Is this game too difficult?

[danielvictor]

Will it cost you hope if the defensive position gets wiped out ? [ Sorry,I'm obsessing with that issue here].

[Remkar]

Will it cost you hope if the defensive position gets wiped out ? [ Sorry,I'm obsessing with that issue here].

No, you only lose hope if one of your Havens gets taken over and turned into an enemy stronghold (so all troops lost in a haven location plus at least 1 enemy troop surviving the battle to capture it).

[danielvictor]

Thanks.

[SirHussain]

Not too difficult. My buddies and I are 2 wins for 2 plays, but its definitely at the last few cards of the deck.
I wish there was an option for different objectives, not just staying true to the novels.

[Goodgulf]

I have played 7 solo games on standard difficulty with random characters. I lost the first 2 (the first bc I didn't know the rules at all, the 2nd bc I didn't understand that I would run out of rings and Frodo sat at Mt. Doom with 4 rings until I ran out of cards bc I spent them frivolously). Since those 2, I have won 4 of 5 including the last 3 in a row. I would say (from just solo experience) that it is easier than Pandemic.

I am just starting to play multiplayer, I am not sure how the # of players will affect things, how much more difficult it will be to collect the cards you need on Frodo (it seems hard to move cards, but in one multiplayer game Frodo already has 5 rings after taking only 2 turns), etc. 2 players means only 4 characters, which might make it hard to cover all the things that need to be covered, but that also means Frodo gets to take twice as many turns, for example. Both of my games are 3-player games atm.

I am looking forward to having the rest of the objectives implemented, and I have never seen a few of the characters over 10 games (Galadriel, Gollum, Faramir) so not sure they are all implemented.

I think it's a fantastic game. Yeah, sometimes things can really hose you, but there's enough variation in the special events, and the way the shadow cards work to make every game feel fresh and different. There are definitely some strategies that emerge: keep that eye off Frodo, whatever you do; don't move him when he triggers searches; start saving rings early; etc. My gut is that it is easier than Pandemic, but just like that game, there are a lot of games down to the wire, and the random nature can definitely bite you hard, yet it feels like as a player you are in more control of the outcome. Pandemic at times seems totally random (did you draw the card that triggered an epidemic? oh well, you lose) whereas there's not really a time where it feels like you can instantly lose in Fate... it's more of a slow death that you cannot prevent, except you at least feel like you can.

I think a big part is understanding the special abilities and strengths of characters, and how and when to use them together or where a character can shine. e.g. if you have eowyn and arwen, don't muster with others (except maybe a couple gondor units). if you have eomer, he should be doing all the fighting in the middle of the board, 1 die at a time and extra move to travel far and fast, he can keep rotating the eye thru 3 regions as necessary to keep it off frodo. etc. Learn their strengths and apply them where they are strongest goes a long way. Have a plan on how you will get Frodo into Mordor, there are a few options that provide a tradeoff in moves vs. hide tokens. learn to read the danger signs, and learn when you can ignore that big mob of 6 orc armies bc they won't get to anything meaningful before the game ends. there's really a lot of depth and strategy here that is missing from vanilla pandemic. can't say enough here, honestly. big fan.

[danielvictor]

We did lose instantly when we lost all hope !

[ariakas2009]

I'd say game in solo mode is actually impossible. You can't defend every haven, you can't move Frodo efficiently without triggering too many research or using too many hide tokens.
I tried at least six times....

[Jellby]

I'd say game in solo mode is actually impossible.

Just a few solo wins from the last games list:
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=716303840
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=715985752
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=715710826
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=716279107