The Fellowship of the Ring: Difference between revisions
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|Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg | |Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg | ||
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This was it. This was the set that kicked off | This was it. This was the set that kicked off [[The Lord of the Rings TCG]]. Released November 6th, 2001, one month before the theatrical release of the movie by the same name, '''The Fellowship of the Ring''' (commonly abbreviated as '''FOTR''') laid down the groundwork for every set that followed it. This was the first "base set", and it started a pattern that would define the Movie block regular release schedule: for each movie, one base set to lay down the foundation followed by two expansions to fill in the gaps. | ||
FOTR took most of its direction cues from the dramatic combat conflicts of the first movie. {{C|Elven}} and {{C|Gondor}} cards used many scenes from the prologue battle with Sauron, while {{C|Moria}} and {{C|Isengard}} were spearheaded by the likes of {{Card|1R165}} and {{Card|1R127}}. Being a fresh new game, most strategies relied on simple interactions on one side or another, which worked well with the new player base. | |||
Many of the core mechanics took cues from the story of FOTR, which persisted throughout the lifetime of the game even when later blocks did not line up with their inclusion quite so well. For instance, [[Sanctuary|Sanctuaries]] being at site 3 and 6 lines up with Rivendell and Lothlorien; the [[Rule of 9]] restricting the number of companions that can be played comes straight from the Fellowship's canonical size; and an emphasis on protecting the [[Ring-bearer]], [[Frodo]], at the expense of all other companions. | |||
[[File:LOTR-EN00M001.0_card.jpg|frame|left|A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences, such as the flat Twilight icon.]] [[File:LOTR-EN00M002.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The reverse side. Note the early differences, such as the switched Culture icon / background watermark.]] | Because the cards were released a month before the movie itself did, New Line Cinema prevented Decipher from releasing images they considered "spoilers" until after the movie. As a result, FOTR included some "prophetic" cards that referenced other cards yet to be printed. {{Card|1C349}} was the only site 5 in the set, making it impossible to play without it, so you could imagine players' confusion as they looked down the spoiler sheet only to find that the Balrog was nowhere to be found! The first two versions of the Balrog were released in [[Mines of Moria]] four months later, but until then the site was a constant reminder of bigger and better things to come. Similarly, {{Card|Sam, Faithful Companion}} references {{Card|Bill the Pony}}, who was not released until [[Realms of the Elf-lords]]; and {{Card|Gandalf's Cart}} refers to [[Artifact]]s, which were not released until MOM and ROTEL. | ||
[[File:LOTR-EN00M001.0_card.jpg|frame|left|A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Gandalf}} culture template, such as the flat Twilight icon.]] [[File:LOTR-EN00M002.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The reverse side. Note the early differences compared to the finalized {{C|Moria}} culture template, such as the switched Culture icon / background watermark and brighter / more saturated colors.]] | |||
{{Set Table}} | {{Set Table}} |
Revision as of 22:34, 7 January 2023
Promotional Set | Back to Main Page |
Mines of Moria |
The Fellowship of the Ring | |
---|---|
ID | 1 |
Name | The Fellowship of the Ring |
Creator | Decipher |
Release Date | 2001-11-06 |
Is Official | Yes |
Platforms | Paper • LotR-O • GEMP • mLOTRO • Tabletop Simulator • Lackey • gccg |
Notes |
This was it. This was the set that kicked off The Lord of the Rings TCG. Released November 6th, 2001, one month before the theatrical release of the movie by the same name, The Fellowship of the Ring (commonly abbreviated as FOTR) laid down the groundwork for every set that followed it. This was the first "base set", and it started a pattern that would define the Movie block regular release schedule: for each movie, one base set to lay down the foundation followed by two expansions to fill in the gaps.
FOTR took most of its direction cues from the dramatic combat conflicts of the first movie. Elven and Gondor cards used many scenes from the prologue battle with Sauron, while Moria and Isengard were spearheaded by the likes of Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit (1R165) and Lurtz, Servant of Isengard (1R127) . Being a fresh new game, most strategies relied on simple interactions on one side or another, which worked well with the new player base.
Many of the core mechanics took cues from the story of FOTR, which persisted throughout the lifetime of the game even when later blocks did not line up with their inclusion quite so well. For instance, Sanctuaries being at site 3 and 6 lines up with Rivendell and Lothlorien; the Rule of 9 restricting the number of companions that can be played comes straight from the Fellowship's canonical size; and an emphasis on protecting the Ring-bearer, Frodo, at the expense of all other companions.
Because the cards were released a month before the movie itself did, New Line Cinema prevented Decipher from releasing images they considered "spoilers" until after the movie. As a result, FOTR included some "prophetic" cards that referenced other cards yet to be printed. The Bridge of Khazad-dûm (1C349) was the only site 5 in the set, making it impossible to play without it, so you could imagine players' confusion as they looked down the spoiler sheet only to find that the Balrog was nowhere to be found! The first two versions of the Balrog were released in Mines of Moria four months later, but until then the site was a constant reminder of bigger and better things to come. Similarly, Sam, Faithful Companion (1R310) references Bill the Pony (3U106) , who was not released until Realms of the Elf-lords; and Gandalf's Cart (1U73) refers to Artifacts, which were not released until MOM and ROTEL.