The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game - 4p - The Discussion
Transcript
Okay. Done. Done. I'm surprised we got that in one. That was squeaky. I didn't think it was that close. I mean, it's it's it's not easy natively, but I think we had a good distribution and Yeah. All right. So, uh, start with Kyle since you hadn't play you and I haven't played this one. What do you think? We are eight chapters in of an 18chapter story. We'll we'll clean it up afterwards. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I do love Lord of the Rings. Um, it is. Is this a like thematic driven game? No. I just love the theme. I We get the You get the flavor text every time. The characters are recognizable. The actions that the characters are taking are recognizable to me. that that makes me it aders it to me. It's not really a Lord of the Rings game, but I really like how it does trick taking because you have the crew base, the deep mission uh quest for Planet X or whatever. The space one um that one's a little too straightforward, right? The variations on you just need to win this card, right? Mission deep sea adds in the variation, speaking of the crew of kind of you need to win certain sets of cards or certain order of cards and tricks and that variation's good. I like how this does it where everyone kind of has their own flavor and you can draft based on your hand which then also changes based on the order of Froto's here versus here versus there versus here. Um I I don't know this this I I think weirdly for me something that plays against it is that it's set up as the you play through the chapters. I
know it has like an infinite mode where you can just set the deck up a certain way and play and that's I don't know. I I've tried it with the crew and I've gotten through, you know, the first dozen or so and then, you know, that group we'll have to come back to it with other people. We'll have to kind of start it over again at like four or five. This could replace that for me just cuz the theme is more endearing and I think the way it does the the puzzle is a little more mechanically interesting, but I really like it. Yeah. I I don't know if it has a spot in my collection, but I really like it. I I'm into tricktakers. I think they do interesting things. Yeah. So, Lord of the Rings, couldn't care less. Uh, just not my not my thing. Don't dislike it, just don't have an affinity for it. Enjoyed the movies. A lot of walking. Um, but whatever. But from a game standpoint, it feels like The Crew. Is it better than The Crew? I don't know that it is other than the fact that the story of this is familiar to me. Um, I think it's fine. It's clever. I like it. I I y'all know how I'm not super keen. Usually co-ops for me are excuses to play solos or tag team solos for co-ops. And this one has a solo mode.
Interesting. Okay. Uh but to me, like this is the application for a for a co-op. If we're going to do a a co-op, it's going to be a a trick taking game like this or something like the gang or what? Again, it's a recognizable form that's been given a little test. And the the nice thing about this from a co-op standpoint is there can't be any quarterbacking cuz you play your own hand. And you know what? If we fail because I screwed something up, I screwed something up. Okay. You berating me over the head about it doesn't make that better. So, I think this doesn't have that quarterbacking problem. Yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just the theme is take it or leave it for me personally. Um, I'm excited to bust out the next 10. I can't wait. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. So, that's me. How about y'all?
So, I think it's not really thematic in the way that we kind of imagine games sometimes can be thematic, but I do think it's a strong setting. Mhm. Yes. Right. Yeah. Totally. I think it is clearly designed with the knowledge in mind that people who have maybe only ever played Hearts before and really love Lord of the Rings are going to buy this box. Okay, I'll buy it. Like I think it is designed to be maybe like an entry point for very casual hobby gamers slashnon hobby gamers. M um and so I think that's maybe why the first few missions are are like a pretty uh uh like a not very steep ramp. Yeah. Right. Um I think the art is good. Oh, the art's great. I I love the art of the characters for sure.
Seems like there's there's some good balance. Uh it in the in the character taking. I think there's clearly some thought in into the chapters. I like as we're ramping up the increasing tension we're feeling chapter to chapter. Yeah. There's like just enough setting flavor to feel like you're doing Lord of the Rings stuff. It's not like you're I mean it's not like War of the Ring, right? Yes. Uh let me wait. No, it's not. I I would say safe it's not it's not um but it's Yeah. I I I'm having fun with it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's same. Um I I cuz you were the one that's wanted this like you were like hey I have this coming. So why did that start start there? Like why did you want this to begin with? Well I I love the crew. Um and I love both versions of the crew. I like I like one more than the other. Um which we can talk about later another stream. Um um but um uh and and this is you know a cooperative trick taking in that mode as as I understood it which is why I was okay fine. I'll I'll pick it up without really knowing not knowing that much about Yeah, it's like the crew. It fits what I what I enjoy in in it's it's doing what I like with tricktakers and and you know taking a cooperative element and and having you have to think about trick taking in a different way. And the puzzle here is is it engages that part of the brain that I that I want for for that for that kind of game. Um and uh this does that. Um, some of the missions are are pretty
straightforward. Um, sure, and that's fine. Um, some of the missions have you they jump up and and and in and difficulty in minus the minute maybe goes down a bit and some. So, it doesn't it's it's not always it's not a clear straight up ramp, right? Uh, and that that's that's fine. Um I I um the uh I'm getting what I want out of this which is interesting decisions interest like interesting communication through passing through sloughing what do I slough like Tom Bond bill is a really interesting one right because like tough you have to have to figure out okay I you know someone sloughs a card um that tells me what's not in Tom's hand right and that tells me a little bit about about what Tom might be might have be long right Yeah, these are all interesting things to to have to consider when playing trick taking games. So, I I think I I enjoy that kind I I love competitive trick taking games and my favorites are competitive, but um but these are this this this this hits a a really nice different mode for me to think. And the big question that I have for you that I I think I know the answer, but you've played the entire campaign, you're playing through it again now. Does it feel like it's a less than lesser game having already experienced it? No. No. And so like spoiler, you already know what's coming whereas we don't. Right. Right. And and I'm in it for the puzzle, right? And um you know, maybe if I was playing with
the exact same four people, maybe then it might be a little different, but I don't I don't know. I I'm not sure how that would if that would how that would feel. But but yeah, no, I'm I I think I'm just as engaged. Um the um uh the setting theme, yeah, is is not really much there for me, but uh it maybe was a bit more in the the first time through because it was, you know, we got to uh I don't know, but K's doing a good job reading the cards, which I think is adds to it a bit. So yeah, I do I appreciate that there are some like deep cut characters. That's good. Yeah. No, I I I mean it's it's fanervice in a lot of ways, right? So yeah, I mean there's there's there's all these characters like Barman Barlman Barber, which we're not going to see again because they're not in the rest of the book, right?
Yeah. Oh, Goldberry, they made their appearance. Goldberry and Tom. Done. Thank God. They have they got important stuff. Bilbo is not, you know. Well, Bilbo's in Rivendell. Oh, no. You're right. So, in theory, he could be he could be in a future chapter. I love that you all have have this knowledge. I'm like, "Okay, see, but also for me, you know, knowing knowing the story and loving the story like I do, this is uh the fellowship. Yeah, they're going to do a two towers box and they're going to do a return of the king." They've already said that. I would like to play through the trick taking version. We'll do it with this with Moria, but for sure of Helm's Deep and then Minister Tierth and then the Black Gate and all the things especially the battles just cuz especially in a game like this that's so abstract. Currently, we just been walking. We saw Tom. We're at the Prancing Pony. What happens in the movies? threat of the Black Rider.
There's a lot of fighting in Lord of the Rings. Got trapped under a tree. Yeah. For a long time. If if it's up to us for a long time. For a while. For a while. Uh. Yes. Yeah. Uh, that's that that's a new uh patron level. Kyle will come to your house and read the cards to you. I I did some radio voiceover work when I was in high school. That's that's not a joke. I desperately wanted um I can't remember the name of the voice actor, but when there's there's only one Gandalf sequence so far, but I desperately wanted to hear the voice actor from the rank and bass animated. Oh, the rotocope one. Yeah, cuz he's so good. And then they could do one of these for the Hobbit and then we get to go to Goblin Town. Yeah. Glam. Bring me Glam.
Speaking of Gandalf, I love my nerd friends. This is awesome. Which the the amazing thing about this and I I mean this in the highest compliment possible, right? Like hardcore nerding here, but then plays rugby hardcore into college or into the NBA is sports ball in general, right? And and I am as well. And I just soccer. Yeah, he very much is. You ought to see him when he goes overseas. He paints his he throws elbow. It's It's the palm getting around. Oh yeah, 100%. Somebody Somebody said, "What are your thoughts on the fact you don't stick with one character through multiple hands?" I really like that when we failed um Old Man Willow and we kind of and it was like I was like, "Oh, I might have to try Tom if we don't do this again." I like that because I do too. And it's also because we didn't change seats cuz you could also do that if you really wanted it to get weird. with like communication this way and how we play and whatever, but the fact every time it's in theory the same puzzle, but the combination of changing hands with how the cards are dealt, but also order and who you are of characters and also order they play is Yeah. And to be clear, like you in no sense do you feel like you're inhabiting the character? No. So, it's not like you feel like you're giving something up by not getting to be the same character.
But no, like I I think it's cool that we all have been we all were uh uh Froto. Yeah. Right. cuz I mean Fredo's the main character, but outside of that, I'm like whatever. Cool. I'll be someone else. Well, honestly, we play the first I I have dominated Sam a bit. Yeah. Uh with my family and so my daughter was Froto in the first four chapters in a row just cuz that's the way it ended up. Yeah. And she was so she was like I she was like if I draw Froto again, we're going to stop. And we were like, okay, that's fine. But uh Yeah. So I think you actually want some variety. I I agree with that. Yeah, for sure. Uh would it be as good with a different IP? I mean you I mean in my thinking I don't like the thing that comes to mind is like Firefly. Like I could see you busting this out somehow with Firefight. I think any like adventure type story would work fine. Star Wars would be fine. Or even some of the video game IPs uh would work, right? you could do a Fallout version of this or whatever, but I feel like there's something to be said for specifically Lord of the Rings or maybe fantasy because of the physical nature of playing a card game. Whereas going into something like Star Wars or Firefly or sci-fi IP, you kind of move away from a cozy physical setting. Whereas Lord of the Rings, especially right at the start, right at the end, at least, never mind the scouring of the Shire. Uh it's a very cozy setting and you can envision
Hobbits playing a card game. Not this card game. I'm not dropping it thematically in universe, but like playing a card game is something that could easily happen in a fantasy setting. Can happen in a sci-fi setting, too. But I feel like it leads into sitting in the galley. And someone said it could be a James Bond theme one. That'd be great because cards and playing cards could huge. I I also feel like IP saturation, you know, this is a great system. I'm They're going to do the next two boxes. They could do one for the Hobbit. That could also be fun. They don't need to make 600 of them. No, I don't know. Yeah, I would say I I I'm curious to see whether they will try to ramp the complexity and intensity a little bit as you go into the second and third boxes. Yeah. Do they do you like if in the first four missions does it start off a little lower and then ramp? You saying does it come in from the heights of box one and maybe a little dip but then go just keeps going up? I mean I think you might be able to expect that people who are playing the second box have played the first box high proportion. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I would think so. So you might be able to ramp it a little bit and have it be a little bit more intense, a little harder. I hope so. I would be into that. Yeah. Because I mean, yes, we fa Okay, so we effectively played 11 games, right? Failed 318. Um, that feels like a like a high ratio like of like easy like easy. It didn't seem terribly hard. Uh, and it just felt unfortunate more than anything when we failed. Well, I think and like so comparing it to the crew once you get to sort of mission 15 or so in the original box, I think it would be hard unless you're like really locked in communication wise to go and win win win eight and only lose three, right? Like you're going to lose a few just cuz like those are those are those get harder and harder. They're harder, right? Yeah. The difficulty on on that on that question about different settings. So, Lord of the Rings is really good for having a set of characters who persist through the entire story and and some come and go and Right. And players, right? Well, and like you know, Gandalf steps away for a bit, comes back, right? And he can show up at any time. Um, so so like I think that's one of the things that that this has going for it, right? you have you you'll have that that and you know you may you maybe don't have that as in some like you know you don't I don't Star Wars has you know the same five characters or six characters but it doesn't really have anybody uh any any other secondary characters who would join in. Um, yeah. Well, you you could get outside the main group and
you'd be like, "Sure, I recognize Bleorb from the cantina, but deep cut it. It's not the same as like especially for people who have read the books with this, it's like Tom and Goldberry here and that's fun. I love and and so this having these extra characters gives gives you the opportunity to have some different kinds of missions, right? Like which, you know, if if it was always if Froto and Sam and Mary and Pipple were always the four, um, that would get stale. Yeah, I think it would get stale, especially since uh I mean I realize Mr. Underh Hill changed it a little bit there, but Froto is Froto and so unless you're varying that up, that would that would get So the variety here feels like just the right mix. And you said a lot about the exchanging it does help a lot because especially in like the crew sometimes the deal the deal of the cards you can be very good at the game.
Sometimes the deal of the cards your narrow for winning is your your window for very narrow. So and and and Frodo's role perhaps his big biggest role is the exchange, right? Yes. He exchanges with every with basically every you often may exchange them. So to both you know what I more what I was saying it's like prune my own hand but you were saying communicate like oh I I this one I had an eight and I gave it away. Right. Yeah. Right. But you can imagine like I think that a cool thing about this is you can imagine having different roles in the second and third boxes for these characters. They become different people as the story progress because they do progress. The characters they're people so they change. Mary and Pippen become squire of Rohan and Guard of the Citadel and there several story lines so they can become their roles will change. Yep.
Also the quality of the cards pretty nice. They're lit and finished cards. Uh so well done on that. These they shuffle really well. They shuffle well and they feel like the last the only You were worried a little bit about I was just going to say if you notice you can see they're starting and this is why black border cards not great but uh so if I to do over I would recommend they do a white border around the backs of them and you can basically halfway through this campaign though. Yeah, I hear you. I'm just I'm trying to let this has been played. data set has been played through once. Anyways, yeah, I I the way the way I look at it, like I've never actually played a a card game with people who would recognize who would would actually try to do that. So, if that's something that is part of your your game group, you know, just you probably do your best. If that's something that's part of your game group, you're probably sleing your cards anyway. Also a true statement. All right, that's a wrap.
That is Fellowship of the Ring. Uh, pretty tightly sized box by the way. Beautiful box. Um, yeah. And it it it's shiny. And I appreciate that. It is you you almost literally can't fit anything more in the box. It's exactly the size it needs to be. Exactly. It's Yeah, it is like there is no empty space. Um, yeah. It and it's an eye catcher on the shelf, right? Like this is one that you would want in front of your uh like facing this way as opposed to on the side just cuz it pops. That's pretty cool. It has this nice little ribbon. Yeah, that helps you to be able to pop everything out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right, that's a wrap for Fellowship of the Rings uh trick taking game one through eight. We will continue this within the next month or so, if not sooner. Uh I'll be honest, us four, you add in he who shall not be named and we have oath. And so that is going to be the priority over this. Who who shall not be named? I'm so I'm so I forget it's James.
Oh, I haven't forgotten. Uh, hey, if y'all liked it, certainly would appreciate some thumbs. So, please like and subscribe. Consider supporting the show/HQ. Um, we're busting out 29 straight days of streaming to, you know, bring content, but also to uh to help boost the numbers. the the higher that goes, the better the quality, the whole nine yards. The next upgrade here in the studio, for those that care, is I want to replace the lights uh and upgrade the lights. It's about 1,800 bucks for the lighting that I want to do in here. So, with your support, we can do that. What do you get out of it? You get access to the Slack channel at the $5 and up uh level. You also get access to all the behind thescenes patrononly streams.
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