I may not be your typical gamer. Pong, Space Invaders and Galaxia were my entries and by the time the MMO’s came out I was busy doing other things. My nephew corralled me into Guild Wars a few years back and that started my infatuation. And then as i was tiring of GW finite world, I had tried EQ2 and others looking for a deeper experience,  along came Lotro beta.

We all have had those geeky moments in this game ..mine was in Beta, seing the moon come out over Weathertop. My lifetime account was sold at that moment.

First it was my Hunter, Jennuin. (I had switched servers following some kinnies and Rascal was already taken) I felt at the time that Jennuin would be a good tag since I had had the Guild wars experience with umpteen LEETDOODZ and IWILPWNYA players and I felt the need to separate myself from them, wanting to be a genuinly nice player. Well that one choice led to many others.

It blossomed from there. Jennerous the Burglar, Jenntry the Haughty Champion and Artphul the Lore Master. I really didn’t set out to create a stable of female characters (outside of poor Artphul)..it just sort of grew in the telling..er um.. playing. And as anyone on voice chat can attest. I am definitely male. As for  Jennerous her name was a play on the name verses the profession. And Jenntry seemed to fit as a regal elf, counterbalanced by her Champion nature.  Artphul is my lore Master and probably my least favorite of the lot (go figure).

And then , because it seemed that one account would no longer do, The second lifetime account and Jenneral The Captain and Hoppsing the Hobbit Minstrell came into being. Jenneral continued my tradition of “Jenn” names and was a shoe-in for the class. Hoppsing was a bit trickier as my first Hobbit and having no name connection to the “Jenns”. However I can now surmise that as I was nursing my brother through cancer at the time, I did look fondly back on the many nights watching Bonanza with him as a kid. Cancer may have won that battle, but Hoppsing still wields “Little Joe’s Walking Stick” (2nd age club) and carries “The Cartwright Family Byble” (2nd Age Min Book) in game. (Yes the game made me spell Bible that way)

All of these characters completed the retinue. Or so I thought..

Because as Moria opened I had the itch once again, and Wist the Rune Keeper and Jab The Hobbit Warden came to be. Wist the Dwarf seemed appropriate, and by this time the shorter names were better IMHO. And then came Jab, the Hobbitt Warden, which originally was going to serve as my representative from the Cook’s Guild. Ahh well, they both grew up together..what can I say.

Please Turbine…dont create new classes … to soon

Art the Altoholic