Greets all,

My stepdaughter is pushing 13, and is a smart cookie who enjoys games. She has already gotten past her wow addiction, loves to RPG, etc.

Neither of us have a lot of experience with CCG's / LCG's, however. I am a miniature wargamer by nature. I play the Call of Cthulhu lCG -- quite poorly.

To those of you with a grasp of the LoTR rules already, would you hesitate to attempt this game with a girl her age? Do you think it will be too difficult considering everything to keep track of?

The cooperative nature appeals to me and I think it would be good for her. Should I wait a year IYO, however?

Hey,

Any CCG has a learning curve, no matter how old or intelligent you are. Having read the rules, I don't see this game being any different. However, I don't see this game being a problem, even for a 12 year old, especially if she is a "smart cookie" and has gaming experience. Especially being a cooperative game, there's no problem with the two of you playing it together and you being able to help her with some of the more complex rules. On a personal level, I have taught extremely complicated TCGs (VS System) to people that I thought it might be over the head of, and was pleasantly surprised. Again, there will be a learning curve, but it might surprise you how quickly people can pick up on the strategies and intricacies of a CCG.

I think having the entire turn/action timing structure printed in the back of the book should take away a lot of your potential headaches. The number crunching and resource management will get easier the more the game is played. If she's not afraid to lose a few games initially, you guys should have a real nice time. CCGs can bring out the temper in a lot of people, so be warned. People get invested in the decks they've built. It takes a real willingness to experiment to fully enjoy this style of game, in my opinion.

Shrapnelsmile said:

I bet that it will be harder for my girlfriend to play this game than for your stepdaughter.She is a pro at hairstyling makeup and clothes but as for card games i bet all my money on your stepdaughter.

The fact that this one is cooperative and not competitive will help you out a lot with teaching her how to play. Really it is a good choice to start with.

I think you'll be fine. 12 year olds are smart. Also, there are "easy mode" rules in the rule book. Everyone will have some difficulty when the game first comes out. Plus, the co-op nature of the game will allow you to pick up the slack for her if she has problems (or vice versa, it's always possible)