Xoanon here,

Recieved this press release from Sierra, makers of the LOTR related game 'Orcs'. I also got a smeek peek at a few rather cool screen shots from the game. Working on getting those up for you all to see.

Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient to Ravage Computers This Fall

Berkeley Systems Opens the Door to Tolkien's World

BERKELEY, CA (May 3, 1999) --Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient* will come tearing into stores this November, Sierra division Berkeley Systems, Inc. announced today. Set in the world of Middle-earth from J.R.R Tolkien's internationally acclaimed trilogy The Lord of the Rings, the upcoming Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient is a fantasy strategy game which casts the player as an Orc chieftain caught in the middle of a deadly power struggle. Players will custom equip, train, and then fight the Orcs under their command against more than 30 enemies before taking them online for multiplayer mayhem. They must survive the conflict between Middle-earth's evil powers in order to shape the destiny of their Orcs and reap the spoils of war. Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient will be published by Sierra Studiosä ...

"Players who want to fuse the game play of their favorite genres will now have the opportunity with Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient, a raising, training, fighting game with RPG based elements." says Orcs Creative Director, John Race. "We're excited to set Orcs original story line in the rich and layered world of Middle-earth. "

Orc's original and extensive story line takes place in the Third Age during the War of the Ring. Sauron, the Dark Power, is on the offensive and gathering his forces to invade the West. Such a large number of unruly creatures packed into a small area has led to ferocious infighting. Sauron has assigned the player command of an elite group of fighting Orcs to keep the peace between the many factions, using whatever brutal means necessary. In addition, other evil powers have emerged from the past to vie with Sauron for aid in their respective quests. The player must carefully choose their alliances to survive.

Up to four common Orcs can be chosen by the player and transformed into brutal fighting machines, each with a unique fighting style. The Orcs' fighting skills can be customized through intense training in which the player chooses the best combination of killing moves suited to their Orc. After selecting their armor and weapons and suggesting fighting moves, the player will command the Orcs in real time 3-D combat. The better the player outfits and trains their Orc, the more specialized and effective his fighting techniques will become.

Each Orc has its own specific personality and characteristics. For example, an Orc who is prone to violent outbursts may be difficult to train but ferocious in battle. The player develops their Orc's Stats such as intelligence, strength and dexterity in arena and field combat and sustain them with training exercises. Once the Orcs have been trained and outfitted like no other, they can be taken into online combat to see how their skills match up against other players.

As the original story pulls the players deeper into Tolkien's Middle-earth they find themselves trapped in a deadly conflict of interests between multiple dark powers. Each player is charged with the unenviable task of survival within this violent struggle for power. The path they choose for their Orcs will determine whether Orcs are, in fact, capable of self-determination or mere servants of the Darkness.

Orcs: Revenge of the Ancient is set in the world created by J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is considered the father of fantasy literature by millions of fans around the world.

Sierra Studios is a member of the Sierra On-Line family. Sierra Studios' games include Caesar III, Lords of Magic: Special Edition, Half-Life, King's Quest: Mask of Eternity, Team Fortress Classic and the upcoming games Homeworld, Gabriel Knight III, Pharaoh and Civil War 3.

Sierra On-Line, Inc. is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is comprised of a family of brands: Sierra Attractionsä, Sierra Homeä, Sierra Sportsä, Sierra Studiosä, and Dynamixä, a Sierra Company. Sierra is a division of Havas Interactive, whose holdings also include Knowledge Adventureä, Davidson & Associates®, Blizzard Entertainment® and WON.net.

Oh No! Dwane Dipply (in his flawed little way) has picked up a reat scoop from Ned K.! Check it out in the Spy Reports Section!

Just found a great article by way of Joram. It's titled "Hobbit wanted - but no little people need apply". by: Mark Burman, for Guartian Unlimited Network

In it Mark talk with PJ himself and asks him several questions, firstly why does he think he can tackle Tolkien's work where other's have failed in the past?

"I'm a real believer in trying to push yourself," (Jackson) says. "And if you're a film-maker, I don't think there's anything more amazing to be involved with than The Lord of the Rings. It's the holy grail of film-making. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and if we do it and we can be proud, then we want to retire when it's all over."

PJ also talks about shooting all 3 films back to back. And how it has it's advantages.

"Shooting three separate movies back to back has never been done before," says Jackson. "But I think it's unfair to say to an audience, 'Come to The Fellowship of the Ring and, if it's successful, we make part two'. That's not what we're doing. We are making the entire trilogy, one long film shoot and then we'll cut them all together. I guess it's a certain form of madness."

And when asked about fan sites (who me?) PJ had this to say:

"I do read the websites. People post up opinions about the actors and the story and I sometimes sit there for hours and hours and read the comments. It must be very frustrating to feel your favorite book is going to be filmed and think, 'How are they going to stuff it up this time?' "

He also discusses what you folks have been telling me is a big fear of yours, 'the shrinking thing'

"Well, we've thought about that a lot. We still have tests to do but the Hobbits are the principal characters. If you study Tolkien's descriptions of them, they are really described as small people. Between three and a half to four foot tall and they're not strange in any other way than these large, hairy feet.

"I know casting authentic little people is the way that some people have thought we'll go but it just doesn't fit what Tolkien wrote. So we are casting normal sized actors and using prosthetics, computer tricks and other less complicated trickery to reduce them in size. I certainly don't want to use puppets or CGI(computer-generated imagery) characters because this is a story about real people."

For the rest of the article: Click Here

THEONERING.NET EXCLUSIVE!!!!

Xoanon here!!!

This is honest to goodness folks 10000% percent reliable. If I am wrong I will honestly give up the web business. I just recieved this from a very reliable source!!! Stuart Townsend will play Aragorn!!!

Townsend has appeared in films such as, All About Adam, The Wrong Blond, Simon Magus, Resurrection Man, Shooting Fish, Under The Skin, and Trojan Eddie. If you can rent any of these movies, I recommend doing so to see what type of actor he is!

UPDATED

After a little digging I've uncovered more info on ST. He played 'Jez' in a Fox Searchlight film 'Shooting Fish'

Stuart Townsend's natural style was quickly recognized by casting directors, as he cut his acting teeth on stage and in his home town of Dublin. Soon Townsend made his feature debut opposite Richard Harris and Stephen Rea in director Gillies MacKinnon's 'Trojan' Townsend's most recent film credits include 'Resurrection Man' and 'Under the Skin'

I'm looking for more info, if you have anything for me! Email me!

Check out the Spy Reports for this humorous tid-bit from Quickbeam.

The Fan Writing section is open for business! Submissions will be reviewed on a weekly basis, so get them in today! Email Calisuri or our Green Books staff with your creations.

Dwane Dipply, newest member to TheOneRing.net team, has begun his work for us with a new report from a spy who recieved a letter from Ian McKellen himself! Check it out

And everyone send Dwane a big hello! and show him how nice you all are!

Xoanon here,

Despite recent rumors Wi Kuki Kaa has not been casted or even considered by PJ et all.

TheOneRing.net put in a call to Kuri Kaa himself and asked him about the rumors of him playing Ghan-buri-Ghan, a chieftan in Lord of the Rings.

'First I've heard about it'

hmmm, either he's got a very mysterious booking agent. Or it's another attack from the rumor mill again. Well, you've heard it here first.

Check out Chapter 9 of Xoanon's Rants.

This weekend, July 30-August 2, 1999 at the Archbishop Cousins Center, Milwaukee, WI. Bree Moot/Mythcon XXX will be a rather cool happening, get down there if you can.

For more info, check out the official website Guests of honor will be Sylvia and Gary Hunnewell and good friend of TheOneRing.net, Douglas A. Anderson.

Here's a little more info: "Bree & Beyond" will be held in Milwaukee at the Archbishop Cousins Conference Center. A former monastic retreat center,the rooms are small and dormitory-like, but obviously convenient to the conference, and similar to the traditional Mythcon housing in campus dormitories. The price for the room & board package is also quite reasonable, including dinner on Friday and Saturday, lunch on Saturday and Sunday, breakfast Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and the Sunday evening banquet (which may be available separately for those not taking the room & board package and staying on the Cousins campus, but this is as yet unclear). We have always tried to keep the conference as affordable as possible, and even with the conference fee of $50, the total cost of membership, board and room compares very favorably with most other academic conferences or science fiction conventions.

Make sure you try and check it out!