PC Action Plan

[chompers]

Hi all – I have spent a lot of time pondering an action plan for the players committee. It is not my idea, but a collection of all ideas on these forums. It is terribly long and likely needs to be amended. Please take a read and give me feedback.

I propose 8 steps.
 
The first four steps are all about generating interest, increasing the player base, getting tournaments going, and supporting the community. I hope these steps will be supported by everyone and would expect little opposition.

The last four steps provide some obstacles and have met with some opposition. These steps can only be put into place once the first four steps are well established.

Players Committee Action Plan

1)   The Future of LOTR – As voted by the expanding community at The Last Homely House
Before we really get started we need to make some decisions about the future of LOTR. I propose we do this via polls on the Last Homely House Forums so that everyone on these forums has their say – this hopefully will make everyone feel included.

Most importantly, what format/s of LOTR should we initially promote to new players? Introducing new players using all cards, and exposing them to broken cards and combos without errata, rules support, updated banned / restricted lists in my opinion would be a mistake. Using a smaller card base hopefully will pose fewer problems with rules, banned and restricted cards. Introducing new players must be easier with a smaller card pool.

The formats to vote on are as follows. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Note banned and restricted cards as listed at http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,120.0.html

•   Fellowship Block (Sets 1-3) – already we have a lot of support for this
•   Towers Block (Sets 4-6)
•   King Block (Sets 7,8,10)
•   Movie Block (Sets 1-10)
•   War of the Ring (Sets 11,12,13)
•   Hunters Block (Sets 14,15,17)
•   Standard Format (Sets 7-19)
•   Expanded Format (All sets)
•   Open Format (All sets)

2)   Marketing Team – Everyone can help!
Let us spread the work about Lord of the Rings TCG. We want as many people as possible playing this great game. We need to promote The Last Homely House http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/ as a place for people to meet. We need to get new players playing the game and the experienced players to come back and start playing again.
•   Create a new topic "Promoting/Marketing the game" on the forum boards for people to discuss ideas and talk about the success they may have had in promoting the game.
•   We need flyers (these need to be designed and approved by the PC – perhaps by a poll on the forums) to go out to Hobby Stores, conventions, etc.
•   We have a LOTR magazine in development by Sete. Any support he can get would be appreciated in making this project a reality.
•   We need to hit other websites and let people know that LOTR TCG is still going at http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/ (this is happening).
•   Players need to go to Hobby Stores and demo the game in an attempt to get new players playing the game.
•   Other ideas appreciated!
Any good publicity that helps get more people playing LOTR and this is good for everyone.

3)   Tournament Team – We will need Tournament Directors!
To aid in getting people playing the game again players need somewhere to play.
•   Volunteer Tournament Directors need to setup tournaments in their local area, supporting the chosen format/s for new players as decided at step 1.  Tournament directors will need to be passionate about the game and be willing to locate prize support, etc. It will not be about running tournaments to make a profit.
•   Tournaments can be promoted on this site at http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/board,5.0.html. Correct me if I am wrong about the location on the forums. Perhaps we need a link on the forums that is more obvious if that can be arranged.
•   I recommend that the most successful areas setup leagues tables for their local playing groups to generate interest amongst the most competitive players.
•   A tournament system should be established, with tournament support (player sheets, tournament guidelines, tournament rankings etc). This may be ambitious because we will need a website that supports this, an agreed tournament system, with someone willing to collate the results. More work will be required for this to become a reality.

4)   Rules Team – We will need experienced players with an excellent knowledge of the rules on the rules team which should be composed of more than one player.
•   Rules questions can be posted at http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/board,2.0.html
•   There are people at The Last Homely House will excellent knowledge of the rules, hopefully they are willing to help.
•   The rules team will be responsible for making critical decisions about the future of the game. They will need the support of the playing community.
•   New broken cards and strategies will appear with people playing the game again, and the problems that arise will be addressed by the rules team.
•   The rules book will need to be updated periodically.
•   The rules team will need to add cards to the current banned and restricted pool in the event that a serious problem with a card is encountered.
5)   Web team – We need someone capable of designing and updating content on a website.
•   At some point the Players Committee will need a website that provides a place that information can be downloaded for free (Rules Updates, Tournament materials, etc). If The Last Homely House can provide us with that – fantastic! If not the PC can establish a website that provides free downloads of critical resources. The Last Homely House can be promoted as the place to discuss LOTR (forums) and to view cards (the database). The PC is not trying to get rid of The Last Homely House – without them the PC has less chance at all of getting off the ground and we love that it is a place to meet with other people that enjoy LOTR TCG.
•   We cannot generate profit from this. A website with a .org is the only way to proceed beyond this point. The Star Trek players committee may be able to provide us with that as a joint venture. This may only be necessary if we move to stage 6 and 7

6)   Legal team – We need someone capable of pitching the idea of a not-for-profit organisation to Decipher, New Line, Tolkien Estate. Someone with a reputation would help!
•   If we have a product to pitch to these companies it will help. Steps 1-5 are critical before moving to steps 6 and beyond.
•   To create new material using Decipher's template we would need their approval.
•   To use images from the movies we would need New Line's approval.
•   To use names and lore from the books we would need Tolkien Estate approval.
•   Legal approval is only necessary if we move to stage 7 and design v-cards.
•   Note it has been suggested that it may be possible to avoid step 6, or avoid some approvals by modifying the way we do step 7. Examples – Half slips (as per Star Wars design) and new templates.

7)   Design team – We need experienced players/designers to design v-cards and errata cards.
•   Banned and restricted cards could be redesigned with errata so they can be reintroduced to the playing community.
•   V-cards could be designed to expand the current cards available.
•   V-cards can be designed to work within a range of formats – example – they may expand the card base for the Fellowship block – sets 1-3 compatible. This will make the experience of playing different formats fresh, and hopefully exciting. In doing so, the goal is to attract new players.
•   Of course, players have the option of not using these cards. Tournaments can be created that ban the use of v-cards.
•   The expansion of LOTR TCG has met with some resistance. The PC does not want to destroy the game by introducing unbalanced cards or to ban or create errata on good cards. The goal is to provide new playing experiences with a growing product. If successful, in time we may be able to create a new playing format, v-format using virtual cards only (Star Trek is moving closer to this after 2 years of having a PC).
•   New cards (errata or v-cards) will never be designed to players lacking the experience or skill and must be approved by play-testers (step 8).

8)   Play-testing team – We need experienced playing groups to play-test v-cards and errata cards.
•   Play-testing groups will become more accessible as the people return to LOTR so all of the above steps must be put into place to get to steps 6, 7 and 8.
•   Play-testers will need to try-out new cards in the appropriate formats and report back with feedback. Cards will be modified and retested before they are released for tournament / general use.
•   I have a different model for play-testing cards. The design team releases Beta cards for the community to test. Everyone reports back to the design team. Modifications are made as required. Only cards that meet minimal opposition and have not been found to create broken loops are released and become tournament legal. This model involves the whole community. The amount of feedback may become overwhelming.

[MR. Lurtzy]

•   The rules team will need to add cards to the current banned and restricted pool.

Surely this is a typo?

[chompers]

Hey - thanks for feedback. I will edit.

I foresee that card combos may be discovered by clever players by players that may introduce new broken cards from the existing cards. In the event of this, the rules team would act, banning or restricting a card if deemed necessary.

I guess the game has been played enough with the existing cards to identify these cards already - but you never know.

Additionally - the players base diminished toward the end of LOTRs run. Perhaps problems will arise with cards from the latter sets. Frenzy of arrows has been noted as a problem card by some - yet it is not currently restricted or banned. Whether it is actually an issue is a matter for the rules team - whoever that may be, if it ever happens.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Additionally - the players base diminished toward the end of LOTRs run. Perhaps problems will arise with cards from the latter sets. Frenzy of arrows has been noted as a problem card by some - yet it is not currently restricted or banned. Whether it is actually an issue is a matter for the rules team - whoever that may be, if it ever happens.

It was issued an errata that made it completely unusable.

[chompers]

Thanks. I checked the rulebook and it appears the errata is the gametext I am familiar with - if you play followers you are in trouble. I thought this is why some people had suggested it needs errata.

Either way - cards have been banned, restricted and had errata in the past. Surely this can happen again, so that is why it is part of the Rules Teams responsibilities.

I am no rules expert - we will need people who are. I think there are people on this site who may qualify.

The action plan encourages people to promote the game at steps 1-3. If people are playing the game they will need rules support, and not just on a forum. Thus the need for step 4. Steps 1-4 will encourage more players to play the game - who would not want that. And we might get more tournaments happening again, using an agreed format for newbies.
 
Stesp 5-8 may be a pipe-dream and I understand people are hesitant. Lets promote the game first and find out if its worth moving to steps 5-8, and also find out if we have the right people on board that can make it happen.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Thanks. I checked the rulebook and it appears the errata is the gametext I am familiar with - if you play followers you are in trouble. I thought this is why some people had suggested it needs errata.

The errata on Frenzy of Arrows:

Spot an archer minion to add 2 to the minion archery total. If you do, you may add an additional 2 to the minion archery total for each follower you can spot.

There are no archers. The card is unusable.

[Ranofer]

I like the plan.  Thanks Chomper for putting that up. I really like the idea of trying not to overwhelm new players with all the cards in game. It's kind of daunting to just tell someone, "Oh, now we have gazillions of cards, that do a bunch of really cool stuff.  Go buy some cards and build some decks "

[Sete]

The first magazine issue will focus on the first set of the game, the Fellowship Anthology, which can be a good way to show newcomers the ground base of the game and start showing cards from the first sets (reviews, articles, decks, combos).

I really like how you've organized it all Chompers! Good work there. I'm totally in for the magazine and once I can I might be able to help in the templates and flyers. And perhaps a cool logo ^^

Cheers!

(Anyone with an idea for a magazine section, article or feature can just drop a note and I'll quickly reply!)

[legolas3333]

I think we should definitely start small for new players, so i think the fellowship block is a good idea, i propose that if we decide to make a players council we should make fellowship the new standard and gradually reintroduce sets as the rules team decides the cards that need X'ing or R'ing

[Kenddrick]

Agreed with chompers! Well done!

[chompers]

Hi Ket - good to see you over here now we have moved   Your feedback is always welcome.

I think the idea of promoting Fellowship Block is to ease new players in - much in the same way you have introduced new players to the game (i think you said you use Movie Block). Correct me if I am wrong, maybe I have mixed you up with other comments on the board.

Of course - new players will be able to buy and play with any cards they want. It is just that tournaments, and demonstrations of the game aimed at introducing new players would focus on being small rather than big. Hopefully this will be less overwhelming for new players and encourage them to pick up the game.

I/we hope that the introduction of a smaller card base will attract more players. With more players come the possiblity of a LOTR revival and perhaps more chance of moving to steps 5-8 of the action plan (which is what the PC really would like to achieve). A living game that evolves, rather than a finished game that only scattered players support. I anticipate that with success, further sets would rapidly be reintroduced with full PC support as we get off the ground.

Time will only tell what we can achieve.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Of course - new players will be able to buy and play with any cards they want

This may be a problem with the cards now out of print. RoTeL, SoG, TTT,, and all of Hunter's block are particularily expensive and hard to find.

[chompers]

Hi Mr Lurtzy - great to see you joining in our new section!

All the more reason for a PC. Star Trek has approval to print tournament prize support - these are old cards with alternate images. They have released errata cards which can bring hard to find cards back to the game. They are releasing new sets, which includes new versions of old cards with different images.

It breathes life into the game. New players can access hard to find cards.

Luckily, this does not impact existing players in a bad way. Hard to find cards remain valuable. In fact, new players increases the demand for cards as some may want to complete sets. Card prices may even increase (it certainly has for Star Trek).

Unfortunately for new players, if the PC does not reproduce these hard to find cards, being a new player for LOTR is a challenge if you want all the cards.

Of course, this idea of achieving alternate image cards is a long way off, and perhaps may not be a reality. The first goal of the PC is to share the game we love with other people and hopefully getting some of the old players back.

Keep the good ideas coming!

[chompers]

Hi all - i just had a look at all errata and clarification cards in the rulebook and current rulings.

* All up there are 128 cards some are from out-of-print sets
* Many of these cards have errata or clarifications (altered text)
* Some have already been reprinted by Decipher
* Some are just special rulings

I then checked the database on this site and discovered that some have been modified (great work by the way!). I realise many of you already know this but I am new to the site and finding my way around.

If the PC ever established a downloadable and printable file of cards that have altered text, aimed to aid new players, it will be a pretty hefty file, quite similar to Star Treks.

* If the PC were to focus on providing support to Fellowship Block alone - the reprints is much smaller at around 15-16 cards (excluding those that have already been reprinted with correct text).

I reaslise I am getting ahead of myself and not everyone may agree with me - I am just throwing ideas out there 

[Sete]

The idea of introducing new players to the first sets is not to restrain their cards or block them to play standard. It's just an easy way to slowly show them the full potential of each set. Obviously they can play with any card in the block or standard, as they wish...

Thats what I'm also doing in the magazine. It will start with the number 1 issue making the most of FOTR Set. Talking about the most important cards of the set, the combos, the good decks, so on, so on... At issue number 5 ou 6 all the sets (even the ones beyond 11) will be all "spoiled" and talked about.

It's very much like MTG. You can join the game now, it will take you a day to get up to date with all the new type cards, all the new mechanics, rules, etc... But it's not fun at all to start playing with professional decks like Affinity, Red Deck Wins, etc, etc... Playing with pre constructed decks is so fun for newcomers. And once they start mastering the little details and the little tricks of the game they start moving to a higher learn level.