LotRO: Kill the Dwaggin

I got this mysterious e-mail the other day, it was simply a list of tasks to perform…

1. log on to Lord of the Rings.
2. Find skirmish camp outside Bree gates.
3. talk to people there and get set up with a soldier and do the intro
   skirmish run.
4. Press Control+J to get the skirmish panel.
5. Select the Siege of Gondamon Skirmish.
6. Second boss to the end is a dragon.

There was a dragon to be killed. Gondamon needed my help to kill it. Do or die, it would be done.
One of the cool things about the free-to-play version of Lord of the Rings Online is that I never have to worry about anything more than just waiting for the patch to download. I hadn’t played LotRO for six months, but my level 37 Captain was still waiting for me — right in the Bree skirmish camp, as it turned out.
Her armor was still a little worn from her previous skirmishes, but a quick trip into Bree and a willing armorer sorted that out. My chestnut mare and I were back outside Bree in only a few moments. I summoned my pilgrim herald to my side. He was looking a little tired, wanted to know what the heck had happened to me. Disappearing for six months during the time of Middle Earth’s most desperate need.
I explained how I was imprisoned by a Necromancer. Or something. He seemed dubious, but I don’t pay him to question my comings and goings. I am a Captain of Men.

In the Siege of Gondamon skirmish, a solo adventure for characters 20+, it’s your job to protect Mathil, Gondamon’s ruler, against the forces of darkness. The NPC Guardian, Minstrel and Loremaster trainers will each guard an approach to the city and signal enemy approaches. It is your job, along with your skirmish companion (a warrior in my case) to make a stand and defeat the waves of enemies and the occasional lieutenant or general that joins the battle.
The worst time to be trying to remember how to play LotRO is while there are waves of enemies coming at you. Questions I asked myself like, “how do I heal myself”, and “how do I heal myself DAMMIT”, and “OMG WHERE IS THE FRICKIN HEAL BUTTON” constantly arose and I soon watched Mathil die and myself returned to the skirmish camp.
I took a few minutes to look over the buttons, put up my buffs, and in general remember the reactive way Captain abilities work. Fortunately, I’d long ago set up my action buttons such that I generally just needed to work from left to right and push what got activated in that order, using the monster death-triggered heals as appropriate, and using the herald to cast his heal as well.
Second time was beauty. The Loremaster trainer died, making attacks from the west a little more urgent, and during the final wave I was forced to retreat to the center of the ruins where Mathil himself could help with the defense after the surviving NPCs left the ruins to bring the fight to outlying camps.
Banners were raised, trumpets were sounded, both I and my warrior had to retreat a couple of times, but in the end it was the dragon Nethgarch whose corpse lay cooling on the marble steps and not mine.
Very fun. I don’t know why I don’t play LotRO more!