Quote:

Following in the footsteps of its fantasy MMO predecessor Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, developer Turbine Entertainment has flipped the free-to-play switch for its Tolkien-based RPG, Lord of the Rings Online. Potential players can download the client from the game's official site and get started at zero cost. Of course, a number of bonuses such as "quest packs" can be purchased piecemeal from the Turbine Store -- or, you can sign up for a paid VIP membership and have access to all of the game's premium offerings.

More and more titles appear to be adopting this "free to play but we encourage micro-transactions" business model. Not sure how I feel about it just yet.

If you look at http://www.lotro.com/free.php you can see what you can access as a "VIP", "PREMIUM PLAYER" or "FREE PLAYER".

played this when it first came out (was a tad bored with wow), it was very enjoyable and different enough to play for 9 months then...............maxed out and got same same. There has been a lot of extra content added since i finished so it may be worth another go espec if its free.