Starting in the fall, Turbine and Warner Bros. are making the Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play, meaning anyone can choose to download the game and fight in Middle-earth without paying a single dime (well, except the electricity and Internet access). With this move also comes the additions of the LOTRO Store and the VIP program. The change in LOTRO’s pricing model comes from the success of Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, which “validated the extraordinary demand by gamers for quality entertainment they can experience at their own pace and within their budget.”

The LOTRO Store offers exclusive expansions, quest packs, items, and perks that players can choose to individually purchase to enhance their experience. The VIP program is more of a monthly pay model in which players will receive all of that for free. Current monthly subscribers will automatically become VIP members (as long as they keep paying), with lifetime subscribers becoming permanent VIP members. The specific details of it can be found here. That page also offers a fancy chart that compares the different types of membership.

You can sign up for the closed beta (NDAs, people) here.

[Source: Warner Bros. Press Release, The Lord of the Rings Online Official Site]