[BCSWowbagger]

As for the Continuing Committee, all I can say is don't take these folks for granted.

I think this is a point that gets overlooked every time there's a forum dustup. Sure, Charlie & co. sometimes make decisions we don't necessarily like or agree with, but the fact that this game doesn't only still exist, but is arguably thriving almost a decade after Decipher last published a Star Trek card (and a decade and a half since they published a full first edition set) speaks volumes about the hard work, dedication, and leadership of the Chairman and the CC volunteers (not to mention the local TDs and Ambassadors) who support him. As a player and lover of this game for over 20 years, I continue to be grateful for these efforts.

[TyKajada]

As for the Continuing Committee, all I can say is don't take these folks for granted.

I think this is a point that gets overlooked every time there's a forum dustup. Sure, Charlie & co. sometimes make decisions we don't necessarily like or agree with, but the fact that this game doesn't only still exist, but is arguably thriving almost a decade after Decipher last published a Star Trek card (and a decade and a half since they published a full first edition set) speaks volumes about the hard work, dedication, and leadership of the Chairman and the CC volunteers (not to mention the local TDs and Ambassadors) who support him. As a player and lover of this game for over 20 years, I continue to be grateful for these efforts.

This absolutely!

I am just thankful I get to see new cards for both editions after so many years. Are there things I would have done differently? Maybe... but the releases every couple month show the great effort and dedication that went into trekccg by our CC and I am baffled at the bitching and bickering sometimes the CC has to deal with.

Fantastic work all a round in my book.

I dearly hope to get new cards for a long time in the future..

[uglywithglasses]

As for the Continuing Committee, all I can say is don't take these folks for granted.

I think this is a point that gets overlooked every time there's a forum dustup. Sure, Charlie & co. sometimes make decisions we don't necessarily like or agree with, but the fact that this game doesn't only still exist, but is arguably thriving almost a decade after Decipher last published a Star Trek card (and a decade and a half since they published a full first edition set) speaks volumes about the hard work, dedication, and leadership of the Chairman and the CC volunteers (not to mention the local TDs and Ambassadors) who support him. As a player and lover of this game for over 20 years, I continue to be grateful for these efforts.

I'll second these thoughts without reservation.

[menace64]

I'm bumping an old post (probably a faux pas on my part) by replying, but I'm one of the really old lingering LotR TCG fanboys and I wish so badly that the game had the sort of thriving post-production success that I've found and adored in the CC.

I think their biggest challenge will be in revitalising a player community that has already long disbanded?

We exist, but I'm not sure we were ever banded once the Decipher forums went down for the last time. There's a fair number of online players still.

Tell me about it. When I had to organize European Continentals for LOTR TCG (with Decipher's blessing and backing, we had thousands of $ worth of prize support) in 2007, I tried to reach out to playgroups all over Europe, and all of them said they would only come on the condition that their very own house rules be used as the official tournament format.

That sounds awful and absolutely foreign to every experience I had in the community. My local meta was always by-the-book. I wasn't even aware of enforced house rules!

At the time I followed the discussions on various message boards about how to deal with the game after it had been discontinued by Decipher, but these guys were so far away from getting their act together, it made me sad. Whenever a serious attempt at trying to set up something similar to TCC was suggested, the threads derailed into fanboy dream card territory within a page.

I was probably one of those goobers more focused on my next dream card set than reaching out for official support before it was too late. But I was young, and then the recession hit me hard; took my job, my home town, and my surety for the next several years. I kept designing when and where I could, either my own games from scratch, or the tried-and-true indulgence of infusing new life into a still-cherished card game.

I suspect this may be because, unlike STCCG and SWCCG, Decipher wouldn't release the templates and mechanics to a player-run development group shortly after their discontinuation.

This had me in agony for years. I tried on numerous occasions to build my own blanks - and if you go digging you'll see that every pocket-community was struggling on the same point. We never unified because nobody ever succeeded in deploying the necessary infrastructure.

If ANY suitable set of complete template blanks (official or otherwise) could be found... a lot could change rapidly. I myself have half a dozen or more sets of cards written, reviewed, and some have even been playtested. A far cry from the CC, but I'm only one guy. A specifically-passionate guy, who probably couldn't lead or set-up a coherent body of players and designers and testers, but I sure would find a useful niche someplace.

I got the impression that Decipher didn't want to give up on this product and hoped to get it up and going again when Hobbit was released. Guess not.

I never personally had any hope of that outcome, but that didn't stop me from laying down the bones and mechanics of a bunch of Hobbit sets leading up to that first movie. And with Amazon's 'Young Aragorn' on the horizon, wouldn't it at least be cool to have some Virtual sets covering it?

...this turned more into a soapbox than anything else, but I wasn't expecting to find this topic here and it got me hopeful that maybe somebody in these parts may be able to help, somehow. A lot of us LotR players thirst for new official content, but we truly lack the basic materials required to do the work.

(It's tough, in a firstworldly kinda way. I'm also new to the concept of feeling truly wistful about segments of the internet.)

[JeBuS]

We exist, but I'm not sure we were ever banded once the Decipher forums went down for the last time. There's a fair number of online players still.

How are you playing online? I played back in the FotR and tTT expansion days, when Decipher was still pushing hard. I think I got out right before the release of RotK. Now I've got a bunch of cards sitting in a tote somewhere doing nothing. It would be cool to get in a game, I think. I hardly remember how the game worked at this point.

[menace64]

It's a program/platform called GEMP. Here's a brief page on it with a link to the game.

GEMP was a salve for the pockets of playing groups out there in the e-void.

[Deathbymonkeys]

It's a program/platform called GEMP. Here's a brief page on it with a link to the game.

GEMP was a salve for the pockets of playing groups out there in the e-void.

Menace! I just found out about this this week as well. I got back in the game with my brother when he moved back to the area. It will take me a little bit but I'm gonna start trying to play online!

[menace64]

It's a program/platform called GEMP. Here's a brief page on it with a link to the game.

GEMP was a salve for the pockets of playing groups out there in the e-void.

Menace! I just found out about this this week as well. I got back in the game with my brother when he moved back to the area. It will take me a little bit but I'm gonna start trying to play online!

Monkey!! It's been years man! It's awesome that you've gotten back into playing with your brother.

Definitely swing by and play a game on GEMP. It's no LotRO but there's still plenty of familar faces bashing against each other!

[JeBuS]

That's a great idea! My brother used to play as well. Maybe I can rope him into a few games!

[Deathbymonkeys]

I actually really miss playing the old decipher online after i'd get off wok and come home to play it every day. I am excited about Gemp I could have been playing all these years.

[JeBuS]

Got my brother online last night and we played for about 5 hours, relearning the game and opening packs. Lots of fun.

[HoodieDM]

I am clearing out my old stuff in prep for baby room. Selling a lot of my old CCGs. I got a simple starter deck from The Fellowship TCG expansion. I think it was the first set. It's a Gandalf starter deck. Still in the original starter deck box, with booklet, and all the cards that came in it, including the 3 rares.

Does someone want this? All I'd ask for is $5 PayPal (to friend) to ship it to ya using Bubble wrap packaging envelope and first class shipping w/tracking. If you wanted to "give" more than that, that's up to you. But minimal $5 for it for the shipping, i.e. essentially free.

Send me a PM if interested, thanks!

~D

[Dukat]

The website doesn't work.

Anyhow ...
I think the game is quite complex, yes.
However, it is a fun game indeed. I still have a variety of cards, although I must admit that it is hard to learn the game and every time I haven't played for a few months, I have to learn it again.

1E is easier .

[Armus]

The website doesn't work.

Anyhow ...
I think the game is quite complex, yes.
However, it is a fun game indeed. I still have a variety of cards, although I must admit that it is hard to learn the game and every time I haven't played for a few months, I have to learn it again.

1E is easier .

It wss fun for the first two sets. I even skipped the Trek main event at Origins 2002 to play LotR.

Realms of the Elf Lords made me never want to play again, and I basically didn't.

I dabbled in Two Towers but it was kinda meh. Then 2e came out and I went back to my Trek roots.

[Dukat]

Realms of the Elf Lords made me never want to play again, and I basically didn't.

Why? What was so problematic about the set?