as well to enhance their experience of Middle-earth."

The 'Beneath Your Feet' pilot airs tomorrow, August 21, at 2, 6, 10 AM EST and 2, 6, 10 PM EST so be sure to tune in and don't forget to check out the 'Beneath You Feet' official website.

RPG - Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons - most would argue the Daddy of all Role Playing Games (RPG's) and was the first major type of this game released, aka as Table Top Gaming it would become huge throughout the World. First copies of the Game were released in 1974 by Dave Arneson and E. Gary Gygax's TSR and was the first readily available Game of this type.

With this Game though there were problems, obviously not discovered till the Game went out to consumers were the teething problems found. This eventually led to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (ADnD) the 2nd Edition a much tighter version of the initial draft tightening up Rules and advancing Spells and Combat giving better structure to the Game itself.


TSR was eventually bought out by Wizards of the Coast to steady a sinking ship as Computer Games and such started the decline of sales of RPG's. Wizards of the Coast was then sold on to Hasbro who reportedly paid over 300 Million Dollars for the franchise.


ADnD Released in 1989 saw the end and the Franchise was renamed well reverted back to Dungeons and Dragons on the release of its 3rd Edition, these Rules formed the basis of the D20 System which was now available to other Publishers due to the Open Game License. They did this to combat Bootleg versions, share the love was their motto. After that came Edition 3.5 in 2003 and the 4th in 2008.


As of 2006 Dungeons and Dragons was still the biggest game of its kind with only Middle Earth Role Playing (MERP) a Tolkien based version of the Game using the Lord of the Rings story and surroundings came close to challenging their dominance. The popularity of DnD can be seen with their overall sales reaching 1 Billion Dollars World Wide.

I still love to game and play MERP every Sunday still today, preferring this system to ADnD, MERP just feels more real and in your face so to speak. I will be covering MERP next, hope you enjoyed the article and please contact me if you need any advice on starting your own Table Top Gaming sessions and above all enjoy.

War in the North Announces a Release Date - 11.1.11

Official Press Release: 

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Snowblind Studios today announce The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, the anticipated new video game based on the revered The Lord of the Rings novels and films, will launch in North America on November 1, 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows. The game’s Collector’s Edition, featuring behind-the-scenes looks at the game development, a specially crafted art book, digital download content and more, will launch the same day.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, rated “M” for Mature, transports players to unknown lands, as yet unexplored in film, as they journey to the Northern lands of Middle-earth. Intertwining the characters and storyline of the novel and films,  the game takes place in parallel with the well-known Ring Bearer’s quest, but in the equally harsh and contested lands to the North, as the battle for Middle-earth’s survival rages.

Developed by Snowblind Studios, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is an Action RPG featuring a unique 3-player co-op system. Gamers must battle, explore and journey together, balancing their strengths and weakness as a cohesive Fellowship of Human, Elf and Dwarf, or falter and perish in their journey. In every aspect of the game – combat, exploration, healing, even loot gathering – the Fellowship plays a vital role.

Pre-order War in the North Here.

Follow War in the North on Facebook and Twitter.

LOTRO Event ‘Ales and Tales’ to Air on Middle-earth Network Radio

Ales and Tales, a weekly fantasy role-play and ‘open-mic’ style meeting that takes place on Lord of the Rings Online’s Landroval Server, has recently celebrated their 100th gathering. The event was recorded as a podcast and will be the first of their meetings to air as a weekly show on Middle-earth Network Radio.

The group meets at a different location in Middle-earth each week, every Monday at 10:30 PM EST on LOTRO’s Landroval Server. Participants will “enjoy the pleasures of food and drink, music, dancing, tales and fine companionship. The entertainment is provided by the audience themselves, as individuals and groups come forward to offer tales, poems, and songs. Those in the audience may participate by drinking, smoking, sitting quietly and listening, kibitzing, dancing, giving out drinks and food, or whatever seems appropriate for your character to do in a pub. Its a great place to unwind after a hard day of fighting the shadow, as you kick back with a mug of ale and socialize with your fellow adventurers.”

It was “Galenswerd/Galenhir in LOTRO (also known to some as John DiBartolo), one of the founders of Middle-earth Network, who first began Ales and Tales. The meeting is hosted by Harperella & Lennidhren of the Lonely Mountain Band kinship. Some of their previous meeting locations include The Prancing Pony, The Oak N Barrel (a player-run inn), the Mathom Society, and the burnt remains of the Mad Badger. It was at the Green Dragon, where the very first Ales & Tales took place. And that, as the group states, is “where all proper adventures begin”.

You can tune in to Middle-earth Network Radio Thursday August 4th, at 1am, 5am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm CDT to hear the very first podcast of the in-game event!



Follow Ales and Tales on Twitter.

The Lonely Mountain Band LOTRO kinship can be contacted through their website.

Rise Of Isengard Expansion Pack - Screenshots Released

Well not long to go now until the new Lord of the Rings Online expansion pack is released - The Rise of Isengard, its out on the 27th of September but the development team have released some Screenshots to wet our taste buds. The Shots include the Gap of Rohan and the Tower of Orthanc. The shots look great and should satisfy bored Gamers.

The Rise of Isengard will consist of Three Zones with Isengard playing a major part with Dunland and the Gap of Rohan too. There has also been an increase in achieveable levels being increased to Level 70. Dunlan borders Enedwaith (the current boundaries). Isengard will of course feature the Tower of Orthanc, the home of turned Wizard Saruman. So remember RPG Posse 27th of September is time to take it to Saruman and the other denizens of Middle Earth.

The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild

This week Cubicle 7 announced they are now excepting pre-orders for their newest table-top role-playing game The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild. This officially liesenced game releases in early August. Featuring new and classic artwork by such famous Tolkien artists as John Howe and John Hodgson. It was written and designed by veteran game designer Francesco Nepitello, this latest incarnation of Middle-Earth table-top gaming will allow players to take on the role of their own original heroes in the lands surrounding Dale, Mirkwood, and the rest of the Wild in the aftermath of the Battle of Five Armies.

It is being released as a slip-cover set featuring a Player's Guide, a Loremaster's Guide, several maps, dice and a Loremaster's Screen. Priority pre-orders will be featured at $69.99, while standard pre-orders will be available for $59.99. Both pre-orders feature the same product, but the priority pre-orders will ship about a month earlier than standard. That is, priority orders are scheduled for an early August shipping date, while standard orders are scheduled for a mid-September release date.

Sideshow Collectibles Reveals War in the North Snow Troll

Hey Guys more War in the North goodies coming our way with a nice piece head lining the Fearsome Snow Troll. Not much is mentioned in Tolkien Lore about these Savage Brutes, though there is in Merp Lore (Middle Earth Role Playing) referred to as Ice Trolls mainly. Located in the Northern Wastes these Trolls bigger then their Kin and much Nastier (If possible) they do not turn into stone when daylight comes but huge slags of ice instead, so wary Travellers resting and using these seemingly innocent blocks of Ice for shelter may wake in the night to find a hungry Troll looming over them. It does look great with what looks like a Dwarf in a tricky position with the Troll grasping him by the waist.

Sideshow Collectibles are doing a full range mainly of the Fellowship but also including one of the Snow Trolls from War in the North, different looks of Arwen after her encounter with the Ring Wraiths and a celebrating Borromir just after the regaining of Osgiliath, seen in the Extended versions of the film, Borromir has a movable arm from downward into a victory pose, Gimli also looks impressive leaping over a Rock with Axe in hand.

From what we at Middle Earth News have seen the pieces are very well done, great attention to detail they are also a nice size adding a fantastic center piece to any Lord of the Rings fanatics collection. With many more pieces available including busts of the Balrog of Moria other Troll breeds and other well known characters from the series its well worth a look for yourself Here is a link to Sideshow's site so you can check out the Video yourself.

A Look at War in the North's Collectors Edition

Well with still no official release date rumour has it that Lord of the Rings (LOTR) War in the North (WITN) will be released around Fall pushed back from the rumoured Summer release we were all hoping for. All that said there is a silver lining with a Special Collectors Edition, which would be a great addition to any Tolkienites Collection.

Priced at around $120 (£75) it really does look great value for money, in addition to your copy of WITN you will recieve a Ranger of the North Quiver Case, WITN Art Work of all the games Characters and Enviroments, some Music from the game consisting of 3 Tracks and Interviews with Inon Zur at the Abbey Road Studios, there is also Digital content with a Ranger in the North Avatar for X-Box users and a Theme Pack for PS3 users.

With High expectations various outlets are offering free goodies when you Pre-Order from them, here is a list of what they are offering, so you can pick the one that suits you.

Wal-Mart: A Dwarven adventure awaits you when you Pre-Order at Wal-Mart, the Dwarf Theme Pack has an exclusive Dwarven Sword, Armor and Helm.

Target: Discover the beautiful sounds of Middle-earth with three exclusive tracks from the WITN soundtrack.

Amazon: Only available on Amazon, pre-order WITN and get early access to the second part of WITN Digital Comic written by Brian Wood, illustrated by Simon Coleby and produced by Super Hero Giants DC Entertainment. The Comic Book consists of the back story leading up to LOTR WITN. Gamers will also be bestowed with the Orc Champion sword (in-game use).

GameStop: Marvel at the Citadel of the Stars and the Tower of Stone with the Human Theme Pack consisting of an exclusive human sword, Armor and Battle gear of the Human Ranger, you also get access to the Osgiliath Challenge Map.

Best Buy: Take off on an Elven adventure with the Elven Theme Pack, consisting of a mystical Elven sword, armor and helm, you also get access to the Lothlorien Challenge Map.

Toys ‘R’ Us: Receive a rare imited edition, signed WITN poster by Jim Lee, and special access to download parts one and two of the WITN Digital Comic.

Don't you just wish Autumn would get here sooner.

LOTRO VIP Offer.

Lord of the Rings Online are doing a special offer at the moment for a limited time only for a Twelve Month Subscription is $99.99 with a monthly Subscription being $14.99 you can save a grand total of $59.88 over the Year which is a valid saving. VIP access grants you entry to all Races, Quest Packs and Classes during the run time of your subscription. Also you will get the jump early to New Content, a Monthly Turbine point grant, Extra Character Slots and much more ....

It's easy to become a VIP Member just go to https://myaccount.turbine.com/ and create an Account, Log in and Subscribe, this will guarantee you FREE Monthly Turbine Points. You can also go to http://www.lotro.com/free.php? for information about VIP Perks. If you are already gaming on LOTRO and are a current VIP, but want to be a part of the saving, Simply go to https://myaccount.turbine.com/, Log in to your current account, Change Billing Option and pick the 12 Month VIP plan for $99.99. Hope this was helpful, Happy Gaming.

What Middle-earth Network Is All About

What is Middle-earth Network?

We are the only place that provides My Middle-earth, a social networking community, where all fantasy fans can gather together and share videos, pictures, music, blog, vlog, learn, and inspire. We give fans access to Tolkien-inspired musicians, authors, artists, and top companies like Weta Workshop, Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine, The White Tree Fund, Ted Nasmith, Jef Murray, Doug Adams, Ian Brodie, Gandalf’s Fist, Arjan Kiel, The Tolkien Professor, The Lonely Mountain Band, A Casual Stroll to Mordor, Middle-earth Minutes, Mad Dwarf Workshop, and SQPN. We are the only place where you can tune in to Middle-earth Network Radio, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week and where Middle-earth News keeps you informed on the latest breaking Tolkien-related news.

We are Middle-earth Network and this is our vision:

LOTRO Reveals "Rise of Isengard" -Launching Septemeber 27th

Day 1 at E3 Expo and already Lord of the Rings Online has released a new trailer introducing their upcoming expansion, "Rise of Isengard". The addition boasts three new regions to explore, Dunland, Gap of Rohan, and Isengard as well as the ability to advance to level 75. 

If you can't wait until it's launch on September 27th,  LOTRO has three pre-purchase offers starting today:


Rise of Isengard Base Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
- Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with matching red cosmetic cloak for every character on your account
- In-game title – Guard of the Isen
- 25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Rise of Isengard Heroic Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
- 1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store
- Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with choice of matching cosmetic cloak and armor in your choice of red, white or green for every character on your account
- In-game title – Guard of the Isen
- 25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Rise of Isengard Legendary Edition -- – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
- 1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store
- All three Steeds of the Gap, new in-game mounts with matching cosmetic cloak and armor in all three colors for every character on your account
- In-game title – Guard of the Isen
- 25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65
- Access to the Path of the Fellowship Quest Packs including Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria, Lothlorien and Mirkwood




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Table Top Role Play, Getting Started.

Table Top Role Playing does not cost the Earth to play. All you need is a Players Handbook a few figures two ten sided dice and an imaginative GM (Games Master). The players handbook contains all valid information for rules, character creation, races, skills, weapons etc.... Figures are needed but only a few to begin with. So with this one Book and a few figures and dice it is possible to start a game then you build your collection, Modules, Figures and other extras to make your game more realistic and enjoyable. Do not forget to invite some friends along.

I personally believe ICE (Iron Crown Enterprises) published the finest works with the second edition being the most well rounded and complete, unfortunately due to the Tolkien Estate revoking rights due to pay hike ICE decided to call it a day and went bankrupt and no longer publish, though Modules are easily found at Game Shops or Online sellers such as E-Bay. The source books are amazingly in-depth with Maps and Towns to further your sight into Tolkiens world, how deep you go and delve is entirely up to you.

The important thing to remember is the possibilities are endless, you can visit anywhere from Moria's Deep's to the beauty of Rivendell, from the Gray Haven's to the dark of Mirkwood. With there being lots of material available, Source Books, Maps, Treasures, Monsters, History all your unanswered questions are answered, how powerful was the Balrog ? How big was Smaug ? What powers did the One Ring hold ? Anything you can think of is included in MERP Lore.

The rules system of the game is a more user friendly version of ICE's generic fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) Rolemaster. The Basis is stats of 0 - 100, two ten sided dice are used to determine a result these are added or taken from bonus skill ranks such as weapons or spells, the result is taken from the opponents Defense Bonus and a strike is counted on a Critical Table. The only tricky part is calculating experience although there is software in development to eradicate pen and paper (More Info To Follow). I hope this helps and if you have any queries don't hesitate to contact me.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North Invades E3 Expo

Get ready, gamers of Middle-earth, E3 (Electronics Entertainment) Expo is about to open it’s doors. For three glorious days, June 7th - 9th 2011, you can get a sneak peek at the much talked about and anticipated game, 'Lord of the Rings: War in the North'. The game boasts “intense, visceral, and satisfying combat...rich, layered, and impactful character progression”. And let’s not forget their newest addition, a Giant Eagle to aid in the fight against Sauron and his armies. 

In case you're worried about finding War in the North's booth in all the E3 madness, they've just released several photos. I don’t think you’ll be able to miss them -impressive!

Wondering how to fill your time during the evening hours? How about going to a War in the North live concert!  Each night Inon Zur will be conducting a live concert in a Middle-earth themed lounge, complete with cocktail parties. See here for more details.

This indeed will be an event to remember and Middle-earth News wants to hear from those who plan to attend. Send in photos and tails of your time and we’ll post them right here on our site.

Don’t forget: you can follow ‘War in the North’ on Facebook and Twitter.