Lord of the Rings Online TCG: Difference between revisions

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=====Lord of the Rings Online=====
{{SplashImage|deciphercon 2003 lotro.jpg|Decipherian Kathy McCracken tries out the LOTRO-TCG client at DecipherCon 2003.}}
**Lord of the Rings Online** (not to be confused with the MMO of the same name) was the only officially supported electronic method of playing the game.


In 2003 Worlds Apart partnered with Decipher to produce an online version of the Lord of the Rings TCG. The online game's rules matched the physical games rules, but utilized tradeable virtual cards that could be purchased through the system via starter decks, booster packs, or in draft. In addition to casual play, the online LOTR TCG system supported tournament play, league play, and sealed play including draft. The online system introduced a number of cards and formats that were online-only (for example, King-block draft packs), and offered players exclusive physical promotional cards and online avatars and movement tokens for participating in online events.
The '''Lord of the Rings Online TCG''' (often abbreviated as '''LOTRO''', not to be confused with the MMO of the same abbreviation) was the only officially supported electronic method of playing the game, developed by Worlds Apart Productions.  It was a downloadable program for both Windows and Mac OS X, and boasted a collection manager, robust deckbuilder, and most of all a rules-enforced method of playing the game online.


The LOTR Online TCG software included collection management and robust deckbuilding features. For this reason alone many players have used the software to construct decks and print decklists.
LOTRO utilized what would today be called a microtransaction system where players purchased starter decks and booster packs to earn their cards, a nearly 1:1 recreation of the physical game's monetary system (albeit at a somewhat cheaper rate than the physical product cost). These cards were tradeable and could also be won through placement in events (as well as keeping the cards drafted in draft modes). In addition to casual play, LOTRO supported tournaments, leagues, and sealed/draft play.  Emphasis was made on permitting players to customize their experience, letting them earn online avatars and movement tokens by participating in online events.


In 2005 Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) bought Worlds Apart, but continued to support LOTR Online TCG. On May 22, 2007 SOE-Decipher announced the closure of all support for the Online gaming system. The LOTR Online TCG software was available and the SOE servers ran until June 30, 2010 when they were shut down for good, though no new cards could be purchased after May, 2007.
LOTRO introduced a number of exclusive cards, products, and formats not available for physical play.  These included Draft Packs for King, WOTR, and Hunters blocks, which never manifested as physical products.  Some exclusive cards utilized features that were infeasible to recreate in physical play, such as the point-purchase system of the [[Customizable League Cards]] or the randomized abilities of the [[Triumph and Menace]] series that tracked game-long statistics. Simplified physical versions of the Customizable League Cards were also offered exclusively to players who participated in online leagues, which today are among the rarest and most difficult cards to find.


====Legacy====
== History ==


In spite of the game's servers being shut down, the program itself still functions without logging in, albeit only the decklist builder is of any use without any server connection, though it does function as a decent collection manager.
In 2001 Decipher had partnered with DigitalDeck to create the Star Trek CCG Online, but for unknown reasons the management of that platform was transferred to Worlds Apart in September 2002<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021210115219/http://worlds-apart.com/News/press_release_september_04_2002.shtml DECIPHER TEAMS UP WITH WORLDS APART PRODUCTIONS TO MANAGE ITS STAR TREK™ ONLINE CUSTOMIZABLE CARD GAME™]</ref>.  That same month it was announced that Worlds Apart would be developing a sister platform for the LOTR-TCG<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021210120756/http://worlds-apart.com/News/press_release_september_06_2002.shtml DECIPHER ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ONLINE VERSION OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ TRADING CARD GAME]</ref>, with the game entering Alpha soon after.  The Top 16 players at [[Worlds 2002]] (as well as winners of other tournaments at DecipherCon 2002) were invited to participate in this early closed Alpha testing<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030207234417/http://lotrtcg.decipher.com/news/ News Archive]</ref>.


Various virtual cards that were exclusive to LotR-O were given a rarity of D or W; several of those cards are within the promotional database, but not all of them were ever featured on Decipher's website, so the ones included only represent a fraction of the cards used.  Most of them are worthlessly overpowered or laughably weak, so that's probably for the better.
At DecipherCon 2003, an early build of the game was available for the public to test, and players were able to take the chance to sign up for a closed Beta test<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031207084122/http://lotrtcg.decipher.com:80/news/ News Archive, July 22, 2003]</ref>.  Around the same time in summer 2003, the [[Two-Player QuickStart Set]] was released which included a tutorial on CD-ROM, which tutorial was based on a cut-down version of the LOTRO client.


LotR-O utilized the proprietary *.ldc file format for saving and loading decks, and was the only method of importing/exporting within the game. There was an import/export option added late in the game's lifetime, but it merely loads a message saying that import/export is not yet supported, leaving you wondering if they were ever going to encourage use with SdA or not.
An open beta was launched in September 2003<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109162815/http://lotrtcg.decipher.com/notes/beta_diary_0928.shtml Welcome to Beta Diary: Pascal Lajoie (Old Maple)]</ref>, and finally the game went live on January 31, 2004.


A full specification of the *.ldc file format can be found at [[LDC File Format Specification]]. A collection of decklists in *.ldc format that competed in various tournaments can be found [[http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,8730.0.html|at this TLHH post here]].
In 2005 Sony Online Entertainment (now [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daybreak_Game_Company Daybreak Game Company LLC]) bought Worlds Apart and renamed it to SOE-Denver, while continuing to support LOTRO. On May 22, 2007, with [[Decipher]] losing the Lord of the Rings license, they announced the closure of all support for LOTRO (including the ability to purchase new cards) effective June 30, 2007<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070615160153/http://lotrtcg.decipher.com/ Message to players of The Lord of the Rings Online TCG]</ref>. The client remained available for download and the SOE servers ran until June 30, 2010 when they were shut down for good.


{{page>:electronic_platform_table}}
==Legacy==
 
In spite of the game's servers being shut down, [https://files.lotrtcgpc.net/digital_play/LOTRO2_updated.zip the program itself] still functions without logging in, albeit only the decklist builder and collection manager is of any use without any server connection.  Many fans continued to use it in this capacity even years after the servers shut down.
 
LOTRO utilized the proprietary *.ldc file format for saving and loading decks, and was the only method supported by the game.  As the game managers regularly published tournament decklists through these files (which were included in the installer), many decks are only known because of data mined from the game files, which can be found in plain text [http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,8730.0.html in this TLHH post here]. A full specification of the *.ldc file format can be found at [[LDC File Format Specification]]. 
 
As normal [[Starter Decks]] are not tournament legal, LOTRO had created improved versions of those decks that brought their deck totals up to 60 minimum.  Those modified decklists continue to be the versions used today in [[GEMP]].
 
 
{{References}}
 
 
----
 
 
{{Digital_Platform_Table}}

Latest revision as of 02:30, 13 December 2023

Decipherian Kathy McCracken tries out the LOTRO-TCG client at DecipherCon 2003.

The Lord of the Rings Online TCG (often abbreviated as LOTRO, not to be confused with the MMO of the same abbreviation) was the only officially supported electronic method of playing the game, developed by Worlds Apart Productions. It was a downloadable program for both Windows and Mac OS X, and boasted a collection manager, robust deckbuilder, and most of all a rules-enforced method of playing the game online.

LOTRO utilized what would today be called a microtransaction system where players purchased starter decks and booster packs to earn their cards, a nearly 1:1 recreation of the physical game's monetary system (albeit at a somewhat cheaper rate than the physical product cost). These cards were tradeable and could also be won through placement in events (as well as keeping the cards drafted in draft modes). In addition to casual play, LOTRO supported tournaments, leagues, and sealed/draft play. Emphasis was made on permitting players to customize their experience, letting them earn online avatars and movement tokens by participating in online events.

LOTRO introduced a number of exclusive cards, products, and formats not available for physical play. These included Draft Packs for King, WOTR, and Hunters blocks, which never manifested as physical products. Some exclusive cards utilized features that were infeasible to recreate in physical play, such as the point-purchase system of the Customizable League Cards or the randomized abilities of the Triumph and Menace series that tracked game-long statistics. Simplified physical versions of the Customizable League Cards were also offered exclusively to players who participated in online leagues, which today are among the rarest and most difficult cards to find.

History[edit]

In 2001 Decipher had partnered with DigitalDeck to create the Star Trek CCG Online, but for unknown reasons the management of that platform was transferred to Worlds Apart in September 2002[1]. That same month it was announced that Worlds Apart would be developing a sister platform for the LOTR-TCG[2], with the game entering Alpha soon after. The Top 16 players at Worlds 2002 (as well as winners of other tournaments at DecipherCon 2002) were invited to participate in this early closed Alpha testing[3].

At DecipherCon 2003, an early build of the game was available for the public to test, and players were able to take the chance to sign up for a closed Beta test[4]. Around the same time in summer 2003, the Two-Player QuickStart Set was released which included a tutorial on CD-ROM, which tutorial was based on a cut-down version of the LOTRO client.

An open beta was launched in September 2003[5], and finally the game went live on January 31, 2004.

In 2005 Sony Online Entertainment (now Daybreak Game Company LLC) bought Worlds Apart and renamed it to SOE-Denver, while continuing to support LOTRO. On May 22, 2007, with Decipher losing the Lord of the Rings license, they announced the closure of all support for LOTRO (including the ability to purchase new cards) effective June 30, 2007[6]. The client remained available for download and the SOE servers ran until June 30, 2010 when they were shut down for good.

Legacy[edit]

In spite of the game's servers being shut down, the program itself still functions without logging in, albeit only the decklist builder and collection manager is of any use without any server connection. Many fans continued to use it in this capacity even years after the servers shut down.

LOTRO utilized the proprietary *.ldc file format for saving and loading decks, and was the only method supported by the game. As the game managers regularly published tournament decklists through these files (which were included in the installer), many decks are only known because of data mined from the game files, which can be found in plain text in this TLHH post here. A full specification of the *.ldc file format can be found at LDC File Format Specification.

As normal Starter Decks are not tournament legal, LOTRO had created improved versions of those decks that brought their deck totals up to 60 minimum. Those modified decklists continue to be the versions used today in GEMP.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ DECIPHER TEAMS UP WITH WORLDS APART PRODUCTIONS TO MANAGE ITS STAR TREK™ ONLINE CUSTOMIZABLE CARD GAME™
  2. ↑ DECIPHER ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ONLINE VERSION OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ TRADING CARD GAME
  3. ↑ News Archive
  4. ↑ News Archive, July 22, 2003
  5. ↑ Welcome to Beta Diary: Pascal Lajoie (Old Maple)
  6. ↑ Message to players of The Lord of the Rings Online TCG



Electronic Platforms
Official Unofficial Deckbuilders
Game Clients Lord of the Rings Online SdA LackeyCCG gccg mLOTRO GEMP Zorbec's
File Formats *.ldc *.dck *.dek [gccg] *.txt - *.zdl
Zorbec's Decklist Builder Support ❌ ✔ ✔ ✔ ❌ ❌ ✔
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