Gaming

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, Review

Many games have emerged during the last decade with the words “Lord of the Rings” in their name, from traditional board games to Monopoly: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition and Risk: The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a Living Card Game (LGG). In Living Card Games, a system invented by Fantasy Flight Games, all cards of the game become available in packets that contain all the cards published in the set, in contrast to Trading Card Games, in which expansions become available in small packages called “booster packs” that contain some random cards from the group.

That means that with TCGs, one has to buy countless boosters to find specific cards and thus spend money, whereas on LCGs, you have to buy the appropriate expansions that contain the cards, and that’s all. This system has proven to be quite successful, considering the economic difficulties many countries have run into in the last few years. This review is from the game’s core set, which contains four 30-card starter decks and components for two players. Expansions of the game, called “adventure packs,” come out every month, and so far, two cycles of developments have been published, “Shadows of Mirkwood” and “Dwarrowdelf,” along with a deluxe story called “Khazad-dûm.” Adventure packs contain 60 cards that include a new scenario, a new hero, three copies of nine new player cards from all spheres, and new encounter cards. But what are heroes, player decks, encounter decks, and spheres?

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Revised Core Set Review - A great game  is what lies ahead — GAMINGTREND

The Lord of the Rings: The Card game is a cooperative game based on the renowned trilogy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. One to four players travel through Middle-Earth’s lands trying to complete dangerous quests and defeat the ancient evil Dark Lord, Sauron. Each player controls 1-3 heroes that become available from the start of the game, and each has a deck of cards that can be played by spending resources that belong to a specific sphere.

There are four spheres: “Lore,” which emphasizes the potential of the hero’s mind; “Which highlights a hero’s martial prowess;” which highlights the strength of a hero’s will; and “Leadership,” which highlights the charismatic and inspirational influence of a hero. Each sphere provides a unique style of play, and you can include in your deck cards belonging to more than one sphere, providing that you use appropriate heroes and they are the source of resources. The player decks comprise Allies that come to aid your heroes, events influencing the adventure’s course, and attachment cards.

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At the beginning of the game, you decide which of the three scenarios included in the game you will play. Each system has a different difficulty and is represented by quest cards that provide the scenario’s storyline. Each plan consists of a sequential deck of quest cards and specific threats (unexplored locations, enemies, betrayal, and objectives) represented by specific encounter sets. Each scenario requires two or three encounter sets that are shuffled to form the encounter deck.

The game starts by setting each player’s threat level (depending on the heroes used) and shuffling the player and encounter decks. In the game, the threat level will eventually rise, and when it reaches level 50, the player is eliminated. The rest of the players continue the adventure, and if at least one survives till the end of the quest, the whole group is considered to have accomplished the exploration. The first quest card is revealed, and each player draws six cards. Then the game continues in rounds, consisting of the following phases:

Resources are gathered from heroes, and one card is drawn from the player’s deck.

Planning. Each player can use resources and play cards such as Allies and Attachments.

Quest. Each player decides which characters (heroes or Allies) they will send to the pursuit. Then, cards equal to the number of players are revealed from the encounter deck and positioned in the staging area. The heroes’ total willpower is compared to the real threat strength of cards in the staging area, and if resolve is greater, players have successfully quested, and some progress tokens are placed on the quest card. A specific number of tickets are required in each quest for it to be completed.

Travel. Players may travel as a group to a location on the staging area, making it an active site and no longer contributing to its threat level upon questing. Progress tokens are placed first after successfully questing until the site is fully explored.

Encounter. Players may engage enemy creatures in the staging area, and then engagement checks are made to see if any enemies engage the players. Engaged enemies are moved from the staging area and placed before the engaging player.

Combat. Enemies then attack the players first, and then players attack enemies. Characters may either commit to a quest, defend, or attack enemies. Each of these actions requires the character to exhaust (turn sideways). Feelings may also drain when using an ability that needs them.

Refresh. All exhausted characters become ready (moved to their normal upright position). Each player increases his threat by 1, and the first player passes the first player token to the next player clockwise on his left. That player becomes the new first player. Play then proceeds to the resource phase of the next round.

But enough with gameplay aspects. Now is the moment of truth. Does the game hold up to our expectations?

First Impressions

Upon opening the game box, I realized it was simply too big for what it contained. Actual contents require only the middle one-third of the box, while the other third is covered with cardboard pieces. Overcoming the initial frustration, I opened the small packages containing cards and the cardboard sheets with tokens and the threat counters. Observing the components, I realized how much attention to detail was given during design. Fantasy Flight has proven in years that where looks matter, it can make a difference, and this game is no exception. All cards are exquisitely beautiful and detailed.

And then comes the rulebook. I have to admit that it seemed not very safe to read through the 32-page manual. Still, considering many pages are example illustrations, things have been easier than anticipated. But let’s go through our usual rating categories:

Components:

As mentioned earlier, cards couldn’t be better designed. Images of all cards are awesome; tokens are sturdy, and the threat trackers are superb. The only complaint I had is about the number of players that can play the game. While four 30-card decks are included in the box, allowing four players to play, only two threat counters are included. It would be appropriate to give full components for four players, as only two threat counters would be required. Of course, one can easily track threats on paper, but it still seems awkward. Fantasy Flight preferred profit over efficiency, stating in the rulebook that “a one to the two-player game can be played using only the contents of this core set. (Up to four players can play the game cooperatively with a second copy of the core set.)” 9/10

Gameplay:

The gameplay is well thought out. The game has a lot of depth and allows many different strategies, giving players the privilege of adjusting their decks as they please, even combining different spheres and playing according to their style. The game provides absolute immersion through the beautiful artwork and interesting text on cards, not only quest cards that describe the party of adventurers but also character and enemy cards. Players are constantly faced with important decisions such as: Which characters should I use to commit to quests to defend or attack? Maybe I could use the character’s special ability instead. I was impressed by the first few games’ duration until all players felt comfortable regarding the rules. The game box states a playing time of 60 minutes but is prepared to play a lot longer in the first games. Everyone who is not intimidated by complex rules and long gameplay and is a fan of the book will love this game and never be bored playing it. 8/10

Learning Curve:

All required to learn the game is to go through the rules and play the game once. That could take a while, though. It is recommended that one of the players who likes to read rules should do that and then explain the game to the others while playing the first (easier scenario). Merely stating the game rules will be intimidating and won’t serve much as the rules are extensive and soon forgotten without the in-game experience. The sequence of phases is shown on the last pages of the rulebook, and the timing when players can take actions will prove quite useful. 6/10

Theme:

During a time span of 17 years, the game quests occur: from when Bilbo celebrates his 111th birthday (and Frodo’s 33rd) to days just before Frodo leaves the Shire. However, the scenarios do not retell the books’ story; instead, they describe new adventures throughout Middle-Earth history. That may be seen as a positive or negative point to players and is a matter of character. I find this idea refreshing and more intriguing. Game artwork, along with detailed texting and the appearance of well-known heroes such as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, makes the game’s theme always present in every action players make. 9/10

Replayability:

Replayability is another strong point of this game. While new adventure packs are released each month, keeping up the interest in the game, even the core set with its three scenarios, is pretty interesting. You will always want to replay scenarios to achieve better scores (lower scores are better!) and accomplish quests in fewer rounds. So replayability is at its best here. 9/10

Fun:

The game is much fun, though not in a way that will amuse you or make you laugh. You will most often be struggling to make the right decisions about what actions to take or talk to your fellow mates about the right strategy to advance in the game. I think the most fun comes out of the fact that this is a cooperative game. This is accomplished intuitively, though, allowing enough space for player cooperation and allowing players to make their own decisions. I had a lot of fun playing this game 8/10

Pros:

Cons:

  • The learning curve is a bit slow (complex rules)
  • Playing time can be several hours, especially for the first game.
  • Components could be included for all four players with minimum additions.

Overall: 8.2

About author

I work for WideInfo and I love writing on my blog every day with huge new information to help my readers. Fashion is my hobby and eating food is my life. Social Media is my blood to connect my family and friends.
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