As a firm believer in quality components enriching any gaming experience I am always on the look out to spend money on things others consider unnecessary, so discovering BTST was a match made in heaven (or hell if you ask my wife or accountant). After ordering pretty much every Marvel Champions and Arkham offering available I decided to dust off the old LotR core box I've had collecting dust on my shelf for the last decade and try a game, more to convince myself that I didn't need the gorgeous wooden fare I'd stumbled upon than anything else, but alas like all mortal men my heart was weak and I was immediately ensnared.
Before ordering this tracker I had only played Passage through Mirkwood from the old core set. Since ordering it? I have still only played Passage through Mirkwood, but by Ilúvatar have I done it in style.
The union of acrylic and wood enhance both, with the mirrored red and gold popping far better in the flesh than any image could hope to capture. The tracker feels weighty in the hand and sturdy on the table and the impending doom one feels as threat is increased is offset by just how tactile it feels in the hand and how gorgeous it is to behold.
Entering middle age, I feel I am past the point where I can hope for a close friend to stumble upon a magic ring on a birthday fishing trip (that he will of course choose to kindly gift to me, being my birthday and all), however I am consoled by having this (and other BTST) precious items to enhance my journeys through middle earth.
