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Featured Player: Tollers

 
Tollers, Leader and Co-founder of The Inklings -- Meneldor
 
Today's Featured player is Tollers of Meneldor. He was nominated by his kinmates Gilirwen and Pyrrhusor. Here is what they had to say about him, "Tollers epitomizes the definition of leader and friend. He constantly encourages us all to be better players, raiders, and people.  His enthusiasim and determination are the anchor that is The Inklings."
 
Where are you from?

Presently I live with my wife and 2 children in Phoenix, AZ. We moved here in late 2007 for a job relocation from San Diego, CA.

What do you do for a living?

I am a consultant for one of America’s finest and oldest companies. My role is business strategy, which includes improving sales strategies, customer loyalty/experience, and process efficiencies. I love what I do and the company for whom I work.

What do you like to do when you are not playing LOTRO? Any interesting hobbies?

I like hanging out with my wife and kids. I have a lot of interests. Some of the more notable ones include reading (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as cooking. I used to put a lot of my time into Swing Dancing including teaching and placed in the National Hollywood Championship some years ago, but it’s been a few years since I cut a rug!

What is the last book you read? What is your favorite?

I just finished reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis to my son for the first time. It was a lot of fun. As for my favorite book, setting aside the mythopoepic of Lord of the Rings, I’d probably say, The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis. Although I appreciate the Wit of Jane Austen a lot as well.

What was the last movie you saw? What is your favorite?

The last movie I saw was Winnie the Pooh with my son. It was his first time going to the movies! My favorite movie, however, is probably Shadowlands, while the Fellowship of the Ring was the highest count for viewings at a movie theatre.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

I am pretty open. My favorite is probably 1940s jazz/swing.

How did you get interested in LOTRO?

I got interested in LOTRO during BETA testing. I was just finishing my Masters in Philosophy, and at that time I was playing a lot of the LotR Online CCG. However, the developer of that was folding or losing its license or something (I cannot recall), but in any case it was not going to be actively supported anymore. I was just searching the internet for other LotR games, and discovered Turbine’s.

How did you choose your character’s name?
 

Tollers (Hobbit Burglar) – Is the nickname C.S. Lewis gave Tolkien. It felt fitting that my first character be a hobbit burglar and what better name could imbue the professor’s creation of hobbits? It seemed rather hobbitish as well.
 

Wiselandir (Elf Lore-master) - Well this is a funny story, and one I’ll mention and to which I will fess up. My character’s original name was Illuvitar. It maybe lasted for a week or so. I didn’t properly understand at the time that it was naming violation, but once I was contacted to change it, I was more than happy to play by the rules.. lol. Anyway, with a bit of pressure (since I had to think of it on the spot as a GM was helping me), I landed on “Wise” as I had just finished my MA in Philosophy and thought it rather fitting for an Elf LM and linking it to an elfish suffix. I ended up naming my pets after rather renown philosophers.
 
What race/class is your favorite?
 

Lore-master is probably my favorite to play. They just seem to have such a healthy balance and really good design. Prior to the MoM expansion and the introduction of the LI system I solo’d both Torahammas and Skybreaker, it was at that point that I really began to think about what I could do with the class. After MoM, I set my eyes on Raptilian. Since then I have striven to push the class in group play as well. The great cluster release that was In Their Absence intrigued me to Bear tank NCF and Stoneheight as well as heal them. With Rise of Isendgard and the new Spirit of Nature pet, I healed Pits of Isengard on T2 Challenge Mode. Overall, Turbine has really done a fantastic job at class development and the trait system, but the lore-master has really always been strong (even though there are some great suggestion on the LM forums…wink wink ).
 

 
For races there are really only Elves, Men, and Hobbits (the later really being a derivation from Men). We don’t mention dwarves here as they are an accidental by-product, which takes great strength and resolve to make anything noteworthy of them (see the Hobbit).  Playing an Elf is indeed fun, but I do hope there are plans to improve and enhance the racial play/traits. It’s such an important part of the Lore and History of Middle Earth. There were some initial things at launch of the game, but not much since. I think some folks thought our trip to Lothlorien would showcase some racial improvements.
 

The dwarf jest is a sample of the usual banter our kin has in all good fun. To be perfectly fair to them, we did actually host a dwarf wedding online some months ago. It was quite peculiar as it was hard to distinguish bride from groom.
 
What server do you play on?

Meneldor – hard to pass up a name of such a noble creature!

Are you a member of a kinship? Which one?
 

I am the leader and co-founder of The Inklings Kinship. The kinship was founded in 2007 with 2 friends, Panathar and Hoolegan who both have put in a lot of time to establish the foundation we have today. Building a kinship is not easy, but if you have time for it, the investment is very rewarding. I also believe it is a great thing for the server community and the game. The founders together with dedicated officers and members and allied kinships like The Cliff Divers of Middle Earth over the last several years have seen the kin grow, strengthen, remain active, impact people’s lives, and just have a ton of fun. We presently have more than 50 active players and do end game content regularly. Honestly, there isn’t much we don’t touch with regards to content. This past November, we just hosted a weeklong celebration of our 4th anniversary together. Every year, we take a week outside of normal content to post up some fun events and prizes. Heynanni, our officer over Internal Community Promotion pulls this event together. It often includes writing contests, screenshot contests, Trivia Contest, a Spar Event, an Officer Hide and Seek event where the officers hide out in meaningful locations that connect the members to the history of our kinship, and of course our Infamous Chicken Run where players start at the Farm and every year have to run in one hour from there to the farthest point in the game (this year being the gates of Isengard) without dying.
 

 
In addition to this, we have a great recruit system that Khailin, our Officer over Membership manages. He helps to make sure folks joining get acclimated very well. Gilirwen is our External Community Promoter and she does a fantastic Job on our Blogs. Pyrrhusor is our Event Director and Website Designer. The current site is getting more fantastic updates soon, but you can see some of the previous great work here: www.theinklingskin.com and also see in the top right corner a great video we put together that gives an overview of our kinship.
 

Aside from the leadership are our great members we maintain and all those that serve in other capacities like class trainers, sponsors, event coordinators, and craft leads to help the kin function and maintain what it is has always been. We’re about relationships, and we’re about taking on the hardest content the developers can pull together. We don’t believe these things are mutually exclusive. We love the Meneldor Community and strive to support it however we can!
 

I wanted to take some time to write more here because the kinship and people in it is what really brings about my enjoyment of this game to a different level. They have become good friends of mine, and it is such a fantastic thing to collaborate with your friends to build experiences and accomplishments. They are a wonderful team and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
 
 
What kind of food and drink are must-haves in your inventory?

Coffee

How bout in real-life while you are playing LOTRO?

I relate to the developer Rocksteady very well, more coffee!

What is the funniest thing you have ever heard in OOC?

This has to be the best:
Player A: 'merry christmas everyone, or, if you're atheist, just have a nice day :)'
Player B: 'Us Agnostics aren't sure if we should have a nice day or not... ;)'
Player A: 'how about, have an eventful day, with mysteries, around every corner for your life's little unknown pleasures??'

Where , in Middle-earth, are you most looking forward to visiting?

The ARGONATH! – What more epic place hits you with its grandeur when you first read it.

Tollers, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. See you in game!
 

**If you’d like nominate yourself (or someone else!) to be a featured player, send us a quick email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Make us laugh, make us cry, and tell us why you (or they) should be in the spotlight!**