War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-earth

2012 · Fantasy

War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-earth

Adds alternate histories and new factions by putting important characters and unique rules on the board rather than only in event decks. Introduces new playable personalities—such as powerful Elves, corrupted leaders, and a Balrog—each with their own figures and abilities, plus alternate versions of familiar heroes and villains. Includes new special action dice for both sides and revised companion minis to enable optional council and fellowship variants, expanding strategic choices and replay options.

Players
2–4 best 2
Playing time
180 min
Age
13+
Complexity
3.8 / 5
7.8 on Ludoyafrom $31.90Expansion for Base-gameNovel-basedHand ManagementCampaign / Battle Card DrivenDice Rolling

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
8
Plays logged
7
Players
2h 40m
Average play
97
In collections
2
On wishlists

7.8/10

from 11 Ludoya reviews

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I use an Elven Ring to change a Keeper Die or Lesser Minion Die?

No. Elven Rings cannot change the result of a Keeper Die or Lesser Minion Die; they can only modify standard Action Dice. Each Ring can still be used once per turn for its normal effect, and a Keeper’s special Ring ability is an additional, separate use. (p. 14)

What happens if I roll more than one Special Action Die?

You must choose only one of the rolled Special Die results and discard the others until the next turn. If any rolled Special Die shows an Eye, you must choose an Eye result; that die goes to the Hunt Box. (pp. 7–8)

When do Keeper and Lesser Minion Dice get added to the Action Dice Pool?

A Keeper Die is added at the start of the turn after Elrond or Galadriel enters play, or when Gandalf the Grey is the Fellowship’s Guide during the recovery phase. A Lesser Minion Die is added at the start of the turn after the Balrog or Gothmog enters play. (pp. 9–11)

Does drawing the Sméagol Tile cause Hunt damage?

No. When the Sméagol Tile is drawn, Hunt Damage is 0, Sméagol enters play as the Guide, and the tile is removed from the game. Sméagol is not Gollum, so effects referring to Gollum are not affected. (pp. 21–22)

Can the Balrog leave Moria as soon as it enters play?

No. The Balrog initially has Level 0 and cannot leave Moria. It must first be activated by choosing its Use Balrog result or by playing “A Balrog is Come!”; while active, it has Level 2 and moves as a non-flying Minion. (p. 24)

Can I use the Balrog or Gothmog’s special die even if the Witch-king is in play?

Yes, but choosing a result marked with the Remove symbol causes that Lesser Minion Die to be removed during the next Recover Action Dice phase if the Witch-king is in play. The same applies to the Balrog or Gothmog’s die if its associated character has been removed from play. (pp. 11, 24, 26)

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.