1/21/01 - Latest News

Attack on the Eastern Gate
Berendir @ 5:09 pm EST

The last two days have been sheer madness! Never have orders been so jumbled and confused.. it appeared to be such a close decision between attacking the east gate assault, or sending a brigade to find Dwarven aid, that we decided to do both! Things didn't go so well though, I'll convey the tale and then await your next decision.

We pulled back the defense from the western gate, leaving only 150 Dwarves to stave off the offensive, while a massive surge of 500 went after the eastern blockade. We broke through the front lines, but we couldn't close the gates so quickly, as we had to clear a path to send out the band of Dwarven adventurers to find and bring back aid.

For Four grueling hours we did battle, and lost over 70 kindred! But our reports are that the Dwarven messangers escaped the sortie, though we were unable to close and secure the gates after retreating from the battle lines.. the onslaught was too fierce.

The situation is growing more and more desperate.. our numbers have dropped below 500 and total, as we've lost some in the defense agianst the western gate, and even more along the eastern gate since we gave up the offensive. How long it will be before help arrives, if at all, is unknown...

Once again the decision is yours on what measures we will take to fend off the trolls and vile men from the south until help arrives.

Baruk Khazad! Khazad Ai-Menu!

( Go Here To view "To Arms!" The first post in the Siege of Khazad-dum.)

LOTR Parlor Games!?
Berendir @ 11:02 am EST

Well folks, word has it that Electronic Arts, (EA) Isn't exactly moving towards the massive multiplayer LOTR games we all hoped. Instead.. well you'll see:

The Motley Fool spoke with Stan McKee, Chief Financial Officer of Electronic Arts. Bottom line: they aren't looking for LOTR demographics.
Widespread rumors have fingered Electronic Arts as the most likely provider for a massively multiplayer online game based on Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies. And yet, despite more than six months of predictions and premature announcements by various publications, Electronic Arts has failed to confirm the rumors.

Now Stan McKee tells the Fool that EA's demographics are the 15-30 year-old male gamer market, but they are shifting more toward the large (and relatively untapped) female market. Approximately half of all online users now are women or girls. Electronic Arts leaves the huge game development projects to one of their partners, McKee says, and they are looking to expand into more "parlor games" among other new territories to address the broader demographic they are pursuing.

This just doesn't sound like a company planning to move into the void created by Sierra Online's discontinuation and apparent loss of license for the old Middle-earth Online game. Hobbits and wizards just don't seem to fit in with games like "Hearts" and "Bunny Love".

Go Here To read the original article which links to an interview with Stan Mckee.

1/19/01 - Latest News

To Arms!
Berendir @ 10:11 pm EST

It is my duty to report the grave news.. My clan has gone to war! I, Berendir son of Deren am in need of assitance, and it is not often a Dwarf would beseach Humans for such aid... We are in troubling times, as we've been attacked at unawares, and our general has been killed! I am next in the order of commanders, and yet I am not suited for it, so I've made a decision...

You, the fans must combine to help me through such bitter times. I will tell you of our current plight, and you will be given a poll of choices, and whatever the majority vote is, that is the course of action my army shall take. Of course I'll update you each time, and give you a new set of options depending upon the wisdom of your first choice..

Choose wisely! Get your maps my friends, your going to need them. Khazad-dum, known to simpletons and Elves as Moria, "the black pit", has been besieged by trolls and madmen from the south! They've been sent to pillage what riches we have, and its not very much.. as many of you may know the Dwarves had planned at the end of the third age to retake Khazad-dum, and all efforts have proved successful since then..

However we made the mistakes of keeping our gates open, thinking that we would need all the trade we could get to keep up a struggling economy.. To keep it short, as time is running out, both ends of Khazad-dum were over taken initially by humans who came appearing as traders with carts..

We beat off the initial onslaught but the arrival of trolls and formed legions of troops drove us inside the mountain...

I am at a loss, now choose wisely from the options presented and we'll see how that goes.. keep in mind theres over 2000 attacking humans and 500 Trolls.. or so we estimate with more on the way.. we are holding both gates with a combined 650 Dwarves.. only 450 are trained to the full extent in warefare.. though all are armed.. we have supplies enough for two months perhaps.

In two to three days time we'll see how your suggestion turned out.. and what our next challenge will be to save our beloved home, Khazad-Dum!

"Baruk Khazad, Khazad Ai-Menu!"

1/18/01 - Latest News

Friends, Fellow Gamers, lend me your...errrr...eyes!
DarthCaeser @ 9:57 pm EST

Greetings Folks, as the newest member of the Gaming Havens staff, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is DarthCaeser, I like games. Well, there you go. If you have any LOTR related Gaming News or anything else pertaining to Tolkien and Gaming, send me a E-mail. I'm pleased to be here, working with two of my favorite subjects, Gaming and Tolkien. Until next time, DarthCaeser.

1/14/01 - Latest News

Reiner Knizia on LOTR
Berendir @ 11:13 pm EST

If theres any avid LOTR game fans out there, you might have some interest in checking out this link to Amazon.com.

Game Designer Reiner Knizia discusses his game Lord of the Rings (Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.) with Host Bob Schwartz. Based on the popular fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkein, this game has received a lot of attention because its release coincides with the production of a Lord of the Rings movie, which is scheduled for release in 2001. The game is unique in that it is cooperative in nature: Players work together to defeat the dark forces controlled by the game, and win or lose as a group. Reiner briefly explains the trilogy of books and the components of the game. Lord of the Rings includes 5 game boards, which represent some of the major scenarios that make up the quest to destroy The One Ring. He also covers the basic play mechanics, examples of a player's turn, and an overall view of the adventure facing the participants. Group interaction and cooperation are very important, and occasional sacrifices in game play are sometimes necessary. He also descri! bes some specific trouble spots on the various game board, and illustrates the inherent differences in playing as Sam, Frodo, Pippen and the rest of the characters.

Go Here To view the page on Amazon for more info.

Shockwave LOTR Games
Xoanon @ 9:40 am EST

From: Hugo

How are you doing? You may remember my dutch site LordoftheRings.nl, well we have made 4 very cool flash/shockwave games:

a Gollum game: you have to catch the rings falling into Mount Doom a Sam game: Run away from Mount Doom before it explodes a Nazgul game: Try to kill as many Nazguls without hitting Gandalf a Legolas game: You are Legolas and you have to defend Helm's Deep with your Bow.

These games can be played directly here.

You will need Shockwave to play these coolio games.

12/28/00 - Latest News

Board Game Review
Xoanon @ 2:32 pm EST

Hi, I'm a barliman regular... Don't know how much you've followed up on the LOTR boardgame that was released recently as I had seen a couple of articles on your site, so I thought I'd drop you my two cents worth of info here.

I live in the U.S. and getting the game was none too easy for quite some time. Wizards of the Coast was labeled as selling it due to Hasbro buying the game for publishing over here. However, the WOTC mail order crew didn't have it. They directed me to their Gamekeeper stores who did have it but only at their local stores. (which there are none in Wisconsin.) Calling the closest one to me in IL, I convinced them to take a phone/credit card order and received the board game a few days before Christmas.

This is without a doubt, the most incredible board game I have ever played. I consider myself a gaming fanatic and have been one since a very young age. I've played many of the most in-depth board games around. (Axis and Allies, Conquest of the Empire, etc. etc.) I now head up a gaming group called the Mithril Realm Gaming Group here locally. I also host a site for it: http://www.vbe.com/~jarrok/ This is just to let you know that this recommendation doesn't come lightly. A little bit about the game:

This is the very first time a cooperative game system has worked to this level of playability. I have now played the game with only two people and all the way up to the maximum of five people. Let me tell you, this game is NOT easy, and until you've played several times and realized how to cooperate with others and in what ways, you will not be successful. The object is of course, to destroy the one ring. First off, there is a 'Corruption Line'. This is on the master board in which your hobbits and Sauron reside. Sauron starts the game in the darkness and the hobbits start the game in the light. As different things happen during the game your hobbits are forced to move forward on this line, leading them into the darkness and in the end, losing them to corruption if you are not careful. Also, different events can cause Sauron to move towards the hobbits on this line, representing his spreading evil over the world. If at any time during the game your hobbit moves into or past Sauron, he/she is lost. One hobbit begins the game as the ring bearer, (this is always frodo to start)... if the ring bearer touches Sauron or is eliminated, the game is over! After each scenario, the ring bearer may change hands depending on the person who's collected the most 'ring tokens' along the way. The group must always protect the ring and it's bearer. There are four scenarios, Moria, Helm's Deep, Shelob's Lair, and Mordor. In between these scenarios you also visit Rivendell and Lothlorien for healing. This is represented by extra actions your hobbits can do like spending points to move back into the light on the corruption line, or even drawing more cards. The cards in the game represent things like, friendship, traveling, attack and hiding. These mostly are to move markers on the scenario boards trying to get yourself some required 'life tokens' and also to move the main marker thru the scenario to end it. During the scenario you draw 'event' tiles which can simply move certain markers, or cause actual events to happen. The events are things that can cause good and bad things to happen.

Out of *many* games so far, we have managed to only destroy the ring just twice, but lost most of the hobbits in doing so. If you are a Tolkien fan like I am you MUST have this game... it is simply beautiful with the John Howe artwork and the game could NOT have been better!

I hope I've expressed that this is one simply awesome way to get through the next year until our films arrive!

Thanks for your time, (feel free to chop parts of this letter as needed)

Ellindar

11/15/00 - Latest News

LOTR Age of Wonders Scenario in the works
Berendir @ 8:12 pm EST

Hello All,

Its your friendly neighborhood Dwarf, Berendir! I've been sleeping.. for a while.. anyhow I got this email from a Ringer who has a likin for Age of Wonders. As he describes, its a pretty good strategy game, and he'll tell yah more about it in the following.. and all about his intentions of putting forth an LOTR scenario.

The game Age of Wonders - a peculiar game. Not
sure who made it and if they're big anywhere, but this game is spectacular. :) A mix of Heroes of Might and Magic'c combat, with more edge towards tactics, and
the game play of Warlords I-III, this game surprised me. The music is excellent as is the colors and movements of the troops. Anyhow, after piddling with the game, my friend and I made a rough Middle-Earth scenario. It gave me tons of ideas, but was way off balance. So, I've erased it and started anew. I can't promise it will be done REALLY soon, but certainly before too long. ;)

Either way, I'm having a blast building it and I'm a perfectionist, so I'm trying to smooth out every detail that I can with the scenario builder (which is
also excellent). If nothing else, go out and buy Age of Wonders. It's a hecka fun game..

The following was sent by Nick Haley. Thanks Nick, and good luck with the game.