Mixed reviews? I was under the impression that most of the reviews were very positive.

You got it exactly, I believe the app will prompt you: I think they glow golden when ready for upgrade. 

Are you up to date on the cardpool? If so heres what i would consider 3 of the better 2 deck combos.  I'm sure theres plenty out there but these would be my favorite as of recently
 
Gandalf-Elrond-Glorfindel + Hobbits
 
Elladan-Elrohir-(insert tactics or leadership hero of choice here...but i'd suggest Sam or Legolas) + Spirit/Lore deck (Glorfindel, Elrond, Aragorn, Idraen, Haldir, Frodo all good choices here)
 
Celeborn-Legolas-Haldir (silvan theme) + Mono-spirit

I think the core players are going string. Sales in my store are drastically down, while netrunner is going through the roof. I can not get them in stock fast enough. This is the same as Call of Cthulhu and A Game of Thrones, as in they all sell, no issue.. just demand is lower and the important part, steady. So in my experience there is not a lot of new players, sure there are some, but not many.
As for the complexity, I am not sure I agree with it. The game is no more complex, well less in fact, than the majority of other LCGs. The thing is that as LoTRlcg is co-op it is in fact appealing to a slightly different type of gamer. It is really a "boardgame that uses cards".. more than a "card game" if you know what I mean and while the card synergies and complex timing issues are par the course for card gamers, boardgamers are used to streamlining and simplification. The complexity of card games is traditionally linked directly to the idea of "descovering" ways to connect the complex rulings to make interesting decks to beat the other. This is a fundamentally different type of gaming to boardgamers.
Also the speed that the player pool expands is a bad thing for new players. It is ok for us when a new quest comes out like HoN. We have the card pool to play it. Imagine a new player getting 1 core and then grabbing the latest expansion. They would have zero chance of really doing anything. Then when they go to exp0and the game they realize that at 8 cards per pack they have 100s of bucks of packs to buy to build a pool that is capable of playing the quests with a decent win ratio. That is assuming the packs are in print at the time they want to buy, which is a problem that gets larger as time gos buy.
I think that FFG made a mistake with the format for this game. While if it was different there would be a very different crowd on this form that there is now (as we obviously like the LCG format) but I think that if the game was sold as complete player decks, focused on theme and Tolkien's stories combined with very thematic quests like we see in the Saga Boxes. So a new player can just buy some decks he likes and some quests, maybe some deck building rules if you own enough of the themed deck.. Then this game would have hit a wider audience.
@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r I think you should keep at it. The game is defiantly worth it and fosters are very loyal fan base. Apart from a few people (arguably myself included) the forum is a very encouraging place. If you have any issues just post, you will get a ton of replies. While yes the game is a little fiddly, it is logical (to a point, there are always exceptions) and this logic will soon become second nature. If you like the theme and the art I would suggest playing solo for a while. Play in Lackey or OCTGN and get used to the game with out the outlay in a solo environment, before running a game with your wife.

Tried this one YET again last night.
 
My guys quested for 21 and kept almost all their resources (and I had 2 A Test of Wills in hand) (and Gandalf Destroyed a Druadan Elite as he sneaked in for the quest)
 
However after some prowls removed 9-11 resources I was bereft. Between the locations and enemies revealed the Druadan were at 36 Threat, and 34 archery.
 
I resigned.
 
If FFG DO read these, Guys let me playtest 4 player for you   MY GOD  you need someone to!!!!!

Glaurung  If you have the room you can do it yourself.  To tinker my decks to being ready to hand to people, I play 4 Player Solo. Take up the dining room table  

Yes you die by the second round most times.  I got to the third round once and thought I was a hero....wrote  a thread on it way back when
 
It was extremely apparent that the whole heirs of Numenor cycle (including the deluxe base) were not play tested for 4 players at all
 
Glaurung,
 
Some advice my mate!
 
When you don't KNOW, don't speak
 
You look much more intelligent that way. And that advice my friend works in all languages

My frustration isn't with just Battle/Siege with HoN. My frustration is with the combination of much harder creeps, mechanics that make fighting in general more difficult in Battle/Siege, and Treachery cards that don't scale well to 3 and 4 player games. In a vacuum ( just the 3 HoN quests) it is extremely fun. If you are trying to play an entire "campaign" HoN doesn't play well with other expansions. Balanced decks can beat Stone of Erech pretty consistently even with Spectral. I can't say the same for HoN.

The group I play with run 3-4 players almost exclusively. We find that the quests become very challenging and enjoy the teamwork needed to win each game. Lately we've been running mono-decks with each player running one of the spheres. Honestly the mono decks are very powerful especially in a 4 player game as all tools needed to win are included in someone's deck.

I wonder how many people are playing with 4 players? In this forum, I see the majority of players are solo (or playing with two hands), some people play on two, a handful of the three players, but honestly rarely met someone wrote that playing on 4 players.
I wonder if this is due to a problem find four people (though I doubt it), or time that must have to spend on this type of game, or the level of difficulty - although the real challenge met so far with the above-mentioned four scenarios?

Against the... spirit in deed!

One of the most rewarding aspects of playing mono-sphere is Master's Malice. It may still sometimes kill an envoy or watchman but in general it has turned from one of the most dreaded to the very most welcomed encounter cards.

Yay, finally all the lurking paid off XD.
You probably read that in Unfinished Tales, apparantly that one is the master stone among the Palantiri of Gondor.
 
A question in honour of new Delux expansion we are going to get:
What was Saruman's (later proved to be) fatal strategical mistake on his invasion of Rohan?
And which two Rohirrims contributed to it?
 
Edit: Not counting disregard for Ents.

Tracker1 said:
For 3-4 player games my play group could not beat it unti we tried it one easy mode.  We had a victory then, but it was still tough.  Remember that Blocking Wargs was errated, so that it does not shuffle back into the encounter deck, not sure if you knew that, but even then it is tough.
We managed a few 2 player games, and solo I have a number of wins.  IMO, I think it's one of the toughest quests in the game, but I'm sure player cards in the future will cahnge this.  I'd say difficulty 10 for Three or more players and , difficulty 7 for solo to Two player on standard mode.
Do you really think they are going to nightmare mode this?  What could they do?  Maybe, they will be asking us to physically destroy cards at that point. Treachery:  Hero cards committed to the quest are removed form the game and burnt.   It would be a way for them to increase sales at least.
 
 

This is going to be the BEST nightmare deck conversion.  I can't wait to cry.

For 3-4 player games my play group could not beat it unti we tried it one easy mode.  We had a victory then, but it was still tough.  Remember that Blocking Wargs was errated, so that it does not shuffle back into the encounter deck, not sure if you knew that, but even then it is tough.
We managed a few 2 player games, and solo I have a number of wins.  IMO, I think it's one of the toughest quests in the game, but I'm sure player cards in the future will cahnge this.  I'd say difficulty 10 for Three or more players and , difficulty 7 for solo to Two player on standard mode.
Do you really think they are going to nightmare mode this?  What could they do?  Maybe, they will be asking us to physically destroy cards at that point. Treachery:  Hero cards committed to the quest are removed form the game and burnt.   It would be a way for them to increase sales at least.
 
 

The scenario is yet another reason that A Test of Will is the most important card in the game. Any deck I make that I want to beat multiple quests will use 3x A Test of Will and at least 2x Will of the West (to allow me to recur A Test of Will, among other cards). Until another sphere gains reliable methods to cancel scenario-breaking Treachery cards, any deck I run will have at least 1 Spirit hero, Song of Travel, or Aragorn plus Celebrian's Stone.
That said… If you learn which treacheries are likely to hit you, the scenario's not that hard if you have A Test of Will and can soak the early pressure (I like Frodo for that bit).

So my buddy got back from Gen Con with Black Riders. He was volunteering the entire time so he didn't have time to sit down and play through the new scenarios while he was there, thus it was the first time for all three of us when we sat down to enjoy a nice evening of Lotr Lcg ... in the middle of the week.... at 9 o'clock.
 
 
So after debating extensively about what decks we were using we got started and promptly died quickly twice in a row. Good time. Gave us a taste for the quest. So we paused, modified 2 decks, and proceeded to really give the 2nd Blackriders quest one more run for its money before going to bed to get ready for work in the morning.
 
Two and a half + hours later.... We finally won! 
What an epic quest... SUPER COOL and I am suuuuuper tired today.

EDIT: Never mind

This thread should stay active for months I hope.  Good fun !

Yeah, well said. Thanks to you both, guys.
 
As for the game, I've had success with it in a mono-Spirit of Eleanor, Glorfindel, Éowyn. It is not a secrecy deck, so staying at or below 20 is not as important as knowing what's coming, and especially the extra card-draw (as that can be a problem in mono-Spirit, I run no cards of other spheres in there). As claimed, solo is perhaps best for the safety and certainty of card draw, risking in coop (2-player) can still be hugely rewarding as this is perhaps the only "permanent" way of scouting all incoming cards. I am a great fan of Risk Some Light (and cannot wait to use it in my upcoming Hobbit deck) but as I now otherwise play mono-spheres only, it has no place there.
 
Back to you, Rich, just one note about technology as you mention it with Palantír, it ironic (if that's the proper word here) that Saruman's downfall was partly due to this ancient "technology", Saruman was a great smith of Aule, yet he became trapped by one of these ancient tools. Though more iconic is of course the way his downfall was performed (by the forces of nature).

Couldn't see it Karagh.  Says file link not valid  

You are correct, Ileimmoen. The word that Tolkien used was "hewed", but I always chose to interpret that as "took a big chunk of demon flesh out of" because it makes the battle that much more epic. I really hope that FFG can one day secure the licensing rights to the First Age (Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Children of Hurin) stories as they are some of my absolute favorites.

I think it is better to let Dori die occassionaly - and recycle him with another copy or Stand and Fight. Lore and Spirit does feel good for Beorn, I think Bifur, Frodo, Beorn could work, starting threat only 26 and Dori playable on round 2. More so, you shouldn't need to use Dori's effect too many times, and only after you have run out of recycling him, you can try to boost him with the Boots and Mail - and both fit the deck nicely for either Frodo or Bifur. The best thing about it, as I tried to express in my Good Stats thread is that you shouldn't need any of these very early.

most of my day is equations.....i prefer this game to be an escape  from that. interestingly i also try not to think too hard at all about this game, hence i lose a lot! this isnt through lack of experience in strategy gaming, but more that for me personally, thinking too much takes away from the game
 
my deck building is usually 'thats a nice card, i guess i'll put that in'.....and no, it doesnt really work haha
rich

Well you may still be correct but with a mulligan you shuffle those original cards back into the deck, shuffle, then draw 6 more. So I think that second line of multiplication may be wrong.  But thanks for bringing me back to College 400 level Stats, haha