Thread to actually discuss MEQ

shryke wrote:

Not Sure wrote:

I think the number of people who are turned off by the Tolkien theme as "overplayed" is going to be dwarfed (see what I did there) by the number of people who say "Oooooh, Tolkien!".

We're talking about geeks, after all.

Name license trumps random new idea. That's just the way the geek world works.

Yeah, I think we all know that.

Still, I wish they'd licensed something ELSE. There's plenty of popular fantasy licenses out there.

Are there a bunch of awesome Middle Earth games out there that I don't know about? Aside from Middle Earth: The Wizards and War of the Ring (which I haven't bought yet) what's left? I'll be completely happy with an awesome M-E based adventure boardgame in my collection because right now the number is set at zero. If this turns out to be really good then I'll have filled a very empty space in my small collection of fantasy games.

It's a good, tasteful fantasy liscence, not some drivel or something that just borrows from Tolkien anyway. Taking the very familiar characters out of the picture was a good move though. I'm happy they're putting this out.

I do hope it turns out to be as good as the initial reports are claiming.

War of the Ring (+1 expansion)
Lord of the Rings (+2 expansions)
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation: Deluxe Edition
Risk: The Lord of the Rings (+1 expansion)
Lord of the Rings: Tabletop Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: The Search
Lord of the Rings: The Duel
Lord of the Rings Trivia Game
Stratego: Lord of the Rings
Monopoly: Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

There are actually more, but you get the idea. Aside from Star Wars, probaby the most gamed license from a license that originated outside of gaming.

Good two player game? If it is, it is about 1000% percent more likely to be bought.

Jason Lutes wrote:

War of the Ring (+1 expansion)
Lord of the Rings (+2 expansions)
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation: Deluxe Edition
Risk: The Lord of the Rings (+1 expansion)
Lord of the Rings: Tabletop Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: The Search
Lord of the Rings: The Duel
Lord of the Rings Trivia Game
Stratego: Lord of the Rings
Monopoly: Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

There are actually more, but you get the idea. Aside from Star Wars, probaby the most gamed license from a license that originated outside of gaming.

Hey, Jason that's not fair. I said awesome Middle Earth games. =)

Seriously though, nothing there is very appealing. I liked The Confrontation so much I traded it for Alhambra. I'll spare you the laundry list of reasons why I don't want a miniatures game, despite how neat it looks, and I don't need another version of Risk at all.

The Knizia game... I researched this one a lot trying to decide if it was worth it and finally had to pass on it. I'm not sure what it is exactly but it doesn't seem that hot. Got that gut feeling that I wouldn't dig it. I could be wrong.

The trivia game, Stratego, and Monopoly are not really contenders but I AM pretty curious how much rent I have to pay if I land on the Mines of Moria. Tacking on Tolkien to existing games doesn't really count and there's nothing very innovative about a trivia game. I see your point about the liscense being widespread but I don't think it's so oversaturated that there isn't room for one more really good M-E boardgame like this is supposed to be. After this though, I might tend to agree with some of you guys.

But for every new Star Wars liscense that comes out, The Balrog eats a baby.

Gary Sax wrote:

Good two player game? If it is, it is about 1000% percent more likely to be bought.

I think 3 players is going to be the sweet spot for MEQ. Two should work well also and I kind of like how Barnes played the game better than the suggested 2 players rules.

Jason Lutes wrote:

Lord of the Rings (+2 expansions)

There's a third expansion for this.
I like it pretty much, and the first expansion is a must-have. Not tried the other two (Sauron and Battlefield)

Lord of the Rings: Tabletop Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

These are pretty much all the same GW game, or different iterations of it in any case.

Lutes, you left out COMBAT HEX. That was actually kind of fun.

You know, Hex, you've got a really good point...that the Tolkien license is "tasteful". That's a great way of stating it, because it is tasteful. Unlike other fantasy licenses like say, A GAME OF THRONES, Tolkien is timeless and accessible to everyone and it's definitely in better taste than something like that or a crappily assembled jumble sale of a theme that winds up being little more than a Tolkien ripoff. I think you guys are right, if it was a more generic fantasy theme I'd be complaining about it.

As for two players, it definitely works but I think you've got to run two characters and forget about their two player rules. You're basically doing the same thing (Sauron just gets one turn for every two hero turns) but you're not covering as much ground or experiencing as much of the game.

I kind of wonder if the game would actually support 5 or 6 players with some slight accommodations that would adjust the timing to allow for one or two extra heroes.

Barnes, if there was both a copy of MEQ and some high-gloss new Magic Realm reprint on the store shelf next to each other, which would you take?

I only ask because I'm torn between being very interested in an adventure game that's more like MR than Talisman, and being not at all interested in playing another Middle Earth game. Tasteful or no, I'm sick of the setting.

That's a hard call. I'd say MEQ in a pinch, because it's simply easier to break out and play. However, a new edition of MR would likely increase the player base tremendously and a lot of the barriers to entry, so to speak, would be lifted. So it would really kind of depend on the new edition of MR...if it were cleaned up a bit and brought up to speed with modern games, defintely that. It's the Timeless Classic of the two. MEQ is the upstart.

But do be advised that it is definitely a Middle Earth game. The "name" characters and events are mostly in the peripheral, but if you're done with Rivendell, Ringwraiths, and elven cloaks then you're going to be up against all of that in MEQ.

Strangely, there are almost zero hobbits in the entire game. There's one card I saw that mentions running into a mad, babbling hobbit but that's it.

You might actually want to look at that PRINCE OF CHAOS game. It's more of a wargame, but it has an old-time feel like MR without any kind of TALISMAN-ic gameplay whatsoever.

mjl1783 wrote:

Tasteful or no, I'm sick of the setting.

I can relate to that. I can't play a Harry fucking Potter game, I don't care if it's game of the century. Rubbing cat feces on my lips is a better alternative.

But I mean being sick of something because it's oversaturated is a little different from being a hater. If M-E isn't your bag then just pass on it. It's pretty easy. I don't buy The Queens Gambit because Star Wars isn't my cup of tea. I can't see myself popping into a thread on that game and moaning because I'm sick of the Star Wars franchise. That's a no-winner.

I'm sort of excited about MEQ. Let's face it, most liscensed games are a just a joke but FFG can really make those work somehow.

Maybe I'm in the major minority here, but I will never tire of Middle Earth themed games...

The hunt is on for that rascally previous master of Orthanc in The Fury of Sarumon!

An endless sea of crippled orcs shamble after the fellowship in Last Night in Moria!

Travel across middle earth with some pissy dwarves to kill the "dragonlord" Smaug in Ringbound 2nd Ed!

Who's been corrupted by the one ring in Battlestar Galadriel?

Better hope you planned your hobbit farm well, cause Fatty Bolger gots to eat in Bagricola End!

I'm sick of adventure games that are basically knock-off, pasted on Middle Earth wannabes games. In these games players go adventuring to fight monsters that were minding there own business, to get gold, magical crap, experience, go shopping and ultimately to fight some super bad guy. I have no problem with a great new fresh approach to the real Middle Earth stories.

Hex Sinister wrote:

Hey, Jason that's not fair. I said awesome Middle Earth games. =)

Whoops, sorry, I missed that all-important adjective. Point taken. The Confrontation, Knizia's Lord of the Rings, and War of the Ring are all awesome, though.

Hex Sinister wrote:
" Hey, Jason that's not fair. I said awesome Middle Earth games. =)"
Can't resist harking back to a recent Trashdome: War of the Ring - The Game of Middle Earth .