26.2.2013

If you're interested in the cooperative games, Lord of the Rings: LCG is an involving card-based game designed for 2 players, but also playable solo or with up to four. This core set includes all you need for two players to get started, and three adventures of increasing difficulty for the players to conquer. The term 'living card game' basically means that the story continues in various expansion sets, so this game has plenty of longevity if you enjoy it.For those not familiar with this type of game, the fundamentals are fairly simple. Each player chooses from a selection up to 3 heroes to play, and builds themselves a deck out of the appropriate cards (preset decks are suggested for the first time out).During the game, the heroes generate 'resources' with which to pay for bringing cards from their decks into the game, such as extra allies to fight with, weapons and armour for their heroes, or beneficial event cards. Meanwhile, the adventure is also comprised of a deck of cards, which contain enemies for the heroes to fight, locations for them to explore, and nasty events which can bring tears to their eyes. In each round, players may gain resources, pay for cards from their hands, tackle the adventure, travel to a new location, parry attacks from enemies, and retaliate.Deciding the who/when/where/what of all of this leads to plenty of decision-making for the players, and is where this cooperative element really shines. One of the biggest pitfalls of a lot of cooperative games is that one person becomes the conductor and the others follow his baton: perhaps that person is the most experienced or simply the most vociferous, but either way the others end up feeling they're simply watching him play the game solitaire. With Lord of the Rings, each player should keep their hand of cards secret, and although they can discuss strategy, there shouldn't be any opportunity for one player to dominate proceedings, leaving for a far more satisfying cooperative experience.Whilst definitely a step up in difficulty from other more famous cooperative games like Pandemic, the rulebook is well written, with plenty of examples, and once you've played a few rounds and got used to the different phases, it's not overtly complicated. Nevertheless, this game is extremely versatile, with many cards having special powers which bend or even negate the basic rules. The advantage of this is that no two games play out the same way, and the adventure packs introduce interesting mechanics that inject some freshness into the game each time. Sometimes you'll be out to kill a dangerous creature, other times you need to free a prisoner, or perhaps escort yet another to safety. However, this versatility can be as much a blessing as a curse, and poses some problems of its own. Firstly, as a lot of the cards alter the rules slightly, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of them all, and you may find yourselves like us having to retrace your steps a little when you notice you'd skipped a special rule. Secondly, it often happens that players come across a situation in which the rule can have a number of interpretations and they aren't sure what to do. We've found that in those situations its best to simply make up a house rule on the spot, and if it's really important, check on the Internet at places like BoardGameGeek.com or in the official FAQ, where you will find definitive rulings to most of those odd cases.Aside from the odd rules question, there are a few problems with this game which will mean it's not for everyone. For starters, this core set feels a little incomplete for what you get for your money. That's not to say it's overly expensive, but it is fairly limited in scope unless you're willing to buy some of the adventure packs and expand the game. There are (only) three adventures in the box, and the difficulty curve is steep; the first adventure (difficulty rating 1) only took us a few goes to defeat, the second (rated 4) however had us scratching our heads for a long time, whilst the third (rated 7) we found nigh-on impossible and only managed with a lot of luck.This is obviously a deliberate ploy on the part of the publishers to try to encourage players to buy some expansion packs to strengthen their decks and get more playtime out of the game. Whilst you might be annoyed at their perfidy for making you buy more, I think the expansions are in general very good value for money: for around £10 you get a scenario which, if it takes you 2-3 attempts to complete, could provide 5 hours of entertainment, and doesn't preclude you trying it again with different cards or different people.A more minor point, but the way the contents are presented leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst the box is adequate for holding the starter set, once you start buying adventure packs the number of cards soon becomes unwieldy and the box is pretty inept. Many players have posted their self-made solutions on the Internet. Aside from that, given that you end up shuffling the cards a lot and sliding them across the table, you might find it worthwhile to invest in protective sleeves for the cards: for example those from

26.1.2016

After a lot of questions and answers on various forums about what I should be buying - this game came out top most of the time, and after a little digging seemed like it was right up my street.What I was looking for - a satisfying solo game, that I could play at home at my own pace - but had a lot of depth and a decent challenge. As heavy on the strategy as possible too - with as little luck as possible. This game, on first glance hit all of those spots - and quickly became an obsession.For those wondering - I'll breakdown how this game works in terms of expansions etc. The game is made up of two types of cards - player cards and quest cards. This box contains the 'core'collection of player cards - these are heroes, allies, events and attachments. Then it contains the three 'core' quests, made up of a 'quest card' that is basically instructs on how to play the quest, and (this varies from quest to quest) locations, enemies, and treacheries.The quest decks are always the same - they are marked with icons that denote what set they are part of, and you just follow the instructions on the 'quest card' and build the 'encounter deck'. The 'encounter deck' is essential the game you are playing against. See it as you're opponent that you are trying to beat. You beat the encounter deck with you're player cards. This is where the deep, strategic customisation comes in and is one of the big lures of the game.Following a loose-ish set of rules on how a deck can be put together (detailed in the rules), you choose your heros' allies attachments and events. The player cards are split into 4 factions (lore, spirit, tactics and leadership) but different factions can be used in the same deck. This gives a huge amount of choice on how you mix and match cards to suit your play style - whether you want a strong power deck, or a weaker more thematic deck that includes player cards that include character from Lord Of The Rings that are relevant to the quests.The core set is a lot of fun - there is enough here for hours of deck building and questing, and its a fun game as it is. This is unlike most fantasy flight deck builders like this - often the core set is a limited in what it can do and is often a demonstration for the wider game.LOTR LCG - has a huge amount of content beyond the core set, and much more coming. I'll break it down. There are deluxe and saga expansions. The deluxe expansions contain 3 quests and a fair chunk of player cards - and are themed around a certain era, place or part of the LOTR story - however usually smaller bits of story that the game takes a bit of creative licence to expand on, even going as far to create their own characters. Each of these deluxe expansions begins a new cycle - and following the release of the deluxe expansion 6 adventure packs are released - one per month. Each adventure pack contains a quest that follows on from the story, or theme set out in the deluxe expansion - as well as a new hero and selection of player cards. One thing to note - you always know what you are getting in each pack. It make building certain decks easier - you can buy the specific packs you need for the specific cards.Then, there are the saga expansions. These follow the LOTR story starting with the Hobbit through the LOTR trilogy (although at the time of writing it's not completed yet) These also contain all the relent quests, and player cards, that for the most part match that part of the story.All cards from saga, deluxe and AP interact with each other - at the moment there are 6 saga, 4 deluxe and over 30 AP. So a huge card pool to choose from.Its a tough game, but its somewhat leisurely. You can play this on your own, or with others - all fighting the same quest. As its not a confrontational game - you can play at your own speed, whenever you like and you can do things like take back moves and play as casually as you like.To counter the difficulty - there are normal, and easy modes (as well a separate Nightmare decks that are extra hard versions of the quests).My play experience of this game has been odd - i'm not a huge fan of LOTR, I didn't buy this for the theme. It was the mechanics and style of game I enjoyed. However - the more I've played it, the more interested in LOTR i've become and generally found its enriched my game play.I love that this game is difficult. You might find that one certain quest is seemingly impossible - 5, 10 - 15 attempts and you've still not cracked it. So, you tweak you're deck to help you focus on the areas you keep failing at. Then, eventually - you beat it.One final warning on this game - its addictive and huge. Once you start acquiring cards, its hard too stop until you have everything.

28.11.2012

Lord Of The Rings - The Card Game is a 'Living Card Game' by Fantasy Flight games. A living card game is a deckbuilding card game based around a core set with regular non random expansions. For those of you who don't speak geek this means that you are free to build the deck you play with out of any of hundreds of cards - expansions to the game give you more cards to use but unlike many other expandable card games you don't have to buy sealed booster packs with a random or semi random selection of cards inside - you know exactly what you're getting with the expansion packs. The expansions don't just give you new cards for your deck they also contain 'quest cards'which follow a narative allowing you to play through the story.The core set is a box designed to support one or two players through the first three quests in the story although it actually contains four starter decks. This means it could be stretched to a four player game in a pinch with the use of a notepad and paper to compensate for the two missing 'threat counters'. The whole set itself looks fantastic and decksleeves are a must have. The cards seem very brittle at the edge and just look too nice to shuffle without protection - if you aren't into card games a sleeve is a small plastic wallet the same size as the card which protects the card both in storage and in play (cheaper decksleeves are only made for storage and will be a nightmare to shuffle/deal). The core set contains 226 different cards so five packs of FFG sleeves are necessary to protect the whole game.The core set should last you a good long while if you take the time to explore all the options. Playing solo you should be able to get fifteen totally different games out of the set - three quests played through with the four different starter decks then a final run through with a custom deck. If you're more used to complete games with no expansions available don't be concerned that you're buying only half a product, there are plenty of places to go with this game but the core set stands by itself as an excellent game. Just because you can expand it doesn't mean you have to or that it becomes an instant moneypit (MTG anyone?). You will find there is probably more playability in this core set than there is in a more traditional boardgame and when you've played it to the limit you don't have to buy a new game you can just expand the one you already have.The game is cooperative and can be played either solo or multiplayer with all players playing against the game. Both modes are difficult but solo is particularly challenging since there is not enough built into the rules to compensate for not having a mate to beat up the monsters and complete the objectives with you. Each additional player will generate one extra 'encounter' for the party to face each turn however scenarios start with pre set encounters already on the table and these are a constant regardless of the number of players. There are also a number of effects which are more or less punishing depending on how many hero or character cards you have in play and this can only be made less challenging by having more players in the game. Luckily there is an 'easy mode' to help new players sink into the game.The game is generally acknowledged as complex and difficult but I doubt that the majority of 'gamers' would have any problems with it. If you're used to wading through hundreds of pages of RPG rules or have ever tried to memorise stats tables then the mere thirty or so pages of rules (mostly covered with examples) should seem pretty tame. I would rate it as marginally more complicated to grasp than Magic The Gathering if that means anything to you. That said MTG now comprises thousands of cards most with their own special rules printed on them so you're not going to be facing nearly as many different combinations or bizarre rules in LOTR as you might in a game of MTG Legacy. Even those who don't have a background in geekdom shouldn't suffer too much; The Lord of The Rings is certainly a step up from Monopoly or Cluedo but it shouldn't be seen as inaccessible to anyone who wants to learn and play it, be prepared to lose quite a bit though.Pros:-Beautiful art-Very challenging & fun game-Based on the books not the filmCons:-Unbalanced solo/multiplayer modes-A steep learning curve for 'non-gamers'-Brittle card edges

6.6.2014

Bought this about 2 months ago and I absolutely love this game, as does my girlfriend. I am (though I don't like to admit it) a HUGE nerd and own a numerous amount of board/card games however I am quite competitive and this puts my girlfriend off playing with me regarding most of them. Therefore I was more than happy to be pointed in the direction of LOTR LCG due to the co-op nature of the game. I admit I was a little unsure at first because living card games aren't really my thing since it's a concept that usually tries to bleed you dry. I am glad to say my skepticism didn't last long.The basic starter pack comes with everything you need to start with - tokens for resource,damage and progressing in quests - 4 thirty card beginner decks and most importantly the quest cards and encounter decks. The game centres around completing these quests either alone or with a partner making it a battle against the game rather than each other which is very refreshing deck building wise. The encounter deck includes locations to travel to, enemies and destructive events, just turning over a single card can ruin a whole round.We have only bought 2 expansion packs (Hunt for Gollum and Conflict at the Carrock) but the replay value of the quests is more than worth the money.The 'beginners' quest will have you going for a while, we played this at least 4 times the first night and were getting thoroughly smashed as we learnt the game. Even though it is not really a game for casual players because of the difficulty there are easier modes suggested in the rules. Playing with my girlfriend we normally go without shadow cards (these add a painful surprise during combat).There are 3 quests in this box set:Passage Through Mirkwood (Difficulty Level 1) - Don't be fooled by the level, when you first play you may expect a picnic with butterflies and daisies, what you are given is spiders and thorns. This quest seems more difficult with two players, possibly because a few of cards coming from the 'encounter deck' have effects that affect the first player so the extra cards drawn from playing co-op can decimate one side of the team. I would give this a level of 3 myself - challenging when you don't understand the rules well but easy enough to conquer with a well built deck and knowledge of the threats.Journey Down the Anduin (Difficulty Level 4) - This is pretty accurate, maybe a 5 depending on how lucky you are. This quest is my favourite of the 3. Heavy on fighting but not too overwhelming, I could play this one over and over.Escape from Dol Guldur (Difficulty Level 7) - More like 70, especially if you tackle this alone. You can find yourself out of this one as soon as it starts if you don't get a great starting hand. An interesting quest and definitely the most adventurous one but can be very frustrating.Entertainment - 5/5Artwork - 5/5Replay Value - 5/5Pick Up and Play - 3/5All in all a beautiful and amazing game - wish I'd have looked more into this one years ago!

2.1.2020

I purchased The Sands of Harad as my first Deluxe Expansion to go along with my Core Set & as a new player with a limited card pool, I found the scenarios accessable without being a pushover. After a thorough exploration of the Core Set scenarios, I found I had all the gameplay knowledge necessary to jump right into all 3 scenarios immediately & never felt lost or confused by any of the new gameplay mechanics introduced to me here. As a new player, I can't recommend The Sands of Harad enough to others looking for a next step in adding to the game.Escape From Umbar is the starting scenario, finding you trapped in hostile territory & racing to escape the city. A race is the best way to describe this quest,

9.5.2020

The core set comes with four player decks (spheres), each with three heroes. Some are spheres are better at fighting, some at questing, some have healing skills. You assist your heroes with player cards, you pay resources to add allies, helpful events or weapons and equipment. There are three missions included in the core set, one easy, one hard, one near impossible. You allocate characters to quest to progress through the objectives and locations, or to defend or to attack. Each character can only do one of these once per round, which is the main difficulty and challenge to the game. If you find yourself up against multiple enemies at once or you are too slow to explore locations then you are very quickly overwhelmed,

2.1.2020

I must admit that the giant spider trope is among my favorites in the fantasy sphere. Any novel, video game or film that rocks a giant spider will usually get a look from me. After getting a taste of this in the Core Set, I was so ready for the next giant spider adventure in LOTR LCG & was happy to see it come relatively quickly in my purchase order for this game. My experience with the previous adventure pack's scenario was rough. It was too difficult & took another glance to have me slowly come around. I can say that this scenario, while challenging, didn't hurt as much as the last. The player cards included have made it the first thing to equal The Mûmakil in my estimation,

6.10.2012

I figured I'd review this since no one else has yet. I'll assume everyone is familiar with the LOTR LCG, and just talk about why this is a fun expansion.First off, the cards. Like the other big box expansion, you get a hero for each symbol, along with a bunch of other cards to build each deck. The new heroes are all Dwarves from The Hobbit, with Thorin being the most useful. I also like that this card includes attachments to give your heroes other symbols from what they have normally. There are also a lot of cards that involve building decks that combine the green and blue symbols.What makes this set unique is that there are artifacts, which serve as special weapons you can attach to your characters.

6.2.2016

Before I say anything else I have to say this, do not buy this until you are very confident in your playing skill. Don't make my mistake by buying it and then not being able to play the majority of it for about 4 months.Now that that's out of the way, this is an incredible expansion. It's easily the most epic expansion to date and puts you in the middle of massive battles.The player cards here revolve around the gondor trait and is essential for anyone seeking to play as the men of minas tirith. All of these cards are great and are useful in any deck. Especially one of the two new heroes, Beregond. He's the best defender in the game so far with a whopping 4 defence.Now onto the quests.

29.3.2013

First off, if you only have the LotR: LCG core set and a couple of adventure packs, this expansion is definitely not for you... yet. The quests in Heirs of Numenor are seriously tough, and completely change the way the game is played. If you're starting out with the Lord of the Rings card game, consider getting the Hobbit saga expansions, or Khazad-Dum, which will all offer you new quests along with a good selection of player cards, albeit with a strong dwarf focus.Heirs of Numenor introduces a few more options for the Gondor trait, and some great player cards for the Tactics sphere. But it also takes the game in a new direction with the 'battle' and 'siege' mechanics,

6.1.2014

I would give this expansion 5 stars based solely on my love for it, but if you are not interested in Dwarves, then this saga expansion does not have much to offer you. Beorn is a solid tactics hero (I was unimpressed by him at first, until I ran him in a couple decks--his 5 att and ability to defend without exhausting is HUGE. Combine him with Landroval and he is a beast--no pun intended!) Foe-hammer and A Very Good Tale are some of the other worthwhile, non-dwarf specific cards in this expansion, but not worth the price if you are not interested in expanding your dwarf decks also.That said, if you love running dwarves or are just a fan of the Tolkien books, this expansion is a must-own.

2.1.2020

Honestly, the price was on point. That's why I jumped in & bought this first adventure pack for the Harad Cycle when I was purchasing The Sands of Harad Deluxe Expansion. I was thrilled to see that the scenario continued the jungle theme from The Long Arm of Mordor. I was extra thrilled that the objective-heroes from that same scenario are included here as player cards! Kahliel is featured as the new hero card with Firyal, Jubayr & Yazan represented as unique allies. Kahliel has become my favorite hero to play so far, with his ability to ready himself or another Harad character perfectly complimenting the returning abilities of his allies.The Mûmakil scenario itself sees players tracking down & attempting to capture these massive beasts.

18.10.2012

Have been looking for a new challenge recently and stubbled upon the LOTR LCG. Being a fan of both card games and the LOTR series this ticked both boxes for me.This is the first time I have played a "Living Card Game" and it does take some getting use to. Reading the 25 page booklet can be a bit daunting but it is very descriptive and has planty of action sequences and images to describe and show what is happening through each phase of the turn.Being a FANTASY FLIGHT product the quality of the cards and the images on them is exceptional and the playing tokens and accessories are finished very well and have a solid feel.The game can be played with either 1 or 2 players and offers a very challenging

2.6.2013

Great fun. Bought primarily for solo play and is a lot of fun playing one or two decks. The three quests included are all good for multiple play throughs and the second and third quests require some thought to beat, particularly when playing with one deck.The cards included allow for four mono sphere starter decks or two reasonable dual sphere decks to be constructed. There are plenty of cards included, but deck building remains limited with just the core set and you'll soon feel the urge to buy more cards.Artwork on the cards is consistently fantastic and all components are of excellent quality.The game itself is a lot of fun and can be picked up quickly.

16.8.2018

Played with 3 others for a 4 player game. I think this made the experience quite a lot harder than it would be for 1-2 players as we ended up with a table full of location cards we just couldn't get through. The game itself recommends you use only Hobbit-era cards, for which purpose a list of provided, and this really does raise the difficulty level and make you think hard about how to use your cards in order to survive let alone progress through the scenarios. The provided scenarios really capture the feeling of The Hobbit very well and give you the experience of playing through the story, it was very satisfying indeed. I recommend this box if you want to play saga/story mode rather than want the cards to use elsewhere as,

The Lord Of The Rings Board Game - Reviews

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