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| __NOTOC__
| | =The Fellowship of the Ring= |
| {{NavBar|Fellowship of the Ring Index| [[Main Page]]|[[Promotional|Promotional Set]]|[[Mines of Moria]]}}
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| {{SetTabs}}
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| {{Set
| | 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'' 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: one base set to lay down the foundation followed by two expansions to fill in the gaps. |
| |ID=1
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| |Name=The Fellowship of the Ring
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| |Abbr=FotR
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| |Creator=Decipher
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| |ReleaseDate=2001-11-06
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| |IsOfficial=Yes
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| |SubsetOrder=S,M
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| |Platforms=Paper, LotR-O, GEMP, mLOTRO, Tabletop Simulator, Lackey, gccg
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| }}
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| [[File:LOTR-EN01S001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|The premier Ring that one presumably Lords over.]]
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| 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.
| | ''!Fellowship'' took most of its direction cues from the dramatic combat conflicts of the first movie. Elf 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 and Lurtz, Servant of Isengard. Being a fresh new game, most strategies relied on brute force on one side or another, and this worked well with the expectations of a new player base. |
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| == Themes and Mechanics ==
| | Uniquely among all released sets, ''!Fellowship'' included "prophetic" cards that referenced other cards that were yet to be made. The Bridge of Khazad-dum 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 references Bill the Pony, who was not released until Realms of the Elf-lords. |
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| 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.
| | Being the first set and thus in circulation for the longest, booster packs and starter decks are still cheap and easy to come by, and so ''!Fellowship'' marks as good an entry point for a beginner as it was when it was first released. |
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| 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.
| | * [[lotr00m01|{{ cards:lotr00m01.jpg?200 |A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences, such as the flat Twilight icon.}}]] |
| | * [[lotr00m02|{{ cards:lotr00m02.jpg?200 |A card used to promote the release. Note the early differences, such as the switched Culture icon / background watermark.}}]] |
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| 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.
| | {{:set_table}} |
| {{clear}}
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| == Starter Decks ==
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| FOTR released with two standard starter decks, a pattern which would be followed by most following sets, and also included a Deluxe Starter Set. The Gandalf starter is a proto-[[Rainbow]] strategy paired with Moria, while Aragorn is a [[Ranger]] deck paired with Uruks. The two decks are not particularly well balanced, with the {{C|Gondor}} fellowship doing a much better job of surviving, due to the number of possessions which can be played on each companion, and the fact that the {{C|Moria}} deck suffers with only half of its usual combo, and interacting poorly with the starter-only discard shuffle rule. The Deluxe Starter Set pairs Hobbits with Nazgul.
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| <gallery widths=300px heights=350px mode="packed">
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| File:Starter-01-Aragorn.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Aragorn Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Aragorn_Starter_Deck|Aragorn Starter Deck]]
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| File:Starter-01-Gandalf.jpg|link=Starter Decks/Fellowship Block#FOTR Gandalf Starter Deck|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Gandalf_Starter_Deck|Gandalf Starter Deck]]
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| File:Starter-01-Deluxe.jpg|link=Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Click through to see the contents of the [[Starter_Decks/Fellowship_Block#FOTR_Deluxe_Starter_Set|Deluxe Starter Set]]
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| <!--File:Rules-Starter-EN_Set-01.pdf|Click through for the FOTR Starter Rulebook PDF-->
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| </gallery>
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| {{clear}}
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| [[File:LOTR-EN00M001.0_card.jpg|frame|right|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.]]
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| == Cultures ==
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| As the premier set, this was the debut for each of the following cultures. All of the [[Free Peoples]] cultures would remain relevant throughout the game's lifetime, but each of the [[Shadow (Alignment)|Shadow]] cultures would wax and wane at different times.
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| '''Free Peoples:'''
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| * {{C|Dwarven}}
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| * {{C|Elven}}
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| * {{C|Dwarven}}
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| * {{C|Gandalf}}
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| * {{C|Gondor}}
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| * {{C|Shire}}
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| '''Shadow:'''
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| * {{C|Isengard}}
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| * {{C|Moria}}
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| * {{C|Sauron}}
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| * {{C|Ringwraith}}
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| == Notable Cards ==
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| * {{Card|Elrond, Lord of Rivendell}}
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| * {{Card|The Last Alliance of Elves and Men}}
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| * {{Card|Legolas, Greenleaf}}
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| * {{Card|Shoulder to Shoulder}}
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| * {{Card|Servant of the Secret Fire}}
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| * {{Card|Sleep, Caradhras}}
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| * {{Card|Aragorn, Ranger of the North}}
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| * {{Card|Aragorn's Bow}}
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| * {{Card|No Stranger to the Shadows}}
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| * {{Card|What Are They?}}
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| * {{Card|Greed}}
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| * {{Card|Savagery to Match Their Numbers}}
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| * {{Card|Goblin Armory}}
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| * {{Card|Goblin Runner}}
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| * {{Card|Goblin Scavengers}}
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| * {{Card|Goblin Scimitar}}
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| * {{Card|Blade Tip}}
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| * {{Card|Black Breath}}
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| * {{Card|The Pale Blade}}
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| * {{Card|Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul}}
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| * {{Card|Hobbit Stealth}}
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| * {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}}
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| * {{Card|The Prancing Pony}}
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| * {{Card|The Bridge of Khazad-dum}}
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| {{Set Table}}
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