"Build up your board state before you start questing" is probably the game-changer advice. Personally I thought the game was unbeatable until I saw that tip in an older video and applied it.
@@kosterix123 Build up your board state means that in the quest phase you should only invest the minimum required to avoid additional threat while you wait out some turns to gather resources and play allies or other permanent cards. That's your board state. If not, if you rush questing before building your board state, you may get to the second or third stage quickly but it will be next to impossible to deal with all the enemies or effects that those stages bring. It's not the only strategy but it certainly a very good one, specially for beginners.
Your LotR videos are the best intro videos I’ve seen for this game, hands down, and among the best intro videos I’ve ever seen for a card game. Kudos, and thanks.
Excellent video - both informative and entertaining. Here is some additional advice from me: 1) Don't be ashamed to use proxies. Sometimes, you need a specific card from a set that is unavailable or hard to get for the time being. Or you just want to test if a card works in your deck. Or you have a card that is so incredibly useful that you'd like to put it in multiple decks, but only have 3 copies. Just print out the card, stick it into a sleeve with some leftover cards and play with it. 2) Use the "50 cards threshold" as a maximum, too. Don't just throw all the cards you have together. That's not a deck, that's just ... a pile of cards. Have a strategy in mind, and build your deck based on that strategy. The fewer cards your deck has, the higher the probability is to actually draw those cards that you want. Also, you should play with playsets and not with too many one-ofs (exception: unique cards, expensive cards). Both guidelines make your deck more consistent. 3) Use combos and synergies. The effect of how cards interact can be greater than the sum of its parts. Some very popular ones from the core-set are: - Sneak Attack + Gandalf (cheap, repeatable use, flexible timing) - Son of Anor + Forest Snare (engage the Hill Troll in your planning phase and trap him, so he won't ever attack) - Aragorn + Theodred (you can time the effects so that Aragorn can use the same resource he just got from Theodred) - Eowyn + Stand and Fight (the perfect way to get those off-sphere allies like Beorn into your discard pile) 4) Avoid exhausting characters before the staging step. Necromancer's Reach will kill Henamarth Riversong, for example. Use his effect after questing / at the end of the round, so that he is ready during staging. Also, always count how many copies of Necromancer's Reach are already in the discard pile and how many are left in the encounter deck. 5) You have to commit all characters to the quest simultaneously. That means you can't spontaneously react to those Brown Lands you just revealed, you have to plan and calculate. However, with Eowyn, Protector of Lorien or Faramir's effect you can modifiy your quest power after (!) staging, if necessary. 6) Always read the cards completely. Steward of Gondor, for example, not only provides resources, but also the Gondor trait -> For Gondor applies. 7) Engagement with an enemy doesn't mean that it attacks you (yet). Those are two different phases. And much can happen in between (Feint, Quick Strike, A light in the Dark ...) 8) Beware of location-lock. Locations and enemies are both obstacles that have to be overcome. The difference, however, is that you can deal with multiple enemies at the same time, but there can only be one active location. So it's more difficult to get rid of them. Ways to deal with locations in the staging area are extremely powerful, like Northern Tracker or even Snowborn Scout. Also note that locations can be explored while they are in the staging area, so you can benefit from their effects without having to travel there (like Mountains of Mirkwood). 9) Thalin kills the Eastern Crows before the Surge-effect triggers. Confusing, but true. And good for us. 10) Sauron's rule: If you are not sure how to interpret a card effect, the one that is bad for the player(s) is correct in most cases ... ^^
I'm super new to the game and I think this is my favorite and maybe the best channel that I could find doing LOTR LCG content. Love the way you explain stuff!
Just bought the core set. As a new player, this video is great. Been watching this game from afar for years, not wanting to jump in because too much content had already been out for it. But now, the revised core set is the opportunity I've been waiting for. Looking forward to more videos about this game. Thank you for the great tips!
Finally I found out a really good video to help me with this game. Congratulations and thanks a lot. Your LOTR videos are the best. The clear English helps to understand everything. Thank you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm new to TLOTR card game. I plan on buying the revised core set. Just from this video you put out a lot of detailed thought about this game. Definitely watching the rest to aid me slowly about the game. It's gonna be hard but I'm very willing to learn. Thanks!
@@TheGameLockeroh man... After my very first match with my brand new core set, It feels to me so frustrating (and engaging), that this words sounds like celestial music
I really enjoy your energy and enthusiasm for this game, it's contagious! Looking forward to learning this game and watching your content along the way.
Thanks for this! The single best video so far as I try gradually to understand the game. The best part is the discussion of the most common mistakes. That cleared up multiple things in my mind. I’ve come to learn the intricacies of some challenging games in my day but I always appreciate a leg up! Great job and your grasp of gaming is impressive!
YES! New player here, and I've been leading my friends through the game while only doing 1 of the common mistakes! I'm excited about that. This game is challenging to get into but VERY fun when everyone gets it and meshes!
12:05 These lists are not included in the original core rulebook. I have 3 of the old cores so I quickly jotted the lists down. Really appreciate you holding that page up! :D
I'm a new player and only after watching your videos I understood how to play. #29 is not "explicitly" in the rule. I know someone could argue that it is, but it's not clear enough. The game manual is poorly written (at least in my language, Italian). It took me 2 weeks + watching your videos to figure it out. thanks for your hard work.
Two Gandalf-related things I did not understand when I started to play: (1) PHASE vs. ROUND: with Sneak Attack he enters play for a phase and then returns to your hand. If you pay for him he enters play for a round and then goes to the discard pile. (2) COMBAT DAMAGE vs. DIRECT DAMAGE: His card effect (when he enters play) deals four direct damage that circumvents defense/shield while a regular attack deals combat damage that can be (partly) defended by enemies.
Enfin une excellente vidéo très claire permettant de déterminer si oui ou non on désire se lancer dans cette aventure de LoR lcg ! Un grand merci à vous.
The most important action window is AFTER revealing shadow cards but BEFORE doing damage to defenders. Revealing shadow cards like 'do 1 damage to defender character' all play out immidiately, but shadow cards that increase the attack of the enemy will not damage you yet. During this action window is when you should decide which character(s) you want to heal, which characters you want to give bonus defense etc. You have all the information to make the best plays.
Hey great video. I am unable to find your buyers guide video. I really want to try some expansoes but i only got the core set repack this year. There many choices i am a bit overwhelmed lol.
Sadly I haven't made it yet! I made the powerpoint, I just need to find time to record it eventually. In the meantime, my general recommendation for new players is to stick with only the repackaged expansions that are being newly released. The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion is perhaps the best first buy for new players. The Starter Decks are all amazing buys as well (I have a video breakdown of all of those with my particular buying recommendations). Dark of Mirkwood is good if you just want two easy quests that you can link up with the core set quests for a 5-quest campaign. I would only get the Angmar Campaign box after getting some other expansions first to increase your cardpool - the quests are more difficult, but some of my favorites in the entire game. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this video. It's great and definitely very useful to the people who are new to LotR LCG. Looking forward to the expansion guide video, like to know how you think about every expansions. I personally felt frustrating playing against "Heirs of Númenor" .Feeling two of the three scenarios are too brutal!
Yeah I remember building a mono-tactics deck with Beorn, Eowyn, and Beregond to get through that cycle. Not a cycle you can just bring any deck to unfortunately, but after the first 3 quests I quite enjoyed the rest :)
Man, this video is pure gold. I'm starting to play now with the revised core set and your tips are really great. Thanks a lot. I have something in my mind since I bought the core set, maybe with your experience, you can share a light here... I would like to buy everything that will be repacked, to have the maximum of content that I can get. With those 4 starter Decks, I will a have a great and powerful pool of cards from many cycles, and that's great. BUT...I won't have the quests (and the respective encounter decks) of those cycles that probably won't be repacked, because I'm sure they won't sell products which causes us to have duplicate cards. Because of that, I wonder if it's better to go this way, buy the starter and the few cycles they will repack, OR...try to get the cycles by the old fashion way, to have the "complete" collection. I'm from Brazil and here it's impossible to get the cycles buying the deluxe boxes and the adventure packs. They were not released here, so, I would have to import everything from US, and that would be EXTREMELY expensive... Otherwise, if I stick with the new releases only, I will miss a lot of quests for a lot of cycles... I don't know what to do :(
Sadly, many players across the world are in the same situation as you with very limited product availability. Right now the only real choice you have to make is whether to buy the starter decks (considering the potential for duplicates). If you start by buying the starter decks and the repackaged cycles, and later decide you want to buy the other cycles, you could always just resell the starter decks if you don’t like having those duplicates or don’t need the convenience of having those decks always ready to go. You don’t have to decide now whether to go all-in on the game. Just get one thing at a time, and enjoy the journey! Hope that helps!
You could try it out on dragncards, a free online sim. It won't replace the feel of actual cards, but it can be a good substitute when you want to play but can't due to availability.
My situation is similar, having the revised core and the starter decks, so I opted to purchase some of the stand-alone products, particularly the 'custom' scenarios Mines of Moria & Escape from Kazad-dum; each offers 14 suits of (5) encounter cards, with any seven chosen to constitute the encounter deck, along with optional quest paths (1A, 3B's, 3C's); the 28 suits can be also blended together for a quite a lot of replayability and variance, OR there is the option to create an encounter deck fully from scratch using a point system
...yes, great video! Thank you! Question: In the Leadership & Spirit deck, is Wandering Took meant for two players? Also, doesn't the card, "Sneak Attack", allow a player to put an ally into play, outside the Planning Phase? ...for example, during the action window in the Combat Phase?
Hey I just bought the core set and the first saga expansion! Now I think I need some player cards. Am I good with the angmar awakened hero expansion or should I wait for the starter decks to reprint (seems out of stock in canada)
My advice: Learn the encounter deck for each adventure. Knowing what dangers you may face will help you tune your deck and play your hands. Of course you can skip this and go in blind if that is your thing.
This is an excellent tip! I've had great experiences both ways - exploring a quest blind for the first time (which you can only do once), and really learning the encounter deck well so you can "tech" against it by building your deck to counter each challenge. That's really what the nightmare decks are best for.
@@romiloszachariadis2334 Yes absolutely. The Revised Core set is the best introduction to the game, comes with all of the tracking components you'll need (like threat dials and resource/damage/progress tokens), and a TON of really important staple cards for building decks with.
yes I cover this in one of my rules videos - the way it’s written you get to resolve as much of the card as you’re able. so even if you can’t heal a damage, you can still deal a damage.
Yep! “Putting into play” doesn’t take into account any cost restrictions, including sphere matches. You can use “stand and fight” the same way, paying 6 Spirit resources to put Beorn into play even if you only have Spirit heroes.
@@TheGameLocker if I sneak attack Beorn and use his +5 atk, does he go back into my hand due to sneak attack or is he shuffled back into my deck via his own card text?
@@TheGameLocker awesome! Thanks for the quick responses. Subscribed! If you’re ever interested in enjoying a pipe (or know others who do) send them my way :) Oh and I had no idea about revealed vs “add a card to the staging area”, wow! That helps
Planning on it, yes, but I'm planning to start with my How To Play series first, which is a massive undertaking. In the meantime I'm happy to answer any questions you have related to purchasing!
Great question! Allies & attachments can normally only be played during the planning phase. Event cards are a LOT more flexible than that. Most event cards say "Action:" at the beginning of their card text, which means it can be played during any "action window" (see my tip #1). Action windows are hard to learn, so check out the resources I linked to and that will help you see when you can play those event cards that say "Action:". Some say "Response:", which means the card itself will tell you when it can be played. Hope that helps!
I'm new and while playing the core set a sacrifice type character is engaged with an enemy. Turning over the shadow card it tells me to exhaust a character. The only characters not yet exhausted are Aragon who is waiting to attack in the next phase and this defending character. My question is one of exhaust timing. Can I defend first and then consider that defending character exhausted or do I need to consider the defending character exhausted first which would then require me to exhaust Aragon which would then prevent my planned attack?
Welcome to the game! As soon as you declare a defender, you need to exhaust that defender. After exhausting your defender, you flip the shadow card, so in this case you will be forced to exhaust Aragorn. Ouch!
13:43 lol I just ran my deck into this quest several times and it absolutely felt impossible. (I'm re-learning the game and am just using core set cards atm). I eventually played and managed to get Gandalf and Sneak attack in my opening hand. The quest was then an easy win. TLDR: When in doubt...Gandalf. lol
Hi. New to this game but want to understand how you can have a deck less then 50 card when the rules say a deck must have a minimum of 50 cards. Thanks
What I mention in the video is a common house rule recommended by many veteran players to help newer players who ONLY have a core set to enjoy the game more. It's really hard to build a good 50-card deck with only a core set, so playing with a smaller deck allows you to take out extra copies of unique/expensive/situational cards that you don't need as many of, to make the deck more consistent and powerful. Again, I only recommend this house rule for players who ONLY have a core set. As soon as you buy one or two expansions, this house rule is no longer important since you should have you should have enough good cards to play standard 50-card decks. Hope that helps!
You say "The rulebook says a deck is 50 cards standard". But it doesnt say that.. it says when you build a deck "It MUST at least contain 50 cards". Are you houseruling the below 50 cards build deck rule? 15:35 (point 20)
There are a few decks on ringsdb that can beat every quest in the game. For me personally, I’m not interested in playing just one all-powerful deck. It’s pretty challenging to build a deck that can beat all the quests in a single campaign. After playing nine quests with a single deck I’m usually itching to try something new.
I don't play MTG, so sadly I can't really answer that question :). Action windows are pretty straightforward, because if two players both want to play an action in an action window, the players just decide what should go first, and the first player casts the deciding vote if needed. For other effects like responses, constant abilities, and forced effects, I explain the correct order of resolution in my videos (parts 2 and 3). Hope that helps!
Great video! I’m new to the game and loving it. These videos definitely help out Where can I find that thing you use to track your treat tho? That’s awesome
I have a question. I’ve been collecting this game since the start. I have EVERYTHING except the stand-alone single quests. I have a TONs of stuff. I have one copy of the original core. I want to play around with deck building with my collection but I also want to have a few strong decks that will basically remain untouched. I want to just have “extra” for if I wanted to have 3-4 strong decks that will ALWAYs remain intact that can just pick up and play without taking away options when it comes to trial and error deck building. What would be the best option, Building strong decks from the new revised core set $55 or 4 of the prebuilt decks $75? Like i said I want these cards to be exclusive from the pool to deck build.
I think you'll probably appreciate having the starter decks more if you're looking for some ready-to-grab decks that won't take away cards from the rest of your collection. But given that you've already purchased a nearly complete collection, it's probably not a stretch to buy the revised core at some point too. In fact, I've seen some great deals on eBay from people selling revised core + all 4 starter decks as a bundle. That might be a good way to go.
@@TheGameLocker thanks! I’ve been collecting this game since day one mostly due to my love for the IP. What I’m noticing is a lot of good decks require a few of the same cards so If I start playing around with deck building/deconstructing and don’t get to finish it (life and kids and all that) I have nothing for those times when all I have time for is one quick game using a solid unsucky deck.
You mention you should have half allies in your deck, but how would you calculate how many to put in in a multi sphere deck? Id also assume you wouldn’t want to choose to expensive cards for the sphere with only one hero
The "half allies" is really just a starting point for new players who are just starting out deck building. The real answer is always going to be "it depends" :). For a multi-sphere deck I'd still aim for 25 ish allies in a standard deck, but you just have to especially pay attention to the COST, and be very conservative with the number of 3 and 4-cost cards you include unless you have some resource acceleration or smoothing effects to get the resources where you need them most.
Sold my original copy several years ago. Did not like the quest phase at all. Just seemed like every turn your tapping most of your characters just to make any progress. Then when combat comes around you’ve got hardly anybody left. Wouldn’t bother revisiting it.
What you're describing is a really common experience many players have had - and you're right, it makes the game not fun. May I offer a few thoughts on that, and some suggestions for improving the experience? 1. This tends to be a bigger problem when playing solo. It's SUPER important to put enough Willpower in your deck so that you can quest without having to tap all your characters. Playing 2-3 Tactics heroes in Solo usually doesn't work - not enough willpower. In multiplayer or 2-handed solo games you can spread this out between the decks to make it more even, or even have a dedicated "questing" deck and a "combat" deck. 2. Most quests don't require you to make progress early - so don't rush questing. Don't worry about making progress early. Just focus on building your board state with allies and attachments first, that's the priority. 3. Travel to locations as often as you can to keep the staging area clear. Once the staging area gets too full of cards, you'll lose. 4. If you're having to tap almost all of your characters in back-to-back rounds just to make a little progress but you're not clearing the active locations, that usually means you've already lost. Hope that helps!
With regards to easy mode, it actually does make the game alot more accessible and more fair since you do NOT Have to draw a Shadow Card when the enemy engages you. That is actually a huge plus for Easy mode for me since Shadow Effects can literally one shot your own forces.
Funny that they actually don't include the "no shadow card" component of easy mode in the revised core set rulebooks, only in the original core set rulebook. Definitely still an option for new players, but I think Shadow cards are a really core part of what make this game fun :)
@@TheGameLocker oh definitely. Still, easy mode I tend to use and I still will use the original rules for easy mode. I do tend to mix it up all the time, I still draw shadow cards after restarting quests just for fun. Thanks for Replying. Keep up the fantastic Work :D
Yes, absolutely! You follow the golden rule here - if a card allows you to do something that breaks the normal game rules, the card text takes precedent. Just do exactly as the Vilya card says. Note that the ability on Vilya is an "Action", meaning it can be played during ANY action window.
Hi Cody! Revealing is more than just placing a card in the staging area. The Rules Reference entry for "Reveal" says this: "When a player is instructed to reveal an encounter card, the player takes the top card of the encounter deck, turns it faceup, and resolves the staging of that card, including any keywords and “when revealed” effects." Each of those steps are important. Revealing will not only require you to place the card in the staging area, but it also requires you to resolve all keywords (like Surge and Doomed) and any "When Revealed" effects on the card. By contrast, if you are instructed to "add a card to the staging area", it is NOT revealed, so you don't resolve keywords or When Revealed effects. Does that make sense?
True that - it's a lifestyle game, meaning most of the time people spend with the game is OUTSIDE of actually playing the game (listening to podcasts, reading blogs, watching videos, thinking about new decks to build, etc.). Quite overwhelming at first, but deep and rewarding if you're looking for that kind of game :)
I have to say as a new player, both the "Learn to play" and "Rule reference" books do a really bad job at explaining what the consequences of exhausted/ready characters are. The reference book do a particularly bad job at this (since it's suppose to be a the one you look in when unsure), essentially just explaining HOW you ready/exhaust a character, no explaining at all what it actually does.... Was kinda baffling considering how essential the actual function is. Even the Learn to play guide never really describe it in a clear-cut way, only indirectly. It would have been SO easy to clarify this with a few sentences. It just feels like they assume people know what an exhausted card is from the genre.
That’s a really good point - in my How To Play videos coming soon I’ll be sure to emphasize that. It makes sense for anyone who’s played a customizable card game like this, but not to anyone else.
@@TheGameLocker Yeah. What I actually wish is for someone to have this mouch time and passion to go through Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I have at one point obtained all there was to this game (besides the sidequests) and no matter how much I go into this game struggle with building decks. It's such a wierd game system that is hard to wrap my head around. I'm not sure if you've ever touched this Fantasy Flight game. I get a game needing to be a challenge, but then there's challenging, and then getting crushed by randomization and insufficient cards that just don't mesh cohesivly. I've had this with Warhmmer Invasion, which felt like pure chaos in balance (no pun intended), and with Arkham Horror which has many that seem like fillers because there isn't anything better. Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game I actually liked, and I found another game created (I think due to the Warhammer one unabale be be added to due to lisencing) called Heroes of Terrinoth. Also great game, almost exactly like Warhammer Quest: TCG. This LotR LCG has many elements of these games, but it has deck building as a component.
@@TheGameLocker Ok. I am going to ask now after much deliberation. Which sets to get? Here is my checklist of thoughts: The most bang for buck, and completeness sake. Highly interested in the Silvan enter play deck, the Valor deck, the Noldor utilizing discard deck, and some form of trap deck. Any/all sets to make some great decks for these four styles would be appreciated. I'm not sure where hobbits fit into these (probably none).
@@Kindlesmith70 For starters - best "bang for your buck" anything is going to be sticking with the revised content (i.e. anything released in the repackaged format starting with the revised core set). Anything in the old format is out of print and expensive on eBay. For Silvan & Valor you'll definitely need both the Silvan and Gondor starter decks (Gondor gives you the basis for Valor and some key Traps). Then I'd get the Angmar Awakened Hero expansion, which gives you most of the Noldor archetype, and some additional Valor cards, and one really cool Silvan ally. Then I'd get Dream-Chaser Hero Expansion to complete the Noldor Archetype, along with many more Gondor cards, some really nice Silvan cards, and a few great Trap cards. Lastly, the Two Towers box will give you some key Trap cards, most notably the Damrod hero who really enables the archetype. The problem at this point is when you get this many expansions, you start to get other cards from other archetypes, that require buying other expansions to "complete". Like, if you buy the Two Towers, you're gonna want the Rohan Starter deck to make use of all the amazing Rohan cards you get (and on and on it goes...)
@@TheGameLocker This tactic becomes even more hilariously overpowered when you have sneak attack and then Gandalf comes in and Hummerhorn turned into "Hummergone" XD!!!! As for Campaign Mode, Damn your right, it made the game much easier thanks to certain "Factors". The Leadership/Spirit Deck in my opinion is the best Starter Deck from the Core Set. It literally has Eowyn alone, who can bypass most Location and Threat Totals with just her base 4 Willpower (5 Willpower if you discard a unwanted card from your hand, adding even more fun with Eowyn). Aragorn and Theodred also makes the Deck Work thanks to Resource Management. Oh, and Journey into the Anduin's First Scenario becomes hilariously easy once you have Frodo from the Saga expansion as one of your heroes (0 Threat is a massive advantage over the Troll, you literally can have 7-8 turns before it attacks depending on the other two heroes you have) Actually won this scenario with a Beregond, Eleanor and Denethor deck, this ended with Beregond having the Gondorian Shield, Citadel Plate, Self Preservation, Blade of Gondolin. Yep, Beregond was the MVP and DID NOT!!!!! Suffer any damage from the Troll............. Word of advice for New Players, Get the Defenders of Gondor Starter Deck, Get Beregond, Gondorian Shield, Citadel Plate, Blade of Gondolin, Spear of the Citadel and you literally have this scenario done the moment he is all jacked up with all these attachments plus Allies and Lore Attachments like Self Preservation. Beregond is by far one of the absolute best heroes for this Scenario Specifically.
@@simounobrien9096 Defense is one of the hardest things with a core set-only card pool, Beregond is certainly amazing to help solve that problem! However I should tell you that the Fellowship Sphere Frodo can ONLY be used in the Saga quests, and cannot be chosen as one of your normal heroes in other quests. Sad, but true.
@@TheGameLocker Oh well, Least I still got Beregond. Hahahahh. Thank you for the heads up buddy. I am still learning the game but your help is extraordinarily appreciated :)
@@TheGameLocker I actually was gonna ask, do you recommend any other Quest Packs for New Comers? I think the Hunt For Gollum is actually the easiest Quest I ever did so far. I remember only doing the whole scenario in just 8 rounds
my recommendation for keeping the game fresh even with a small card pool is to randomly deal out only a part of your pool when deck building, that way you are forced to include and perhaps find new combos even with weaker cards, and cant always rely on the same lame combos over and over again. to balance out the fact that decks become weaker this way, heroes should start with extra resources. and decks should only be perhaps 30 or so cards.
Great idea! You could even just do this with heroes - shuffle up all of your heroes, deal 5, pick 3 to build a deck with to try to beat a specific quest.
One thing I will add, I’ve been playing true solo for years and love it. You don’t miss out on ranger and sentinel when playing 1 deck, quite the opposite, all your characters essentially have ranged and sentinel.
I appreciate the suggestion! Channel memberships require quite a bit more time investment that I simply don't have in this season of my life, but I just added Super Thanks so people can now drop a tip ;)
@@TheGameLocker 😊 me too, and great video by the way! I really wanted to love this game and I bought it when it first came out. We tried it a bunch of times and it just made us feel stupid
Have you tried it since playing Arkham? I imagine it would at least feel “familiar” after playing another similar lcg, could be easier to learn now for you.
@@TheGameLocker I have actually. Like an idiot, I repurchased it when they released it in a smaller box. I still feel the same way, though. I've been a Tolkien fan all my life so I love the theme, and the artwork is unbelievably amazing it's just such a punishing game that it's hard to get into.
Fuck me, have they made the box even bigger!!!! Jesus the original box was ridiculously to big!!! "Analyse why you lost".... because it's a fekkin random luck game!!!
"Build up your board state before you start questing" is probably the game-changer advice. Personally I thought the game was unbeatable until I saw that tip in an older video and applied it.
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@@kosterix123 Build up your board state means that in the quest phase you should only invest the minimum required to avoid additional threat while you wait out some turns to gather resources and play allies or other permanent cards. That's your board state.
If not, if you rush questing before building your board state, you may get to the second or third stage quickly but it will be next to impossible to deal with all the enemies or effects that those stages bring. It's not the only strategy but it certainly a very good one, specially for beginners.
Your LotR videos are the best intro videos I’ve seen for this game, hands down, and among the best intro videos I’ve ever seen for a card game. Kudos, and thanks.
I'm so glad you found them helpful!
Excellent video - both informative and entertaining. Here is some additional advice from me:
1) Don't be ashamed to use proxies.
Sometimes, you need a specific card from a set that is unavailable or hard to get for the time being. Or you just want to test if a card works in your deck. Or you have a card that is so incredibly useful that you'd like to put it in multiple decks, but only have 3 copies. Just print out the card, stick it into a sleeve with some leftover cards and play with it.
2) Use the "50 cards threshold" as a maximum, too.
Don't just throw all the cards you have together. That's not a deck, that's just ... a pile of cards. Have a strategy in mind, and build your deck based on that strategy. The fewer cards your deck has, the higher the probability is to actually draw those cards that you want. Also, you should play with playsets and not with too many one-ofs (exception: unique cards, expensive cards). Both guidelines make your deck more consistent.
3) Use combos and synergies.
The effect of how cards interact can be greater than the sum of its parts. Some very popular ones from the core-set are:
- Sneak Attack + Gandalf (cheap, repeatable use, flexible timing)
- Son of Anor + Forest Snare (engage the Hill Troll in your planning phase and trap him, so he won't ever attack)
- Aragorn + Theodred (you can time the effects so that Aragorn can use the same resource he just got from Theodred)
- Eowyn + Stand and Fight (the perfect way to get those off-sphere allies like Beorn into your discard pile)
4) Avoid exhausting characters before the staging step.
Necromancer's Reach will kill Henamarth Riversong, for example. Use his effect after questing / at the end of the round, so that he is ready during staging. Also, always count how many copies of Necromancer's Reach are already in the discard pile and how many are left in the encounter deck.
5) You have to commit all characters to the quest simultaneously.
That means you can't spontaneously react to those Brown Lands you just revealed, you have to plan and calculate. However, with Eowyn, Protector of Lorien or Faramir's effect you can modifiy your quest power after (!) staging, if necessary.
6) Always read the cards completely.
Steward of Gondor, for example, not only provides resources, but also the Gondor trait -> For Gondor applies.
7) Engagement with an enemy doesn't mean that it attacks you (yet).
Those are two different phases. And much can happen in between (Feint, Quick Strike, A light in the Dark ...)
8) Beware of location-lock.
Locations and enemies are both obstacles that have to be overcome. The difference, however, is that you can deal with multiple enemies at the same time, but there can only be one active location. So it's more difficult to get rid of them. Ways to deal with locations in the staging area are extremely powerful, like Northern Tracker or even Snowborn Scout. Also note that locations can be explored while they are in the staging area, so you can benefit from their effects without having to travel there (like Mountains of Mirkwood).
9) Thalin kills the Eastern Crows before the Surge-effect triggers.
Confusing, but true. And good for us.
10) Sauron's rule:
If you are not sure how to interpret a card effect, the one that is bad for the player(s) is correct in most cases ... ^^
WOW, this is a tremendous comment! I agree 100% with all of your points here!
Great Video! I’m looking forward to that guide for buying expansions. It’s overwhelming with all the expansions.
I'm super new to the game and I think this is my favorite and maybe the best channel that I could find doing LOTR LCG content. Love the way you explain stuff!
That’s super encouraging to hear, thanks so much!
25:08 that rule about “putting into play” vs “playing a card” really saved me during Escape From Dol Guldur
Definitely :)
Just bought the core set. As a new player, this video is great. Been watching this game from afar for years, not wanting to jump in because too much content had already been out for it.
But now, the revised core set is the opportunity I've been waiting for.
Looking forward to more videos about this game.
Thank you for the great tips!
Thank you for all those LoTR LCG videos. You really put great effort on thm. You actually got me to play it. A fan of the franchise from Morocco 🇲🇦
Cheers!
Finally I found out a really good video to help me with this game. Congratulations and thanks a lot. Your LOTR videos are the best. The clear English helps to understand everything. Thank you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you very much!
I'm new to TLOTR card game. I plan on buying the revised core set. Just from this video you put out a lot of detailed thought about this game. Definitely watching the rest to aid me slowly about the game. It's gonna be hard but I'm very willing to learn. Thanks!
It's like learning to ride a bike, it'll be wobbly at first, but when you get it, you'll soon be doing tricks and jumps that feel amazing :)
@@TheGameLockeroh man... After my very first match with my brand new core set, It feels to me so frustrating (and engaging), that this words sounds like celestial music
I really enjoy your energy and enthusiasm for this game, it's contagious! Looking forward to learning this game and watching your content along the way.
Thank you so much! Please let me know if you have questions along the way!
Thanks for this! The single best video so far as I try gradually to understand the game. The best part is the discussion of the most common mistakes. That cleared up multiple things in my mind. I’ve come to learn the intricacies of some challenging games in my day but I always appreciate a leg up! Great job and your grasp of gaming is impressive!
So glad to hear! I only know what I've learned from others in the community, so standing on the shoulders of giants and all that :)
YES! New player here, and I've been leading my friends through the game while only doing 1 of the common mistakes! I'm excited about that. This game is challenging to get into but VERY fun when everyone gets it and meshes!
The right group makes all the difference :)
Subscribed. Core set arriving today. Excited and nervous to play. This will be my game of this kind. 🤞🏻
Take your time and enjoy the journey! It's like riding a bike, with enough repetition of doing the round procedure, it will become second-nature.
Just getting started - This is really helpful; appreciated!
Glad it was helpful!
12:05 These lists are not included in the original core rulebook. I have 3 of the old cores so I quickly jotted the lists down. Really appreciate you holding that page up! :D
*LEADERSHIP & SPIRIT:*
*HEROES:*
Aragorn
Eowyn
Theodred
*ALLIES:*
3x Gandalf
2x Faramir
3x Guard Of The Citadel
2x Longbeard Orc Slayer
2x Silverlode Archer
3x Snowbourn Scout
2x Son Of Arnor
2x Lorien Guide
2x Northern Tracker
3x Wandering Took
*ATTACHMENTS:*
3x Celebrian's Stone
3x Steward Of Gondor
3x Unexpected Courage
*EVENTS:*
2x Grim Resolve
3x Sneak Attack
3x Valiant Sacrifice
3x A Test Of Will
2x Dwarven Tomb
2x Stand And Fight
2x The Galadrim's Greeting
*LORE & TACTICS:*
*HEROES:*
Beravor
Denethor
Legolas
*ALLIES:*
3x Gandalf
3x Gleowine
3x Henamarth Riversong
3x Daughter Of Nimrodel
3x Erebor Hammersmith
3x Miner Of The Iron Hills
3x Gondorian Spearman
3x Veteran Axehand
*ATTACHMENTS:*
2x Forest Snare
3x Protector Of Lorien
3x Horn Of Gondor
3x Blade Of Gondolin
*EVENTS:*
3x Radagast's Cunning
3x Secret Path
3x Blade Mastery
3x Feint
3x Quick Strike
@@twitchster77 Great! I'm glad I held it up at the right angle!
I'm a new player and only after watching your videos I understood how to play. #29 is not "explicitly" in the rule. I know someone could argue that it is, but it's not clear enough. The game manual is poorly written (at least in my language, Italian). It took me 2 weeks + watching your videos to figure it out. thanks for your hard work.
My pleasure! Its hard to get the details down for sure.
But number #29 is listed in their faq guide which i read after i finished playing.
Great video! Keep up the great work!
I love your advice and analysis on this game. Wish you were still making videos!
Still planning to make more! Just not as often as I'd like.
@@TheGameLocker good to hear. You do a fantastic job!
i think you’re the best lotr lcg channel , your reviews and tips are very helpful :)
One year and half later and I am still waiting for the promised buyer's guide 🙂
Two Gandalf-related things I did not understand when I started to play: (1) PHASE vs. ROUND: with Sneak Attack he enters play for a phase and then returns to your hand. If you pay for him he enters play for a round and then goes to the discard pile. (2) COMBAT DAMAGE vs. DIRECT DAMAGE: His card effect (when he enters play) deals four direct damage that circumvents defense/shield while a regular attack deals combat damage that can be (partly) defended by enemies.
Great tips, thanks for sharing! I have seen a lot of people get confused about direct damage.
You've quickly beocome my top tier LOTR-related person on youtube ;)
Thank you for all the help! Very excited to play!
This is the video i needed. Thnks a bumch for this useful info!
This is all very helpful. Thanks!
Hey are you going to make a buying guid would love to watch
Potentially ;)
Really nice video. I’ve been playing since 2015. Wish I’d had this video available when I first started playing!
Very helpful video for new players, especially the explanation for why and when to play the game 2-handed.
Really good video, thank you
Thanks for these vids man, they are proving to be as helpful to me as your Eclipse ones were haha.
Always happy to help!
This is the video I was looking for to start in this game :)
So glad to hear it! That’s what I was aiming for ;)
Is the buyers guide video up? Couldn’t find it
Not yet, sorry! I'm happy to give buying advice in the meantime, ask away!
Enfin une excellente vidéo très claire permettant de déterminer si oui ou non on désire se lancer dans cette aventure de LoR lcg ! Un grand merci à vous.
Great stuff! This is a good summarize of thing I whish I knew back when I started. :)
The most important action window is AFTER revealing shadow cards but BEFORE doing damage to defenders.
Revealing shadow cards like 'do 1 damage to defender character' all play out immidiately, but shadow cards that increase the attack of the enemy will not damage you yet. During this action window is when you should decide which character(s) you want to heal, which characters you want to give bonus defense etc. You have all the information to make the best plays.
100% agree!
Hey great video. I am unable to find your buyers guide video. I really want to try some expansoes but i only got the core set repack this year. There many choices i am a bit overwhelmed lol.
Sadly I haven't made it yet! I made the powerpoint, I just need to find time to record it eventually. In the meantime, my general recommendation for new players is to stick with only the repackaged expansions that are being newly released. The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion is perhaps the best first buy for new players. The Starter Decks are all amazing buys as well (I have a video breakdown of all of those with my particular buying recommendations). Dark of Mirkwood is good if you just want two easy quests that you can link up with the core set quests for a 5-quest campaign. I would only get the Angmar Campaign box after getting some other expansions first to increase your cardpool - the quests are more difficult, but some of my favorites in the entire game. Hope that helps!
Great video, very clear and helpful.
Thanks for this video. It's great and definitely very useful to the people who are new to LotR LCG.
Looking forward to the expansion guide video, like to know how you think about every expansions.
I personally felt frustrating playing against "Heirs of Númenor" .Feeling two of the three scenarios are too brutal!
Yeah I remember building a mono-tactics deck with Beorn, Eowyn, and Beregond to get through that cycle. Not a cycle you can just bring any deck to unfortunately, but after the first 3 quests I quite enjoyed the rest :)
Man, this video is pure gold. I'm starting to play now with the revised core set and your tips are really great. Thanks a lot.
I have something in my mind since I bought the core set, maybe with your experience, you can share a light here...
I would like to buy everything that will be repacked, to have the maximum of content that I can get. With those 4 starter Decks, I will a have a great and powerful pool of cards from many cycles, and that's great. BUT...I won't have the quests (and the respective encounter decks) of those cycles that probably won't be repacked, because I'm sure they won't sell products which causes us to have duplicate cards.
Because of that, I wonder if it's better to go this way, buy the starter and the few cycles they will repack, OR...try to get the cycles by the old fashion way, to have the "complete" collection.
I'm from Brazil and here it's impossible to get the cycles buying the deluxe boxes and the adventure packs. They were not released here, so, I would have to import everything from US, and that would be EXTREMELY expensive...
Otherwise, if I stick with the new releases only, I will miss a lot of quests for a lot of cycles...
I don't know what to do :(
Sadly, many players across the world are in the same situation as you with very limited product availability. Right now the only real choice you have to make is whether to buy the starter decks (considering the potential for duplicates). If you start by buying the starter decks and the repackaged cycles, and later decide you want to buy the other cycles, you could always just resell the starter decks if you don’t like having those duplicates or don’t need the convenience of having those decks always ready to go.
You don’t have to decide now whether to go all-in on the game. Just get one thing at a time, and enjoy the journey!
Hope that helps!
You could try it out on dragncards, a free online sim. It won't replace the feel of actual cards, but it can be a good substitute when you want to play but can't due to availability.
My situation is similar, having the revised core and the starter decks, so I opted to purchase some of the stand-alone products, particularly the 'custom' scenarios Mines of Moria & Escape from Kazad-dum; each offers 14 suits of (5) encounter cards, with any seven chosen to constitute the encounter deck, along with optional quest paths (1A, 3B's, 3C's); the 28 suits can be also blended together for a quite a lot of replayability and variance, OR there is the option to create an encounter deck fully from scratch using a point system
Thank You for this!
...yes, great video! Thank you!
Question: In the Leadership & Spirit deck, is Wandering Took meant for two players? Also, doesn't the card, "Sneak Attack", allow a player to put an ally into play, outside the Planning Phase? ...for example, during the action window in the Combat Phase?
His ability is, but he's a cheap ally as well :)
Yes to both!
@@TheGameLocker Thank you so much for the quick response...I played it right : )
Hey I just bought the core set and the first saga expansion! Now I think I need some player cards. Am I good with the angmar awakened hero expansion or should I wait for the starter decks to reprint (seems out of stock in canada)
Very nice video, very practical hints! Thank you!
Great videos! Although about making decks, the rulebook says the deck limit is at least 50 cards? You mention 30-35
Yep I mention that too, the 30-35 cards is what many players recommend when you ONLY have a core set. 50 minimum is standard.
Great Tips. Thanks for the great content. I learned a lot.
Thanks - subscribed :)
Great video man!
My advice: Learn the encounter deck for each adventure. Knowing what dangers you may face will help you tune your deck and play your hands. Of course you can skip this and go in blind if that is your thing.
This is an excellent tip! I've had great experiences both ways - exploring a quest blind for the first time (which you can only do once), and really learning the encounter deck well so you can "tech" against it by building your deck to counter each challenge. That's really what the nightmare decks are best for.
Fantastic video! Where did you get that awesome middle-earth playmat I see?
It's from Fantasy Flight Games, for their Journeys In Middle Earth game. Sadly I think it's hard to find now.
@@TheGameLocker That's cool I also own the same playmat, but i didn't realize it was originally made for a specific game.
Solid, great Video.
Very instructive!! How could someone play the actual Trilogy starting at Baggs End and ...which games will be needed ? Thanks in advance..
Hi there! You're going to want to look into the Saga Expansions, which take you through the story of the books.
@@TheGameLocker Thanks, do I need the Basic LotR Core Card game?
@@romiloszachariadis2334 Yes absolutely. The Revised Core set is the best introduction to the game, comes with all of the tracking components you'll need (like threat dials and resource/damage/progress tokens), and a TON of really important staple cards for building decks with.
I just bought the fellowship of the ring saga expansion after the revised core set. Do you think this was a good move?
100%, I think that's the best thing to buy after the core set :)
Did you ever make that buyer's guide? The links just link to an unboxing video? :)
I outlined and scripted most of it, but never filmed it. I'm happy to answer questions related to buying if you have any :)
@ Discord assisted me, though I would love a video. And thanks for this series by the way - MASSIVE help!
Hey, thx for the great guide and tips! Awesome!!
One question: can i use valor, when there is no damage to be healed from my hero? I'd say yes..
yes I cover this in one of my rules videos - the way it’s written you get to resolve as much of the card as you’re able. so even if you can’t heal a damage, you can still deal a damage.
@@TheGameLocker yep I watched all your rule videos, but still get confused sometimes with the wording at some cards :D
Great video. In regards to playing 2 handed solo... would you advise to atleast try true solo first or give 2 handed a go asap?
definitely try true solo first to learn the game, then when you’re solid on the rules then branch out to try 2-handed which is more complex.
Can I play Beorn (red) with a Sneak Attack (purple) if I do not have a red hero?
Yep! “Putting into play” doesn’t take into account any cost restrictions, including sphere matches. You can use “stand and fight” the same way, paying 6 Spirit resources to put Beorn into play even if you only have Spirit heroes.
@@TheGameLocker if I sneak attack Beorn and use his +5 atk, does he go back into my hand due to sneak attack or is he shuffled back into my deck via his own card text?
You choose! Those two effects happen simultaneously (end of the phase), so you choose which effect resolves first.
@@TheGameLocker awesome! Thanks for the quick responses. Subscribed! If you’re ever interested in enjoying a pipe (or know others who do) send them my way :) Oh and I had no idea about revealed vs “add a card to the staging area”, wow! That helps
@@hobbitonpiper My pleasure, thanks!
Just purchased the revsied core set and looking forward to getting into it! (but my wallet isn't)
Are you still planning a buyer's guide video?
Planning on it, yes, but I'm planning to start with my How To Play series first, which is a massive undertaking. In the meantime I'm happy to answer any questions you have related to purchasing!
Great video! How do I use event cards? In the same way as ally or attachment cards or are they different?
Great question! Allies & attachments can normally only be played during the planning phase. Event cards are a LOT more flexible than that. Most event cards say "Action:" at the beginning of their card text, which means it can be played during any "action window" (see my tip #1). Action windows are hard to learn, so check out the resources I linked to and that will help you see when you can play those event cards that say "Action:". Some say "Response:", which means the card itself will tell you when it can be played. Hope that helps!
@@TheGameLocker thanks! So would it be 1 event card max per action window? E.g. 5 event cards used over 5 action windows?
@@TheGameLocker also if I am playing solo, can I play for example loriens wealth and allow myself to draw 3 cards?
There’s no limit to the number of action cards you can play. Only that you need to have enough resources to pay the cost on each card you play.
And yes, that’s exactly what lorien’s wealth is for. Hope that helps!
I'm new and while playing the core set a sacrifice type character is engaged with an enemy. Turning over the shadow card it tells me to exhaust a character. The only characters not yet exhausted are Aragon who is waiting to attack in the next phase and this defending character. My question is one of exhaust timing. Can I defend first and then consider that defending character exhausted or do I need to consider the defending character exhausted first which would then require me to exhaust Aragon which would then prevent my planned attack?
Welcome to the game! As soon as you declare a defender, you need to exhaust that defender. After exhausting your defender, you flip the shadow card, so in this case you will be forced to exhaust Aragorn. Ouch!
13:43
lol I just ran my deck into this quest several times and it absolutely felt impossible. (I'm re-learning the game and am just using core set cards atm).
I eventually played and managed to get Gandalf and Sneak attack in my opening hand. The quest was then an easy win.
TLDR: When in doubt...Gandalf. lol
Gandalf solves so many problems! Sneak Attack + Gandalf is one way to solve the "problem" of quest #2, have you found any of the other solutions?
Hi. New to this game but want to understand how you can have a deck less then 50 card when the rules say a deck must have a minimum of 50 cards. Thanks
What I mention in the video is a common house rule recommended by many veteran players to help newer players who ONLY have a core set to enjoy the game more. It's really hard to build a good 50-card deck with only a core set, so playing with a smaller deck allows you to take out extra copies of unique/expensive/situational cards that you don't need as many of, to make the deck more consistent and powerful. Again, I only recommend this house rule for players who ONLY have a core set. As soon as you buy one or two expansions, this house rule is no longer important since you should have you should have enough good cards to play standard 50-card decks. Hope that helps!
@@TheGameLocker Thanks for the clarification.
You say "The rulebook says a deck is 50 cards standard". But it doesnt say that.. it says when you build a deck "It MUST at least contain 50 cards".
Are you houseruling the below 50 cards build deck rule? 15:35 (point 20)
Correct - the rule is 50 cards minimum. It's a common house rule in the community to ignore this 50 card minimum if all you have is a core set.
Can you build one deck that could beat most of the campaigns/expansions? Or are you forced to build multiple to beat some of them?
If you own a very big card pool I mean
There are a few decks on ringsdb that can beat every quest in the game. For me personally, I’m not interested in playing just one all-powerful deck. It’s pretty challenging to build a deck that can beat all the quests in a single campaign. After playing nine quests with a single deck I’m usually itching to try something new.
I play MTG, is the active window timing similar to playing instants?
I don't play MTG, so sadly I can't really answer that question :). Action windows are pretty straightforward, because if two players both want to play an action in an action window, the players just decide what should go first, and the first player casts the deciding vote if needed. For other effects like responses, constant abilities, and forced effects, I explain the correct order of resolution in my videos (parts 2 and 3). Hope that helps!
@TheGameLocker very much appreciated.
Waiting for your new content, looking forward to reviewing the new cycles and sagas
So, no buyers guide video yet? :-)
Not yet!
Great video! I’m new to the game and loving it. These videos definitely help out
Where can I find that thing you use to track your treat tho? That’s awesome
It’s a 3D printed thing, found it here: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3836825
I have a question. I’ve been collecting this game since the start. I have EVERYTHING except the stand-alone single quests. I have a TONs of stuff. I have one copy of the original core. I want to play around with deck building with my collection but I also want to have a few strong decks that will basically remain untouched. I want to just have “extra” for if I wanted to have 3-4 strong decks that will ALWAYs remain intact that can just pick up and play without taking away options when it comes to trial and error deck building. What would be the best option, Building strong decks from the new revised core set $55 or 4 of the prebuilt decks $75? Like i said I want these cards to be exclusive from the pool to deck build.
I think you'll probably appreciate having the starter decks more if you're looking for some ready-to-grab decks that won't take away cards from the rest of your collection. But given that you've already purchased a nearly complete collection, it's probably not a stretch to buy the revised core at some point too. In fact, I've seen some great deals on eBay from people selling revised core + all 4 starter decks as a bundle. That might be a good way to go.
@@TheGameLocker thanks! I’ve been collecting this game since day one mostly due to my love for the IP. What I’m noticing is a lot of good decks require a few of the same cards so If I start playing around with deck building/deconstructing and don’t get to finish it (life and kids and all that) I have nothing for those times when all I have time for is one quick game using a solid unsucky deck.
You mention you should have half allies in your deck, but how would you calculate how many to put in in a multi sphere deck? Id also assume you wouldn’t want to choose to expensive cards for the sphere with only one hero
The "half allies" is really just a starting point for new players who are just starting out deck building. The real answer is always going to be "it depends" :). For a multi-sphere deck I'd still aim for 25 ish allies in a standard deck, but you just have to especially pay attention to the COST, and be very conservative with the number of 3 and 4-cost cards you include unless you have some resource acceleration or smoothing effects to get the resources where you need them most.
Any links to your top favourite solo decks?
Nothing in particular - I like playing slightly modified versions of the starter decks, and Noldor decks.
Sold my original copy several years ago.
Did not like the quest phase at all. Just seemed like every turn your tapping most of your characters just to make any progress. Then when combat comes around you’ve got hardly anybody left.
Wouldn’t bother revisiting it.
What you're describing is a really common experience many players have had - and you're right, it makes the game not fun. May I offer a few thoughts on that, and some suggestions for improving the experience?
1. This tends to be a bigger problem when playing solo. It's SUPER important to put enough Willpower in your deck so that you can quest without having to tap all your characters. Playing 2-3 Tactics heroes in Solo usually doesn't work - not enough willpower. In multiplayer or 2-handed solo games you can spread this out between the decks to make it more even, or even have a dedicated "questing" deck and a "combat" deck.
2. Most quests don't require you to make progress early - so don't rush questing. Don't worry about making progress early. Just focus on building your board state with allies and attachments first, that's the priority.
3. Travel to locations as often as you can to keep the staging area clear. Once the staging area gets too full of cards, you'll lose.
4. If you're having to tap almost all of your characters in back-to-back rounds just to make a little progress but you're not clearing the active locations, that usually means you've already lost.
Hope that helps!
With regards to easy mode, it actually does make the game alot more accessible and more fair since you do NOT Have to draw a Shadow Card when the enemy engages you. That is actually a huge plus for Easy mode for me since Shadow Effects can literally one shot your own forces.
Funny that they actually don't include the "no shadow card" component of easy mode in the revised core set rulebooks, only in the original core set rulebook. Definitely still an option for new players, but I think Shadow cards are a really core part of what make this game fun :)
@@TheGameLocker oh definitely. Still, easy mode I tend to use and I still will use the original rules for easy mode. I do tend to mix it up all the time, I still draw shadow cards after restarting quests just for fun.
Thanks for Replying. Keep up the fantastic Work :D
Can I play an ally with Elrond/Vilya outside the planning phase?
Yes, absolutely! You follow the golden rule here - if a card allows you to do something that breaks the normal game rules, the card text takes precedent. Just do exactly as the Vilya card says. Note that the ability on Vilya is an "Action", meaning it can be played during ANY action window.
Does the number of allies has a limit on the table？
No limit for number of allies on the table, but just note that some quests really punish you for having a large swarm of allies.
I’m confused about “revealing”. The rules reference says that cards are “revealed” upon placing them in the staging area.
Hi Cody! Revealing is more than just placing a card in the staging area. The Rules Reference entry for "Reveal" says this: "When a player is instructed to reveal an encounter card, the player takes the top card of the encounter deck, turns it faceup, and resolves the staging of that card, including any keywords and “when revealed” effects." Each of those steps are important. Revealing will not only require you to place the card in the staging area, but it also requires you to resolve all keywords (like Surge and Doomed) and any "When Revealed" effects on the card. By contrast, if you are instructed to "add a card to the staging area", it is NOT revealed, so you don't resolve keywords or When Revealed effects. Does that make sense?
Awesome video this was super helpful, you obviously know your stuff. This is such a great game just slightly overwhelming to get into 😂
True that - it's a lifestyle game, meaning most of the time people spend with the game is OUTSIDE of actually playing the game (listening to podcasts, reading blogs, watching videos, thinking about new decks to build, etc.). Quite overwhelming at first, but deep and rewarding if you're looking for that kind of game :)
I have to say as a new player, both the "Learn to play" and "Rule reference" books do a really bad job at explaining what the consequences of exhausted/ready characters are. The reference book do a particularly bad job at this (since it's suppose to be a the one you look in when unsure), essentially just explaining HOW you ready/exhaust a character, no explaining at all what it actually does.... Was kinda baffling considering how essential the actual function is. Even the Learn to play guide never really describe it in a clear-cut way, only indirectly. It would have been SO easy to clarify this with a few sentences. It just feels like they assume people know what an exhausted card is from the genre.
That’s a really good point - in my How To Play videos coming soon I’ll be sure to emphasize that. It makes sense for anyone who’s played a customizable card game like this, but not to anyone else.
2 years ago and no links to a buyers guide.
True true, I scripted it but never had the time to film and edit. Feel free to ask me any buying questions :)
@@TheGameLocker Yeah. What I actually wish is for someone to have this mouch time and passion to go through Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I have at one point obtained all there was to this game (besides the sidequests) and no matter how much I go into this game struggle with building decks. It's such a wierd game system that is hard to wrap my head around.
I'm not sure if you've ever touched this Fantasy Flight game. I get a game needing to be a challenge, but then there's challenging, and then getting crushed by randomization and insufficient cards that just don't mesh cohesivly.
I've had this with Warhmmer Invasion, which felt like pure chaos in balance (no pun intended), and with Arkham Horror which has many that seem like fillers because there isn't anything better.
Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game I actually liked, and I found another game created (I think due to the Warhammer one unabale be be added to due to lisencing) called Heroes of Terrinoth. Also great game, almost exactly like Warhammer Quest: TCG. This LotR LCG has many elements of these games, but it has deck building as a component.
@@TheGameLocker Ok. I am going to ask now after much deliberation.
Which sets to get?
Here is my checklist of thoughts:
The most bang for buck, and completeness sake.
Highly interested in the Silvan enter play deck, the Valor deck, the Noldor utilizing discard deck, and some form of trap deck. Any/all sets to make some great decks for these four styles would be appreciated. I'm not sure where hobbits fit into these (probably none).
@@Kindlesmith70 For starters - best "bang for your buck" anything is going to be sticking with the revised content (i.e. anything released in the repackaged format starting with the revised core set). Anything in the old format is out of print and expensive on eBay. For Silvan & Valor you'll definitely need both the Silvan and Gondor starter decks (Gondor gives you the basis for Valor and some key Traps). Then I'd get the Angmar Awakened Hero expansion, which gives you most of the Noldor archetype, and some additional Valor cards, and one really cool Silvan ally. Then I'd get Dream-Chaser Hero Expansion to complete the Noldor Archetype, along with many more Gondor cards, some really nice Silvan cards, and a few great Trap cards. Lastly, the Two Towers box will give you some key Trap cards, most notably the Damrod hero who really enables the archetype. The problem at this point is when you get this many expansions, you start to get other cards from other archetypes, that require buying other expansions to "complete". Like, if you buy the Two Towers, you're gonna want the Rohan Starter deck to make use of all the amazing Rohan cards you get (and on and on it goes...)
Hummerhorns: I Will Kill you!!!
Gandalf: You Shall not Pass!!!!!
lol
@@TheGameLocker This tactic becomes even more hilariously overpowered when you have sneak attack and then Gandalf comes in and Hummerhorn turned into "Hummergone" XD!!!!
As for Campaign Mode, Damn your right, it made the game much easier thanks to certain "Factors".
The Leadership/Spirit Deck in my opinion is the best Starter Deck from the Core Set. It literally has Eowyn alone, who can bypass most Location and Threat Totals with just her base 4 Willpower (5 Willpower if you discard a unwanted card from your hand, adding even more fun with Eowyn). Aragorn and Theodred also makes the Deck Work thanks to Resource Management.
Oh, and Journey into the Anduin's First Scenario becomes hilariously easy once you have Frodo from the Saga expansion as one of your heroes (0 Threat is a massive advantage over the Troll, you literally can have 7-8 turns before it attacks depending on the other two heroes you have)
Actually won this scenario with a Beregond, Eleanor and Denethor deck, this ended with Beregond having the Gondorian Shield, Citadel Plate, Self Preservation, Blade of Gondolin. Yep, Beregond was the MVP and DID NOT!!!!! Suffer any damage from the Troll.............
Word of advice for New Players, Get the Defenders of Gondor Starter Deck, Get Beregond, Gondorian Shield, Citadel Plate, Blade of Gondolin, Spear of the Citadel and you literally have this scenario done the moment he is all jacked up with all these attachments plus Allies and Lore Attachments like Self Preservation.
Beregond is by far one of the absolute best heroes for this Scenario Specifically.
@@simounobrien9096 Defense is one of the hardest things with a core set-only card pool, Beregond is certainly amazing to help solve that problem!
However I should tell you that the Fellowship Sphere Frodo can ONLY be used in the Saga quests, and cannot be chosen as one of your normal heroes in other quests. Sad, but true.
@@TheGameLocker Oh well, Least I still got Beregond. Hahahahh. Thank you for the heads up buddy. I am still learning the game but your help is extraordinarily appreciated :)
@@TheGameLocker I actually was gonna ask, do you recommend any other Quest Packs for New Comers? I think the Hunt For Gollum is actually the easiest Quest I ever did so far. I remember only doing the whole scenario in just 8 rounds
my recommendation for keeping the game fresh even with a small card pool is to randomly deal out only a part of your pool when deck building, that way you are forced to include and perhaps find new combos even with weaker cards, and cant always rely on the same lame combos over and over again. to balance out the fact that decks become weaker this way, heroes should start with extra resources. and decks should only be perhaps 30 or so cards.
Great idea! You could even just do this with heroes - shuffle up all of your heroes, deal 5, pick 3 to build a deck with to try to beat a specific quest.
One thing I will add, I’ve been playing true solo for years and love it. You don’t miss out on ranger and sentinel when playing 1 deck, quite the opposite, all your characters essentially have ranged and sentinel.
I hope that thumbnail's face is just you being ironic...
Haha, sorta kinda ;). www.howtogeek.com/fyi/why-everyone-makes-dumb-faces-in-youtube-thumbnails/
Playing two-handed solo should not be a tip for 'new players'.
If by "new players" you mean players who are playing their first few games, I agree :).
Dude you should add a "JOIN" button to your channel. This video alone is worth $$$
I appreciate the suggestion! Channel memberships require quite a bit more time investment that I simply don't have in this season of my life, but I just added Super Thanks so people can now drop a tip ;)
35! Holy hell! The very best tip regarding this game is "don't buy it"! Play Arkham horror instead.
To each their own :). I’ve always wanted to try Arkham but I much prefer the theme of LOTR.
@@TheGameLocker 😊 me too, and great video by the way! I really wanted to love this game and I bought it when it first came out. We tried it a bunch of times and it just made us feel stupid
Have you tried it since playing Arkham? I imagine it would at least feel “familiar” after playing another similar lcg, could be easier to learn now for you.
@@TheGameLocker I have actually. Like an idiot, I repurchased it when they released it in a smaller box. I still feel the same way, though. I've been a Tolkien fan all my life so I love the theme, and the artwork is unbelievably amazing it's just such a punishing game that it's hard to get into.
If the wind blows your face will stay like that. ☺️
Fuck me, have they made the box even bigger!!!! Jesus the original box was ridiculously to big!!! "Analyse why you lost".... because it's a fekkin random luck game!!!