We had our event yesterday; a total of 4 people including myself as GM participated. I did one demo for a lady at the convention using the I.C.E. challenge decks and 2 constructed games were played. Unfortunately, one player had to leave early and 2 of my other regular opponents couldn't make it to the show.
I wish I had had time to construct simpler demo decks, but I was crunched for time. As I've taught the game several times in the last year, though, I didn't have much trouble going over the cards with this willing convention-goer. MECCG was by far the most complicated game this lady had ever played, but she was willing to see it through for quite a few turns.
She was using the Pallando deck and very early on she was able to get both Wormsbane and Durin's Axe into play, as well as Gollum. I was using the Gandalf deck and managed to get a Magic Ring of Stealth, along with a few factions... can't remember if I got any allies... I don't think so.
We finished that game based on time and the lady had won by a couple of MP. After we finished she said that, while yes it was complicated, she did like the mechanics and the theme of the game (she was only familiar with the LotR movies, not having read the books).
Meanwhile, my friends Graham and Craig played a constructed 2-deck game. Graham was playing a One Ring deck, while Craig was using a "Saddle Up and Ride West" deck I had tweaked a little the day before, after having lost BADLY with it the previous week. I wasn't able to follow the details of their game much, but Graham won by dunking the ring over the course of... 6-8 turns possibly? Maybe more. Other than that, I know that Craig's Thorin failed a corruption check while holding Durin's Axe and ran off!
After my demo was finished, Craig had to leave for another event, so Graham and I played the last game of the day. Graham used a Radagast deck with hobbits and dwarves while I used the same Saddle Up deck I had loaned Craig. (besides not having time to construct demo decks, I also wasn't able to build a 2nd deck for myself. I'd wanted to build an Aragorn/Arwen Narsil/Anduril/Army of the Dead, etc. type of deck, but c'est la vie)
I started out with a strong hand and got some factions into play quite early. Rangers of the North and Woses, but Graham was able to get rid of those with a couple Muster Disperses soon after (I missed both die rolls by 1!). Fortunately I continued to draw strong Resource cards when I needed them and gathered up Orcrist, Durin's Axe, Noble Hound, Tom Bombadil and several other factions. I also managed to get many of my Hazard permanent events into play, but of course having these come out in a timely manner meant I never quite had a strong enough hand of Creatures. I was able to wound several of Graham's dwarves, but never finished them off.
Graham was able to kill my Pippin and Robin Smallburrow and on nearly the last turn of the game I managed to kill his Merry. I'd given away four Orcs to Graham, but I did kill one of his Slayers.
I called the Free Council, no one failed a corruption check (most of Graham's characters were loaded down with weapons and armor) and after tallying it all up, I'd won 31MP to 28MP. Graham's decks have historically been pretty strong, so I was pretty happy with the win. I'd made a variety of mistakes throughout the game, so I'd have to attribute that win to luck more than anything.
Not a huge turnout of players, but quite a few people stopped by and either asked about the game, or commented that they had enjoyed MECCG in the past; some still had their card collection at home. I have no idea when the last time an MECCG event was offered at a West Coast convention, so even though this was a pretty small event... at least we were there!
Here's a shot of the games in progress (gripping stuff, I know)
