Funny you should post this, I actually just picked up this game myself. It’s my first real experience with an LCG and I’m quite impressed with the ability to play solo and have a narrative experience. What I never expected was how insane the difficulty would ramp up. You would expect a core box to be more tutorial scenarios but good lord. I’ve been just getting annihilated in Journey Along The Anduin. I must have tried it six times at this point and I don’t think I had a chance in any but one of them. It’s one of those games where I’m starting to think there’s no shame in choosing easy mode. But I have to say it’s really a lovely way to indulge your love of Lord of the Rings between the artwork and the feeling of going on an adventure. I’m really looking forward to trying the Khazad-dum campaign next, even if the individual adventure packs are hard to find these days.
For sure - it really doesn't hold your hand. I know that when we played the original core set, it took us a long, long, long time to defeat the final of the three quests. A lot of it came down to luck and a bit of extra planning. I totally agree on Easy Mode being legit. I have struggled with quests before and just lowered the difficulty to see the quest in full. Occasionally, I've then come back on a higher difficulty just to see if I can conquer it with more knowledge. It is great fun though and they've done a sterling job with the revamped core set. Hope Khazard-dum goes well! I know the Saga Expansions are superb fun as well if you want to follow the story of the books!
True, in this game easy mode is not "stupid mode", but just slightly easy. There's no shame in use it as this game is BRUTAL. I play mostly 2 handed solo and if you can I think is the most fun way to play solo, as some quest have some nasty encounter card that shine only when playing in 2+players. Same for Ranged and Sentinel keywords, sadly being useless of you play only one deck.
My friend (linked in the description of the video) has been playing solo and has some interesting deck ideas for making it a little easier. But yeah, two handed is certainly a good way to do it by yourself - I did that for the original core set all the way through!
Fun game, difficult learning curve though -- especially for new players who try to start with the mono-sphere decks in the core box. Definitely did consumers a favor with the new core set and the starter decks, though. And the art's just fantastic.
The art and the themes of the game are absolutely spot on for sure - Magali Villeneuve does some absolutely amazing work on what appears to be the vast majority of the cards, at least when it comes to characters. And yeah - the difficulty curve can be intimidating! It's an interesting puzzle to solve though.
Here's a q: how does the gameplay hold up for people not interested in LotR? Does the enjoyment come solely from the theme, or is it fun regardless (as a game like Splendor can be, with its theme of...er...thingies?)
I think if you like trying to solve a puzzle in a cooperative fashion, there is some enjoyment to be got from it in that sense. The game is NOT easy so if you like a really challenging puzzle then it has that going for it. A good deal of the enjoyment for me comes from seeing characters I recognise in locations I know etc but I know a lot of folks who like it because it gives them a game to obsess over for a week or so as they try and beat a particular quest. Has it been done better? I would say Arkham Horror and Marvel Champions give a more updated take on what LotR LCG offers BUT there's a reason it's still being picked up/reprinted now. I'd see if you know someone or a board game cafe that has a set you could have a go with and see what you think :)
