hello just a suggestion, ive been following this channel since a very long time. im wondering why haven't you categorised a playlist for all the games you have given seal of excellence. people into this hobby would love to see that.
There are a million gazillion playlists... Its maddening. Someone need to delete them all and make 30 or 40 tops. A playlist like the one you describe would be amazing.
I played this game for the first time this week and was so pleasantly surprised how easy it was to learn, how streamlined the gameplay is, and how much they absolutely nailed the theme and immersion. I rarely play a game that makes me want to buy it almost as soon as I play it, but a day after I played this I bought a copy. Can’t wait to embark on the adventures!
My issue isn't that the game has an app. My issue is that the app for games like this and Mansions is so in-depth and fully constructed that it feels that the box game itself is barely even necessary and could easily function as part of the app itself.
Chronicles of Crimes is the worst example of this for me, where the box game actually feels like an inconvenience to what could just be a menu/inventory.
I will totally disagree with you here. The App takes some of the complexity of the game, but it doesn't know where your pieces are or what cards you have in your deck or prepared. You can absolutely not play this with just the app - you need the board game components. Just think of the app as a DM.
@@camipco It is up to the player to make the most of the physical component to these games. I painted my LotR:JtME and my friend Yoshi made Chronicles of Crime into a full room investigation experience with a cork board and note cards where each player puts evidence on the board, linking it to existing evidence - it's brilliant! Straight out of the box though I agree with you - it would be a bit dull. So - let your imagination explore the physical components of games like these and your experience and satisfaction will grow!
@@Sammo212 nah , they could easily adapt the rest of the game into the app. Just wait for Decent it will feel even more like it could just be a video game.
I've already played the first 3 scenarios with 2 of my friends, and absolutely love the game!!! I thought the 3rd scenario was the best of the 3, and each scenario definitely got harder (even though we won each time). I also played the 1st scenario again in a different campaign (with the other 3 characters), and I love how the map layout and side quests are completely different each time!! This will probably become game of the year for me, as it's my personal favorite story-driven game with a theme I love! Can't wait to play again! Highly recommended if you like the theme, and you're fine with using an app!
Christopher Vincent ah man! My group only played the first scenario, which we actually lost because it got out of hand super fast at the end. Now that we know what to expect, it should be fun to see what surprises await us later on.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a way to get back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid lost my login password. I love any help you can offer me
@Creed Darian Thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out atm. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
Excellent point about the lack of one-shot missions. As this is an app, you'd think that would be something they could add (like they did with the battle maps in the Imperial Assault map).
Have finished the campaign twice, and we really love 'Jimmy', as we call the game. Saw a lot of differences in each playthrough, both in things that happened, things we found, and even the number of missions we played each run through.
Couldn't agree more. The app is fantastic and this game is great fun. I don't get the arguments for not having apps. This along with Mansions are fantastic games, basically what Gloomhaven couldn't give me.
FFG stated that 1 shot adventures are something that players have been asking for a while and want more than anything. One of the Devs working on JIME stated 1 shot adventures will be one of their top priorities after the release of the new shadows path expansion. I believe this 1 shot mode will be released sometime in 2021.
A lot of people say this is a almost a computer game... I disagree completely, the app just simulate what you should do reading adventure book or randomly set an encounter. I don’t see the problem... it’s like some years ago, when a game like atmosphere came out, what should you say: watch a movie instead of a board game with videotape integration? Can you imagine how tedious would be doing manually all what this app does?
Apps will work as long as the platform is there. iOS and google play still allow you to access apps the developer has long since got rid of. Once you have paid for it(even free) they remain downloadable. Steam is just a windows app which will work as long as there is windows. Therefore I worry very little about app driven games ... oh and the game is amazing and would be impossible to do without an app so app driven games have their place. For solo play as well apps are a game changer (literally)
while I don't mind app driving games, there's nothing about this game that couldn't be done without an app and different stacks of cards. See Descent 2nd, Shadows of Brimstone, Imperial Assault for examples of games that don't require apps (yes 2 of them have them now but that's besides the point) and are a lot more complex.
And let's not forget the possibility of FFG losing the LOTR license. It happens. If so, they won't be able to support it or sell any more content. The game will wither and have no future.
On Zee's comment: In legacy style games the story is crafted to maximize the experience. There is purpose. In a random generated story, even if it is a campaign, the narrative, the pace, the plot... is all over the place.
At this point, I think the question is not whether people will be able to play it in ten years because of the app. It is "Why isn't this a fully digital game?" FFG might say that they want to sell board games. However, more and more players will start asking this question (especially for a solo game), and play a video game instead.
Stephen Keller My concern is less about these hybrid games coexisting with traditional analog games and more to do with it becoming a trend and publishers feeling they have to include an app as part of their product.
@@BrianGreigRWD Still. Let's say that 90% of board games became app reliant. 10% of the board games released in a year (year after year) are far more than any one person could possibly play.
I have finished the Campaign and I would say this will be Game of the Year! Love it!. Don't depend on the haters for an honest opinion about this game, most have not / will not play this game. This game will only improve as more content is released.
Game of the Year? Seriously? I guess all it takes is FFG to mash a ton of their existing games together and sprinkle in a lot of copy paste LCG art and it's award worthy. Please.
i like the use of the app given its not just for some pointless flashy value. Allows nice randomization. It will be nice to be able to have things saved and expansions carry on from said point etc. Thanks for the review
LOVE this game! Except for one thing. The tiny cards. So tired of FFG tiny cards. I know they “may” be necessary to reduce table space issues but sooooo hard to read the tiny text on the tiny cards!!
Glen yeah! I hope print on demand big cards or fan made bigger cards! More space for the art. Bigger text, more accurate card text! Definely we Are going to see fan made ”big” card to this game if the Ffg doe Ps not make them by themselves. There Are enough old people lime me should would like bigger text in their games!
I know what you mean! When I got Ticket to Ride, I loved it but I hated those tiny little cards and trying to shuffle the darn things. When the 1910 expansion came out with full sized cards I got them immediately.
Im a huge lord of the rings fan too, but i would love to see this system adapted for game of thrones another world i love, maybe somehow fighting the wars as one of the great houses or adventuring while the wars were happening as a character or sell sword, sign me up.
Great review! I just received this game as a gift. Seeing as the game has came out with a few expansions and updates, would you be willing to re-review this game taking those into consideration?
If Gloomhaven would have an app like this, it would be much better game than it is now! The app is excelent in this game as Toms says. No need to keep up damage tokens, Stun etc. The app handless all that and you can do all the fun stuff. Deside what cards you play, where to go next. Deside do I have time to help Local Farmer, or do I have to rush the Main quest! The game is excelent and the app makes it so much better! And Yes, you still plan and sceme with other players how to best way do your turn, who goes first, who need help, who is going to do some heroic by himself this round. All the good part of normal co-op board game Are there and no need to do boring score and damage counting. Definitely a good combo! I agree with Tom that it would be nice to have one scenario mini sessions. Sometimes there just is not time for full campaign. But this is Ffg so we may get one scenario, two to three scenario long mini games via dls, so I am hopefull that there will be those also! There can be a scenario. Where you start directly with 25 XP and 30 lore. And just have one scenario. The app could/can handle that kind of situations easily! so there can be mini scenarios and you can have some full blown heroes in those instead of starting characters, maybe even some starting trinkets. This game has huge potential if there just is enough expansions ro fullfill those. And even now there is a lot to do. The replayability is Great allready. But those one time missions Are missing, but it would be easy to make them and add those to this game via app updates and dls!
My issue with these sorts of games is that, as good as they are, I’d rather play a video game and it be done properly with a better story and experience than a stripped-down board game version. I don’t mind apps for board games at all, but video games do this experience so much better. I realise not everyone has a way to play video games, but it isn’t as tough as it once was, especially with many being on phones and tablets nowadays, which is what you’d need to play this board game anyway.
SPACEB0YZER0 true, but I don’t play games like this in video game form and want a social experience. Some may, which is fine, but I imagine those who find a video game experience of a game like this so much better would get their social interactions from board games that truly shine as board games, and are not better as a video game such as ones like this.
@@SPACEB0YZER0 LAN Parties!! Not hard to network several computers these days. We did Total Annihilation with 9 players over co-ax cables back in the day. It's a lot easier now.
If I can chose, I would play this game with friends much more like than play some Computer game! You can not compare board games like this and Computer games. You don`t get same feeling as sharing a board game with your friends with any online Computer game!
I've been playing this solo and I absolutely love it. I taught a friend tonight and he said "this is like the best parts of Mansions of Madness and Descent put together and smoothed out." Yep! Very true.
Tomáš Legard actually it does. You don’t think the hero activation / enemy activation & heroes take 2 actions mechanisms are the same (that’s exactly the same). The card combat system is basically a way to incorporate dice and the skill cards into one mechanism. In Descent you have a small set of skill cards that you slowly gain over the game as you gain experience. They stay in front of you and you can exhaust them to do an ability. Essentially your character has certain attacks and skills and they grow to do more over time. In this one you still gain experience and unlock cards but you don’t have a static set in front of you. Your pool of skills is constantly rotating of what your character will perform. Which is a more fluid system. It’s totally built on top of the Descent skill cards but much more interesting. That and Descent eventually released an app that functions very very similarly. There’s just much more that’s smoothed out in this one.
@@justingibbons8010 i disagree. I know Descent back and front, and played this lotr game just few scenarios, and i find it very different. Not a successor by a long shot.
@@justingibbons8010 you got the point about two actions. However the ability cards are inferior mechanism compared to the class deck and dice rolling. Its not that i hate not having dice to roll, but there is very limited deck manipulation and i felt like the game played itself. Also "tactical" close up combat was a huge disappointment. Not tactical at all. Less spaces to manouver and the app even deals damage you do to the monsters as it likes. I love road to legend app, but this lotr is just way too simplyfied. But im the kind of guy who sticks with D&D 3,5/Pathfinder instead of moving to 5. So take it as you please.
I need to vent somewhere, so here it is....I have never played a more frustrating and unsatisfying game ever. This game is an exercise in disappointment and misery. Every decision is meet with punishment. Every success rewarded with disappointment. The system of hidden success threshold means you are likely to waste resources, particularly on subsequent tries. Threat being tied to unexplored areas incentivizes exploration while the lack of a clear trigger of when new areas will be added means you cant properly plan out your actions to maximize time. The hints of what an exploration token might reward are often times soo vague that its hard to guess if spending resources are worth it. And when resources are spent to reveal a token, the reward is often a lesser amount of the resource just spent, or a boon that is useless at the time. The skill deck, while clever and at times shines brightly, is no better than rolling dice. Most of the deck upgrades clutter efficiency. And switching roles mid campaign to purchase the best improvements will often times result in a mixed bag of synergy at the risk of an adventures success. And I have not lost a single adventure. This game weaponizes FOMO as a means of adding replay value and a sense of depth. And the fact that this is a campaign that allows you to progress, win or loss, makes this feel like a less meaningful adventure of hard work and sacrifice. None of my decisions matter cause I'll make it to end no matter what.
I pre-ordered this game and have played through the campaign once so far. My overall assessment is that the cons currently outweigh the pros. I had fun playing the campaign, but that was the result of the people I was playing with... we tried to find ways to have a good time. The game and it's mechanics seemed to make that more difficult. The major cons for us were: The upgrade mechanics were dissatisfying. We are not sure how it's even possible to win the campaign and collect enough lore to fully upgrade weapons and items. The upgrade features are also lackluster. The "payoff" for the effort and time spent between each upgrade is disappointing. The card drawing mechanic is not bad conceptually, but fails in practice. There are so few successes in a players deck and insufficient ways to mitigate failed tests and attacks. We found ourselves, on regular basis, in a situation where were knew that it was impossible to succeed a test or damage an enemy based on the successes we had in deck. That's not only demoralizing, but takes us completely out of the game. As we sit there knowing that if we search amd token and have to test, we will fail (and something bad might happen). Or if we attack, we won't do any damage due to the armor of our enemy (who will then hit us back). With dice we would at least have a chance to succeed and our enemy may miss. We also did not like the strength of the enemies. When you can only take 3 damage (and then have to test to save), an enemy who does 3 damage is significantly overpowered. That is essentially a one hit kill. The mechanisms to rest, or heal, and mitigate damage taken seemed woefully insufficient. It left us feeling extremely vulnerable. The fact that losing one member of a party leads to a failed mission (if the other members can't complete the mission in the next turn) exacerbates this problem. The lack of reward in the game was extremely disappointing. For example, *spoiler* I took the search action, successfully passed a test and then was told I recovered an cache of valuable weapons and supplies being protected by the enemy. I received no items or benefit other then pittance of lore. This feeling was experienced throughtout the campaign. I don't recommend anyone purchase the game until these aspects are fixed. Those that have purchased it and agree, I hope you'll consider speaking up. The upside is everything I mentioned could be addressed in some way with an update to the app.
A big part of the game is relying more on gathering inspiration for your characters (so the non-successes aren't just "dead" cards), than it is about trying to get every success in your deck to come out. My group hasn't used all of the characters/roles, but the ones I have seen all seem to have a decent way of generating inspiration. Bilbo is especially nuts for this: when you scout, leave Fate (leaf) card on top, any time he interacts with a token he'll gain inspiration, making that card you put on a top a guaranteed success if necessary. The only time my group has any problem with this is when we start to dwindle on good ways of generating inspiration, but that's often towards the end of a scenario where I feel like that sort of thing SHOULD happen anyway. Another good tip we've learned is to try move through all the tiles as quickly as possible, then going back to interact/search each token afterwards. Once those unexplored tiles aren't adding more threat on top of the threat the characters generate naturally, you can surprisingly get quite a lot done. Threat tokens too, get rid of those ASAP. Not implying your group isn't doing these things, but it definitely helped mine. Once you can go around and explore a lot of the tokens more freely, the lore will start to add up much faster. As for high damage against low damage threshold characters (I've been playing the previously mentioned Bilbo+Burglar in my group), there are plenty of cards to avoid/mitigate damage. If playing Burglar, don't forget to make use of Hide whenever possible. If not Burglar, but someone else at the table is Guardian, try to coordinate your moves with them and have them make use of their cards with Guard on them. If no Guardian, try to position yourself where enemies will prefer going after other targets first (though I'll admit sometimes the App can pull a jerk move and spawn an enemy right on top of a player), last resort would be to prepare cards with Rest on them to heal any damage you're forced to take. Sometimes it's good to swap roles to better improve a character as well. Our Aragorn started as Captain, played enough to get some of the cards they wanted but found themselves feeling too weak compared to everyone else (only really a problem due to our group size of 3). They ended up swapping to Hunter, thus keeping any of the Captain cards they had purchased and picking up some good damage and inspiration generating cards. As for successful searches leading to underwhelming results sometimes, I'll admit I've had the occasional feeling of "well, that was a waste" (usually when I'm already maxed out on inspiration and the app simply says "take 1 inspiration token" as my reward). But I've found that those few (for me at least) moments make the really productive searches/interacts even more exciting. I can see though how that might not be the case for everyone. Again, not saying your group wasn't doing these things, just offering the tips that helped my group. Potentially, you're playing with a full 5-player group and I would have no clue how much that impacts the difficult of play (I would assume the app would give you more time to make up for the 10 threat gained per turn for the characters, but maybe they'd consider having all those extra moves as enough balance. Not sure.) Also cards with Sprint or Scout are amazing and I love them.
@@Vascariz What does dice rolls have anything to do with his issues with the pacing of the upgrades and monster dmg? Looks like you're brushing this guys entire post aside. Keep going.
I've felt that the lack of dice here and the random unknowns that they offer hurts this game. If you know the successes and failures in your deck then the mystery and the gamble aspect is over.
I can't tell from Tom's comments whether or not I could add people during the campaign. If I start the campaign with 3 players, is it possible to add a player in mission 4, for example? Or are you stuck with the starting 3 players for the entire campaign?
The number of players is fixed for the campaign. I would recommend starting at the max players in your playgroup, and if anyone can't make it for a given session just have the group play for that person.
Which one you prefer among Rings Cthulu and Madness? And why? Thanks!❤️👍 and by today is there a new game similar to those i can add to my list? I really love these kind of games with the app and such theme based.
I'm afraid that it'll feel like MoM, where I feel like the game almost plays itself. I loved it at first, but after several plays, I've started to feel like it often lacks interesting choices. The exploration is still great and the theme is awesome, so it's not that I think it's a bad game.
This has much more meaningfull desisions than Mansion of Madnes has! So you should try this. For me this is much better mechanically than Mansion madness. More meaningfull desisions, more controll etc. I would like new version of Mansion of madnes with these or improved mechanics!
I really don't like this trend with FFG were they release boardgames that requires an app. Why split it half way? Why not just a) Have a complete co-op/solo boardgame with no app needed, or b) Release a totally digital boardgame. If I need to look at an app to play a boardgame, might as well just play everything on the app, at least I don't need to setup anything.
I arrived here following the new Descent review... Never really took. Time to understand or appreciate middle earth. Glad I did, I guess my 2x main questions relate to both games. 1, which is preferred, this or new descent (noting your final verdict of Descent was interesting...). 2, Does this, Deace t and other general board games using app support lesson the learning curve and trawling through manuals and rule books? Sometimes the sheer chore of understanding, reading and memorising chunky rule books puts me off getting games out with friends, hating to constantly pause to check rules. Does this new breed make it progress to a point that we can. Open box, get playing and only use rule book for ref if we need further guidence to app?
Fantastic review :) Do you prefer this over MoM 2nd edition?? I usually play solo or 2P games. And I love both the lovecraft- and Lotr universe. And are the difficulty levels about the same or?? Thx
love this game. its perfect for soloplay and the app is amazing. can't wait to give all my money to FFG for the millions of expansions that they will hopefully release
All campaign? Why? Sometimes I just want to open a game up and bang out a random scenario. Maybe FFG will add an expansion that will cover this but it should have been included in the core box and not make people spend more bucks to get it. See the D&D Adventure game system for how to do the gamer right.
I'm not a tablet/laptop person... I only have phones and a desktop PC... So I'm going to have to go through this app on my tiny phone screen while playing... Also, when you think about it, this game could have EASILY been purely digital... There's not much missing to the app for it to be a fully fledged mobile game. Just add the hero boards and cards in the app and voilà!... You can now play the game anywhere. No need for cardboard and minis on the table. This is an $80 mobile game that comes with cardboard and minis just for kicks lol... Why even bother putting stuff on the table if you have to keep looking at the app to know what's happening? Why are the cardboard token truly there?? If they just add hero boards and digital cards in the app, you could simply load the app on a TV, sit on the couch with your friends so everyone has a clear view and this is now a couch co-op video game. The game might be good but it's too gimmicky... Not for me.... It's not a video game, it's not a board game... it's lost in between... I know I'm repeating myself but with so much stuff going on on the tablet, there's really no need for the plastic and cardboard on the table... There's SO little missing on the app for it to be fully digital it's kind of awkward... Just a FEW more features on the app and you could have bought this for $15 on the App Store instead of $80.00...
T0rche you can actually get the app on steam as well, if you prefer not to use your phone. I also feel the same way about using my phone, as the screen is tiny and I don’t have a tablet.
Some Random Dude I came from Premier Pro so I’m starting to get better at making what I want with final cut which is what everyone at the studio uses! 🙌
@@EpicGamingNight nicely done Roy! I couldn't quite remember the breakdown of who does what so I apologize. That was truly a beautiful transition - not many people would take the time to do that!
Game looks interesting and easy to play because of the app. I'm just trying to figure out how to setup the app with my home layout/boardgaming table without using a phone or tablet. (no tablet, old phone) I think I should use my laptop + maybe TV instead of my desktop. Still hard to make it work right, might have to switch from my usual spot around the table...
The game looks great. Its definitely on my radar. I am heavily invested in Descent 2'nd and play Gloomhaven. Does this LOTR game offer enough variety that I should invest in it as well? I become a completionist with games and I know this will indeed end up with a million expansions.
@@klabjcobevj72nso0fj4 And yet, Outer Rim has more cards and already takes up a large portion of table and it did not stop them from using larger cards.
I'll admit to not watching all of your videos, but I do appreciate the work you put into them. That said, how long ago did you go to 720p 60fps? I really like the look. Keep up the good work!
My main criticism of the App is the fact if you fail a mission it just takes you to the next mission rather than giving you the option of trying the failed mission again.
That is how it work in Arham Horror Lcg and I like that a lot! What you do affect the future. What will hapen next. It is the best way of playing campaign games!
I can understand that. I just move on and play the whole campaign again if I want to get different outcome. Maybe because i from tabletop rpg backround, you make your desision and live by it. It is very different filosofi that trying to min max the outcome of the game.
A quick question: let’s say my teammates and I used up all of actions and enemies appear in the same place as we are. Do we get to restart the actions phase or move on to the shadow phase?
You and me are playing. We both do a thing, 2 actions each. Ruffians appear after I do my actions in my location. Long answer, go to the shadow phase after players complete their actions. Short answer, I'm up the creek without a paddle.
In ten years, Will this app exist? I'm highly suspicious of app heavy games. And I don't think this is an insignificant point to be brushed off. sure I may have fun right now with the game, but in 10 years if all I have is a box of components that don't do anything then that's a real issue. If the game came with a book of scenarios and stories, at least I could possibly fall back on to that.
Hear good things about the game, makes me wonder new editions for imperial assault or new game to line up more like this, heard nothing new coming out for IA this year granted legion may have killed it, or descent but that might compete directly with Lots, but it would be way more open thematically?
Game could have been fun but the difficulty level is off the charts. No chance of completing anything but tringy to survive an onslaught of enemies before the threat counter runs out. Really wanted to love this game but dread playing it, not fun at all.
wife and i are huge fans of the LotR LCG- the way the mechanics are abstracted through the lore are amazing (especially the "threat" rating)- and this looks great, too, but there's just something that seems off about it that i can't quite place.
Question. Let’s say im Legolas and my great bow has two hits for one success and 5 hits for two successes. If I get a third success can I add two more hits?? My friends and I played this for the first time and we only counted the first two successes because that’s what the card said and didn’t say anything about a third success. Anyone know the answer??
You can add 3 successes in that case. I have the bow and a cape that can give me another success you can add as many successes as you have on your weapons/items but no more.
I really wonder why Tom finds the Lotr theme so strong in this game. To me it is a very generic storyline that could be any theme. Very disappointed in this game.
To me the theme was really stong, the storyline belieaveable and very Middle-Earth like. Was it Tolkien... No, but very few things even in real litterasy Are! In games... well we get very gereneric fabtasy in games. But for a game this did have good Middle-Earth wibe! Much better than in most Middle-Earth games. One of my favorite Middle-earth games at this moment. 1. Middle Earth the Wizard 2. Lotr Lcg 3. Jime 4. War in the Middle eart and then the rest... And Jime is very near to Lotr Lcg... I don•t count roleplaying games because They can be the really best, but that is the point of roleplaying games in anyway.
Sorry, not for me. I perfectly understand about these hybrid games, but if you need an app to play them, then they're no longer a table top game which should exist as a stand alone product. Maybe a separate category should exist for these hybrids.
something always feels off to me about board games that require apps or use companion apps. I didn't buy a video game, and yet, I keep using companion apps for their usefulness in keeping things organized xD
Would you consider this the easy gateway to Gloomhaven or would you recommend something else? Would love to get a game my wife can play with me on the path to Gloomhaven
Me and some buddies have been playing descent and star wars imperial assault (both of which are nearly identical). So when we decided to try this game when it release we figured it would also be just as fun. Unfortunately we drudged through around 5 missions before we decided to quit this game. The game (with the app) seems to be weighted against the player. It is definitely not a good idea to try and fight every enemy because you will lose very quickly. The card based system also is not as intuitive as something like gloomhaven, mainly because of randomness. We have also been playing gloomhaven (although not nearly as often) and I would say that if you have played descent or star wars imperial assault then they would be better jumping off points. This is just my opinion however, my playgroup just didn't have a very good time playing lotr.
Seeing the only negative being that their aren't one off stories "yet". I would say this is a home run for me. I enjoy mansions but I have the same feeling but the other way around about it. In mansions I pick up all these cool items. If I die we have to start over with the starting items and do all the story again from scratch. So I feel like this game scratches a different itch. Now I have recently been playing the LCG online and noticed that in the LCG they added one shot one off scenarios. Which reflects the actual LCG model. So if this is any indication I believe these smaller miniature sets may add one of scenarios that do not require campaign play. I do however have to agree with others on the tiny cards aspect to the game. I get the cards have very little info on them, but most of us would rather a regular sized card deck to play the game. Even if all I am doing is flipping from the deck. I definitely plan on picking this one up as I am a huge fan of LOTR and this app is the best they have produced thus far.
Wow, that high tech transition from table to app. 🤓
hello just a suggestion, ive been following this channel since a very long time. im wondering why haven't you categorised a playlist for all the games you have given seal of excellence. people into this hobby would love to see that.
To this day, the Dice Tower playlists still suck.
There are a million gazillion playlists... Its maddening. Someone need to delete them all and make 30 or 40 tops. A playlist like the one you describe would be amazing.
Whoa! Not just a game Tom is willing to solo...but PREFERRED solo.
Times really have changed
haha it's funny how often and loudly he still claims he's "not a solo gamer"
I played this game for the first time this week and was so pleasantly surprised how easy it was to learn, how streamlined the gameplay is, and how much they absolutely nailed the theme and immersion. I rarely play a game that makes me want to buy it almost as soon as I play it, but a day after I played this I bought a copy. Can’t wait to embark on the adventures!
You ever end up enjoying yourself with the game?
I wanna know that too
My issue isn't that the game has an app. My issue is that the app for games like this and Mansions is so in-depth and fully constructed that it feels that the box game itself is barely even necessary and could easily function as part of the app itself.
Chronicles of Crimes is the worst example of this for me, where the box game actually feels like an inconvenience to what could just be a menu/inventory.
I will totally disagree with you here. The App takes some of the complexity of the game, but it doesn't know where your pieces are or what cards you have in your deck or prepared. You can absolutely not play this with just the app - you need the board game components. Just think of the app as a DM.
@@camipco It is up to the player to make the most of the physical component to these games. I painted my LotR:JtME and my friend Yoshi made Chronicles of Crime into a full room investigation experience with a cork board and note cards where each player puts evidence on the board, linking it to existing evidence - it's brilliant! Straight out of the box though I agree with you - it would be a bit dull. So - let your imagination explore the physical components of games like these and your experience and satisfaction will grow!
Owning and playing both I will disagree
@@Sammo212 nah , they could easily adapt the rest of the game into the app. Just wait for Decent it will feel even more like it could just be a video game.
Nice editing on the app-transition!
I've already played the first 3 scenarios with 2 of my friends, and absolutely love the game!!! I thought the 3rd scenario was the best of the 3, and each scenario definitely got harder (even though we won each time). I also played the 1st scenario again in a different campaign (with the other 3 characters), and I love how the map layout and side quests are completely different each time!! This will probably become game of the year for me, as it's my personal favorite story-driven game with a theme I love! Can't wait to play again! Highly recommended if you like the theme, and you're fine with using an app!
Christopher Vincent ah man! My group only played the first scenario, which we actually lost because it got out of hand super fast at the end. Now that we know what to expect, it should be fun to see what surprises await us later on.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a way to get back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid lost my login password. I love any help you can offer me
@Cason Randy instablaster =)
@Creed Darian Thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out atm.
Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Creed Darian It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thanks so much you saved my account !
I was expecting the ipad drop from high up too.... XD
Excellent point about the lack of one-shot missions. As this is an app, you'd think that would be something they could add (like they did with the battle maps in the Imperial Assault map).
Have finished the campaign twice, and we really love 'Jimmy', as we call the game. Saw a lot of differences in each playthrough, both in things that happened, things we found, and even the number of missions we played each run through.
Couldn't agree more. The app is fantastic and this game is great fun. I don't get the arguments for not having apps. This along with Mansions are fantastic games, basically what Gloomhaven couldn't give me.
I do love that you "throw" the iPad in the component drop
FFG stated that 1 shot adventures are something that players have been asking for a while and want more than anything. One of the Devs working on JIME stated 1 shot adventures will be one of their top priorities after the release of the new shadows path expansion. I believe this 1 shot mode will be released sometime in 2021.
A lot of people say this is a almost a computer game... I disagree completely, the app just simulate what you should do reading adventure book or randomly set an encounter. I don’t see the problem... it’s like some years ago, when a game like atmosphere came out, what should you say: watch a movie instead of a board game with videotape integration? Can you imagine how tedious would be doing manually all what this app does?
Woow, nice effect with the tablet screen going full screen when starting the app
Apps will work as long as the platform is there. iOS and google play still allow you to access apps the developer has long since got rid of. Once you have paid for it(even free) they remain downloadable. Steam is just a windows app which will work as long as there is windows. Therefore I worry very little about app driven games ... oh and the game is amazing and would be impossible to do without an app so app driven games have their place. For solo play as well apps are a game changer (literally)
while I don't mind app driving games, there's nothing about this game that couldn't be done without an app and different stacks of cards. See Descent 2nd, Shadows of Brimstone, Imperial Assault for examples of games that don't require apps (yes 2 of them have them now but that's besides the point) and are a lot more complex.
And let's not forget the possibility of FFG losing the LOTR license. It happens. If so, they won't be able to support it or sell any more content. The game will wither and have no future.
On Zee's comment:
In legacy style games the story is crafted to maximize the experience. There is purpose.
In a random generated story, even if it is a campaign, the narrative, the pace, the plot... is all over the place.
Legacy games also cannot be reset to the starting point - changes are permanent.
Love MoM and all expansions and throwing dice. Love LotR and looking forward to expansions.
At this point, I think the question is not whether people will be able to play it in ten years because of the app. It is "Why isn't this a fully digital game?" FFG might say that they want to sell board games. However, more and more players will start asking this question (especially for a solo game), and play a video game instead.
Bought it! Waiting to arrive my box and start the journey! Your video was great and set the mood for that
João Sorriso how is the game?
How did the game turn out for you?
still waiting for a response
I really hope that these board game / app hybrid games don’t become a trend. One of the things I enjoy about board games is pure, analog nature.
There's room for both styles to exist.
Amen
Stephen Keller My concern is less about these hybrid games coexisting with traditional analog games and more to do with it becoming a trend and publishers feeling they have to include an app as part of their product.
@@BrianGreigRWD Still. Let's say that 90% of board games became app reliant. 10% of the board games released in a year (year after year) are far more than any one person could possibly play.
Stephen Keller Truth. We’re luck the industry is pushing out a lot of quality games (app dependent or not).
Tempted to buy this, even if i prefer pure RPG like Adventures in middle earth. Thanks for this review. Greeting from France.
I have finished the Campaign and I would say this will be Game of the Year! Love it!. Don't depend on the haters for an honest opinion about this game, most have not / will not play this game. This game will only improve as more content is released.
Game of the Year? Seriously? I guess all it takes is FFG to mash a ton of their existing games together and sprinkle in a lot of copy paste LCG art and it's award worthy. Please.
@@alcovitch Edgy nerd. This game is awesome for everyone who isnt a butthurt fuck who desperately needs to complain
i like the use of the app given its not just for some pointless flashy value. Allows nice randomization. It will be nice to be able to have things saved and expansions carry on from said point etc. Thanks for the review
One of the tip-offs to me is that Tom seems to prefer playing this solo, Ehm...video game
He also prefers Gloomhaven solo so...
LOVE this game! Except for one thing. The tiny cards. So tired of FFG tiny cards. I know they “may” be necessary to reduce table space issues but sooooo hard to read the tiny text on the tiny cards!!
Glen yeah! I hope print on demand big cards or fan made bigger cards! More space for the art. Bigger text, more accurate card text! Definely we Are going to see fan made ”big” card to this game if the Ffg doe Ps not make them by themselves. There Are enough old people lime me should would like bigger text in their games!
I know what you mean!
When I got Ticket to Ride, I loved it but I hated those tiny little cards and trying to shuffle the darn things. When the 1910 expansion came out with full sized cards I got them immediately.
Im a huge lord of the rings fan too, but i would love to see this system adapted for game of thrones another world i love, maybe somehow fighting the wars as one of the great houses or adventuring while the wars were happening as a character or sell sword, sign me up.
Great review! I just received this game as a gift. Seeing as the game has came out with a few expansions and updates, would you be willing to re-review this game taking those into consideration?
If Gloomhaven would have an app like this, it would be much better game than it is now!
The app is excelent in this game as Toms says. No need to keep up damage tokens, Stun etc. The app handless all that and you can do all the fun stuff. Deside what cards you play, where to go next. Deside do I have time to help Local Farmer, or do I have to rush the Main quest! The game is excelent and the app makes it so much better! And Yes, you still plan and sceme with other players how to best way do your turn, who goes first, who need help, who is going to do some heroic by himself this round. All the good part of normal co-op board game Are there and no need to do boring score and damage counting. Definitely a good combo!
I agree with Tom that it would be nice to have one scenario mini sessions. Sometimes there just is not time for full campaign. But this is Ffg so we may get one scenario, two to three scenario long mini games via dls, so I am hopefull that there will be those also! There can be a scenario. Where you start directly with 25 XP and 30 lore. And just have one scenario. The app could/can handle that kind of situations easily! so there can be mini scenarios and you can have some full blown heroes in those instead of starting characters, maybe even some starting trinkets. This game has huge potential if there just is enough expansions ro fullfill those. And even now there is a lot to do. The replayability is Great allready. But those one time missions Are missing, but it would be easy to make them and add those to this game via app updates and dls!
Gloomhaven helper ;) its in the app store. Google. And pc
How does it compare to the app of JIME?
Thanks for info!
@@Brettspielgeeks Better off getting Gloomhaven DM - fantastic app and very intuitive to use, unlike Helper.
Have to check out that too! Thanks!
My issue with these sorts of games is that, as good as they are, I’d rather play a video game and it be done properly with a better story and experience than a stripped-down board game version. I don’t mind apps for board games at all, but video games do this experience so much better.
I realise not everyone has a way to play video games, but it isn’t as tough as it once was, especially with many being on phones and tablets nowadays, which is what you’d need to play this board game anyway.
The social interaction is still there for these board games over the videotames
SPACEB0YZER0 true, but I don’t play games like this in video game form and want a social experience. Some may, which is fine, but I imagine those who find a video game experience of a game like this so much better would get their social interactions from board games that truly shine as board games, and are not better as a video game such as ones like this.
@@SPACEB0YZER0 LAN Parties!! Not hard to network several computers these days. We did Total Annihilation with 9 players over co-ax cables back in the day. It's a lot easier now.
@@SPACEB0YZER0 online social networking has been with consoles since ~2005 and decades before had couch coop.
If I can chose, I would play this game with friends much more like than play some Computer game! You can not compare board games like this and Computer games. You don`t get same feeling as sharing a board game with your friends with any online Computer game!
Fantastic editing on this.
I've been playing this solo and I absolutely love it. I taught a friend tonight and he said "this is like the best parts of Mansions of Madness and Descent put together and smoothed out." Yep! Very true.
It has nothing to do with Descent. Not even single similar mechanic.
Tomáš Legard actually it does. You don’t think the hero activation / enemy activation & heroes take 2 actions mechanisms are the same (that’s exactly the same). The card combat system is basically a way to incorporate dice and the skill cards into one mechanism. In Descent you have a small set of skill cards that you slowly gain over the game as you gain experience. They stay in front of you and you can exhaust them to do an ability. Essentially your character has certain attacks and skills and they grow to do more over time. In this one you still gain experience and unlock cards but you don’t have a static set in front of you. Your pool of skills is constantly rotating of what your character will perform. Which is a more fluid system. It’s totally built on top of the Descent skill cards but much more interesting.
That and Descent eventually released an app that functions very very similarly. There’s just much more that’s smoothed out in this one.
@@justingibbons8010 i disagree. I know Descent back and front, and played this lotr game just few scenarios, and i find it very different. Not a successor by a long shot.
Tomáš Legard interesting. I’m in the same boat and totally see the similarities from a game design standpoint.
@@justingibbons8010 you got the point about two actions. However the ability cards are inferior mechanism compared to the class deck and dice rolling. Its not that i hate not having dice to roll, but there is very limited deck manipulation and i felt like the game played itself. Also "tactical" close up combat was a huge disappointment. Not tactical at all. Less spaces to manouver and the app even deals damage you do to the monsters as it likes. I love road to legend app, but this lotr is just way too simplyfied. But im the kind of guy who sticks with D&D 3,5/Pathfinder instead of moving to 5. So take it as you please.
What is the replay value?
Final thoughts at 17:30
Not a Miami dice episode?
Sam is not impressed. He mentioned that somewhere.
I need to vent somewhere, so here it is....I have never played a more frustrating and unsatisfying game ever. This game is an exercise in disappointment and misery. Every decision is meet with punishment. Every success rewarded with disappointment.
The system of hidden success threshold means you are likely to waste resources, particularly on subsequent tries.
Threat being tied to unexplored areas incentivizes exploration while the lack of a clear trigger of when new areas will be added means you cant properly plan out your actions to maximize time.
The hints of what an exploration token might reward are often times soo vague that its hard to guess if spending resources are worth it. And when resources are spent to reveal a token, the reward is often a lesser amount of the resource just spent, or a boon that is useless at the time.
The skill deck, while clever and at times shines brightly, is no better than rolling dice. Most of the deck upgrades clutter efficiency. And switching roles mid campaign to purchase the best improvements will often times result in a mixed bag of synergy at the risk of an adventures success.
And I have not lost a single adventure. This game weaponizes FOMO as a means of adding replay value and a sense of depth. And the fact that this is a campaign that allows you to progress, win or loss, makes this feel like a less meaningful adventure of hard work and sacrifice. None of my decisions matter cause I'll make it to end no matter what.
Totally agree with Tom. Amazing game, I love play solo or with friends.
I pre-ordered this game and have played through the campaign once so far.
My overall assessment is that the cons currently outweigh the pros. I had fun playing the campaign, but that was the result of the people I was playing with... we tried to find ways to have a good time. The game and it's mechanics seemed to make that more difficult.
The major cons for us were:
The upgrade mechanics were dissatisfying. We are not sure how it's even possible to win the campaign and collect enough lore to fully upgrade weapons and items. The upgrade features are also lackluster. The "payoff" for the effort and time spent between each upgrade is disappointing.
The card drawing mechanic is not bad conceptually, but fails in practice. There are so few successes in a players deck and insufficient ways to mitigate failed tests and attacks. We found ourselves, on regular basis, in a situation where were knew that it was impossible to succeed a test or damage an enemy based on the successes we had in deck. That's not only demoralizing, but takes us completely out of the game. As we sit there knowing that if we search amd token and have to test, we will fail (and something bad might happen). Or if we attack, we won't do any damage due to the armor of our enemy (who will then hit us back). With dice we would at least have a chance to succeed and our enemy may miss.
We also did not like the strength of the enemies. When you can only take 3 damage (and then have to test to save), an enemy who does 3 damage is significantly overpowered. That is essentially a one hit kill. The mechanisms to rest, or heal, and mitigate damage taken seemed woefully insufficient. It left us feeling extremely vulnerable. The fact that losing one member of a party leads to a failed mission (if the other members can't complete the mission in the next turn) exacerbates this problem.
The lack of reward in the game was extremely disappointing. For example, *spoiler* I took the search action, successfully passed a test and then was told I recovered an cache of valuable weapons and supplies being protected by the enemy. I received no items or benefit other then pittance of lore. This feeling was experienced throughtout the campaign.
I don't recommend anyone purchase the game until these aspects are fixed. Those that have purchased it and agree, I hope you'll consider speaking up. The upside is everything I mentioned could be addressed in some way with an update to the app.
Looks like you are just getting used to the style of the game and adjusting away from dice rolls. Keep going.
@@Vascariz After playing for 15+ hours, I wouldn't say we are still getting used to it. The cards are a big part of the game.
A big part of the game is relying more on gathering inspiration for your characters (so the non-successes aren't just "dead" cards), than it is about trying to get every success in your deck to come out. My group hasn't used all of the characters/roles, but the ones I have seen all seem to have a decent way of generating inspiration. Bilbo is especially nuts for this: when you scout, leave Fate (leaf) card on top, any time he interacts with a token he'll gain inspiration, making that card you put on a top a guaranteed success if necessary. The only time my group has any problem with this is when we start to dwindle on good ways of generating inspiration, but that's often towards the end of a scenario where I feel like that sort of thing SHOULD happen anyway.
Another good tip we've learned is to try move through all the tiles as quickly as possible, then going back to interact/search each token afterwards. Once those unexplored tiles aren't adding more threat on top of the threat the characters generate naturally, you can surprisingly get quite a lot done. Threat tokens too, get rid of those ASAP. Not implying your group isn't doing these things, but it definitely helped mine. Once you can go around and explore a lot of the tokens more freely, the lore will start to add up much faster.
As for high damage against low damage threshold characters (I've been playing the previously mentioned Bilbo+Burglar in my group), there are plenty of cards to avoid/mitigate damage. If playing Burglar, don't forget to make use of Hide whenever possible. If not Burglar, but someone else at the table is Guardian, try to coordinate your moves with them and have them make use of their cards with Guard on them. If no Guardian, try to position yourself where enemies will prefer going after other targets first (though I'll admit sometimes the App can pull a jerk move and spawn an enemy right on top of a player), last resort would be to prepare cards with Rest on them to heal any damage you're forced to take.
Sometimes it's good to swap roles to better improve a character as well. Our Aragorn started as Captain, played enough to get some of the cards they wanted but found themselves feeling too weak compared to everyone else (only really a problem due to our group size of 3). They ended up swapping to Hunter, thus keeping any of the Captain cards they had purchased and picking up some good damage and inspiration generating cards.
As for successful searches leading to underwhelming results sometimes, I'll admit I've had the occasional feeling of "well, that was a waste" (usually when I'm already maxed out on inspiration and the app simply says "take 1 inspiration token" as my reward). But I've found that those few (for me at least) moments make the really productive searches/interacts even more exciting. I can see though how that might not be the case for everyone.
Again, not saying your group wasn't doing these things, just offering the tips that helped my group. Potentially, you're playing with a full 5-player group and I would have no clue how much that impacts the difficult of play (I would assume the app would give you more time to make up for the 10 threat gained per turn for the characters, but maybe they'd consider having all those extra moves as enough balance. Not sure.) Also cards with Sprint or Scout are amazing and I love them.
@@Vascariz What does dice rolls have anything to do with his issues with the pacing of the upgrades and monster dmg? Looks like you're brushing this guys entire post aside. Keep going.
I've felt that the lack of dice here and the random unknowns that they offer hurts this game. If you know the successes and failures in your deck then the mystery and the gamble aspect is over.
I was waiting for a review from Tom.. Just ordered it!
Absolutely loving this both as a Solo player and as a co-op with my wife. App is fantastic, quickly becoming one of my favorites.
I can't tell from Tom's comments whether or not I could add people during the campaign. If I start the campaign with 3 players, is it possible to add a player in mission 4, for example? Or are you stuck with the starting 3 players for the entire campaign?
The number of players is fixed for the campaign. I would recommend starting at the max players in your playgroup, and if anyone can't make it for a given session just have the group play for that person.
@@ChrisStanfordSeastan Thanks, Chris. Appreciate the reply.
I ma a huge MoM fan. I have all the expansions, and I think I agree with Tom; Journeys in Eriador is even better than MoM!
Which one you prefer among Rings Cthulu and Madness? And why? Thanks!❤️👍 and by today is there a new game similar to those i can add to my list? I really love these kind of games with the app and such theme based.
I'm afraid that it'll feel like MoM, where I feel like the game almost plays itself. I loved it at first, but after several plays, I've started to feel like it often lacks interesting choices. The exploration is still great and the theme is awesome, so it's not that I think it's a bad game.
This has much more meaningfull desisions than Mansion of Madnes has! So you should try this. For me this is much better mechanically than Mansion madness. More meaningfull desisions, more controll etc. I would like new version of Mansion of madnes with these or improved mechanics!
I think I'd prefer this whole affair as a pure video game. The mix of formats seems awkward.
Absolutely!
I really don't like this trend with FFG were they release boardgames that requires an app. Why split it half way?
Why not just a) Have a complete co-op/solo boardgame with no app needed, or b) Release a totally digital boardgame.
If I need to look at an app to play a boardgame, might as well just play everything on the app, at least I don't need to setup anything.
I agree 100%. I don’t care for this hybrid app/board game thing. It takes from the board game.
I arrived here following the new Descent review... Never really took. Time to understand or appreciate middle earth. Glad I did, I guess my 2x main questions relate to both games. 1, which is preferred, this or new descent (noting your final verdict of Descent was interesting...). 2, Does this, Deace t and other general board games using app support lesson the learning curve and trawling through manuals and rule books? Sometimes the sheer chore of understanding, reading and memorising chunky rule books puts me off getting games out with friends, hating to constantly pause to check rules. Does this new breed make it progress to a point that we can. Open box, get playing and only use rule book for ref if we need further guidence to app?
Fantastic review :)
Do you prefer this over MoM 2nd edition?? I usually play solo or 2P games.
And I love both the lovecraft- and Lotr universe.
And are the difficulty levels about the same or??
Thx
love this game. its perfect for soloplay and the app is amazing. can't wait to give all my money to FFG for the millions of expansions that they will hopefully release
Always love your videos! Quick question when playing a single player game I assume you just choose one character?
In the rules in solo it says play with 2 characters but that is a good question
@@themandolorian1547 Very much appreciated ! ! !
All campaign? Why? Sometimes I just want to open a game up and bang out a random scenario. Maybe FFG will add an expansion that will cover this but it should have been included in the core box and not make people spend more bucks to get it. See the D&D Adventure game system for how to do the gamer right.
Only thing that worries me is it is app bases. If they lose the license or stop supporting it - you have just cardboard and plastic at that point
I'm not a tablet/laptop person... I only have phones and a desktop PC... So I'm going to have to go through this app on my tiny phone screen while playing... Also, when you think about it, this game could have EASILY been purely digital... There's not much missing to the app for it to be a fully fledged mobile game. Just add the hero boards and cards in the app and voilà!... You can now play the game anywhere. No need for cardboard and minis on the table. This is an $80 mobile game that comes with cardboard and minis just for kicks lol... Why even bother putting stuff on the table if you have to keep looking at the app to know what's happening? Why are the cardboard token truly there?? If they just add hero boards and digital cards in the app, you could simply load the app on a TV, sit on the couch with your friends so everyone has a clear view and this is now a couch co-op video game. The game might be good but it's too gimmicky... Not for me.... It's not a video game, it's not a board game... it's lost in between... I know I'm repeating myself but with so much stuff going on on the tablet, there's really no need for the plastic and cardboard on the table... There's SO little missing on the app for it to be fully digital it's kind of awkward... Just a FEW more features on the app and you could have bought this for $15 on the App Store instead of $80.00...
T0rche you can actually get the app on steam as well, if you prefer not to use your phone. I also feel the same way about using my phone, as the screen is tiny and I don’t have a tablet.
"and of course Its fantasy flight so 700 million expansions will be released for this" LMFAO true dat
Stopped video at 1:45 to praise the editor. Was that Chris' handiwork?
Some Random Dude I do all Tom’s reviews!! - Roy
Some Random Dude I came from Premier Pro so I’m starting to get better at making what I want with final cut which is what everyone at the studio uses! 🙌
@@EpicGamingNight nicely done Roy! I couldn't quite remember the breakdown of who does what so I apologize. That was truly a beautiful transition - not many people would take the time to do that!
I'm surprised that this one is on nobody's Top 10 of 2019
Who is Elena?!
They like to create original characters in their games. There's another OC female ranger character.
I love campaign games. They are by far the best games out there
im playing sword and sorcery with my girlfriend and we are so hooked to coop games now that we might pick this one too
Game looks interesting and easy to play because of the app. I'm just trying to figure out how to setup the app with my home layout/boardgaming table without using a phone or tablet. (no tablet, old phone) I think I should use my laptop + maybe TV instead of my desktop. Still hard to make it work right, might have to switch from my usual spot around the table...
The game looks great. Its definitely on my radar. I am heavily invested in Descent 2'nd and play Gloomhaven. Does this LOTR game offer enough variety that I should invest in it as well? I become a completionist with games and I know this will indeed end up with a million expansions.
I hate the mini-cards that FFG uses. Do not understand why they cannot use standard poker sized cards.
@@klabjcobevj72nso0fj4 And yet, Outer Rim has more cards and already takes up a large portion of table and it did not stop them from using larger cards.
I'll admit to not watching all of your videos, but I do appreciate the work you put into them. That said, how long ago did you go to 720p 60fps? I really like the look. Keep up the good work!
Kudos on all the views Dice Tower!
My main criticism of the App is the fact if you fail a mission it just takes you to the next mission rather than giving you the option of trying the failed mission again.
Jesse Whitehead Not really if you fail by implication your characters died so logically there are no more missions.
@@Jezza_One You don't die when you fail missions, it changes some of the outcomes, which then altres what happens in the next mission
That is how it work in Arham Horror Lcg and I like that a lot! What you do affect the future. What will hapen next. It is the best way of playing campaign games!
haukikannel I want both options for example if I lose a quest I often say I know what I did wrong so I will try to beat it this time.
I can understand that. I just move on and play the whole campaign again if I want to get different outcome. Maybe because i from tabletop rpg backround, you make your desision and live by it. It is very different filosofi that trying to min max the outcome of the game.
A quick question: let’s say my teammates and I used up all of actions and enemies appear in the same place as we are. Do we get to restart the actions phase or move on to the shadow phase?
You and me are playing. We both do a thing, 2 actions each. Ruffians appear after I do my actions in my location. Long answer, go to the shadow phase after players complete their actions. Short answer, I'm up the creek without a paddle.
"If you don't like apps be gone"...Lol
Can you use this app without wifi or any type of signal?
Just in case we get attack by an hurricane.
Yes you can
Game looks really fun as an adventure but it seems combat is a bit lacking in depth? Or am I wrong in observing that .
why there is anything physical when you have all game digital?
Because the whole game is not digital.
Make a video of you playing it all digital.
Because you can play with friends on the table.
Because the physical part is awesome.
How does this game compare to Middle Earth Quest?
Fantastic intro very clever and good review
In ten years, Will this app exist? I'm highly suspicious of app heavy games. And I don't think this is an insignificant point to be brushed off. sure I may have fun right now with the game, but in 10 years if all I have is a box of components that don't do anything then that's a real issue.
If the game came with a book of scenarios and stories, at least I could possibly fall back on to that.
Question- Will this game replace Gloomhaven? Trying to decide which game to get, but can’t come to a decision.
Hear good things about the game, makes me wonder new editions for imperial assault or new game to line up more like this, heard nothing new coming out for IA this year granted legion may have killed it, or descent but that might compete directly with Lots, but it would be way more open thematically?
Game could have been fun but the difficulty level is off the charts. No chance of completing anything but tringy to survive an onslaught of enemies before the threat counter runs out. Really wanted to love this game but dread playing it, not fun at all.
This is a great game. Loving playing this with my wife.
Is it good with just two people?? I'm in the same boat as you and just play with my wife
Best board game ever !
What happens if they remove the app from the store in 5-10 years ?
why the heck didnt you show us about the up close battles?
The night is dark and full of video games...
My only complaint about the game is the choice of heroes. I would have liked generic heroes from middle earth like a Beorning
Can anyone offer an opinion if this game is *much* better on a tablet instead of a standard size smartphone? Thanks!
I feel like the board is almost pointless at this point. Could’ve been an app game and saved me $90
Without board you could't play this with friends...
Feel the same way. The game is 60-70% app then make it an app game. The board and figures seem irrelevant.
This is fantasy flight prople, if they just made it an app theh wouldnt be able to charge as much.
wife and i are huge fans of the LotR LCG- the way the mechanics are abstracted through the lore are amazing (especially the "threat" rating)- and this looks great, too, but there's just something that seems off about it that i can't quite place.
Did they ever add one shot missions?
Sadly no not yet
Very nice work Tom once again
That component drop though...
Question. Let’s say im Legolas and my great bow has two hits for one success and 5 hits for two successes. If I get a third success can I add two more hits?? My friends and I played this for the first time and we only counted the first two successes because that’s what the card said and didn’t say anything about a third success. Anyone know the answer??
You can add 3 successes in that case. I have the bow and a cape that can give me another success you can add as many successes as you have on your weapons/items but no more.
I really wonder why Tom finds the Lotr theme so strong in this game. To me it is a very generic storyline that could be any theme.
Very disappointed in this game.
To me the theme was really stong, the storyline belieaveable and very Middle-Earth like. Was it Tolkien... No, but very few things even in real litterasy Are! In games... well we get very gereneric fabtasy in games. But for a game this did have good Middle-Earth wibe! Much better than in most Middle-Earth games.
One of my favorite Middle-earth games at this moment.
1. Middle Earth the Wizard
2. Lotr Lcg
3. Jime
4. War in the Middle eart and then the rest...
And Jime is very near to Lotr Lcg...
I don•t count roleplaying games because They can be the really best, but that is the point of roleplaying games in anyway.
Sorry, not for me. I perfectly understand about these hybrid games, but if you need an app to play them, then they're no longer a table top game which should exist as a stand alone product. Maybe a separate category should exist for these hybrids.
It's a board game, get over it.
something always feels off to me about board games that require apps or use companion apps. I didn't buy a video game, and yet, I keep using companion apps for their usefulness in keeping things organized xD
This is a video game
Play one of the thousands that don't require an app. These are the games that will grow the hobby, I for one am excited.
How would you compare this to Middle Earth Quest?
Wish this would come out as a Star Wars theme.
Would you consider this the easy gateway to Gloomhaven or would you recommend something else? Would love to get a game my wife can play with me on the path to Gloomhaven
Me and some buddies have been playing descent and star wars imperial assault (both of which are nearly identical). So when we decided to try this game when it release we figured it would also be just as fun. Unfortunately we drudged through around 5 missions before we decided to quit this game. The game (with the app) seems to be weighted against the player. It is definitely not a good idea to try and fight every enemy because you will lose very quickly. The card based system also is not as intuitive as something like gloomhaven, mainly because of randomness.
We have also been playing gloomhaven (although not nearly as often) and I would say that if you have played descent or star wars imperial assault then they would be better jumping off points. This is just my opinion however, my playgroup just didn't have a very good time playing lotr.
700 Million Expansions lol ... Ok I own all of Imperial assault, so true
Worth selling descent 2nd edition for?
Having hard time deciding this or imperial assault?
Hi, check out games like Black Rose Wars, Solomon Kane (kcisktarter), Gloomhaven etc...
Seeing the only negative being that their aren't one off stories "yet". I would say this is a home run for me. I enjoy mansions but I have the same feeling but the other way around about it. In mansions I pick up all these cool items. If I die we have to start over with the starting items and do all the story again from scratch. So I feel like this game scratches a different itch. Now I have recently been playing the LCG online and noticed that in the LCG they added one shot one off scenarios. Which reflects the actual LCG model. So if this is any indication I believe these smaller miniature sets may add one of scenarios that do not require campaign play. I do however have to agree with others on the tiny cards aspect to the game. I get the cards have very little info on them, but most of us would rather a regular sized card deck to play the game. Even if all I am doing is flipping from the deck. I definitely plan on picking this one up as I am a huge fan of LOTR and this app is the best they have produced thus far.
That question Zee asked you seems like a good one... And your answer was utter gibberish.
I hate those tiny cards, it's a deal breaker for me.