This is a great product. The entire body of work is incredibly well done, and we're kicking off our first full campaign tomorrow in fact. Heart of the Wild is an indispensable part of the material, and you'll want to have it for your campaign.

In preparation, I've re-read The Hobbit (twice), and am re-reading LOTR now, and its great when you can point to various points in the plot and relate them to specific game mechanics, and everything makes sense.

I got hooked on LOTR in 1976, and have been a huge fan ever since. I've always tried every LOTR game that's been published, and while each one has had it's strong points, and each one was a genuine attempt to allow role-playing in Middle Earth, this one really hits it.

There are some fantastic fan-generated material out there, as well as some free supplemental aids from the publisher that will help as well, including charts, indices, etc.

Heart of the Wild is what brought me to RPGNow, because I purchased all the hardcopy editions, but Heart of the Wild was not in stock, and I was not able to find it anywhere. I don't know why I didn't think of this site first, but in any case, I've purchased all the hardcopy editions I could, plus the softcopies, so I can have both the books (which have their advantages) plus the ability to keep the files on my laptop as well while we're playing.

I've been playing role-playing games since 1978, so when I say The One Ring is the finest game, from a physical quality perspective, that I have ever owned, I think that's saying something. I've been poring over the documentation in preparation for a new campaign, and I haven't been so excited about a new project in many, many years.

I do believe they have caught the true feel of the author's work, as well as the undercurrents of philosophy he was communicating. I've been a fan of JRRT since my college days, and not to disparage any efforts that have come before, I believe this will do a great job of having the kind of campaign I've always enjoyed running.

Story-heavy, min-max light. The structure of the game discourages such roll-playing, and doesn't bother the players with maneuvering their miniatures in just the right spot, etc. I think the abstract combat system will be very popular with the players who are into the story, but not into wargame aspects.

I bought every book I could get my hands on before I checked RPGNow. Ouch. So I have also purchased some of the pdfs as well, because I like having physical books for some things, and the pdfs so I can have them available on my laptop. Now, if only I could get a third copy for my kindle!

Do invest your funds and time. I believe you will be richly rewarded.