I am really keen to get LOTR game but the stock available in the UK is appalling.

For a game that requires a core set to start you off and before you can play any of the many many expansions available (even the new saga expansions) it is pretty disasterous that you cant buy a copy anywhere.

Then when looking through expansions i may like i am drawn to Khazad-Dum and guess what, again you cant buy this anywhere unless you spend more than double what you should. Given the game is not that old i think this is poor. Also FFG has no news about a re-issue for Khazad upcoming so is that the end of this set ?

On better news i do have the core set on order so hopefully it will turn up soon and i chose 2 expansions on special offer (half price) in Return to Mirkwood (i like the spider quest as a theme so new cards for these, also having a Gollum element will be nice and a good Dwarf card make this a safe enough bet). I am also getting Journey to Rhosgobel (due to the price and i do like the saving the eagle theme here so it should work out fine too).

I will be playing solo with one deck mostly and am more into the quest ideas than getting the very best cards, so if any other of the original cycle are considered must gets then let me know. From what i have read Carrock looks quite good (but hard) while Hunt, Hills, Marshes dont seem to get that much of a reception as quests. At least i can buy the first cycle at the moment but i can see this changing too eventually.

At least i can play the excellent Eldritch Horror while i wait.

Hi there,

I feel your pain. It took me quiet a while to find Khazad-dûm available online in UK stores, so that I could order it to Portugal. It does seem to be an issue from FFG and not from the stores, since it happens in all the stores that I know of.

Anyone from the US/CA can share their thoughts about the availability there?

EH is amazing true and now soon we got a Forsaken lore expansion….

Lotr is 1 for me and yes olds pack not easy to get but ebay make a magic

First off, welcome to the forums... second off, your experience is unfortunately not uncommon for new players. It seems as though FFG does not keep a terribly large stock of past releases which almost makes sense since once you have an expansion or adventure pack there is really no reason to buy another but I agree is frustrating for people getting into the game. Going off past behavior, FFG has done a reprint of all the past scenarios about once a year (i have no stats to back this up).

The online retailers that I use most frequently are amazon and miniature market and it looks that they have almost all products in stock at regular prices. You can also look at the "upcoming" page on FFG to see when they are scheduled to reprint a specific scenario (right now it appears reprints of the core set and "on the door step" will be released later this month)

As for which scenarios I recommend starting with, I have to reluctantly tell you that "journey to rhosgobel" and "return to mirkwood" are probably among the more difficult, especially solo. "Return to Mirkwood" specifically has a unique mechanic that can make it all but impossible solo except for experienced players with well equipped decks.

Keeping in the mirkwood cycle: "the hunt for gollum" is generally considered to be a good base level quest so that may provide you with some stable re-visiting. "conflict at the carrock" is exactly like you said, difficult but quite fun. "Hills of Emyn Muil" is easy the dud of the cycle; the mechanics can create a long and boring game and even the player cards arent mind blowing (although it is where my avatar came from!). The "the dead marshes" is an ok quest, but has excellent player cards especially the hero, Boromir, so I would strongly consider adding that one.

In general I think the Saga Expansions are the best way to start for new players. They provide a nice thematic experience, have a lot of player cards, and were designed for players with only the core set in mind. For example "black riders" gives you all the necessary player cards to build a complete and competitive Hobbit deck type although the scenarios are kind of difficult. The hobbit saga expansions also do a good job of rounding out the dwarf deck archetype

Hope this was helpful, enjoy the game

P.S. I just got eldritch horror this week, really enjoying it although I have yet to win after 3 playthroughs. Someday!

Thanks for the helpful post.

The danger of my picking expansions is that i may well find them very tough to solo initially, but as the two i ordered were a low price i wont feel too bad - i have not seen them cheaper anywhere before. The themes for Return to Mirkwood and Journey to Rhosgobel are ones i like so even if i lose it should be enjoyable.

I will either get Dark Riders Saga or Hunt and Carrock as a next ones to get (i will have to have a think on this) and then Marshes on a short list and try to pick up for a low price if i can sometime. I may give Hills a miss for now.

I beat Eldritch Horror today for the first time - was about my 5th go. I was a bit of a classic where Harrigan died with two rounds remaining (as it turned out) being devoured off a dark pact and then Onelyle taking down the final monster to defeat the last Cthulhu mystery while taking her last wound at the same time. The ultimate sacrifice for my duo to save the world ! You get some great stories off Eldritch. Another time i completed the last mystery and just needed the Mythos phase to end to win, but an unlikely double surge in that phase and the world ended with the heroes holding the last clue in their hands.

... Well in the end it didnt take too long to find a UK copy of Khazad-dum, a small stock popped up on one of the websites i was following so i have ordered one at i think is about the normal retail price of £21 which is pleasing. It may be that new stock is coming into the UK now but I couldnt take a chance of missing out just in case the stock remains limited. At least this opens up another cycle for me to get slowly when i am ready.

As a result, and once i do actually get a core set (i am more confident that one of these will turn up very soon) then i will take a break from spending and see how these additions fare first. I doubt i will get the saga sets for a long while now as i will have enough to play.

For those that are getting everything it must be seeming a tad overwhelming by now. I also like the look of the Isengard set but have to be patient now i think. Khazad-Dum was the one i really wanted, i just like the theme of entering the mines.