War of the Ring
Game Information
In War of the Ring, one player takes control of the Free Peoples (good guys), the other player controls Shadow Armies (bad guys).
Initially, the Free People Nations are reluctant to take arms against Sauron, so they must be attacked by Sauron or persuaded by Gandalf or other Companions, before they start to fight properly: this is represented by the Political Track, which shows if a Nation is ready to fight in the War of the Ring or not.
The game can be won by a military victory, if Sauron conquers a certain number of Free People cities and strongholds or viceversa. But the true hope of the Free Peoples lies with the quest of the Ringbearer: while the armies clash across Middle Earth, the Fellowship of the Ring is trying to get secretly to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. Sauron is not aware of the real intention of his enemies but is looking across Middle Earth for the precious Ring, so that the Fellowship is going to face numerous dangers, represented by the rules of The Hunt for the Ring. But the Companions can spur the Free Peoples to the fight against Sauron, so the Free People player must balance the need to protect the Ringbearer from harm, against the attempt to raise a proper defense against the armies of the Shadow, so that they do not overrun Middle Earth before the Ringbearer completes his quest.
Each game turn revolves around the roll of Action Dice: each die corresponds to an action that a player can do during a turn. Depending on the face rolled on each die, different actions are possible (moving armies, characters, recruiting troops, advancing a Political Track).
Action dice can also be used to draw or play Event Cards. Event Cards are played to represent specific events from the story (or events which could possibly have happened) which cannot be portrayed through normal gameplay. Each Event Card can also create an unexpected turn in the game, allowing special actions or altering the course of a battle.
Reviews and Articles About War of the Ring
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Editor reviews
Top heavy, but worthwhile
Very complex, very fiddly and slightly unbalanced but good nevertheless! A great game that manages the rare feat of being both highly thematic and tactically rich with many options to explore in search of the win. Although very definitely not a card-driven wargame it has a similar feel thanks to...
User reviews
It's one of those games that makes you say, "Wow..
If there's a game that betters War of the Ring in terms of delivering a fantastic, nail-biting experience while expertly balancing narrative and strategic gameplay, I haven't tried it. Many strategy games tend to make concessions when it comes to theme to ensure the mechanics are accessible to new...
The Ultimate Lord of the Rings game
Awesome game. Excellent bits and board, very immersive. My favorite 2-player game and favorite AT game. A must have for Lord of the Rings fans. If you want an epic Lord of the Rings gaming experience, this game cannot be beat. The theme is very well implemented...
One Game to Rule them all
This game begins to rival the Mighty Dune in its ability to capture the feel of the book it was based on. War of the Ring is a wonderful 2 player war game, complete with tons of plastic mini's and well produced bits. One of am...
Fantastic game, one of the very best
What more can be said about War of the Ring? A game that is daringly old school, that perfectly straddles the line between Ameritrash and war game, that squeezes ten tons of theme inside a tightly packed box... It's the kind of game that...
Masterpiece
A masterpiece of boardgames. It captures the epic saga of Lord of the Rings perfectly with a board, cards, and ton of plastic miniatures. Like lots of my favorite 2 player games, the 2 sides play very differently. Painting the bases of the minis isn't required but...