Hello, fellow fa/tg/uys, want to open some dead CCG sealed product?
I've decided to go all in on the WoW TCG and also begin playing Middle Earth CCG (a LOTR CCG from the 90s). Both games are solo playable. I like to have a solo game board game of some sort set up on my gaming table to play a few rounds throughout the day, or over the course of a few days. I'm a bit burned out on Mage Knight, so I'm hoping that these fill that role.
And most of my friends think that CCGs are a waste of money, and never want to play them with me. They might not be wrong!
The WoW TCG becomes solo playable via dungeon decks, and self-running raid decks that act as a 'house'. Not all WoW raid decks are self-running though. The older ones all required a dedicated DM who ran the dungeon and controlled all the enemies. At the end of it's life, the WoW TCG moved to all raid decks being self running. These are two of them. All dungeon decks are self-running.
To solo play, you build 2-3 decks of different classes & heroes and take on the encounter. So it's solo in the sense that you are ghosting a few other players. It doesn't take away from the game play experience IMO as it is a cooperative experience to begin with, and a player's hand is public knowledge to all at the table.
But let's start with Middle Earth CCG!
This is the set I am most excited to get up and running. Gameplay is deep and complex, and the artwork is great! It's all painted art, but before the LOTR movies, so the characters aren't based on the movie actors. A description of the game copied from BGG:
ICE's now-out-of-print CCG launched in 1995 (they lost their license to produce Middle-Earth products in 1999). Players take the role of the Istari, or Wizards - most familiarly Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast, but also Pallando and Alatar - in the struggle against Sauron in Middle-Earth. Each player competes to bring the greatest strength to bear against the Shadow, including Factions such as the Riders of Rohan or the Great Eagles, allies like Gwaihir or Shadowfax, items such as the lost Palantiri, Glamdring, or Narsil, and the completion of various quests - from the relatively straightforward rescue of prisoners through the involved Reforging of the Sword that was Broken, restoration of the White Tree to Minas Tirith, or the quest of quests, the destruction of the One Ring.
The game also features a map that you have to move around on. Each region has different types of cards that are playable at them. I'll admit I don't fully understand the game yet and the rules are pretty daunting.
Also it's a bit difficult to find reasonably priced cards for this game! It doesn't look like a lot of it is around anymore.
>>47236134
Oh dang, this looks sweet. Are these like MTG tournament packs?
>>47236197
Yes, I believe so. 3 rares, then uncommons and commons for the rest. But I'm not 100% sure, I didn't want to watch any YouTube openings and spoil the surprise!
Let's begin!
What's also cool about this game, is that in addition to this first set that let's you play as the wizards, later sets let you play as other factions. There is one that let's you play as dark minions (like the ringwraiths iirc) and fallen wizards that have given up on defeating Sauron. There's even a set that let's you play as a Balrog, but is apparently super hard to find and pretty expensive.
Back.
If anyone is familiar with this game, please feel free to add any input!
The game claims that only one starter deck is needed to begin playing. Most info I found claimed the play experience gets better with a larger card pool. Which seems par for the course with any CCG.
This is 'The Wizards' set, the first set in the game. Which from what I've read, is the most useful and simplest set to begin with. Makes sense!
Contents. Has that lovely fresh ink smell!
The bigger pack as an uncommon ontop. The smaller has a fixed card, for starter sets.
Let's start with the smaller pack.
You'll notice these cards have blue borders. That is because they are from the unlimited printing of the set. The less common first printing of the set had black borders.
>>47236624
>You'll notice these cards have blue borders. That is because they are from the unlimited printing of the set. The less common first printing of the set had black borders.
Haha, I think Melissa Benson did an extremely similar piece of art for MtG with the female fire elemental.
The design of the cards is pretty neat too.
All fixed rarity starter cards. As expected from the smaller pack.
I don't know about you guys, but I love this art!
>>47236721
That's pretty neat.
Two questions:
How do you play against yourself, and how much did you spend?
Fixed cards 2. Gandalf!
It's cool that they give everyone Gandalf to start with. Everyone loves that guy!
>>47236781
There are quest books out there that I still need to pick up. Sort of like how you'll find scenarios and campaigns in D&D and other roleplaying publications. There are solo campaigns in those publications, the big one being called 'There and Back Again'.
There is also a solo variant on youtube created by thelonelygamer that everyone on BGG agrees is very well put together. That lets you play all the other content. I watched a bit, but didn't really have the time to start from the beginning to fully understand it. I'm putting the cart in front of the horse a bit here!
I paid $15 each for these starter decks, but might have overpaid a few bucks due to my hastiness to have them. I also bought a lot yesterday of 4 more starter decks + 4 Wizards booster packs for $43 shipped. Also bought a booster box of the first expansion set The Dragons for $42 shipped.
Your best bet is to probably try to buy an old collection if you have the patience to wait for that. Or keep your eyes peeled and look for some deals. The availability of sealed product for this game doesn't seem to be super prevalent. The first set The Wizards seems to be one of the more costly sets of the bunch.
Last of the small pack!
The internet said 3 of the cards we have opened so far are commons, rest are fixed.
Now for the big pack!
I believe that's a rule book in there.
Hold up! Forgot to show the backs of the cards!
The location type cards have a map on the back (all the same version of the map of the world). Everything else has the black back.
Closeup of the backs.
Now the contents of the big pack!
River is a common. Eagles is an uncommon. Going to assume the left stack are commons and right are uncommons and rares.
Also the rulebook!
First page of the rulebook with the game overview.
If you just want to see cards, come back in 10 minutes because this is going to get boring for you! Going to post a few more pages that explain all the card features.
Player turn summary.
Cards 1 of 2.
Cards 2 of 2.
A mini map.
This rules book is huge!
71 total pages. Which probably means it's going to be a pain in the ass to learn (looking at you Mage Knight!), but hopefully means the gameplay will be deep and varied.
Okay, still with me? Back to cards!
Let's start with what I assume are the commons.
Commons 1.
As confirmed by the rulebook, Ghouls does indeed levy 5 separate attacks on the target. It's can't be that good if it's a common, but that seems like it could hurt!
Commons 2. This art is amazing!
Short events are discarded immediately and effects last as long as they are stated on the card. Long events last for 2 turns, one of yours, and one of your opponents. Permanent events last until the card is removed from play in some manor.
Like fuck, this is the kind of art I want out of my fantasy games!
Commons 3.
Awww yeah a ring card! I guess that's good? Idk. Looks like its part of a combo strategy.
Last of the commons!
The uncommons.
Sam, Treebeard, mount doom, a palantir, Bill the pony! Not sure if these cards are any good, but super happy to have them for flavor!
Sam, calm down dude.
The rares.
Favor of the Valar seems powerful. Traitor makes your opponent's dudes fight themselves, seems cool!
>Not buying a booster box of Gatecrash to make your name legit
Oh shit, I remember that old LotR game! It was pretty unplayable though, from what I recall, long time to set up and complex as fuck rules that really didn't invite anyone over...
>>47236831
>ents in togas
I did not know I needed this until now
