9/10/01 - Latest News

The Look of The Lord of the Rings™ TCG
DarthCaeser @ 4:53 pm EST

Decipher has posted a story on the looks of the new LOTR Trading Card Game. You can also get your first glimpse of the Legolas card (click here).

Besides, the cards themselves look fabulous. Honestly, I'm running short of words that describe the work done by our Art Group. Each culture has its own texture, color palette, watermark, and border treatment... wait until you see the cards yourself. It's hard to describe how much incredible work has gone into these cards." [More]

9/09/01 - Latest News

Games Workshop releases new miniature pics
DarthCaeser @ 9:05 pm EST

Games Workshop has revealed the Free People miniatures. Take a trip over to their site to check them out. [More]

9/08/01 - Latest News

Ardan Nights
Berendir @ 2:00 pm EST

Years back, during the fanatical existance of Middle Earth Online, where hundreds of avid role playing Middle Earth junkies got together to form a community that would thrive in the world that Sierra promised; there was a dream. Inevitably, MEO crashed, sank and burned, and is but a memory. Yet, within the ashes remained a select few who would remember the dream that was, and once again one has arisen to try and rekindle some fragment of the vision that was MEO.

Neverwinter Nights enables that dream to grow. For within this promising new game lies the ability to create, to forge your own worlds with greater accuracy and detail than has previously been viewed in other "shard creators".

Thain II has established a website, Ardan Nights, which will soon be developing a newer, more complete website to help facilitate the interest that will rally around the project.

Interested? Go Here and have a look around.. though theres not much to see at the moment, that should change. For a more broad overview of the possibilities, go check out the Neverwinter Nights site.

Mordor Roleplay
Berendir @ 12:58 pm EST

Here's a little something different for all you gamers out there. To some it's a new concept, to some it's ancient, but what we have here is a world where there is no coding, no graphics; just the sheer imagination and ability to create a story with others.

Mordor is a realm based upon Tolkien's works, and is largely, but not soley based within the world of Middle Earth. The stories are as vast as your imagination, and by no means restricted to the geography or civilizations previously known in Middle Earth.

It's worth a look; it's not for everyone, but if your looking for some role play or some type of gaming till something graphically pleasing roles around... -Here- is your stop.

World of Warcraft
Berendir @ 12:45 am EST

World of Warcraft? Upon a routine visit to Blizzard.com I found this, World of Warcraft. I was surprised, flabbergasted, and somewhat pleased. I knew that War Craft III was in the works, and another strategy of the legendary Warcraft quality; that was promising for a good time at least. But this looks to be one step beyond, transcending strategy into Strategy/Roleplay, or at least it appears at first glance.

Imagine, a massive multiplayer world online... and Warcraft melded into one. Well you have it, though when it comes out? Not quite yet folks. I bring this to the attention to millions -Ok, hundreds- of LOTR gaming fans because of the speculations that Warcraft had some inspiration from Middle Earth. Orcs, humans, swords, shields, magical wizards - what more could you want? That, and the fact that anyone anticipating the release of Middle Earth related PC games, probably would be interested in this.

World of Warcraft is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). In World of Warcraft, thousands of players will have the opportunity to adventure together in an enormous, persistent game world, forming friendships, slaying monsters, and engaging in epic quests that can span days or weeks.

Interested? Go Here and tell 'em Berendir sent you.

What to expect from the Lord of the Rings adventure game
DarthCaeser @ 12:18 am EST

Christian Moore, Vice President of the RPG and miniatures studio at Decipher, has posted an article on what you can expect from their new Lord of the Rings Adventure game. One cool thing that caught my attention, they'll also include a full-color map of Middle-Earth.

"Decipher's first The Lord of the Rings roleplaying product is a fast-paced exciting game aimed at young people, fresh from the movie, looking for the opportunity to experience some of the thrilling adventure seen in the Fellowship of the Ring." [More]

9/05/01 - Latest News

Decipher's LOTR contest has begun
DarthCaeser @ 11:02 pm EST

The nine Rings of Power are once again before Men (and Women). Can you prove your worth and acquire one of them, all the while staying away from its corrupting power? Every week until the release of The Lord of the Rings TCG, Decipher will be awarding one Ring of Power (cleverly disguised as harmless The Lord of the Rings gaming product) to a deserving bearer. If you can resist corruption, you will have an amazing power at your disposal: either a The Lord of the Rings TCG Deluxe Starter Set, or a The Lord of the Rings Adventure Game Set!

The first test, the test of memory, has begun. Run over to their site for info on how to enter. [More]

Game Trade Magazine
DarthCaeser @ 10:44 pm EST

Thanks to Joe for sending this in:

"The August issue of Game Trade Magazine is packed full of many middle earth goodies. Lots of pictures of the minatures for the table top games as well as pics of the boxes they come in. There is also news on the expansion set of the LOTR game that is now out. The 2 extra boards are Bree and Isengard, done by John Howe. the game is called Friend and foes. The expansion set comes out in October. There is also a Hobbit game coming out done by Ted Nasmith. Towards the back of the mag is a picture and add for the replica of Sting that is used in the movie. Glory and trumpets!"

Decipher TCG preview
DarthCaeser @ 12:23 am EST

While at this years DragonCon, I got to sit down with the folks from Decipher and play their new LOTR TCG. After signing all the neccesary paperwork, Kyle (Promotions Coordinator for Decipher) and I sat down and played a game. Let me tell you, the game was a blast. I'm not a big CCG player, I didn't know the rules when I started, and I was a bit sleep deprived when we sat down to play, but I loved every minute of it. I'll definitely be picking up this game when it comes out.

The game is pretty simple compared to some I've seen, but it definitely has a layer of depth me and Kyle barely scratched the surface of in our game. I picked up the rules pretty quick, and while I'm not Tournament material after only one game, I have enough of an understanding of the rules and strategy to jump right in and start playing when the game comes out.

You start out the game with Frodo, the Ring, and a couple other members of the Fellowship. You have to protect Frodo as he carries the Ring, if he dies, you lose. You also play as the bad guys, trying to kill or corrupt your opponents Ringbearer. Besides killing you opponents Ringbearer, you can also win by bringing Frodo safely to the end of the "Adventure Path" before your opponent, or by corrupting your opponents Ringbearer by placing "burdens" on him. You can find more info about these things at Decipher's redesigned LOTR site.

And while the designs of the cards haven't been finalized, the cards I saw looked absolutely fabulous. Which brings up an interesting side note, due to the secrecy surrounding the looks of Gollum and the Balrog, you wont be seeing their cards until the Mines of Moria expansion, which comes out after FOTR, just thought you might like to know.

In conclusion, the game was a blast to play, it was easy to pick up, but offers enough depth to keep experienced players coming back for more, the cards looked great, and their still being improved upon, and I think Tolkien fans will ultimately be happy with this game.

Look for an official review when we receive the finalized game.

9/04/01 - Latest News

Decipher relaunches their LOTR site
DarthCaeser @ 6:40 pm EST

Decipher has just relaunched their LOTR Game's site. It has information on all the games, as well as a great LOTR Contest!

"Every week until the release of The Lord of the Rings TCG, Decipher will be awarding one Ring of Power (cleverly disguised as harmless The Lord of the Rings gaming product) to a deserving bearer. If you can resist corruption, you will have an amazing power at your disposal: either a The Lord of the Rings TCG Deluxe Starter Set, or a The Lord of the Rings Adventure Game Set!" The first test will begin on September 5th.

I had a chance to meet with Decipher at DragonCon and, among other things, got to play the LOTR Card Game! Look for my report on the game later today, and look for some pics from Decipher's booth later in the week.

Along with the relaunch of the site is a story that gives you an idea on what to expect from the TCG courtesy of one of the designers; Mike Reynolds. This will also give you an idea of what the secretive "Twilight Pool" is all about. So, check out the revamped site for all kinds of great info on all the Decipher LOTR Games. [More]

Riot Entertainment creates wireless Middle-Earth site
DarthCaeser @ 6:22 pm EST

Wireless Middle-Earth is a living and growing world within your mobile phone. Prepare to meet hobbits, elves and dwarfs - or walk on the dark side with orcs, Ringwraiths or Balrog. Access to this world is at your fingertips! Wander through Middle-Earth with mobile games, quizzes, polls and infotainment, or communicate in script or rune... [More]

MM3D adds a Forum
DarthCaeser @ 6:17 pm EST

MM3D, who was developing a Middle Earth game for Sierra before they engaged them in a lawsuit for breach of contract, has opened up a forum on their site. [More]

8/28/01 - Latest News

Clarifications on GenCon report from Decipher
DarthCaeser @ 3:04 am EST

The folks at Decipher were kind enough to post a link to our report from GenCon in their LOTR section. They also posted some clarifications on some of the issues mentioned in the report:

Clarifications on the Gaming Havens Fan Article

"Decipher plans to release the trading cards with a 50-card starter deck"

Plans for the starters have recently been adjusted; we are now expecting to have 63-card starter decks.

"Retail packs will include training and play for up to 20 players."

This will be our League Kit for retailers.

"During the Q&A, the designers said the game design is intended to be very simple, so that it can be learned in 15 minutes and that play would last approximately 60 minutes. It will be very similar to Magic."

The Lord of the Rings TCG will have unique gameplay, as befits the wonderful storyline. Its similarities to Magic will be that the learning curve will be relatively low, the gameplay will be relatively fast (probably averaging around 30 minutes), and it is designed to have good strategic choices that are card-based more than rule-based. The focus has been to create great depth but with low complexity.

"There are plans for auxiliary products, including foil cards that will "occupy common spots." (I'm not sure quite what that meant)."

The foil cards are not really "auxiliary products" but instead will occur randomly in the booster packs. Foils will replace common or uncommon cards rather than rares, so you will sometimes get a two-rare pack.

"There will be a maximum of three copies of any card in a deck. (I think that's what he said)."

The current design calls for a per-card deck limit of no more than four copies of each card title. [More]