CarolinaCon Newsletter V1N1 - MeCCG.net · Rolemaster products and help-ing production… damn...

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Table of Contents

Intro 1Focus On: 1Contact Info 2Article Submission 3Survey Question 4Ponderances 5Featured Artist 6Card Review 7Deck Tip 9Tournament Info 12National Rankings 14Letters 5Final Word 16

Hi there and welcome tomy newsletter! First of all, Iwould like to thank everyonefor supporting me, and forsubmitting your ideas. Hope-fully I can manage to give eachof you a healthy dose of infor-mation and some entertain-ment as well.

In this, my inaugural issue,I have lots in store. Thisnewsletter will deal strictlywith Iron Crown Enterprises'Middle Earth Collectable CardGame (henceforth referred toas MECCG). I will detailbriefly each of the columnsincluded:

The Introduction is whatyou are reading now, and willnot be in any more issues. Itwill henceforth be known infurther issues as Letters fromthe Guard House.

The Focus On: columnwill detail something specialeach week, whether it's aninterview with an industryperson or a local player, orperhaps a detailed look at anyparticular aspect of MECCG.

The Ponderance of theWeek is my chance to thinkout loud on a particular ques-tion, usually something that'sbeen bothering me lately.

The Deck Tip is strictlythat, tips and tricks of bothcasual and competitive play ofMECCG from the experts.

Featured Artist is a col-umn that will feature a certainartist by displaying and re-viewing examples of his or herwork and a brief interview.

The Question of the Weekwill be a survey question put toeveryone to respond to, andwill also show the results ofthe previous question.

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James Kight

Welcome to Focus On.This week I interviewed MikeReynolds of Iron Crown Enter-prises (ICE), makers ofMECCG, and I asked himsome general questions aboutMECCG and Iron Crown.

CRMN: When did you startwith Iron Crown?

Mike: December 1993 doinghourly proofreading and paste-up.

CRMN: How did you getyour job with ICE and whatare your job duties?

Mike: Myself and three otherguys started a gaming conven-tion in the central Virginiaarea called PrezCon. I knewtwo of my compatriots fromthe local boardgaming club.The fourth guy, John Curtis,joined us as the roleplaying

director. He worked as thehead of production for the lo-cal gaming company IronCrown Enterprises (ICE).Eventually, John learned Iproofread for a local law pub-lisher, and asked if I wantedhourly work proofreadingRolemaster products and help-ing production… damnstraight, I did!

The invitation from Johnwas the most important step.It was the luck needed to landthis dream job. From that


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I will also keep my eye out for anyartists I see there, and see if I canmanage a short interview with any ofthem.

Thanks again for tuning in, and I hopeyou thoroughly enjoy this inauguralissue!

James KightCrown Guard, NC Piedmont Area

my personal opinions, are subject tochange, and do not reflect the ideas oropinions of Iron Crown Enterprisesand/or their employees. Don't sweat it.

While I have written most of thearticles in this issue, and probably willfor the bulk of all the issues, I willgladly accept submissions if anyonehas an idea or column they'd like toshare. Further in this issue you willfind the submission guidelines.

For the second issue, I will havejust returned from Origins in Ohio andwill fill all of you in on all the happen-ings at the convention! I will be takingmy digital camera, so expect lots ofcool pictures of furious action from theshow!

Expected demos at Origins are El-rond's House - a new Middle Earthboards game, Orcs & Trolls - a fixedset card game where you play, natu-rally, as either an orc or a troll, andmore. I am also eager to see the newMiddle Earth Battle System. I got abrief glance of it at PrezCon this year,and I must say I was impressed! Thebest thing so far about the Battle Sys-tem is its ease of play. It plays a lotlike Silent Death, for those of you whohave played ICE's space combat game.

I should be meeting quite a few ofthe ICE employees at Origins, and Iwill do my best to get some insideinformation about MECCG straightfrom the source!

The Card Review will be a columndevoted to spotlighting a particularcard, either because of recent rulingsor the reviewers whim.

The Regional Tournament Infor-mation is, in my opinion, the mostimportant information in this newslet-ter, as it caters specifically to you, theplayer, especially those of you inMaryland, Virginia, and the Caroli-nas.

I have also included a spot for theLetters Page, in case I get any, and Iam currently taking suggestions forthe name of this column. The winnerwill r eceive credit and a random prizeI have lying about, most likely a fewrares.

And last, but not least, The FinalWord. In this section I will spout outmy opinions, and woe be unto those ofa sensitive nature. The ideas ex-pressed in the Final Word section are

(Continued from page 1)

If you are interested in contacting me:

James Kight240 Longwood DriveWinston-Salem, NC 27104

[email protected]

This issue was written and printed the week ofJune 27, 1998.

There is an online version of this newsletter here:http://mindspring.com/~jameskight

Thanks for tuning in!

For those of you who might be interested, thisentire issue was designed and written using Mi-crosoft Publisher 97 for Windows, and printed onan HP 5Si duplex printer.Times New Roman is the main font.

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Female nude scetch from Quinton Hoover,this issue’s Featured Artist!

© Quinton Hoover

Pixie Queen from Magic: The Gathering Legends. This happens tobe my all-time favorite Quinton Hoover card art. ©1994 Wizards

of the Coast, Quinton Hoover

Kakita Toshimoko from Legend of the Five Rings,©1996 Quinton Hoover

(Legend of the Five Rings, © FRPG)

3

point on, I worked hard, kept my noseclean, and tried to present my point ofview when helpful to the company.Eventually ICE decided to produce theMiddle-earth Collectible Card Game,and it worked out that I co-developedwith Coleman Charlton his originaldesign. I then became the series editorand expansion co-designer.My base responsibility is writing thecard text. I translate the general con-cepts for cards from our 6 person de-sign team into card text. The designteam is a mix of Tolkien scholars andgame mechanics experts. I am alsoresponsible for: (a) communicatingwith playtesters, (b) developing cardtext through playtest iterations, (c)keeping a finger on the pulse of ourcustomers, (d) representing the mar-keting needs of the game, (e) writingarticles and scenarios for publication,and (f) overseeing the rulings/errataprocess.

Oh yeah, I sold my interest in Prez-Con after our first year, but I am gladto see the convention growing everyyear since.

CRMN: How did you get involvedwith MECCG?

Mike: ICE has had the hobby gaminglicense for Tolkien products for years.The decision by ICE to produce a col-lectible card game based on Middle-earth was obvious. I had already en-joyed a rather intense exposure toMagic: The Gathering, so developinga Middle-earth ccg was a natural nextstep to attempt.


CRMN: What were some of the ideasabout MECCG that were present fromthe beginning?

Mike: Characters and companies, the5 Wizards as figureheads, two playerscompeting in parallel rather than asgood guy/bad guy, sites and regions.

CRMN: Were there any ideas thatnever made it past the editing process?

Mike: Oh yeah. Originally, each turna company moved one region. After afew turns, that company would reachtheir site. The first playtest game evertook 8 hours.

CRMN: How much freedom does theTolkien estate lend to ICE in the de-sign of MECCG?

Mike: A good amount.

CRMN: How does ICE determine acard's uses and abilities?

Mike: Usually, a card is conceived offrom a simulation point of view by ourdesign team, then we make a mechanicthat gets across this inspiration.

Sometimes we start with a perceivedmechanical necessity and try to findsomething in Tolkien for its cardname and art concept—for example,Promptings of Wisdom and PiercingAll Shadow from MEWH.

CRMN: Briefly go through an exam-ple card from design to printing...

Mike: We knew we wanted a cardfor Strider. Initially, we thought itwould be trés cool to develop him as a“good” agent. However, we developedthe opinion that our customers do notwant complicated rules additions. Wealso did not want to develop an entiretheme of good agents, which would beneeded to justify a hefty amount of textin rules insert. Thusly, for Middle-earth: The Balrog, we present Strideras a character manifestation ofAragorn II. Here is his initial text:

Strider Warrior/Scout/Ranger Dúnadan[MPs: 3, Mind: 8; DI: 2, Pr: 6; B: 9;Home Site: Bree]Unique. Manifestation of Aragorn II. You maybring Aragorn II into play with Strider’s company,removing Strider from the game and automati-cally transferring all cards on Strider to AragornII. +3 direct influence against the Rangers of theNorth faction. Strider may use Athelas as thoughhe were Aragorn II, and need not tap to do so.

I thought the Athelas thing was prettycool, but nobody else except CliffYanhke did. Eventually Coleman satme down and said a “Mistress Lo-belia” effect was better. He held meand wiped my tears, and the veils ofconfusion lifted. Here is the final text:


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"The original Balrog ofMoria, Shelob and

Morannon should havebeen much strongercards...and cooler."

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Have an idea for an article? Is theresomeone you would like me tointerview? Have a gripe that youwould like to voice? Send me a letter!Put your ideas down and let me knowwhat you think of the issue, what you

would like to see, what you would likeme to change, or anything else that'son your mind. If you want to savetime, send me your article copy eithertyped single-spaced, or better yet,email it to me so I can put in the

newsletter that much quicker. Lordknows we all hate to type. Pleasemake sure your articles have a point,and that you get to it eventually.

[email protected]

4

Strider R Warrior/Scout/Ranger Dúnadan[MPs: 3, Mind: 8; DI: 2, Pr/B: 6/9;Home Site: Bree]Unique. Manifestation of Aragorn II. You maybring Aragorn II into play with Strider’s company,removing Strider from the game and automati-cally transferring all cards on Strider to AragornII. +3 direct influence against the Rangers of theNorth faction. Tap Strider to search your discardpile for any one item, ally, or faction playable athis current site - the site must be in Arthedain,Cardolan, Rhudaur, or The Shire.

(By the way, the R means it is a rare card.)

CRMN: There are some players whosay that not enough playtesting is donewith each expansion. How importantto design and production is playtest-ing, and how does it affect the finalproduct?

Mike: Playtesting is very important,and we playtest as much as we can.

CRMN: If someone were interestedin submitting a card idea, what advicewould you give them?

Mike: E-mail the idea to Craig“Ichabod” O’Brien at [email protected]. You must also in-clude a statement that you realize youwill r eceive no compensation and theidea becomes the property of ICE.Otherwise we cannot even read theidea.

CRMN: Is there a card that you thinkshould not have been printed?

Mike: We should never have printed

(Continued from page 3) Gandalf, this was a huge mistake…justkidding. Gift of Comprehensionserves no purpose. The original Balrogof Moria, Shelob, and Morannonshould have been much strongercards...and cooler.

CRMN: What is your favoriteMECCG set?

Mike: I like The Lidless Eye. I thinkit has great art for 417 cards, themechanics are balanced with respect toitself, and it feels…evil.

CRMN: How often do you playMECCG?

Mike: Once a week.

CRMN: What is the most memorablemoment you remember in a game ofMECCG that you were playing?

Mike: Watching James Kight killmy Durin’s Bane and a NamelessThing on the same turn. [Editors note:Eventually it was 2 NamelessThings...and I recall ending the gamewith no characters left on my side!]

CRMN: What is your favorite thingabout MECCG?

Mike: Killing my opponent’s char-acters with creatures. [See??]

CRMN: What are your thoughtsabout a MECCG tournament variationwith a 45/45 deck minimum?

Mike: Sounds cool, the story aspectthis format can yield can be great. Ofcourse, trying to make it a standard isbad on the principle we are trying tominimize new information MECCGplayers need to know and adjust to.

CRMN: Why do you think MECCG(among few others), has succeededwhere others have failed?

Mike: Great art, the Tolkien draw,and it is a real game—not just cardsquickly molded to fit a license.

CRMN: What future do you see forMECCG?

Mike: The Dwarf-lord expansion andElf-lord expansions.

CRMN: What do you see for thefuture of ICE?

Mike: Hard to say.

CRMN: What do you see for thefuture of Mike Reynolds?

Mike: No idea.

That's it! Thanks to Mike Reynoldsfor taking the time to answer my ques-tions and for giving us a look insidethe process of a CCG! If you havesomeone in mind you would like me tointerview in the future, feel free to letme know!

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6XUYH\ 4XHVWLRQ RI WKH :HHNEvery week I will pose a different question to you,the reader. This will serve as a survey to find outhow you folks feel about certain issues ofMECCG from the cards to the rules.

I will also tabulate the answers to each of thequestions and print the previous week’s questionhere so you can see how your fellow players feel

about the subject as well.

For my first question, I will ask you one of thequestions I asked Mike Reynolds:

What card from MECCG do you think shouldnever have been printed?

You can send your answers either online, or mailthem to me.

James Kight240 Longwood DriveWinston-Salem, NC 27104

[email protected]

5

curse that Magic: The Gatheringseems to fight every expansion. How-ever, we have seen our share of basicreprints, such as Lure of Nature,Doors of Night, Twilight, etc. Some ofthese are necessary, some of themaren't (like the "Lost in..." cards). Mysuggestion for ICE is to gather to-gether a listing of the cards most play-ers would like to see reprinted(including those with heavy errata),and re-release them in a new core set.

Granted, all of the booster boxeseven back to Limited are available tosome extent, but not necessarily tonew players. And, most of the oldprinted versions of the cards containpre-errata text on them. Sure, theremight be some players who wouldcomplain that a 2nd printing of anAssassin or Lidless Eye would lessenthe collector value, but in my experi-ence as a Magic: The Gatheringplayer, that is usually not the case.Reprints for the newer player, "blackborder" for the older players. I haveseen Beta Lightning Bolts go for $6-8easy, and yet Revised editions are stillas common as dirt.

The big argument is bound to bewhat cards should go into a 2nd Edi-tion. That could be argued at length.Some could argue to throw in the mostcommonly used rares like Assassin,while others (myself included) wouldmuch rather see a diverse reprinting ofcards from both alignments, eliminat-ing the "one alignment, one expan-sion" theme that has been fairly preva-lent (except for Against the Shadow).New sealed starter decks could be arandom assortment of both hero andminion decks.

When I demo MECCG, I have toconstantly remind myself that unless Iprovide the product myself, many ofthese interested players won't have a


deck. You either dealt with it the bestyou could or you got hosed. Since theprinting of Promptings of Wisdomfrom MEWH, that has changed quite abit.

The trick for designers is to hit thathappy medium between new ideas andstatus quo. How does a company ex-pand its ideas without making theolder ones obsolete? It isn't easy, Iassure you.

So how does a beginner enter thegame without feeling left behind? Un-like Magic: The Gathering, MECCGdoes not have a banned list, and all ofits sets are free for use in any game ordeck. On the average, Wizards of theCoast releases a stand-alone expansionand two to three supporting expansionsper year. Not including reprinting ofthe core sets in a 5th, 6th, or even 7thedition.

So far, MECCG has seen 1 base setwith an unlimited version and 2 sup-porting expansions, 1 stand alone with2 supporting expansions (for both sets,one devoted to Fallen-Wizards usingboth alignments as support). Nowherenear the number of sets so far fromWOTC (15 sets, not including reprintslike Beta, Unlimited, Chronicles, Re-vised, 4th Ed., 5th Ed., etc.)

The question is, are we due for atrue 2nd Edition? With the list of er-rata growing ever larger, the need forreprinting is becoming greater. Notjust another printing of the core set,mind you, but a new "base" set gather-ing many of the cards (from all avail-able expansions) that are in regular usein most decks; cards like MarvelsTold, Wormsbane, Assassin, LidlessEye, Mouth of Sauron, And Forth HeHastened, etc.

For the most part, except for theserious utility cards, we have managedto avoid the "same card, new name"

James Kight

Recently, a lot of suggestions havebeen posed about what ideas IronCrown Enterprises should use for fu-ture expansions for their MECCGproduct. Ideas such as a First Ageexpansion or even a war-game supple-ment for the various factions in Mid-dle Earth have been suggested.

It's not easy business trying to wrapan entire expansion around a centralidea or theme. Future sets like TheBalrog, Dwarf-Lords, and Elf-Lordscould be the answer. Perhaps it's eas-ier to wrap an idea around 120 cardsthan 150, or like Lidless Eye, 417.Small sets should allow ICE to sup-port a theme and allow them to ex-pand the game without breaking itwide open.

Personally, I don't mind new ideas,I think they enhance the game andcontinue to bring more and more ofTolkien's Middle Earth into a playablearena. Now that's not necessarily agood thing. Too many ideas can eas-ily confuse, especially considering thenumber of rules and errata alreadyfacing the new players.

There have been games that canintroduce rules without too much of ahitch. Magic: the Gathering comes tomind. With expanding ideas likerampage, flanking, shadow and phas-ing, you might think it would be toomuch for players to keep up with.And it is to some extent. Many of thecards printed before the newer onesbecome obsolete. Does that makethem stale? Not necessarily.

For the most part, I feel that suchnew rules give a new facet to the cardgame and forces people to break theirhabits and think of new ideas andcombinations that were not availablebefore. Used to be, there wasn't muchto be done with a well-tuned roadblock

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pleasure to see! Mark Poole, MellissaBenson. Jesper Myfors, who is toohard on his own work. [Mark]Tedin/[Anson]Maddocks who I can't reallyseparate, as they seem to be two parts

of one entity - both comeup with incredibly vividimagery... Fellow by thename of Allen Freeman--a parter in crime from mycomics ventures. I'mleaving people out allover the place, but you getthe idea...

Guys like Brom and Bizdo great work, but I consider them partof a different school, I guess.

CRMN: Who or what inspires you asyou paint?

Q: My influences are mostly oldercomics guys: Kaluta, Wrightson,Windsor-Smith. Wrightson was thefirst artist I could identify by style.Discovered Frazetta around the sametime as Conan, and I can only pray forthat kind of talent. Alphonse Mucha isa profound influence on me, and I firstdiscovered him, in of all places, a t-shirt shop. Still have the T-shirt after17 years... As for what inspires memost...well, the need to eat. This is oneof the few skills God saw fit to give me,so I'd best put it to good use.

CRMN: Do you haveany plans to publish yourwork in collected form?

Q: Not at present. Ihonestly don't feel mybody of work warrants it.

CRMN: What music ifany do you listen to as youwork?

Q: Classic rock or old, twangy country(Continued on page 7)

CRMN: What other type of art do youdo?

Q: Oh, the occasional landscape, por-trait, or animal painting.And the odd sculpture.Not much else I want to do-- I like my chosen genre.I also write a little, and I'mcurrently working on adark fantasy novel.

CRMN: What is yourfavorite piece of your ownwork?

Q: Tough call. It changes all thetime. Currently I am very fond of myforest pieces for Portal II, and most ofthe dragon pieces for Middle Earth.

CRMN: What otherartist(s) do you considerto be a real talent?

Q: Oh geez...that's veryhard to answer. I alwaysleave someone out... Ofmy contemporaries, I'mfond of most of the old-timer Magic artists. Rob

Alexander and Richard Kane-Ferguson leap to mind, as do DrewTucker and Rebecca Guay. BrianSnoddy. Chris Rush gets better all thetime. Doug Shuler's beenturning out very nicework. Harold Mc-Neal...vivid imagination.Therese Neilson intimi-dates the hell outta me --too talented. Tony Diterl-izzi is doing very goodwork, and I've been fortu-nate to develop a recentcorrespondence with him.Randy Gallegos -- whomI've collaborated with.Nicola Leonard creates some of themost beautiful jewelry I've had the

James Kight

Welcome to the Featured Artist sectionfor the CarolinaCon Regional MECCGNewsletter. Quinton Hoover is ourfirst Featured Artist, and I have in-cluded some examples of his work inthis article and throughout this issue.As witnessed by his body of work in thecollectable card game genre, Quintonremains a very busy man. I was luckyenough to get in touch with Quintonrecently, and I asked him a few ques-tions. Most of the things you might beinterested in finding our about Quintoncan be found at his web site, located at:http://www.members.aol.com/QHoover

CRMN: Give us a brief background ofyour beginnings...

Q: I was born in Col-orado in 1964 (whichtranslates into "I know ex-actly where I was whenKennedy was shot -- kick-ing the hell outta Momfrom the inside..." ). Icurrently reside in ruralEastern Oregon with mywife, four kids, five catsand idiot dog. I've beenworking as a professional artist for alittle over a decade, and have beenmaking a living at it for about fiveyears. Self-taught -- I hated art classes.I wandered into Magic after beingturned down by Dark Horse Comics atNorwescon, and have been workingsteadily in the game market since, withthe occasional comics project tossed infor good measure.

CRMN: How did you get started infantasy art?

Met up with Conan the Barbarian atfourteen. I always drew, but I had nodirection until then. That's when itfinally REALLY sunk into my brainthat real people drew comic books...

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Snaga - Quinton’s collaboration with RandyGallegos from The Lidless Eye release.

©1997 Iron Crown Enterprises

Cave Worm by Quinton Hoover - fromMiddle Earth: The Dragons


Fallen Radagast by Quinton Hoover fromMiddle Earth: The White Hand. ©1998 Iron

Crown Enterprises

7

tanini, Rob Alexander, ChristinaWald, Donato Giancola, Tom Nai-smith, John Howe and many others!

Stay tuned!

pened in my career almost happenedby accident. Meet dead-lines. I don't, so I'mdamned fortunate to beemployed....

My sincere thanks toQuinton for taking thetime out of his busyschedule to respond to myquestions. Feel free tocheck out all the other

Quinton Hoover art that you seethroughout this issue. Expect to besurprised as the Featured Artist sectioncontinues next issue!

Artists lined up for future issues in-clude: Liz Danforth, Angelo Mon-

for the most part. Enya.Queen, Billy Joel, MeatLoaf, Paul Simon, RandyNewman, Warren Zevon,Loudon Wainright andthe Beatles on the rockside; Waylon Jennings,Willie Nelson, JohnnyCash on the country.

CRMN: What suggestionwould you give to a budding artist whohas an interest in entering the field?

Q: Prepare to starve? Smile and noda lot? Take it like a man or woman?I dunno--I'm the wrong guy to offeradvice. Every decent thing that hap-


1. Use it to mess with a ring deck.(Duh.) This is the original intent ofthe card, and it can really hurt a playernot prepared to discard a gold ringitem from his hand. Ring decks do notcomprise a high percentage of decks,however, so don't be surprised if youdon't get many opportunities to flushyour opponent's rings down the crap-per.

2. Play it before a nasty creature to seewhat kind (if any) of cancellers orcombat enhancers your opponent isholding. You can then use yourknowledge of his hand to play yourremaining hazards in a sequence thatwill give maximum effect.

3. You will get to see any resource (orhazard) combos your opponent is set-ting up. If he has resources such asfactions or allies that must be playedat specific sites, move your agents tothose sites ASAP, or start holdingcreatures keyable to those sites.


2. Playing this card opens you up to a-2 MP whammy from Will Shaken (acard that is currently seeing very littleaction).

On the plus side, this is one of only twohazards I know that lets you look at

cards in your opponent'shand. (I'll give you a hintas to the identity of theother hazard card - it isa non-unique 5-prowesscreature from The Wiz-ards keyable to seven re-gion and site types thatreveals a card from youropponent's hand for eachcharacter in the defend-ing company. Unfortu-nately, THAT card al-most guarantees a freeMP to your opponent in

exchange for its scrying ability, and italmost NEVER lets you see his entirehand.)

Here are some (but by no means all) ofthe ways to make good use of RolledDown to the Sea:

Spencer Carney

Rolled Down to the SeaMEWH Hazard Short-EventUnique. Opponent must discard aring item from his hand or from one ofhis companies if available. If no ringsare available as such, hemust reveal his hand toyou.

At first glance, the use-fulness of this card seemsto be limited to playagainst ring decks. Readit again, and you will seethat it has a great sec-ondary effect - revealingyour opponent's entirehand - if it doesn't force aring discard!

I can see only two real reasons thiscard would NOT belong in every deck:

1. It occupies a hazard slot that mightbe needed for cards that enhance aprimary strategy.

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A sneak preview of one of the new Balrog illustrations byQuinton Hoover for Middle Earth: The Balrog!


Hiding by Quinton Hoover - from MiddleEarth: The Wizards


8

solid grasp of exactly how many cardsare available to them for use in theirdecks. For the time being, SealedDeck tournaments and Single Align-ment tournaments allow us to easethese new players into the game with-out forcing them to grasp both sides atonce.

From what I can guess, the newLord of the Rings Card Game (a.k.a.MECCG Lite) will take greater stepsin that direction. I've always felt thatteaching with a story makes for amuch more enjoyable experience forall parties involved.

Really though, it's not just a case ofexperienced players needing morecards, but giving newer players theopportunity to get ahold of cards thatare for the most part no longer readilyavailable, and without new players,and new ideas, this game will gonowhere fast.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT:

There have been discussions abouthow to release the next expansions.ICE has recently been considering re-leasing new sets available in twoChallenge decks, each with half of theset, but with a total of 132 cards apiece(obviously there is some duplication asthe entire set is only 120 cards). Each

(Continued from page 5) deck would be available for $19.95. Iam confused as to why the change thisclose to the release date, but I guessthat means the release date for TheBalrog is going to be pushed back evenfurther.

Their reasoning behind this moveis to make MECCG more available toeveryone, from collectors to players,and to reduce the price of putting to-gether sets either for collecting or forplay. A full set would now be availablefor about $40, and a play set for aboutanother $120. By now you realize thatthis would mean the end of rares as weknow it, and would make the collect-ing part of MECCG useless. Mythoughts are that MECCG should re-main as it started, a collectable cardgame.

This hotly debated issue makes mypoint in this article all the more rele-vant. If ICE is concerned about newplayers being able to enter the gamefairly unfettered by the burden by pastcard availability, then they should re-lease a 2nd edition of MECCG andthrow in all those cards from pastexpansions that we think should bereprinted. New sets would continue tobe released in booster packs, and thewhole world would live happily everafter. Unfortunately, I think the deci-sion has already been made.

How will this affect the newplayer? Well, if they only release thefactory sets, play sets will become amatter of buying a few decks, andcommons will be worth the same asrares. Will there be rares anymore?

Something to consider.

4. It will let you see what kind oflow-playability hazards your opponentis holding (a nasty triple-WildernessWere-Worm or a double-ShadowlandWild Fell Beast, perhaps) waiting tohit you with. Now you know what toexpect!

A final note: If your game has gottento a point where you aren't concerned

(Continued from page 7) with forcing your opponent to discarda ring or with looking at his hand,you're probably just looking to cycleyour deck and call the council. RolledDown to the Sea can help you outthere, too - it has no playability restric-tions (your opponent does not have toactually have a ring in play, Doors ofNight does not need to be in play, etc.),so it will never clog you hand!

All in all, a very nice card.[Editors Note: It's interesting to me tosee how ICE often draws the linebetween playable and flat out broken.While some people would considerthis card broken, even with it beingunique, I would ask - who needs thiscard that much? One is plenty. To seea really obnoxiously broken card, referto Ivory Gargoyle from Magic: TheGathering.]

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Archangel (full version) by Quinton Hoover for Portal fromMagic: The Gathering.

©1997 Wizards of the Coast

9

James Kight

One of the more common mistakesnew players make is trying to build adeck that does everything. Sometimestheir deck weighs in around 50/50 or60/60. Don't laugh, we have all atleast considered it at one time or an-other. There is nothing wrong withtrying to do everything in one deck,but it certainly isn't going to be verycompetitive. Why? Well, the morecards you have in your deck, the lesschance you have of drawing the cardsyou need when you need them.[Editor's note: I will leave it to thestatistical experts to calculate the ex-act numbers. Suffice to say that thefollowing theorum is true: Thegreater the number of cards you havein your deck in relation to the cardsyou have earmarked as critical, theless chance you will have of drawingthose cards when you really needthem.]

Each time you add a card to yourdeck, you are increasing your decksize by at least 2. The requirementsfor deck ratios mandate that the num-ber of hazards and resources are al-ways equal. As one side increases, sodoes the other., so adding 5 hazardsreally has an impact on your deck size.

By far the hardest decision for meas a player in constructing my decks islimiting my hazards. I always think ofway too many cool things with whichto pound and/or hose my opponent,and as a result I frequently find myselfwith upwards of 40 to 45 hazards.What do I take out!!?? I'd be willingto bet we have all been there before.

There are some simple basics toremember as well as some simplequestions to ask yourself when you aretrying to hone your hazards:

You don't always need 3 of ev-erything: Many times the cards you

put in are simply going to fall flat.Either your opponent just doesn't go tothe areas where your hazards areplayable, or he is completely preparedfor the cards you play. In that case,three copies of a useless card is threetimes as bad. Most of the time packingthree Assassins is good insurance, butsometimes two or even one is just aseffective. One of the factors that limitsyour hazard play is the hazard limitthat you are currently allowed, whichon the average, is about three. Do youalways have three Assassins at theright time? Not usually. And youmight only get one chance to play thatAssassin, so for the rest of the gamethe other two are dead weight. Plus,with the high number of cards thatallow you to recycle hazards, playingthree of any hazard can be overkillunless your opponent is more thanhappy to oblige by staying in one area.

You can't possibly cover the en-tire spectrum of possibilities and re-main effective: As much as trying tohave three of every card can be detri-mental, so can trying to use one ofeverything. I've very rarely seen anopponent try to cover the entire mapplaying resources and remain effective.Don't try to cover the whole map "justin case my opponent happens to gothere." That is what your sideboard isfor (see "Sideboarding" below).

Unfortunately, with most of thegames you play (unless you know youropponent well enough), the hazardstrategy you have is going to be aguessing game. Is my opponent goingto go to the areas I have covered, or ishe going to avoid those areas (muchlike the old Coastal Strategy)? Fortu-nately, there are some basic strategiesthat can cover a majority of areas.

Think about a focus point: Try tocenter your hazards around playabilityand power. Most of the time a hazard

is a tradeoff between the two. Giveyour deck a central theme, then buildaround it without strangling yourselfwith useless utility cards that moreoften than not get in the way.

I'll use the ever-popular man haz-ard strategy as an example. With sucha strategy, cards like Rank Upon Rankare good for a number of reasons.First of all, it affects all of your manhazards, not just one. Secondly, it's apermanent-event, not a long-event,and will stay in play until it is eitherremoved via cards such as Marvel'sTold, or a man hazard is defeated. Forthe actual creature hazards, there is awhole plethora of men to choose from,whether it be an Abductor, a Thief, anAssassin or even some Brigands. Tryto pay very close attention to whatthese creatures are keyable to, not justtheir power. It doesn't do any good tohave a really nasty Assassin if youropponent never goes to a border- orfree-hold.

As you look at the different menhazards, you will notice that most ofthem with the exception of Assassinhave only one attack (Slayer does notcount). That means that there are anynumber of cancellation cards that canwork against them. That's why Assas-sin is such a popular hazard. Not onlyis the prowess fairly high, and you canchoose who you go after, but it usuallytakes more than one cancellation ef-fect to get rid of an Assassin.

Unfortunately, there weren't thatmany areas that men could attack.Now, creatures like Brigands, Pirates,Corsairs and Dunlending Raiders canallow you to fill a few of those gaps.For the most part, however, these arespecialty versions of the men strategy,and might do better in the sideboard.

When I look at the different crea-(Continued on page 10)

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10

tures, I try to maintain a good balancebetween those hazards that are verybalanced and those cards that haveserious power. Even though I like theability of an Abductor, my first choicewould be an Ambusher. They are bothplayable in the same areas, and theyboth have the same prowess. Unen-hanced, Abductor only has one strike,Ambusher has two, and Ambusherallows me to choose who gets thestrikes. It really depends on what youare trying to accomplish.

Another good example is the com-parison between Lawless Men andAmbusher. Again, Ambusher has twostrikes at 10, playable in Borderlandsand Borderholds, and gives the abilityto choose who gets the strikes. Law-less Men is 2 strikes at 9, and isplayable in Borderlands, Wildernessand Shadowlands. Which is better? Itdepends on the situation. On thesurface, Ambusher would appear to bethe better card, but Lawless Men willprobably be playable more often. Am-busher is playable in 5 of 52 regions(9%) and at 20 of 101 possible sites, orjust under 20%. Lawless men isplayable in 31 of 52 regions, or justunder 60%.

Play to your hazards strengths, anddevelop a focus point. Don't clog yourstrategy with every possible enhancer,but do put in the ones that are going to

(Continued from page 9) be the most effective most often.

Try two half-strategies instead ofone big strategy: If you think yourparticular strategy is not strong enoughto warrant its own full strategy, don'thesitate to team it up with anotherfunctional strategy to fill in the gaps.One of the most powerful combina-tions I have had the displeasure ofplaying against was the infamous man/dragon strategy. Half-men, half-dragon. It sounds nasty, and it is. Andperhaps not as difficult as you maythink!

Decide which of the two you wantto be your main focus, and use theother to fill in the holes. Using ourearlier men hazard example, you coulduse three Ambushers, three LawlessMen, other miscellaneous men as youlike, and then start looking at the areasin which you are lacking. Need to hitthose Ruins & Lairs? A few cave-drakes always do well. This is thesite/region half-strategy. One half cov-ers one set of specific sites and regiontypes, and the other half covers most ofthe blanks.

Another way to approach the half-strategy is to focus on areas of the mapinstead of specific region types. Whilethis approach uses creatures that are alittle less playable, it makes up for itwith prowess. A Cave-worm can at-tack only specific areas of the map, but

it packs a hell of a punch with a 16prowess, and is worth only 1 MP be-sides. This version of the half-strategywould include cards like Corsairs ofUmbar, Dunlending Raiders, Cave-Worm, Ice-Drake, True-Cold Drake,etc.

The other half of the strategydoesn't always have to consist of crea-tures, however. Corruption is one ofthe most useful and flexible of thehalf-strategies, and can even serve asa full blown strategy will little or noeffort. In this example, you would useyour men hazards to cover the border-holds and free-holds (where, forheroes, most of the allies and factionsare played), and use your corruptionwhen your opponent travels to theRuins & Lairs and Shadow- and Dark-Holds to get his items.

The reason why creatures will al-ways factor into your strategy is thetwelve-creature minimum required inall tournament-legal decks, so yourbest bet is to focus in on the ones youchoose and enhance them somewhat,or ignore them completely and onlygive them the 12 spaces they take up.Oddly enough, a hero player can usean agent strategy like a chameleon.Your agents can count towards yourcreatures as well, but only half peragent.


Do you enjoy the beach? Do you like playingMiddle Earth? Wouldn’t it be great to combinethe two? Well now you can!

BeachCon ‘98 combines the best of both world asDaddy Jim’s Comics hosts BeachCon ‘98 inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina!

To be held at the Landmark Hotel in MyrtleBeach, BeachCon ‘98 promises to be a greatevent! From August 21st to August 23rd, playersfrom all over will converge for MECCG, Magic:The Gathering, Highlander, Legend of the FiveRings, and other collectable card games.

August 21st will be for Middle Earth demos and aChallenge deck Tournament.

August 22nd is Daddy Jim’s 4 slot Magic qualifier(Rath-Cycle Limited format) for Pro-TourChicago.

August 23rd will be for two more Middle EarthTournaments, a 2-deck General OpponentTournament and a Lidless Eye Sealed Decktournament.Call the Landmark Hotel to reserve your roomnow! 1-800-845-0658 or contact Jim Bailey at

Daddy Jim’s Comics (336) 889-9900

Prizes for the Middle Earth Tournaments include:1 box of every set and expansion to be givenaway, and depending on the release date of theBalrog, a complete set of Balrog as well. Also tobe given away are hundreds of rares, somemiscellaneous Iron Crown Enterprises products,and other Tolkien Memorabilia!

Make the call today and save yourself a spot!

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11

How necessary is the hazard?This is a hard question to answer formany people because most of the timethey think all of their hazards are justas important as the next. Start watch-ing for cards that continuously do wellin your games. Are there cards that dowell less than 50% of the time? Arethey effective less than that? If so,either put them in the sideboard ortake them out altogether. They areprobably either single-shot cards(which should be relegated to the side-board), or just bad cards that need tobe taken out.

Single-shot cards are those thatusually only have one use, but proba-bly have a larger effect on the game:Durin's Bane, Knights of the Prince,Landroval, any of the various ring-hoser cards, etc. Bad cards are simplythat, bad. They have no point in thedeck, they frequently clog your hand,or their effect can be accomplishedmore efficiently.

Using your sideboard: Your side-board should be thought of as an ex-tension of your deck. Those solidcards that didn't quite make the cutwhether for playability reasons orkeyability reasons frequently find theirway here, to the sideboard. Let yoursingle-use cards rest in your sideboarduntil you know you can use them togreater effect. There are always goingto be such single-use cards that you

(Continued from page 10) can use to surprise your opponent, buton the whole, keep them to a mimi-mum. You aren't always going to belucky.

How playable is it? Having playedjust about every single card game evermade, the one basic aspect to successin all of them (as far as deck construc-tion) is speed. Speed, speed, speed. Icannot stress enough how vital deckspeed is to a competitive deck. Makesure your hazards are playable and notlame ducks in your hand. A Cave-worm is nice to have, but in manycases I would have eagerly traded aCave-Worm for a cave-drake.

If you aren't all that concerned withsolidifying your hazards, at least makethem playable. Crebain is certainly notthe most powerful of hazards, but it isplayable practically anywhere, and al-lows you to view some of your oppo-nents hand. Corruption is playable nomatter where a company moves, aslong as the requirements are met.

Don't be afraid to try agents once ina while. If you don't get the hazardsyou need for a particular turn, moveone of your agents. By the time anagent would be effective, you shouldhave a good clue where your opponentis headed based on what he is playing.

Does it hurt your resource play?Another aspect of hazard constructionthat is more difficult to manage is how

your hazards will affect your resourceturns. Are you frequently going to orcor troll sites? If so, playing a MinionsStir might not be wise. Why give youropponent a free enhancer? Unless youcan wait out your own long-events, oryou are prepared to face those hazards,it's better to play your hazards awayfrom your resources.

Room for one more? We have allat one time or another seriously con-sidered adding "just one more" hazardto our decks. Try to avoid this com-pulsion, as it often leads to addingmore, and eventually to second-guessing your entire strategy. Keep itsimple. Don't unecessarily duplicatecards in your deck, if one of them isobviously more effective. If you haveFrom the Pits of Angband, you proba-bly don't need Parsimony of Seclusion.

These are just a few of the things toconsider when you are trying to workyour hazards to a playable size. Youare always welcome to do your ownthing and experiment, but experienceis always the best teacher.

Good luck!

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Winged Change-Master by Quinton Hooverfrom Middle Earth: The White Hand©1998 Iron Crown Enterprises

The Rack by Quinton Hooverfrom Vampire: The Masquerade (formerly Jyhad)

©1994 Quinton Hoover(Vampire & Jyhad ©1994 Wizards of the Coast)

12

Saturday, July 11th

MECCG Qualifier2-deck General OpponentMirkwood Coffee Comics & Games(612) 313-1387

CarolinaCon 92-deck General Opponentno entry feeDaddy Jim's Comics(336) 889-990012:00 noon, High Point, NC

MECCG Tournament2-deck General Opponentno entry feeLet the Games Begin(864) 322-0140Taylors, SC

Game HQ Tournament1-deck General OpponentGame HQ, (405) 691-0509Oklahoma City, OK

Sunday, July 12

KingCon Constructed DeckConstructed DeckKeddy’s Inn, St. John, [email protected]

METW Tournament1-deck General OpponentHot Comics & Collectables(612) 593-1223New Hope, MN

Tuesday, July 14

JCTS Monthly Feature1-deck ConstructedWarrensburg Community BuildingWarrensburg, [email protected]

Saturday, July 18th

MECCG Tournament2-deck General Opponentno entry feeLet the Games Begin(864) 322-0140Taylors, SC

Wizard vs Wizard1-deck Wizard ConstructedSCGA-Coastal Hobbies(714) 444-4566Costa Mesa, CA

JCTS Challenge Deck Tournament2-deck Challenge DeckWarrensburg Community BuildingWarrensburg, [email protected]

Sunday, July 19

Middle Earth Tournament1-deck ConstructedStarbase One(412) 521-3633(no city listed)

Tuesday, July 21

JCTS Wizard vs Wizard1-deck Wizard ConstructedWarrensburg Community CenterWarrensburg, MO(660) 747-5942

Saturday, July 25th

CarolinaCon 9.52-deck General Opponentno entry feeCosmic Castle(336) 854-884412:00 noon, Greensboro, NC

Test of Wills 52-deck General Opponentno entry fee, 10:30 amDreamWizards, (301) 881-3530Rockville, MD

Bad Boys (or Girls) of SummerRingwraith 2-deck Constructedno entry feeLet the Games Begin(864) 322-0140Taylors, SC

A Wizard Classic2-deck Wizard ConstructedMajor League(517) 321-0068Lansing, MI

Saturday, August 1st

CarolinaCon 102-deck General Opponentno entry fee, 12:00 noonDaddy Jim's Comics(336) 889-9900High Point, NC

Game HQ Tournament1-deck ConstructedGame HQ, (405) 691-0509Oklahoma CIty, OK

Thursday, August 6

GenCon ‘98Mondo Sealed Deck Qualifier, 2-deckGeneral Opponent Qualifier,Challenge Deck Tournament, Wizardonly 1-deck Tournament

Saturday, August 8th

MECCG TournamentSealed Deck format$15 entry feeLet the Games Begin(864) 322-0140Taylors, SC

5HJLRQDO 1DWLRQDO 7RXUQDPHQW ,QIRUPDWLRQ


13

METW Sealed Deck1-deck Wizards Sealed DeckCollector’s Collection(213) 523-2730Duluth, MN


Casual Tournament(non-sanctioned)Greenville, SC(more info forthcoming)

Evil Lurks its Evil Eye2-deck Constructed orLidless Eye Challenge DeckMajor League (517) 321-0068Lansing, MI

Friday, August 21st thruSunday, August 23rd

BeachCon '98Myrtle Beach, SCThe Landmark Hotel (800) 845-0658James Kight (336) 765-9028 Friday, August 21st 6:00 p.m. Demo Event, no fee 9:00 p.m. Challenge Deck

2-deck format, $10 entry fee

Sunday, August 23rd 12:00 noon General Opponent

2-deck format, no fee 2:00 p.m. Lidless Eye

sealed deck, 1-deck format, $12 entry fee(1 deck, 3 boosters)

Saturday, August 22

Gamers for Tots2-deck ConstructedSeven Oaks Hotel(210) 656-1208San Antonio, TX

METW Tournament1-deck ConstructedCollector’s Collection(213) 523-2730Duluth, MN

Friday, August 28

Tradewinds VIThree (3) Constructed 1-decks,One (1) Sealed DeckWarrensburg Community CenterWarrensburg, [email protected]


Excuse Me, Are You a Wizard?2-deck Wizard Contructedno entry feeLet the Games Begin(864) 322-0140Taylors, SC

Saturday, September 5

Game HQ Tournament1-deck ConstructedGame HQ(405) 691-0509Oklahoma City, OK


Booster Draft 3Booster Draft$15 feeUNB Student Union BuildingFredericton, [email protected]


EnbiCon 42-deck ConstructedColonial Inn, Fredericton, [email protected]

Saturday, October 10

Inconsequential2-deck ConstructedLord Beauerbrook HotelFredericton, [email protected]

If you have informationconcerning any of these or anyother MECCG tournamentsthat you would like to posthere, please send it to me viaone of the following channels:

James KightCarolinaCon NewsletterTournament Information240 Longwood DriveWinston-Salem, NC 27104

[email protected]

(336) 765-9028

Good Luck in your tournamentplay!

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14

Council of LorienChampionship Information

Here is all of the information we have at themoment concerning the 1998 Middle-earthCollectible Card Game Council of LórienChampionships:

1998 MECCG SeasonCouncil of Lórien Championship

at AndCon '98Toledo, OH

Oct. 1-4, 1998

For information on attending AndCon:

WEB site: www.andonunlimited.come-mail: [email protected]: (614) 856-3976

The sooner you reserve your space, the better.ICE cannot guarantee any hotel or conventionspace, though these should not be in short supply.

The top 2 finishers from the 1998 MECCGCouncil of Lórien (CoL) Championship receive atravel/lodging expenses paid berth to the 1998MECCG World Championships as representativesof the Council of Lórien. If no Canadian or noAmerican received a berth, then the top player ofthis country plus the next highest overall finisherreceive a runners-up berth. Otherwise, the next 2overall finishers receive a runners-up berth. Arunners-up berth is an invitation to the WorldChampionships, but you must provide your ownoversees travel. The World Championships areplanned for the winter of 1999 in Paris, France.The CoL Champion wins the Dwarven Ring ofDurin's Tribe. The World Champion wins TheOne Ring.

At AndCon, there will be the following tournaments:

Open Tournament: The final qualifier of the season.Anyone can play (unless otherwise invited). The top 2finishers advance to the semi-final round.

Preliminary Round: Participation by invitation only.Invitations go to the runners-up of qualifier tournamentswho are not otherwise invited to the semi-final round.Invitations then go to the 24 highest ranked players nototherwise invited to this or the semi-final round. The top6 finishers advance to the semi-final round.

Semi-final Round: Participation by invitation only.Invitations go to last year's Championship finalists.Invitations then go to qualifier winners or highestfinishers not yet invited to this round. Invitations then goto the 24 highest ranked players not otherwise invited tothis round. The top 2 open tournament finishers and thetop 6 preliminary round finishers round out the semi-finalfield. The top 8 finishers advance to the championshipfinals.

Championship Finals: Participation by invitation only.The top 8 semi-final round finishers play for the Councilof Lórien Championship. Finishers not receiving a berthto the Worlds are alternates.

Information on the exact formats and times of these

tournaments is forthcoming.

MECCG RankingsThese rankings are thru May 1998 tournaments, and

cover the 1998 Council of Lórien season (beginning Sep. 1,1997 and ending Aug. 9, 1998). The next update isexpected soon.

For more information on get an MECCG tournamentsanctioned, contact [email protected].

Players gain or lose points based solely on where theyplace in sanctioned tournaments. Players start this seasonwith 500 points plus 20% of their points over 500 from lastseason. A player must play in a sanctioned MECCGtournament after Aug. 31, 1997 to be ranked this season.The season ends Aug. 9, 1998. Thereafter, tournamentsapply to next season's rankings.

See Council of Lórien Championship for informationon how rankings apply to participation in this event.

Rank Name Location Pts. 1 Brooks, Steve Warrensburg MO 631.52 Kight, James * Winston-Salem NC 620.53 Brown, Steve * Fairfax VA 6044 Kuhlman, Keith * Warrensburg MO 601.55 Twitchell, Mike Greenville SC 598.56 Bruinooge, Nathan * Silver Spring MD 5917 Silverman, Eric Cockeysville MD 5918 Cable, Chris Pittsburgh PA 5889 Thompson, Phil Warrensburg MO 57210 Coble, John Huntersville NC 57111 Hollowell, Steven Independence MO 56712 Wong, Brian * Whistler BC 55813 Umphlett, Randy New Hope MN 55714 Sokolowski, Matthew * Knob Noster MO 55415 Feth, Gary Pittsburgh PA 55016 Langlinais, Scott Dallas TX 54317 Satterley, Brian * Statesville NC 541.518 Bryan, Jason Glen Ellyn IL 54119 Sanders, Bill Oklahoma City OK 54120 Comer, Isaac Warrensburg MO 540.521 Williamson, Sean Greenville SC 53922 Rice, Michael Owosso MI 53823 Grace, Joshua Duluth MN 53824 Lancaster, Forrest Balfast ME 53625 Norton, Van Taylors SC 53526 Bonneville, Alexandre Rochester Hills MI 53427 Meyers, Joel Yukon OK 53328 Cook, David Brossard QC 53129 Cox, Jeff * Greenville SC 53030 Robinson, Michael Sedacia MO 52831 Wuller, Steve Fort Worth TX 52832 Machen, Jimmie New Kensington PA 52833 Gorski, Gary Pittsburgh PA 52734 Margolese, Eli Chapel Hill NC 52635 Bialota, Joshua Belfast ME 525.536 Pittek, Michael Pittsburgh PA 52537 McDuffee, Jason Lombard IL 52538 Rice, David Troy MI 52439 Kenyon, William Brooklyn NY 52440 Sanders, Jason Oklahoma City OK 52441 Franklin, Skip Grand Rapids MI 52342 Finley, Chris Spokane WA 52343 Hayes, Kris Pittsburgh PA 52244 Bock, George Dayton OH 52145 Klank, Jason Taylors SC 52146 Radeshak, Jim New Kensington PA 52047 Hirt, Shawn Ham Lake MN 52048 Jarvis, Newell ??? TX 52049 Bryan, Joe Glen Ellyn IL 51950 Wilson, Paul Spokane WA 51751 Kenefick, Bill Tampa FL 51752 Sutherland, Tony Ann Arbor MI 51753 Denman, Eric Round Rock TX 51754 Coyle, Ryan Vancouver BC 51655 Bishop, King Belfast ME 51656 Yates, Michael Taylors SC 51657 Medrano, Andrés Austin TX 51658 Escott, James St. John's NF 51559 Heiss, Nathan Pittsburgh 51560 Flynn, Rich Wayne NJ 51561 Weeks, Matthias Chicago IL 514

62 Carney, Spencer High Point NC 51463 Hughes, Matt Pittsburgh PA 51464 Averett, Edward Chapel Hill NC 51465 Spinner, Jon KC MO 51466 McBride, Chris Oklahoma City OK 51467 Oxford, Larry Belgrade MT 51468 Pecchioli, Joel Lakewood NJ 51469 Hicks, James Warrensburg MO 513.570 Bardou, Zac Clemmons NC 51371 Wilkinson, Kelly Raytown MO 51372 Mortell, Max Ellicott City MD 51373 Lund, Douglas Ham Lake MN 51374 Burke, Chris Littleton NC 51375 Walker, Joe Piscataway NJ 51376 Lanphear, Tom * Phoenix AZ 51377 Gardner, Chris Raleigh NC 51278 Derderion, Vaughn Southfield MI 51279 Fink, Adam Selden NY 51280 Perry, Darren St. John's NF 51181 Bryant, Alexander Chehalis WA 51182 Lyons, Bryan Iowa Park TX 51183 Griego, Robert Live Oak TX 51184 Riegner, Nicholas Pittsburgh PA 51185 Wark, Stephen Montreal QC 51186 Brooks, Carl Nyack NY 51187 Senden, Mayk Eindhoven, Netherlands 51188 Gerherdt, Stephen Thomasville NC 510.589 D'Bonneville, Alex Rochester Hills MI 51090 Trèpanier, Félix Longveuil QC 51091 Popkou, Mikmail Lavac QC 51092 Allum, Bob Bozeman MT 51093 Vailancourt, Bobby Hastings-on-Hudson NJ 51094 Dougher, Joseph Saylorsburg PA 51095 Guilbault, Michel Quebec QC 51096 Boxington, Nikky Belfast ME 509.597 Templeton, Jeff Fountain Inn SC 50998 Rega, Angelique Lansing MI 50999 Cable, Clay Pittsburgh PA 509100 Cowlishaw, Brian Norman OK 509101 Moshiashwilli, Aaron Somerset NJ 509102 Nason, Steve Unity ME 509* player has already qualified for the semi-final round at the1997/98 season Council of Lórien Championship

Qualified Players

SEMI-FINAL ROUND QUALIFIED PLAYERS

Qualified from 1997 Council of Lórien Championship Andrew Potter (NY) Cliff Yahnke (IL) Nathan Bruinooge (MD) Brian Satterly (NC) Keith Busbee (FL) Brian Wong (BC) Matt Sokolowski (MO) Ris Misner (OH) Demetrius Lemanski (MI)

Qualfied from Qualifiers Steven Brown (VA) Keith Kuhlman (MO) James Kight (NC) Jeff Cox (SC) Tom Lanphear (AZ)

PRELIMINARY-FINAL ROUND QUALIFIED PLAYERS Eric Silverman (VA) Stephen Brooks (MO) Chris Burke (NC) Sean Williamson (SC) Scott Palmer (CO)

To get the latest rankings and updates, visit the following site:http://www.cstone.net/~ichabod

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15

Hi Folks! This is where I print all theletters you send me. However, sincethis is the first issue, I don’t have anyletters! Please don’t hesitate to jotdown anything you like and send it tome. All mail will be read andresponded to, and if I have room (lookat all this room!) I will print it here.

I am holding a contest to name theLetter’s Page. Send in yoursuggestions, and the winner willreceive lots of cool stuff like MECCGrares, some ICE products I have lyingabout, and their name in lights!

James KightCarolinaCon NewsletterLetters Page Contest240 Longwood DriveWinston-Salem, NC 27104

email me if you can:[email protected]

Since there are no letters for this issue,I will take this opportunity to give youa few more examples of QuintonHoover’s Art!

Enjoy!

/HWWHUV 3DJH


Klaive by Quinton Hoover fromRage, ©1995 White Wolf, Inc.

Hidden Haven by Quinton Hoover from Middle Earth:The White Hand ©1998 Iron Crown Enterprises

Cyrion Zakka by Quinton Hoover forBattlelords ©1995 NME

Uvatha the Horseman by Quinton Hoover forMiddle Earth: Lidless Eye©1997 Iron Crown Enterprises

Student of the Bear by Quinton Hoover forShadowfist ©1995 Quinton Hoover

Shadowfist ©1995 Daedalus

16

James Kight

Today is Sunday, June 28th, and Ican’t seem to get my mind off of thisBalrog issue that’s been heating upmost of the recent discussions on thenewsgroups. Iron Crown Enterpriseshas made the suggestion of releasingthe new Balrog expansion as a set intwo parts, each part available as oneChallenge deck, complete with cardsfrom the set and extra cards fromother sets to make it playable with theother such decks.

A fellow player of mine (Spencer Car-ney) & I have been discussing thisissue frequently over the last few days.What bothers us about this issue is thereasoning that ICE is using to releasethe set in this manner: to expand theplayer base. That’s always a good

reason, but with all the complicatedrules that have been implemented thusfar for MECCG, is Balrog really the setto try to draw new players in?

Our hunch is no. From what I haveheard, in order to play most of the set,even experienced players will have totake some time to digest the impactthat the new cards will have on thegame. Lord knows it’s already hardenough inticing new players to joinwith 3 available alignments.

We try, right? And what is the in-evitable response? “Too many rules toremember....” Trust me, I know wehave all heard that one before. Sowhat is the main goal here, ICE? Withthe future release of Lord of the Ringscard game (MECCG Lite), ICE plansto tie into the licensing from the

movie, but most of the talk we have allheard about the movie is strictly hype.So what I get from this is ICE is tryingtheir version of C-23 (from WOTC)with the Lord of the Rings CardGame. Same game, less rules.

I don’t want less rules, necessarily,just more forethought. I really don’tthink Balrog is the set to try to getmore people involved in the game.It’s like trying to get someone startedin Magic with Legends. Can youimagine what that must have beenlike? “Hey, try this cool new simplegame. By the way, we've added awhole new set of rules to remember.”

The Final Word for this issue:

Save the red carpet for 2nd Edition.

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CarolinaCon Regional MECCG Newsletter & logo © James KightEditor & Designer - James Kight

Contributing Writer - Spencer CarneyFeatured Artist - Quinton Hoover

All artwork in this issue illus. by Quinton Hooverexcept MECCG Logo ©Iron Crown Enterprises

and Rolled Down to the Sea (pg. 7) illus. by Jeff Reitz

Middle Earth Collectable Card Game, MECCG,Lord of the Rings Card Game, Council of Lorien, ICE, it's logos and designs

©Iron Crown Enterprises

C-23, Magic: The Gathering and all references thereof ©Wizards of the Coast

AndCon 98 ©Andon Unlimited

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