the game will be much easier to understand if you have seen the movies or read the books.
with that said play it a few times and see if you like it. even if you get bored with it it will be easy to sell as is white water.

LOTR is a great pin with good flow and a deep rule set. However, it would be more enjoyable if you like the theme or at least have seen the movies.

Agreed. This is very much a story driven game. You don't have to know the story to learn the rules, but it sure doesn't hurt. If the theme has absolutely no appeal to you, I'd recommend you stay clear. I'm not saying it wouldn't still be fun, I'm just saying it wouldn't be AS fun.

I say pass because the voices and sound would mean little to a non fan. It's a great game but I think I would be I let down if I did not love the movies.

I had never seen the movies before i got the pin and enjoy the pin. I did end up watching the movies and now can relate to the call-outs.

No, I don't think it matters one bit. I bought my addams family over 10 years ago and never seen the movie. A good game is a good game. Lord of the rings is a good game and so is whitewater. I read the lord of the rings books, but didn't care for the movies as much. Todd

I had never seen any of the movies nor read the books before I got my first LoTR. I fell in love with the pin and saw one of the movies. Bored me to tears. Still think the pin is among the best ever.

Yes, it is.

I am not a fan of the movies, but really enjoyed playing the machine before Sandy destroyed our local arcade.

I have a LOTR in my basement.

I have never seen any of the movies. Have not read the books.

LOVE the pin! I may be missing some of the subtle things in the machine, but it is still very enjoyable.

I bought mine outright and got a great deal. Not sure if I would trade a White Water for it though. That would be a tough call.

Chris

It just might work the other way around. If you get the pin, it might draw you into the books or films. I love my LOTR, a great pin!

Yes. I've never seen the movie but love the pin.

i have to totally agree with pinlawyer...

only saw the first movie. boredom.

the callouts in the game are brilliantly placed. after about 50+ games, it started to make sense to me.

for reference, never saw the shadow and that game is awesome to me!

-jon

It is so much more enjoyable if you read the book or watched the movie. Take a few hours and watch the first movie. Good flick.

Definitely. I came really close to buying one. I've always thought the movie fans are the same people that somehow keep dungeon & dragons alive while occupying their mother's basement. With that said it is a great pin. If the actors were not on it, I would have bought it.

Im going to have to disagree with needing to be a fan of the movie. I do not think you even need to watch the move to get into the game. That being said, you should watch the movies because they are awesome. Avoid watching the Hobbit until you have watched LOTR movies though.... or just avoid watching the Hobbit

Ditto. I now own it.

I have little to no appreciation for the LOTR movies, but the pin is outstanding.

It's hard for me to relate to this trade. I sold my minty Whitewater for $2500 (many years ago)., and have kept a LOTR I bought for $4200 about 10 years ago. I didn't realize WH2O and LOTR are approaching price parity now.

No, you do not need to have read the books or seen the movies to enjoy LOTR. Great pin. I own both and cannot see myself ever parting with either of them. If you can do so, I would keep the WH20 and buy the LOTR as well.

I saw the movies but I did not get into them and I have no idea who is what in the movies but I still like the pin.

I saw the first movie and was bored out of my mind....but then I found the pin very attractive - started to play it, learn it, and love it. I bought one and sorta learned the story from the game. Figured at that point I should probably watch the trilogy. I liked watching the movies at home vs. the theater, since I could take breaks...lol. Since I knew the pin more than the movies, every time a "pin quote" showed up in the movie it made me happy.

How can there be so many of you that don't like the movies. You are all a bunch of crazy people, do you all live in the same nut house

The same could be said for the ones that like it. Thats why there are different movies to watch. Everybody has different taste. There are a lot of movies that I like. Did you like Wyatt Earp (not Tombstome) or Lonesome Dove?

Count me among the residents.

Great pin. Get it.

Dan

I loved Wyatt Earp and Tombstone

I guess we like some of the same ones. Personal taste is weird how it varies so much!

Jon, you're one of the lucky ones, don't bother, I was curious and ill never get those 2 hours back, the movie was terrible!

I own LOTR, never seen the movies. I personally hate the theme

The only part that annoys me are when you shoot some shots the first time you collect the guy and it'll hold the ball with a quote. You cAnt skip those for some reason.

If your on the fence game wise, pass. If you really like the game, buy. Just don't overpay so you can sell if you hAve to. Also, worst game I've ever seen for LEDs.

Yes,Great game.

I did not watch the movies before i played this one hundreds of games.

Without this machine i probably had not watched lotf like i did now. Cause i started to like the movies somehow with this pin in my mind i guess.

But....... When you ask me is this pin fun when you dont know shit about loft, some above say. It would be handy to first watch the movies.

But i say, dont! The thing i liked the most back then, was you are stepping into an adventure, learning about trolls, hobbits, orcs you never saw.

Olay and learn about it. Its a story game, and you get sucked into it. You want to know more and more.

If you see the movies you already know everything.

I would go for not seeing the movies anytime i could again.

I'm not a fan of the franchise, I've never made it through all of the movies but I am a hug fan of the pin. Theme isn't everything but if you like the movies and you like an epic pinball you can't go wrong with LOTR.

The game is one of the top pins of all time because it rocks! Whether or not you know the movies, I'd recommend it. Maybe you will take an interest in the movies after playing the game a few times. I really enjoy the movies, and we have the extended play versions....which are 3+ hours each. I tried reading the books to my kids but we had to stop after the first one because it was too painful for my kids to listen to me try to speak the old English.
I don't think you can go wrong with LOTR.

The game is very good pinball game and it has some cool stuff in it.

Still haven't seen the movies, but read the books.

Well I guess it's ok to be wrong once in a while. I played it last night and still think the game would be odd for me personally but obviously there is a ton of people who love it. So again this is another case of foot in mouth.

Like some others have said, I bought my LOTR before ever seeing the movies (I have never read the books either). I ended up watching the movies for back story on the pinball. LOTR will probably never leave my collection. I also have a WH2O, and if you enjoy yours, you may end up regretting selling it though. Both are great games, but I like WH2O slightly more.

Absolutely

Chiming in a little late but, yeah- you've chosen wisely.

(Although, on the other side of the coin...
A nice WH2O would be a tough one for me to let go... )

At least you know LOTR will be good trade bait for something else down the road if you decide it's not your style of game.

Good luck!
Don't forget to pack a lunch on your way to Valinor!

I guess you can love that pin without having read the books or seen the movies. That's easy to fix anyway. And probably an inexpensive way to decide if you are going to spend $$$ on that machine.

Right. At least for me... some time ago.

To all the people who LOVE the pin but have not seen the movies....... doesn't it make you want to see them?

I haven't seen The Hobbit yet, and I haven't read any of the books since I was a kid, but I thought the Hobbit was written well before the other books. Isn't it the Hobbit that introduced Middle Earth and the characters which populate it such as dwarves, wizards, elves, etc...? Given this fact, wouldn't it make more sense to see The Hobbit before the LOTR movies?

I don't think a non LOTR fan deserves to own the game

Yes, The Hobbit as a book was written well before the LOTR books. It was also quite different in style than LOTR. It's a much lighter read and could be considered more of a children's book. I have not seen The Hobbit movie, but I've heard there are flash-forwards that may spoil some of LOTR. These were not in the book.

I'd say the movie is more of a "re-telling" of the Hobbit. It's not purely following the book.

If your a purist you might hate it......I rather enjoyed it.

Grats on the trade man. Mr Frodo's not going anywhere without me!

Yeah. Kill the sound.