I dunno if anyone else may be having this issue, but when I tried to run LaunchPad to get into EQ I ended up with just a black error screen that didn't do anything. I made a post on the EQ forums (the EQ homepage is also down for me, dunno if it's related) and several others have already expressed having the same issue.
I was, however, able to get in game just fine using the LaunchPad bypass trick.
So, if anyone else is having problems getting in game, try following the steps given here on EQ Resource, and it should get you in game.
http://articles.eqresource.com/bypasslaunchpad.php
LaunchPad Issues
Moderators: Istraa, Strumph, Fenudir