After last year, I have a feeling a lot of people are into a lot of different things they didn't think they would take interest in. . . . . Me as well 🙄
I have been playing solo on the my table and on OCTGN. The more I understand this game the more fun I have. It's can be very distressing to very rewarding. Thanks guys for taking the time out. Cheers! Greg
This video was incredibly helpful, so thank you! I've just taken up the game (coming from Marvel Champions ) and it really helped me sort out what to start with, how to approach the game. I've settled for getting the full first cycle, then full Dream-Chaser and Haradrim cycles. The former because I'd love to build a decent Noldor deck (not to mention the sailing mechanics, but I won't start there scenario-wise), and the latter because of its relative friendliness to new players in terms of scenarios. I could also get my hands on all the Saga expansions, which I'll treasure and keep for later. As you see, I'm vey enthusiastic for the game, but then, so is Gregg! It's amazing to see such dedication.
Guy on left: Don’t buy everything! Me: sitting here organizing every single pack in existence into a wooden case with dividers. I literally shouted back at the screen “Don’t tell me how to live!” I own all of it except for the nightmare and I’ve only played into Dwarrowdelf so far.
If it brings you joy, go for it. My warning is for those of us who experience peak joy the moment they press the "Buy" button for the expansions, and a second peak of joy when they organize the stuff, and then get depressed looking at it on the shelf unplayed.
I appreciate the review here, but I was really hoping for which boxes to get. I can't buy "Cycles," so I still had to go find a wiki and hunt down boxes/packs by name!
Really well structured review / description for my favorite boardgame of all times. You really catched all important points. I like the style & structure of this video. Keep up the great work & gl with your channel
These guys did a great job explaining the how, what and the why of the game and just as important how to go about purchasing the game and sorting through all the options. Gregg is the man, and I also now see this being a lifestyle game that I will play for years and years. The collectability of the game is no doubt a desired trait for those interested in that sort of thing. The deck building and card playing strategy will be the type of thing you think about in the shower where you think you've got the solution....and you probably don't. But as Gregg states stick with it! You can win the game following the rules to a T and the defeats are pretty epic and fulfilling I find! Also like Gregg I am playing solo and it's just a part of my daily routine at this point. Thanks so much for putting me on to this game, I feel like a kid again!
Hey, thanks for this video! It gave me the push I needed to get back into this game after only having played the core box a few times, especially given the time-sensitive nature for acquisition. I lucked out in that my local game store had most of the content in stock and I got to be the psycho scooping up their entire inventory during a Memorial Day sale.
Just got into this game and bought all the content. This is a great video. Could you do more on this game? Would love to see more thoughts on cycles etc.
I could go on forever about the game, but I dont think it is the focus of Jesse's channel. So you could see something more, but not that likely. Thanks for the comment have a great day
I wish they would reprint the game and do a second edition for all the sets. I just heard about the game because I bought the digital adventure card game. I will likely buy the first core set but after that finding the first cycle for Mirkwood is impossible at a decent price. If only there were a magic game store around the corner that sold all the sets at retail price 🤣
This is 3 years ago so its an old vid. Still valid. I have the frustration issue with Arkham Horror the card game. It's such a swingy kind of game. Some games swamp you with combat, others throw tests your way there is no way for you to win against. The hardest aspect is figuring out how to make a deck that works. There isn't a real baseline adventure to test a deck either, since adventures can vary greatly in direction.
First of all, great video. Very informative and helpful. I'm thinking about getting into this game because of the new revised edition announcement, but it raises a few more questions for me. I am wondering if I should try to pick up any of the expansion boxes that are currently printed, or if I should just get the revised edition core box and then wait to see if they release all of the other expansions and pick those up as they are released. There are so may different packs, I wonder if they'd bundle anything together to make it easier to pick up or if they'd release smaller revised products for everything.
This is the biggest problem for people. There is just no way to know the best course of action. If you have a bunch of packs from a cycle, probably a good idea to finish it off. Until FFG announces which of the cycles it will reprint it is all a gamble. If you dont feel you need it all best maybe to sit tight and wait for the bundled versions
I just bought the core set 3 days ago. I'm a solo player and I'm looking into expanding a bit. because I really like the mechanics of the game. I've been looking at a few of the first adventure packs, Khazad Dum, or the saga expansions. Question: will I be able to use the cards in the saga expansions to augment my regular/core decks? (if yes, my first purchase will probably be the Black riders & The Road Darkens saga expansions) Thank you for your video, It was very helpful.
Gregg is technologically allergic, so I will answer for him: The answer to your question about whether you can use saga expansion cards for your regular/core decks, the answer is Yes.
@WuKhi The answer to your question about saga expansion cards is yes, as has been said, but I might add that most, but not every player card from saga expansions is compatible with the quests from the regular cycles. The cards with the 4 regular sphere of influence colors, as well as the neutral ones, are compatible with those quests. However, there are a few card types included in the saga expansions that are meant for saga scenario play only, examples being treasure cards and cards from a saga series exclusive sphere of influence among the player cards, as well as campaign related cards. Also for your information, the video has ignored one specific type of packs, being the Custom Scenario Kits. These scenarios work just like the standalone scenarios, with the exception that the encounter deck is not pre-constructed necessarily. They contain multiple mini-encounter sets that can be combined to customize an encounter deck for a scenario. These packs even make it possible to play a competitive 'race to the finish' 2 player/team game, in which each side plays a separate scenario, build by the opponent(s), and has to finish their scenario first to win the game (get eliminated by the encounter deck and you'll lose anyway).
Hi guys, just discovered your channel. Gregg my experiences mirror yours for this fabulous game. It's a labor of passion that actually got me into gaming in the first place. Very much enjoyed your breakdown. Following this game since launch is what did it for me and seeing the language of the cards grow. It would be very hard to jump around at this point if one was just diving in hunting and pecking packs. You are spot on, the first 2 cycles are great for fundamentals and cutting your teeth, and I’d even recommend them. Making a Rohan spirit based location control deck from the Mirkwood pool to run along side an Aragorn/Legolas/Theodred standard quest, attack, defend all-around deck would be a great entry point if someone were starting from the beginning. But finding everything outside of a collection is tough, and playing say cycle 1 after later ones would seem ridiculous in hindsight. Greatful I got to experience it as it dropped in order. Because even though this in my opinion is the GOAT game, it sort of needs to be experienced in the “right” way to be appreciated best. I’d also agree dropping bank on an entire collection is the way to go as it’s the only sure fire way to play in order, but it’s not easy to explain to someone they should drop a grand on a game they might not like. Also, because I've seen you guys wear Illinois shirts in various vids I'm assuming you are from there, and downstate like me not from Chicago, because people from Chicago don't wear Illinois shirts. Anyway. If you want to try out some quests sometime I'd be down. 10 years experience in the game, always open to questing partners
Hi Tre. We should all be so lucky to find a game that means that much to us. Gregg is contractually obligated to spend all his spare time gaming only with me ;) so he probably won't be taking you up on that offer. We're both originally from New York, but I'm in Champaign Illinois now for the last 20 years or so. -jesse
Tre, although our schedule is crazy and covid makes playing with others a bit hard at the moment -- feel free to drop us a line at coopfortwo@gmail.com, and maybe we can find a way to connect in person one of these days when you are in the area. -jesse + gregg
1. There's a LOTR:LCG Revised Core Set and Starter sets now, hopefully it means FFG will still support and reprint this. 2. AH:LCG IS NOT a one time playthrough! As you have mentioned, beating it in different ways and different decks is the norm. Same as LOTR:LCG after watching this video. AH:LCG fan here; and thinking of getting into this partly due to the Revised Core set :) And yes these are lifestyle games, definitely!
I absolutely love the idea of buying extra packs for the sake of having "ready" encounters. I might just have to do that now and set that up. Do you have a list of the extra sets that would be needed to minimize shuffling?
You would need to buy (If i remember correctly) 3-4 extra deluxe boxes per cycle. A large investment, a very large investment. So for example, you would need 3 or 4 copies of "the lost realm" for the angmar awakened cycle.
I mean this as constructive criticism. This video is way longer than it needs to be. I've already decided to purchase this game and I want to know what to buy. A RU-vid search came up with this video. I don't want a review. I don't want an explanation of what the game is like. I don't want to know how it compares to other games. I just want to know what to buy as a new player.
Gregg has actually done a bunch of stuff making super blinged-out versions of games. His LOTR and Arkham custom boxes are just a drop in the bucked compared to his miniatures set building and large-scale game board recreations. I hope he'll make a video showing them off.
Very helpful video, thank you. I have ordered and am waiting for delivery of one core set and both The Hobbit saga expansions, Over Hill and Under Hill and On the Doorstep. Do you think this is a good combination? My plan is to eventually purchase and play through all the saga expansions in book order. Should I purchase any other expansions? Thanks.
This is definitely playable. Some of the quests in the hobbit saga are not my favorite. But they are quite thematic. If I recall correctly you should be able to make some good dwarf decks. Have fun questing!
I found with the first 2 cycles plus all Saga boxes I have enough cards to make some nice thematic decks focused on Dwarves (including Thorins Company), Hobbits, Rohan, Noldor (Rivendell), Gondor & The Fellowship of the Ring - and can also throw in some Eagle allies. The other cycles seem to add to each of these themes (expanding which sphere you can build your decks in), but depending on which you go for you can also build up decks focused on Silvan (Lorien), Beornings, Dale, Dunedain, Outlands, Grey Havens, Woodland Realm & Ents - plus Eagles become more viable as a full deck type. So I'd agree the first 2 cycles give a very good base, especially if you want some options for trying different decks in the Saga campaigns that still fit thematically. The Mirkwood quests aren't great though - the second Cycle has a strong theme but still most agree that later cycles or Saga's give the best quests.
Sorry that I'm not more familiar with your channel and your names but the guy on the right is super knowledgeable and I'd love to have a brief chat with him on getting started on my own game. I've watched the whole video but I'm getting the "main?" core deck titled simply "Lord of the Rings The Card game" in a deluxe box as described, where to go from there? Am I easily able to find at least zoom friends to play a co-op game? I would love to play solo but I feel a buddy would make me want to really gain those amazing collections pictured.
I think learning how to play the game solo would be the first step; once you know the basics it will be easier to find someone to play with on zoom or tabletop simulator.
For remote play I would recommend trying OCTGN, most people who play online use that platform. Most youtubers use it to make their videos of lotr. There is a good video about getting started, I would search octgn lord of the rings, good luck!
Great video and very helpful - thanks! Totally off-topic, but does anyone have any idea what t-shirt the gentleman on the right is wearing? It's cool looking!
With the new re-print version coming out in January, is this video still relevant or should we wait until the new larger packs come out piece by piece?
A deluxe is required to play a cycle. It has the cards needed to play the cycle and it also contains the first 3 quests of that cycle. I think I covered that in the beginning somewhere, but I'm terrible at the internet so I cant link it
I'm really confused how to proceed now that the new sets have started coming out in 2022. They're putting out mixed sets using cards from various sets, and it's unclear where this whole thing is going. I'd rather buy the original sets because they're more organized for progression and building a more complete set, but the new stuff will be more available, and at a better value than second hand out-of-print atuff. I'd love to hear your ideas on this topic going forward.
The confusion is understandable. While I don't have good advice, I'd really appreciate it if you could post a follow up here if you find another good youtube video that has some suggestions! -jesse
@@COOPFORTWO Willdo! Right now it seems to come down to whether we trust the company to carry us to a cohesive conclusion when this new collection is all said and done. I think it likely enough that we won't be left with a nonsensical assortment of cards with gaping holes in our collection, but at this point I'm doubtful they'll reprint everything. If money's no object, buying the original set is no-brainer, as it's truly a thing of beauty, but with second-hand market prices the way they are nowadays, it's a dangerous business stepping out your door on that quest.
They actually didn't! While the game may/may not have NEW content created, FFG does still print this game. Some things might be out of stock, but will come back into stock. The nightmare content though is no longer being printed.
I still consider the game will not be truly done until they put out a Scouring of the Shire POD. Feels like that's the only thing missing now & they've recently released several suitable Heroes to build thematic decks for such a quest. Also was talk recently of them changing up the distribution model by repackaging existing cards into a less daunting set up (& I suspect would take the opportunity to mix in Nightmare cards to fix some quests / drop lower powered player cards to make some packs more appealing / a more user friendly Core Set with three copies of the essential power cards). So no promise of new cards but there is still hope for one more adventure & some cheaper options for building a collection (the quote I saw was talking about targeting 2022). So now seems like a good time to dip your toes and see how you like the game without going all in until things become more accessible.
Funny thing: I did not read the Lord of the Rings books (I gave up after about 100 pages into the first book because I found it boring), I am not a fan of the Fantasy genre in general and I found the movies boring (I have been watching all three of them, but I did not like them very much.) This being said: I just LOVE the LotR card game! It's amazing! I love to create decks and try different things (which for me is a big part of the experience), I love the art work and I love the story lines. What an amazing game!
Awesome video, but the game isn't actually out of print, at least not yet. They're not making any more new content, but the deluxes and adventure packs are still being printed. The only thing that's not currently being printed are the nightmare decks.
I think my point was packs often are unavailable for stretches of time, and that the future of reprints is uncertain. Hopefully they will continue to reprint. And good point about the nightmare packs!
Thanks for doing this video! I'm looking to start dipping my toes in the water. I'm coming from having Marvel Champions as my first FFG LCG and one that I truly enjoy. I know this one is more involved, but I'm willing to give it a go.
The biggest challenge I have had, while I was playing this game was realizing you can't beat every quest with just one carefully constructed deck. I hate calling a card game, "a puzzle game," but Lord of the Rings LCG has that feel. For better or for worse. I'm still conflicted to this day and I've had this game since 2014.
That actually sounds like one of the more intriguing elements of the game, assuming you really like the puzzle of deck building -- the idea that you may have to play a scenario and then sit down and figure out how to build a deck to beat it. -jesse
I guess the fun for me, when I play a game is the strategic aspect. If a game forces you down a certain path in order to complete an objective it feels very formulaic. Like a math problem. If you give the player many different options to complete the objective and the player still loses, it doesn't feel so bad, because it meant you weren't a good enough player as opposed to "you failed because you didn't complete it the way I wanted you to." It's a strange dilemma that I'm sure Nate French grappled with extensively when designing this game. Thanks for the reply. Your videos are very thorough! Plenty of good info I wish I had before purchasing my copy.
Great video, agree with most. I am not a deck builder but love the puzzle,the theme and mechanics. I look at it as a puzzle that someone has given me some tools and the fun is to go oh yeah that works! Awesome game.
I just got the core and the saruman expansion for 25. How much play can I get from these? And are predetermined decks good enough to beat the core quests?
Each deluxe, plus the core set have been play tested so that the quests are winnable. There are no predetermined decks in this game although they might have suggested decks in the core, cant recall.
You cant play the quest without the shadow in the east expansion, but saruman can be quite fun and effective. If you look in the video you'll see my thoughts on that cycle
Are the adventure packs dependent on one another ? So e.g. i have the Deluxe Expansion and adventure pack 1,2 and 5 . Is it still playable or do I have to own adventure pack 3 and 4 to play 5?
You need the deluxe, core box and adventure pack. Those 3 things. There is a story that flows through the packs but it is not super deep and immersive, it just connects the packs loosely.
I think other people will probably be able to answer this better, but LOTR seems like a deeper more involved experience, demanding much more effort in the process of deck building. If that's something you enjoy then LOTR might be for you. Maybe wait till the new version comes out in 2022. And of course if you love the Lord of the Rings stories that will have a huge impact on whether you find the game enjoyable. -jesse
It's a table I built myself. The surface is exactly 3'x4' (which matches game mats you can buy), and it's inset 1.5 inches with a rail adds 3.5 inches all around. Ideally for gameplay if you have room it would be nice to have a larger table, so that you could fit more players, but it fits well in the space we have. -jesse
Awesome video. This is my favorite of the 3 games. Imo it’s a mix between champions and Arkham. Champions imo is too easy and didn’t feel very thematic and Arkham (while fun) only really pays off if you play a campaign and doesn’t scale well after 2 players. Not sure id consider it a lifestyle game (warhammer 40k imo is that kinda game) but it’s def not a game you just pick up and play without committing some time if you want to be successful.
Oh haha, didnt pick up on that. This game is in a constant state of out of stock. So at the moment things may look good, hopefully they will stay that way.
@@sweetnesswhachacha7056 I wasn’t being sarcastic 😬. It was a serious question because most of it is in stock on FFG but you made it seem like it was hard to get. I was able to pick up the core set and a few expansions. Like I said... it was a dumb question. My bad! I greatly appreciate the video!
I can relate with the guy on the left more than I can the other. It’s clear that the guy on the right is like a top 0.5% fan of this game. That’s great but there are wayyyyy more casual gamers that are looking at this game with interest. This entire video felt very biased towards that individual that is able and willing to devote tons of time and money towards buying and playing literally everything. Overall there were helpful elements to this video but I wish the guy on the left was given more talk time and not get dominated in the conversation every time he tried asking a question or giving an opinion....after all, he’s speaking for the majority of casual gamers.
Gregg (one on the right) and Jesse (me, guy on the left), are great friends and we are pretty good at giving each other time to talk. This was an unusual video in that respect because it was really meant to be Gregg explaining stuff and me just occasionally chiming in to ask a quick question. Most of our videos are more balanced back and forth. All in good fun, and I enjoyed being the sidekick "helper" in this video. :) Also, it's more fun
Just putting this here to give a different opinion to the 2 hosts. Obviously Gregg was speaking more since it’s clear he’s very knowledgeable in the game and whether you’re casual or not - that’s who you want to listen to. I was interested in learning more about the game and Gregg did an amazing job.
You could have cut this video to 10 minutes by showing how 3 cards from each cycle offer more powerful combos, therefore forcing you to keep buying. The guy on the right is so possessed with detail he's forgotten about getting to the cold hard facts of the matter. The game is a money grab for kids hypnotised by the deck building power creep of MTG, where slightly more powerful cards are drip-fed into retail to keep you slathering for more. And here's me calling Peter Jackson cynical for stretching a beautiful, gentle (and very short!) English folk tale into three over-loud, over-violent and over-sentimental movies for a generation so distracted by mobile phones they've forgotten how to relax and read a book.
I really like your inquisitive layman's questioning. He certainly means well, just needed to relax and shoot the breeze with you. Appreciate your efforts.
