Recently, FFG's license to use World of Warcraft expired.  Luckily, this was not a LCG type game so all the expansions for the games were released before the license expired. 

My main concern with LOTR is that once the license expires (say 5-7 years from now), what is the likelihood that it will be renewed again?  The main attraction of the LCG is the monthly packs which usually means 240 unique cards a year, at 20 unique cards per pack. This is excluding any "big" expansions which contain 55 unique cards per expansion.

So at 240 cards per year, that would mean a total of roughly 1,220 unique cards every 5 years.  While that sounds like plenty, it can get repetitive after a while. Not to mention the idea of the game coming to an "end" after 5-7 years is not a good selling point. 

Anyone have any idea how many years is the license good for, or what is the likelihood that it will get renewed.  From reading the rules, I believe this LCG will be as big or perhaps a bigger seller than Warhammer Invasion. 

I know Game of Thrones has nothing to worry about because George R.R. Martin is very supportive with the licensing renewals. He even wanted for the RPG of AGOT to continue after its initial publisher went out of business.  But that may not be the case where LOTR is concerned, and I don't want to invest in a game with a limited lifespan.  The game should remain alive as long as it makes a satisfactory profit for the publisher, not when the license expires and is not renewed.

Any thoughts or flame words about this?  Would be nice to hear from FFG regarding this issue.

jcikal said:

I'm also pretty sure, the license will be renewed, if the LCG is commercially successful _and_ the renewal is not too expensive.

Also if it is 5-7 years as you state in your post by then we will have a lot of cards. So even if the license is not renewed the game will have more than enough stuff available for it to be playable for years to come. Just because no new stuff is made does not make a game dead, when people stop playing it, its dead.

As for FFG replying to this. Its kinda hard for them to predict what "might" happen in 5-7 years so don't count on it. For now enjoy the game. I don't see 5-7 years as a limited amount of time at all.

The only think i can say is that The Hobbit  movie will come at December 2012.I dont know wich company will or allready has the license but i am sure that a new card game will come after the first movie.

servant of the secret fire said:

A completely new card game? or a Hobbit-Themed big expansion?

I could see a large box expansion for this game and maybe, depending on the licensing, a TCG based on the movies. If another different card game would be possible.

Toqtamish said:

What Toqtamish said.The only company who has the rights for the Hobbit so far is Games Workshop and has nothink to do with card games.

Toqtamish said:

Toqtamish said:

It would need to have at least 14 heroes  and an event card called "Crack the Plates" which gives a hobbit character the ability to commit twice this turn/

FFG has been publishing LOTR games for 11 years now.  That means they would have at least 4 years left on their current license (if they are 5 years licenses like they many times are).

MECCG was only on the market for 4 years.  And believe me, that was plenty of cards!  That allowed you to visit every area of Middle-Earth and even become Nazgul and fight the free peoples.

This game will be much more limited in content because they will not include anything from the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, or HIstory of Middle-Earth like ICE did.  With that said, I think they can use any character, region, or item that was in the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the appendixes for both.  (I might be wrong about that, but that is the license that Cubicle7 has for their new RPG and their new game will be set in the same timeframe)

There will be plenty of content.  if it lasts 4 years you will have 8 regions to explore.  If the license continues, there will be plenty more.

The fear is not will there be enough content?  Rather you should ask, will there be too many expansions?  And will they be any good?

I would literally die of happiness if we ever got the options to play as Nazgul!! Like they had in MECCG. OMG. I know not likely as would require very different quest and encounter decks but maybe someday.

Toqtamish said:

Go back to the abbys prepared for you!Go back!Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your master.Go!

I prefer die than play as a Nazgul .

That may be servant. Although I think you saying you would rather die is a bit dramatic.

I think adding the option to play as the bad guys would open up alot of options. It probably would be a much later in the games life time thing.

If only the Nazgul somehow worked as active in this game. While playing a Ringwraith in Meccg was very cool, there didn't work in any way the same way Wizards did in Hero decks (or even Fallen-Wizards in FW decks). Active RWs were almost too hard to pull off even in non-competitive games, let alone in competitive games, so usually you just had your RW squatting in a Darkhaven, boosting handsize and GI, tossing out Hoarmurath Unleashed to cancel. Akhorahil Malady is/was probably the only workable active RW deck.

Toqtamish said:

Ok i admit that my intetion was to act dramatically and this was an overstatement.

Those Nazguls had no honor in life nor in death and i think they will not have honor in a card game.

Gotta admit though, people root for the bad guy. After all who doesn't like Darth Vader.

Dam said:

Ah...the malady...happy memories :). Personally preferred the Balrog as avatar, invading the Blue Mountain Dwarfhold.