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Author Topic: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.  (Read 8088 times)

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August 25, 2017, 06:04:00 PM
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menace64

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Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« on: August 25, 2017, 06:04:00 PM »
It's one of my happiest, most comforting internet-based moments when I swing by the House and it's still right here, full of years of information and dreaming about a topic 99.99% of the world never even knew about even as it was happening. So many games die and never get a proper burial - LotR TCG has a home still, which means I have an audience here who will immediately understand the full breadth of emotions I recently felt and am now writing down as a story, which begins in March of 2002.

Mines of Moria released that month. I loved playing Dwarves already and a holdover fondness of creatures from SWCCG made the Watcher in the Water an appealing mechanic to me. I was hyped as #$&*@! for the game's first expansion set. Scrye Magazine was still a thing, and preceding the set's debut they put out their March issue: on the front cover was the back of Gandalf the Grey, just squaring off against The Balrog.

What caught my eye first though was the text along the left side of the cover: "Hot Balrog Card Inside" centered above the beautiful TCG logo that always draws my eye - even next to Peter Jackson.

I was 13 years old and the magazine in my hands was telling me that I was about to have The Balrog before anybody else...! God, I can still remember the weight of the magazine, the frantic dewrappering, the crispy pages palmed through irreverently as I looked for the insert...

And I had a Balrog. For a moment, right there, I forgot all about the problems in my little world. I admired my first promo card more than any other card I'd ever pulled. More than my foil Wicket; more than LSJK; more than any rare in Cloud City that wasn't red! The promo cards in LotR got me into LotR - into the culture, the habit, the chase. I'd already fallen in love with the mechanics, but throughout FotR I'd still be playing and trading SWCCG most of the time.

But then I got collecting the LotR promos. And SWCCG was over.

It was a lot of fun hunting down the previous 9 promo cards after claiming #10 Durin's Bane and maybe it was over too fast. After that I just kept apace with new promos, and trading for some of the more expensive ones was a tricky challenge but I somehow found a way. (I really don't understand why promo sets appeal to me so much, but I repeated the same strategy in DHE a few years later.)

I had some legitimately rare and valuable cards. I was proud of my little collection. I displayed them and I played them. Some of them did get a little beat up, but that's because I wanted to use them! They became a minor yet comforting corner in my adolescent life, a building stream of gradual success. I stayed with the game as long as I was comfortable doing so - in that last block, I bought a few packs of The Hunters, a box of T&D, and a play set of Age's End (although I hated the set with all my heart. What a #$&*@! endcap.)

Also for whatever reason Decipher drastically ramped up promo card releases, ballooning to some ungodly number in a little over a year. I bowed out as soon as it got dumb. I was happy with my collection and I wasn't really playing card games anymore so it didn't bother me. In fact I played a lot less of just about everything, as the sudden pressures of adulthood squeezed simple happinesses out of my life. I moved a lot, and I got hurt, and I limped into a distant town with a lot of darkness in my heart. I lived alone and I drank a lot, determined as I was to think my way out of my pain or drown it under a malaise of drugs. My home neglected around me.

At several points over the span of those two years I drunkenly sorted my cards or inventoried them to be sold to some fictional Samaritan going door to door looking to purchase large plinths of defunct gaming coasters. More than several times this happened although I recall very few such agoraphobic alcoholic benders. They happened, and it rarely made sense.

I do - kinda - remember nonchalantly throwing a whole bunch of useless and empty starter deck boxes into the trash - but I used starter deck boxes to store my promos at the time, so I assume I just didn't notice some of those boxes had cards inside. Whoops.

Ever since, whenever I've been going through any of my closet of cards, I'd keep watch for a ragtag group of beloved promos, just in case, maybe, I misplaced them but simply hadn't found them yet. I reorganized every box several times as I've sold-away this or that, and never found the promos. I had to accept that they are gone.

Good news!

It happened a few weeks ago. I'm slowly preparing to move, and my crusade to sell the bulk of my old collections has been in a higher gear of late. I've also been slowly redoing the room the card closet abuts, which clearly means busting everything out for a nostalgic look again.

My promo collection was lost between a stack of Warhammer 40k cards in a box full of other such putrid nonsense. Seven years on, and there they are. My Durin's Bane! Black Rider foil signed by Kyle Heuer! I cried immediately and deeply, and without remembering having done so I understood why these had been tucked away with 40k, those cards I hated so much but could never throw away because of their origin and what they still mean to me.

But that's another story.

August 25, 2017, 06:27:12 PM
Reply #1

ket_the_jet

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2017, 06:27:12 PM »
I enjoyed reading this and am glad to hear you're well. Nostalgia is an amazing facet of the human experience.

Cheers,
-wtk


August 28, 2017, 05:53:26 PM
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Phallen Cassidy

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2017, 05:53:26 PM »
As someone who came onto the scene long after it had ended, I thoroughly appreciate all the history that I missed out on and nostalgia I won't experience. Glad you shared your story. Like the rest of what's on this site, it preserves the memories and keeps them alive for the ones who don't get to have them, like me.

August 29, 2017, 06:37:51 PM
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menace64

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2017, 06:37:51 PM »
I enjoyed reading this and am glad to hear you're well. Nostalgia is an amazing facet of the human experience.

Cheers,
-wtk



Always nice to run into you around here, ket!

August 29, 2017, 06:47:08 PM
Reply #4

menace64

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2017, 06:47:08 PM »
As someone who came onto the scene long after it had ended, I thoroughly appreciate all the history that I missed out on and nostalgia I won't experience. Glad you shared your story. Like the rest of what's on this site, it preserves the memories and keeps them alive for the ones who don't get to have them, like me.

Greetings! I know the feeling for sure - it's been like 18 years now (holy #$&*@!) since the earliest members started to form back on Decipher's janky old BBS. I remember posting my first Dream Cards in 2000 and just falling in love with the concept. And watching something as storied as this site grow out of the group of us from before anybody on the web really knew what to do...

About once a year I try to dig deep into the wiki or the cobracards pages - it's like a time capsule of my young creativity. It'll be a really strange day when I come here and here isn't here anymore.

So what got you here? Are you collecting LotR TCG?

August 30, 2017, 05:07:50 AM
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Phallen Cassidy

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2017, 05:07:50 AM »
No, I'm afraid I couldn't collect them. As cool as I think the cards are (I've seen physical cards a handful of times), they'd just sit in a box somewhere in my closet as they do anyone else's. I started playing nearly 3 years ago - a friend of mine told me about a card game that would be my style, and after the company producing it went under somebody made a website where you can play it for free. Read the rulebook between classes and been stuck on the game ever since.

I've always loved TCGs but been so completely bored at how they're all either the same (play monsters, attack the enemy player until he's out of life) or lack depth. The duality of LotR is what keeps me to it the most, and I've rarely if ever played a game and thought "I did everything I could that game" - there's always a way to play just a little bit better. I always thought I simply enjoyed complex games, but when I tried SWCCG and I felt bogged down by the complexity rather than liberated by it. LotR strikes the perfect balance for me between control over the game and (literally) playing with the hand you're dealt.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2018, 08:58:15 AM by Phallen Cassidy »

September 05, 2017, 07:44:03 AM
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TheHumanHydra

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2017, 07:44:03 AM »
I enjoyed reading this and am glad to hear you're well. Nostalgia is an amazing facet of the human experience.

Amen. Thank you for sharing.

June 30, 2018, 08:07:47 PM
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DEATHBYMONKEYS

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2018, 08:07:47 PM »
I could go on and on for pages about rings and what it meant to me. I kinda gave up almost 6-7 years ago as well. All my friends quit. My brother who I played with the most moved away. I got married. Have 2 kids. Well after a decade my brother moved back just last month and we picked it up again where we left off. At one point I had over 40,000 lot cards. Now down to just maybe 5-10k. But man having a ton of fun sorting. I havent even made decks yet. Just my old ones we had back then. I am sad I had fallen on hard times awhile back and sold most of my hunters block off for cash but I still have 10 or so of the Aragorn I got to design after winning the contest online. My favorite card still.

But your signed black rider takes me back Menace. I remember the black rider tour. We drove 3 hours EACH way to go to the event. And I WON IT! I still have my fierce hat Kyle gave me with Nazgul pin. And my other culture pins somewhere. Man I miss those days so much. From 95-2007 was just amazing.
\"The Ability to speak does not make you intelligent.\"

July 01, 2018, 07:14:31 AM
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menace64

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2018, 07:14:31 AM »
I could go on and on for pages about rings and what it meant to me. I kinda gave up almost 6-7 years ago as well. All my friends quit. My brother who I played with the most moved away.

Yup. It's frustrating to have all those cards and nobody to play against. I've always preferred physical over online, so once my brother left and I myself moved away, my ability to play mostly died.

Quote from: DEATHBYMONKEYS
I got married. Have 2 kids.

Congrats! Elanor and Frodo Junior? :lol:

Quote from: DEATHBYMONKEYS
Well after a decade my brother moved back just last month and we picked it up again where we left off. At one point I had over 40,000 lot cards. Now down to just maybe 5-10k. But man having a ton of fun sorting. I havent even made decks yet. Just my old ones we had back then.

I recently sold a big portion of my old collection - I've still got lots of bulk leftover, of course.

What decks do you have right now?

Quote from: DEATHBYMONKEYS
I am sad I had fallen on hard times awhile back and sold most of my hunters block off for cash but I still have 10 or so of the Aragorn I got to design after winning the contest online. My favorite card still.

I made sure to get four copies of Gandalf, Returned and I'll never ever let them go. 8-)

Quote from: DEATHBYMONKEYS
But your signed black rider takes me back Menace. I remember the black rider tour. We drove 3 hours EACH way to go to the event. And I WON IT! I still have my fierce hat Kyle gave me with Nazgul pin. And my other culture pins somewhere.

Baller! Got a picture of the pins? I can't remember them at all and I bet they're gorgeous.

Quote from: DEATHBYMONKEYS
Man I miss those days so much. From 95-2007 was just amazing.

I want it back. The last 10 years of my life has been an odyssey back to the 90s. I redefined what success means to me as "any sort of future which allows me to bring back the Prime Decipher brand of card games." I have no clue how it's going to happen. :lol:

It's wonderful seeing you here, DBM. It brought me great joy to see you pop up in the STCC forums!

July 01, 2018, 01:40:12 PM
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DEATHBYMONKEYS

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2018, 01:40:12 PM »
We actually ALMOST called our Son Elessar and our newborn Daughter Arwen but with both we went another way. His name is Riker Kenobi (TREK AND WARS!) and her's is Adora (Wife was a big shera fan).

I will take a look for the pins. They are packed away somewhere but I need to sort through all my old totes anyway.

I miss so much my card games (Star Wars CCG, Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, Star Wars TCG, LOTR TCG (MY FAVORITE GAME EVER!) Trek CCG. Decipher was amazing. I have a chunk of my cards left for each game but lost/sold/stolen has put a dent in all of them over the years.

I wish I had blank Templates for Rings I could use. I would make my own hobbit cards for sure! And more LOTR lol. I was really hoping they would get the license again with Hobbit movies and I would just dream of the new show getting cards but I know it's probably gone forever. It was the best time of my life for sure though. Can't wait until my kids are old enough to play with me.

I have a southron Archery, Elf archery deck, A Aragorn HTTOG deck (My aragorn) and a Gandalf g is for grand one. All I made probably 2011 ish and never touched again until now.

Just bought a few starters as I'm missing almost all set 1-10 cards and my Brother picked up 2 boxes of shadows and rider and some starters to start his collection.

I had a STACK of hunters block commons and uncommons I can't seem to find which totally sucks.

\"The Ability to speak does not make you intelligent.\"

July 01, 2018, 10:03:00 PM
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FingolfinFinwe

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2018, 10:03:00 PM »
There is a full Hobbit draft set available for download/print.  It's pretty awesome so you should check it out :)

July 04, 2018, 02:11:41 AM
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DEATHBYMONKEYS

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2018, 02:11:41 AM »
There is a full Hobbit draft set available for download/print.  It's pretty awesome so you should check it out :)

I saw that but I cant figure out how to print them at regular card size. Is there a pdf or something somewhere?
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July 04, 2018, 04:30:38 AM
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Shapeshifter

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2018, 04:30:38 AM »
Baller! Got a picture of the pins? I can't remember them at all and I bet they're gorgeous.

I found a picture of these on Twitter not long ago:
https://twitter.com/CptJW_Shinbones/status/877958049150910465?s=19
« Last Edit: July 04, 2018, 04:32:36 AM by Shapeshifter »

July 04, 2018, 06:25:42 AM
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menace64

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2018, 06:25:42 AM »
 :o

I need that [Raider] pin!!

July 07, 2018, 01:10:59 PM
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DEATHBYMONKEYS

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Re: Gone and Back Again, a hominid's tale by Menace the 64th.
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2018, 01:10:59 PM »
I looked through a couple boxes so far but havent found them yet. I hope too soon. :)
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