Anyone going to play Lotr LCG

[CCCORNIV]

I bought a core set and have gone through the rules, but I haven't sat down and played yet. I figure that I'll have to play solo a few times before I teach it to anyone. 7 Wonders and Puzzle Strike are currently dominating the gaming get togethers.

[HawkeyeSPF]

I am TOTALLY addicted to this game - I guess I said that already, but being able to play solo against the game is just so different from anything else that's not a video game, it's really amazing.

I put together a deck a few days ago that uses Eowyn (Spirit), Dunhere (Spirit), and Gimli (Tactics) for an opening threat level of 28. I usually mulligan my opening hand unless I get one or two allies, and then on my first turn I always quest with both Eowyn and Gimli (and any ally that adds to the quest if I get one out) since I can ready Gimli by traveling to Old Forest Road.

The Spirit deck is good at keeping my threat level down, so that Dunhere can attack enemies before they engage. A couple of dwarven axes help as well, but they can be trouble to draw into sometimes. Even without them, Dunhere can take care of Hummerhorns before it comes down. I let Gimli lose a couple of times early on to get his strength up in order to beat down anything that does engage. The Tactics event card Feint often comes up HUGE.

I've only tried it on the first quest, so I don't know how it would do against the other two.

Basically I just don't waste card space on expensive junk or dead cards, and the deck ends up right around 50 cards.

I can post the decklist if anyone wants it - let me know!

[Rathmaker]

Hi Guys!

I purchased 3 copies of the Lord of the Rings LCG core set when it first came out, and have been playing the heck out of it!  I have played it solo too many times to count, as well as numerous times with 2-3 other players.  In short I believe the game is an absolute blast!  Like Hawkeye I am totally addicted to it as well.

To me, the game captures the feel of Lord of the Rings, and traveling on a quest with a group fantastically.  I would recommend to anyone to try it out!

[Mythdracon]

Do you guys prefer this time to the LOTR TCG (assuming you have all the cards you need to make the decks you want and aren't exploiting aspects of the card game)? I really really want to try out the game, but I won't have the chance for a while it looks like. Money is tight in these times and I have collegiate payments to deal with.

[HawkeyeSPF]

I much prefer the LCG to the TCG, but only because I'm personally burnt out on the TCG and the LCG allows for both solo and cooperative play. When money allows, I'll be purchasing a second copy of the core set.

I participated in the Hunt for Gollum preview event in Madison WI this past Saturday and it was AWESOME. We played with 4 players and just barely beat the quest - it was THAT hard.

I don't want to spoil any of the cards, so if you're interested in that sort of thing, head over to boardgamegeek.com and peruse the forums there.

[Rathmaker]

I have to agree that I much prefer the LCG over the TCG, but like Hawkeye I have played so many games of the TCG over the years.  I also have play sets of every card in the TCG.  The bad thing about the TCg is that it is hard to get others interested in playing anymore.  Many are burnt out, and others do not care to pick up another game...especially one that has been "dead" a few years now.

[HawkeyeSPF]

Okay, so I've decided to forgo the second core set and just printed out proxies of the cards that are missing 2nd and/or 3rd copies.

Went to GenCon with a friend and played in the Massing at Osgiliath preview event with two other players. We had two hours to attempt it as many times as we wanted, but by the end of our time slot, we had only just managed to make it to the 2nd of 4 quest stages! VERY difficult scenario.

Unfortunately for me, my friend and I didn't arrive in Indy until 5:50pm local time and the dealer/exhibitor hall closed at 6pm, so I jumped out the car and ran to the FFG booth while my friend drove around the convention center until I had successfully found us each a copy of the new adventure pack Conflict at the Carrock. Well, it was not to be, as they brought a very limited supply and sold out on Thursday! Even worse, none of the other dealers brought any because they were under the impression (true or not, I never found out) that FFG had exercised their exclusivity right, so we were out of luck there too! Anyway, my friend ended up buying a copy off of one of the guys we played with for the Massing at Osgiliath event ($20 instead of the $14.99 + tax at the booth, so not too bad considering), and I purchased a copy from my local gaming store when I got back into town.

Long story, but it was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to more adventure packs.

[Mythdracon]

Very nice! I played it recently, I found some of the rules confusing (i.e. procedures for the adventures), but the combat and strategy were fun. I wish I had played a multi deck, playing pure leadership meant I had lots of resources and few things to spend them on. My friend and I *barely* survived, lol, but it was exhilarating dealing bonus damage to monsters and then slamming them in fights. 8D

Wish I could play it at conferences....was GenCon expensive to go to?

[HawkeyeSPF]

Priciest parts for me were the 4-day pass (volunteer if you know you'll have free time and get your pass for free), food & drinks (could've gone with Wendy's $1 menu but didn't), and parking (should've parked in the mall garage instead of underground).

I didn't have to worry about a hotel because I have family in the area, so I saved some money there.

[Not a Zombie]

I picked up the core set not too long ago, it is pretty sweet. I've only played a few games with the starter decks, but I'm hoping to build some custom decks soon and try those out.

[Mythdracon]

Cool! I've never been to GenCon so I had no idea what the prices would be like, etc.

I'm planning to buy the LCG when the price drops a little. With shipping via the Internet (eBay!) it's still fairly pricey, and I'm pretty much broke (grad student, yeeaah). How many copies of the LCG did you guys buy? I know some people who want 3 copies of key cards bought 3 copies of the core set. O_o

[Iron Prime]

Hey all.  I'm late to the party, so sorry for the necro-bump.  Just wondering if there has been any more LotR: LCG action around here?  Been thinking of picking it up: since it is co-op I have a much higher chance of sucking in my 'non-gamer' friends.  Has anyone tried to teach a wife/gf/bf/non-gamer? 

[Mythdracon]

It's certainly teachable, but you have to be very mechanical when teaching it, since it can be overwhelming to game newbies when you play. A good friend of mine tried teaching it to me and I was still confused after we played it (and we're both somewhat pro-ish at learning new board and card games).

There's a new LOTR: LCG expack that came out focusing on the Dwarves of Khazad-dum. Check it out! http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/107933/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-card-game-khazad-dum Hopefully this game will have new expansions for a while. It's a good game.

If you want a co-op that's really easy to teach to non-gaming friends, try Forbidden Island. I will say it's probably a lighter game than you want, but it's still quite fun. Something more complex like Pandemic is also a possibility.