Middle-earth Awaits: The Lord of the Rings™: Fate of the Fellowship Now Available on Board Game Arena

[Ray9Cats]

Yeah, when does it expire?
And I certainly won't play it if it ain't staying around. Demo's suck.

[kaduzy]

I think this is great! Surprised by some of the complaints here. Seems great to be able to try out a game before buying.

I understand there are some who only play online, but even in that case, why not try it out? And, in all cases, I would suggest people give constructive feedback or ask questions instead of whining or threatening. Tone makes a big difference.

I like how some folks asked for clarity around what "limited time" means. Another reasonable suggestion would be to ask for this to become Premium content after the initial trial period, as some other games have done.

In any case, thanks for releasing this so we can try it out!

I'm responding directly to the part in bold. I wouldn't try it because if I wind up liking it, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep playing. There's no point in taking time to learn a complex game if I can't then spend more time thereafter getting better at it and improving my play strategies. This game limits me not only in terms of how long it will be available but also in terms of what strategies are open to me since components are limited.

I have in the past bought physical copies of games after playing them on here. However I don't do that any more thanks to the pandemic. I live overseas and move every few years, and shipping large amounts of items has become prohibitively expensive post pandemic. I own over 100 games and they're currently all back in my home country in a storage unit, and will remain there until I retire and settle permanently somewhere. From now on I'll almost exclusively play online or at game cafes.

[Anzelak]

It would probably have been best to label this one as a demo or temporary. I'd rather have this on here compared to nothing, but you'd have saved all this whining crap if you'd labelled this as a temporary demo.

Try not be too discouraged by all the negativity. Often the worst bellweathers ring the loudest. It's been hugely beneficial to my wife and I, and others in our gaming groups, to try this out before we buy. More instances of this would be good where you're unable to bring the game in full to the platform (and permanently).

[JustinJR]

Gotta say... very impressed with this game. Every game I feel like I am getting better, exactly what you want to feel. Great with friends and solo. I am getting physical copy for sure. Well done Mr Leacock

[Topictag]

It sounds like an intriguing game, but considering the limitations, I’ll have to pass.

If you’re planning to implement limited demo showcases for games, please avoid mixing them with the real games and clearly mark them as advertisements. In my opinion, without a proper label, this is a significant quality fail for BGA.

[Goldwise]

Lol.
There are so many entitled players in this thread.

This game is offered FREE.

It is of no cost to you. You have no reason to complain as you may just ignore its existence.

But its also an additional no cost to you, extra bit of amusement.
It offers you the ability to test the game and decide if you would ever want to play it or own it physically.

Check your egos. Geeze.

[Goldwise]

Anyone know which 3 characters are missing?

Thanks,
Brian

Because you asked and I wanted to find out:

Galadriel

Lady of Light
At any time (not an action, use on any player's turn). While in a haven you may spend 1 cloak to randomly draw 1 event card that was not used during setup.

Mirror of Galadriel
Acton: Reveal upto 4 cards from the top of the player deck. Return them to the top of the player deck in any order.

Nenya
If Galadriel and at least 1 Elven troops are present when a battle is rolled, you may reroll upto 1 combat dice.

Gollum
[MORIA]

Gollum cannot Muster, Attack, or Capture, or bring friendly troops along when he Travels.

They Tricks Us! When Gollum, Frodo, or friendly troops enter or are added to a location, lose 1 hope if all 3 are present there.

Guide
If Gollum is present when a search is rolled, roll 3 fewer search dice. (This can still result in rolling 7 dice).

Slinker
Action (once per turn): Take any cloak card (if available) from the player discard pile.

Cunning
Gollum can Prepare even if not in a haven. When he Prepares, you may move 1 enemy troop present to an adjacent location. (Do not roll a battle).

Faramir

Ambush
When Faramir does the Travel action with at least 1 friendly troop, you may do a bonus Attack action in his destination. If you do, change 1 combat die to [1 enemy unit kill] for each cloak you spend.

Stealthy
When Faramir does the Travel action across a special path, spend 1 fewer symbol.

Wisdom of the Eldar
Action (once per turn): Draw a ring card (if available) from the player discard pile if Faramir is in a haven and in the region of the named card.

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdbdBoSaSw
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=988 ... 3449417829

[Hornblower]

I appreciate the opportunity to a) learn this game exists, b) try it out for free, even if for a limited time, c) discover after two solo games that I think its worth having ... so much, so that I can now play it remotely with my daughter to live across the pond this father's day so they can experience it, too. I will also say, I'm impressed with the BGA version (albeit apparently slightly less than the full boxed version) ... it plays well, for such a complicated game, and it is MY GUESS, that after sometime after the physical game is released that they will bring back the BGA version, along with the missing pieces, for premium play ... too much effort went into making this to just let that go.

But really, the major point is ... I like the game. Thanks for letting me try it out and I'll be buying it. Anyone giving this a pass because they dislike its "limited nature" is just doing themselves a disservice.

[JuniHart]

It's a lot of work to make these BGA implementations. I can't imagine doing all that just for a temp game. Could it be "temp to perm"?

What i mean is: we play this reduced version for a limited time, then it goes away -- until they sell out the first print run, and then it comes back on BGA as the full version with all 13 chars?

That's a really good point. We are trying a teaser and it is creating big FOMO, and (I understand) It will be removed from BGA when game releases...
But there is a lot of work here, I don't think is going to disappear all this work. Maybe after the game releases and all people goes crazy to the shop, few months later... one year later... the game will be back to BGA (I hope).

Yes hopefully it comes back later as a full premium online version, with more sliders to tweak the scenario difficulty.

I for one have already pre-purchased the physical game so I can play house rules. I am disappointed the black cards can cause sudden loss making its strategy aspect more like russian roulette.

[Redheadpunk]

But really, the major point is ... I like the game. Thanks for letting me try it out and I'll be buying it. Anyone giving this a pass because they dislike its "limited nature" is just doing themselves a disservice.

Fully agree with all of this. I played this at a convention this weekend and everyone in our group really enjoyed it, and hard to grasp the rationale of people not playing a game because they will likely only get a few plays of it. Real world boardgaming must horrify these people, where you never know if it will be months or years before you play a game again.