WAR OF THE RING (2011)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
2-4	180 mins	Roberto Di Meglio Marco Maggi Francesco Nepitello	Ares Games

This game is for Lord Of The Rings, what REBELLION is for Star Wars. It’s a head to head war game with one side trying to control all of Middle Earth while the other fights back, and hopefully destroys the One Ring.

It’s very much miniatures on an epic two piece board, as dice rolls, cards, and hidden movement all combine to recreate your own spin on the great fantasy story.

There’s a beautiful asymmetry to the game as the dark forces definitely outnumber the free peoples of Middle Earth. Add to that the fact that when the free people die they don’t come back, while evil just respawns, and it can seem like a very unfair fight.

But the Fellowship comes into its own and sneaks its way across the lands while the nations hold on as long as they can.

Sure, the free people can win the war without Frodo’s help. And that’s the beauty of this game. Again, like REBELLION, it’s fun to rewrite, to make changes from the books/films, and gamble on surprising your opponent with your out of the box thinking.

Just being the bad guy doesn’t mean you’re going to lose. I can attest to that.

There are flaws, however. The quality of the miniatures isn’t great, and I doubt there are many owners of this game that don’t at least have a few bent spears and banners.

Also, the set up is painstaking. There is a lot of placing those miniatures in specific locations to start the game, and as mentioned in the Shut Up & Sit Down review a few years ago, your back is going to feel it before you even start playing.

And the game is long. Can be hours. We don’t mind that, but I know some people would.

Overall, WAR OF THE RING pulls you in to the grand conflict that fans of the story know and love. It’ll fill your table and have you scratching your head on what move to make next. It’s pure, epic gaming.