My most recent play was a small game called The Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor. It's a short, simple, dice-rolling racing game. It was ok, but, too random and swingy for me. Loned it to my sister, who liked it and bought it from me.
Before that was the relatively popular Lord of the Rings board game from 2000. I also bought this one, assuming I would love it, and it was just too abstract for me. The theme never really drew me in and I found it a little hard to get into mechanically as well. Another game sold.
The third LotR game that I tried so hard to love, that I bought so many expansions for to improve the experience, that is so highly ranked by everyone but me, is The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Three years ago I bought the base game, played it, LOVED the art, but just couldn't get into the game. I sold it.
Fast forward a year and I had a few people make suggestions about how I would enjoy it more - playing two handed, getting some of the saga expansions, reading blogs about deck cosntruction. So, I picked it up again (used from Kijiji at least). I also picked up most/all of the expansions that I needed to build a powerful dwarf deck (you can see my complete list of expansions and games here. It didn't work. Maybe I'm not smart enough for it, but I just do not like deck construction games. It's too much for my mind to figure out the best combinations of cards and then to buy those cards as well. Also, the mechanics of the game didn't really fit with the theme for me (you can read my whole review here).
So here I am with a new exploration, miniatures game using the same art that I loved from the card game. Is this the game I've been waiting my whole life for?!? Let's find out.
I've played the first campaign scenario twice now - once solo and once with a group of four. I've also done the second scenario solo. Here are my first impressions.
+ Love the artwork still. The cards are so tiny that it's hard to appreciate them in the same way as the card game, but still nice. The map tiles and everything else look great too.
+ I'm really happy with the minis. They feel nice and sturdy, much more so than the ones from Descent and even Imperial Assault. The sturdiness of them reminds me of Gears of War. Now, they're not nearly as detailed as those ones, but they feel like they're not going to bend or break if I pick them up.
+ The app is smooooth. The background music is nice, the voiceover for introducing the scenarios sounds great, the steps are easy to follow. But, you still feel like you're playing a board game, not a video game. I do wish that I had an iPad or at least a larger iPhone, but my 7 (6? 7S? I don't know) does the trick.
+ So far I'm really enjoying the card system. Scouting your cards and readying one and setting up a likely success for your next test adds a lot of strategy. I like how the cards give you both actions and successes depending when you draw/use them.
+ Testing with different skills is fun for me. I've never played Mansions of madness but I believe it's the same sort of system.
- I've heard/read a few complaints about the fact that you never get any items. I'm obviously not very far in the game, but I did think I'd get SOMETHING more in the first mission. It is, after all, an exploration/adventure game. You really hope to get more loot in a game like that.
+ This game felt great both solo and multiplayer. I enjoyed both of my plays just as much. There's enough going on and enough to do that it can challenge you as a solo game, but it's also adds to the fellowship component whe you're able to discuss with your teammates as to what you're all going to do next.
You will hopefully notice that my first impressions of this game are mostly positive. I'm cautiously optimistic that I really will love this game. I'll update you as I play more and come out with a full review and a playthrough (without spoilers somehow?).
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