Help:Manual of Style

This Style Guide defines the standards for writing and formatting on Lotro‑wiki: capitalization, spelling, punctuation, terminology, and layout.

Capitalization

Spelling and Punctuation

Numbers and Dates

Header Structure

Formatting and Layout

Terminology

Diacritics and Tolkien Linguistics

Pluralization

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Capitalization on Lotro‑wiki is based on the in‑game names, with a small number of standardized rules to keep usage consistent across articles. These rules correct inconsistent capitalization that appear in‑game.

Title Case

For page titles and section headers, follow these rules:

• Capitalize major words, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and other significant words.
• Lowercase function words unless they appear as the first or last word.

These include:

• Articles: a, an, the
• Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
• Short prepositions: at, by, in, of, on, to, up, for, off, out, per, via, from, into, onto, over, with
• Short verbs (maybe): is, are, was, were, be, been

In‑game Capitalization

Use the capitalization shown in-game for NPCs, items, locations, quests, and other named entities.

• Preserve intentional developer choices, even when they differ from standard English.

Hyphenated Surnames

Use capitalization for both parts of a hyphenated surname.

• Example: Sackville-Baggins

Hyphenated Compound Names

Use lowercase for the word after a hyphen unless it is a proper noun or surname.

• Example: Rune‑inscribed Brass Earring (not Rune‑Inscribed Brass Earring)

How these Rules Interact

These examples show how Title Case, in‑game capitalization, and the hyphen rules work together when determining the correct capitalization for page titles and in‑text names.

• If the in‑game name is "the Warg‑pens", the page title becomes **The Warg‑pens**.

• Title Case capitalizes the first word of the page title.
• The rest of the name keeps the in‑game capitalization.

• If the in‑game name is "Warg-Pens", the wiki name becomes **Warg-pens**.

• The hyphen rule lowercases the second element unless it is a proper noun.

• If the in‑game name is "the Warg-Pens", the page title becomes **The Warg-pens**.

• Title Case capitalizes the first word.
• The hyphen rule corrects the second element.
• The rest follows the in‑game capitalization.

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Spelling on Lotro‑wiki follows in‑game usage. Editors should use the spelling that appears in LOTRO’s UI, quest text, item names, NPC names, and location labels.

British English Spelling

Lotro‑wiki uses British English spelling because that is the spelling used in‑game.

Examples include:

• colour
• armour
• defence
• connexion

Follow In‑game Spelling

Use the spelling shown in‑game unless the game contradicts itself.

• Do not modernize or use American English spelling.
• Preserve all hyphens and apostrophes exactly as they appear in‑game.

Do not follow in‑game spelling when:

• The spelling is an obvious typo.
• The same name appears with multiple different spellings in‑game.

In these cases, choose a single spelling to use on the wiki:

• Prefer the form that appears most frequently in‑game.
• If one form is already consistently used on the wiki, keep that form unless it is clearly based on a typo.
• If there is no clear “winner,” discuss on the article’s talk page and document the chosen spelling there.

Punctuation

Lotro‑wiki follows standard English punctuation for descriptive text.

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Use these rules when writing numbers, numeric ranges, and dates in wiki articles.

Numbers Over One Thousand

Use a comma as a thousands separator for readability.

• Example: 2,145 or 15,901

Numeric Ranges

Use a space on either side of a dash when writing numeric ranges.

• Example: Levels 100 - 199

Dates

Use the American date format with full month names, two‑digit days, and four‑digit years.

• Single date: August 02, 2017
• Date range (same year): June 26 – July 06, 2025
• Event format (year‑anchored range): 2025: November 13 – December 01

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Use these guidelines to choose the correct heading levels and create a clear, consistent page hierarchy that helps readers and editors navigate content.

Heading Levels Used on Lotro-wiki

Headers are used to separate informational subjects into headers. These headers appear in the table of contents (TOC) so be aware of choice and nesting.

== Level 2 ==

Used for top‑level sections.

=== Level 3 ===

Used for subsections under Level 2.

==== Level 4 ====

Used for subsections under Level 3. Use sparingly and only when appropriate, not for styling choice.

===== Level 5 =====

Strongly discouraged both as a subsection to Level 4 and stylistically.

When to Nest Headers

Lotro-wiki generally uses parallel Level 2 sections for different aspects of a page. Nesting headers is uncommon, but there are situations where it is appropriate.

• Use Level 3 only when a section has multiple distinct sub-topics.
• Both Level 4 and 5 are rarely used. Avoid them unless they are structurally necessary as sub-topics of the previous header level.
• Nesting is very rare. If it seems "off" or visually out of place, it likely isn't needed.

Always check the subject boilerplate. These pages show the expected formatting and structural layout for specific page types.

Header Naming

Rules for header names follow the same capitalization rules as page titles.

• Use short noun phrases.
• Do not use full sentences.
• Avoid unnecessary words or filler.
• Capitalize major words and lowercase function words (see Title Case rules linked above).

Descriptor Sentences

A descriptor sentence is the short introductory line placed directly under a header. It defines the scope of the section and helps readers understand what the section covers.

• Always use descriptor sentences after every header.
• These sentences should be short and directly related to the section they introduce.

This is unrelated to the term descriptor (modifier) used in category naming.

Page-type Consistency

Pages of the same type should use the same header structure.

Boilerplates are the authoritative source for header structure.

• Each page type (Quest, NPC, Location, etc.) has an expected header layout.
• Do not invent new headers for a page type unless the boilerplate supports it.

When there is no boilerplate for the page type, check similar pages first.

• Review multiple pages; one page does not determine the standard.
• If several pages show inconsistency, ask in Discord or use the page's "Discussion" tab.

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Formatting and layout on Lotro‑wiki are shaped both by content‑specific boilerplates and by a small set of wiki‑wide conventions. This section outlines how boilerplates function within the formatting system and records the additional guidance that applies across all page types, including the editorial use of tables.

Boilerplates

Boilerplates ensure consistent structure across the wiki by providing pre‑formatted page layouts for common article types.

These pages establish the standard layout and formatting patterns for most page types on Lotro‑wiki. Editors are expected to use the appropriate boilerplate when creating new articles, as they define the baseline structure for each content type.

For more information and instructions on usage, see Boilerplates.

Tables

Use tables to present structured or comparative information that is clearer in tabular form than in prose or lists. Tables should support readability and consistency across the wiki without introducing unnecessary complexity.

For syntax and advanced coding help see Help:Tables.

When to Use Tables:

• Side-by-side comparison
• Repeated fields
• Consistent labeling
• Long lists that are clearer when divided into multiple vertical columns

When Not to Use Tables:

• Short lists
• Simple descriptions
• Single data points that belong in prose.

Style and Size

These guidelines cover the styling and sizing conventions used for tables on Lotro‑wiki.

Table Style

Table styling is handled using CSS Class code.

• Avoid inline color codes or fixed pixel dimensions.
• Use a CSS Class when formatting tables.
  • The only exception is long lists divided into multiple vertical columns, which may use an unformatting layout table.

Table Size

Table size is defined with percentage-based widths.

• Do not use fixed dimensions. (ex: px)
• Use width="100%" only when a table is transcluded onto another page.
• Table widths and Infoboxes often collide; adjust the table's percentage width to best fit the page layout.

Overuse

Tables are most effective when used intentionally. Overuse can overwhelm readers and reduce clarity.

• Extremely long tables or multiple stacked tables can make pages difficult to scan.
  • Some barter pages are an exception, as they legitimately display multiple sets of items.

• Tables that pack in too much information become crowded and hard to read.
  • Examples include heavy icon usage combined with in‑line text and long descriptions.

• Highly data‑driven tables that go beyond normal gameplay expectations should be avoided on general pages.
  • This wiki serves all players, from casual weekend adventurers to min‑max raiders.
  • Keep heavy, analytical data to dedicated guide articles rather than core pages.

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Commonly used terminology specific to Lord of the Rings Online and to Lotro-wiki may differ from other popular MMO style games.

Defeat vs Kill

In LOTRO, the game mechanics do not "kill" creatures or players; instead they use the term defeat.

• Use the term defeat in all wiki text.
• Do not use kill when referring to creatures or players.

Revive vs Resurrect

In LOTRO, the game uses the term revive instead of resurrect; which is the common term in other games.

• Use the term revive in all wiki text.
• Do not use resurrect or its abbreviations (res, rez).

Rally Point vs Resurrection Circle

In LOTRO, the game uses the term rally point instead of resurrection circle; which is the common term in other games.

• Use the term rally point in all wiki text.
• Do not use resurrection circle or similar terms.

Creature vs Mob

Lotro-wiki uses the terms Creature and Mob separately; they are not used interchangeably.

• Creatures are found in the outside world, known as the landscape.

Use the term creature as a general rule, except when that creature is inside an Instance.

• Mobs are creatures found inside Instances only.

Only use the term mob when describing creatures inside an instance. Do not use this term for creatures outside of instances.

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Use special characters (diacritics) exactly as they appear in-game. Many in‑game names include accented characters from Sindarin, Quenya, or other languages.

Common diacritics used in LOTRO include:

Á á Â â Ä ä É é Ê ê Ë ë Í í Î î Ï ï Ó ó Ô ô Ö ö Ú ú Û û Ü ü

How to Insert Special Characters

Editors can access these characters in the edit window by selecting the "Special characters" menu. Select Latin for the most common diacritics used in Tolkien languages.

• Preserve diacritics and other special characters as they appear in-game.
• Use redirects so the name without diacritics links to the correct page name with diacritics.

Do not add diacritics that are not present in-game.

• If the game omits a diacritic, the wiki omits it as well.
• If the game includes one, the wiki includes it.
• Do not use outside sources to determine usage.

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Pluralization on Lotro‑wiki follows standard English rules unless the term is part of a Tolkien language (such as Sindarin or Quenya). This section covers how to form plurals in descriptive text and how to interpret plurals that appear in-game.

English Plural & Possessive Forms

Use standard English plural and possessive forms in descriptive text unless a Tolkien-language rule applies.

Plural forms: Use standard English plural forms when writing descriptive text.

• Ranger → Rangers
• Warg → Wargs
• Balrog → Balrogs

Possessive forms: Use standard English possessive forms with words ending in s when writing descriptive text.

• the Dwarves’ halls
• the Rangers’ camp

Tolkien Language Plurals

Use Tolkien-language plural forms exactly as they appear in-game. Verify the language before applying a plural rule.

Sindarin - (Singular → Plural) Examples:

• Craban → Crebain
• Dúnadan → Dúnedain
• Grodbog → Gredbyg
• Morroval → Merrevail
• Urug → Yryg

Black Speech - (Black Speech → Common Speech (English)) Examples:

• Uruk → Uruks
• Nazgûl → Ring-wraiths

• Do not apply Sindarin plural rules to Black Speech or Common Speech words.
• Do not create plural forms based on external Tolkien sources.
• If the game does not provide a plural form, use the in‑game form or the standard English plural as appropriate.