I'm not quite dead yet...

LOTRO is a different dynamic from WoW. I can only say that it compares to WoW in that there are some FedEx questing at the lower levels.

Crafting matters in this game. I can make better bows than most of the quest drops. And each profession really needs others to flourish. A Weaponsmith cannot make most of his weapons unless a Forester helps him out by gathering wood, treating it, and sending it to the Weaponsmith. Thus a team element enters into this game.

There are some power leveling kinships in the game, that's to be expected too. But we learned our lesson with WoW and not stressing over getting to those places right away. We've only recently had our first batch of 50s, and the game has been out for a while.

Questing is unique as you have your usual quests and you have your epic quests. Epic quests (or Chapters) are roughly based on the books. You get to help Strider find out why the Hobbits didn't meet him at the Prancing Pony, for example. You really feel like you're part of the lore of Middle Earth while doing these quests.

There is no real PvPing in this game. Rather you have what is called PvM (Player vs Monster). After you create your initial character and level him up to 10, you have the option of creating a monster character. These are your typical Middle Earth enemies. Orcs, Uruks, Spiders and Wargs are races you can play. You go through a series of quests to get you used to your monster, and then you're set loose upon the Ettenmoors. As you gain Infamy (XP) your monster changes with you. Your appearance changes along with your abilities. I have only scratched the surface of playing a Monster and have not played my hunter out in the Ettenmoors yet, but some have found it to be a welcomed relief from the world PvPing WOW offers.

If someone has a buddy key lying around and you've upgraded your PC a bit (let me know what sort of budget you're looking at buddy!) you can see for yourself if the game holds any interest.