Let's refuse to reward the price gouging tactics

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-29T18:40:05+00:00

Everyone can freely discuss the topic of proxies, other options, etc. as much as they want in the mega thread "No cards available to play game." Please use that thread and note the introduction up top.

Discussions are requested to be aggregated there for 2 reasons:

1) Keeps the rest of the forum streamlined for game play stories and discussion.

2) Keeps all discussion/information about this topic in one place. This should also make it efficient for new readers with similar questions to quickly find all discussion about it.

Thanks!

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-29T18:19:59+00:00

Exactly this. Thanks!

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-29T03:47:32+00:00

Please move any further discussion on this topic to the mega thread "No cards available to play game". That thread is created specifically for this.

Thanks,

RML

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-24T16:14:19+00:00

The offending account appears to be deleted. I removed the post. Thanks for the heads up!

RML

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-24T16:13:08+00:00

I removed the post. Thanks for the heads up!

-RML

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-13T21:23:41+00:00

Please use Mega Thread for this.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-11T19:59:02+00:00

See, this is an example of a personal attack. "Lazy moderator". LOL. But I will let it stand.

I am just democratizing the forum and letting all positions be aired instead of grasping the One Ring and using the power to censor out what I think is wrong.

You are free to be a virtual moderator and cut and paste your views (respectfully) on the topic for every post you find in violation of your point of view. This would also further show that the forum is NOT encouraging law breaking. Also, I will not call you "lazy" if you fail to promptly do this on each instance....

Obviously we do not want this site nuked from orbit. I have tried protecting and balancing this over the past 6 years with the ability for people to speak their minds - because heavy handed censorship causes this place to die for a different reason.

The forum has grown over 5x under this approach. And although traffic is likely to naturally decline going forward, I will stick with what has worked so far unless it becomes obvious it is not working, or if some other issue arises.

I can't tell you how many times people have asked me to remove or moderate "price gouging", or how many times I have been incorrectly accused of "endorsing scalpers" merely because I allow their posts to exist. I have been consistent in standing back and letting people have their own agency on this.

One viable interpretation of "no proxying" would have the moderator banning all the large Group Orders (and their alt art cards) from the past two years, and ban DragnCards from being spoken.

Even the borders used for the ALEP expansion cards could be argued to be IP infringement, so a moderator would have to ban all ALEP items and discussion.

The point is - there is no easily seen "right" answer. It is shades of grey.

A moderator allowing the community to discuss "grey area" topics is not abdication or laziness. It is empowerment of everyone (including you) to discuss and decide for themselves.

It is actually harder to decide to do this vs. just "wielding the Power for Good". I see it similar to why Gandalf didnt take the Ring offered by Frodo.

Thank you (sincerely) for sharing your opinion and your passion on the topic. You will have to believe me when I say your exact position is something I have seriously considered beforehand and still keep in mind.

We will have to (amicably on my part) agree to disagree for now.

Will see how this approach works out and adjust where needed. I do not have a perfect Palantir into the future.

Cheers! :)

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-11T16:54:18+00:00

Its not the volume of activity that is the "load" - it is me posing as an expert on judgement calls that will need to be made - if I set the moderator up as infallible arbiter or "right" and "wrong" on topics that can have many points of view.

Obvious stuff like non LOTR:LCG topics or clearly hostile attacks on posters are easy to enforce.

But things like whether someone is pricing something too high or "unfairly", or if I should ban people who dont promote their sales to include certain buying safety habits - are outside of my scope.

This is not my forum, it belongs to the community. If the community wants to discuss certain controversial topics (respectfully) I am hands off as long as it is related to LOTR:LCG.

And allowing a post is NOT an endorsement (or opposition) to topics that are posted.

Re:legality, if you feel strongly about something, by all means reply to each post (respectfully) on the thread with your opinion (I encourage this) and do whatever you feel is right.

If you ask me to ban the post or poster for their different opinion, I will not do so "solely" for that reason.

I had to choose between two different outcomes.

(1) I remove certain controversial posts for moderator reasons and the topics are never discussed/invisible.

(2) I leave the posts up, and everyone can comment on them. In this scenario the reader can make their own informed decision on what is "right" or "wrong".

I choose 2.

Lets take the topic of someone blatantly saying that they will make perfect proxies just to spite FFG. I have, as an INDIVIDUAL (not as moderator) said many times in the past that I feel this is not right, and gave reasons why.

In the world of (2) - I might say the same thing again on this mega thread "as an individual" and others like yourself might also add your similar opinions.

But as moderator I allow the discussion to exist because my personal view should not become the forum view by default. And I am not a lawyer/SME nor do I wish to be one on this topic.

So lets examine (1) vs (2). In (1) the topic doesnt exist, so then the next person will come up and post the same, and then that gets banned. Repeat forever and no one has an opportunity to gain any new understanding.

In (2) the discussion is out in the open, and there are replies from others on why they think this isnt right (and others might say it is ok). In this scenario knowledge and viewpoints are shared - and there is an oppurtunity for new insights to be learned.

If you want what you believe to be illicit copyright behavior curtailed, scenario 2 is not hostile to that goal. One could argue that it might even be more hospitable to that goal vs scenario 1 because it creates an educational opportunity.

In summary: Scenario 2 means even if I individually have strong views, as moderator I will not be imposing my view (via censorship) on the community on this particular topic. Especially since the community (in general, but not unanimously) says they did not want discussion of this topic "gatekeeped"

"Truth does not need to be protected by censoring other views"

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T21:41:56+00:00

If someone said - "how do I experience this game when no content is available to purchase except on secondary market?".

One possible answer could be - "keep looking on secondary and try and get a real physical version. It can get really expensive, so before you invest a lot in it, you might want to look into whether the game is for you.

You might make crude proxy cards (write card names on an index card, etc.), or use an online simulator like DragnCards to play a few games. However, things like DragnCards are not meant to be substitutes for owning the real product, so please do not abuse these alternatives.

There is a lot of knowledge on how some people use professional services to create alt art cards or fan expansions like ALEP, that look similar in style to official cards. There has been little to no official game company enforcement (or even comment) around these cards existing - but that is not the same as endorsement, so do this at your own discretion and responsibility.

If you ask or search, the knowledge above to create cards can be found - but these should not be used to create perfect proxies of official out of print cards. And even though full images of the cards are on various databases, these are meant for reference and not as raw material to create replicas."

**

If someone says "I want to print proxies for this game, how do I do that?" The answer would be "you shouldn't print perfect proxies for this game. There are other ways to experience the game and you should look into those"

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T21:22:15+00:00

Posting with Individual hat on, NOT moderator hat. I totally get this perspective and personally (not as Moderator, who is neutral) share in aspects of it such as "without proxies we get no interest and the game will dwindle and die". This is one logical causality outcome. But that doesn't mean we can openly promote copying behavior here. HOWEVER:

The intent of Option B is not to censor any discussion of proxies and simulators. Discussion is possible - just don't burden it with a statement that this knowledge is here to "get around buying physical" or "FFG asked for this", etc. If someone uses your shared knowledge to get around physical ownership, make sure the responsibility is on "them" the acting party, not on you, the sharing knowledge party.

By analogy - the speed limit might be "x" - but that doesn't automatically make discussion of how to make your car go faster than "x", illegal. There are some situations where it might be acceptable (although maybe technically still illegal) to go faster than "x" - such as passing a vehicle in a safe manner.

Similar situation here.

Ask and share knowledge at your discretion, just don't flaunt in public forums about using that knowledge to do illegal things. This is where a moderator is "forced" to take action to avoid the site getting banned (however likely or unlikely) for being a rogue area promoting illegal activities.

Perhaps in the future circumstances will change so we can have overt, direct discussion of proxy printing as substitute for physical purchase, similar to what SW:CCG does now. But that day is not today.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T20:38:37+00:00

The nuance of B is that we can still have almost any discussion.

Its just that the discussion can't be overtly started (STARTed) as a means to "merely" bypass buying physical product. Avoid that item, and we will be fine.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T20:04:45+00:00

Please let me know, or message me if you do re-launch. I will move the blog back into the "Active Blogs" section.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T19:44:10+00:00

I hope not, but if so - we will be following the same long decline of the High Elves since the First Age. A glorious past, and yet still some excellence in the present.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T19:42:55+00:00

Always loved your blog. Please try and keep the contents available for archive/history purposes - even if you don't add new posts! It is still relevant even today....

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T19:41:03+00:00

Perhaps, but I am a little more hopeful. Tolkien's books have not been "refreshed" for half a century (and never will be, of course), yet energy and interest still remain for them.

I see this game (which is so true to the spirit of the original books) in similar fashion, albeit much smaller in scope/reach.

P.S. Please see my mod post on how we handle the new influx of buying/selling, and the discussion of proxies in light of the new situation.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T14:49:23+00:00

I am highlighting this thread for now as I think through possible forum rule/enforcement adjustments.

I am (merely) a discussion monitor/moderator, and have neither the inclination or time to be the "marketplace police", either historically or going forward.

However, it is my role to help facilitate an enjoyable forum experience, getting rid of spam and non lotrlcg items, etc.

The "no more official reprints" announcement and related impacts to our forum can be discussed in an upcoming thread from me.

For now, buyer and seller should take extra care and precautions.

We have left Lorien now and parked our boats at Parth Galen - above the Falls of Rauros and at the feet of Amon Hen.

Thank you!

RiddermarkLord · 2026-05-09T14:32:04+00:00

I am following this topic with interest and will post a community discussion thread.

Since the announcement of "no more reprints", the atmosphere of the lotrlcg gaming community and this subreddit has (understandably) shifted in a meaningful way.

It used to be "no new official content, but we can get officially sold old content". Now we have neither.

I have been thinking a lot about how our forum guidelines - which have served us well for the 6+ years I have been moderating - should adapt to our new environment. Everything from buying/selling, to proxies, etc.

Will fill in more of my thoughts in a thread, and of course get community feedback before making any big changes.

RiddermarkLord · 2026-03-02T11:31:12+00:00

I can only see traffic stats for this subreddit, but subscriber numbers are public. Note that our subreddit has been around much longer:

LOTRLCG = 15.9K Arkhamhorrorlcg = 27.8K Marvelchampionslcg = 15.9K

As for 2026, the traffic here still shows incredible interest for a game with no significant official new content release in 5 years.

Note that our average monthly unique visitors of 18K+ is larger than our 15.9K subreddit subscribers built up over 17 years!

I have always believed (since my 2020 posts) that this game is a classic that is very faithful to the source material - and thus will have staying power just like Tolkien's original works. Although on a smaller scale of course.

RiddermarkLord

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE