"Well, I'm Back" - What to Get

[ArtificerAlf]

After trying to get in to the game during my middle school years, I only ended up with an FOTR Gandalf and Aragorn starter, and nobody to play with. Fast forward to now, I randomly thought about the game a few weeks ago, looked in to things, and realized I could get a lot of the cards and build a nice pool, treating it like a "Living Card Game".

I've currently been able to get a box of every Fellowship block set. I'm thinking of getting another FOTR box, since, while I got some cards I always wanted (Bow of the Galadhrim), I still am missing a number of rares I wouldn't mind having (Legolas Greenleaf, Cave Troll, Goblin Armory, etc). My local gaming store will also cut me a deal on a box of Siege of Gondor.

I'm looking for advice for the order I should try and acquire things. I have every starter set except ROTK Aragorn, and have mostly been building FOTR block decks for friends to play with. I only want Movie block stuff (not including Reflections), since I'm not a fan of the site path becoming random and the removal of the Shadow cultures (which I loved). There was too much good stuff to pass up in Tower and King block. I'm thinking I should just build FOTR Block, Tower Block, and King Block, but I also feel like I might want to build some Movie Block decks so I can team up Moria Archers with the Morgul orc archer initiative stuff.

I never followed the uber-competitiveness of the game, I just want to be able to play and have fun and tinker. It just took me half a lifetime to get to this point. 

Thanks for the advice. I was super glad to find this site, as there's hardly anything online about this game anymore.

[Air Power]

Personally, I'd follow the order of release if you're trying to treat it like an LCG.  Play Fellowship block; play Towers on its own, play mixed Fellowship/Towers, then King alone, then Fellowship/Towers/King

[ket_the_jet]

Personally, I'd follow the order of release if you're trying to treat it like an LCG.  Play Fellowship block; play Towers on its own, play mixed Fellowship/Towers, then King alone, then Fellowship/Towers/King

Air Power is, again, entirely on point. I am jealous that you get to approach the game with largely untainted eyes. Post some of your deck builds on the board!

Note that some sets--Realms of the Elf Lords and Battle of Helms Deep specifically--are more difficult to acquire due to levels of production. On the other hand, some booster boxes like Mines of Moria can be had for about $10/box! Your play group will develop its own metagame and that will spur development.

As I am sure you have seen, there is also an entirely online way to play at www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr. If you want to hone your deck building skills while gaining a fuller understanding of the rules, there are always folks who like to help introduce the game to new players.

Welcome to the boards. Like a great Dwarven kingdom, it is a shell of its former glory. But there is still a lot of great advice to be gleaned from the forums and folks who want to help.

Cheers,
-wtk

[ArtificerAlf]

Thank you so much! Really happy to be playing and exploring strategies. I will post my decklist attempts soon. I've put together a few, with some being better than others. They include:
Elf/Goblin Archers
Hobbits/Isengard
Dwarves/Sauron

[ArtificerAlf]

Note that some sets--Realms of the Elf Lords and Battle of Helms Deep specifically--are more difficult to acquire due to levels of production. On the other hand, some booster boxes like Mines of Moria can be had for about $10/box! Your play group will develop its own metagame and that will spur development.

What specific sets should I keep my eyes peeled for? From what I understand, Realms of the Elf Lords, Helm's Deep, and Siege of Gondor are the big 3.

[Not a Zombie]

Reflections is also getting pretty rare.

[ArtificerAlf]

Reflections is also getting pretty rare.

I don't think I've found any being sold. Considering it started the entire alt ring-bearer resistance stuff, I wasn't sure I was going to to count it as a Movie block type block for the game.

[ArtificerAlf]

I am jealous that you get to approach the game with largely untainted eyes. Post some of your deck builds on the board!

I posted a decklist for review in the Casual forums. It can be viewed here: http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,10791.0.html