Overview
The LotR LCG is a cooperative game for one or more players in which each player controls a deck of 50 (or more) cards and 1-3 heroes. A single playthrough of LotR LCG pits the players against a preconstructed scenario embodied by an encounter deck. Each scenario is broken up into quest stages that must be completed in order. If the players are successful against a scenario, their score is determined by how many rounds the game took, how high their threat was, how damaged their heroes were, and how many victory points they obtained from explored locations/defeated enemies. A lower composite score is considered better, as in golf.
The LotR LCG is a cooperative game for one or more players in which each player controls a deck of 50 (or more) cards and 1-3 heroes. A single playthrough of LotR LCG pits the players against a preconstructed scenario embodied by an encounter deck. Each scenario is broken up into quest stages that must be completed in order. If the players are successful against a scenario, their score is determined by how many rounds the game took, how high their threat was, how damaged their heroes were, and how many victory points they obtained from explored locations/defeated enemies. A lower composite score is considered better, as in golf.
There are already several other LotR LCG blogs that focus on various aspects of lore, strategy, advice for new players, etc (I often read Tales from the Cards, Hall of Beorn, and Master of Lore). Being a power-gamer at heart, my tentative plan for this blog is to analyze in detail how to obtain your best winning scores against each quest in the game and to facilitate discussion of new and better strategies toward that end. Most of my experience so far with the game has been as a solo player. That being said, as I gain experience playing with two or more players future material will include more multiplayer discussion as well.
Race Against the Shadow
This blog's namesake is the Race Against the Shadow tournament format FFG has created for LotR LCG. In a Race Against the Shadow tournament, games are played between two teams of players against the same scenario. Games are timed using chess timers while the teams alternative between steps of each round. The victor of such a match is determined by the team that defeats the scenario first. If there is a tie because both teams beat the scenario in the same step of the round, the team with lowest score wins.
Even if you aren't playing in a tournament, each round completed in a game is worth 10 points, so the best scores tend to come from games completed in fewer rounds. Hence the decks and strategies I showcase will be those that can quickly take control of a given scenario rather than those that take relatively longer to build up momentum.
As we progress through the game's releases, it will become clear that some scenarios take more rounds to complete than others. The length of a scenario will often inform the types of cards we include in our deck. This is a topic I expect to give full treatment in a future article.
But first, I hope you will join me as we race through the Core Set's very own Passage Through Mirkwood.
Race Against the Shadow
This blog's namesake is the Race Against the Shadow tournament format FFG has created for LotR LCG. In a Race Against the Shadow tournament, games are played between two teams of players against the same scenario. Games are timed using chess timers while the teams alternative between steps of each round. The victor of such a match is determined by the team that defeats the scenario first. If there is a tie because both teams beat the scenario in the same step of the round, the team with lowest score wins.
Even if you aren't playing in a tournament, each round completed in a game is worth 10 points, so the best scores tend to come from games completed in fewer rounds. Hence the decks and strategies I showcase will be those that can quickly take control of a given scenario rather than those that take relatively longer to build up momentum.
As we progress through the game's releases, it will become clear that some scenarios take more rounds to complete than others. The length of a scenario will often inform the types of cards we include in our deck. This is a topic I expect to give full treatment in a future article.
But first, I hope you will join me as we race through the Core Set's very own Passage Through Mirkwood.
