LotR SBG: A dying hobby?

[ChaosLord127]

Alright fellow Loungers,

Here's a question. What is your take on the decreasing interest that GW is having with the original Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game? Nothing new has been coming out for it as of late, unless it is directly connected to War of the Ring, so is it going to fade quitely into the shadows while WotR takes over? Or is it just because WotR is new enough that it is getting all the glory?

Lately, it seems that there are less and less articles in White Dwarf about SBG and more and more about WotR... It makes me worry. I am having a hard enough time finding fellow players of SBG, and my Isengard force is gathering dust. So what is your take? Is SBG dead, or just pushed aside for now?

[Cryl]

Alright fellow Loungers,

Here's a question. What is your take on the decreasing interest that GW is having with the original Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game? Nothing new has been coming out for it as of late, unless it is directly connected to War of the Ring, so is it going to fade quitely into the shadows while WotR takes over? Or is it just because WotR is new enough that it is getting all the glory?

Lately, it seems that there are less and less articles in White Dwarf about SBG and more and more about WotR... It makes me worry. I am having a hard enough time finding fellow players of SBG, and my Isengard force is gathering dust. So what is your take? Is SBG dead, or just pushed aside for now?

If you've got a WotR army you've got a SBG army as well so in pure business sales terms why push a game that effectively comes free with WotR. Push WotR with the added bonus that you can play SBG if you want to. That way you sell more minis and people buy the LotR sourcebooks etc afterwards (although most of the sourcebooks add very little over the core rules imo). GW have added extra rules to the SBG in WD recently, there was a section on the new Galadhrim and stormcallers etc a few issues ago but I take your point most coverage is of WotR.

I think GW need to approach the SBG kinda like they do with Apocalypse for 40k. It's something you can play to change the scale of the normal game. I think WotR will become the 'norma'l game (like 40k) and the SBG the occasional mission game.

Playing the SBG is what made me look seriously at WotR and although I still have most of the defenders of Gondor on sprues or in half painted states I am determined to get round to finishing them at some point... damn work and life getting in the way

[ChaosLord127]

It is true that a WotR army is a SBG army, but what I was referring to is that WotR is being treated as the main game. I am not sure if this was intentional, but when I saw WotR, I thought of it as merely a "Oh, apocalypse for LotR" expansion, but it looks more like a replacement to me now. Kind of sad, as I was happy with SBG as it was my break from the big battles I have with my gaming group, and I don't have enough money or time to make an army large enough for WotR (maybe 4 units? Donno, don't play WotR).

I am aware of the Galadhrim expansion, but it would be nice if they continued pushing SBG as well, instead of making it the back-up game. I guess I am just kind of dissappointed that SBG is not the primary game anymore, as I don't have a lot of interest in WotR.

[Azos]

I dont believe that SBG is dying as such, although WoTR is certainly bringing attention to the Lord of the Rings range.

I think WoTR could be seen as removing support from SBG at some levels, however it is also bringing a large amount of interest towards SBG, and i believe that if the established SBG players really make an effort, it will be possible to capitalise upon this, and strengthen the SBG.

I think the key to keeping interest in SBG is to be positive, and rather than lament the lack of players in a local group, rather to focus on the strengths of SBG, as a small scale game, highly tactical where every man lost could mean the difference between victory and death.

In a club setting or local area, i would see SBG pushed as a whole different game to WoTR, a chance to play something focused on a key struggle in a larger battle, for example rather than trying to recreate the whole of the seige of Helms Deep in one game, make it a campaign, a series of small skirmishes that the whole battle could be seen to hinge upon, and then offer the chance to play a WoTR finally at the end of the series. In this way, new play can be brought in, learn 2 games, and build a force they can use with both systems - start with battles involving 30 or less models, and as peoples collections grow, they can work towards a full sized WoTR battle force, let the game become an adventure and grow as its played, rather than being a one off super battle.

If you want SBG to survive as much as i do, i would encourage you to play to the strengths of the game, rather than trying to run it as a competition to WoTR. The use of scenarios, following the progress of a band of heroes, or of an orc mob as new members rise within the ranks, is where the strength of SBG is. Create a story, and submerge your whole playing group within the story. Let GW know that these are the games you want to play, and they will support them.

Ultimately though, nothing can kill a SBG faster than by saying, its dying, because that will scare people away, rather than bringing them into what could be one of the best games they will ever play.

[Dragon Knight Of Rhun]

I dont believe that SBG is dying as such, although WoTR is certainly bringing attention to the Lord of the Rings range.

I think WoTR could be seen as removing support from SBG at some levels, however it is also bringing a large amount of interest towards SBG, and i believe that if the established SBG players really make an effort, it will be possible to capitalise upon this, and strengthen the SBG.

I think the key to keeping interest in SBG is to be positive, and rather than lament the lack of players in a local group, rather to focus on the strengths of SBG, as a small scale game, highly tactical where every man lost could mean the difference between victory and death.

In a club setting or local area, i would see SBG pushed as a whole different game to WoTR, a chance to play something focused on a key struggle in a larger battle, for example rather than trying to recreate the whole of the seige of Helms Deep in one game, make it a campaign, a series of small skirmishes that the whole battle could be seen to hinge upon, and then offer the chance to play a WoTR finally at the end of the series. In this way, new play can be brought in, learn 2 games, and build a force they can use with both systems - start with battles involving 30 or less models, and as peoples collections grow, they can work towards a full sized WoTR battle force, let the game become an adventure and grow as its played, rather than being a one off super battle.

If you want SBG to survive as much as i do, i would encourage you to play to the strengths of the game, rather than trying to run it as a competition to WoTR. The use of scenarios, following the progress of a band of heroes, or of an orc mob as new members rise within the ranks, is where the strength of SBG is. Create a story, and submerge your whole playing group within the story. Let GW know that these are the games you want to play, and they will support them.

Ultimately though, nothing can kill a SBG faster than by saying, its dying, because that will scare people away, rather than bringing them into what could be one of the best games they will ever play.

QTF. I agree with everything Azos has said.

[iamaddj]

I think the SBG is dead. I am a little sorry to say that, but I think it is the brutal truth. After like 7 years of trying to make SBG work it never took off. In our local group we never had more then 3 people who played. GTs never drew more then 15 people. The SBG (at lest in the U.S. I have no real information about our cousins across the pond) is dead. WoTR on the other hand is just taking off. That group of over 200 players who that had less then 4 SBG player? Now we have more then 20 WoTR players and growing, thats bigger then a lot of 40K communities I know of. Remember how SBG GTs never got more then 15 player, we get that many or more in monthly tournaments.

GW knows SBG is dead, when SBG came out it was "The new big third line we are going to support" then SBG sucked and failed, that line of thought whent away. Then WoTR came out and now WoTR is "The new big third line we are going to support". Financially WoTR is the easy win over SBG, sell 20-30 models, or 200-300 models? Easy to see which one to pick.

But at the end of the day it comes down to one simple fact (that will piss people off) WoTR is 100 times better then SBG every was. And that sells.

[Razorx1970]

With the movies being long gone from the spotlight now, the game is totally dead.

Maybe once and if The Hobbit ever comes out, it may see new life. Lotr had it's biggest 15 mins of fame it will ever have about 6 years ago, and War of the Ring while a nice game, is 5 years too late.

Lotr SBG was a great game the way it was, I loved it, I had almost every piece ever made about 5 years ago, but even in its most popular timeframe about 2000-2004-ish, people still didn't play it that much locally, and it never took off like 40k and other games. It had to deal with the HeroClix/MageKnight/Mechwarrior generation at the time too, as all of the Clix games were in full steam back then too. Getting young and new players into a hobby game, one as expensive as Lotr was a loosing battle to all but the die-hard Tolken fanatics.

Now that the movies are out of the spotlight, there are far less new Tolken fanatics to be had too.

I hate to say it but I think Lotr is another dead GW game, like the Necromunda/Inquisitor types before it. They should keep the stuff around, but investing in continuing to make new models, and supporting it like they are at present is a loosing investment. More so in these messed up economic times.

[FTE-Charge!!!]

I see this game dying but I still endure to keep it strong in my area. The fact is that many players own the models; but do not bring them in to play or even know how to play.

SBG is an amazing system, it just has trouble keeping the interest of certain styles of gamer (powergamers?). In my area I have been successful in getting a small core of players to bring their models always to the shop so that pick me up games can be an option.

I have played WOTR once, and never again. I have a hard enough time getting my SBG models on the table with an opponent; Im not going to purchase 3x that amount on an army that still will not get play time despite GW's attention to WOTR.

I sincerely hope that SBG starts getting some attention again; esp with collected WD articles online showing the stats of all the new models. This game is great and I will continue to play it for many days.

[ejazzyjeff]

New on the forum here, but I started out with LOTR SBG back in 2001. I always liked the game and played it at GW stores. I dropped out for a while and just started back up about a year ago and the GW store I visited had zero LOTR games was being played. In fact the clerk was kind of shock when I asked if anyone played LOTR, he couldn't even remember the last time it was played there. So unfortunately it's dead, there is zero articles in White Dwarf about it.

[The_Gonk]

I've never actually seen the game in the flesh, which is a real shame. It does look pretty epic!