So what, you want to have a 3 attack Rosie Cotton? The developers respect Tolkien. They'll create and add new characters to the game that adapt his works to more modern times, which is great, but they will not change already established characters. Tolkien wrote Rosie as a secondary supporting character much like most female characters in LOTR. He also designed the orcs to be evil and irredeemable by nature. Likewise, he created royal characters that are superior by natural and divine law to lesser men, because that's what he legitimately believed in. Hence, a game that is based on such works will transmit some of Tolkien's original discourse. Deal with it. It's like being a devout Catholic and complaining that a game based on Eastern cultures like L5R is too biased or too inspired by Eastern and Buddhist philosophy. It kinda comes with the territory.

Is this even unironic?

Also this: http://imgur.com/iA3sG5L

Looks like quite a few (for a LOTR LCG expansion) secondary Hobbits in this box. I think a Scouring of the Shire scenario somewhere is pretty much guaranteed. I mean, giving us Tom Cotton who only was important during the Scouring and not giving us Scouring would be a huge bummer. Still, I'm really hyped for Rosie and Tom Cotton. I'm also excited for that "Captains of the West" event or at least that's how I read it (with beautiful art depicting the Gondor, Rohan and Dol Amroth banners blowing). If mono Leadership Gondor wants it, I'll be really happy. As always, I'm really curious about that neutral attachment. I get the feeling this box might contain a lot of state-of-the-game changing cards (I hope so anyway), especially if that card which looks like it might be related to Secrecy judging by the art brings Secrecy to a whole new level. Or maybe it's a generic courage themed card and works in all decks. Either way, I'm excited for the player cards in this box. Also, am I the only one who thinks those Snaga look pretty darn big? Power creep anyone?

Don't even get me started on those. Heck, the very back of every encounter card is pure Jackson. The Eye of Sauron is never described as this literal wall of fire originating from a slit in the middle. It's described as an actual, glassy cat-like eye surrounded by flame, not made up of it. Sadly there's lots of these movie references, but I still insist based on just the Core set that the game was intended, at least in theory, to give a different experience from the movies.

I had a kinda long discussion about this on COTR's Discord channel. In short, I am aware that Howe's work predates the movies (it was even used in MECCG, years before the movies as well). BUT, as soon as Howe's depictions of Middle Earth were used for the movies, they became inseparable to the mainstream eye and soon his Middle Earth designs became the common image everyone thinks of when thinking of LOTR, i.e. when people think LOTR, they think the movies and thus Howe's designs. Now, his designs are great, but they are now way too attached to the movie phenomenon. Meanwhile, and after the death of LOTR TCG, you can see how FFG initially tried to make a new LOTR game that offered a new and fresh perspective of LOTR different from the movies (the prime example being Legolas hero being changed from having blonde hair to dark hair). When referred to the likeness of some Hobbit heroes to their actors in the movies during an interview, Caleb Grace explicitly said that they understand the movies as being a different product than the books, which I interpret as, the LCG being based on the books, presumably it should look for the most part different from the movies. Now, there's the argument that some elements in the LCG look like the movies in order to attract more public only familiar with them, which is somewhat understandable. Also, many of the artists working in the game will have the movies as their biggest reference, as well. My issue is with the fact that the premise of the game was to give a new, book-inspired Middle Earth experience, with obscure characters and places completely absent from the movies, and stuff looking as it looks like in the movie is really distracting and removes me from that experience.

Wow, the art on The Black Gate is, like, straight out of the movies. Like, there's not even a sign of trying to cover it up. It's pure John Howe "fin-like" Mordor designs. I don't like it. I could give this absurd ridiculousness a pass, but this is just shameful. I thought this game was supposed to intentionally deviate from the movies? Who the **** is the art director for this game and why does she/he blatantly steal from New Line Cinema?

Wow, this takes me back...

As someone who actually uses the boxes for stuff, I am totally fine with the change. The problem I have with the normal deluxe boxes is that the "canvased" surface is very delicate and will scrap off very easily, which makes it hard to convert the boxes into something else. The new boxes have regular semi-glossy texture which will not scrape off, and on top of that are thinner so it's easier to cut them up and do something with them.

As well as the other remaining one in Emyn Beraid or the Tower Hills, under the care of Círdan.

We pretty much do.

I'd bet we will get Thranduil in the next deluxe/cycle, with it being set at least partly in Dale, it fits to see Mirkwood in the Northern Rhovanion cycle. As for me, I'd love to see hero Saruman, hero Radagast, and non-generic Palantiri.

Pocketwraith, you're right, I got confused. Still, I'm not sure how viable the whole staging area attack thing is in solo without running Fastred (my ideal thematic Rohan lineup is Eowyn, Theoden and Eomer), though I am open to trying him in the deck, as long as I get Guthwine on him ASAP, the real gem here for the classic Rohan deck.

Speaking from the solo player persepctive and thinking of the classic Rohan swarm archetype, I'm not sure I like Éomer that much. I mean, Gúthwine is just perfect for this archetype, but in terms of Éomer I'm not sure how good he'll be in solo. With high starting threat heroes like himself, there just won't be too many enemies leftover from the previous round in the staging area, barring Fastred/Terrible to Behold type shenanigans. In solo, I just don't know if I'll use his ability often, much like all the staging area attack stuff like Battle Fury and Forth Eorlingas, both of which are pretty much binder fodder for the solo player. Hoping I'm wrong though, I really like the theme and art on this card.

You missed Southron Refugee.