He's wandered all over Middle-earth...
Gathering thoughts on LOTRO social events over the Winter period
One of my favourite times of year in LOTRO is Yule, the seasonal festival over December and January. The festival is a lot of fun and usually is highly attended, most likely due to people having time off work for Christmas. This year was no different, with several player events marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next.
I joined in with the Winterhome Wassailing (30 December 2017) and the Grand New Years Hobbit Snowball Fight (1 January 2018) led by the Brandy Badgers (Grand Mathom) and organised two events myself, the Laurelin New Years Eve celebrations (31 December 2017) and the Tolkien Toast (3 January 2018).
Winterhome Wassailing (30 December 2017)
http://laurelinarchives.org/node/44500
Wassailing is the Anglo-Saxon tradition of wishing good health for the coming year. There are two different versions – the house-to-house wassailing or the orchard wassailing. In the house wassail, people would travel door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts. The orchard wassailing was prevalent in cider-producing regions of England, where groups would gather in the orchards to sing to the trees with the hope of the orchard producing a good harvest for the coming year. Wassail in Anglo-Saxon means to “Be in good health.”
There are wassailing events still being organised in the UK. Back on the 14 January 2017, I attended one in Lancaster at the Fairfield Millennium Orchard.
Wassailing at Fairfield Millennium Orchard, Lancaster (14 January 2017)
In LOTRO, the Brandy Badgers lead a merry band of guests around various places in Winterhome and at a convenient point, would stop to play music, sing songs and dance. It’s a lovely little event, taking place right in the heart of the Yule festival itself, so often others will join in whilst they do their festival tasks. The Badgers also host a Wassail in the Shire, during early January.
Gathering at the gate of Winterhome for the LOTRO wassailing.
Wassailing in the Workers' area (bang that anvil!) of Winterhome, LOTRO
New Years Eve celebration (31 December 2017)
http://laurelinarchives.org/node/44977
If there is one thing I love about LOTRO (as a MMO) that makes it stand out from other games, it is the sense of community that it brings. This was true of the Gilrain server I started on, and also very true of Laurelin, the server I now call home*. One thing I know, even with all the people online playing LOTRO in a shared world, it can get a lonely place and sometimes it’s just nice to reach out and give someone else a moment of your time. I also know New Year’s Eve can be hard on people, because it’s supposed to be a time of coming together whereas for many it’s more a time of loneliness.
With that in mind, and building from the success of last year, I planned a small event that would cover many hours as Europe saw in the New Year. I advertised for about a week before and on the day, anyone online was invited to join in. I had hoped for my partner-in-crime from last year would be about to help run it, but alas he hadn’t logged in for some time. So it was decided to keep the event simple, a gathering atop Bag End**. Music was played, people danced, fireworks were set off, drinks were downed and as each new midnight happened across Europe, a chorus of “Happy New Year!” rang out across the Shire and beyond.
I had worked hard the previous year and this year at the Yule festival to build up tokens, so I was able to assemble a “Yule gift sack” for all who joined us – one of four Yule gift boxes (Elf, Dwarf, Bree-land, Hobbit), some fireworks, some drinks and some pipeweed – all you need for a celebration, Shire-style!
I stayed with the party until my 1am, then headed to bed for a few hours sleep, getting myself up (just after) 5am GMT to see in the New Year with our American players, hour after hour until Alaska had called “Happy New Year!
Music was provided by fantastic warrior-bard Skaldfi, who stepped in on the night, after a slight miscommunication with a US-based player who had graciously offered to bring their own band. Apologies Celetathar, GMT and EST got a little muddled for both of us! Other musicians had their turn on the table as well, so it was a very entertaining night!
I couldn’t have done it without you Skaldfi, I am eternally grateful… free 2018 New Year’s Eve?
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* My forum signature includes the line: “We have left the wandering spark (Gilrain) to find the Song of Gold (Laurelin)...” though with all the glod-sellers about recently, not sure if that is a jinx!
** 2017 being significant for Bag End's occupants in the ongoing LOTRO story since Frodo saw the completion of the Quest of the Ring at Mount Doom this year.
Setting up before the first call of midnight, Bag End, LOTRO
Grand New Years Hobbit Snowball Fight (1 January 2018)
http://laurelinarchives.org/node/40432
I can’t believe I nearly missed this event! I was busy elsewhere sorting out in-game housing (but that’s another blog entirely), so it was lucky a friend reminded me. Each year the Grand Mathom kin (Brandy Badgers) hold a snowball fight at Winterhome during the Yule festival, using the in-built snowball fight quest game mechanics – always fun, always a laugh! I was able to get there and throw a few snowballs.
The post-snowball fight line up, Winterhome, LOTRO
Tolkien Toast (3 January 2018)
http://laurelinarchives.org/node/44959
For several years I have had the good fortune to run the annual Tolkien Toast on the Gilrain server and then the Laurelin server. The event celebrates the anniversary of JRR Tolkien’s birthday on 3 January. The LOTRO event has changed format over the years, but for the last two years I have sorted out an itinerary that works well and I hope to re-use each year, if possible expanding where I can. I use a plug-in called Lyrical to help with the storytelling aspect of the Toast, without this invaluable tool, such events would be near impossible to organise.
So the event consists of meeting at the Bird and Baby Inn, Michel Delving, where I talk a little about Tolkien, including his association with the location and its significance. We then do the Toast to “The Professor!” whilst setting off fireworks and other fun activities. For those who can spare a little time, I then take them off on a little adventure heading towards Hobbiton and further afield, in search of Tolkien’s LOTRO avatar, Ronald Dwale. I won’t spoilt it any more than that, just in case anyone wishes to partake in the Tolkien Toast 2019! The Toast is always well-attended and I am ever grateful for any who can spare time to join in.
The Tolkien Toast, Bird and Baby Inn, Michel Delving, LOTRO
(thank you to Axel for the image)
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