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Where to Buy War of the Ring: Second Edition: Amazon US | Amazon CA
If you love deep strategy and epic adventures, War of the Ring: Second Edition might be your next favorite game. Based on the story of the Lord of the Rings, this two-player (or four-player) board game drops you straight into Middle-earth. One side controls the Free Peoples trying to destroy the One Ring. The other leads the Shadow Armies, aiming to crush the land under their dark rule.
Don’t let the thick rulebook scare you off. Settle in, I’ve got your back. We’re going to walk through it step by step and get this to the table with as little fuss as possible.
Quick Overview – What’s Going On?
War of the Ring is an asymmetric game. That means the two sides play very differently. The Free Peoples try to defend their cities and sneak the Fellowship of the Ring into Mordor to destroy the Ring. The Shadow Player tries to hunt the Fellowship and take over strongholds to win by military force.
The game ends in one of two ways:
- Ring Victory: The Ring is destroyed (Free Peoples win) or corrupted (Shadow wins).
- Military Victory: The Shadow conquers Free People’s cities (they need 10 points worth), or the Free Peoples conquer Shadow cities (they need 4 points worth).
What’s in the Box?
Here’s a quick list of major pieces, so you know what everything is:
- Game Board of Middle-earth
- Free Peoples Miniatures (Elves, Dwarves, Gondor, Rohan, North)
- Shadow Armies (Sauron, Isengard, Easterlings, Southrons)
- The Fellowship (with character figures like Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf)
- Action Dice for both sides
- Character and Event Cards
- Political Track tokens
- Corruption Track for the Ring
- Hunt Box and Fellowship Progress Track
Each piece matters, but you don’t need to memorize every one. Let’s break down what you do on your turn and how it all fits together.
Step 1: Setup
This part can take a little time, but with some practice, you’ll fly through it. Here’s the quick setup checklist.
Board Setup
- Lay out the board and place Strongholds and Settlements where printed.
- Place the Fellowship in Rivendell. Keep their Progress track and Hunt box nearby.
- Place Shadow and Free Peoples armies as shown in the rulebook or cheat sheet. Focus on major Strongholds like Minas Tirith, Helm’s Deep, and Isengard.
Political Track
- Each Free Peoples nation starts neutral or passive. Place them as marked on the Political Track.
- Shadow nations (Sauron, Isengard, Southrons/Easterlings) start in the war box.
Dice and Cards
- Each player takes their Action Dice. Shadow starts with 7 dice. Free Peoples begin with 4, but can gain more as leaders join the fight.
- Shuffle separate Shadow and Free Peoples Event decks. Each player gets 3 Character and 3 Strategy Cards to start.
Now that we’re set up, let’s get into how a round works.
Step 2: Game Rounds
A round has six phases, but it flows naturally once you know what each part is doing.
1. Fellowship Phase (Free Peoples Only)
Free Peoples decide if the Fellowship moves toward Mordor or stays hidden. This is when you can change the guide (the leader of the group) or split characters off to help in other places.
2. Hunt Allocation (Shadow)
Shadow Player places up to 3 dice into the Hunt Box. These will help catch the Ring if the Fellowship moves.
3. Action Roll
Both players roll their Action Dice. These decide what you can actually do this round. Each die face has icons that might let you:
- Move armies
- Use a character (like Gandalf or Saruman)
- Play a card
- Move the Fellowship
- Recruit units
4. Action Resolution
Players take turns spending one die each to carry out an action. This goes until both players have used all action dice.
Examples of things you can do with dice:
- Army die: Move two armies or attack.
- Character die: Move a leader like Aragorn or Saruman. You also use this to move the Fellowship.
- Event die: Draw a card or play an event from your hand.
- Muster die: Recruit new troops or advance a nation on the Political Track.
The Shadow usually goes aggressive. They’ll try to move armies forward fast and press the Free Peoples before they’re ready. The Free Peoples often stay defensive while secretly inching the Ringbearer forward.
5. Military Combat
When armies meet in the same region, it’s battle time. You roll a number of dice based on army size and compare hits. Add combat cards from your hand for special effects.
Strongholds give big defensive help. They require sieges, which take multiple turns or strong cards to win. That’s where your strategy will really start to show.
6. Check Victory
After all actions are used, check for victory. If no one has won, start a new round from the top.
The Hunt for the Ring
This is one of the most exciting parts of the game. Every time the Free Peoples move the Fellowship, the Shadow Player gets to Hunt for it.
Here’s how it works:
- The Free Peoples declares a move.
- If the Shadow has dice in the Hunt Box, they roll them.
- Rolls of 6 normally succeed, but if the Fellowship moved multiple times in recent turns, the odds get better for the Shadow.
- If found, roll a damage die. This might add Corruption to the Ringbearer track or slow them down.
If the Ringbearer reaches 12 Corruption, the Shadow wins. If they reach Mount Doom and destroy the Ring, the Free Peoples win.
Character Powers and Events
This game has a ton of cool moments that come from the characters and the Event Cards. Here’s a short list of stand-outs:
- Gandalf the White: You lose Gandalf the Grey first, then bring him back more powerful.
- Aragorn: He starts as Strider but must reach a city and be crowned to become king.
- Saruman: Once Isengard is at war, the Shadow can bring him into play to start mass-producing orcs.
- Event Cards: These are huge. They add units, change combat, or let you mess with the Fellowship.
Don’t hoard cards. Use them often. They’re how you spring traps or pull off surprise victories.
Tips for Your First Game
- Free Peoples: Don’t rush to fight. Hold the cities while sneaking the Ring forward.
- Shadow: Push hard early. The Free Peoples get stronger if you give them time.
- Use characters: Their unique powers are game-changers. Bring them in early!
- Don’t forget the Political Track: Nations need to be “at war” before they can fight. The Shadow goes to war fast. The Free Peoples need to spend action dice to get ready.
Should You Try It?
If you enjoy strategic games that tell a story, this is worth your time. War of the Ring isn’t short. Full games run about 3 to 4 hours. But the pacing is solid and the swings
