We first began our adventure with Lord of the Rings LCG a mere 4 years ago…Quite late to the party considering the game first released back in 2011! When I say we, I refer to my brother Jon (who also happens to be the studio manager at BTST) and myself. At the time, I was looking for more cooperative game experiences to play with Jon, as he was less keen playing competitive games, especially for two players. As the game was already long established this meant that many of its expansions (if not all) were already released, allowing us to jump straight into it with as much of the card pool as we wished and better yet, a strong community of veterans that we could learn deck building tips and tricks from.
Having gotten into similar LCG’s such as Arkham Horror and Marvel Champions prior to LOTR and as huge Tolkien fans, the LCG seemed like the next natural progression! So, what began as a curiosity born out of our love for Tolkien and cooperative games has evolved into a long, rewarding, and challenging (to put it mildly) journey through Middle-earth. While we now don’t play it as often as we used to, the love for the game has never left and with some new accessories on the table, it’s starting to feel exciting again.
The Early Days: A new fellowship begins
I recall buying the Core Set and the first three expansions to get us started and being overwhelmed by the sheer depth and difficulty. Certainly, the Lord of the Rings ‘skin’ was an instant win for us, but it was the challenge of the game that kept us coming back for more. If you haven’t played The Lord of the Rings LCG yet, let me tell you, it’s hard. You’re going to lose. A lot. As a wise wizard once said, ‘there never was much hope. Only a fool’s hope.’ However, this just makes those rare victories all the sweeter.
The first few months were full of trial and error. Misplays were common, decks had to be tweaked to near perfection for each scenario and some quests felt utterly brutal. Often though, we would aim to keep the same deck throughout an entire cycle. But that challenge was part of the appeal. It forced us to think strategically, learn card synergies, and appreciate the journey even in defeat. The two of us would even get into the studio early each morning to get in a game or two before the working day would begin!
Why We Played (and why we still love it)
It was quite fitting that this game about hardship and camaraderie was discovered after the Covid pandemic and was something we could both enjoy in a semi-isolated world. What made LOTR LCG special for us was the shared experience and the theme wins. Win or lose (mainly lose), the game generally does a fantastic job both mechanically and thematically. Combined with our constant quoting of the movies during our play throughs and it’s never a dull moment.
It goes almost without saying that we love to make our games as immersive as possible and our sessions became ritualistic: sleeves, tokens, the right playlists in the background. There was a sense of immersion that few games have replicated for us. Even though we don’t play as much these days as life tends to get in the way, the game still holds a special place on the shelf and in our hearts for us both.
Our Journey Through the Game
As our collection grew, so did our appreciation for the game’s design. Every cycle brought new mechanics, new heroes, difficulty spikes (looking at you Heirs of Numenor) and new ways to die horribly to a treachery card. There were lulls in the journey. Sometimes, the game’s steep difficulty curve made it hard to return. But each time we did, it felt like coming home to a warm cosy hobbit hole.
Each scenario is a puzzle to be solved. The game is about finding the right deck for the right moment, rather than playing a single character and evolving them to face challenges, as is the case with Arkham Horror LCG.
We’ve now reached a point where we’ve purchased and played most of the cycles and dipped into the Saga expansions. But the beauty of LOTR LCG is that there is always another challenge waiting for an old one to revisit with a new deck idea.
The puzzle aspect of the game is what keeps us coming back time and time again, to solve the challenges that we find, whether it’s a new quest or newly discovered mechanic that would benefit from a new accessory.
Written by Christopher Scillitoe