I was thinking..., LOTR-LCG has a different design than his original starts, and finally i asked a question (now i post here):
Which difference there is between Nate French (first designer) and Caleb Grace (second, and actual, designer)?
In other words, which difference there is between first step of Lotr-lcg (till Heirs of Numenors?) and second step (since Stewards Fear?)?
My first thought: Caleb Grace focuses the player cards around traits.
Nate French was more chaotic
Edited by MndelaMy first thought: Caleb Grace focuses the player cards around traits.
Nate French was more chaotic
I disagree. I would say Nate laid the foundation for all the traits that Caleb is currently building. Remember the core set: it related traits to spheres and spheres to strategies. With HoN/AtS (for instance) Caleb is building the Gondor, Rohan, ranger, trap and Hobbit traits. All of which had a "sneak peek" in the core set. Remember Nate developed Dwarves, Noldor, spirit Rohan and other great trait stuff in mirkwood, KD, and Dwarrodelf.
If you want a difference I suppose you could say Nate is passionate about making a thematic fun game with lots of synergy that requires players to be cleaver in how they build decks, while Caleb is passionate about integrating deeper LOTR lore into the game while keeping adventures interesting and keeping players on their toes.
Ultimately their passions allign and we are fortunate to have such excellent, player centered developers working on a game we love (mostly because we see them return that love).
Very well put, flightmaster. I'm fond of the diversity of the cards and quests released so far. And either Nate always had a plan for each trait, or Caleb and Matt are very good at making older, seemingly stray cards parts of new archetypes. Dúnedain engage and Noldor discard, for instance. There is a great blend of mechanics and theme. I hope Caleb and Matt will stay on as developers for as long as they can.
And don't forget that Nate still has lots of input in the current quests and gives advice to Caleb and Matt.
Another difference: the history line since third cycle (Alcaron Traitor, Mugash captured, Iarion's search...)
What else?
Edited by MndelaI think there was a 2nd designer before Caleb and after Nate who developed HoN & the AtS cycle?
I think there was a 2nd designer before Caleb and after Nate who developed HoN & the AtS cycle?
Lukas Litzsinger is credited on BGG as co-designer of Khazad-dûm and Dwarrowdelf (with Nate French) and co-designer of Heirs of Númenor and Against the Shadow (with Nate French and Caleb Grace). From what I can gather Lukas was the lead designer of LOTR LCG around that time, until he moved across to Android: Netrunner LCG, which he designed.
I'm sure someone who has been playing this game longer than me will know more about the history!
Not to take anything away from Nate, Lukas, Caleb and Matt -- they are brilliant and I thank the Maker every night for them in my prayers -- remember that Christian Peterson himself had an active role in the origins of the game and continues to be personally involved with its ongoing development. And I'm sure there are others at FFG who also deserve a share of the credit, but whose names are not as well known to us. Those of us who have gamed for decades recognize how extraordinary this game and this company truly are.
Not to take anything away from Nate, Lukas, Caleb and Matt -- they are brilliant and I thank the Maker every night for them in my prayers -- remember that Christian Peterson himself had an active role in the origins of the game and continues to be personally involved with its ongoing development. And I'm sure there are others at FFG who also deserve a share of the credit, but whose names are not as well known to us. Those of us who have gamed for decades recognize how extraordinary this game and this company truly are.
I agree that it is rare to see a company and designers that are so passionate about what they do, and who care about connecting with their customers on anything more than a monetary level. With a world like Middle-earth this is very important, because it is so obvious when companies just want to make a cash-grab and don't actually care about their players/customers. I would not be involved in this community on the level that I am were it not for amount of care and attention the game receives from Caleb and Matt, and by extension from FFG.
Edited by danpoage
Absolutely. I think one of the reasons I am so loyal to ffg is that they return the love to the gamers. They update, expand and errata. Yea they need to money, but at heart their not about the cash grab. *cough cough* wizkids *cough cough*Not to take anything away from Nate, Lukas, Caleb and Matt -- they are brilliant and I thank the Maker every night for them in my prayers -- remember that Christian Peterson himself had an active role in the origins of the game and continues to be personally involved with its ongoing development. And I'm sure there are others at FFG who also deserve a share of the credit, but whose names are not as well known to us. Those of us who have gamed for decades recognize how extraordinary this game and this company truly are.
Yes. If you look through some of the inserts, such as the Voice of Isengard, you can see that the CEO himself, Christian T. Petersen, wrote the story text! (look at the credits at the end of the insert)
Not to take anything away from Nate, Lukas, Caleb and Matt -- they are brilliant and I thank the Maker every night for them in my prayers -- remember that Christian Peterson himself had an active role in the origins of the game and continues to be personally involved with its ongoing development. And I'm sure there are others at FFG who also deserve a share of the credit, but whose names are not as well known to us. Those of us who have gamed for decades recognize how extraordinary this game and this company truly are.
Absolutely. I think one of the reasons I am so loyal to ffg is that they return the love to the gamers. They update, expand and errata. Yea they need to money, but at heart their not about the cash grab. *cough cough* wizkids *cough cough*
And cough cough Games Workshop cough...
I want to mean:
Designs of Caleb are more synergics (about traits or ways to play like Victory Display, monosphere...), Nate designed more often alone cards than Caleb (for example, Burning Brand, Strider's Path, Campfire Tales...),
I think Nate focused the synergic more about the sphere caracteristic (leadership for interactions, tactics for combat....), Caleb is not too much so (for example Secret Vigil -tactics card giving threat bonus despite condition be to kill an enemy; spirit heroes with +3attack -Idraen-).
Edited by MndelaTo summarize:
Nate - sphere focus
Caleb - trait focus
I think it's important to consider that Matt Newman and Caleb Grace work together as the LOTR LCG developer team and each brings their own style to the table.
Out of the last two cycles, Caleb mainly worked on 6 and Matt mainly worked on 6:
Caleb
The Dunland Trap
Trouble in Tharbad
The Nin-in-Eilph
Celebrimbor's Secret
The Antlered Crown
The Wastes of Eriador
Matt
The Three Trials
Escape from Mount Gram
Across the Ettenmoors
The Treachery of Rhudaur
The Battle of Carn Dum
The Dread Realm