July 02, 2002 - July 08, 2002

7-08-02 Latest News

Hollywood Bowl SHORE Score to Rock!
Tookish @ 10:05 pm EST

BOWLMOOT - A Celebration of the Music of The Lord of the Rings

On Saturday, August 10th, fans from across the country (and some from around the world) will descend upon the Hollywood Bowl for the second night of the LA Philharmonic's series, Musical Mythologies featuring music from the Academy Award-winning score of The Lord of the Rings.

These festivities will include a large potluck picnic from 4-7 pm that same day for friends and fans of Middle-earth at the Highland-Camrose Park one block south of the Hollywood Bowl. Come to meet your fellow fans and enjoy the celebration of the musical rendering of the greatest novel of the Twentieth Century (and arguably the greatest movie of the Twenty-first).

There are still tickets available at the discounted group rate of $20. However, they are very few, so they
will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the picnic is not just limited to those in the group. If you have tickets already and would like to attend the picnic, or would like to purchase one of the few remaining group tickets, please email Josh Rubinstein at orthanc_ent@yahoo.com.

If you would like to bring food to the picnic, please email Hannah Mclaughlin at hannah.mclaughlin@cox.net.

We're also looking for a few LA local volunteers to help set up and break down the picnic area, as well as some other tasks. If you're interested in helping out, please include that in your email.

Josh and other yet-to-be-appointed agents will also be handing out passes to the picnic at the upcoming events. Keep your eye out for them! [More]

From Tookish: I wanna gooooooooo!!

Bloom: Body and Soul
Xoanon @ 1:58 pm EST

Airen writes: Thought all the Orlando fans out there might be interested in a Sunday Telegraph "Body and Soul" feature on Orlando Bloom. Here it is:

Star Bodies - healthy secrets of the stars - ORLANDO BLOOM

The beautifully named Orlando Bloom is best known as Legolas Greenleaf in The Lord of The Rings trilogy. He is barely out of acting school, but has been included in the Young Hollywood Awards for "Exciting New Male Face", and was voted 19th in a magazine's list of the Top 50 Sexiest British Actors. We'll see him next this summer in Lullaby of Clubland, but keep your eyes peeled. He is only on screen for eight minutes. Next big gig - Ned Kelly alongside Heath Ledger.

Orlando is 180cm, brown-haired and brown-eyed. Like Sean Bean, his co-star in The Lord of the Rings, he has a tattoo of 'nine' in Elvish on his right forearm. He also has a tattoo of a sun on his torso.

Exercise

"I enjoy keeping fit and it comes easily to me because I'm into sports in a big way, especially surfing, snowboarding, sky diving, bungee jumping and paragliding," he says. This is probably the reason why, over the years, he has broken his back, his ribs, his nose, both his legs, his arm, his wrist, a finger and a toe and cracked his skull three times!

"You could say that I'm accident prone," he smiles. For The Lord of the Rings he learned how to ride a horse bareback while shooting an arrow. He also learned to fight and wield two swords.

"Letting go of the reins and shooting my bow and arrow was tricky stuff," he says. "You have to have real faith in your horse. I did fall off him once and broke a rib!"

Diet

"I am a vegetarian and stay clear of dairy products," he says. Orlando's favourite foods are pasta, pizza, oatmeal, rice and vegetables and baked potatoes.

He also eats his nails. "Sadly, yes I do - ever since I gave up smoking. Now I'm trying to give up nails," he says.

Love Life

He dated actress Joanne Morley, his Lullaby of Clubland co-star, was briefly engaged to model Jemma Kidd and is now said to be seeing actress Christina Ricci.

7-07-02 Latest News

Media Watch: Empire Magazine
Xoanon @ 10:07 pm EST

Check out these scans from UK's Empire Magazine, all about The Two Towers.

7-06-02 Latest News

Decipher's LotR Trading Card Game Reaps More Awards
Tookish @ 4:12 pm EST

Hot off the presses from the tanks of Decipher:

DECIPHER’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ TCG
RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS GAME INDUSTRY AWARDS

AT 28th ANNUAL ORIGINS AWARDS!

The Lord of the Rings™ TCG Takes Home

Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game and

Best Trading Card Game of 2001

(Norfolk, VA, July 6, 2002) — Decipher’s The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game was awarded Best Trading Card Game (TCG) of 2001 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game last night at the 28th Annual Origins Awards ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. The prestigious awards were presented by many celebrities including John Rhys-Davies, who portrays "Gimli The Dwarf" in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Decipher’s TCG Studio Game Designer Joe Alread was on hand to accept the award for Best TCG of 2001, while Decipher Marketing Manager Kendrick Summers accepted on behalf of the Art Group for Best Graphic Presentation for a Card Game.

“We are very proud to have these industry honors bestowed upon us for a game that we believe in so strongly,” said Warren Holland, Decipher’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Our game designers worked extremely hard to develop a trading card game that would stay true to the lore of The Lord of the Rings™ while incorporating some of the most innovative game mechanics of any TCG available. The work of our art department on this game speaks for itself.”

Voting for the Best Trading Card Game of 2001 was open to the public, while Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game was voted on exclusively by members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.

These Origins Awards are the most recent accolades received by Decipher for its The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game. Earlier this year, The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game was the recipient of the first Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award for Outstanding Card Gaming Product of the Year. In addition, InQuest Gamer Magazine fans named The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game “Best CCG” in the June 2001 issue. InQuest staff awarded The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game the title of “Best Movie-Based CCG of All Time” in the May 2002 issue.

The Origins Awards, which are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design, celebrate the best in board, roleplaying, miniatures, trading card games, professional and amateur magazine publications, game-related fiction, play-by-mail game design, and gaming accessories and supplements.

About Decipher Inc.

Founded in 1983 by Warren Holland, Decipher Inc. is a worldwide leader in the collectible card game industry and fan club industry. The company's Trading Card Game Studio produces Star Trek™, Star Wars™, Austin Powers™, and The Lord of the Rings™ trading card games. Decipher's Fan Club Studio operates the official fan clubs for Star Trek™ and The Lord of the Rings™ which includes publishing official fan magazines and managing online stores. Decipher's RPG (roleplaying games) & Miniatures Studio is responsible for the creation of the all-new Star Trek™ roleplaying games and The Lord of the Rings™ roleplaying games. Decipher's Online Games Studio offers digital versions of its Star Trek™ and, soon, its The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Games.

From Tookish: I play the card game myself, and I can tell you it is phenomenal. You can catch Decipher at Comic Con and other conventions throughout the year. For more on the game and Decipher, check out their website: [More]

LOTR TCG awarded at Origins
Flinch @ 1:12 pm EST

These Origins Awards are the most recent accolades received by Decipher for its The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game. Earlier this year, The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game was the recipient of the first Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award for Outstanding Card Gaming Product of the Year. In addition, InQuest Gamer Magazine fans named The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game “Best CCG” in the June 2001 issue. InQuest staff awarded The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game the title of “Best Movie-Based CCG of All Time” in the May 2002 issue.

7-05-02 Latest News

Even More Spoilers! RotK Style...
Tookish @ 6:15 pm EST

Don't read this if you HATE to know the ending of a good story! From Ringer Miss Mac:

I Just got my Entertainment Weekly, and there is a little quote in the section called "ReelWorld" that I thought may be of interest to you guys.

Heavy spoilers.

"Rings Redux

We bring you news all the way from Middle-earth. Sir Ian Holm, who plays hobbit Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, may not appear in the sequel, but don't count him out of the trilogy totally. 'I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm back in three... as a very old man.' Says Holm.

'Bilbo just suddenly appears at the end of the movie and says 'I'm ready for another adventure.' He goes off with Frodo into the sunset.'

Sounds slightly hobbo-erotic to us."-Rebecca Ascher-Walsh,Entertainment Weekly, #662, July 12, 2002

TheOneRing.net FOTR DVD Review! -UPDATE-
Xoanon @ 2:47 pm EST

The sun has been a daemon here lately, it’s reached 45 Celsius with the humidity…I’ve seen small trees burst into flame…or so I’m told.

I received a FedEx package in the mail yesterday and was worried about its contents, they were in the hot, black, metallic mailbox for over 5 hours and I was convinced whatever it was…it had to have melted.

I ripped open to package to see a plan gold CD in a small, transparent jewel case, the text on the CD read ‘Changing Seasons: WIDESCREEN’. I knew this was the FOTR DVD.

Anything associated with PJ’s LOTR movie project down in New Zealand was coded with the word ‘Jamboree: A Boy Scout Movie’ to avoid theft or duplication. Even to the point that signs pointing trucks to movie sets were labelled ‘JAMB’.

I knew ‘Changing Seasons’ was the same deal, wouldn’t you want to slip something into your pocket if it was labelled ‘LOTR: WIDESCREEN’? I popped this little DVD into my machine and instantly the words ‘Lord of the Rings’ bleed onscreen. How cool was that!

The menus for the feature DVD can only be described as elegant, much like the official site there is nothing forced down your throat, Howard Shore’s award winning score is used to great effect on the main menu. When you go into sub-menus, clips from the film are shown in a small ‘porthole’ like screen in the middle, and all the menu items surround it.

The movie transfer is of the highest quality, much like any other recent DVDs, the colors are sharp the scenes are crisp and sound quality is excellent.

I went over to a friend’s house to show her the film, with the main screen on it makes an impressive display, one by one her family stopped by and were interested. They all knew about the film and asked me repeatedly ‘Oh this is out now?’ so anticipation is high even among non-ringers!

I’m planning on showing the film to a complete novice who hasn’t seen it at all, and knows nothing of Tolkien, I’ll be very interested to gauge her reaction to the DVD!

Unfortunately I was NOT privy to the special features on the second disk; there is a media blackout on that right now. But we’ll all experience that DVD in a few months!

Take a look at these screencaps we posted a while ago from Ringer Spy Das Chupa [More]

Anything else you would like to know about? Send me your questions right here! [Xoanon@theonering.net]

Some questions that have popped up:

I have a question that would hopefully lead to advice for people with the same situation. My television set is square and an early 1990 model. I am hung up on which version to choose: widescreen or fullscreen? Seeing as you have seen the widescreen version, how is it? Do you think it would look okay on a square screen?

Xoanon: Widescreen is always the way to go, are you seriously considering cutting off an entire 1/3 of the film? Trust me, in the spirit of Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago...get it widscreen and don't miss a thing!

Does it translate well to the small screen?

I'd have to say that on some levels it is even better on the small screen. Of course only SOME, there is nothing compared to sitting in a packed cinema with surround THX sound.

But I did find that some of the high action, fast moving CGI scenes are blurry on the silver screen. This doesn't happen on the television, I have a nice 36 inch screen and it looked great.

You mention that the transfer is very nice, and what I'm wondering is if there is any pixelization that you noticed, especially in the darker/smoke/fog scenes?

I didn't notice any pixelation during any darker scenes like Moria or Bree. I do know what you mean by the pixelated images, but there was none that I could see.

Have the continuity errors in Boromir's death scene been erased from the DVD transfer? Such as:

Orcs falling down before they've been hit.
"Dead" orc actors raising their heads and looking around, not realising that they're still in the shot.
Boromir's disappearing arrows.
Aragorn possibly wearing sneakers when he kisses Boromir's forehead.

Some of these continuity errors are simply not what they look like...much like the sneaker thing...so to answer your question...no, everything is exactly the same...sneakers?

Must know, what are the chapter names, small thing but very curious to know what they are.

Chapter Headings:

1 Prologue: One Ring To Rule Them All...

2 The Shire

3 Very Old Friends

4 A Long Expected Party

5 Farewell Dear Bilbo

6 Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe

7 The Account Of Isildur

8 The Shadow Of The Past

9 Saruman The White

10 A Shortcut To Mushrooms

11 Bucklebury Ferry

12 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pony

13 The Nazgul

14 The Spoiling Of Isenguard

15 A Knife In The Dark

16 The Caverns Of Isenguard

17 Flight To The Ford

18 Rivendell

19 Many Meetings

20 The Fate Of The Ring

21 The Sword That Was Broken

22 The Evenstar

23 The Council Of Elrond

24 Bilbo's Gifts

25 The Ring Goes South

26 The Pass Of Caradhras

27 Moria

28 A Journey In The Dark

29 Balin's Tomb

30 The Bridge Of Khazad-Dum

31 Lothlorien

32 The Mirror Of Galadriel

33 The Fighting Uruk-hai

34 Farewell to Lorien

35 The Great River

36 Parth Galen

37 The Breaking of the Fellowship

38 The Departure of Boromir

39 The Road Goes Ever On...

40 Credits

Harry Knowles on his site said the DVD corrected the "flaw" of the car kicking up dirt in the background. (I saw the film 4 times and never caught it. Regardless, I am glad they fixed it.)

One thing I did catch on my 4th viewing -- and you can correct me if I'm mistaken -- is the part where the Black Riders (Nazgul) are following Arwen & Frodo over the river. When the Riders come to the river's edge, the close-ups have the horses feet in the water, followed by frames where the feet are out of the water. I love the film so much, and I grimaced when I saw it.

As far as I know there WAS never any car there...and the smoke you see is from a Hobbit chimney...and yes it's still there. I've no idea what Harry Knowles is looking at...or not looking at. And no....they haven't touched anything else regarding 'mistakes'.

As one of the 'hearing impaired' I rely entirely on closed captioning and have been disappointed in some recent things. or instance there is no captioning on the National Geographic movie special DVD , although there is on tape. Can you check the closed captioning?. It probably means you have to watch the movie again.

This is a great question, I unfortunately neglected to mention this in my first review. I've just checked out the captioning and it is in a VERY readable 'Arial' type font...bold as well.

Anything else you would like to know about? Send me your questions right here! [Xoanon@theonering.net]

FIGWIT: What Are You Tolkien About?
Xoanon @ 8:22 am EST

Revelations that Figwit has had a role in the production of a new movie have fuelled an already burning interest in the latest New Zealand martial arts feature film - The Tongan Ninja.

Bret McKenzie aka Figwit is one half of the song writing team Flight of the Conchords. They have written the theme song for a new low budget feature film. Later in the year the duo are off to Edinburgh to perform their show Folk the World. I caught up with Figwit, in Wellington at the Hilton Motel and asked him about the film:

Figwit: “Me and Jemaine [author note: Jemaine in this case refers to Jemaine Clement fellow founder, along with Figwit, of Flight of the Conchords] wrote the theme song `The Tongan Ninja’".

"Jemaine was working on the film. He plays one of the lead roles. One day we came up with an idea for the theme tune and Jason Stutter, the director, liked it. So he got Plan 9 studios to arrange the song and Jemaine ended up singing on it.”

“I haven't seen the film yet but the little bits I've seen are hilarious. I love the way they made a feature film on next to no money.”

“We wrote a few other songs for the film: ‘Nunchuka lover’ and the rock anthem ‘Love is the Weapon of Choice’ which I don't think was used in the final cut.”

As reported in a previous article [Here], Figwit choreographed some of the Film’s dance routines, but why?

Figwit: “I'm not sure. Somebody had to do it. I knew a few dance moves from dancing at parties and at school discos but I thought about movies like Fame, Footloose and Flashdance for inspiration.”

“We made the dance up in the morning and filmed in the afternoon. So it was all very quick. We didn't have any time to fine tune it. And the dancers, who were mainly friends and family of the crew, had to learn it immediately.”

“ My favourite bit is where the dancers peal back to reveal the Chef surrounded by three dancers from the Wellington samba club. Supa booty action!”
When asked if his future lay in choreography, Figwit revealed a secret that should have all you fantasy- sci-fi - musical fans quivering:

Figwit: “I 've made up a dance routine for ten thousand dancing Uruk Hai celebrating Sauron's birthday. I haven't spoken to Peter Jackson yet, do you know what his email is? Anyway the idea is strong. It would show a side to the Uruk Hai that we haven't seen, make them more likeable.”

7-04-02 Latest News

SHOP: LOTR Film Chess Set
Calisuri @ 10:35 pm EST

Earlier we reported that this set look like it was a suitable replacement for any standard plastic piece chess set. Well, some fans wrote us to explain that the pieces in this set are in fact plastic that are painted with a pewter/bronze effect. This would explain why the set is such a bargain. Check out the description below and some images to boot. [More]

Here is the description, and some images, from the shop:

This is a pre-order item that will ship on August 21st. This stunning Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring chess set features sculpted figures, each depicting a key character from the award-winning film in superb detail. Each piece has either a pewter or bronze effect, with heroes depicted in pewter and villains in bronze. Each piece bears a great likeness to the characters in the film and the actors that played them. The chess set piece details are as follows:
Pawn: Hero - Sam Gamgee; Villain - Orc Warrior
Rook: Hero - Boromir; Villain - Orc Overseer
Knight: Hero - Aragorn; Villain - Lurtz
Bishop: Hero - Frodo; Villain - Cave Troll
Queen: Hero - Galadriel; Villain - Ringwraith
King: Hero - Gandalf; Villain - Saruman
This magnificent chess set will look beautiful in your home, whether you're an avid chess-player or just a Lord of the Rings fan and collector. The chess board features a map of Middle-earth and measures a full 15 x 19 inches and the average height of the figures is 3 inches.

Click Here to Purchase this Chess Set

7-03-02 Latest News

Swords in 'Renaissance Magazine'
Tehanu @ 2:02 pm EST

News thanks to Isilwen: "I thought you'd like to know that the latest issue of Renaissance Magazine is a special issue about swords and there is a short article entitled 'United Cutlery brings Lord of the Rings swords to Humankind.' It describes the process of making the swords from the props used in the movie. They will be coming out with an orc sword and a ringwraith dagger. Also they will be putting out a limited edition of the broken version of Narsil in September. Arwen's sword will be released in November! The company may also eventually be offering sheaths for their swords."

TORn Exclusive: The Orc Legion Helm!
Calisuri @ 1:56 pm EST

TheOneRing.net is proud to introduce its first EXCLUSIVE product offering. Thanks to our sponsorship with Sideshow / Weta Collectibles, we can now bring you unique Tolkien-related products that otherwise would not be available to the general public.

First up is the 'Orc Legion Helm.' This exclusive piece is a 1/4 scale replica of armour used in The Fellowship of the Ring. It is made out of heavy-weight polystone and has a hand painted finish with a faux bronze patina. If you have not purchased one of the Sideshow / Weta helms, you might not be aware that these things are HEAVY. This particular helm weighs 13oz(368.5 g) and is 6.75in(17 cm) high by 2.25in(5.7 cm) wide. It comes with a display base that has The Fellowship of the Ring and Sideshow / Weta Collectibles Logo as well as the sculptor's signature.

Take a look at some of our close up shots of the helm:

You might ask, how is this item exclusive to TheOneRing.net? Well, you won't find the Orc Legion Helm in your local stores or at any online store. It is only available through the official Sideshow / Weta Collectible Shop and promoted here at TheOneRing.net.

Okay, but what is the big deal? Well, as you may or may not know, running a website the size of TheOneRing.net costs a lot of money. And being that TheOneRing.net has never been about making money, we depend on affiliate sales, ads, and now, unique item sales to keep things running. The money we earn from the sales of this exclusive item will go directly to our site costs (server hosting, bandwidth, etc) and if there is any left over, we donate it to charity. (check our charity listing here)

So if you enjoy TORn everyday and you would like to show your appreciation, pick up one of these Helms and proudly display it on your desk. Mine looks great right next to my Fellowship calendar...:) [Buy today]

7-02-02 Latest News

Dagorhir's Ragnarok XVII: Live Action Tolkien Festival in Cambridge, Ohio July 7-13, 2002.
Demosthenes @ 6:33 pm EST

The Second Prophecy of Mandos foretells the Dagor Dagorath, the final battle against Morgoth that will break the world! Dagorhir Battle Game Association presents our 17th annual Ragnarok!

The only live action Tolkien festival in the world! Leave the real world behind and enter a realm of mighty heroes. A realm of the fantastic where warrior maidens and grizzled veterans fight side by side with Elves and Orcs.

Ragnarok is a week-long extravaganza of mass melee and revelry. Ragnarok is a living, breathing celebration of Tolkien's works and of the European history that inspired those works. This event draws hundreds of Tolkien and medieval combat enthusiasts from all over the United States.

Triumphs and defeats, parades and parties, tournaments and pit fighting, belly dancers, song, friendship, bloody battles and more lead up to the final Dagor Dagorath and the great triumphal celebration!

To read further on this fantastic event, head to dagorhir.com. [More]

The Dwarven Discard Deck
Flinch @ 5:55 pm EST

For draw deck discarding, the Dwarves are the best fellowship cultures. Deck discarding in some ways can be a better then hand discarding simply because if you notice your opponent worrying about what is in his hand, sighing a lot with each new card he gets, this means that a majority of his good cards are buried in his deck. By discarding cards off the top, you are helping to eliminate those cards from play. This can sometimes make or break a game for you.

Here is a list of the cards that cause the discarding of the draw deck.

Nobody Tosses A Dwarf

Event

Relevant text: Response: If a Dwarf wins a skirmish, make an opponent discard 3 cards from the top of his or her deck.

Dwarves? Winning skirmishes? Never happen…okay, so maybe it will quite often. Dwarves are some of the most power characters in the game. Winning is going to be pretty easy against most cultures, especially with huge number of pump cards available to the dwarves and the permanent pumps they get from some conditions (Stairs of Khazad-dum, Gloin). Their ability to bear two hand weapons and gain strength from another possession means they are going to smack around even some of the most powerful minions (timed right, Gloin can slap around the Balrog quite easily). The major problem with this card is the fact that it is an event. That requires you to have the card in hand to play it. That means this possibly could be a dead weight card in your hand in the wrong scenario.

Dwarven Axe

Possession * Hand Weapon

Relevant text: Each time a player’s minion loses a skirmish, that player discards the top card from his or her draw deck.

This card is actually pretty useful in a dwarf deck for several reasons. First it is a hand weapon, meaning that it boosts the power of dwarves (already established as being a good angle to playing Nobody Tosses a Dwarf). Once again, we see the requirement of the dwarves winning the skirmish for the opponent to discard cards. Again, not hard to do with the right pumps. Another reason this card is good is because of its twilight cost – 0! For dwarves, who already suffer from minor twilight pool manipulation, this is great as they do not have to pay to play a permanent pump on them.

* Greatest Kingdom of My People

Condition

Relevant text: Each time your opponent plays an Orc, that player discards the top card of his or her draw deck.

Wow, if this card does not scream anti-swarm, I do not know what does. The only culture who does not have an Orc in it at the moment is Ringwraith, meaning that 3 out of 4 decktypes will be discarding cards off the top of their deck thanks to this card. Its major drawback is the fact you have exert a dwarf to put it in play.

What Are We Waiting For?

Event

Relevant text: Fellowship: Exert a dwarf to make an opponent draw 2 cards. That player then chooses to either discard 2 Shadow cards from hand or skip his or her next Shadow phase.

This card has the possibility to be good – if you can get it in hand. First, it provides a double edge – you are causing a discard from the top of the deck (in the form of the drawing of 2 cards) and then discarding two cards from hand or skipping the Shadow Phase. No requirement other then a non-exhausted dwarf. This card’s major draw back is the fact that it is an event – meaning it has to be in hand at the right time to use it.

The current major downside to playing the Dwarven deck discard strategy is two fold.

First is the fact that the dwarves have such a limited amount of cards that discard from your opponent’s deck. This makes it easy to run a tighter deck, but harder for the dwarves to do a lot of damage on their own.

Second is the fact that almost all the discard cards require you to win skirmishes against your opponent. If your opponent is playing Big Bad Naz or any deck that runs big power minions, you are going to be in trouble. You will barely make a dent into your opponents deck.

But against a swarm deck…well that is a different story. “Deck? What deck?”

ISENGARD - The WInds of Change part 1: Interesting Times
Flinch @ 5:49 pm EST

Broken! Unbeatable! Unfair? Unbalanced? Too powerful!
Balanced. Necessary. Well-Designed. Excellent!

These are just a few reactions based on the most recently enhanced Minion Culture of ISENGARD. Since the release of the Realms of the Elf-Lords Starter Decks and Spoiler List, there has been a considerable amount of concern regarding Isengard: both in its newly designed tactical enhancements and the introduction of its "sub-culture" class of minions - the Isengard Orcs. Are they too powerful? Are they unbeatable? Will they cause a shift in balanced gameplay - or is it too early to tell?

Isengard as an overall culture has always been hailed as being slightly "above-average" at best. Comparatively, Isengard's twilight-expensive Uruk-Hai do not have the recycling numbers of the MORIA swarms, cannot execute a focused corruption strategy like the NAZGUL and do not possess the direct damage skirmish ability and discard potential more strategically supported by SAURON's own Orc class.

Because of their generally low vitality, archery - directed or total - is the Uruk-Hai's main threat. With cards such as A Ranger's Versatility, Armor, Valiant Man of the West, Mithril Coat and especially the Elven " A Blended Race" the Fellowship can successfully keep the Damage +1 or "exert-to-use" capabilties of the Uruks at bay. Even Isengard's most powerful effects such as Savagery to Match Their Numbers, Beyond the Height of Men and Caradhras Has Not Forgiven Us are unable to reach their full potential when the Fellowship is fortified with 4 companions or less.

The advent of the Isengard Orcs WILL change this power struggle in favor of the Shadow. With their abilities, above-average strength and HIGH vitality, they will severely shift the balance towards the Shadow come Site 4, and challenge the Fellowship's ability to move a second time, giving the Shadow certain advantages in the later segments of the game.

And in my opinion - IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Why? Simply this: In overall contrast to the Shadow Player's resources, there are more powerful and more versatile cards in the Fellowship's arsenal which gives them a far greater advantage over any exsisting minion culture. Ultimately, a large, well armed, well fortified Fellowship can defeat ANY minion attack force, with the strength and numbers to spare for Frodo's defense at Site 9 - especially when you have a fully healed Aragorn (Ranger of the North) or Sam (Proper Poet) who have the Manuever ability to become +1 defenders in the endgame.

The LOTR TCG is so well in tune with the "flavor" of the story that it seems almost uneventful when the Fellowship reaches SITE 9 with little or no resistance at all. Where is the sense of despair, the tension of the hunt and the essence of desperation?

This is where the Isengard Orcs will reach the pinnacle of their design. They have the ability of reducing the strength of the Fellowship within 1-2 turns and without the maximized strength of 5 or more companions, the Free Peoples Player will have to struggle with the fact that he or she must and will face a stronger and more dangerous opposition of Shadow Forces to truly defend the ring until the victorious or bitter end.

The Isengard Orcs are chaos amongst the order. They are the unknown threat created to exploit weakness in the Fellowship. They will bring forth that sense of tension and fear of moving forward that has been sorely missing from the game. They will force the Free People's Player to stay fresh and keep sharp against a force so powerful; one mistake WILL change the outcome of the game.

I welcome the Orcs to the forces of Isengard and in my next segment - I will delve deeper into the inherent strategies of these Orcs and discuss exactly why we need them in this game - contrary to what many players believe.

Stay tuned for Part Two: Fuel on the Fire

Go back to Special Reports Archives