War of the Ring

Recommended for Ages 13 & up
2-4 Players
150-180 minute playtime

Description:
In War of the Ring, one player takes control of the Free Peoples FP, the other player controls Shadow Armies SA.

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 vice versa. 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 game-play. Each Event Card can also create an unexpected turn in the game, allowing special actions or altering the course of a battle.

Re-implements:


War of the Ring first edition










Components:


1 forty-eight page color illustrated rule booklet
1 game board in two sections
2 player aids folders
5 white six-side combat dice
6 blue Free Peoples action dice
10 red Shadow action dice
110 playing cards
14 character cards 1 Gollum, 3 Shadow, 10 Free
96 event cards 4 decks of 24 cards each


81 cardboard counters
205 plastic figures




Online Play


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtLN1dNc0SyedExSbzMtZjg1WDdLTi0zNy1HMy1wb2c#gid=0




Microbadges:



- War of the Ring fan

- Dwarves

- Elves

- Free Peoples

- Gondor

- Isengard

- Rohan

- Sauron

- Shadow Armies

- Southrons & Easterlings

- The North




Differences between 1st edition and 2nd edition:

After Nexus, the publisher of the 1st edition, filed for bankruptcy, War of the Ring was picked up by Ares Games, and the designers used the opportunity of the new print run to release a 2nd edition that incorporates a few simple rule and card changes to address a few game balance and integrity issues that had been exploited by experienced players. For more information on component and rule differences between the editions, please visit the following:

2nd edition Review: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Designer Diaries for 2nd Edition

Note: It is not recommended to use the Twilight of the Third Age 1st-edition expansion module in the War of the Ring: Battles of the Third Age with the 2nd edition, because both it and the 2nd edition make the Free Peoples slightly stronger relative to the 1st-edition base game which is generally regarded as slightly favoring the Shadow player, hence making the Free Peoples player too strong. Instead, Ares Games will be releasing a whole new arc of expansions that is compatible with the 2nd edition and introduces new ideas, starting with War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-Earth.



Card and Card Protector Info



Number and Size of Cards

Game contains 110 cards sized 62x120mm



Suitable deck protectors:


Mayday Games Custom Large Sized For WOTR: CE and More 70x122mm 2 packs @75 per pack
Ares Games Custom size card sleeves 68x120mm 1 pack @120 per pack


Although size indication between Mayday Games and Ares Games is different, they are actually the same Ares Games deck protectors are manufactured by Mayday Games.




Read More on Board Game Geek

Designer(s):
Roberto Di Meglio
Marco Maggi
Francesco Nepitello

Artist(s):
John Howe
Fabio Maiorana

Board Game Geek Category(s):
Adventure
Fantasy
Fighting
Miniatures
Novel-based
Territory Building
Wargame

Board Game Geek Mechanic(s):
Action Drafting
Area Majority / Influence
Area Movement
Campaign / Battle Card Driven
Card Play Conflict Resolution
Dice Rolling
Hand Management
Hidden Movement
Team-Based Game