Welcome back!
Due to duping, and the changes to the BOD system, Barbed kits are worth about 2 million each now.
I suggest reading through all the FAQs - I rebuilt all of them for the state of crafting summer 2008 (before I got them, some hadn't been updated since 2002!).
Here are some of the major highlights:
1. IF you have Mondain's Legacy-enabled account status, talismans can be used to boost crafting skills. These can be gotten as loot off ML creatures, or from quests in Heartwood (the city of the elves).
2. Similarly, though rare drops, carpentry runics and fletching runics come from the quests in Heartwood, as well as recipes for items with additional bonuses (if not artifact level - all new ones, not existing artifacts).
3. The BOD system had a couple major boosts.
a. About 3 1/2 years ago, it was made where if you turned in a filled BOD, you could immediately request a new one, instead of having to wait for however much time is left on the (usually 6-hour) BOD timer. This means you can fill a bunch of junk BODs, turn them in one at a time, and get a new BOD after each one you turn in.
b. A year ago, Smith BODs got changed a bit.
Before, it was 50% Iron Weapons, 25% Iron armor, and 25% colored armor (including famers). It still it is that way up to 109.9 skill.
At 110.0 to 119.9, it is now 50% Weapons, 15% Iron armor, 35% colored armor
At 120, it is 50% weapons, 5% Iron armor, 45% colored armor.
c. Combine A & B, and it's a LOT easier to get colored BODs and the higher hammers (still takes forever to get better than agapite though).
4. All Tailor & Smith runics had their minimum intensity raised, and can now produce 100% on items. This now makes even Spined runics viable, as you can make max luck 100% LRC suits with good resists with Spined runics (granted, a lot of them, but a lot cheaper than burning barbed kits for them).
5. Lastly, resources got randomized. The Ores (and the colored woods, added with ML) now have a chance to randomly change to a different type at each harvesting spot, on each reset. This has inconvenienced a lot of miners that used recall books, but for those of us who mined everything as we went along haven't beeen effected.
6. Also, you can get Dull copper from Iron-only spots with Gargoyle pickaxes now (no Dull copper elementals from them as yet, but those of us that actually dig HOPING for elementals are campaigning for them).
Very excited to be back in UO.. I am on the chessy server