Tyrant

It's possible the Orc Forge is a retailer exclusive (I would say TRU), which I thought weren't usually in the dealer catalogues.

I doubt there will be a 1:1 conversion on the prices despite how close the currencies are in terms of value. Having said that, anyone who was unconvinced that licensed sets cost more, there you go.

Given the level of open hostility that was allowe to go on earlier, all I can say is, good luck with that. As for the complaints, if the tower is on the wrong side (no idea what that is about) or people don't like fleshies (I don't), they are valid complaints. This isn't a cheerleading forum, it's a discussion forum and discussion can (and usually does) lead to differences of opinion.

I really hope they don't rely solely on poly bags for small, figure centric sets. It would be different if the stores restocked them or if S@H carried them (seriously, why don't they?), but as is if one is popular it will be gone within days of hitting the shelves never to be seen again. I think the boxed impulse sets are the better route because they actually restock them, they aren't limited to one retailer or one part of the world (where is the Dragon soldier polybag? We've got enough Lions), and you can get them through S@H. Having said that, looking at the other licensed themes I am sure there will be some polybags, though it remains to be seen who or what is in them. I did something similar with the smaller end of the newest Ninjago sets. I ordered several once they hit TRU, and they were on sale at B1G1 half off, and I pretty well recovered my costs by selling the ninjas. I was after the snake parts and snake figures. If the LotR sets are on sale, then I believe this will be a decent strategy with the sets like Helm's Deep that have characters like Haldir and Theoden that are thus far not in other sets.

SW has contractual issues with that idea, otherwise I think it is a safe bet that they would do it. TLG isn't allowed to sell just SW figures without some kind of set along with it as it constitutes an "action figure" at that point and Hasbro has the license for action figures (and they have demonstrated their willingness to to engage in legal matters over that point). All SW minfigures have to come with some kind of sets. TLG has twice has sets of just figures (the old ones with the character cards and more recently the magnets) and twice they have stopped. If the announcement is being read correctly, then I think it is possible that LotR will have seperate figures. I hope they do so I can hopefully have a second way to amass armies, though the idea of using it as a means to distribute alternates (ghost witch king, etc) is interesting.

Sure monarchs are reptitive, but in an expected way, if that makes any sense. You expect a kingdom to have a king or queen (and I would be fine if their leader were a queen) just like you expect them to have soldiers and knights. But, I am fine with a wizard too. I just wish they had a better one, like one with a torso print and maybe not a beard (like every other wizard). I'm thinking something regal looking that incorporates the Dragon symbols and colors, yet also illustrates that he is a wizard so he would be a wizard-king (although as a fan of Dark Sun I prefer the term Sorcerer King) Maybe he could even have the crown in silver instead of gold, or perhaps a translucent color to represent crystal of some type. In other words, if he's the leader spice him up a bit.

Yeah I found it in the other thread, but thanks for the offer.

And I hope they toss that idea because it is repetitive. The skeletons were run by an evil wizard. The Dragons need a monarch, or at least a better wizard if it has to be a wizard.

I was just guessing. My hope is for a Dragon Castle (with a King/Queen/Archwizard/somebody in charge) to somehow be made, but I wouldn't be too broken up if we got a new Falcon Castle instead (hopefully it would come with the aforementioned ruler figure if it is made instead). Who knows, maybe the 2 recent Harry Potter castle sets, the Helm's Deep LotR sets, and the Joust set are pointing to LEGO realizing that a segment of their market wants sets that can combine and we will finally see that feature return to Castle en masse.

I believe that is meant to be an army builder set. That small building is already going to raise the price so anything more would cut down the number most people would consider buying. As it is, it might be cheap enough for multiples to not break the bank. Helm's Deep is meant to be the centerpiece set for that part of the films.

How about some wild speculation? We have a few details to consider. The reply said Castle, despite the question saying Kingdoms. Then we have a lack of Kingdoms news for 2012 thus far (in fairness, maybe it's under wraps, somehow). Now throw in the Black Falcon figure in the Joust set. Maybe this all points to a return of Castle, not Kingdoms, featuring the Black Falcons (and presumably at least one other faction).

As with the LotR thing, I would like to know more about this to know if it's legit. If it is legit, and not wordplay ("Oh, there will still be castles, like the ones in LotR or that Dracula Castle. Those are castles, so Castle is still around."), then that is great news for me as a fan of castle. Potentially bad news for my wallet though between the bits of Ninjago that I want, the LotR sets, Dracula's Castle, some of the SW sets, and now maybe more Castle sets.

Thank you for continuously proving my point far better than I ever could. As for the thread and why post about Kingdoms, this theme is apparently going to kill Kingdoms. LotR is the reason Kingdoms is dead. That makes it relevent. Also, for some reason, this is in the Historical section, which is like salt in the open wound. Beyond that, no one had any problem going on and on about LotR in the Kingdoms threads and no one was as hostile as you have been repeatedly. This is apparently hard to believe, but some people don't view this as good news and as this is a discussion forum and not a cheerleading forum, I believe they are free to express their discontent. As for the Orc issue, Uruks are a type of Orc. As there are no Mordor sets Orcs won't be plentiful because Saruman almost exclusively used Uruks.

So, people with a different opinion are fools? I don't know about anyone else but between comments like this, telling Kingdoms where it can go, and the "I told you so" type comments that completely ignore the content of the comments they are supposedly debunking in favor of a cheap shot against an argument almost no one was making, I can really feel the love in this thread for fellow forumites. As for the sets, scale issues with Helm's Deep aside (and I never expected it to be in actual scale with the figures, but it still looks small to me), I more or less like them. I hope they are improved and I believe they will be. The figure count is encouraging. If it ends up pretty close to what we see, and it isn't outrageously priced, I will get several of the Uruk Hai set for army building and for wall parts. Gandalf Arrives and the Shelob set aren't must haves for me, but if I see them on sale or decide I just have to have Gandalf right now I will get them. If Helm's Deep is $100 or less (I'm hoping, but I accept that it might be more like $110 or 120) I will try to get more than one, mainly for the mass of parts. The Moria set is a multiple purchase for me if the price is right and the Goblins and Troll are decent. I just hope the larger, armored Trolls from Mordor make it into a set. Now we can only hope the Orc Forge set is an impulse set. Maybe we will see some baggies too since we got them for just about every other license, and hopefully they are generics.

Well, I'm glad we finally have something official. It's probably pointless, but I hope that there is somehow more for Kingdoms. Oh well. As I said quite a bit earlier, I am sure I will buy LotR sets. I despise the fleshies, but I think this is one theme where that will be less of an issue (unless they do what they did in PotC). Almost the entire team evil is non human so flesh tone is a non issue. The one that matters that is human (Saruman) is wearing a full robe and has a beard, so covering any odd flesh parts will be easy. One of the factions of evil men (I think the Haradrin) are totally armored and the others are mostly covered up (except the guys piloting the Mumakil). Most of the Men of the West are covered pretty well too (the forces of Gondor are totally armored, despite that not really lining up with the book, and the forces of Rohan are covered as well). I think the real issue is the elves, although with them not being human one could just say they are different toned. On Stranger Tides has moved to "probably reliable" in my book. I hope he is right about that Flying Dutchman rumor, not that I have anywhere to put a 2000 piece pirate ship. Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention my trip to the LEGO store last night. The guy I asked knew nothing. He was kind of puzzled why they would even be doing something like that (not knowing about the upcoming Hobbit movies).

I didn't want to say anything about that as it seems like the current assumption is that LotR will kill Kingdoms, though I believe I could argue that the two don't really overlap all that much. But I agree with you. I've got nothing against rumors (despite how my posts may come across) or people getting excited. I've started threads about what people want to see out of Castle/Kingdoms and I've said what I would like to see out of a LotR line so I can relate. I imagine I am not coming across that way though because parts of this discussion are getting a little frustrating. Hopefully something solid does come out. I had honestly hoped that I had actually overlooked something and there was something out there that said straight up Yes or No. I would prefer to hear that Kingdoms will continue because I really want a Dragon castle (and a leader), but if we hear that LotR is coming at least we will know (and presumably we will begin speculating in earnest).

The only reason it's a difficult situation is because anyone that does know won't say anything. I believe there are people that do know. I also believe nothing that is out at the moment says it is happening. And yet, we have 2 threads in two forums going on for pages and pages and the only answer anyone has is "ask somebody else" I hope you can appreciate that after a certain point those posts serve no purpose other than to frustrate people. If respect is the concern, why will random LEGO employee answer my questions at all about this? Surely they know what I will likely do with this info. So I don't buy it. I've never said that. I have said repeatedly that I accept it is a very real possibility. What I don't believe is that there is any evidence to support it because there isn't. There is nothing anyone can point to and say "there you go", because no one has despite repeated calls by a few posters. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to discuss or not. That would be hypocritical of someone who has started multiple "what would you like to see next threads". What I want is to know why, based on absolutely no evidence, people are acting like this absolutely will happen and Kingdoms is toast because that talk really kills the mood and it's got nothing to back it up. How does this help anyone at all? If you know but won't share, how does saying you know do anything positive? I should be at one later this week and as I said earlier I will ask. I will tell you what they say because if they actually answer me I have no real intention of keeping it secret, which is why they really shouldn't answer me. I'll even tell you which store when I reply. Here is the actual quote: "In addition to the above titles, the staff member also seemingly confirmed Lego Hobbit, a game based on Peter Jackson’s upcoming “The Hobbit” movies." I've highlighted the important part. Seemingly. No article linked to any of that that I have found confirms, seemingly or otherwise, that it is happening. What is said is that they pitched the idea, nothing about how it turned out. Another linked article talks about possible WB properties that they could work on and includes Watchmen, Terminator, and Superman. So, where are the Watchmen and Terminator LEGO threads? They have just as much backing them up (nothing). Whether this is actually happening or not, the video game angle is obviously built on smoke and mirrors reflecting and distorting hopes and dreams. Reading through it all is a nice view of the life cycle of a rumor. I can come up with at least that much to make it seem like Kingdoms might be continuing next year. Over here on Classic Castle a guy posted his response from LEGO when he asked why there was seemingly only one Kingdoms set coming out next year. Now, I am sure it will be pointed out that A) why should we trust that that was the actual response (though we could just send the same email in and see if we get the same response) and B) the way it is written allows for Kingdoms to not continue. However, that level of critical thinking is not happening with the LotR topic, so I see no reason to apply it to Kingdoms topics. I have nothing against LotR or the person saying it will happen or the people saying... whatever it is they are saying. But, as it stands, it seems like any hope of meaningful discussion of a possible future for Kingdoms has been totally killed by baseless rumors fueled by vague and misread articles and a lack of Kingdoms sets in catalogs (despite numerous posters pointing out that we usually don't have the second half of the year catalogs yet). I think at this point it isn't too much to ask for some proof before we totally write off Kingdoms.

My position has been pretty clear, so I have no idea why you think I am going in a circle. I have said, quite clearly and yet to be refuted by pretty well anything, that there is no evidence. And there isn't. You can't get much clearer than that. This has been met with "like, ask an employee, they know everything and are totally comfortable talking to random strangers about despite the fact they, or the person that told them, could be fired over it" and "certain others...." (who?). Vague comments are going nowhere other than getting people's hopes up and making people think there is proof of something whehe there is none. There is no debate. There is unsubstantiated rumor backed by flimsy circumstantial evidence.

Round and round we go...

You mean no answer at all, or a blank stare? This round and round is getting us nowhere. There is no proof out there.

What will asking someone who may or may not know what they are talking about, and in the event they do they can't answer me straight, accomplish? A wink and a nod aren't proof. If all goes well, I will be in a LEGO store next week and I will ask. I am not holding my breath on getting any kind of answer. In the meantime, this is what I mean by proof: This is an article from February 2009 announcing the partnership with Disney. A year before sets were released. This is an article from April 1998 announcing LEGO getting the SW license, again about a year before sets came out. In fairness, the recent superhero licenses were announced less than a year before sets will debut. However, the Marvel sets are still a ways out and LEGO already had most of what they needed for Batman since they already had the license (and Batman dominates the DC sets, not a coincidence). Also, they chose a specific comic centric venue to announce that, which may have impacted the timing to announce. Unless they plan on announcing this at something like Dragon Con, that isn't an issue for LotR. Again, I'm not saying it can't or won't happen. I'm saying there is no solid evidence that it will so I am continually puzzled at why people act like there is.

What others? Where? What were their sources? How is it the other thread has gone on for several pages and no one else has pointed out something that says "this is happening" and instead they point to a house of cards that all seem to lead back to the same 1 or 2 non sourced articles or misread articles? I accept that the line may be happening. However, there isn't a shread of proof that anyone can point to.

Care to share where you hear that? If it's where I think it is, it's misquoting another article. The original article says that they are making a Hobbit game, and a LEGO game (I think it was a new Batman LEGO game). Somewhere in the internet rumor machine that got warped into meaning they were making a Hobbit LEGO game, even though the article does not say that. This was the start of the rumor and it has grown built on this faulty premise. The rest of what I wrote was to explain why WB games, makers of some LEGO games and Mortal Kombat (to provide a random example of other games they make) would make a non LEGO Hobbit game (because New Line is owned by WB). Have any of those people other than On Stranger Tides said anything?

1) And it's Dec. 6th, we still have 3/4 of the month to go. Last year we still had no confirmation at this time. There were still people saying the line was dead. Then, around Christmas, boom. Proof. 2) Why would they restock any of them aside from the castle? Beyond that, as I recall the Winter Toy Shop sold out the first time around and wasn't restocked until after Christmas (given the nature of the set, Christmas is the obviously ideal time to try to sell it). As for the castle itself, why restock it and flood the shelves if there is a new one coming in the next wave for the Dragons (or Falcons, I suppose)? 3) But Ninjago hasn't been confirmed to return in 2020 yet, maybe it will come out then... Alternatively, given that LotR will have about as much crossover with Castle as Ninjago would with Mortal Kombat, why would one automatically knock out the other? Seriously, where is the cross over between Castle and LotR? It isn't in the castles or the time frame. 4) Taken with the others it's still meaningless. Those tidbits mean there is a marketing push for LotR, not that there will be LEGO sets. It appears to be an ideal time, if all parties were so inclined, nothing more. There is still nothing beyond one poster saying that TLG is actually going to pursue this. Just because it's a good time doesn't mean they want to do it. What I am saying is that the other tidbits only make sense if you start with the assumption that the sets are coming. None of the tidbits say the sets are coming. Together, they don't say the sets are coming. All they say is that the folks with money on the line are about to push LotR to tie in with the Hobbit (presumably). That does not equal LEGO sets. The folks that own Assassin's Creed are pushing it right now (new game, some type of offering on DVD, novels, figures too I think), where are the LEGO sets? That's what I am saying. Those tidbits, taken in hindsight after an announcement, would make someone see why they made sets when they made them. Taken now, they don't mean anything for LEGO. Maybe LotR is coming. It's possible. The evidence, however, is entirely hinging on one poster saying it will happen. The other bits could mean any number of other things that have no relation to a potential LEGO LotR license. The only reason it seems like it will happen is because people keep saying it without considering there is only the word of one poster (who, again, may be right) that really says "LotR LEGO is coming".

1) Castle is a later in the year theme and we generally don't hear about that half of the year at this point. Are there any City sets announced for the second half of 2012 yet? 2) There are a number of possible reasons for this. For instance, all but one of those are from last year. Also, in what I am sure is a total coincidence, several stores had the one current sold out set on sale recently. TLG also put that set on sale, is it a surprise it sold out? And making room for something else does not mean making room for LotR. 3) A Hobbit video game from the people who make LEGO games, WB games. WB, owner of New Line Cinema, distributor of LotR. WB games also made Mortal Kombat, where are those sets? 4) Meaningless with no other connection. 5) Meaningless with no other connection. Back to the Future was recently released on Blu Ray... so what? 6) Courting licenses in general has no bearing on courting a specific license. Otherwise being license happy would apply to every possible license out there. 7) What? Speaking of the Joust set and patterns, we got another wave of Castle sets after the MMV was released. This is a list of maybes that don't connect to one another and that could be applied to other licenses. WB made a new Mortal Kombat game. The recent Mortal Kombat series is out on Blu Ray. Rumblings of a third movie have been coming for a while now. The Collectible figures line has several obviously martial figures and Ninjago is filled with martial artists. It all adds up, A MK license is in the works. See what I mean. Maybe a LotR series is coming. I don't doubt the possibility. What I don't get is how a number of people are making some pretty titanic logical leaps to make it sound like it's a done deal. Edit to add: What I mean is that the evidence makes sense, if you start already operating under the assumption that a LotR license is coming. Taken as parts, they don't add up to the whole.