Sage

I’ve been on a kick of solo-play games lately to fit into my unpredictable schedule and LotR easily tops the list.

Why you might like it:

-It’s deck building and collecting like Magic, but without the random boosters or having to find someone to play. The basic game has all you need, each adventure pack adds an adventure plus 3 copies each of some useful deck building cards (non-random).

-It’s thematic. The game ties to Tolkien enough that it feels right, but doesn’t sacrifice good play.

-It’s equally enjoyable with 1-4 players. The game works seriously well as a single player experience, but scales well up to four players. While the box says you need two basic sets to have four players, if you track Threat on scratch paper you can play with four people out of the box.

-It’s challenging. It takes skill and planning to beat any but the easiest missions, but the experience is always fun. You’re never stuck right at the start. Good deck building and play makes formerly impossible challenges beatable.

Why you might not like it:

-It’s challenging. Of the four starting decks I was only able to beat the first mission with one on my first try. Playing cooperatively makes the game slightly easier. Deck building makes a huge difference, particularly tailoring your deck for a challenge on the second playthrough.

-It’s moderately complex. It’s on par with Magic in terms of complexity. If you’re like me (a former Magic player who doesn’t want to deal with that whole scene) this is a huge plus.

Overall I can’t say enough good about this game. It’s amazingly enjoyable, fits into a busy schedule (since I don’t have to coordinate with others to make a game), rewards strategy, and fits the source material.