I need to know whether to pre-order two core sets or three! Does anyone know how many copies of the cards are going to be included in the core set? I imagine the decks won't be 30 card decks with 3 copies of ten cards each, but if FFG would like to strategically leak a setlist....

qwertyuiop said:

Leadership (cards 13-27; heroes Aragorn, Glóin,
Théodred)
Tactics (cards 28-42; heroes Legolas, Gimli, Thalin)
Spirit (cards 43-57; heroes Éowyn, Dunhere, Eleanor)
Lore (cards 58-72; heroes Glorfindel, Denethor,
Beravor)
Each starter deck should also include 1 copy of the
neutral ally card, Gandalf (card 73).

As you can see from the card numbers, each deck will contain 16 distinct cards. So, on average, every deck will contain two copies of every card. It's already known from previews that of some cards there will only be a single copy, some two copies and some three copies, and at least the Gandalf card will even come in four copies.

Gandalf in 4 is not for sure considering the starter box is designed for 1-2 players and therefore he might only be 2 as the its assumed only 2 decks would be in use at any one time. At this point we cannot really say for sure 100% either way.

Our preview copy of the final German version had 4 Gandalfs.

I can´t understand WHY Fantasy Flight still does it (1-3 copies of the cards). All the new expansions of Warhammer Invasion comes with 3 copies of each card.

Why don´t expend a little more money in one core set complete with 3 copies of each card, so I do not have to burn my money with 4-6 copies of cards I will only use 3 of them!!!!!

Why such greed?

This makes me think twice before starting playing this game...

I can´t understand WHY Fantasy Flight still does it (1-3 copies of the cards). All the new expansions of Warhammer Invasion comes with 3 copies of each card.

Why don´t expend a little more money in one core set complete with 3 copies of each card, so I do not have to burn my money with 4-6 copies of cards I will only use 3 of them!!!!!

Why such greed?

This makes me think twice before starting playing this game...

This has come up and been answered dozens of times for the other LCG's, because of one simple fact. the core sets need variety. If you had 3 of each card there would be a lot less variety of cards in the boxes. Even the Warhammer core set has some 1s and 2s in it. All the core sets do. Warhammer has pretty much always except the first cycle had the new 3 of format but the core sets never will have that. And you do not need 3 of every card in any of the LCG's. There is quite a few cards you don't want 3 of in a deck. And you said it yourself the expansions have the 3 of. Just like Lord of the Rings expansions will. And unlike any LCG before it LotR will never have the older format of 10 cards with 1 copy and 10 cards with 3 copies, they will always be multiples of.

It is not greed as you surmise. Its due to the fact that core sets are introductions to the games and they need a wide variety of stuff more than they need multiples. I only have one copy of Warhammer core set and that never stopped me from playing or doing well in tournaments either. There are people out there that only own the core sets and I am sure they don't care if there is 3 of every card.

jhaelen said:

I imagine the heroes are included with the card numbering. I was 100% certain that the core set was not going to have full play sets of everything. I was wondering if anyone has been able to demo the game to verify copies. I'm ready to buy three copies upon release, if not for all the cards, then to at least be able to lend a copy to friends to increase player base.

Two is usually a safe number for core sets.

If their numbering traditions hold the characters will all be grouped together more likely than with their respective decks. But that is based on the other two LCG's I collect.

Toqtamish said:

So, that´s exactly for this we have something called expansions, to have more variety. I am sure you will not have a good game with only the core set.

In another hand, I am a card game collector, so I do like to have 3 copies of each card, nobody knows when I will build a deck with those extremely weird cards. I don´t play for Tournaments, I play for fun and for the strategy.

Sorry for having you to answer a dozen times.

pauloswolf said:

I forgot something: I am sure that there will be cards you will really want in your deck that will come only in 1-2 copies...

pauloswolf said:

Just the last thing: Why can´t we have variety if they put 3 copies of all cards? the core set would be a little bigger, only this a little expensive, but I am sure not as expensive as I have to buy 2 Core Sets.

holy posts, one would have been fine. you can always edit afterwards.

The whole reason they don't want them bigger is to keep the costs down. We will never see core sets with 3 of every card. Core sets are intended as an introductory product.

And yes you can have absolutely great games with just a single core set of any of the LCG's.

qwertyuiop said:

The core set doesn't have full play sets in the sense that it's only 30 cards per deck. Tournament decks must include a minimum of 50 cards. The core set is meant to be an introduction to the game, so the decks are smaller.

The German preview version Beardfan has played was a complete core set, i.e. it had exactly the cards we will get in the product version of the core set.

Myself, I'll introduce the game to my fellow gamers using a single core set for up to four players first. I hope someone gets hooked and will get a second core set. I imagine I might eventually want a second core set, but not before I've seen all the cards from the first AP cycle. I doubt I'd ever want a third one, though, even if there are cards I end up having only two copies of.

I have two copies of the Game of Thrones core set only. I play that alot and very competitively so wanted the extra cards. But cannot see myself ever getting 3 of any core sets. I will get one for LotR and maybe eventually 2 if it seems useful but might not be necessary with the difference in game style.

My two best friends will buy one copy of the core set each.Together we wil have 3 core sets and there is no need for me to buy multiply boxes.

If you are as lucky as i am with your friends then you dont need to buy 2 or 3 boxes for your self.

Keep the Core set cheap enough to be accessible. definitely. As much as I'll get annoyed about needing to buy multiple sets to get duplicates of cards, I'd rather that, than have no opponents, because the core set is £100 and nobody will buy it.

The one thing I do find disappointing, particularly with something like AGOT is that you can't get a "cards-only" version of the Core Set. A way of getting duplicates of the cards without another board, set of plastic pieces etc. Appart from the money and the Power tokens (both easy enough to proxy) I never use them anyway, why would I want 3 sets.

Hopefully, with the differing types of cards, and differents needs for them in LOTR, this won't be such a problem with this game.

Mighty Jim said:

It seems to me that there would be ample buyers of such a cards only core set expansion, to bring up copies of all 3 players cards to 3, for any and all of the current LCGS?

Perhaps though if the only alternative is for players to buy multiple copies of the (more expensive) core set, the lack of such an expansion isn't totally surprising...

There was only a few cards I wanted 3 of in AGoT, I just bought them in singles on ebay. One of the players on the AGoT board bought extra core sets and sold them as singles on ebay.

As for LotR, I think with the difference in game play and style it will be less of an issue. And sharing with friends who also own a core set would make it even easier since the game is cooperative either they will be using the extra card you wanted/needed to have or they can lend it to you for that game.

Yer, the point being though if FFG have ruled that for tournament decks a maximum of 3 cards of any particular card can be in the deck, there should really be a realitvely simple and cost effective way for people to get 3 of each card that doesn't involve them buying multiple copies of core sets ending up with unneccessary duplicates, borrowing from friends etc.

They really improved this with the LCG format, compared to the CCG format (and even the LCG format was improved with later expansion packs always being duplicates of 3, rather than the set up of some of the earlier epxansino for CoC, for instance), and they have got their expansion packs just right now so that there is "no waste" but they still haven't come up with a practical way for players to get 3 cards from the core set without waste (or the need to sell waste on e-bay).

I can see that the game can be enjoyed without having 3 duplicates of cards from the core set and some playersm ay not even see the need, but the option should be there, surely?

Maybe using the new print on demand service they started with Death Angel.

Toqtamish said:

Yer, problem with that is that FFG have already stated that due to the potential for differing PoD services providing slightly different colour palettes they are likely to only use PoD on games where the PoD cards won't need shuffling in with non-PoD cards, so not how much they will be using the PoD services for their LCGs?

As with an extra core set of LotR the buyer is genuinely getting cards that are pointless (the duplicate quest cards) perhaps FFG will consider a card only core set expansion for LotR where they haven't for their previous LCGs.

While we are on that point has it been made clear what you do for 3 or 4 players or why you need a second core set? presumably its just for the extra threat trackers and tokens primarily...you aren't supposed to use the duplicate encounters cards in the 2nd core set for a 3 or 4 player game, right?

Again, it seems there is a fair amount of waste just to play with 4 players, officially.

I'm sure you can support 4 players with 1 core set, especially once you have an expansion or two... just need a way to track threat for those extra two players...

Extra core set would be due to the fact that there is not enough cards in one core set to make four full size decks. Only four 30 card decks. And of course the threat markers but nothing a set of d10 dice can't fix for that.

Yer, thats what i figured...so in theory 4 players could play with one core set and the first cycle of expansions as that would then provide enough cards there or there abouts

Yeah depending on how many new player cards in each after 4 or 5 packs should be good to build up to 50 for each of the 4 decks.

supposedly 3X9 new players cards in each adventure deck... now to me that would suggest 2 for each sphere and 1 neutral card in each adventure deck ,but I'll guess we see