Way back in the day, when I first learned that they where developing an MMO based on Lord of the Rings, I immediately started imagining what that would possibly look like. Most of my knowledge of LOTR, is based off of the movies (animated/current trilogy), and knowing that the developers would be following the books more closely then the movies, was exciting as well.
Like most people, I signed up for Beta as soon as I could. Waiting for quite a while, eventually I was invited to take part in the last phase of beta, which then lead into open beta. After playing most of the other MMO's that where currently released at that time, I was very impressed with how LOTRO had turned out. The graphics where great, easy to learn your way around. Crafting was interesting, very tedious work, but fun over all. But, the most fascinating thing was working through the epic quest's right from the start. It really made you feel as if you where part it. Also, it was interesting to learn what was taking place outside of fellowships journey.
I continued to play for about 6 months after launch, then left for a short while.. I tend to play for a few months, take a month off, the play for another few months or after a book update. Sadly I have not reached the Mines of Moria yet, but I am slowly getting there. No rush for me, just enjoying the game as a whole. LOTRO has been out for 2 years now, I think, and we are just now getting to the Mines of Moria, with plenty more to go. I can not wait to see where they take the game next.