I played LOTRO for about 45 minutes last night.  It seems decent enough and I will probably give the ftp a try.

Can anyone give me some ideas of some fun classes to play.  Also how is crafting in the game and is there any skill that is prefered.

Just looking for some opinions on the overarching aspects of the game.

Hey I have played LOTRO since beta, over 5 years.  My favorite class in the Captain.  Easy to solo and great for group with all the buffs at your disposal. 

I think LOTRO is one of the better MMO's out there, most people that play the game are ok with it not getting as much attention because it lets us keep the best community in all of MMO's by far.  Enjoy the game and good luck

It's hard to give advice on classes when without knowing what you like to do.  Do you usually like damage classes more? Healers, tank, support?  Do you have any specific questions?

I've played Minstrel (healer), Burglar (support ie debuffer and cc + dps) and Guardian (tank).  I've enjoyed all 3.  I like the minstrel especially.  The mechanics are fun as it's a healing/buff class if played right.  Keeping your group healed up and buffed during fights can be challenging.

The crafting is ok.  There isn't anything too special about it, but it does the job. 

LOTRO seems to be the game I always fall back on. I've played games like Aion (2 years), SWTOR (since launch), Rift (1 year), but none are like this game. The price is perfect for the causual gamer as is the game itself.

My play style is to be the hybrid jack-of-all trades; a support for group play and/or solo play role into one.

That being said, as far as classes, I really enjoyed the Captian. You can buff, heal, off-tank, and off-dps. You even get a human pet if you want. Captains are almost always welcome in a group, and can easily solo too.

My alt is a Warden and that can be chllenging at times. Using the gambit system is entertaining and fun.

Crafting is not the best nor is it close to being the worst in an mmo I've played. My Capt is a Metelsmith and seemed to work out ok.

Originally posted by vindir

LOTRO seems to be the game I always fall back on. I've played games like Aion (2 years), SWTOR (since launch), Rift (1 year), but none are like this game. The price is perfect for the causual gamer as is the game itself.

My play style is to be the hybrid jack-of-all trades; a support for group play and/or solo play role into one.

That being said, as far as classes, I really enjoyed the Captian. You can buff, heal, off-tank, and off-dps. You even get a human pet if you want. Captains are almost always welcome in a group, and can easily solo too.

My alt is a Warden and that can be chllenging at times. Using the gambit system is entertaining and fun.

Crafting is not the best nor is it close to being the worst in an mmo I've played. My Capt is a Metelsmith and seemed to work out ok.

I've enjoyed LOTRO off and on for years. It is a quality game.  I'd actually be playing it now, but I got tired of the fact that they didn't scale down their class quests that require groups in the low and mid-range areas where there are few people playing, and even fewer willing to group.  I would be ok soloing this stuff and trying to get to where there are more players, but skipping class quests isn't an option.

Originally posted by MindTrigger

Originally posted by vindir

LOTRO seems to be the game I always fall back on. I've played games like Aion (2 years), SWTOR (since launch), Rift (1 year), but none are like this game. The price is perfect for the causual gamer as is the game itself.

My play style is to be the hybrid jack-of-all trades; a support for group play and/or solo play role into one.

That being said, as far as classes, I really enjoyed the Captian. You can buff, heal, off-tank, and off-dps. You even get a human pet if you want. Captains are almost always welcome in a group, and can easily solo too.

My alt is a Warden and that can be chllenging at times. Using the gambit system is entertaining and fun.

Crafting is not the best nor is it close to being the worst in an mmo I've played. My Capt is a Metelsmith and seemed to work out ok.

I've enjoyed LOTRO off and on for years. It is a quality game.  I'd actually be playing it now, but I got tired of the fact that they didn't scale down their class quests that require groups in the low and mid-range areas where there are few people playing, and even fewer willing to group.  I would be ok soloing this stuff and trying to get to where there are more players, but skipping class quests isn't an option.

90% of the low content is soloable, Epic quests included. If you mean the class quests in CD and URU, well you can buy the items via Skirmish Marks. Or find a group interested in clearing CD/URU (still a lot of fun)

Originally posted by MMOman101

I played LOTRO for about 45 minutes last night.  It seems decent enough and I will probably give the ftp a try.

Can anyone give me some ideas of some fun classes to play.  Also how is crafting in the game and is there any skill that is prefered.

Just looking for some opinions on the overarching aspects of the game.

Personally, I enjoyed an offensive Minstrel when I played. Loremaster can be fun and so can Runekeeper. The crafting in LoTRO is one of its best features, in my opinion. The scholar profession is a good one - especially if you play any of the classes I mentioned. Explorer is a good choice if you want to make money by gathering materials.