A Hobbits Journey

Tribute to Dol-Amroth

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Hail and well met friends!

Since the release of Western Gondor on Lord of the Rings Online, I thought it fitting to give a tribute to Dol-Amroth since it’s one of the great cities we are now able to gaze upon in our journey within the game.

images (2)City of Dol-Amroth

Let’s take a quick look at some history of this great city and where it formed.  We’ll start with Imrazor the Numenorean who moved to Edhellond According to tradition,  he married Mithrellas, a Silvan Elf of Lorien who bore a son which they named Galador.  After Imrazor’s death, his son Galador went on to found the city and later the princedom of Dol-Amroth.  Galador is counted the first lord of Dol-Amroth though the specific date of its foundation is nowhere recounted

373e5f204898613396a34130d2806d21The city of Dol-Amroth was built south of Edhellond at the inlet of Cobas Haven which was in the Bay of Belfalas. In the north of the city was built the Seaward Tower of Tirith Aear. The banner of the city was a silver swan, which were also seen on the battle banners carried by the knights during the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

The lands of Dol-Amroth were also known as Dor-en Ernil, which Galador’s father Imrazor lived and ruled.  It was also named the ‘Lands of the Prince’ which Galador inherited when he founded princedom over Dol-Amroth.

The first settlers of the area were Sindar from Beleriand and the people of Dol-Amroth were tall, grey-eyed, and dark-haired. They were famous for their abilities as the most skilled harp players in all of Gondor, who also played at the coronation of Aragorn. The inhabitants of Dol Amroth and in the lands nearby were some of the few people of Gondor who spoke Sindarin as a main language.

The Nazgul – Part Three

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The Last time we left off we had just seen the Nazgul defeated at the Ford of Bruinen as they were pursuing Frodo to Rivendell.  Washed away and forced to flee we now regroup to see the fate that unfolds for the Nazgul and our final episode on them.

tumblr_lp8vvfyy4h1qg8i80o1_1280Fleeing to Mordor

Returning to Mordor in complete failure, the Nazgul were forced to abandon their hunt for the Ring.  The Nine received Fell Beasts as their new mounts which replaced the horses they had lost at the Ford of Bruinen.  Battle ready once again with their new mounts, the nine attacked the city of Osgiliath with an army of Orcs and swiftly held this location.

 

inspiration-of-medieval-language-and-literature-good-vs-evil-in-tolkiens-rotk-22the-witch-king-of-angmar-minas-tirith22-john-howe

The Battle of Pelennor Fields

After this, they made way for the assault on Minas Tirith.  Sauron once again unleashed his deadliest servant The Witch-king to lead his forces at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.  During the battle, the Witch-king confronted Gandalf the White when attempting to enter the city.  Before the Witch-King could engage the great wizard, the forces of Rohan arrived. The Witch-king fled attacking Gandalf immediately to deal with the new threat against his masters forces.  The Witch-King turned his focus upon King Theoden on the battlefield.  As Theoden was crushed by his horse, the Witch King prepared to finish him off but Eowyn and Meriadoc Brandybuck rode out on the battlefield before the Witch King and Theoden’s niece confronted Saurons deadly servant.

 

Cory Godbeyhttp://corygodbey.com/ Death of the Witch-King

Engaging the Witch-King in battle, Eowyn killed the Fell beast. The Witch-King, however, was unaffected by this and attacked Eowyn with his mace.  After breaking her arm, the Witch-King readied the killing blow, but Meriadoc stabbed him in the leg from behind with his Barrow-blade.  Injured, and now off-guard the Witch-king screamed in pain.  Eowyn standing with no fear stabbed her sword into the Witch King’s crown and body killing the lord of the Nazgul and fulfilling the prophecy of Glorfindel.

 

images (1)The Fate of the Remaining

During Battle of the Morannon the remaining eight Nazgul, mounted on Fell beasts, attacked the Army of the West. The Nazgul were confronted by the Eagles, led by Gwaihir. During this time Frodo claimed the Ring near the fires of Mount Doom.  Sauron becoming immediately aware of Frodo, as well as his own folly. Enraged and frantic, Sauron ordered the Nazgul to capture the ring from Frodo.  However, the Nazgul failed; the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom when Gollum bit Frodo’s finger and fell into the Cracks of Doom, with the ring.  Sauron was defeated by the loss of the Ring, and Mount Doom exploded with gigantic volcanic eruptions engulfing all eight of the remaining Nazgul destroying them, their form, and power dissipating forever.

Though this wraps up our series on the Nazgul and the lore behind them it sets us up for our next episode of the Shirelings Weekly Bugle.  Until next time; I am your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a farewell.

 

The Nazgul – Part Two

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Back in action this week and when we left off last time we had just seen the return of the nine in the Third Age.  This week we pick up with the Nazgul in search for the One Ring.

 

NazgulFinalBLOGThe Hunt for the One Ring

Near the beginning of the War of the Ring in 3018, Gollum, who once had the Ring in his posession, was captured and tortured in Mordor.  This lead Gandalf to think the Enemy had now heard and learned of hobbits, the Shire, and even the name Baggins.  He was absolutely correct and knew the Ring Wraiths would soon be on the doorsteps of The Shire looking for the Ring.  Gandalf knew the only thing to do was advise Frodo to leave the Shire and make for Rivendell, taking the Ring with him.

When the Nine entered the Shire, they learned the Ring was in the possession of Bilbo Baggins’ nephew, Frodo Baggins.  While searching for Frodo, one of the Nine, Khamûl the Easterling, had his first encounter with him.  As Frodo and his friends, Sam, Merry and Pippin, took Bucklebury ferry to reach Crickhollow, The Wraith Khamûl, who had missed them at the ferry, was forced to go around to the Brandywine Bridge. Shortly after this, the Nine arrived at Frodo’s new home in Crickhollow.

Though Frodo had already left for Bree by the time the Nine arrived, they were soon given information regarding Frodo’s whereabouts by Bill Ferny, a spy of Saruman.  This being the cause of the Nazgûl attacking Bree, where Frodo was awaiting Gandalf.  However, during the time it took the Nazgûl to reach Bree, Frodo and his friends were hidden away by Aragorn for protection against the Nazgul.

tumblr_lk49n0SoPE1qj19qpo1_500The Journey and Battle at Weathertop

Unable to find the Hobbits, the Nine left Bree, and several days later they encountered Gandalf at Weathertop who was searching the area while on his way to Rivendell to meet up with Frodo.  This lead to a massive battle between Gandalf and The Nine which Gandalf escaped but four of the Wraiths pursued him.  The other five Wraiths remained near Weathertop.  Several days later,  Frodo and his group made camp at the base of the ruins of Amon Sul.

Discovering them, the five Nazgûl attacked and as they confronted the four Hobbits, Frodo put on the Ring and attempted to resist the Nazgûl. The Nazgûl leader The Witch King of Angmar stabbed Frodo with a Morgul-blade.  Aragorn arrived and was able to drive off the Nazgûl with fire.  Aragorn realizing Frodo didn’t have long to live he knew they needed help and that the Nazgul would be back.

flighttothefordCrossing The Ford of Bruinen

The Nazgûl, now regrouped continued the pursuit of Frodo and his company. They caught up with Frodo who was riding the horse of Glorfindel and making his way to Rivendell.  The Nine chasing Frodo to the Ford of Bruinen demanded Frodo hand over the Ring.  Frodo refused and defied them, the Nazgûl began crossing the river to take the Ring.  However, the water, enchanted by Elrond and Gandalf, formed a great wave and swept the Nine away, killing their horses.

Lacking the means to successfully attack Rivendell, where Frodo and his companions took refuge, the Nazgûl were forced to retreat to Mordor on foot and stop their hunt for the Ring.

We are getting close to wrapping this series up as next week we will take a final look into the demise and fall of the Nazgul.

Until next time.

Rune Keeper Class Overview

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Hail to all those fellow RK’s out their in Middle-Earth!

I would like to give a big thank you to one of my fellow kin-mates Torunuir Tarikabar for writing this wonderful article and allowing me to feature it on the website.

Torunuir is one of those kin-mates that just make LOTRO more fun!  He brings a unique gaming perspective to the table, and his knowledge about Middle-Earth is mind blowing at times as he’s like a Tolkien dictionary.  He has done a fantastic job on this overview of the Rune Keeper and I hope you all enjoy!

An Overview to the Runekeeper

A hybrid DPS and healing class, a fully buffed Runekeeper (referred to as RK) is not to be despised. Capable of laying down fire, lighting, a decent amount of CC, and healing, RK’s have the potential to solo small fellowship quests as well as being a compliment to any fellowship. The Keeper uses the attunement system, which is shown as a large bar that swings from side to side depending on skills used.

There are three types of Runekeeper skills: damage, healing, and neutral. While damage and healing skills seem natural, some neutral skills, such as Self-Motivation, bring attunement toward neutral rather than towards damage or healing. Keeping an eye on attunement incombat is essential for success; the higher attunement, the more powerful skills become. Some skills require at least one damage/healing attunement before they can be used. For example, Word of Exaltation, the basic RK morale bubble, requires at least one healing attunement before it can be used.

Post Helm’s Deep Update (U12), trait trees were added to all classes, with the Runekeeper being no exception. They are as follows:

1)      Solitary Thunder (DPS) – yellow tree

2)      Cleansing Flame (DPS) – red tree

3)      Benediction of Peace (healing) – blue tree

While the DPS can be attained in either DPS tree, play-style and fellowship needs will generally dictate what trees the RK should trait into.

Solitary Thunder

                Also known as the lightning tree, this DPS tree stresses mobility and CC while dealing damage at the same time. Traiting in this tree yields Writ of Lightning, a potent damage and debuff skill. When stacked to full tier, this Writ debuffs the target’s lighting mitigation, leaving said target more vulnerable to any other lightning attack.

                While there are other vital skills for the RK in this tree, a few vital ones to note are Sustaining Bolt and Epic Conclusion. When Sustaining Bolt is first acquired, it seems weak, since it does not deal as much damage and provides merely a reduction in skill power costs. However, when enough points are slotted into the tree, a class trait is unlocked that allows Sustaining Bolt to heal morale. Couple this with the fact that Word of Exaltation can be used out of healing tree, and there is a new survivalist potential to this tree that the other two trees lack.

                Finally, Epic Conclusion is perhaps the most powerful skill this tree has to offer. Starting with a fair amount of base damage, if Harsh Debate and Thunderous Words are proc’d, then the combined result is extremely power. Since keeping an eye on what has been proc’d is so important, a circle appears on the side of the RK when each of these is obtained. When both are acquired, a streak of lightning appears between the two circles, and the succeeding bar turns blue. Using Epic Conclusion now increases its damage, its crit chance, and reduces its cooldown by half.

While words only explain so much, experience is key, so try heading to a camp of enemies and experimenting a bit. Much can be learned by trying different combinations in different situations, experience that is vital in stressful situations.

Cleansing Flame

                Unlike lightning DPS, stationary DoT is the name of the game in the fire tree (note: there is more AoE damage than lightning as a result). Stacking and keeping stacked fire DoT’s is essential to playing in this tree. Writ of Fire, when upgraded through class traits, will tier down instead of just dropping off when it times out, so keep that in mind. Also, along with stacking Writ of Fire, stack Fiery Ridicule as well. FR, also when upgraded, will affect up to three nearby enemies, and, FR’s DoT can be refreshed by the use of Essence of Flame, another AoE fire skill.

Once fire skills are stacked, time is needed to take full effect of all the tiers put on a target. While the stacks are going, use a skill that will deal more damage without affecting the stacks on a target; I personally use Smoldering Wrath. While Wrath can be used at any time, I have found it useful to use to deal even more damage while my DoT’s are taking effect. However, Shocking Words or Combustion can be used for different effects, there is no one right way to play.

                As this is but an overview, one other key skill to note is Essay of Flame. It is only accessible through class traits, but it removes the induction of your next skill. Use it wisely; it has a 10s CD.

 

Benediction of Peace

                Ah yes, healing, the part of difficulty for many Keepers. RK healing as a whole can be summed up into a single statement: Healing over Time. As a healer, every situation, every instance is different, making it tough to have a predetermined healing skill rotation. However, there are a few things that any healer should keep in mind.

                First, since time is essential here, protection while time is ticking is required. RK’s have a couple skills that accent this process: Word of Exaltation (single target) and Essay of Exaltation (all allies within 20m). Both of them are morale bubbles, and insulate their target to a degree while the healer is stacking healing on them. For stacking, use Writ of Health (it tiers down as well), and keep an eye on Bombastic Inspiration. BI, when expired, heals for a few thousand morale instantly rather than over time, making it incredibly useful in instances such as the Watcher. BI can also be used while moving, so, if as a healer, you are forced to heal while mobile, BI is your new best friend. Side note for stacking: if you are the sole healer in a full fellowship, consider using Rousing Words to spread a Writ of Health among all your nearby fellowship members.

                Of course, as with any pull, there are emergencies. This is where skills that yield instant morale earn the most merit for RK’s. Mending Words (shorter induction but less health) and Epic For The Ages (longer induction but more health) come in handy here. Both heal considerable amounts of morale, and EFTA can be upgraded to yield splash morale.

In conclusion, the Runekeeper is a versatile class with a lot of potential. It is also simple to learn, but hard to master. Time and experience will help the mastering process, but, when mastering is attained, the RK becomes an unstoppable force in the hands of a capable player.

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#Classes #Runekeeper

A Look Into Bree

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This week we’re taking a quick look into the village of Bree which is one of my favorite places in   Middle-Earth.  When I was a boy I used to day dream of living in Bree as I could just picture how fascinating of a place it was. Though we don’t get to see a lot about Bree we do have some historical facts that Tolkien wrote about this wonderful place.

The name Bree means “hill” according to Tolkien, referring to the fact that the village of Bree and the surrounding Bree-land were clustered around a large hill.

Bree sets East of The Shire and just South of Fornost if you’re looking at the map of Middle-Earth and was a settlement of men in Eriador which was established by the time of the third age. After the collapse of the Arthedain kingdom, Bree thrived but it did so without any government for some time.  Bree lies at the center of two major roadways, one being the Great East Road and the other the Greenway.  It was a place of trade for goods and a quick shelter to many travelers.

One interesting real life fact is JRR Tolkien base Bree off of the Buckinghamshire village of Brill which Tolkien visited quite often while teaching at Oxford.  It is also said that Tolkien lived in Brill for a short period of time as well.

Tolkien wrote of two different origins for the people of Bree. One was that Bree had been founded and populated by men of the Edain who did not reach Beleriand in the first age. The other origin was that the men who founded Bree came from the same line as the Dunlendings did.  Though these two histories of men are not completely contradictory as the Dunlendings were descended from Haladin who were counted the second house of the Edain.

Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield met in Bree on pure happenstance which started the events we read about in The Hobbit and the quest of Erebor.  This event started the finding of the One Ring by Bilbo Baggins and by the time of the War of the Ring Bree was the westernmost settlement of men in Middle-Earth, and there was no other settlement of men within a hundred leagues of the Shire.

bree-land-map-archet-combe-staddleBree was the main village of Bree-Land, and the only place in Middle-Earth where men and hobbits were found together.  Bree-Land had four main villages that made up that portion of land.  You have…

  • Bree which was the largest settlement. Mainly populated by men but you also had hobbits who worked at the Prancing Pony Inn which had special hobbit-sized rooms. A lot of commercial trade happened within Bree at its peak and on occasion you would have some adventurous hobbits make their way from The Shire and visit Bree.
  • Staddle was mainly a hobbit population and made their living off of farming. This land produced such things as fruits, vegetables, and even pipe-weed. Staddle was on the south-eastern side of Bree-hill.
  • Combe was populated primarily by men, with some hobbits, and again this was another farming community. Combe was right at the borders of Chetwood if you were looking at the map. .
  • Archet was the furthest north. Located in the Chetwood, it was populated by men.

 

The Nazgul – Part One

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After taking a break from writing this past week and finishing up the Newbie Blogger Initiative event for the month of May I have been itching to get this new post out so I hope you enjoy.

We’re taking a look at Sauron’s dark servants The Nazgûl or also known as the Ring-Wraiths, Black Riders, or The Nine which is my favorite name for these menacing enemy’s of Middle-Earth. They were the dreaded ring-bound servants of Sauron who served him through the second and third ages.

Ringwraiths_by_COVENS_OZ

Once nine great Kings of Men, they were all given Rings of Power. The Nine took them without question and subsequently, after the forging of the One Ring, became slaves of Sauron and later his lieutenants.  Centuries later the effect of the rings left the kings spectral, invisible to all but Sauron and whoever wore the One Ring.

Only two of the Nine were ever named: You have the Witch-King of Angmar which I will be doing a series on later this month, and you also had Khamul, the Lieutenant of Sauron.

The Nazgul in the Second Age

During the Second Age of Middle-earth the Elven-smiths of Eregion forged the Rings of Power, nine of which were given to great and powerful kings of Men.  For many years the nine kings used these rings, which gained them great wealth, prestige and power. However, the effect of the rings made their bodily forms fade over time until they had become wraiths entirely, and served only the second Dark Lord Sauron.

The nine, were first seen around 2251 of the Second Age, and soon became established as Sauron’s primary servants, though they were temporarily dispersed after Sauron’s downfall in 3434 at the hands of Isildur in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

nazgul-the-lord-of-the-rings-movie-hd-wallpaper-1920x1080-1709When the Nine Returned 

Because the One Ring was not destroyed, the Nazgûl re-emerged around 1300 of the Third Age. It was around this time that the Witch-king of Angmar started war against the kingdom of Arnor. The first target was the realm of Rhudaur. After conquering Rhudaur and replacing the Dúnedain king with one of the native Hillmen, possibly descended from the kin of Ulfang, in the year TA 1356 the Witch-king moved against Arthedain, resulting in the death of King Argeleb I.

Arthedain hadn’t been defeated just yet, it still managed to hold a line of defense along the Weather Hills.  The attack came on Cardolan around TA 1409 and during this time, the forces of the Witch-king burned and destroyed the watchtower of Amon Sûl. With the fall of Cardolan, Arthedain’s capital Fornost followed, and with that the last kingdom of Arnor was destroyed.  A year later, a prince of Gondor named Eärnur arrived with the intention of aiding Arthedain.

Discovering that he was too late, he and his army marched against the forces of the Witch-king, utterly destroying them at the Battle of Fornost. The Witch-king escaped and retreated to Mordor, as Angmar had served its purpose.  At some point, the Witch-king sent Barrow-wights to the Barrow-downs to prevent Cardolan from being resurrected. Upon his return to Mordor, the Witch-king gathered the other eight Nazgûl.  Around the year TA 2000 the Nazgul attacked and after a two year long battle finally took Minas Ithil.  They renamed it Minas Morgul, and also acquired a Palantir for the Dark Lord.

It was from Minas Morgul that the Nine directed the rebuilding of Sauron’s armies and the preparation of Mordor for their master’s return. In 2942 Sauron returned to Mordor, and declaring himself returned by TA 2951. He sent two or three of the Nazgûl to garrison his fortress Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. They were led by Khamul, the second most powerful of the Nazgul behind the Witch-King.

Be prepared as next week we will continue our story and finish out what happens to the Nazgul in the Third Age and discover the critical role they play in Sauron’s great plan to overtake Middle-Earth.

 

To Blog Or Not To Blog Tis The ?

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7 How-To Steps in Starting a Blog

I wanted to share some of my personal findings that have helped me over the years of blogging.  But wait, this article is being written for the “Newbie Blogger Initiative” and I said I was a “Newb” in one of my previous articles? This is only partially correct as I’m very new when it comes to the world of writing/blogging about games.  I’ve only been in this specific realm for about five months and loving every minute of it….though I’ve had a lot of experience in blogging I still count myself as a “Newb” in this realm.

I’ve been blogging around six years total and writing since childhood so I’m hoping some of the tips I’ve learned will be a benefit to you all on your journey.  Whether you’re blogging as an individual, for a community site, business, or whatever facet it might be this “How-To Guide” will hopefully benefit the start of something great for you.

To blog or not to blog is the question…Right?  It is if you’re thinking about starting a blog and a darn good logical question. What are the core pieces of this puzzle that need identified before diving head first into Blogging?

Let’s take a walk through some of the major questions I’ve heard and even asked myself over the last few years of blogging.

1. Why Start a Blog?

This may sound like an obvious question but blogging takes a lot of hard work beyond just expressing yourself in writing, so understanding your motivations will help focus your efforts.

Some Examples of Why People Blog:

  • To tell a story
  • To establish themselves in a specific niche of writing
  • AKA – writing for the Newbie Blogger Initiative about specific subjects
  • To make money
  • To support an already existing business

Before you take the leap of blogging and invest a large amount of time into something you may not have the patience, time, or even want to commit then try test driving a blog first.

  • Start a blog on a free hosting option like WordPress.com or even Blogger.com though I prefer “WordPress” either can help with getting a sense of what’s involved.

You could also write for another blog if that fancies you.  This gives you the benefit of blogging and gaining experience in the world without the worry of maintaining your own blog.  At times a good blog post could take you several hours to write, plus you have editing, formatting, links, images, and optimization so this is where the time investment comes in.  Sometimes writing for someone else has its perks as all you have to do is focus on the writing.

2. What’s the focus?

What will you be writing about?  Specific topics, genre based food, movies, business, etc.

A few things to consider when writing

  • What are you interested in?
  • What is your area of expertise?
  • What sets your blog apart from others?

Accept it, once people begin reading the material you’ve posted they will begin to categorize what they read.  Will people connect with what you write because they understand it and interested?

 3. What’s the name of your Blog?

How will you identify your blog? Include the site name (note: this isn’t necessarily the URL) and tagline.  Once you decide, it can be difficult to change your name.

  •  Make it Easy. Skip URLs that have dashes or are difficult to remember. Also consider if it’s available on the major social media networks.
  • Check that the URL is available. To me self-hosting a blog is best. Domain names are not expensive…so if you’re making the plunge grab it now so you don’t lose it.
  • Attention Grabber. Your blog’s name needs to hook people’s attention or they’re gone. Would you want to read something that didn’t interest you, or put you to sleep five minutes in?

4. Brand and Design (Logo & Layout)  

The brand is your personality, the core of what people connect with when they see your blog.  Design focuses on how your blog’s information is presented to viewers.  Though connected with branding as you want to stay consistent the design connects viewers with the content of your blog.  Consistency is the key to set your blog apart in terms of branding. Not sure how or where to start in branding your blog?  Take a look at the things that interest you and what sources you go to for that information.  How do they brand?  Is it consistent, simple, and easy to understand?  Get ideas from others who have already invented the wheel.

  •  The Theme. This is the frame of your site. It lets you control your content and how it will be formatted for webpages. A theme is independent from your content. Choosing a theme is personal preference but most free blog hosting sites offer themes you can try before selecting one.  You can also pick up premium (paid) versions of themes as well.
  • Content Management. How do you want viewers to see the information?  Navigation around your blog is crucial to keeping audience’s attention.
  • Posting Content. This includes the typefaces, margins, colors and other ways that you format your content to the viewers.

 5. Organization Skills – Got Them?

Do you want a blog that is well organized? Since a blog should be on-going, you should create a schedule for publishing on a regular basis so readers have something to come back to.

Things to Think of –

  • How frequently will you publish content?
  • What topics will you write on regularly?
  • Will you have a variety of writers as well as guest bloggers?

Regardless of how much you know about your topics, you need to be on top of the latest trends and continue to learn if you want to be relevant on up to date material.

6. Let it be Seen – (Optimization)

Even if you’re the next best top author out there it means nothing if no one can find what you write. Optimization means you can be found easier through search, social and mobile.

One of the easiest ways to optimize your site is building reputation through Social Media.  This means engaging in the social media craziness…which can be a tad scary and overwhelming at times if you don’t know where to start.  For some tips on where to get started check out an article I wrote called Typing Tid-Bits for Social Media

Optimizing your blog for searches involves some strategy at times. Mainly focusing on one specific keyword and making sure that the keyword is in the post, along with tags that link to what category someone may search for.

7. Building an Audience

First don’t forget what we talked about earlier…people have to know your blog exists and want to read what’s on it.  This can be one of the most difficult aspects of blogging.

How do you build an Audience?

  • You have to get traction.  Meaning you need to keep posting and build the material you have on your site.
  • Don’t give up if you don’t see a lot of movement on the site a month after starting it.
  • Get the word out about your blog how you will build that on-going audience.  Don’t just write for yourself as that’s no fun most of the time.  Make this blog an extension of your personality and drive it so people know what you have.
  • Be creative establishing your visual brand and creating your logo. For most bloggers, this is limited to the start up phase. Alternatively, you can put something together yourself and modify it once your blog gets going.

If you love to write and know you want to start a blog just remember that the writing portion is just one piece to the puzzle.  Don’t get discouraged by the process of blogging as it can be very fulfilling as long as it’s done correctly.  I hope this guide to starting a blog will help you in your journey and that these tips help attract an audience for your site.

Typing Tid-Bits for Social Media

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Social media can be an incredibly important tool for socialites, business owners, bloggers and website owners promoting content. One of the things it can also do is be overwhelming, frustrating, and leave you feeling like you have no idea what you’re doing. I’m hoping this brief how to will be of some assistance and help give a better understanding of how to use social media in a positive way.

Let’s start with the big question – Do you have a goal in mind for using social media, or is it just the fashion fad of the tech world and catch phrase that caught your attention?  All the cool kids are doing it right, so why not hop on that band wagon and try it out.  Or, did you have a vigorous planned out attack that you are prepping for and will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal?  Either way you look at it you’ve probably chosen to use social media for some purpose and there are still some basics that come in handy to know.

Not sure where to start with Social Media?

I mean there are so many choices… oh my head hurts and I just can’t figure it out.  For instance, you have Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram to list some of the big boys on the block. What do all of these social wonders have in common with each other? “They connect people to other people in the digital world” They help bring 140 character ideas to life, or allow family that’s a thousand miles across the world to view pictures of a new born baby, or maybe someone just wanted to take a picture of a turtle and post it cause they thought it was “Cute” yes I used the word cute and referenced it back to a turtle. Social media has a plethora of uses, but the best thing it does is make people just curious enough to click on whatever randomness you’ve decided to post, as long as you have people who follow you.

Well how on earth do you get people to follow you?  I mean real people you actually want to connect with.  Think of it this way…why do we decide to make friends with certain people but not others, or choose to like a particular brand of clothing vs. another, or even enjoy a Coke better than Dr. Pepper?  It boils down to personal preference and what you feel best connected with or feels that it brings some satisfaction along with it.  Social media is no different and if we want followers than we have to know how to provide something people can connect with and enjoy.

You can choose whichever social platform you like best but for what I use social media for I’m connected to about everything you can possibly think of.  They are tools for me to connect not only myself but others to what I’m putting down on the table.  I’m a blogger; specifically a blogger who loves to write about games, games of all types and I want my audience to know or at least feel connected to the things I write about.  Social media allows me to get my material out into the public viewing area where people can now choose to stumble upon it, or even search it out.  It becomes a two way street of I want to provide something of an entertainment value where people can then consume what they like of that material, but it also brings the option for them to comment, give feedback, critique, or even discard because they don’t like it.  I don’t like that last option but some people may just not connect with the material you publish on your social media sites.

Here are my four basic rules for posting to any social media hub and I hope you all can take some goodies away from this.  It has helped me tremendously in the past and I wish the same for all of you who read this article.

  1. The Topic – What Will you Post, What’s the Idea?

o   Do you have a specific topic your writing about, is it clear and make sense, write it out first and read it back to yourself first before you publish.  “Proof Read, Proof Read, Proof Read”

  1. The Audience – Who are you Connecting With, Does it Fit?

o   Pretty much what it sounds like, if you are a gamer and your writing about a specific game and doing reviews but your posting your material for an audience of cooks…. Well it really doesn’t fit the criteria of Connecting with the right audience!

  1. The Frequency – How often do you Post?

o   Keeping an audience connected not only comes down to the material you write, but how often you post, and when do you post.  Some social media posters try to stick to a schedule which is smart if you’re a business, but what if you’re a blogger posting about a new game you’re playing.  Does that still count… in my mind yes it does.  You still want to connect people to what you’re doing right? Hard to connect if you aren’t active.

  1. The Interaction – Reply, Reply, Reply

o   Don’t let a comment, or mention go unanswered.  Let your audience know you actually stay connected and reply back to comments they have left.  They wouldn’t have commented if it didn’t mean something, even a little to them.  How would you feel if you were the only one talking in the conversation and no one ever said anything back?  This is just the digital version of a conversation.

#SocialMedia

Burglar Class Overview

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BURGLAR CLASS OVERVIEW

Even though the Burglar class has been around in Lord of the Rings Online for a minute or two now, it is a fairly new class for me.  I started my Burglar about six months ago and honestly didn’t play much with him at first because I was gun shy of the class.  I’ve always enjoyed the ranged classes better than the up in your face, hand to hand combat types.  Oddly enough though, my first class I started in LOTRO back in 2009 was a Champion….go figure.

The biggest looming factor I think that always kept me at an arrows shot away from starting one of these swift footed, knife wielding, killers was the lack of understanding on their purpose.  I’m not a LOTRO guru that understands all the ins and outs of everything within the game but I have my favorite aspects and love to make sure I know what I’m doing.  So came the brave idea of let’s create a Burglar and use him as a SOLO character to learn how to play with him.  Needless to say it’s taken me a long time to get to know my cloaked marauder.  That’s where I wanted to start and break down some key aspects of this now growing favorite class of mine within LOTRO.

What I learned early on is the Burglar isn’t a DPS monster like the Hunter or Champion.  The Burglar seems to be able to hold his own in moderate crowds of battle but when overwhelmed he can go down very quickly.  These guys are masters at disguise, debuffing bad guys, and crowd control masters.  One of the things I learned very quickly is pre-planning all your attacks come in very handy.  I was used to nuking from a distance with my Hunter or AOE’ing everything within swinging distance on my Champion with no regard really.  So the thought of pre-planning a few attacks when I’m not in a RAID, Skirmish, or Instance was mind blowing to me.

These guys have the ability to stack bleeds together to make life really tough for foes; they can also stun you and have you “Dead” before you blink.  Pretty much an endless bag of tricks is what you have at your disposal for taking down any type of hairy situation you get yourself into. In solo play, Burglars are one of the best in my opinion because of their versatility and ability to take down multiple mobs with a bit of planning.

The Burglar class is available only to Hobbits and Race of Man.  Seeing how Bilbo was a Burglar, I thought it fitting to create a Hobbit Burglar of my own…though I’m not quite the legend as Bilbo I have heard some rumors starting as I’m roaming through Bree late at night picking some pockets.  Oh wait, I mean grabbing a few drinks at the Prancing Pony.  Hobbits can also acquire a stealth skill that stacks nicely for the Burglar.  Hobbits can also acquire the “Hobbit-Silence” trait and seems to work better for getting that unwanted aggro off of you.

Key Attributes

Agility is the critical stat for Burglars, as it affects your melee critical chance and evade rating. The higher you’re agility, the better chance of scoring those critical hits and a bigger chance of enemies missing you during combat.  You can take a look at your other stats but boosting that Agility will also increase the offensive and defensive stats.  Like the Hunter getting your stats like you want is mainly all gear driven it seems.

Burglars do extra damage when they are able to attack from behind.  Remember when I said they are masters at disguise and sneaking about.  This is a prime example of where to use it…sneak up on an enemy and attack.  Solo play is one of the best ways to use this tactic, but if you are in a group and you have a Tank then let him grab aggro before you start stabbing those knives into the back of your enemy.

Crowd Control Kings is what one of my kinmates refers the Burglar as.  The statement I made earlier about not understanding this classes purpose, well this is it in a nutshell.  He’s the crowd control king for group play.  Burglars have a wide array of options to achieve this as well and learning how to use them is most important.  If you look at the default crowd control skills you have Riddle, Diversion, Addle, & Provoke which also does melee damage and lessens the critical chance of an enemy attack.

With the release of Helms Deep you now have the Trait Tree system which brings three new lines to choose from for all classes in LOTRO.

The Burglar has the following lines to choose from.  I’ve tried all three and the Yellow Line is my favorite by far as its where all the tricks come in.  The Burglar however is a class you need to analyze the situation with and find out what trait line will work best with before you just rush into battle.  It’s that whole pre-planning the attack thing I mentioned earlier and a lesson I learned the hard way –

  • The Gambler – Blue Line / Uses damage over time and chance to defeat foes. Gambler Burglars rely on the roll of the dice to inflict damage and influence outcomes of the fight.
  • The Quiet Knife – Red Line / Uses stealth and position tactics to deal damage. Quiet Knife Burglars pounce on their enemy from the shadows, dealing large amount of damage on their opening attacks.
  • The Mischief Maker – Yellow Line / Applies and removes tricks to hinder foes. Mischief Maker Burglars can control fights by tricking their foes into submission.

IN SUMMARY

The Burglar is one of the most advanced classes in the game except for the Warden in my opinion.  It’s also, after you learn how not to die every five seconds one of the most fun and exciting classes to play.  You do not have to be a VIP subscriber to roll one of these magnificent classes as it’s available to all free-to-play accounts.  This class is all about outwitting the enemy so if you like the challenge of planning attacks, sneaking about, and don’t like brute forcing you’re way through the game then The Burglar is calling you’re name.  If you haven’t started a Burglar or maybe reluctant because you don’t understand the class, I’m hoping this article helps open some doors on this class.

Why I’m Participating in NBI 2014

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What exactly is this thing called NBI?

Being so new to the blogging world of gaming and seeing a title like “Newbie Blogger Initiative” this really stood out in the crowd to me.  I’ve decided to pair with NBI and participate in a month long bloggers initiative as a “Noob” or “Initiative” as they call it.  The first time I had heard of NBI was through Twitter and specifically by a fellow Blogger & NBI Initiate Braxwolf Stormchaser who posted a link to the NBI site.  He posted a very simple statement on his Twitter feed “Oh, I’m Liking This” and for whatever reason that and the Newbie Blogger title that was listed next to the link caught my attention big time.  So, what does a curious guy like myself do but follow the link that was posted…and low and behold everything that NBI was doing peaked my eagerness to participate.

I’ve been blogging and writing for years so to say I’m a “Noob” at blogging isn’t quite the case, but I’m a “Noob” in the world of blogging about gaming.  Though I’ve been an avid gamer for a lot of years I’ve never even had a second thought about starting a blog for gaming or writing about gaming.  It was when LOTRO came out and Turbine announced the Free 2 Play option allowed me to step into the world of MMO gaming at my own leisure which sparked the interest to begin my blog.  The thought of a live interactive Middle-Earth was overwhelmingly awesome to say the least.  It wasn’t until January of this year that I finally took the plunge and started my blog www.ahobbitsjourney.com  and by starting I actually mean I bought the domain name from wordpress.com…so yes I took a big plunge into a really big pool.

I began writing under a pseudonym title of a character I created many years ago for a book I’m working on and decided to open a Twitter account to start publicizing my site which led to gaining some followers, and new acquaintances amongst the gaming community.  One of those acquaintances was Braxwolf who I mentioned earlier in this article, who also writes for the LOTRO Players team which led me to listening to their podcasts and plugging myself even farther into the gaming community…or at least trying to.  These last few months have been my first attempt into writing about games and has become such a passionate hobby for me.  I look forward each week to planning out new articles, connecting with new people, and growing in this very deep rooted community that has been formed. 

 Now that I’m writing about gaming, the thought of participating in NBI’s initiative brought even a greater sense of welcomed challenge to the table.  Since I haven’t had a ton of exposure in the gaming realm of writing I thought this would be a perfect chance to get involved and learn as much as I possibly could.  Though time is always a factor for me and I just never seem to have enough of it.  Like most I have a full time job, a wife and six year old triplets…yes I said triplets.  Needless to say I’m a tad busy outside in the real world which was a factor for me as I have to weigh out anything that would add to my already slim and un-forgiving schedule. The biggest deciding factor and the best one in my opinion about this adventure is my wife and I write and blog together so this has become a family event for us.  Though it feels weird calling myself a “Noob” after writing and blogging for so many years but in the same way I feel like a fish out of water in this new realm of writing.

My hopes for this event, though new…I know will be a great challenge and will open up opportunities and doors for area’s I’ve never even thought about before. I’m really looking forward to meeting new people, expanding my network and hopefully make some new blogging friends that one day might be able to co-write or host with on my website.

With all this being said this is why I’m participating and I’m super stoked to for all the events coming up with NBI 2014.