Council of Elrond

This thread will be about how to create the Middle-earth "DEMO GAME," a short MECCG game and shared platform of teaching tips that I envision will better enable new players to learn the core aspects of this game quickly! I particularly see the demo game as being useful in convention settings where being exposed to potential players is highly probable.

I will only be responding to the Demo Decks in this thread, not to Wolfgang’s idea of the "cheap hand-out decks," which I see as another project.

For context, though, I must quote some posts first.

Joe’s Old Post, taken from his “Saving the Game” Letter

The first item I see a need for is an explanatory teaching document or documents, COE-produced, that can be disseminated to already existing players. Such a document would explain the best way to teach this game to a prospective new player, taking into account such things as how many minutes you have for that person’s attention (she saw you fiddling with your cards at your office cubicle! now she’s standing at the water cooler asking you questions and your hair’s a mess! so you have like—five?), their previous understanding of card games, etc.

But the most important point this document should teach is that you can’t teach all of MECCG at once. You need to give prospective players just enough of a taste that they can immediately start playing some version of the game—which is, after all, the main goal, remember?

Here is how I envision such leveling mastery:
a. level 1: demo level game (northwestern side map only)
b. level 2: hero-only challenge deck level (they are already very competent if playing at this level, but they are not ready for skilled sealed deck play)
c. level 3: sealed deck/ “ARDA” deck / or “intermediate” challenge deck (at this point we must show them more cards. This also encourages collecting cards, at this point)
d. level 4: constructed deck, and casual tournament or playgroup play
e. level 5: high-level tournament play

Explanatory Documents: Level 1: The Demo-level Game (introductory)
I’m not sure what this game should look like, exactly. But I do know it should be a simple as possible in turns of site selection and available choices, and also lend itself to a descriptive, immersive narrative. I believe this was what ICE was trying to do with the Saruman/Gandalf Starter Deck game. However, it is my understanding that this game is boring and doesn’t appeal to new players. If that’s correct, then let’s design our own.
Some ideas: it should consist of a fixed-order opening hand, a fixed-order draw pile of 10 cards, then another 10 cards that are fixed but can be in any order. And of course, an exciting, recognizable starting company (a hobbit, Aragorn, a Wizard, a scout, a diplomat) that can take advantage of the different types of resources you will be teaching the play to play (Concealment, Risky Blow, Ford, etc.). There should be a separate hazard deck or perhaps just a hazard hand (for the teacher): fixed-order, at least 8 cards, plus another 10 fixed but random in order. Finally, the only sites involved should be those in the upper-left corner of the map: the regions adjacent to the regions of Arthedain and Rhudaur and any regions adjacent to these (ending with the water and the Misty Mountain regions). In addition, I truly believe we need an altogether new region/site map to made that contains only this northwest section of middle-earth and, in addition, has every site and its picture and text running along the perimeter of the map, much like the Northern Waste and Bag End Scenario Games (but these should be real, standard sites). Such a map could be printed nice and large, bigger than the standard maps, to help new players instantly see where they can go, etc.

Projects Needed to Be Done for the Demo Game:
--Demo game decks
--Demo game directions
--Demo game MAP (I have some ideas; contact me if you wish to do this!)

Wolfgang’s Ideas for Demo Game
--from his old post:

good that you bring this up again. i have been pondering about this for some time already ...

i think there are 2 levels:
- demo decks just for teaching the game: gandalf vs saruman, each one company going for 4 MPs cards (mix of item/faction/ally). not more than 10/10 cards per deck.
decks are easily prepared. see attchment.

- starter decks for interested people (that have been demoed)

while the demo decks are used for demoing exclusively, the starter decks should be given away to anybody interested in the game for a few $/€. this should be done in the name of the COE (by some representatives).

i have done proto types of such starter decks. each wizard with 10 characters and 20/20 cards in the deck. see attachment.
the guidelines have been:
- availablility of cards:
c cards appear up to 3 times in all decks together. uc cards only once. f1 cards only once, f2/3/4 up to 2 times, f5 in each deck.
also cards from TD, and very few from DM.
- theme:
groups of characters mostly of the same race. each starting company contains a hobbit (i dont wanted to have them without hobbits). MP resources accoringly.
5 types of hazard creatures: men, undead, orcs, wolves, trolls

if you have any ideas how to make them better, please let me know.
i wanted to play with these decks a few games just to see if they are balanced.

i am planning to ask the world wide community to send cards, that are needed for these decks, to the COE representatives for MECCG demoing. this could be me for europe, maybe joe wants do do this for the US?
the COE covers the shipping costs, while the cards are given for free.

but before all of this starts, we have to prepare a few more things:
- create a map that can be added to the starter decks
- make rules for the specific need of the demo game and starter decks. there is this simplified rules document by craig o´brian. maybe this one helps (with a few changes). i have attached it here.
- a nice info card that tells a few things about MECCG and the COE and leads to the hoempage.

anything else??

Wow, great work, Wolfgang! I have a few quick suggestions, then I will share the beginning of the demo deck rules I have come up with. I only came up with Turn 1 of the Gandalf deck so far, but you will get the idea. I invite another play to finish this. Keep in mind you only need 2 fixed-order resource turns per player at the most (in fact, you may only need ONE fixed-order turn with such a small deck, but I’m not sure about that yet).

Quick Suggestions:
--Make it Barliman over Forlong; Barliman is more recognizable and may get a chuckle.
--I guess we want these decks designed so that you can teach TWO players at the same time, one player playing Gandalf, one player playing Saruman. This means one player must be the hazard player first turn. But if there is no second player, instructions are given for the cards that the teacher should play, and in what order, so that a new player learns easier steps first, and more complex steps later. Don’t just guess as to what hazards to play—follow these rules!
--We should definitely my cool teaching document called “Player Turn Summary.” I will try and remember to post it here.

Okay, here’s my suggestions!

GANDALF Demo Deck
Opening Hand:
Dark Quarrels
Tempering Friendship
Block
Rangers of the North
Glamdring
Lure of Nature
(Second hazard)
(Third hazard)

Fixed-order Play Deck (in order from top of deck):
Bill the Pony
(some hazards…)

Rest of Play Deck (any order):
(not finished here yet…)

Directions:
The Gandalf player always goes first. Do not let a player split companies, at least not during the fixed-draw portion of the deck.

Turn 1:
The first decision the student player will have to make is, where to go? With two MP resources in hand, it doesn’t really matter, though you can give some simple pointers as to how to decide (closeness of site, the ability to play multiple resources at one site, having the right resources in hand to help you get TO and THROUGH that particular site, or future sites). Here is a sample conversation that illustrates how to get your student player to realize the right course of action for himself.

Teacher: “Do you see any resource in hand that would help you on later turns?”
Player: “Does the faction help me in any way, other than points?”
Teacher: “No, it doesn’t.”
Player: “Then let’s get a sword, so I’ll be bigger against enemies.”

Order of Hazard Play:
1) Play Wake of War.
2) Then play the Wargs (2 at .
3) Then play Ambusher. (Hopefully, he will cancel it.)
4) If he went to Bree: play Fell Winter. Stop; do not play any more hazards.
5) If he went to Barrow-downs: play Spiders. Then play Greed (face-up).

SARUMAN Demo Deck

Cards in Hazard Player (Saruman’s) Hand:
Wake of War
Wargs
Ambusher
Greed
Spiders
(First Resource)
(Second resource)
(Third resource)

Fixed-order Play Deck (in order from top of deck):
Fell Winter

Points to Mention to the Player:
--Mention the “Tips to Keep in Mind During Combat.” Spend some time on this, depending on your estimate of the player’s desire to make a perfect strategic decision, but assure the player that there is always incomplete information (“you don’t know what else I have in my hand against you!”, and thus guesswork involved.
--Since MECCG uses a constant hand-filling mechanic, explain to a player that in general he wants to play cards as quickly as possible, since he’ll always draw more.
--Characters with more DI are better at getting factions.
--Don’t always explain the right way to do something! The golden question a teacher should always be trying to ask a student is, “What do you think?” You can set up these sorts of situations by explaining the situation, but only part-way. For example, you’re your player enters Bree, you should say, “Any character can tap to try and get the faction. Characters with free direct influence get to add that direct influence to the roll. Sometimes characters have bonuses that apply as well.” Everything you have just stated to the player is a FACT. Now you can ask, “Who do you think should make the faction attempt?” and the player, if he is patient enough to study his cards, should be able to make the right call (Aragorn or Wizard).

Points to NOT Mention to the Player:
--You don’t want to mention the intricacies of leaving some DI free for defensive purposes. That is hazard-specific, and a complex decision to negotiate without the context of experience against those hazards.
--You do not want to talk about playing cards on-guard yet. On-guard rules are too complicated to understand with experience; let your player get used to huge chunks of text in the small boxes first!
--You don’t want to do the “free end-of-turn discard” during the first turn, because it will upset the fixed-order play I’ve outlined.

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND DURING COMBAT
*When a creature is played against you, the first thing to ask yourself is, “Do I have any cards that can cancel its attack?
*The next thing you ask yourself is, “What cards do I have to help me against the attack?” (Put all your combat cards together in hand.)
*Now you need to think about your main goal: getting at least one character to the site untapped, so you can play your resource. If you don’t play a resource this turn, you will have lost an opportunity to score points, and you may fall behind your opponent. Consider which character is best to get the resource, and try not to tap him!
*Whom do you assign to take a strike? If you have a “big hero” who could face a strike safely without even needing to tap, that hero should definitely get a strike. You may safely tap characters whom you were not planning to use at the site, especially if the opponent has just played the last hazard allowed by the hazard limit. If the hazards become too dangerous though, you may have to give up on your hopes of getting to the site untapped.