The theme and modes are probably the major draws for the game. If you don't like either, then the game probably won't do much for you.

For me the lotr is an epic Game. Deep rulesheet, perfect atmosphere transported by the sound and the dots.

Fast gameplay and a lot of modes. Also i have moderate game times - 2 fast games (not more then 10 minutes and maybe one long about 15-20 minutes)

With led it looks awesome and the pin grab me.

Have no issues and all works perfect. For me its a keeper

No need to convince you, different strokes... I love LOTR, but plenty of machines others really dig don't do much for me, TSPP being one. I don't need convincing, I just choose something that appeals to me.

In my opinion, it's only clunky if you can't shoot well... but like you say, it's a low risk investment, and maybe it will grow on you. There seems to be a lot of overlap in those who like TSPP and LOTR so chances may be good that you'll enjoy it.

You made it sound like you had enough experience playing it on location, and having been around a long time, but if you don't know basics like this, you should really grab the rule sheet and see what it's all about. Here it is...

http://pinball.org/rules/lordoftherings.txt

Great thread with reasons here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/why-lotr-is-so-special

My comment is/was this:

The 2 flippers give it simplicity.
The rules give it complexity.
The Ring and Balrog give it "a toy to bash."
The call-outs give it instruction.
The music & sound give it drama.
The artwork gives it attraction.
The depth gives it a challenge.
The theme gives it familiarity.
The reliability gives it longevity.
The animations give it extra "coolness."

LOTR is one of those rare combinations. It truly is.

Because I said so damn it! And it would take to long to explain all the rules the game has.

I owned one for a couple years. It's a pretty fun game.
I think it feels clunky like most/all Gomez games. The orbits that kinda clunkily make their way around, the way the center ramp is and the way the ball bounces off the ring, the way the ball falls off the mini playfield breaking the plastic..... It's just not fluid.
It's worth owning for awhile to experience it but no where near a keeper for me.

If sound was on SAM it would have been a lot better. whitestar sound, while decent at the time, hasn't held up over time.

Those are my only criticisms and don't want to sound like a Cunty McShitterman about the game. The rules and modes are VERY well executed and any problems the game has DO NOT lay with Keith. They are all design flaws by Gomez.

You have complete control over this as you can change the active mode with the flipper buttons. All you have to do is trap the ball, use the other flipper to adjust the active one to the one you want it to be after you flip the ball into the ring.

Something that adds an extra dimension is you can come up with your own strategy and style of play. There is a high degree of control in the game, eg. modes are not randomly started, you are in control. You can do interesting things stacking different modes, but half the fun is discovering this on your own in my opinion.

As for criticism on WhiteStar sound, they are overblown, the platform is well understood and sound quality is easily addressed for those with a moderate degree of motivation. My LoTR sounds amazing... I don't find it lacking at all, even in comparison to my SAM-based ST Premium.

If people complain about long ball times on LOTR, it's because they have it set up too easy. If you set it up with the correct difficulty settings and such, it can be a real bitch.

I'm not convinced of this as my Williams STTNG has far superior sound to LOTR, despite the fact that it was manufactured a decade earlier.

Once you know your objectives, it's really fun to shoot for them and not that complicated. The multiballs are great. If you can hit your shots you can play all the balls at once and don't have to cradle because the features slow down the returns. I guess this is the "clunkiness", but it gives you time to check out what's lit and pick your next goal in one ball play. The ring mode animations are fun and rewarding. When Destroy the Ring is lit I get all nervous in a way other games haven't done for me. I'm also into the fact you can see the ball almost all the time.

I bought one on reputation alone
Did not like it

I then read the rules
Then I started to enjoy it

But the machine has to be mechanically sound, Ball hangups and Balls skipping over stops kills it

It's almost the only Stern that have in my long term collection. (I own POTC but really for non pin enthusiasts to play and I love the movies). But I will admit after I bought it and played it for a few weeks it sat for a while until I finally studied the rules and starting spending some time on it.

After some time I really have grown to appreciate its depth and its flow. Expect it will be part of my collection for a long time.

It is not up for us to convince you, it is up to you to decide if it is a game for you. I own 2 of these. My favorite and I own a lot of favorites.

If you are a fan of the theme from the books and the movie interpretation you are half way there. The dots and call outs are well integrated into the software that is complete and fun on many levels.

Level one - Casual player
There are 3 multiballs that just started allow you to destroy the ring. (FOTR-collect fan layout player, TT-Lane locks, ROTK-Souls)

Level two- Serious players
Light 3 elf ring and shoot ring for 6 different modes.

Level three - Mastering
Complete all of this stuff to go to valinor.

This is well said. I just want to add a couple thoughts.

What makes it over the top good is LOTR has multiball FLOW.

No chopping wood. You start a mode, then get MB going. Shots are awesomely smooth. You can shoot balls out of the way towards the ring or out loops, then hit your shots with one ball. It's awesome. No stop and go. It's great.

Add to this the fact that multiball are modes that CAN be completed as you advance towards Valinor, and it's just a kick ass experience.

Of course, DTR is probably the best mode in all of pinball.

^^^^^^^^^^^
All of the above.
LOTR will always be one of the greatest games ever made. I think it will last the test of time even with new and exciting future pins with more innovation and technology. Just an overall great theme intergration with great rules and gameplay.

depends on how hell bent you are on seeing the ending to games. I live for seeing everything a game has to offer. Since LOTR's ending is damn near impossible, it keeps me coming back because it's been such a battle all these years. I bought mine NIB in 2007 and still trying to see that ending. Once I see endings of games several times, I start to lose the appeal as it did before (only applies to games that have endings).

LOTR can't be played like an ordinary pinball machine. It's kind of like the original Super Mario Bros on NES: the object is to complete the game and points are there for bureaucratic purposes only. Don't bother trying to learn the game at an expo where you have a crowd waiting to play, find a well-maintained game on location and spend a solid couple of hours there. The game is as epic as the movies so there is a lot to learn, but it's worth it.

Start by trying to play the three movie multiballs and destroy the ring (the instruction card explains how to do this). Don't worry about jackpots or completion yet, just play the multiballs. When you can do that consistently, start focusing on getting through the six single-ball modes and There And Back Again (again, this is explained on the instruction card, and progression not completion is the goal at this point). Once you understand how game progression works you can start going into the detail of how to complete each mode (watch the DMD at mode start and watch for flashing inserts) to collect the Gifts Of The Elves.

I really wish I enjoyed the theme, that has been the only reason I've sold off LOTR twice. Everything else about the game is wonderful, truly one of Stern's best.

I love LOTR. It can be epic and long, just like the movies, but I never feel like I'm chopping wood. That's one of it's strengths, and weaknesses. It's a great game for home. Like Neo said, all but the best players will ever see all of it.

It's got a few negatives IMO, the Gimli hole, Balrog takes up too much real estate when not in use, POTD is kind of "meh", and when you have that killer game, you don't want to play it for a while just because it takes so long to get to where you were. I don't have a big collection, but I won't be moving it soon.

Just like different examples of the same pin can play differently, often referred to as "dialed-in", likewise I'm going to conclude your LOTR's audio is not dialed-in.

Dialed in Legolas ramp with the brass habitrail mod is the sweetest shot in the entire world.
Destroy the Ring is the greatest mini wizard mode in the entire world.
Practising the Witch King mode will make you a great pinball player.
Find me another game with three points that strong.

I feel that is true on a lot of pins, especially modern Sterns. I'm not a fan of games that require deep study or being a big fan of the theme to appreciate. I can see it being enjoyable to have such a deep game in your collection but with all the great games out there why try to force yourself to like a game? Who has time to play a pin for hours just to see if it's any good?

I do think it's funny how the Path of the Dead mod just kinda clunks the ball down. The first time I played it I thought it was missing something, like the Path of Adventure in Indiana Jones, but nope, it's just...that. I wouldn't mind seeing a slightly tidied up VE with better art and more elegantly designed features, but I've also never played a really nice LotR so maybe I'm just missing out.

What I'll add...when I first played TRON I just didn't like it. This was on location. I tried to love it but just couldn't. I played it multiple times on different visits.

Then I had the chance to get one for a very fair price. Completely stock like the one on location. Mint condition too. Couldn't pass it up.

Well a year and a half later and I love my TRON. I've added light cycles, LED's, color DMD, Flynn's sign, Mini arcade, Eli ramp kit, instruction cards etc. Making it mine was fun, but playing a game in a home environment changes everything. As soon as TRON was in a home environment I had a completely different perspective.

Ironically now I have a chance to add LOTR for a fair price. And I'm questioning it because I couldn't get into it the times I've played it on location

It needs more rubber, especially on that piece of metal that guides the ball to the top rollovers. It should be much easier to nudge the ball around. As it is, you have to play it strategically and use the white spot targets to jack up the rollover values before you hit Orthanc.

I've had it for 8 years and I'm not bored of it. That's why it's so good.

Also, I didn't give a shit about the movies - the pin made me like them.

Rai, LOTR is a great game. Convinced?

Ok, let me try harder. LOTR has a combination of things. There are 3 main multiballs, and each one of them is started with a different action (POTD, Lane, and characters collection on the entire playfield). Once started, they are really tough to finish. Then it has modes, and though they sound like standard fare, they are not. There are some that are reasonably easy, and others are really tough to finish. Each mode or Multiball gives you a gift from the elves (a wedge of cheese). Getting them leads towards the end goal of the game. Starting all the modes brings you to another mode, There and Back again. Your scores from playing the modes effect your scoring here. The gifts are also collected to give you cool things like big points, double scoring, or extra balls.

So it has many different levels of complexity. And shockingly, that is part of the reason the games are long. The software was written to be a long quest. I'll tell you, I love short brutal games. Yet LOTR still works, even though it is a long player. It is a horrible game to compete on. Really it is built to be a solo journey. It isn't like IM where you play game after game. Now I'll play one, or maybe two, and I'm done with it. But that game may be fantastic. Destroying the ring (start all 3 main multiballs to qualify it) is a blast! It has everything you want. Easy to understand, and tough to do under pressure. I recommend owning one for a while. They are pretty steady holding their value, so it won't cost you much to bring it in and see what I mean.

Get alone with it for a while, and you will understand.

I never liked it. Came and went quick in my collection. Couldn't stand path of dead and call out that went with it. But to each their own.