Eonwe Valar: Afraid I didn't make it.
VardaValar1: I was on some during the week and that Friday earlier, but had to cede the computer to raiders later on Friday.
VardaValar1: So for Friday we had Bilbo, Eowyn, Elwing, Sauron, Fangorn, and myself
VardaValar1: For Uldaman server's Wednesday Hordeing,
VardaValar1: we had Fangorn, Elwing, and myself.
VardaValar1: We are working on collecting guild bank money, tricky at
our low levels and not playing enough, but we pitched more at it. : )
VardaValar1: For LotRO:
VardaValar1: Landroval server, just to mention since we did for the other games,
VardaValar1: We are trying to make some special run times, set up by Warlords.
VardaValar1: Ancalagon is such a one and his second run also went off well.
VardaValar1: We went through the Black Crack into Goblin Town
VardaValar1: and all the way to kill the Goblin Chief.
VardaValar1: We started with a full group of 6 Valarites, all level 50 (top)
VardaValar1: and as some had to leave, filled in their spots with other Valarites.
VardaValar1: Since we're all friends, it went quite smoothly on the changes.
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VardaValar1: We are working on how to get the word out to members.
VardaValar1: LotRO kinmail that automatically goes to all kinmembers seems to work well.
ArPharazonV: oh, that's neat
ArPharazonV: could put out a newsletter or something that way
VardaValar1: It can be done by any officer, and I give officer status to Warlords, who are very active and good LotRO players.
VardaValar1: We have a News page and Forum. : )
ArPharazonV: yes, but true, for strictly LotrO related stuff :-)
Eonwe Valar: Thinking about it, think I'll have to send one out to tell people to look to their inboxes for the GPMU mail.
VardaValar1: Feel free to send anything you like to print on the News or use the Forum.
ArPharazonV: *true, but
VardaValar1: We also have a LotRO section on the Forum.
VardaValar1: Aye, we use the kinmail for special events.
VardaValar1: The mail can clog up rapidly.
VardaValar1: We also used the kin message of the day to spread the word, and the News.
ArPharazonV: hmm, Eonwe... sending mail telling people to check their mail telling people to check their mail...
VardaValar1: Word of mouth helped as always.
VardaValar1: This is just in LotROmail that we do the kin events. : )
VardaValar1: Both Anc and I thought the other was going to put up the info on the Forum, so we missed that.
VardaValar1: Next time, it is going up.
Eonwe Valar: No, sending in-game mail, to tell peopel to check their out-of-game mail to send me an out-of-game mail :}
VardaValar1: We found out that Friday evening and Saturday morning seem to work well.
VardaValar1: eww
VardaValar1: Actually, I could kin message to email game info to Eonwe. : ) Not mail.
VardaValar1: Eonwe could do that too, since he's an officer. : )
Eonwe Valar: True, message of the day is useful that way too :}
VardaValar1: We need to remember to put gaming runs on the forum to help people learn they can sign up there,
fladrifv has entered the room.
VardaValar1: and because we have a number of members cross-guilded.
fladrifv: Aiya
ArPharazonV: Aiyata
VardaValar1: Welcome back, Fladrif. :-)
VardaValar1: Connection looking better?
AriehnV: Aiyata, Ent :-)]
VardaValar1: You had a report for us on a game called Spore?
fladrifv: Aye I do
fladrifv: I have been fiddeling around with the very primitive sof life
fladrifv: to help them step up from one cell to a massive land crawler
fladrifv: its basically a new game from maxis
fladrifv: it gives a total freedom of building your own master animal
VardaValar1: So, you put up an obelisk...?
fladrifv: with legs!
ArPharazonV: haha
fladrifv: 14 eyes
fladrifv: and an electrified tail
VardaValar1: *runs*
ArPharazonV: I've seen youtube movies of people creating... well, creatures.. that are based on things from WoW
fladrifv: very qute if I may say
VardaValar1: *skids to a halt since it can't hurt*
ArPharazonV: moonkin, tiny magmadars, little taurens, etc
VardaValar1: So, how do we get to try this?
fladrifv: lets see if they released a demo
VardaValar1: Buy it somewhere?
Eonwe Valar: It should be out today actually, if memory serves.
ArPharazonV: they released a free feature which you can use to build up creatures some time ago
ArPharazonV: might be able to get it somewhere still
AriehnV: i think actually Helm has got thjat one
Eonwe Valar: Aye, Dracxil's been watching this game as well.
fladrifv: ah the creature creater is free
AriehnV: i ll ask him tomorrow
fladrifv: its out in stores aye
Eonwe Valar: So I guess the secret is out now, Varda....
VardaValar1: Love to try the creature creator. Where do we find it legally? : )
fladrifv:
http://www.spore.com/trial
fladrifv: I boughtmy copy in a store here
fladrifv: so it should be out world wide
VardaValar1: We try to tell them all they need is musical instruments and a good theme.
VardaValar1: Thank you.
ArPharazonV: I think I'll go look for it in a store somewhere this week :-)
Eonwe Valar: How we got Melkor to go into the Void. Threw a laptop with this on it through the Doors of Night. :}
VardaValar1: I'm going to have to check it out.
VardaValar1: hehehe
ArPharazonV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soWhhsWAVIk as a fun example :-)
Eonwe Valar: Is that the one with Robin Williams?
VardaValar1: Very short, but gets the idea across.
ArPharazonV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjwTgWWGsUg is longer
VardaValar1: Looks like quite a list of them.
Eonwe Valar: There's one where Robin Williams is making a Spore creature, if you're amused by Robin WIlliams.
ArPharazonV: hmm, apparently there's even little Illidans....
ArPharazonV: I think I might make some Zerg creatures when I get it.... see if I can get an ultralisk out of it or something
top
VardaValar1: So, for our
Tolkien topic, which was going to be very short on Hobbit archers,
VardaValar1: we could do how creation operated in Middle-earth.
VardaValar1: Or you can suggest something. : )
Eonwe Valar: Very short on Hobbit archers,... do I sense a pun there?
ArPharazonV: was thinking the same thing, but not sure if pun is the right word
VardaValar1: *punt*
VardaValar1: We know Hobbit archers were sent to Fornost, so they had been around a good while.
Eonwe Valar: In fact, I believe they were sent twice to Fornost :}
VardaValar1: And we know Hobbit archers were good enough to kill Grima Wormtongue.
VardaValar1: So archery must have been something not all that uncommon.
ArPharazonV: (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC_nnMH1Q9k as last link, showing how the things are built)
Eonwe Valar: Aye, Hobbits are known for their accuracy as I recall.
ArPharazonV: they probably used archery for the hunt, if they ever hunted
Eonwe Valar: Well, known to those who knew of them in the first place, anyway.
VardaValar1: Hobbits, especially dads, may have to add to what they can grow to feed their families and people.
VardaValar1: As much as Hobbits like to eat, they would probably try every source.
Eonwe Valar: Aye, Sam had no qualms about stewing up a couple of rabbits.
ArPharazonV: did they actually hunt for their meat, or is there mention of livestock?
Eonwe Valar: Seems they were familiar with pack animals like ponies at least.
ArPharazonV: true
Eonwe Valar: Probably had something from which they got milk, to drink and for cheese.
Eonwe Valar: cows might be too big. Sheep or goats perhaps.
Aerandir V has left the room.
Aerandir V has entered the room.
AriehnV: and it was the Tooks and their ancestors that excelled in the hunt
Eonwe Valar: Of course, when in doubt, flipping to the Prologue "Concerning Hobbits" in FotR is a good start.
AriehnV: if servers me right
AriehnV: + memory
Eonwe Valar: Hobbits are roughly 4 to 4.5 feet
tall, so since that rules out horses, I tend to think they'd avoid
cattle as well.
VardaValar1: Ponies are ok.
ArPharazonV: maybe they could breed a smaller cow..
Eonwe Valar: Actually, some can be as short as two feet, ouch. That's short.
ArPharazonV: the pony equivalent of cattle
VardaValar1: Aye, you can breed for smaller cattle or any other kind of animal.
AriehnV: given that the smallest horse in the world is abut 3 ft high .. or around that
VardaValar1: Sam did quite well with a pony. Merry had his own ponies.
AriehnV: aye
... i remember the description ... something to do with that they were
not made for beauty but *sturdyily built , such as hobbits loved them ,
good for a long day's work* or something like it
VardaValar1: We can assume that the Hobbits as well as hunting would
gather berries (plant and eat), and roots (same), and other things.
ArPharazonV: they'd probably rely on agriculture for most vegetative resources, though
Eonwe Valar: The Harfoots seemed to like farming.
VardaValar1: Aye, farming would be the main food resource.
VardaValar1: Hunting and gathering could supplement.
VardaValar1: Likely it was only some Hobbits that would do such things.
VardaValar1: But they would need to protect their crops from rabbits and their livestock and selves from animals.
VardaValar1: Anything really bad would be stopped by the Rangers at the borders, like goblins.
Eonwe Valar: Fallowhides tended to hunting, and were the more adventerous ones.
VardaValar1: Sam was a Harfoot, Frodo was a Fallohide.
ArPharazonV: they were invaded by wolves at some point, would have had needed to defend themselves from those
ArPharazonV: arrows could be good
VardaValar1: True.
Eonwe Valar: "If any Hobbit stooped for a stone,
it was well to get quickly under cover, as all trespassing beasts knew
very well."
VardaValar1: Something as small as a Hobbit would like to have ranged weapons, as toe to toe would not be so healthy.
VardaValar1: Aye, good point, Eonwe!
Eonwe Valar: They
had store of weapons from having fought to hold their own in the world,
but a culmination of events made the Shire such a safe place, by
Bilbo's time there hadn't been a battle in living memory.
VardaValar1: Still, that means the knowledge could have been handed down.
ArPharazonV: they seemed to have maintained their skill in some way, might have been genetic
VardaValar1: Real archery, perhaps rattan swords for "play".
ArPharazonV: as they showed when they shot Wormtongue
Eonwe Valar: Aye, especially among the more adventurous Fallowhide-blooded Hobbits (Tooks, Brandybucks...)
VardaValar1: And it was three hobbits shooting together
Eonwe Valar: They didn't kill for sport, which indicates they killed for food/clothing.
Eonwe Valar: /protection when necessary.
AriehnV: and i remember Sam throwing that apple for Bill Ferny was well aimed when they left Bree with Aragorn
Eonwe Valar: Aye :}
VardaValar1: Right. Sam would throw it as he would have thrown a stone.
Aerandir V has left the room.
VardaValar1: "Waste of a good apple."
AriehnV: Ferny's luck that Sam had no stone handy at the time
VardaValar1: hehe
fladrifv has left the room.
AriehnV: ah welll Hobbits were able to protectthemselves at need
VardaValar1: Right! Go hobbits!
ArPharazonV: maybe it was genetic, and a sharp mind and accuracy lay within the hindbrain of each, passed from father to son :-)
AriehnV: they did :-) they just needed a little push after the War of the Ring was over
Eonwe Valar: "Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time.." heh
VardaValar1: Kept them peaceful.
Eonwe Valar: Here's a fun bit of trivia:
ArPharazonV: hard to fight on a full stomach :-)
Eonwe Valar: As I already mentioned, the Tooks and the Brandybucks/Oldbucks were two houses with Fallowhide anscestry..
Eonwe Valar: Now, can anyone tell me what family had held the position of THain before the Tooks? :}
ArPharazonV: hmm..hmm... wouldn't be the Oldbucks, would it? :-)
Eonwe Valar: Yep :}
Eonwe Valar: Convenient, no? :}
ArPharazonV: hmhm
VardaValar1: Changed their name, didn't they?
Eonwe Valar: Oldbucks became Brandybucks
ArPharazonV: after moving across the river, right?
VardaValar1: That was it! Thanks
Eonwe Valar: When they moved to Buckland.
Eonwe Valar: The job description for Thain was:
Eonwe Valar: Master of the Shire-moot and captain of the Shire-muster and the Hobbitry-in-arms.
Eonwe Valar: I'm betting a Shire-moot goes faster than an Ent-moot :}
AriehnV: /
AriehnV: hehe
AriehnV: /
VardaValar1: So they would keep up the training.
AriehnV: well friends, fellows, valarites .. i fear i have to move too .. upstairs
Eonwe Valar: Aye, to some extent.
Eonwe Valar: Sleep well Arien.
VardaValar1: Namarie, Arien. :-)
AriehnV: Namarie everyone :-)
VardaValar1: Irmo and Namo say we need night. \
ArPharazonV: nnight Arien
ArPharazonV: Namarie
AriehnV has left the room.
Eonwe Valar: The Mayor was an elected official and Psotmaster and First Shirriff
Eonwe Valar: *Postmaster
VardaValar1: So those Postmasters we see in LotRO might be the local mayors as well?
Eonwe Valar: No, Postmaster seems to be an administrative title.
Eonwe Valar: Means he was in charge of the Messenger Service.
ArPharazonV: in charge of the other postmasters? :-)
Eonwe Valar: He was the only Postmaster :}
ArPharazonV: then I can't comment on the ones in LotRO
Eonwe Valar: I assume they had lesser titles if any administration otehr than the mayor were really needed.
VardaValar1: Now, a Mayor is over a city. Not so then?
Eonwe Valar: "By no means all Hobbits were lettered, but those who were wrote constantly..." :}
ArPharazonV: over the entire Shire, in this case
Eonwe Valar: Mayor for Hobbits means mayor of the entire Shire.
VardaValar1: And Thain for all Hobbits?
Eonwe Valar: Elected every seven years at the Free Fair on Lithe.
Eonwe Valar: Thain is a hereditary title.
Eonwe Valar: Or at least became so when the Tooks got it if it wasn't before.
ArPharazonV: so I guess Merry got the short end of the deal, his position only being over Buckland? :-)
VardaValar1: Aye, not elected. Pippin was hereditary Thain.
VardaValar1: Merry had the entire Warren.
Eonwe Valar: The mayor was "the only real official in the Shire"
VardaValar1: Thain was mostly ceremonial at that time.
Eonwe Valar: called "the Mayor of Michel Delving (or of the Shire)"
Eonwe Valar: Aye.
VardaValar1: The Warren was inside Buckland though, I think. So aye, he was probably over Buckland.
VardaValar1: Frodo and then Sam had the Shire.
Eonwe Valar: Being Master of Buckland is
basically just saying he's the head of the Brandybuck family, since
Buckland was their land.
Eonwe Valar: More or less.
VardaValar1: Pippin would be the overall head for treating with someone like Aragorn.
ArPharazonV: and Sam would mostly look to internal matters?
VardaValar1: Sam as Mayor of Michel Delving/Shire would handle all that area inside, aye.
VardaValar1: As Merry would handle Buckland.
Eonwe Valar: The Thains duties seem to be concerned with outside threats, the Mayor's with infrastructure concerns and such.
VardaValar1: So they divided domestic and foreign affairs between them.
Eonwe Valar: Seems so, aye.
ArPharazonV: like a modern government!
Eonwe Valar: In an interesting sort of, I suppose so.
Eonwe Valar: *sort of way
VardaValar1: Kind of like England.
top
After-meeting:
VardaValar1: Shall we call it here and let Phar find some sleep? : )
ArPharazonV: I've got a few minutes...
VardaValar1: It was a good discussion, thanks folks.
VardaValar1: I need to leave. : )
VardaValar1 has left the room.
Eonwe Valar: I suppose this is a good place to stop anyway. I came to the end of the Prologue :}
Eonwe Valar: With
all this easily-accessible information on Hobbits, I hope there was
someone who thought it advantageous to put it in an article for the
Encyclopedia :}
ArPharazonV: you'd have to check, or maybe someone will make one based on this meeting :-)
Eonwe Valar: Hmm, unless I totally glazed over it, we don't have a general article on Hobbits...
Eonwe Valar: If only I had the time to write all the 200 or so articles we could have in the Encyclopedia, hehe.
ArPharazonV: haha
Eonwe Valar: Oh well, guess I'll turn my attention to the Games Page, and then send the GPMU mail out.
ArPharazonV: I'll save, send and get to bed
ArPharazonV: 8 hours until I need to get up
Eonwe Valar: Good time to go to bed then.