I think WotR is an excellent game system. It flows very well. The turn structure is what sets it out from 40k and Fantasy. The way that you do a portion of your turn (moving, shooting, charging), then your opponent does, then you get the next stage of the turn, then your opponent, and so on, works extremely well, and mean the game keeps moving, and both players are constantly involved, rather than one guy waiting for the other guy to finish his turn.
The lack (in a traditional sense) of to-hit rolls, armour saves, wounding etc. also speeds things up too. After being bogged down in games with more complex rules, the more dynamic, streamlined rules for WotR seem like a breath of fresh air. And although the mechanics of the game are simpler, the tactical challenge is still very comprehensive. BEcause of the way the different types of units (monster, cavalry, infantry) interact, target prioritising, manouvering of forces, and the concept of using the right unit for the job at hand are very important.
There are other nice touches. The way you can compose 25% of your army list really negates the risk of 'army regret', and means you can keep developing and changing your army, and never get bored of it. The way heroes 'plug in' to normal formations works well, and the very simple method for list building makes it easy to create a force. For the most part, the rules are prertty balanced, though there are some anomolies (The Ringwriaths oddly un-fluffy abilities, esp. magic, are considered broadly undercosted or ovverpowered, Crossbows are as powerful as machine-guns). Non of these derail the game, however (IMHO).
All in all, it's a thrill using those cool-ass characters from LotR in massed battles, and I would find it easy to believe any gamer, casual or otehrwise, would appreciate the generally very positive experience of collectingand army for, and playing WotR!
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