I used to play the game a while back (2006) and I've been wanting to get back into it. I have a local game store (Texas Battle Bunker, Houston TX) which sells the product but has almost no LOTR players. A number of them have shown interest along with my girlfriend, but they aren't ready to dedicate funds or time.

My girlfriend and I are starting to build our armies and I'm trying to think of a way to promote the game. Yes it's sort of the store's but they aren't the best at promoting (still a great store).

So my question is, what would you recommend to kick start a local LORT community? Any suggestion is welcome.

My suggestion would be move up to DFW! Lol I've been trying to get more players here for a while

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If you guys thing you have it bad...you should try Lubbock...

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First impressions count, so if a passing gamer sees the players with their noses in a rulebook all the time, before moving unpainted miniatures across a bare table, they'll keep on walking. On the other hand, if they see lots of fun and excitement going on, as nicely-painted figures do battle on decent terrain, then they'll stick around and see what all the fuss is about. This is doubly so if it's a battle that they recognise - the Breaking of the Fellowship, perhaps, or the retreat from Moria, or Helm's Deep. SBG is simple enough for newcomers to immerse themselves pretty quickly and follow what's happening, yet have sufficient complexity for it to be interesting well into the future.

So - the first thing to do is to put on a few games that capture the imagination. They don't have to be huge - the Fellowship escaping from the Chamber of Marzabul needs only a 2-foot square terrain board and less than fifty miniatures, for instance. Have the Rules Manual and source books lying around so that interested parties can see what else exists in the world of SBG, and perhaps promise a larger game at some point in the future with multiple players - Pelennor Fields is ideal in terms of scenario and allied forces.

A campaign or league or linked scenarios might follow - float the ideas early on so that people know that you're committed and not just trying out a new set of rules.

The difficult part is in getting new players to start their own collections, since GW are hardly the cheapest gateway into a hobby. Obviously you'll want to encourage spending in-store to reward the store owner for his hosting you (especially for starter sets and books), but it would do no harm to mention other sources such as eBay, flea markets are wargames conventions, or trading between players in the store or in online fora such as One Ring or The Last Alliance. And 'arms race' mentality can be quite fun as players rush to improve their armies in the face of a new and horrible model that their opponent deployed in the last game...

Great suggestions typhoon!

Spectacle is a great point! As much as we love the rambling horde of orcs and soldiers of Minas Tirith, newcomers will be drawn towards a mighty Balrog or Gandalf the White. Be sure to play some scenarios based on “centerpiece” minis

My suggestion: play one of the LOTR films on a laptop beside your gaming table! It would be awesome playing the MoM scenario/Escape from Goblin Town scenario with the actual movie right beside you

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“There's a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.”

I think the 'game in a box' approach is probably your best bet. Of those I would say the Mines of Moria is the best as it is the most specific to the films. Pretty straightforward to set up the board and relatively quick games to hold people's interest (and also the variety of the miniatures). Definitely better to have something in keeping with the films that people can instantly recognise.