Council of Elrond

BoderHamster wrote:I never liked that rule anyways... great job!

But is it possible to use this rules without all these new gametexts?
Haveing an errata for nearly every card makes it difficult to play.

All of the errata in the game as it is now is too much! I've been away from the game for a decade and I can't remember all of these changes! It's overwhelming!

Honestly, the whole game needs to be redesigned, reprinted and re-released. No starter decks just a starter set with all of the fixed cards, a foldout map, and dice. ICE offered something like this too late. New map has Forodwaith, Haradwaith, Rhun, Umbar, -all the areas they tried to compensate for with cards in Dragons when they realized their blunder. Elven Shores should connect to Forochel too. Lorien is a region, Caras Galadhon is a site, Wold and Brown Lands combine, crappy artwork should be replaced, etc. etc.

I buy Powerball Lottery every week. When I win I'm buying a license from Middle Earth Enterprises, and if I have to bribe someone to have Fantasy Flight's revoked,I will, and then MECCG will live again. Bandobras will be my rules writer so long as Mablung's stats get fixed!

Sounds like a plan.

I've updated the first post to more fully explain what I've done, and replaced the text spoilers with MSE sets. I did alter a couple of templates, though . . . somebody let me know if I need to upload the template files.

MSE Template Files; go in your data directory.

Replaced the MSEs with something ultimately easier: .xmls and graphics files for GCCG. It overwrites nothing; rather, you use the included .bat that points to the correct files.

I'm getting feedback and am already updating rules; for the sake of everybody's sanity, however, updates will probably not be every day or hour.

Updated the rules and some cards based on feedback. I'm always looking for more feedback, or even (gasp) a playtest on GCCG.

Good initiative, idea is good, will be looking at the rules thos week end.

Time has passed.
I do not frequent this forum enough. The idea is excellent!
Congratulation... Any update?

Luigi

The last major one looks like January; I went through all the cards in May to correct typos, etc., but didn't choose to upload as the graphics packages take quite a while.

The only caveat to this project is that the process has gone somewhat like this for me:

1) Lots of work to understand all the rulings for the original game;
2) Work compiling the initial URD;
3) This project;
4) Less and less enthusiasm for the original game because its flaws are gaping wider and wider.

This version would be quicker, cleaner, and more balanced . . . but nobody actually wants that in their METW game, however much they claim to want it.

I have to wonder if maybe there is a way for us to recreate the game as a collective. I have played the game since 1995, and even back then when you played a game with other people for the first time there were endless debates about rules. Having read all of the rewritten rules and several of the cards, this new system is much easier to follow. If we made it easy for players to print their own cards, or to supply printed cards at cost, and as a non profit, I don't think we would run into any conflicts with the Tolkien estate, but I am no lawyer and don't know much about the laws.

I have looked into the newer games that have come out since Middle Earth: The Wizards, and none of them hold a torch to this game. If you are a fan of Tolkien's world and want to sit down and play in that wrold with a bunch of friends or are next years Dragon Con, there is nothing better than ME:TW.

This rewrite is the best solution I have ever seen to the problem of a rules system that is overly complex, over loaded with correction, and requiring new players to read 100 plus pages to be able to play. All of this makes it hard for anyone wanting to play a great game and have a fun time.

I know there has to be a way for us all to make this rewrite into a better experience for old and new players. I have a background in graphics and know Tolkien pretty well, currently rereading the histories of middle earth books for the first time in ten years. I am willing to help with editing of card, correcting some rules, and reworking the map.

Are there others that have skills they have to help?

Todd

Well there's 2 things to say about this, basically

1) A rewrite is not easy to digest for older players who have spent years mastering the game, and those are currently the only ones playing the game. It's like talking 2 languages at the same time, or trying to remember what the differences are between LotR theatrical version and Extended DVD (or even the Tolkien books at some minor points, like: "didn't Gandalf throw the letter with the One RIng into the fire at Bag End?"). Do we want 2 versions of the game around, with separate communities, even if it brings in new blood? This is something I experienced reading the rewrite, thinking: this is great but I will not be able to manage it I'm afraid.

nb. See the Virtual Cards project, it is a different project but the similarity is that it uses existing cards with another card text. It failed to generate interest (though perhaps/probably for other reasons). Maintaining 2 sets of the same cards simultaneously is tricky.

2) We (the Dream-card Team) are currently trying to generate interest in new cards, and are far along in the process of printing actual new cards.
(see: http://www.councilofelrond.org/forum/vi ... =32&t=1864 )
I've talked with Aurigas and ICE (the semi-amature rolemaster legacy), they said that TE would probably not bother about small scale projects generally promoting fandom. Still, I would at this point not presume to go as far as (large scale) reproducing an original product, even if not for profit. They could not re-assure me on that issue. I also suggested they might take it up with TE, and investigate the possibility of a reprint, which might be profitable for them, with new online distribution being low cost and development being near zero-cost. But they said they were not interested, and besides had not had contact with TE in a decade...

if you want to help on the DC project, you're very welcome.

As with Dream Cards, the greatest challenge is getting people to try it to see if they actually like it.

Wow, this looks really great! I've quickly scanned through a few of the cards, and have a couple of comments/questions:

1. Playing as Sauron is no longer an option, is this correct?

2. The text of Fallen Radagast reads: "Hero allies Radagast controls have no movement restrictions". Did you define the term "movement restriction" anywhere? I checked Treebeard and Tom Bombadil, and they both stated simply "If not at a site in ... during the site phase, discard ...". This doen't sound like a movement restriction to me, after all they are not restricted in their movement, they simply state something that happens after movement, once they reach the site.

3. I think I once read somewhere that hero players may not play Sacrifice of Form in CvCC. Have you removed this rule?

Also, noted Pippin doesn't have prowess/body numbers, but I guess that's just a typo. You mentioned earlier in the thread that you have corrected some typos, but not re-uploaded the images. Will you make the corrected versions available?

I'm actually getting massive feedback from an interested party via PM. Once he's done going through everything, I will upload an updated version.

1) Right. Ultimately, I wanted to encourage RW play, and felt that Sauron in the game should simply be a presence that enhances all RW players. It also meant freeing up a plethora of Minion Resources that could previously only be used if your opponent happened to be hero/FW.

2) Good point; I'll work on revising the wording.

3) Thank you very much; I'll stick that on Sacrifice of Form. And True Fana, to boot.