This is something I've been thinking for a while about this game, something that IMO would make it a much better game.

So, to put it simply, I hope we get more "iconic" Lotr moments as player cards. What I mean by iconic is important images/scenes of the trilogy, as player cards in some form (we've gotten the beautiful Legacy of Númenor as a portrait of Orthanc). Because we know we're getting very few cards each saga expansion so we're not really getting player cards about everything that happens in that part of the book.. For example, the Argonath could make for some cool event (as well as location, I hope), something like "The Pillars of Kings" or "Sentinels of Númenor", which actually was a card in LOTR TCG: this one. That is a beautiful card iMO, and I don't really like to compare this game to past Lotr card games but this is more about being a good adaptation of Tolkien. One thing that past Lotr card games did right and so far much better than this game was portraying the world of Middle Earth and referencing the iconic events of the trilogy. And sure that was because the card pool was very much larger and they were based on the trilogy more than on the whole world (except for MECCG, that is an exceptional game in almost every way). I think it is essential to give a whole Middle Earth/Tolkien experience in a game. Since this game is so good at showing the hidden sort of history of Middle earth, which is great, it would be so perfect if it portrayed the more "traditional" elements and images a bit more as well, and I know that since it's based on the books it can surpass what the TCG did or even MECCG. And I know most of you will say "well, but that's what saga expansions are for." Yeah, no. Believe we're not getting much diversity nor quantity of player cards in TRD, we're getting a very strong specific theme developed in that one. Anyway, the main problem with this is of course the card pool size. Lotr TCG managed to make an insane number of expansions out of only 3 movies and some help from Weta, and it turned to be great. The solution IMO is to increase the player card pool, in whatever way they wish, but something to have more thematic room to explore everything Middle Earth has to offer player card wise.

I 100% agree on the player card thing. We have a ton of quests and while I do not want to see quest slow down to much, we as players have a lot of choice. I would like to see some massive supplement deluxe expansions purely of player cards. Like a injection of 60-80 cards in a single box. Like the other LCGs get. In fact, if I was in charge I would release all quests as PoD print and play and release player cards as normal in addition to the Saga packs which I would keep them the same.

Still one of my mates is a massive LoTR Lore Fiend and has similar concerns. He is working on restricted lists for each individual quest to remove these thematic inconsistencies as well as trying to place the player cards into "generations". No eagles in Moria for example. Bilbo can not team up with Gimli or Aragorn. Stuff like that. By separating the player cards into generations he is attempting to also place the quests in historical context and from those restrictions massively strengthen the theme of the game. To be honest I kinda expected Beorn or Raven or Rich to do this for the community.

This matters so little to me that it is nearly a joke, though.

I don't agree with the last thing to be honest booored, I still believe that players should have total freedom regarding player cards. I mean, not everyone is a theme-nut like me and they just want to win. That's totally legitimate and if you want to play restricted to theme, you can still do it without there having to be a rule about it. Maybe the developers could give a bonus if you only used thematic characters but they should not restrict it. It's not like you cannot play thematic if you want or if you agree to.

Well the developers have nothing to do with it. Players already have total freedom in the card pool. I'm talking about a fan variant that people can choose to use as a way to enhance thematic play. We are talking variants. The game is designed, it is not going to change.. it is up to us to make a variant if we want changes.

Again, I am not a huge theme guy so it is hard for me to get in this mind set, but I think there is a want by some players to experience more of the LoTR theme and less of the mechanical minutiae of the game design. This desire is what lead to the development by FFG of the Saga Boxes with the incredibly specific cards designed to increase quest narrative.

This is what separates Middle Earth CCG from LoTR. That game is a rock solid thematic game (and one of the best CCGs of all time with no doubt). Playing that game feels exactly like you are traveling though middle earth with your party and experiencing the word in a more adventure type way. The LCG is not like this, and I can see why some wish it was different.

That being said I do not think it is as easy a fix as just adding new cards. The problems thematically in the player decks and how the game runs is not about the card pool, it could be about (according to my mate) that a player deck is basically just a massive grab bag of stuff form middle earth. From different ages, from different factions, people that never new each other, no sense of time.. stuff like that (all stuff MEccg did btw).

Still just to stress.. YES.. more player cards. Release some deluxe expansions of nothing but player cards!!!

That being said I do not think it is as easy a fix as just adding new cards. The problems thematically in the player decks and how the game runs is not about the card pool, it could be about (according to my mate) that a player deck is basically just a massive grab bag of stuff form middle earth. From different ages, from different factions, people that never new each other, no sense of time.. stuff like that (all stuff MEccg did btw).

I agree with this to a point. I certainly like to mix characters from different factions or stories, especially if they're unique characters. That's something you pretty much had to do in Meccg since all characters were unique. But I don't like when it is the only thing you can do. For example in the TCG I loved to mix characters like splashing a Radagast since he was good for movement, or adding a copy of Sam to help Frodo, even if it was a Ranger deck. But I also liked to make pure faction decks as well, or that only had characters that made sense thematically. In this game we can't really do this. We're largely forced to make "grab bags of Middle Earth" decks, thatnks to our sphere system, and while I understand it I don't really like it. I think the game should explore each faction better so we can make more pure faction archetypes.without having to add Glorfindel in there. Anyway you look at it, we need more player cards so at least we can agree there.

interesting opinions from both of you as for whether i do this, i already do this in my own decks anyways, thats why i lose so **** much i mean i also give myself a certain degree of freedom, as lore would allow... Noldor were sometimes in the shire so its not so much to see farmer maggot teaming up with gildor, or boromir on an errand to rohan....

then there are cards which are generally good for any theme, rangers especially as they were of course wanderers of middle earth.. knowing men, dwarves and elves...so i wouldnt think rangers in any decks breaks the lore.

as for the actual point i do agree, to build up traits and races would give players like myself a huge boost, as apart from dwarves and outlands (which i dislike) the other races arent so built upon. i guess a rohan/gondor deck is also do able now, and as is noldor (i have a noldor/silvan deck at the moment)

elves have the advantage of course that they are immortal so there is less of the generation problem there. but having bard with brand is going to be... impossible