Return to Middle-earth (Re-Review of The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth)

Just like many of you around the world, I have been cooped up at home for most of the last week or so. I’ll admit, it’s been nice working from home (although teaching grade fours solely online is going to have its challenges) and being with my family full time. That being said, I know this is a very tough time for many people. My heart and prayers go out to the families of those who have lost their lives or jobs or are running into others difficulties. I hope that by standing together as people across the globe, we can slow this thing down and give our scientists and doctors a chance to fight this thing.

Being stuck in the house has given me a good opportunity to get some solid solo gaming in. We’ve played a few family games - my girls (4 and 6) especially enjoy My First Castle Panic and our storytelling cards - but I’ve spent most of my “me” time in my board game nook (my Bud Hole - please watch The Good Place).

Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Playthrough of The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth)

*Editor's Note: For some reason the photos on this blog post, photos that I took, have gone missing. I will try to figure out what happened.

In the years separating the adventures of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, 60 years to be exact, not much is known about what when. It's entirely possibly, or maybe, somewhat possible, that some of our favourite literary characters traveled together around Middle-earth. Alright, maybe not exactly possible, but not entirely impossible, either. However you want to frame the likelihood of such an event, following is one of those untold stories.

Bilbo, before finally settling down in Rivendell, travels into the lands nearby, where rangers roam. He meets up with one particularly well known ranger, one named Strider. Together, they seek to track down some thieves who have been stealing from Bree and the surrounding areas. As they begin following the clues left behind by the criminals, they were assaulted by one of its members. Strider makes quick work of this ruffian.

Most Anticipated Non-Kickstarter Games of 2020

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth - Hunt for the Ember Crown - Ok, seriously people, is there anyway that we can abbreviate this a little bit? The base game has nine words in the title already and this bumps us up to fourteen. Isn't that like a marketing no-no? Whatever, it still won't stop me from picking this up. Journeys in Middle-earth (check out my review here) was almost the game I've always been waiting for. There were a few things about it that I would have liked to see differently, but I'm still excited to get more content for this one. The miniatures look amazing and, come on, who doesn't want to play as Gandalf?!? Also hat new dwarf looks pretty cool (and you know I'm going to run a purely dwarf team, obviously). Mirkwood is a really interesting and iconic location in Middle-earth so I'm excited to see what kind of trouble we can get up to in there. This one is a must-buy for me.

Most Anticipated Kickstarter Games Launching in 2020

Alright, I'm definitely a little behind on this one because at least one of these games I'm anticipating is live right now. So, I'll start with that one and go from there.

Heroes of Tenefyr - the base game was Kickstarted last year, I believe, and while I didn't get my hands on the whole game, they did have a free print'n'play that I thoroughly enjoyed. You start with a deck of awful cards (as per every deckbuilder ever made) with a special card based on the hero you've chosen. You progress through increasingly difficult dungeons and as you defeat enemies, you rotate the card and add it to your deck (similar to Friday and Goblivion). There's a push you luck element to this game that's different from most deckbuilders, though. During a fight you draw three cards (possibly more based on card powers). Between you and your other heroes (controlled by you or other players), you need to surpass the fight strength of that enemy. Well, if you don't draw a good enough attack with your three cards, you can draw again. And again. As many times as you like. Beware, however, because once you've drawn all the cards in your deck, you become exhausted and must exit the dungeon. Doing this uses up precious time because the big, bad boss is approaching (check out my full review of the print and play here). 

Dial 3-1-1 for a Ridiculous Score (Clank! Expeditions:Temple of the Ape Lord)

I received the Temple of the Ape Lord expansion for Christmas, but this weekend was the first chance I had to play it. In fact, I think this is my first solo game of 2020...yikes...

Anyway, this expansion is not officially covered in the app yet, and I could tell that it, at least the jungle side, was not balanced for solo play.