We’ll have several copies of the expansion for players to try out, and specials on all our Living Card Games.

Friday, June 10th
Starting at 6PM

* If you have a copy of the core game of Lord of the Rings, please bring it.

Thanks to Geekologie for alerting us to this important story.

Fantasy Flight has just released the latest edition to their Living Card Game series. In a LCG, there are fixed card expansions released about once a month. These expansions are non-random so you get to play the game, not the chase.

Fantasy Flight says:

A Living Card Game (LCG) offers an innovative fixed distribution method that breaks away from the traditional Collectible Card Game model. While LCGs still offer the same dynamic, expanding, and constantly evolving game play that makes CCG’s so much fun, they do away with the deterrent of the blind-buy purchase model that has burned out so many players. The end result is an innovative mix that gives you the best of both worlds!

In addition, the game is co-operative. Players are presented with a challenge and must build a deck to defeat it.

Fantasy Flight explains it this way:

Unlike most card games in which the players compete against each other, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a cooperative game in which the players work together, competing against a scenario that is run automatically by the game. In each game the players attempt to overcome the particular encounters, enemies, and challenges of the scenario, against which they either win or lose together.

The Core Set includes 226 cards that can be used to assemble a wide variety of decks right out of the box. Included are three perilous quests that, along with countless combinations of settings and enemies, offer near-limitless replayability. Additionally, players can build a party from a set of 12 hero cards, and focus their decks on any combination of four distinct spheres of influence: Leadership, Lore, Spirit, and Tactics. Each sphere offer unique benefits to the party, so choose wisely!

Here’s Part 1 of Fantasy Flights Video Tutorial for the game. The following videos can be found on YouTube

From the publisher:

Middle-earth quest is a game of adventure and conflict set in the time leading up to the creation of the Fellowship. One player will adopt to mantle of Sauron and do his best to spread his evil influence across the lands. Up to three players become heroes and will do their best to foil Sauron’s foul plots, and rally the peoples of Middle-earth to their side.

Set during the time of the Hunt for Gollem before Frodo leaves the Shire, this game promises more of an adventure game experience as opposed to the large army scale of “War of the Ring”.

While we’re big fans of Fantasy Flight’s, “War of the Ring” here at the cafe, we’re the first to admit that the rules and playing time are daunting. Let’s hope that Middle-Earth Quest can deliver the huge scale of Tolkein’s work without the huge rulebook to go with it.