War of the Ring answers the eternal question: what if Axis & Allies...but Elves?
Long time readers know how much A&A means to me, so when I say that War of the Ring is a vastly better game, you know that I'm close to burying the ol' review lead. Should you manage to slog, Dear Reader, to the bowels of this woefully long post's Crack o' Doom, you'll see what I mean.
But things weren't always so idyllic in the ol' Cardboard Shire. The first iteration of the game - released back in 2004 - displayed undeniable design brilliance, but the board was comically undersized and there were about a hojillion chicken-or-the-egg rules vagaries that caused the rules forums on Board Game Geek to light up like a wizard-sponsored fireworks display.
Mercifully a shiny second edition of the game came to us in 2011, which was the gaming equivalent of Gandalf the Dull being replaced by Gandalf the Bleached. On the back of this resplendent Shadowfax, the game hit unprecedented heights, cranking out no less than three expansions that took the thematic depths only previously hinted at in the game's Character and Strategy cards and turned it into something even more rich and sprawling.
So, why so much clamor and praise for what on the surface looks to be the board gaming equivalent of The Silmarillion? Well, let me explain why this quest is so rewarding.
War of the Ring is an epic, asymmetrical, highly-thematic, grand-strategic, card-driven miniatures wargame set in J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative realm of Middle Earth during the rise of Sauron in the Third Age. It's ideal with two players with a minimum play time of two to three hours. Four plus hours is realistic for your first game.
The goal of the Free People: conquer four points worth of evil Strongholds (UNLIKELY) or dunk the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom (ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE LIKELY). The Shadow forces must capture ten points worth of the Free People's real estate or thoroughly corrupt the Frodo and Sam bromance.
The way the factions do this is via their Action Dice. To really underscore how hard pressed the good guys are, they start with only four dice to Sauron's seven! Yikes! At the start of every round, the Shadow player allocates "x" number of dice to try and track the Fellowship should they attempt to move. Then, after all over dice are rolled, both factions - starting with the forces of good - will spend their dice to do actions.
Character Dice allow Leader-led Armies to Move and Attack, fuel the journey of Frodo and company and peel members of the Fellowship off to different destinations to accomplish key tasks. Meanwhile, the bad guys can use this result to wing their Nazgul all over the board to support Sauron's Armies and aid in the Hunt.
Army dice let you move two armies into adjacent spaces or attack an adjacent space with one army. Recruit dice let you bring reinforcements into your home settlements, tilt one of your factions towards war or bring evil minions such as Saruman into play when their conditions are met. Muster / Army Dice can flexibly be used for either effect!
An Event Die lets you play a powerful Character or Army card for various rule-breaking game effects. Note that these cards can also be played by dice of the matching type. Finally Will of the West results are wilds for the Free People while random Sauron Eyes are added to the Hunt efforts.
If the Fellowship moves and Sauron rolls well enough, he can possibly reveal the location of the Fellowship, making them more vulnerable, and threaten them with Corruption. This burden can be offset with a random death in the Fellowship, leading to the possibility of Gandalf becoming newly minted and Strider becoming king. The introduction of Minions and special characters grow the dice pool for both factions and - subsequently -ramp up the game's intensity.
As you might expect, Sauron's forces are legion and never-ending, scoring Victory Points for Cities and iconic hard-won Strongholds. The Free People are unlikely to win a military victory but they just might be able to delay those evil hordes long enough for Frodo to slam-dunk the Ring and eke out a win!
Looking to immerse yourself in the archives of Minas Tirith and learn the true nature of this Ring (War)? Then click on the following dusty digital scroll to learn the incredible truth!
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War of the Ring Playthrough
Turn One
For starting cards, the Free People draw “Path of the Woses” and “House of the Stewards." The Shadow acquires “Shelob's Lair” and “A New Power is Rising.”
The Shadow allocates a pair of dice to the Hunt. With their remaining five dice, the Shadow gets two Eyes, one Army and two Characters while the Free People conjure up a Character, a Will of the West and two Army / Muster.
The Fellowship moves, placing a Character die in the Hunt for the Ring Box (now at 3). The resulting Hunt rolls are "3", "4", "5" and a "6"...a success! The tile they pull is 1 Damage plus a Reveal! The single Damage is taken as Corruption plus the Fellowship is “Revealed” in the Fords of Brunien. The Shadow plays a Character Die to ensure "Shelob's Lair" will be added to the Hunt Tile pool if the Fellowship manages to reach the Mordor Track.
The Fellowship then uses their Will die to Hide! The Shadow responds with an Army Die to move the Minas Morgul army to South Ithilien. Their second move of this action is to shift the Barad-Dur army to Gorgoroth.
Rohirrim scouts, noticing a build up of forces in Orthanc, use a Muster /Army die to shift Rohan towards War. The Shadow spend a Character die to move the Ringwraith-led army into Minas Morgul!
The forces of good have one more die left, so they use their last Muster / Army die to tip Rohan another step closer to War!
Turn Two
The Fellowship draws “King Brand's Men” and “Dead Men of Dunharrow”, while the Shadow picks up “The Ring is Mine!” and “Shadows on the Misty Mountains.”
The Shadow allocates two dice to the Hunt and then roll two Army, two Muster / Army and an Event. The Fellowship get a Character, an Event, a Muster and a Muster / Army.
Frodo and company use a Character Die to try and move. A roll of "2" and a "5" means that their travel goes undetected! The Shadow spend a Army / Muster to move Isengard to war!
The Fellowship uses an Event Die to play "King Brand's Men", adding two Regular units in Dale and drawing "Dain Ironfoot's Guard." The Shadow spend an Army / Muster result to bring out Saruman in Orthanc!
The sentries in Osgiliath clearly see what's transpiring in South Ithilien and use a Muster / Army result to move Gondor one space on the track towards war! The Shadow tables an absolutely batshit card called "A New Power is Rising", which adds two Regular Units in both North and South Dunland as well as two Elite Units in Orthanc!
The Free Folks use their last Muster die action to shift the Activated Elves one space towards War! Sauron then burns an Army die to move their massive mob from Minas Morgul to North Ithilien and the Morannon garrison into Gorgoroth.
Their final Army die moves the legion in Near Harad to West Harondor and from Umbar to the same region! The Southrons are on the move!
Turn Three
The Free People draw “The Eagles Are Coming!” and “A Power Too Great.” The Shadow pull “Cruel Weather” and “The King is Revealed.”
The Shadow allocates two to the Hunt, then roll their six remaining dice to score an Eye, a Muster, two Army, one Muster / Army and Character. The Free People roll a Character, a Muster and two Events!
The Free People use a Character Die to move the Fellowship, but with two "3's" and a "6"...the Hunt succeeds! They're "Revealed" at the Goblin Gate, but the subsequent "0" tile means no damage! The forces of evil then spend a Muster Die to use the "Voice of Saruman" to replace two Regular Units with Elites!
The Fellowship gifts an Elven Ring to Sauron to dial up the Character Die required to Hide the Fellowship! The Shadow then uses a Muster / Army to nudge Sauron's forces into War!
An Event Die lets the Fellowship table "A Power Too Great", pushing the Elves one space towards War! The Shadow then spends an Army Die to attack Osgiliath from South Ithilien!
Round One
Neither side plays a card!
Sauron can only hit on a "6" in the first round due to the Fortification. He conjures up two "1's", two "6's" and a "2." Two hits! Gondor gets a "6" and a "2." One hit. The two Regular Units in Osgiliath are annihilated and the orcs swarm the city! Their casualties go out of the game and the one dead orc goes back into Sauron's reserves. With that, Gondor's Political Counter is activated and they are now "At War" with Mordor!
The Fellowship spend their final Muster die to add an Elite unit in Minas Tirith! The Shadow then employs a Leader Die to move the Naz(duel)-led army from North Ithilien into Osgiliath. Note: a garrison of two Regular units remain behind to accommodate the max capacity ten units that's now bearing down on Minas Tirith!
Sauron uses his final Army die to assault Minas Tirith from Osgiliath and the Gondorians immediately retreat into the city Stronghold!
Turn Four
The Free People pick up "Gwaihir The Windlord" and "The Red Arrow." They now have seven cards, so they turf "The Eagles Are Coming." The Shadow draws "The Nazgul Strike!" and "Return of the Witch King."
Sauron earmarks two dice to the Hunt. They then roll two Eyes (four dice are now allocated to The Hunt), two Characters, an Event and a Muster / Army. The Fellowship score two Muster, a Will and a Character.
Immediately they play "The Red Arrow" with a Muster die. Rohan isn't activated yet, so they stop just short of going to War. An Elite and a Leader are added to Edoras! Saruman uses a Leader Die (thanks to his "Servants of the White Hand" power Elites are considered Leaders) to attack the Fords of Isen from Orthanc! Paranoid about a possible lumber-based local uprising, he keeps two Regular Units behind as rearguard...a decision that will prove fateful.
Round One
The Free People play no Combat Card, and neither do the Uruk-Hai. Since there's a Fort in the Fords, only "6's" will work for the Orcs in this first round!
The Dark Side rolls a pair of "2's", and one each of "4", "5" and "6." They have five leaders (!) and their re-rolls yield two "3's", a "2" and another "6." The soldiers of Rohan strike back, scoring a "5" and a "6"!
A Rohirrim Leader and a Regular are thrown out of the game and the Uruk-Hai lose one Elite, which is very bad for their seige efforts. Rohan is now Activated and At War! The remaining Horse Lords then retreat to the area surrounding Helm's Deep!
The Fellowship attempts to move with a Character Die. They manage to sneak by with two "4's" and two "1's." Just to be a bastard, the Shadow drops "Cruel Weather" via an Event Die, which pushes them back to the High Pass! Truly eeeeeevil!!! (NOTE: this short sighted nastiness was a mistake in retrospect. Sauron really should have pressed the offensive against Helm's Deep, since the defenders were given an opportunity to strengthen their position.)
After a Muster Die is used to recruit an Elite Unit in Helm's Deep, the Warg Riders spurn the Uruk-Hai masses into the region surrounding Helm's Deep with a Character Die, prompting the defenders fall back into the legendary Stronghold!
The Fellowship drops their Will die to play "Gwaihir the Windlord." Grey-flavored Gandalf spins off from the Fellowship, arrives in Carrock and Activates the Northerners! This results in Strider becoming their new Guide! The Shadow uses a Muster / Army die to assault Helm's Deep!
Round One
The Fellowship table a card and so does the Shadow! Unfortunately Helm's Deep is clouded by "A Swarm of Bats" which cancels the "Valour" of our heroes!
The Shadow whiffs with two "1's", a "3" and a "4." However, since all of them are Leaders, they get to re-roll all four! Two "4's", a "5" and a "6" equals one hit. The Rohirrim counter attack is a "1", a "2" and a "6." Both factions reduce an Elite to a Regular.
Round Two
The Uruk-Hai reduce another Elite to a Regular to continue the siege! They roll "1", "2", "5" and a "6." Two re-rolls: "4's"...nope! Counter attack: 2 x "2" and a "6." Both factions lose a Regular this time!
Round Three
The Uruk-Hai reduce another Elite to a Regular to continue the siege! They roll a "5" and two "3's" then re-roll for a "4." The Rohirrim roll a "5" and a "4"...one hit!
The Orcs lose a Regular unit and are forced to suspend the siege! Saruman ain't gonna be pleased!
Turn Five
The Free People pick up "Bilbo's Song" and "Kindred of Glorfindel." They now have seven cards, so they turf "The Eagles Are Coming." The Shadow draws "Morgul Wound" and "Rage of the Dunlendings."
Sauron earmarks two dice to the Hunt, as per standard procedure. They then roll three Character dice, two Event and a Muster / Army. The Free Folks get three Event (!) and a Will!
The Will becomes a movement for the Ring-Bearers! A "1" and a "6" is rolled...a success... and the Fellowship is Revealed in Old Ford with an Eye Hunt Tile! Since there was only one "6", the damage is just one...taken as Corruption! The Shadow spends a Muster / Army to introduce The Witch King to the siege of Minas Tirith! As a result, the sleepy Dwarves are also Activated!
The Free People use Strider's ability (and an Event Die) to Hide the Fellowship! A thoroughly pissed Saruman stirs up the "Rage of the Dunlendings" with an Event Die. Two Regular Units pop up in the Gap of Rohan and then the three Regulars in South Dunland migrate to that same space!
The Free People use another Event Die to play "Kindred of Glorfindel" to drop an Elite in Rivendell. They pull a new Strategy Card - "Swords in Eriador" - and pass the turn. The Shadow then uses an Event Die to add "The Ring is Mine!" special Hunt Tile into play!
Sadly, the Free People have to spend another Elven Ring, this time gaining a Character Die to attempt a movement. The resulting "1" and a "2" means that they successfully perform another cross-country ninja shuffle away from the Old Ford! Saruman spends one of his gifted Rings to acquire a Muster Die, which transforms two of his bodyguards into Elites.
The forces of Sauron finally loose their besieging army onto Minas Tirith!
The Shadow plays "Onslaught" and the Free People play "Advantageous Position." Sauron draws a new Character card thanks to the Witch King's "Sorcerer" ability!
Sauron's rolls are 2 x "4", plus "1", "3" and "5." They re-roll three dice...getting a "1", "4" and "5." All misses! The Gondor counter-attack of "1", "2", "3" and two "4's" are also all misses! The Shadow inflicts four Regular casualties with Onslaught and rolls "1", "2" and two "3's"! Again, all misses...and since this happens as a bonus attack, no Leader re-rolls are allowed! This isn't looking good for Sauron!
They reduce an Elite unit to a Regular and try again, but with no cards this time. The Sauron rolls are "1", 2 x "2", "4" and a "5." The three Leader re-rolls are 2 x "3" and a "4." Counter-attack: "2", "3", 2 x "5" and a "6." That's three hits! Another siege stalls...perhaps an even more disastrous outcome for the Shadow!
The Shadow uses their last Army die to move the Gorgoroth Army to Minas Morgul and the Warg Riders in Orthanc to the Fords of Isen.
Turn Six
The Free People pick up "I Will Go Alone" and "Imrahil of Dol Amroth." The Shadow draws "Orc Patrol" and "Many Kings To the Service of Mordor."
Desperate for Actions, Sauron only adds one die to the Hunt. Now rolling eight thanks to the Witch King, they summon one Eye, a Character, an Event, two Muster / Army, two Army and a Muster. The Free People get two Character, a Muster and a Muster / Army.
Anxious to press their advantage, the Gondorians attempt a sortie in Minas Tirith with a Muster / Army Die.
Round One
No-one plays a card.
Their rolls: each of "1", "2", "3", "4" and "5." One hit! Counter-attack: "1" and two "3's." Re-rolls: two "1's" and a "3." The forces of evil retreat into Osgiliath! What a disaster for the Dark Lord!
A humiliated Sauron is forced to spend an Army Die to move the tatters of their forces back into South Ithilien and then use their second move to drive the Minas Morgul battalion to reinforce them!
The Free People play "Imrahil of Dol Amroth" with a Muster Die and a Gondor Leader and Elite appear in the fabled city. The Shadow use an Event Die to play "Many Kings To the Service of Mordor", adding two Regulars to Umbar, Near Harad and Far Harad.
The Fellowship uses a Character Die to move, and the Hunt Roll is "6" and "5." At least these rolls are decent! The Hunt Tile is a "3"...but not "Revealed", putting them two spaces away from Old Ford and absorbing all of the damage as Corruption! The Shadow uses a Muster Action to move the Southrons (and Easterlings) one space towards War!
The Fellowship tries moving again with a Character Die. This time the Hunt Roll is double sixes!!! The tile pull is an Eye (which equates 2 damage because of the double "6's") and they are "Revealed" on the Old Forest Road! The Fellowship Track resets to 0 and they begrudgingly take a random casualty...Strider! Sure, all of the damage is prevented, but the King will never Return! The unlikely Boromir takes over as the Fellowship's Guide! To make matters worse, the Shadow then uses a Character Die to play "Orc Patrol" and pulls another "3" Tile!!! They're forced to do another random casualty: this time it's Legolas! Even after this, they still take a point of Corruption. Talk about radically different fortunes between Sauron's military ventures and his hunting trips!
The Shadow player proceeds to pile on, using a Muster / Army Die to put the Southrons (and Easterlings) at War!
Another Army Die sends the Southrons charging at the defenders of Pelargir!
Round One
Combat Cards: none played.
The Shadow military campaign continues to sputter as the Southrons roll 2 x "1", as well as a "3", "4" and a "5." The lone Gondorian garrison throws a "1", misses and then falls back to Lossarnach. The Southrons swarm Pelargir, finally giving Sauron his first Victory Point!
Their final play is to spend an Muster / Army result to play "Shadows Gather" and move the massive force in Far Harad to West Harad!
Turn Seven
The Free People pick up "Axe and Bow" and "The Last Battle" and - since they have seven cards - they must throw one out, namely "Dead Men of Dunharrow." The Shadow draws "The Black Captain Commands" and "Corsairs of Umbar."
The Shadows sets two dice to The Hunt and then rolls another Eye (there are now at three dice in the Hunt Pool), an Event, two Muster / Army, and one each of Muster, Character and Army. Frodo and company get a Will, two Character Die and an Army / Muster!
The Fellowship spends a Character Die to Hide our heroes. The Shadow plays "The Black Captain Commands", adding two Ringwraiths to the South Ithilien horde, where the Witch King just so happens to be hanging out. That army then moves into Osgiliath!
Gandalf the White appears thanks to a Will result. Finally the Fellowship has it's fifth die! With an Army Action the Southrons attacks Lossarnach!
Round One
The Free people play "Daylight" and the Shadow plays none.
The Southrons are limited to only three dice being rolled. They get two "2's" and a "3." The Dark Lord's poor military fortunes continue! The Gondorians counter with a "1" and a "6"...so they destroy an enemy unit and then retreat into Minas Tirith. Lossarnach falls!
The Fellowship tries to crawl forward and the Hunt Rolls are...three EFFIN' SIXES!!! Mercifully the tile drawn is a "1"...without being Revealed! They're now one space on the Fellowship track out of Old Forest Road. The casualty chosen is Pippin, but his "Take Them Alive!" special ability kicks in and he merely moves two spaces away! The Shadow then drops a Muster / Army result to move the second Southron invasion force from West Harondor into Pelargir and the two regular units in North Ithilien into Osgiliath.
The Free People use a Muster /Army die to move the Rohirrim from Edoras to Westemnet and the men of Dale into the Vale of Carnen.
The Shadow table "The Nazgul Strike" with a Character Die. A Ringwraith in Osgiliath wings off to Helm's Deep and the one in Dol Guldur investigates the last known position of the Fellowship along Old Forest Road. This time a roll of "3", "4" and "5" means their trail has gone cold! The re-roll is "1"...at last, a bit of mercy!
Saruman uses a Muster Die to train a Warg Rider in Orthanc.
Finally, the forces of darkness use an Army / Muster result to attack Minas Tirith from Osgiliath. Once again, the forces of Gondor retreat into the city fortress. Since they have six units, one Regular is placed back in supply! The siege begins anew!
Turn Eight
The Free People pick up "Elven Cloaks" and "Guards of the Citadel" and throw out "Paths of the Woses" to get down to six cards. The Shadow draws "The Ringwraiths are Abroad" and "The Shadow is Moving."
The Shadow sets two dice to The Hunt and then rolls the rest, scoring an Eye (they now have three Hunt Dice), an Event, three Muster, an Army and a Muster / Army. The Free People net an Event, a Character, a Muster and two Muster / Army.
The Fellowship drops an Event to play "Axe and Bow." Well, just "Axe" now. Too soon? Sauron uses an Army result to attack Minas Tirith!
Round One
The forces of evil play "Relentless Assault" (drawing "The Shadow Lengthens" thanks to the Witch King's "Sorcerer" ability!) and the Free People play "Charge." The latter's bonus attack yields two "3's"...a failure.
Sauron voluntarily inflicts two fatalities, adding +2 to all their attack rolls this round! The adjusted results are: 2 x "4", a "5" and two "6's." Three re-rolls produce another "6"...that's three hits! The Gondor counter attack is: "1", 2 x "4", a "3" and a "5." The defenders of Minas Tirith inflict a single loss while their forced to drop their two Elites to Regulars and then lose a Regular.
The Fellowship tries to move, and the Hunt Roll is "4" plus two "5's." Nazgul re-roll..."2". Another successful sneak...putting them at two spaces out of the Old Forest Road. Another Army result...another assault on Minas Tirith!
Round One
No cards! Sauron rolls "1", 2 x "2", a "4" and a "5." All are re-rolled...this time it's "3", "5" and triple "6's"!!! The counter-attack is "2", "5" and two "6's"! Three Gondorians drop and Sauron loses a single unit and two 'Raiths! The battle wears on!
The Fellowship uses a Recruit action to add one Regular unit in Dol Amroth and one in Westemnet! The Shadow uses an Elven Ring to turn a Muster into an Army and attacks Minas Tirith again!
Round One
No cards played! Sauron rolls a "6", 2 x "4" and 2 x "2." The four re-rolls yield the following: 2 x "3", a "5" and a "6." The Gondor counter-attack is a "6"...a hit! Minas Tirith finally falls...and the Shadow gain two Victory Points!
The Free Folks use their last Elven Ring to play "I Will Go Alone." Merry joins Pippin in Southern Rhovanion and they heal one Corruption! The Shadow uses an Event Die to play "The Shadow is Moving", shifting the two Southron Armies in Pelargir and Lossarnach into Lamedon. Then the Uruk-Hai army in the Gap of Rohan enters the Fords of Isen, joined by the Elite from Isengard.
The forces of good use a Muster / Army result to move the Elves into War! The Shadow uses their last flipped Elven Ring to attack Dol Amroth from Lamedon! The Gondorians immediately take refuge in the fortress!
Saruman uses his "Voice" to recruit regulars in both Dunlands and Orthanc!
Turn Nine
The Free People pick up "The Grey Company" and "Thranduil's Archers" and the Shadow draws "Wormtongue" and "Denethor's Folly."
The Shadows sets two dice to The Hunt and then rolls the rest, scoring an Eye (three dice are now set for The Hunt), an Event, two Characters, and one each of Army, Muster and Muster / Army. The Free People score a Will, an Event, a Character and two Muster / Army.
The Fellowship tries moving with a Character Die. A "2" and two "1's" (the Nazgul re-roll is "5") allows for a third undetected move! The Shadow spends an Army result to attack Dol Amroth!
Round One
The Southrons play "Mumakil" and the Gondorians play "Valour!"
The adjusted attacks rolls are 2 x "2", a "3", a "4" and a "6." The adjusted counter is 2 x "2", 2 x "3" and a "6." Re-roll: "3"...miss! The Gondor Elite reduces to a Regular and the Southrons lose a Regular.
They step an Elite down to a Regular and renew the siege!
Round Two
The Southrons table "Deadly Strife" which will add +2 to every die roll...friend or foe! The adjusted Southron roll is "4", "5", "6", "7" and "8." That's three hits! The adjusted counter roll is: 2 x "4", "6", "7" and "8." Re-roll: "3" miss! Loss of three units each!
The Southrons reduce their final Elite to do another round!
Round Three
Their rolls are "1", "2", "3", "5" and a "6." The counter is "2" and a "3." The Gondorians lose one more Regular...but they're holding on!
Frodo and Sam break out the "Elven Cloaks" with an Event Die, adding the "0" Special Hunt Tile to the Mordor Track mix. The Southrons use a Muster / Army Die to renew their assault on Dol Amroth.
Round One
The Southron juggernaut rolls "1", "3" and triple "6's"! The defense roll is "4"...re-rolled to "4." Dol Amroth falls to the Shadow, who gain two more Victory Points! They're now at 5!
The Fellowship uses a Muster / Army result to attack the besieging army at Helm's Deep with the Rohirrim!
Round One
The Horse Lords play "Fateful Strike" and the Shadow plays "Foul Stench." The latter cancels the former!
Rohirrim roll: "2", "3" and 2 x "5." Two hits! Counter: 2 x "3"...the one re-roll yields another "3." The Uruk-Hai lose one Elite and their remaining Regular unit and the Nazgul flee back to the Fords of Isen to join the inbound Orthanc horde!
The Shadow play "The Ringwraiths are Abroad" with an Event Die. No Nazgul move, but Saruman's now-'Wraith-supervised Army attack the Rohirrim in Helm's Deep. The Eorlingas retreat into the Stronghold, returning a Regular to supply to accommodate the five unit limit.
The Fellowship use a Will Die to try and chance another move. This being their second move, the Shadow add +1...resulting in an adjusted 2 x "7" and an "8." Ruh-roh! The flipped Tile is a "2" (but not Revealed!), so a casualty is randomly picked! "Axe and Bow" is discarded, reducing it to just one damage. They take the spare Corruption and are now four regions away from the Old Forest Road! Sauron uses a Character Die to move their Army from Minas Tirith to the Druadan Forest...clearly intent on Edoras!
The Fellowship spends a Muster / Army to recruit an Elven Elite in Lorien! The Shadow uses a Muster to bring The Mouth of Sauron into play in Minas Morgul.
Finally, the Shadow uses a Character Die to attack Helm's Deep.
Round One
Unfortunately all of the Fellowship's Combat Card options require a Companion, so they won't work. Conversely, the Shadow plays "Devilry of Orthanc." Their (adjusted) rolls are "3", "4", "5", "6" and a "7." Two hits! Three re-rolls produce a "2", "3" and "6." Three hits in total! Counter attack: 2 x "1", 2 x "3" and a "5." Re-roll: "1." One hit! The Rohirrim downgrade two Elite and then lose a Regular while Sauron loses only one Regular! The Morale of Men seems to be faltering!
Round Two
An Elite is downgraded to a Regular and the assault continues! This time the roll is poor: 2 x "2", 2 x "4" and a "3." Three re-rolls: 2 x "3" and a "4." No hits! The counter is "1", "2", "5" and a "6." Two hits! Two regulars drop and another Elite is reduced to keep the siege grinding on!
Round Three
The resulting roll is "1", "2", 2 x "3" and a "5." Two re-rolls happen: 2 x "1." The counter attack is brutal: "4", 2 x "5" and "6." That a loss of three Regulars! And, with that, a second siege on Helm's Deep breaks like a wave on a rocky shoreline!
Turn Ten
The Free People pick up "The Ents Awake: Entmoot" as well as "There and Back Again" and the Shadow draws "The Palantir of Orthanc" and "The Day Without Dawn."
The Shadows sets three (!) dice to The Hunt and then rolls two Event, three Muster / Army, an Army and a Character. The Free People get a Will, a Character, a Muster and two Muster / Army.
The Will result becomes a Character Die to fuel a move. Two "3's" and a "1" means the Fellowship are now five spaces out of Old Forest Road and undetected! Sauron drops an Event to give Saruman his "Palantir"!
A Character Die equals another move...but this time they appear at the foot of Mount Doom via Morannon! The Special Tiles are now added to the pool. The Shadow uses an Army Action to move the forces in North to South Dunland and Sauron's Army from the Druadan Forest to Folde!
The Fellowship uses a Muster Action to gain an Elite in Rivendell. A Muster / Army Action shifts the Sauron army into Edoras, gaining them another Victory Point, for a total of 6! The Orcs in South Dunland move into the Gap of Rohan.
With a Muster / Army action, the Elves add an Elite to Lorien! The Shadow uses their Muster / Army action to force-march their army from the Gap of Rohan to the Fords of Isen and the Sauron horde from Edoras (leaving one unit behind) to Westemnet!
A final Muster / Army result sees the Elves add another Elite in Lorien. Sauron uses a Muster / Army Die to move the army in Westemnet into Helm's Deep and the goon squad in the Fords of Isen joins them. NOTE: a single unit had to be left behind to obey the ten-unit stacking limit!
With a Character Die, the massive, Witch-King-led force surrounding Helm's Deep lets loose.
Round One
The Shadow plays "Relentless Assault" and the Rohirrim drop "Nameless Wood." The Witch King's Sorcerer ability lets them draw "Return to Valinor."
Two Uruk-Hai Regulars perish, adding +2 to every roll. The adjusted results are: "4", "5", "7" and 2 x "8." Re-rolls: "2" and "4." Three hits versus the counter-attack of 2 x "1", a "3" and a "4." Leader re-roll: "4." It's near-rout of the defenders!
Round Two
No cards played. The Shadow masses score "2", 2 x "3" and 2 x "6." The siege-weary Rohirrim get a "4", re-rolled as a "4." Helm's Deep finally falls, netting the Shadow two more Victory Points for a total of 8!
The Shadow uses their Muster / Army die to add an Elite to Dol Gildur.
The Shadow uses their remaining Event Die to draw from the Character Deck and get "Grond, Hammer of the Underworld."
Turn Eleven
The Free People pick up "Challenge of the King" and "Grimbeorn the Old" and the Shadow draws "Dreadful Spells" and "Olog-Hai."
The Shadow allocate two dice to the Hunt, just in case they're fortunate enough to pull an Eye. Their remaining rolls include two Eyes (now at 6), a pair of Army dice, a Character, a Muster / Army, a Muster and an Event. The Free People get three Characters (!), an Event and a Muster!
In a last-ditch effort, Frodo and company try to move. They pull a "0" tile and advance onto the first space! The Shadow uses an Army result to move the Helm's Deep assault squad into Westemnet and the army in Dol Gildur into South Anduin Vale.
Another Move attempt with a Character die...this time a "1" is pulled..so they take the Corruption and move onto the second space! Another Shadow Army Die moves the masses from South Anduin Vale to Dimril Dale and the Sauron legion into Eastemnet.
A third move attempt with a Character Die yields a "0" and they move onto the third space...but are "Revealed"! The Shadow plays an Event Die to table "Morgul Wound" which adds another Corruption. This lets him get a new card, thanks to his "Palantir", which turns up "The Lidless Eye." Frodo is up to 8 Corruption!
The Fellowship plays an Event die to draw a Character Card, getting "Treebeard." The Shadow use a Character die to move the Sauron horde into Parth Celebrant.
The Free People use a Muster result to move the Northerners to War! In order to break "A Power Too Great", Sauron is forced to spend a Muster / Army die and discard an Army Event Card ("Return to Valinor") as well as "The Lidless Eye."
The Mouth of Sauron then uses his special ability to turn the Muster die into an Army Die, allowing an attack on Lorien from Dimril Dale. The Elves retreat into the Stronghold!
Turn Twelve
The Free People pick up "Riders of Theoden" and "We Prove the Swifter." They have seven cards so they turf "There and Back Again." The Shadow draws "Balrog of Moria" and "Half-Orcs and Goblin Men."
This time Sauron drops in two Hunt Dice. Wise move, since two more Eyes turn up, as well as three Character, two Armies and a Muster. The Fellowship gets two Characters, a Will, an Event and a Muster.
The Fellowship plays a Character Die to Hide. The Shadow uses a Character Die to split the army in Parth Celebrant. Three Orcs and all of the 'Wraiths go to Lorien and the four Uruk-Hai peel off to Eastemnet. The Easterling Army in South Rhun ventures off to East Rhun.
Frodo and Company move onto the forth space. The drawn tile is an Eye...plus they are Revealed! That's potentially four damage! Boromir is drawn as a Casualty...but they're forced to take two more and now sit at a precarious ten Corruption! The Shadow launch their attack on Lorien with a Character Die!
Round One
The Free People play "Daylight" and the Shadow drops "Durin's Bane"! They draw a card called "Worn with Sorrow and Toil" thanks to the Witch King's ability.
The Shadow's bonus roll for "Durin's Bane" yields "1", "3" and a "4"...one hit! The Elves reduce an Elite to a Regular. The Shadow then roll...a maximum of three dice due to the "Daylight." They get a "4", "5" and a "6." Two are re-rolled: "2" and "3." Just one hit! The Free People counter is "2", "3", 2 x "4" and a "6." One re-roll..."2." Also just one hit! The Elves step down an Elite to a Regular and the Shadow loses one drone.
Round Two
The Shadow steps a big boi down to a Regular and attacks again. The Free People have no applicable cards to play, but the Shadow drops "We Come to Kill"! The Shadow then rolls a "2", 2 x "3", a "4" and a "6." They re-roll and get 3 x "5" and a "4." Only one hit! The Elves defend with 3 x "4", a "1" and a "6." One re-roll: "3"...also just one hit! "We Come To Kill" rolls only a single die...and the "3" misses!
Round Three
Another Elite is cranked down to keep the battle going! The Shadow roll terrible: "1", "2", 2 x "3" and a "5." The re-roll is "1", 2 x "3", "4" and "6." One hit! The counter is "1", "2", "5" and a "6." Re-roll is "2." Again, one hit each! The Elves reduce an Elite to a Regular and the Shadow lose a Regular unit. With no more Elites, the siege ends...for the time being!
The Fellowship uses a Will as a Character die to Hide! The Shadow then busts out "Grond, Hammer of the Underworld" to do three cost-free rounds of siege combat!
Round One
No cards played. The Shadow rolls 2 x "1" and one each of "4", "5" and "6." Re-rolls: "1", "2", 2 x "3" and a "4." FFS!!! The defenders roll "1", "3", "5" and a "6." Re-roll: "5." That's a sickening three hits against the attackers.
Round Two
Rolls are "1", "3" and 2 x "4". Re-rolls: "2", "4", "5" and a "6." Finally one measly hit! The counter is one each of "1" to "4." Re-roll: "4." A Regular Elf unit is lost.
Round Three
The Shadow rolls five "5's", inspiring Sauron to pluck his fiery eyelashes out in frustration! The re-roll is 2 x "1" and 2 x "4." The counter is 2 x "6" and a "3." Re-roll is "4." The Shadow loses two more units and must suspend the attack...the Elves weather another assault!
The Fellowship spends an Event Die to draw a Character Card: "Mithril Coat and Sting." The Shadow uses an Army Die to play "Olog-Hai", adding an Elite to the Lorien siege!
The Free People use a Muster result to add a Northern Leader and Elite to Carrock. The Shadow use an Army result to move five of the six Southron Units in Dol Amroth to Lamedon and the Uruk-Hai from Eastemnet to Parth Celebrant.
The Mouth of Sauron then transforms the Muster result into an Army, moving the Southrons from Lamedon to Pelargir and the Uruk-Hai in Parth join their brethren in the unending siege of Lorien.
Turn Thirteen
The Free People pick up "Plial of Galadriel" and "Celeborn's Galadhrim." They have seven cards so they turf "House of the Stewards." The Shadow draws "The Breaking of the Fellowship" and "Hill Trolls."
Pleased with last turn's results, Sauron drops in two Hunt Dice. They roll an Eye (up to three), two Event, two Character, a Muster and two Muster / Army.
Concealed once again, the Fellowhip attempts their fifth and final move to finally dunk the Ring. They draw an Eye for three points of damage...Gimli dies to protect Frodo and Sam, they take one left over Corruption (for a razor-close total of 11) and the Ring of Power is forever destroyed!
The Free People win!
***
REVIEW
PROS
- It's intuitive! Driven by the Dice Actions and card play, the core game flow is pretty easy to grasp.
- It's sumptuous! The epic sized board, incredible minis, large format cards and dice are all super shwanky. Bonus points for that iconic John Howe art!
- It's variable! Yes, there are certain scripted elements, but - thanks to a certain amount of luck and the random order in which the cards become available - every game plays out like an alternate history of Middle Earth.
- It's thematic! All of those Character and Army cards lead to an insane amount of rich narrative storytelling.
- It's tense! With two reasonably well-matched players, things usually come down to the wire. In a recent game I played my Fellowship was just a step or two away from a Ring slam dunk before my opponent snagged their tenth veep!
- It's an adventure! As Sauron, will you concentrate on harrasing the Fellowship with Nazgul or act as Generals for your troops? How long will you build up your forces before you unleash them? Is the appearance of the Witch King worth activating all of your rivals? As the Free People will you try and speed run the Ring-Bearers? Or shore up the defensive position of Minas Tirith, Edoras and Lorien? Will you voluntarily break the Fellowship to pursue a bunch of card-based mini quests or let them act as meat-shields for Frodo?
- It's engaging! You can never do everything you want to do, which leaves you chomping at the bit for your next turn!
- Not too muckin' futch. Clearly there are quite a few fiddly rules, as evidenced by the next section, but they make sense, so they're reasonably easy to remember.
- Although luck certainly plays a part, I certainly can't blame my own disastrous fortunes with dice on the game.
***
Final Thoughts
If your favorite games are those that tell a compelling narrative, War of the Ring is a must-buy for you, doubly so if you're a Tolkien fan. Word to the wise: it's a hefty boi but, given the subject matter, it really had to be. Those with the fortitude to venture into the breach will be rewarded with one of the most memorable gaming experiences the hobby has to offer.
All told, War of the Ring scores a perfect six pips out of six.
BONUS: CRITICAL RULES TO REMEMBER
- Six is the maximum card hand size. Depleted decks are never reshuffled.
- An Elven Ring can't turn a die into a Will of the West result.
- Companions stop moving when they move into a Shadow Stronghold, can't enter or leave a region that's besieged by an enemy army and can't cross over impassable (black bordered) terrain.
- Some Companions can Activate any nation (if they bear the Free Peoples symbol).
- Region army limit is ten units, not including Minions, Leaders and Companions. If you must exceed this limit, excess units go back into the reinforcement pool.
- Nations not "At War" can move beyond their borders but they can't cross another nation's borders. They also can't attack enemy Armies or use a Muster action to recruit. They can retreat across another nation's borders but must vacate the next time they move, unless now at war with that nation.
- If you Muster two units they have to be placed in separate Cities, Towns or Strongholds. Nazgul always come from Sauron Nation Strongholds.
- You can't Muster units in a besieged Stronghold. Exception: you can recruit with an Event Card even if the nation isn't at war or the Stronghold is under siege.
- Free People casualties are permanently eliminated from the game whereas Sauron's dead go back into supply.
- Five is the maximum number of dice rolled by an army, regardless of size.
- Attackers declare the use of a Combat Card first.
- If two Combat Cards have the same Initiative number, the defender's card activates first.
- Unless otherwise stated, the effect of a Combat Card just works for the current round.
- Combat is simultaneous and casualties are only removed after both combatants perform their Combat Rolls.
- In the first round (only) defending armies in regions with Cities and Fortifications are only hit on "6's." For Strongholds it's only ever "6's."
- Leaders can't be taken as casualties. They are automatically eliminated when all supporting Army units are destroyed.
- When replacing Free People Elite with Regulars, you can take the Regulars from the casualty pile, then from reinforcements and - if this doesn't work - the Elite is eliminated!
- Only a maximum of five Army Units can retreat into a Siege. Excess units go back into reinforcements.
- A Nation is Activated if (1) it's invaded (2) its armies are attacked (3) the Fellowship is declared in a City or Stronghold (4) a Companion that can activate that nation ends a move in a City or Stronghold.
- A Nation's Political Counter is moved towards war if (1) its army is attacked - this also activates that Nation as per above (2) every time a Nation's Town, City or Stronghold is captured by the enemy.
- A revealed Fellowship can't move until it is Hidden.
- When the Fellowship Declares its Own Position, it's still technically "Hidden."
- You can Heal a Corruption if the Fellowship is Declared in a Free Peoples City or Stronghold! This can be done for every turn they linger there.
- If the Fellowship was just revealed and its path from its previous position takes it through, from, into or stays put in a Shadow controlled Stronghold, immediately draw a Hunt tile and resolve that next!
- When you spin Companions off they move equal to the Fellowship's movement plus their Level.
- Companions that split from the Fellowship in a space with a Stronghold under siege must enter the Stronghold and may not leave!
- Companions can never rejoin the Fellowship after leaving.
- Always move on the Fellowship Track first before the Hunt Roll.
- The Shadow must allocate at least one die to The Hunt if the Free People retrieved at least one die from the Hunt Box during Phase One.
- The maximum number of Hunt Dice the Shadow can allocate is equal to the number of Companions currently in the Fellowship, not including the Ring-Bearers...to a minimum of one. Otherwise the max is five dice.
- Add +1 to the Hunt Roll for every previous Fellowship Move.
- Re-roll a Hunt Die for each of the following conditions: (1) the Ring-Bearers are in a Shadow-controlled Stronghold region (2) there's Shadow Army units present (3) there's one or more Nazgul. One die per condition met to a maximum of three!
- Eye Hunt Tile results inflict damage equal to the number of successes in the Hunt Roll.
- If the Fellowship is either in Minas Morgul or Morannon they can Declare their position and be added to the first space on that track. The Fellowship progress counter is now just used to indicate a Revealed Fellowship.
- When the Fellowship assumes the first Mordor space, add all the red and blue Hunt Tiles that have been added to play by Cards to the pool.
- Companions separated from the Fellowship in Mordor are just eliminated instead.
- There is no Hunt Roll if the Fellowship is in Mordor. Just draw a tile automatically. Stop results prevent any movement!
- If the Fellowship doesn't attempt to move or hide on the Mordor Track, they take one automatic Corruption.
- Military win condition: 10 Victory Points for Sauron and only 4 for the Free People.
