Decipher has announced its schedule of releases for the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game for 2005.  With the end of Peter Jackson's epic LOTR film trilogy, Decipher has been able to open up the gameplay and take it in new directions by designing sets based around themes that are woven through all three films.  Starting with the release of the Shadows Expansion in November 2004 Decipher has begun the process of renewing the game by rotating early LOTR cards series out of Standard tournament play (see 'Decipher Levels the Playing Field'), and creating new avenues of game play, while still preserving a niche for longtime LOTR gamers with Expanded Play tournaments (see 'Decipher Expounds on Expanded Format').

This process continues with the 194-card Black Rider Expansion releasing in March of 2005, which features enhanced strategies using the keywords 'Muster,' 'Lurker,' 'Toil' and 'Resistance' plus a host of new companions and minions.  Two 63-card Black Rider Starter Decks will retail for $10.99, while the 11-card booster packs will go for $3.69 each.

In July Decipher will release the 180-card Bloodlines Expansion, the third and final set in the War of the Ring Block with two 63-card starter decks ($10.99 retail) and 11-card booster packs ($3.69).

The War of the Ring Anthology Box follows in August with 18 foil Tengwar language cards, one random starter deck, six booster packs (two from Shadows, two from Black Rider, and two from Bloodlines) and a comprehensive checklist -- all packaged in a sturdy 600-card capacity collector's box for a retail price of $39.95.

The final LOTR TCG release of 2005 is the Hunters Expansion, which will be released in November.  The Hunters base set begins a new block and will feature new versions of the hunters -- Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.  The Hunters Expansion adds more than 250 cards to the game (including an 18-card collectible foil subset) with four 63-card starter decks ($10.99) and 11-card booster packs ($3.69).