Unique LotRO Game Play: "Chicken-Man" Edition

I was browsing/lurking the LotRO Fora (sorry, "forums"), as I tend to do, when I learned something I had never heard of before.  Now, I've heard of the PvMP ("Player vs. Monster Player") mechanic, which is LotRO's version of PvP play, but this?  This is something I don't believe I've ever heard of in any game (though maybe something like it does exist somewhere else):  There is actually a chain of quests that you can play as...a chicken.

Yep, you read that right - a chicken.  Specifically, a level 1 chicken, which, I'm given to understand, will never advance in level (once a level 1 chicken, always a level 1 chicken, I guess...).  Now, from what I understand, from the shockingly helpful LotRO-wiki page, you are not put into a separate "instance" nor are you segregated from regular players - you're just a chicken, wondering (well, "questing") through Middle-Earth.  But since you are a chicken, you won't be able to communicate with other, regular players*, but you can chat with other chicken-players.

Now, since you are a level 1 chicken, and you're in the "regular" Middle-Earth game-play area, all of the normally aggressive monsters are still normally aggressive - meaning, if you're not careful, you could end up being someone's (or something's) supper**.  So you need to be careful...or maybe convince one (or more) of your friends to not eat you escort you through your quests.  Just make sure your friends know to kill EVERYTHING (including the low level critters they normally ignore) for you (and watch out for those AOEs...).  But it is also suggested you not completely rely on your escort(s).

Of course, if you are a regular player and suddenly notice that some named chicken is following you, you may be unwittingly acting as said chicken's escort.  So be nice and don't eat them.

This sounds like it would be fun...and challenging (to put it mildly).  So I'm going to have to try it.  I'll also try and remember to keep an eye out for named chickens on my regular journeys through Middle-Earth, as well.  {They're everywhere, they're everywhere!}


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* Well, actually, there may be a way - but only if the regular players know about it.  You can set-up a custom chat channel (the "Chicken Play Guide" suggests calling it "Chicken") and anyone else who is in that custom channel can chat with each other, be they chicken or not.

** That's "dinner" for most of the non mid-Western US.  Although, for this case, it could just as easily apply to "breakfast", "lunch", "mid-afternoon snack", etc. ("second breakfast", "eleven-sies", "afternoon tea"...)