Multiplayer

[MR. Lurtzy]

Ok, I haven't ever played LOTR CCG with more than one other person at a time, so just a basic mulitplayer question to start us off for now. How does the twilight thing get worked out with multiple opponents (if that's how it works)? Does everyone split the twilight evenly or does the first shadow player play as much as possible?

[Kralik]

Ok, I haven't ever played LOTR CCG with more than one other person at a time, so just a basic question to start it off for now. How does the twilight thing get worked out with multiple opponents (if that's how it works)? Does everyone split the twilight evenly or does the first shadow player play as much as possible?

Multiplayer LoTR is very interesting! Just don't try flooding the twilight pool.

Play in the Shadow phase proceeds to the Free People's player's right. Each Shadow player takes their Shadow phase in turn, and you cannot go back once you have passed to the next player. It used to be that you were not allowed to kibitz about specific strategies, but now you can plan and scheme however you want as long as you don't show the other Shadow players any cards in your hand. Though, it's usually a bad idea to be too specific... the FP player may get a clue of what is coming. Shadow players can work together or not... sometimes if your hand is clogged with Shadow cards and you are the first player to the right, it's most expedient to dump all of your minions and not let others play.

You cannot play Possessions/Conditions on other Shadow players' minions, but you can use skirmish events, special abilities, etc. The FP player chooses a Shadow player to assign archery wounds. All Shadow conditions are in play simultaneously. A couple other misc. rules that I can't remember perhaps. Have fun!

[Beorn]

My play group plays multi player all the time. It is a fun way to play. Speaking of fun, we just found an old Race to Mount Doom poster and started up a league. Brings back old memories from King block. Good times!

[SomeRandomDude]

Play in the Shadow phase proceeds to the Free People's player's right **Actually, play is determined by the arrow at the bottom of the current site. Each Shadow player takes their Shadow phase in turn, and you cannot go back once you have passed to the next player. It used to be that you were not allowed to kibitz about specific strategies, but now you can plan and scheme however you want as long as you don't show the other Shadow players any cards in your hand **typically, a "I need 5 twilight" is what I use". Though, it's usually a bad idea to be too specific... the FP player may get a clue of what is coming. Shadow players can work together or not... sometimes if your hand is clogged with Shadow cards and you are the first player to the right, it's most expedient to dump all of your minions and not let others play **or use your Uruk-Hai cards to liberate their sites, bwahaha.

You cannot play Possessions/Conditions on other Shadow players' minions, but you can use skirmish events, special abilities, etc. The FP player chooses a Shadow player to assign archery wounds. All Shadow conditions **except that Freeps player Shadow conditions and shadow conditions on other players fellowships, such as Black Breath (also fun to cram multiple Thin and Stretched, because you can play one on each RB!) are in play active simultaneously. A couple other misc. rules that I can't remember perhaps. Have fun!

Couple edits.

[Kralik]

**Actually, play is determined by the arrow at the bottom of the current site.

You are mistaken. The arrow determines who plays the next site, but play always proceeds counter-clockwise from the FP player. The other edits are good clarifications, though.

Quote from Comprehensive Rulebook:

When one Shadow player has completed all of the Shadow actions he wishes to perform, the next Shadow player to his right (if any) then performs a Shadow phase.

[FingolfinFinwe]

Yessir that is correct.  But people in my group always got them confused.  Turns go to the left... Shadow order to the right... Sites played according to the arrow.  I can't count the times I've had to rummage around to find a rule book to explain to my friends the correct order.  But besides that little annoyance, I love multiplayer!  Actually almost all my games were 3 or 4 players until a couple years ago. 

You almost have to have a deck built for multi though, because as already mentioned you can NOT give too much twighlight.

[Kralik]

I generally build larger decks as well since I usually cycle better.

[lem0nhead]

I play 4 player when i play usually and my decks range from 44 to 50 cards each side. And you shift through them usually.

[FingolfinFinwe]

Yeah that sounds about right.  Tis fun to be able to pack all that stuff in there.

My play group's heyday was in the Tower block, when we'd sit down to play at college and 3 other people would want to join.   We had many 5-6 player games.... which take forever.     Got a lil bit frustrating waiting for the indecisive player, but now looking back I miss it!   :-\

[lem0nhead]

Gees 5-6??? Crazy. We usually start at 8.30-9 and finish about midnight to 1am. I cant imagine how long ur games must take! 

[FingolfinFinwe]

Lol they took a long time.  But its a social game as well.  If you do something to annoy a couple people they gang up on you. This can make the games go a little faster.     Its been a couple years since we had one of those games.  Haven't had more than 3 prob since 04.  I still have a couple friends in the general area that play.  So now I just have to convince my wife to play more frequently. lol.

[lem0nhead]

Yeah no the feeling. Guess what happens when you get 4 goblin hordes out? LOL they dont stay out long. Everyone pummels you.

[SomeRandomDude]

Playing multiplayer requires Moria swarm and a hefty Freeps side. At least, that's my strategy. If you play Moria Swarm, then you just dump minions like mad and let your opponents finish people off. Meanwhile, you've got a cycling like mad freeps for a 100-120 card deck, and can just make your fellowship downright UNKILLABLE!

4 copies of Hides is nice as well.

[Hobbit_Pizza]

Got a lil bit frustrating waiting for the indecisive player

Sorry, my bad...

[sickofpalantirs]

I have almost only played 3-4 player...probably 20% of my games were 2 player. Its really fun...you can gang up on people, make secret alliances...bargaining for twilight can be interesting 

[Kralik]

In case you guys ever want to organize it, Lackey supports up to 10 LotR players (4 is more practical)  8)

[FingolfinFinwe]

hmm a 12 hour game of Lotr?  That'd be confusing.

[Kralik]

4 player games usually take me about 2 hours.

[FingolfinFinwe]

Wow I think that's pretty good.   Our group was probably heading towards 3 hrs for 4 player.  Pushing 4 hrs for 5-6 player.  But some of our players weren't very hardcore into the game and were very indecisive with their under-developed strategies.

Honestly a two player game often goes 50 minutes IRL for us.  Online its much faster.

[TheJord]

NK and I can usually pack 3 games in about 2 hours. Multiplayer games IRL end quick as those with twilight adding decks (ie Ents, Gondor, Rohan) get slaughtered pretty quick, unless you have a top notch deck.

[MR. Lurtzy]

In case you guys ever want to organize it, Lackey supports up to 10 LotR players (4 is more practical)  8)

Where can I find this "lackey"?

[TheJord]

www.lackeyccg.com

[Beorn]

I have almost only played 3-4 player...probably 20% of my games were 2 player. Its really fun...you can gang up on people, make secret alliances...bargaining for twilight can be interesting 

Like a good game of Risk.  lol

[SomeRandomDude]

NK and I can usually pack 3 games in about 2 hours. Multiplayer games IRL end quick as those with twilight adding decks (ie Ents, Gondor, Rohan) get slaughtered pretty quick, unless you have a top notch deck.

Actually, both explosion and choke decks die pretty fast. Choke decks rely on hand-clog, and since hand-clog is UNHEARD OF in multi-player, choke gets hosed pretty fast as well.

[sickofpalantirs]

I have almost only played 3-4 player...probably 20% of my games were 2 player. Its really fun...you can gang up on people, make secret alliances...bargaining for twilight can be interesting 

Like a good game of Risk.  lol

cept in risk, there be no bargaining for twilight there is yelling about cheating more though...dice and all

[Gil-Estel]

I played a multiplayergame last week for the first time in years...I didn't have a multiplayerdeck, so I took my Last Alliance deck. It did pretty well, but they both ran forestnazgul. That was too much to deal with....

[Celebrimbor]

I've had bad experiences playing multiplayer LOTR....particularly because my decks were based on controlling the site-path, which is very bad for that sort of gameplay.  In my experience, playing with multiple opponents is too unpredictable.

[FM]

Usually, Drafting for multiplayer worked nicer than simply bringing decks to the table, since if two players happen to be playing the same shadow side, overlapping makes it TOO powerful to ru through.

[lem0nhead]

That is true but at the same time thats what i love about multiplayer the randomness element. You never know if youre gonna face 1 person whose deck owns urs, or 1 that you can pwn. Or if 2 people are gonna play a deck that combine or if yours works well with another. Its a fun lottery. Sometimes you win sometimes you dont!