I play Vanguard pretty much every night, but Turbine sent me a copy of Lord of the Rings Online, so I’ve been sneaking a bit of that in between. I think it’s only fair that I reserve my judgments until I’ve gotten to at least level ten with my little Dorf Guardian. But initial impressions are pretty decent. I really like the textures in the game. At highest quality they’re colorful, sharp and attractive. Makes for a nice atmosphere. The high-res textures weren’t included in the beta client, which was the last time I tried the game.

Also the vast amount of character hair/face options are always a plus in any MMO I play.

We’re going to be running a Lord of the Rings Online contest here any day now, and you’ll have the chance to win some free swag, like a copy of the game signed by the development team. So keep an eye out for that announcement.

I’ve been getting emails from people receiving their magnetic poetry sets, and so far the feedback has been pretty positive. I’ll have to sit down with Splitreason and we’ll discuss the possibility of doing a second set in the next few months, if that’s something you guys are into. In the meantime, feel free to snap a shot of your magnet arrangements. I’d love to see them.