Lord of the Rings LCG Rewind: Revising My Core Issues 

Glad to see Zee joining the ranks of fans for this game! LotR LCG was the game that I credit with turning me from someone who likes board games, to someone who is a “gamer”. It introduced me to the idea of table top gaming solo, and even helped turn my wife into a gamer as well with our two player plays of it. I might no longer consider it my #1 game of all time as I once did, but this game will always have a special place in my gaming heart.

Excellent review, thanks! I'm in a similar boat, I was always intrigued but put off by the time required for deck building and lack of campaign. Having now played loads of AHLCG and Marvel Champions, and as a LotR fan I think I'm ready to give this a shot.

This game is not for the faint of heart, but it has an almost limitless depth (if you are ok with spending lots of money on expansions). You have to put in a lot of work, but all that work rewards you tenfold. Highly recommended as a solo game especially. If you don't like the deck construction aspect of the game I am not sure I can recommend it. Others might disagree as there are excellent resources out there for "net decking". The game's difficulty is a draw for me, but to some it can probably come off as obnoxioulsy grindy. I love the loop of being crushed by a scenario, going back and tweaking your deck, try again and being marginally less crushed etc etc. When you eventually win it feels super awesome, in a way I haven't come across in any other game. My favourite game by far.

While this had been in my radar for a long time due to the Tolkien theme and solo playability, I was a bit hesitant to jump in before this new core set and starter decks, but finally took the plunge earlier this year and I absolutely love it. The deckbuilding is very satisfying (and does not require to tailor your deck for each scenario, at least on easy mode, which is something I was not thrilled about), the games are tense and exciting (again I play only on easy and for me it is the perfect level), and the theme really comes through, especially through the scenarios (something I think this game does a bit better than Marvel Champions, where I find the theme comes more from the heroes themselves). I have already bought a ton more sets (most of the new stuff, but also plenty of older ones as well), and after 250+ games since the end of March is already one of my favorite solo games.

The best expansion to grab after the revised core is the Dark of Mirkwood scenario pack. It repackages the 2 beginner friendly (relatively easy quests but both are more involved than the one easy core quest) from the Limited Edition 2 player starter set from several years ago. These quests also have campaign mode which can be played on its own or incorporated into the 3 core set campaign.

Gameplay-wise, this is actually my favorite LCG.... But it does suffer from the issue of deck building pretty much being required. Instead of having a variety of ways to win a scenario, typically the puzzle is solved by knowing how to make a deck that works for it. The preconstructs help a lot to resolve that, but it can still be a bit of a weakness if you're not into deck building (there are websites now though that list decks, so you can always copy a deck from online). With higher player counts, there can also be an issue with locations not scaling well with the original rules (ie the number locations that can come out per turn increases with player count, but you can still only travel to one a turn, which means a bad pull of a lot of locations in a row can wreck a game unless you always add characters that can resolve locations without travel.) I had somewhat hoped they would remake the game with rules somewhere between these and arkham horror LCG, but at least this release strategy didn't invalidate the cards I already own... So overall a good choice.

FYI, when playing campaign mode you can always replay a scenario even if you win. That usually means you never have to worry about losing a hero if you are ok with simply replaying a scenario for a better outcome (the same that you'd do if you lost). This isn't a house rule but is the standard campaign rule.

I picked this up on a whim due to it being Tolkien related. and I love it! its one of my favorite co-op games I have ever found!

Loved this review. I like the Lord Of The Rings theme. But have been burnt by FFG with the Game Of Thrones LCG. I have and enjoyed the Star Wars and Warhamer 40K LCG's. So I was torn do I go with this one or not. I didn't want to get it and find out they upgraded and was now stuck or got into it and find I can't find a pack I wanted. I really like your telling of the 2 passed versions experiences and and the differences. I do feel you answered my 2 biggest questions and did pick up this edition. I do feel anybody interested in this game should see this video I do do trust your reviews. Thank You

Personally I would suggest a separate storage solution anyway: for the player cards anyway. I have everything from before this release, and find deck-building and tracking which cards I have / am using a lot easier by putting the cards in sleeve wallets in a ring binder. (Well three ring binders when you have everything). It's much easier to just flick through pages in an order rather than through a pile of cards. Not sure how you intend to store the enemy sets, but I have printed dividers between them in card boxes since the last release's boxes aren't useful for storage.

Anyone recognize the brand of those plastic component boxes? Those look well designed.

I don't remember it being released in a smaller format box. Unless that was the limited two-player starter set?

played this game over 600 times, my fav game of all time. Brilliant for solo and 2p. It's very demanding, but each scenario is endlessly replayable. And if you invest in a few cycles, you will see a universe of possibilities.

Two questions: Have any of the mechanics been changed or updated? Are the cards compatible with the previous editions?

An awesome review, easy to see why you are number one at the DT. Look forward to purchasing this myself now.

This is the best solo game ever made imo. The core box isnt good. It was the first solo LCG made so there were issues but they were all fixed in later cycles. If someone gets into this I suggest the core set and the re-released angmar cycle. And maybe 1 of the start let decks. Whichever theme speaks to you.

Can you elaborate on why you won’t play it with 3 or 4 players? Is there an issue with it or do you usually just play with a single other person? Considering it for a group of 3.

One of my fav game of all time

This box is as much a huge improvement (cards in x3) as it is still a miss opportunities : Such as reworking some cards, quest and what cards are actually selected in this corebox.. (coz still 70% of those are real rubbish) I wished they reworked as well the 3rd quest in that box Wich is still a pain for a new coreset owner (but is better than before with that "campaign" mode) All in all, LOTR lcg is still one of my all time best game. And the best solo lcg from ffg. But unfortunately it still requires a lot of investment. Hopefully they're gonna re edit all the older content for the newcomers. Maybe the new TV show is gonna push ffg in that way. Happy playing and cheers from belgium

So no need for 2 core boxes anymore?

Fantasy Flight needs to outsource their rulebooks. There's always a better rulebook on BGG for every FF game.

I had been wondering whether to pick up this game or not for a while. I think I'm finally sold on this one.

I love that cover. I'm too invested in Marvel Champions to buy into another LCG but I would like to give the one a try

Are sleeves recommended for this game?

Had the original also and sold it. Always found the game too hard. It probably came down to poor deck building in the end. Was never good at deciding what cards to use. I have the same problem with Netrunner and Game of Thrones especially when you’ve added extra packs and there’s now a hole heap of new cards to choose from. This new format in a way might be more to my liking as there’s starter decks I can buy and just go from there. I’d probably stick to the starter decks in the core set for awhile as well. Might revisit this game.

Imo this is the best of the three ffg lcgs.

Agree 100%

For me, the inherent problem with the original game (and possibly this new edition) is that expansions come with additional cards for deck building almost requiring deck building to become a part of the game. Not a problem so far...I play MTG and love deck building. But, to build a deck that is functional requires a fairly in-depth understanding of a game. I own the game so, not a problem but other players joining me on quests for this game do not. They will therefore not be able to build a robust enough deck. Additionally, no one wants to spend an hour building a deck on game night before playing. So this means quickly slapping together some cards to form a makeshift deck which usually does not work very well. Therefore, this game stays unplayed.

So are there different cards for each sphere and for the baddies as well?

I agree a lot in this! It was hard start with original release, this one is much better in this and experience helps a lot. The new prebuild character decks helps also new players to get inside of this game without need to heavy deckbuilding that is essential when you make own decks. Also the new campaign mode definitely make me like this game more.

I own the entire game. Love this game

That rule where a hero dies and stays dead sounds like an instant house rule to me as well, without the threat penalty possibly because this game is hard enough.

Well you sold me.

Most people can’t grasp how good this game actually is..

I love this game, but after buying a good number of expansions at some point I got reeeally burned out on deckbuilding. The game is extremely fun while you're deep into it, but leave it for a few months and getting back is absolute hell. AH LCG is much less stressful in that regard - you can enjoy the game even if you keep playing with pre-built decks from the web. But in LOTR LCG the game pretty much **is** "build a deck that can beat this level", so getting other people's decks feels much less satisfying.

The artwork on the box is a huge improvement

There's a lot that I love about this game, but the base rules just don't click for me. In particular, I really -- _really_ -- dislike the fact that most characters cannot both defend and attack on the same turn. It makes absolutely zero sense. Characters (at least heroes!) should get two actions before being exhausted. I also don't like the math-iness of the combat; I'd rather there be at least some form of randomness to it (yes, I know about the Shadow cards, but I'd rather you roll 3 dice instead of dealing 3 damage, or stronger characters roll dice with more sides, etc.), so there's at least a chance that you could get lucky when the cards just aren't going your way. And I wish there were a way for the locations to be completed in an order that makes sense, rather than just randomly popping up.

Lol. I did the same thing. Owned the game when it first came out and hated. It. Repurchased it for some crazy reason when the new edition came out. Still hate it. Even though it's based on one of the best IPs of all time.

Live play of this please

Thematically I love game, but everybody agrees Arkham Horror does things better. The way locations work just makes it so much more immersive. I would love a 2nd edition where they go the Arkham Horror route. I want freedom with deck building and not have to build a deck a certain way. I've been thinking about LotR or AH and thematically I love LotR, but it seems like a much more punishing experience that AH, which is ironic, considering AH games tend to be super punishing. Also the way locations work, just seems better in AH.

Another problem with this game is that unless you are very familiar with the world (having read the books), the game becomes a bunch of mechanisms without much context. I like the game but, not having read the books and having only a passing interest in the movies, the "adventures" mean nothing to me.

only 7/10 on BGG? I thought you'd give it an 8 judging by what you said ;)

Just started watching. Please don't tell me I need buy this game. Let's see.....

Whose core issues? Please, PLEASE add who is in the video in the thumbnail like you used to. Watch to find out is a pretty cheesy way to get a view.