9/04/01 - Latest News

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.