Wife and I played both at replayfx last summer. It was hard to go back and play lotr after we got to try TH. We both love the entire series, and so both machines appealed to us. While lotr is a great pin, it just didn't do it for us. With the new rules on TH out, it just seems more epic, and it simply makes lotr look dated. I pick TH, as it is going to be great if it isn't already.