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.

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.

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.

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




Follow LOTRO on Twitter and Facebook
Follow Turbine on Twitter and Facebook
Follow WB Games on Twitter and Facebook

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.