Turbine has been busy the last few weeks pumping out numerous developer diaries for The Lord of the Rings Online on the road to Siege of Mirkwood's (SoM) launch, but none have been busier than Brian “Zombie Columbus” who wraps up his series of developer diaries on the SoM Skirmish system this week. The final diary rounds out the series with a quick summary and touches on the FAQ, while giving a shout out to all the helping hands that made it possible.

Skirmishes are short, repeatable instances that can be joined from most places in the world.  They have a number of randomized elements in them to keep gameplay fresh, as well as the ability to scale to different levels and group sizes.  Skirmishes are military fights against the enemy, allowing you to bring a custom trained Soldier to assist you.

• Read the full diary here.