Big fan of LOTR, also D&D player and gamer in general. That said, I'm looking for a game that will truly be immersive. I'm much less interested in metagaming card combinations and number crunching than I am the actual experience and feel of the game. A lot of the conversation on the board seems to be around strategy, which I understand, but when folks are playing the game, do you have that feeling of wonder/discovery/excitement as if you're truly exploring Middle Earth? Hope I'm making sense here, feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

When my group can manage to stay on top of combat so you aren't overrun all the time, yes I get the adventure and discovery feel.

My group really only meta games combat. Otherwise we and running around on our own will but obviously we are trying to work together so we'll be mentioning our game plans for movement when its not obvious.

The game does require a decent bit of strategy to do well, but the app is extremely immersive. My friends are sad that every game they play doesn’t have background music and sound effects 😂 And all of the text describing what’s happening is very flavorful.

If you’re not looking to strategize quite as much, there is a slightly easier game mode that they’ve added that I haven’t had a chance to try out? So I can’t really say how much that enhanced immersiveness vs strategy, but I am going to try it out for our next campaign.

One thought: the steam app for Journeys should be free? And I believe there’s a Tabletop Simulator mod that has all of the physical content from the base game? If you’re not sure you want to spend so much, as it is a pretty big buy-in, it might be worth trying the game out on there if you can.

Thanks! I appreciate the replies, I'll definitely need to have the soundtrack playing in the background

59 minutes ago, paulinthehills said:

Thanks! I appreciate the replies, I'll definitely need to have the soundtrack playing in the background

To be clear: the app has it's own soundtrack. I think I planned to play the LotR movie soundtracks in the background when I first played the game, but the game soundtrack keeps the mood from shifting oddly at unexpected times.

1 hour ago, SpiderMana said:

To be clear: the app has it's own soundtrack. I think I planned to play the LotR movie soundtracks in the background when I first played the game, but the game soundtrack keeps the mood from shifting oddly at unexpected times.

I would second this. I’ve tried both, by muting the in app soundtrack and playing the movie soundtrack from my library, and using the ffg soundtrack, and in setting the mood the in-app one does do a good job at creating the tension, and stays on brand stylistically. The option for both is there though

Great! I went ahead and ordered the game, looking forward to it!

Enjoy! And you know where to come if you have questions!

In my experience, the mechanics are somewhat light, and most of the game’s meat comes from the experience of exploring and interacting. With that in mind, I think you’ll quite enjoy this game.

1 hour ago, Wandalf the Gizzard said:

In my experience, the mechanics are somewhat light, and most of the game’s meat comes from the experience of exploring and interacting. With that in mind, I think you’ll quite enjoy this game.

The best is when you are trying to get the quest done, while your buddy is playing in the river with children and singing with lumber jacks. 😣 😄

There is also adventure mode that allows you to explore a bit more at your own pace.