here are few fantasy worlds that seem like they would ever give Warcraft a run for its money. Lord of the Rings is one of those worlds and in just a few days, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar will release to a bevy of hungry MMORPG and LotR fans. To get you prepped for your adventure, we asked Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel a few things about the new game. On top of that, we have an exclusive HD video featuring Steefel as he talks about the monsters of Middle-earth.

Game Informer: Can you tell us when the game takes place?

Jeffrey Steefel: The game is set in the Third Age during the War of the Ring, beginning after Frodo leaves the Shire.  At launch, players will explore during the time leading up to the Fellowship’s time at Rivendell.  This gives players a good idea of where the Fellowship is as they adventure through Middle-earth. As players prepare to join the free people and challenge a new threat from the north – the Witch-king of Angmar, they will encounter members of the Fellowship as their paths meet throughout players’ adventures.

GI: How long will you spread the main storyline out, and what happens once the ring is destroyed?

Steefel: The storyline will continue to expand through regular content updates that we deliver to customers as part of their subscription. We’re rolling out the game in much the same fashion as the stories in the books.  Your character’s adventure will begin in Eriador at launch, which is where the first book was set.  Then we’ll continue to expand this part of Middle-earth with more areas, quests, and features.  We’ll continue to spread out, into Moria, across the Misty Mountains, and onward toward the perils to the South.  Over time we will spread across all of Middle-earth.  When we get to the point at which the Ring is Destroyed (years from now), there is still plenty of Middle-earth and ongoing narrative to explore. 

GI: Are you gearing the game more toward fans of the books or the movies?

Steefel: The game is based on the Books but will appeal to anyone who loves the story.  One of the most important things in the creation of LOTRO was to create a Middle-earth as rich, compelling and believable as the world Tolkien created through his writing. We’ve been thrilled to hear from beta players that they really feel like they are in Middle-earth.  We’re excited to think that the game provides a kind of experience that fans have dreamed of since they first read the books or saw the movies.

GI: There's a large audience that knows Tolkien's work through Peter Jackson's films. When you were designing the game, were you able--or interested--in incorporating details from his films so that audience would feel more familiar with the settings?

Steefel: The reality is that LOTRO and the Jackson films are all based on the same source material so there will be similarities between the two.  So in each case, taking skilled artists and designers and having them craft a world from the books will often result in similarities.  It really depends on how much detail was devoted to the place or person in the books.  Gandalf, for example, is explained in great detail and will look very similar.  Rivendell must have water elements, be seated on a high hill, and have an elegance and mystery to it.  And in other cases, as with Angmar, we have small clues to draw from the books, but then draw on our own imaginations to design the look and tone of the Witch-King’s realm..

GI: Can you explain how you plan to indulge players' darker impulses, since characters can't align themselves with Sauron?

Steefel: Players can explore their evil sides through monster play.  Monster play gives you the opportunity to join the ranks of Angmar’s Army. When you reach level 10 in the game, you can go to the town of Bree and find your way into the Monster Play areas in the world. From there, you will be able to start building your stable of monsters with which you can wreak havoc on Hobbit villages, ransack ancient keeps, or battle PvP against other players for control of ancient castles or valuable resources like ore or wood.  You will be able to grow your monsters in power, capability and in appearance, just as with your player characters.

At launch you can choose what type of monster you would like to inhabit including Orc Reaver, Spider Weaver, Uruk Blackarrow, Uruk Warleader or Warg Stalker. Players can also bring their main characters into the Ettenmoors when they reach level 40 to battle the player-controlled monsters in the region.

GI: How do you balance content for casual players and the hardcore?

Steefel: This is a great question. We know that because of the enormous popularity of LOTR we will have a wide variety of players and we wanted to make sure there would be plenty for everyone.

We accomplish this in a few ways.  First, we have made sure that the major components of the game are easily accessible to everyone. And for more experienced players, many of the early “aids” can be disabled or completed quickly. We also made certain that the UI and controls would feel intuitive to existing MMO players, and that they could find things where they expected.

The more expansive focus for us was to make sure that as many systems as possible were available on multiple levels of complexity. Crafting, for example, can be easily learned and in a short while a player can become successful at their profession and participate in the economy.  If a more serious gamer wants to make a play style out of crafting, they can make their way to Mastery in crafting and create rare and powerful items. Combat works in the same way, from basic skill-based combat, to the more advanced Fellowship Maneuver system that can be a huge asset to an experienced party, or just fun for any player.

We’ll continue to focus on the different types of players in our community and strive to bring more and more gameplay and content to each.

GI: You have the rights to The Hobbit, too. Will that storyline be worked into the game somehow, or do you have other plans for that license?

Steefel: Absolutely. We are so thrilled to have this license to work with. Not only because its one of the most famous stories of all time but because it provides us with an unbelievable source of material with which to build a great game.  At launch the game focuses on the area of Eriador which leaves us an enormous amount of content with which to expand.  LOTRO, like our other titles, will receive frequent and substantial updates that will provide our customers with new content to explore and new adventures to experience.  Not to mention that The Hobbit inspires a great deal of what is already in the game. In fact, one of our opening instances for Dwarves takes place in the past during the time of The Hobbit.