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The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game Basic and Advanced Tutorials
Developed by Worlds Apart Productions and Decipher, Inc.
Version 1.0
1. Introduction
a. What is The Lord of the Rings TCG Tutorial?
b. System Requirements
2. Interface and Controls for both tutorials
a. Interface
b. Controls
c. Differences between Mac and PC
3. How to use The Lord of the Rings TCG Basic Tutorial
a. Starting the Basic Tutorial
b. Interaction in the Basic Tutorial
4. How to use The Lord of the Rings TCG Advanced Tutorial
a. Starting an Advanced Tutorial Game
b. Playing an Advanced Tutorial Game
5. Glossary
6. Strategy Articles
7. The Lord of the Rings Online Trading Card Game
8. Decipher.Com
1. Getting Started
1a.

What is The Lord of the Rings TCG Tutorial?

The Lord of the Rings TCG Tutorial is a software program that teaches you how to
play The Lord of the Rings TCG. The Tutorial consists of two parts: a basic tu
torial that demonstrates the core concepts of the game and through which the pla
yer is guided, and an advanced tutorial that allows the player to make his or he
r own decisions and includes more options for gameplay.
1b.

System Requirements

Required/Minimum:
Windows:
Pentium II (or compatible) 333 MHz
128 MB RAM
Windows 98 or later
650 MB of Hard Drive Space
800x600 screen resolution, 16-bit color
Keyboard, Mouse
Macintosh:

PowerPC G3 300 Mhz

128 MB RAM
MacOS X 10.1.2 or higher
650 MB of Hard Drive Space
800x600 screen resolution, 16-bit color
Keyboard, mouse
Recommended:
Windows:
Pentium III (or compatible) 800 MHz
256 MB RAM
Windows 98 or later
650 MB of Hard Drive Space
1024x768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
Keyboard, Mouse
Macintosh:
PowerPC G4
256 MB RAM
MacOS X 10.2.x
650 MB of Hard Drive Space
1024x768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
Keyboard, mouse
Troubleshooting:
If your monitor only supports 800x600 resolution and your video card supports hi
gher resolutions, you may have trouble with a black screen on the launch of the
application. If this happens, try clicking the launch icon, and then holding do
wn the shift key while you launch the application. This should force the applic
ation into 800x600 resolution.
2. Interface and Controls in both Tutorials
2a.

Interface

- Magnify Window
The upper left hand corner of the screen contains the Magnify Window. This wind
ow displays an enlarged version of the last card that your mouse was over. Site
s have their own Magnify Window, this one in the lower left hand corner of the s
creen. Placing your mouse pointer over a site will cause a magnified version to
appear in the Site Magnify Window.
- Last Action Dialogue
Below the Magnify Window is the Last Action Dialogue Box. This box displays a l
og of the cards played and actions performed by all players. Click on the up an
d down arrows to scroll in this box and see the game's history.
- Phase Dialogue Box
Below the Last Action Dialogue Box is the Phase Dialogue Box. This box displays
the current phase and the current action taking place. This is also where the
tutorial will prompt you when it is time to perform a phase action or make a dec

ision.
- Control Box
The control box is located directly below the Phase Dialogue Box. The control b
ox contains controls for sound, tool tips, accessing the Glossary and exiting th
e Tutorial:
Clicking on the speaker-shaped icon in the Control Box on the left hand side of
the screen will turn music, voice and sound effects on and off.
Clicking on the scroll-shaped icon in the Control Box on the left hand side of t
he screen will turn verbose tool tips on and off. When verbose tool tips are on
, holding the mouse over a card will show complete information about that card i
n a pop-up window. While they are off, holding the mouse over a card will show
less detailed information.
Clicking on the "Exit" button will cause you to exit to the Main Menu. You will
be prompted as to whether or not you are certain you would like to exit.
Clicking on the "Glossary" button will bring up The Lord of the Rings TCG Glossa
ry. The glossary contains detailed information about the game's rules.
- Phase Indicator
The Phase Indicator is in the lower left hand corner of the playmat. A black to
ken is displayed in the circle corresponding to the game's current phase.
- Opponent's Cards
Your opponent's Hand is displayed face down at the top of the screen.
Your opponent's Draw Deck is displayed to the right of your opponent's Hand.
Your opponent's Discard Pile is displayed to the right of your opponent's Draw D
eck. You may only look at the top card of your opponent's Discard Pile.
Your opponent's Dead Pile is in the very upper right hand corner of the screen.
You may double click on your opponent's Dead Pile to see its contents.
Your opponent's Adventure Deck is displayed horizontally below your opponent's D
raw Deck and Discard Pile. Your opponent's Adventure Deck contains your opponent
's unplayed site cards. You may not examine your opponent's Adventure Deck duri
ng play.
- Adventure Path
Sites in play are displayed vertically on the left side of the playmat. Site 1
is played at the bottom and subsequent sites are played upward from there. Hold
ing the mouse over a site in the current path will display a Site Magnify Window
in the lower left hand corner of the playmat.
- Your Cards

Your current hand is displayed face-up in the bottom middle of the screen.
Your cards in play are displayed above your hand.
Your Draw Deck is displayed face down to the right of your hand. You may not lo
ok at the contents of your draw deck during play.
Your Discard Pile is displayed face up to the right of your hand. You may doubl
e click on your Discard Pile during play to look at the cards in it.
Your Dead Pile is displayed face up to the right of your Discard Pile. You may
double click on your Dead Pile during play to look at the cards in it.
Your Adventure Deck is displayed face down above your Draw Deck and Dead Pile.
You may double click on your Adventure Deck during play to look at your unplayed
site cards.
- Hinting
Cards that can be played or which have an action that can be used during the cur
rent phase are highlighted in bright green. If a card has a bright green highli
ght, you may play or activate it in some way.
- Wounds
Red beads placed on character cards are used to indicate wounds. Each red bead r
epresents one wound.
- The Twilight Pool
The Twilight Pool is displayed in middle right of the playmat. Black beads are u
sed to indicate the number of twilight tokens in the Twilight Pool. Each black m
arker represents one twilight token.
- Burdens
Black beads are also used to indicate the number of burdens on the Ring-bearer.
Each black marker on the Ring-bearer represents one burden.
- Dynamic Attributes (Green Numbers)
If a number on a card is bright green, this means that it is being modified in s
ome way from its original value. For example, the twilight cost of roaming mini
ons will be displayed in green, indicating the total of their twilight cost and
their current roaming penalty. Another example - Aragorn's base strength is eig
ht, and when his strength is eight, it will be displayed normally. When "Ranger
's Sword" is played on him, his strength becomes ten, and will be displayed in g
reen. When he fights an Uruk-hai while wielding his sword, he gains another two
strength, changing his strength to twelve, still displayed in green.
2b.

Controls

- Playing cards

Generally, cards may be played while they are hinted green (surrounded by a brig
ht green border). You can play cards in one of three ways:
Click-and-drag the card to its target destination or target card.
Double-click the card. If it requires a target, you'll be prompted to click t
he target.
Right-click (ctrl-click for Mac users) the card and select "Play <card name>"
from the drop-down menu. If it requires a target, you'll be prompted to click t
he target.
- Playing Sites
Sites may be played at the appropriate time by clicking on the "Play Site" butto
n, or by clicking on your Adventure Deck.
- Using Special Abilities
To use a card that has a special ability, right-click on the card. A list of op
tions will be displayed. Left-click on the special ability or effect you wish t
o activate. Mac users use ctrl-click to bring up the menu, and a regular click
to select an item.
Actions that involve playing a card must also be activated in this way. For exa
mple, to remove a burden when you play a Ring-bound companion with Frodo, Tired
Traveler, you must right click on Frodo, select the menu item, and then click on
the companion.
2c. Differences between Mac and PC
- Mouse-clicks
The differences between Windows and Macintosh mouse clicks are listed below. If
a Macintosh translation of a mouse click is not given elsewhere in the document
, use the translations below:
Windows
------------

Macintosh
-------------

right-click
ctrl-left-click

control-click
command-click

- Mac OS X 10.2.x Bug

There is a bug in Mac OSX 10.2.x in which it fails to re-enable modifier keys af
ter an authentication session. This means that if you are on the Mac and ctrl-c
lick or command-click aren't working for you, try to log out from your session a
nd log back in.
3. How to use the Lord of the Rings TCG Basic Tutorial
3a.

Starting the Basic Tutorial

If you are a new player to The Lord of the Rings TCG, or this is the first time

you are running the Tutorial, we recommend you start with the Basic Tutorial. N
ot only will it teach you how to play the game, it will also teach you how to in
teract with the user interface. Click on the words "Basic Tutorial" on the righ
t hand side of the screen, underneath The Lord of the Rings TCG icon, to begin.
Choose your desired language, and click on the "Continue" button.
3b.

Interaction in the Basic Tutorial.

The Basic Tutorial will guide you through a game of The Lord of the Rings TCG.
Follow along with the voice instructions and pop-up windows, and learning should
be fun and easy.
- Pop-up Boxes
Most information in the Basic Tutorial is displayed with a combination of pop-up
boxes and voice-overs. Most pop-up boxes will prompt you to click on the "Cont
inue" button to continue. Clicking on the "Back" button will allow you to move
back and review the last action again.
- Green Highlights
When the Basic Tutorial asks you to click on something, it will be outlined in g
reen.
4. Advanced Tutorial
4a. Starting an Advanced Tutorial Game
Click on the "Advanced Tutorial" link. Select your desired language. Select th
e deck you wish to play and select the deck you wish your AI opponent to play.
Click on the "Continue" button to begin the game.
Choose the number of burdens you would like to bid. Remember that if Frodo has
10 burdens, he is corrupted and you lose. Going first is an advantage, but it i
sn't essential to winning.
The suggested starting companions for your deck will be selected as your fellows
hip. You may change them by clicking on them to remove them from your fellowship
, and clicking on other companions to add them.
4b. Playing an Advanced Tutorial Game
- Advanced Tutorial Pop-up Hints
While playing Advanced Tutorial games, you will see the Advanced Concept symbol
(a circle surrounding an exclamation point) on some cards. Clicking on the Adva
nced Concept symbol will open a pop-up window containing information about a new
game concept used by the card.
The Advanced Tutorial is a great way to explore and learn The Lord of the Rings
Trading Card Game. You have complete freedom of choice in playing the game. Yo
ur opponent will be played by the AI.
5. Glossary
The Lord of the Rings TCG Tutorial includes a full glossary of LOTR TCG terms an

d rules.
- Opening the Glossary
To open the glossary, click on "The Lord of the Rings TCG Glossary" link on the
menu screen. The glossary may also be opened from inside the basic or advanced
tutorials by clicking on the glossary button.
- Navigating in the Glossary
Glossary navigation is similar to navigating through a web page. Click on any u
nderlined link to go to the entry for that link. Click on any topic in the left
window to got to that topic. You may use the scroll bar to scroll through the
list of topics. You may also use the back and forward buttons to cycle through
entries. Click on the small "X" buttons in the upper-right hand corner of the G
lossary windows to close them.
6. Strategy Articles
You may click on the "Strategy Articles" link to view various strategy articles
written by Decipher game designers and experienced players. These articles cove
r the basic of deck building, play, and there is even an article containing stra
tegies for playing the decks contained in the advanced tutorial.
7. The Lord of the Rings Online Trading Card Game
Clicking on "The Lord of the Rings Online Trading Card Game" will bring you to a
collection of information about the upcoming The Lord of the Rings Online Tradi
ng Card Game. Visit the game's website (http://lotrtcg.decipher.com/) and view
screenshots, give feedback to the developers, and get the latest downloads and n
ews about the online game.
You will also find information about The Lord of the Rings Online TCG Collection
Manager here. The Collection Manager is another program contained on this CD t
hat will allow you to manage your collections of cards, build LOTR TCG decks qui
ckly and conveniently, and give you a sneak preview of The Lord of the Rings Onl
ine Trading Card Game!
8. Decipher.Com
Clicking on the "Decipher.Com" link will open up your web browser and take you t
o Decipher's website, at http://www.decipher.com. Here you'll find lots of reso
urces and daily updates about The Lord of the Rings TCG, including spoilers for
new sets as they become available and discussion forums where you can talk to ot
her players about strategy and gameplay questions.
2003 New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TM The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line P
roductions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TM & 2003 Decipher Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2003, Worlds Apart Productions. All Rights Reserved.