Maybe I'm jumping the gun since it hasn't even been a week...but now that I've had a ton of play on the game and have gotten a hang of it and the rules - I really have to say, I LOVE this game! The presentation, choreography, rules, gameplay and sound is really fantastic...and the music is just delicious. I bought it on a whim, mostly out of the curiosity of wanting to have a JJP pin to jam on at home...figured I'd play it for a few months and then move on - but I'm already feeling like this is a keeper for me - which is surprising considering I wasn't a fan of the layout or toys....but once you play it and really get to know it - man, Keith really did it again, just like LOTR...and used every nook and cranny of this playfield in clever and fun ways...he's made a deceptively 'whatever' playfield just pop with life and fun.
It's definitely more rare, and it has a cool attract animation that's only on the Smaug Edition. I just had a choice between the two, and I went with Smaug as he was my favorite part of the trilogy. Others have told me they like the LE more. At the moment they seem about equal in value.