OK, so that could have been a bad experience, but I believe we found a remedy afterwards. Three of us, staggering away bruised and battered with the jeers of the goblins echoing in our ears, decided to go to a pub and get drunk. We headed for the Bird and Baby in Michael Delving:
Singing about gold was fun, but we suspected the proprietor, Carlo Blagrove, of watering the beer. Even after half a dozen tankards, we still hadn't forgotten the goblins. But eventually I noticed that, far down his price list, he was keeping some Old Winyards. This soon produced satisfactory intoxication.
In fact, the intoxication was so effective that Brrokk began to think Esmerelda Burrows quite attractive, even though she isn't a dwarf. Samorin got on Blagrove's nerves by trying to do handstands on the bar.
After getting thrown out of there for our rowdy behaviour, we decided to go to another pub. The Ivy Leaf at Hobbiton in fact. Riding was a bit tricky in our inebriated state; we seemed to be off-road much of the time and may have spoiled some crops. But we made it there in one piece.
Shirrif Robin Smallburrow had noticed our erratic riding but he let us off with a warning, seeing that the fresh air had sobered us up a bit. A bit of smoke clears the head before more drinking and singing.
Well, most of us sobered up. Of course, Carlfreud isn't a dwarf.
Anyway, one lesson from last night is that, even if things go wrong, a bit of RP can have a cheering-up effect. Our disreputable behaviour in the Shire afterwards has, for me at least, changed a recollection of a frustrating evening into one of those memorable milestones in a LOTRO career.