This is best played with a group of LOTR geeks! Fantastic artworks on big glossy linen cards.
I like certain kinds of deduction and I especially like deduction where you can score points for getting certain things correct (e.g., identifying some of the student cards other players have in their hand / classroom).
Thinking of five letter words is difficult for some people (me included) so we spent a lot of time thinking.
Overall, I really enjoyed the game and deducing which kids (letters) were where based on words everyone heard one player ask another to answer.
Introduces minor companies and merger mechanics, loans, and a voracious national railroad that will gobble your minors when you least expect it--not always a bad thing as long as you know it's coming. 1861 moves fairly quickly with the RSR buying as many trains as it can at the end of each OR--so no train stagnation even with inexperienced players. We've only played the 1861 half so far, but it alone is worth the price, so getting a variant in 1867 is gravy.
My wife and I love this game! Great theme, and the components are all very well produced. Total winner!