by mjd83
I also hated Bilbo and Frodo for thematic reasons, and thought Brand just plain sucked except for in the right co-op setting. I have never used Bilbo because he is comfortably composing poetry in Hobbiton during the time period of this game.... and Frodo is simply an adolescent hobbit. To imply that he 1.) adventures 2.) has the ring already and 3.) uses it as a tool is absolutely absurd. Therefore I have never used Frodo either because it just makes no thematic sense.Don't despair! The heroes get much, much better in other packs. And don't sell the Eagles cards short yet. I have learned to LOVE partial eagle decks, and in fact it was a tactics/lore deck that relied heavily on eagles that I finally beat A Journey to Rhosgobel (one of the hardest scenarios to date) with solo. Their are few decks I enjoy running quite as well as one with Legolas and Eagles.
But of course, you are not even mentioning the best part... the scenarios keep getting better. I always find it strange how everyone obsesses over the new player cards when a pack is released, when in fact it is the opportunity to see a new aspect of the game and explore a new portion of Middle Earth that really makes me salivate over new APs coming out. The new Encounter and Quest cards are what really set the LOTR experience apart from every other run of the mill CCG/LCG.
I think skipping the entire Mirkwood cycle will be doing yourself a disservice.
