This game is the best at capturing the true feel of Professor Tolkien's works. Its predecessors had their strengths, but this one does everything well, giving players (and the Loremaster/GM) an immersive experience in the wonderful world of Middle-earth.

While the first edition (the slipcover) was tough to navigate, this revised edition compiles everything into a single volume. The formatting and editing is greatly improved, as is the extensive index. For the PDF, this means searching for a particular term is much easier, as you now only have one book to look through. Another new feature (over the slipcover version) is the addition of more great art (all of which is very evocative of the books).

The mechanics are brilliant. Magic is subtle, but infused throughout, both in characters and items. There is a mechanism for the growing Shadow, but players have Hope to struggle against it. Beginning PCs are competent and strong, but not super heroes right out of the gate. Campaign play is rich, with many mechanics that beautifully feature the passing of years.

If you're a fan of The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings, this is the game you've been waiting for!

It's so great to see V&V back in the hands of its creators! This 2.1 version looks outstanding, and the new illustrations are fantastic! I'm really glad that Jack and Jeff didn't just wholesale change a whole bunch of stuff (I see that bombs are changed, though - nice that Aunt May can no longer survive a nuclear bomb exploding in her face!). We'll be testing out the few changes in our regular face-to-face group, and look forward to seeing everything else that comes out. It's amazing that V&V is back!!!