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Knizia's LotR - Favorite way to play?

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30 Jun 2015 16:16 #205184 by Mr. White
Those of you still playing this gem...what's your favorite combo to play?

Base game? Base game + an expansion? Base game + all expansions?

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30 Jun 2015 16:18 #205185 by Michael Barnes
I play with everything but the player-controlled Sauron stuff, which I don't really care for. I stopped playing with Battlefields for a while but it's back in the fold.

You definitely want Friends and Foes, if that's the question you're really asking here.

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30 Jun 2015 16:46 #205186 by Mr. White
Sort of.

I'm looking to re-aquire this and I've actually never played with expansions before. I liked the base game well enough, and well, you know me...

This time out, I'm thinking of maybe throwing an expansion in the mix.

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30 Jun 2015 16:55 #205188 by southernman
I would always play with the Sauron expansion if I can (have 5 or 6 players) - it just seems right someone someone playing Sauron plus it makes the game, which can become a bit gamey once people know the cards and the best times to play them, a bit more challenging for the Hobbits. Friends & Foes seemed to make it a different game but I never played with it after the first try so could be missing something, I didn't even like the sound of Battlefields so never even considered buying it.

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30 Jun 2015 17:20 #205189 by VonTush
If anyone's looking, I have the base game and all three expansions in one box I'm looking to move.
I never could get anyone interested in playing.

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30 Jun 2015 18:17 #205191 by wadenels
There's a lot of game in the base game, but I still recommend going with Friends & Foes straight away. The Friends and Foes mechanic feels like it fleshes out the base game, and it adds the extra board that make the story progression better. Battlefields is fun to mix in, but I sort of have a love-hate relationship with it where one day I'll like it and the next I wish we'd left it out. Worth having for more variety and options though. Sauron is solid too, and gives you the option of a Sauron player. I dig one-vs-many games so I really like playing Sauron.

Short answer: Friends and Foes every time, always. Sauron for more fun options with players who don't need rules reminders for the base+F&F, and Battlefields for something a little different. Track down the whole set if it's a game you know you enjoy and will play repeatedly.

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30 Jun 2015 18:53 #205196 by Michael Barnes
I have never played a game without F&F since I got it, which was like...15 years ago. You might THINK there's enough game in the base, but you really want what F&F has to offer. I would say that it is in the running for the best expansion of all time.

Battlefields is strange in some ways...I totally agree with Wade, some days it's like "Yes, we must use this because it's awesome and it increases tension and scope" and others it's like "this is a completely artificial and incongruous subsystem that doesn't really work with the core process". It does increase the complexity quite a bit because you've got these literal flowcharts (don't be worried- they make sense in the setting, actually) to deal with and MORE ways to get corrupted/move Sauron/cry softly because the game is so freakin' hard. Back when it came out I dismissed it completely, but over the years it's grown on me. I do stand by my original assertion that I think Knizia didn't quite finish the development on it- it isn't nearly as polished as the rest of the game.

I think it's really expensive these days, so it may be a moot point anyway.

Sauron is definitely a must if you want to all-vs-one play. I just don't care for the active opposition. It works, and it can be fun. There are some other additions in that set that you will want to have so don't try to squirrel out of an all-in purchase.

God I love this game. I'm going to solo it tonight.
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30 Jun 2015 21:00 #205201 by wadenels
I'm not sure if Knizia intended the release to work the way it did; Friends and Foes really feels like it was removed from the base game then sold as an expansion.

I've seen copies of some of the expansions floating around at some of our FLGS for around MSRP. I can go do a hunt if things get desperate for those looking to purchase.

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01 Jul 2015 03:31 #205212 by Grudunza
For solo/co-op I really like base + Battlefields. F&F is good, too, but I prefer the kind of dynamic moving tactics of Battlefields, whereas the Foes of F&F feel a little ordinary... merely flipping a card. I know it's all thematic in a more broad and abstract way, regardless, but I just find Battlefields more fun to include.

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01 Jul 2015 08:24 - 01 Jul 2015 09:31 #205216 by Mr. White
Ok, you guys are selling me on Base + F&F. A few more questions there.

I assume F&F fits in the base game, but will I need to toss the base game insert?

It seems like adding 2 more boards would make the came downright impossible. And what is this I'm reading about a 'Black Gate' promo card? Is it a necessity?

How much overhead does F&F add?

At any point in any expansion is there a female character to play as? It would go a long way towards getting my daughter to play.
Last edit: 01 Jul 2015 09:31 by Mr. White.

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01 Jul 2015 09:44 #205219 by Erik Twice
I would love to get Knizia's LOTR+F&F but I've yet to find a good price on either.

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01 Jul 2015 20:31 #205242 by Grudunza
Black Gate can just be printed as a reference. It has no function other than to trigger something when the Foe deck is run through. Can't remember the details, but you don't need the actual card.

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01 Jul 2015 20:43 #205243 by The*Mad*Gamer

Foes of F&F feel a little ordinary... merely flipping a card.


I saw your video on Friends and Foes, it was very good. I wanted to buy Friends and Foes after Barnes praised it but now not so sure.
Need to go into pure Eurosnoot mode and mull over my cubes a while :)
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02 Jul 2015 15:45 - 02 Jul 2015 15:46 #205297 by southernman

Mr. White wrote: O...
At any point in any expansion is there a female character to play as? It would go a long way towards getting my daughter to play.

Just tell her Sauron is an absolute bitch to play against (of course not if she's under 18).
Last edit: 02 Jul 2015 15:46 by southernman.

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02 Jul 2015 16:37 #205302 by Grudunza

The*Mad*Gamer wrote:

Foes of F&F feel a little ordinary... merely flipping a card.


I saw your video on Friends and Foes, it was very good. I wanted to buy Friends and Foes after Barnes praised it but now not so sure.
Need to go into pure Eurosnoot mode and mull over my cubes a while :)


Thanks, Steve! I do appreciate that coming from you, especially. But until you mentioned that, I had forgotten that I even did some of those review videos. I stopped after a short spell of that when I felt like I wasn't really adding anything new or interesting to that, and was getting bored watching myself. I can bring personality and humor to my music and music videos, but I didn't feel cut out *at all* for that kind of video review thing. I'd much rather watch Shut Up and Sit Down or your videos.

Anyway, I do think that if you like the LOTR system, F&F is a must have, and I can appreciate that many like it more than Battlefields. I actually think the base game alone still holds up really well, and for the 1-2 times a year I still play LOTR, I opt for that at least some of the time, especially with new players included. Regardless, there is still a palpable excitement and tension that I feel when I've made it to Mordor and I'm trying desperately to scrape far enough to dunk the ring.

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