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Hey all, I have never played LoTR but love the movies and Lore. I do love AoS and 40k, why isn't this game as popular? Is the game play somewhat similar?

it was while the first 3 movies were out. it still has a bit of a following but nothing like other games. many players have armies and such but the support from gw is gone.

The game is skirmish and very simple. its not like the other 2 in the sense that each model is individual and acts on its own. Also game turns are done in the way I move you move I shoot you shoot then close combat

ah gotcha makes sense, hopefully GW doesnt let it die out completely.

GW does not support the game at all so people dropped it over the years. I have not seen anybody playing LoTR in many years. Was very popular when the movies where first out

I am hoping that GW finally relinquishes their hold on it so that another company can take over support of the genre.

SAGA, for instance, has a Fantasy supplement (unofficial at the moment) that does very well for Middle-earth (since Middle-earth is really supposed to be a Dark Ages period).

As for adhering to the movie aesthetic.... That seems to be something people expect, but would soon forget if the game were supported well enough.

MB

BeAfraid wrote:
I am hoping that GW finally relinquishes their hold on it so that another company can take over support of the genre.

SAGA, for instance, has a Fantasy supplement (unofficial at the moment) that does very well for Middle-earth (since Middle-earth is really supposed to be a Dark Ages period).

As for adhering to the movie aesthetic.... That seems to be something people expect, but would soon forget if the game were supported well enough.

MB

People watch the movies, which are more accessible, and wanna play what they've just watched. Its not going to be forgotten.

GW won't let go of the license for a long time. Why give the tools to a competitor when you can hold it instead?

The prices going up dramatically didn't help. The fact GW got less and less interested in supporting it as the LOTR bubble poped after the first three films. Its a shame because when it first started it had nice models at a reasonable price and a solid ruleset.

I think the prices had a lot to do with it, too. 35 euros for 10 mirkwood rangers is a far cry from the old days of getting 24 LOTR figures for under 30 euro.

 Da Boss wrote:
I think the prices had a lot to do with it, too. 35 euros for 10 mirkwood rangers is a far cry from the old days of getting 24 LOTR figures for under 30 euro.

Agreed, in recent years that has definitely been a problem. I think if you told someone who'd recently come into the hobby that you could get a playable army for under £25 they'd be shocked! A £15 pack of 24 warriors and a £7-10 hero or command blister would be plenty to get playing with, and you could be playing battles as big as the game could handle for less than it would cost you to get a legal 40k/WFB army! Speaking as someone who was a kid at the time, you really could play on pocket money!

And since those halcyon days, the prices have gone up about 200% (if not more) across the board, either from overpriced new releases or the 2012 repackaging where box size was halved but the price was about the same. It's reached the point where what used to buy you an army now gets you a box of a dozen minis OR a character, which is pretty ridiculous. The problem is compounded by the fact that, for wargaming in general, that same money could get you a lot more, in game that have a comparatively larger player base. It's vicious cycle, but the higher the cost, the less players there are, the harder the cost becomes to justify. At this point, I guess it's largely collectors rather than gamers that are buying the minis, so the player count keeps falling.

Ya i wanted to see if i couldnt pick up some stuff one ebay or something similiar for cheap but didnt know the player base had diminished so badly... awesome job on GW's end for killing a game......

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:
Ya i wanted to see if i couldnt pick up some stuff one ebay or something similiar for cheap but didnt know the player base had diminished so badly... awesome job on GW's end for killing a game......

It hasn't, really. Google the Great British Hobbit League. There's at least one decent sized tournament a month somewhere.

Yeah, between the GBHL and their American cousins the DCHL, there's plenty of support for those of us still playing. The remark about a dwindling player base was more about the number of potential players that will be interested in starting, see the price of the most recent boxes/blisters, not know about the second hand availability or non-GW support and promptly run off to play AoS/KoW/Other games.

Ah gotch I understand

The game was unfairly bashed by allot of gamers who chose to scapegoat it for whatever grievances they had with 40k or WFB. Even at its peak I heard allot of gamers claim it was taking away resources from the other two core games and occupying space in White Dwarf it had no business taking up. They also saw the game as a physical embodiment of GW abandoning established gamers to chase the kids market. They also blamed it for GWs financial mismanagement.

These where grossly unfair claims which I believe where based mainly on prejudice. LOTR was in my opinion the most balanced and we'll designed of the three core systems and the miniatures where amongst GWs best. I still use LOTR miniatures for Song of Blades and Heroes.

GW sadly failed to support and it but there is still a player base. There are still half a dozen LOTR players at my local club who play it a couple of times a month.

I hope the fanbase keep it alive.

Back when LoTR was popular i used to hate seeing update for the game because i didnt play it, and i would rather see updates for 40k. Now i wouldnt mind trying it, and it doesnt seem all the popular. They closed a lot of LGS in my area in Chicago.. Including 2 GW stores, one 6 miles and the other 10 miles away. So any LGS is a travel to get to. So i stick to playing games amongst friends instead. I hope it stays alive, i love the movie series and will be reading the books soon as well.

Everyone I know in Hollywood that has any interest in Middle-earth is trying to figure an end-run around the Saul Zaentz control of the licenses.

And, their plan is to go to Cable with a LONG Series that would encapsulate the entire legendarium from the Ainulindalë to the aftermath of the War of the Ring. Most of us argue about the order, but everyone thinks it would be better off with HBO, or Showtime, and with a closer adherence to the actual content (the rule seems to be "Adding to the story is OK, as long as it does not alter or negate any existing canon.").

Jackson's "vision" of Middle-earth has only dominated because it is really the only such vision to penetrate into the mainstream.

It is sort of like giving people only RC Cola as a choice of soft-drink, and then claiming it is all that exists.

MB

Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

Prices are a big one for me as well. LOTR/Hobbit stuff is pretty much all I buy but there is no way that I can justify some of the prices of the Hobbit range. £15 for 3 troops and £27 for a foot/mounted character is too much for me even if they are good looking figures (I have managed to pick up the odd thing from ebay etc). I don’t think the plastics are too bad a price once you factor in getting them from an online discounter.

I imagine that the prices must be even more off putting to someone looking to get into the game. The recent lack of support does not help either. We have come a long way since the hayday of the game when everything with even a passing mention in the book/film was produced.

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

How adorable. You think That Middle-earth is a copy of Game of Thrones, and not the other way around.

The fact that they chose the correct media for the genre is hardly an accident, and is one that more people are turning to now that the technology to do TV with the same production values as movies is readily available. It has nothing to do with any one title.

MB

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

Well, I think it is more likely that the licensing situation will keep it in no go land but I do not understand this comment. How would a LoTR be a copy of something that came later and is completely opposite in tone? I would think there would be a fairly large audience for a well done series based on ME. Whether the lack of gore and sex would keep a wider audience, I have no idea. I suspect it would be fine so long as storylines and characters are developed well and the pace doesn't get too slow (this seems to be a recurring problem with extended series). Sex and gore are generally filler for lack of real content anyway.

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:
Back when LoTR was popular i used to hate seeing update for the game because i didnt play it, and i would rather see updates for 40k. Now i wouldnt mind trying it, and it doesnt seem all the popular. They closed a lot of LGS in my area in Chicago.. Including 2 GW stores, one 6 miles and the other 10 miles away. So any LGS is a travel to get to. So i stick to playing games amongst friends instead. I hope it stays alive, i love the movie series and will be reading the books soon as well.

I live in the Chicago burbs and they closed those lgs because we had 13 gw shops in the area. 13 that's insane. There are plenty of good shops in the area and the biggest wargaming community in the country. I myself play tons of LOTR(tons being any chance I can) and we even had a lotr league going on in the downers grove shop until aos showed up.

If you want to game LOTR and you live in the Chicago area, we can make it happen. Though things like bilbos birthday bash is gone and what not adepticon still runs a minimum of 1 lotr event if not 2 every year and on the AWC boards there are players looking for games all the time. If you wanna play we can game in the Chicago area

 jmurph wrote:

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

Well, I think it is more likely that the licensing situation will keep it in no go land but I do not understand this comment. How would a LoTR be a copy of something that came later and is completely opposite in tone? I would think there would be a fairly large audience for a well done series based on ME. Whether the lack of gore and sex would keep a wider audience, I have no idea. I suspect it would be fine so long as storylines and characters are developed well and the pace doesn't get too slow (this seems to be a recurring problem with extended series). Sex and gore are generally filler for lack of real content anyway.

People are gonna look and think "oh, long running fantasy tv series with exiled royalty, dragons n gak? sounds like Game of Thrones". Happened recently with Norrell/Strange "oh its like harry potter then?"

BeAfraid wrote:

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

How adorable. You think That Middle-earth is a copy of Game of Thrones, and not the other way around.

The fact that they chose the correct media for the genre is hardly an accident, and is one that more people are turning to now that the technology to do TV with the same production values as movies is readily available. It has nothing to do with any one title.

MB

Why would anyone copy something as dull as the LOTR series, for all its faults GoT makes the LOTR books come across as toiletpaper grade material with incompetent good & bad guys. And beside good luck with your venture, why would anyone spit up gods knows how much for the chance to just make a remake of the three first movies.

LOTR could do with a bit of T&A really. And less songs.

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:

 jmurph wrote:

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

Well, I think it is more likely that the licensing situation will keep it in no go land but I do not understand this comment. How would a LoTR be a copy of something that came later and is completely opposite in tone? I would think there would be a fairly large audience for a well done series based on ME. Whether the lack of gore and sex would keep a wider audience, I have no idea. I suspect it would be fine so long as storylines and characters are developed well and the pace doesn't get too slow (this seems to be a recurring problem with extended series). Sex and gore are generally filler for lack of real content anyway.

People are gonna look and think "oh, long running fantasy tv series with exiled royalty, dragons n gak? sounds like Game of Thrones". Happened recently with Norrell/Strange "oh its like harry potter then?"

Why would anyone think LoTR is copying off of Game of Thrones?.... thats like saying Batman is a copy of Superman .. Both extremely popular, well known and well divided. I could see if LoTR, was newly released... but seeing how the books and movie series have been out well before GoT, i don't think there will be a problem. For the way you are talking I think you have watched neither GoT or LoTR.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 namiel wrote:

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:
Back when LoTR was popular i used to hate seeing update for the game because i didnt play it, and i would rather see updates for 40k. Now i wouldnt mind trying it, and it doesnt seem all the popular. They closed a lot of LGS in my area in Chicago.. Including 2 GW stores, one 6 miles and the other 10 miles away. So any LGS is a travel to get to. So i stick to playing games amongst friends instead. I hope it stays alive, i love the movie series and will be reading the books soon as well.

I live in the Chicago burbs and they closed those lgs because we had 13 gw shops in the area. 13 that's insane. There are plenty of good shops in the area and the biggest wargaming community in the country. I myself play tons of LOTR(tons being any chance I can) and we even had a lotr league going on in the downers grove shop until aos showed up.

If you want to game LOTR and you live in the Chicago area, we can make it happen. Though things like bilbos birthday bash is gone and what not adepticon still runs a minimum of 1 lotr event if not 2 every year and on the AWC boards there are players looking for games all the time. If you wanna play we can game in the Chicago area

13 but none are that close to my house lol... i think the closest is Games Plus and thats about 45 min drive. I am not looking to dive in LoTR just right away, because i dont have any of the miniatures, and focusing more on AoS at the moment, but it was more of curiosity for the future. thanks for the reply though

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
LOTR could do with a bit of T&A really. And less songs.

As long as no one shows a pair of stunites getting it on I am sure everyone would agree, and far, far less of all the rambelings from some daft Wizzard or Elf. Or nerdy person claiming to be in touche with Hollywood and what not

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:

 jmurph wrote:

 Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Yeah, good luck with that. I won't hold my breath. Who wants to watch a game of thrones copyist? The films do it well enough.

Well, I think it is more likely that the licensing situation will keep it in no go land but I do not understand this comment. How would a LoTR be a copy of something that came later and is completely opposite in tone? I would think there would be a fairly large audience for a well done series based on ME. Whether the lack of gore and sex would keep a wider audience, I have no idea. I suspect it would be fine so long as storylines and characters are developed well and the pace doesn't get too slow (this seems to be a recurring problem with extended series). Sex and gore are generally filler for lack of real content anyway.

People are gonna look and think "oh, long running fantasy tv series with exiled royalty, dragons n gak? sounds like Game of Thrones". Happened recently with Norrell/Strange "oh its like harry potter then?"

Why would anyone think LoTR is copying off of Game of Thrones?.... thats like saying Batman is a copy of Superman .. Both extremely popular, well known and well divided. I could see if LoTR, was newly released... but seeing how the books and movie series have been out well before GoT, i don't think there will be a problem. For the way you are talking I think you have watched neither GoT or LoTR.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 namiel wrote:

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:
Back when LoTR was popular i used to hate seeing update for the game because i didnt play it, and i would rather see updates for 40k. Now i wouldnt mind trying it, and it doesnt seem all the popular. They closed a lot of LGS in my area in Chicago.. Including 2 GW stores, one 6 miles and the other 10 miles away. So any LGS is a travel to get to. So i stick to playing games amongst friends instead. I hope it stays alive, i love the movie series and will be reading the books soon as well.

I live in the Chicago burbs and they closed those lgs because we had 13 gw shops in the area. 13 that's insane. There are plenty of good shops in the area and the biggest wargaming community in the country. I myself play tons of LOTR(tons being any chance I can) and we even had a lotr league going on in the downers grove shop until aos showed up.

If you want to game LOTR and you live in the Chicago area, we can make it happen. Though things like bilbos birthday bash is gone and what not adepticon still runs a minimum of 1 lotr event if not 2 every year and on the AWC boards there are players looking for games all the time. If you wanna play we can game in the Chicago area

13 but none are that close to my house lol... i think the closest is Games Plus and thats about 45 min drive. I am not looking to dive in LoTR just right away, because i dont have any of the miniatures, and focusing more on AoS at the moment, but it was more of curiosity for the future. thanks for the reply though

Where in the Chicago area are you?

Northwest side, 60634, There used to be 2 stores, Gamers Link and Games and Things like literrally a mile away from my house each.. but they both closed down. I think they ran each other out of business. That and i think the owner at Gamers Link was lazy as hell, but I could be wrong.

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:
Northwest side, 60634, There used to be 2 stores, Gamers Link and Games and Things like literrally a mile away from my house each.. but they both closed down. I think they ran each other out of business. That and i think the owner at Gamers Link was lazy as hell, but I could be wrong.

you may find players up on the north side at the dice dojo. I know I have several armies for the purpose of sharing with others who wanna play

Ya that drive is not going to happen for me lol but thanks for the suggestion!