# War of the Ring: Second Edition

War of the Ring: Second Edition is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 150–240 minutes and is meant for ages 13 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 2. It is rated 7.8 out of 10 by 111 Ludoya reviewers.

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 2)
- **Playing time:** 150–240 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 13+
- **Complexity:** 4.2 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2011
- **Categories:** Fantasy, Fighting, Wargame, Territory Building, Novel-based
- **Mechanics:** Area Movement, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Movement Points, Team-Based Game, Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, Dice Rolling, Area Majority / Influence, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Events, Variable Set-up
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.8 out of 10, from 111 reviews
- **Owned by:** 260 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 433
- **Unique players:** 265

**Designers:** Francesco Nepitello, Roberto Di Meglio, Marco Maggi

**Artists:** Fabio Maiorana, John Howe

**Publishers:** Ares Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ludifolie | 84.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/11681-la-guerre-de-l-anneau-seconde-edition.html |
| Dungeon Marvels | 99 € | https://dungeonmarvels.com/la-guerra-del-anillo-segunda-edicion-castellano-1025.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 2750 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/503/war-of-the-ring-second-edition |
| Spielezar | 139.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/der-ringkrieg |

## Expansions

- [War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-earth](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-lords-of-middle-earth)
- [War of the Ring: Warriors of Middle-earth](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-warriors-of-middle-earth)
- [War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-earth – Treebeard Mini-Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-lords-of-middle-earth-treebeard-mini-expansion)
- [War of the Ring: Kings of Middle-earth](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-kings-of-middle-earth)
- [War of the Ring: The Fate of Erebor](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-the-fate-of-erebor)
- [War of the Ring: Warriors of Middle-earth – Tidings Not Burdens Mini-Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-warriors-of-middle-earth-tidings-not-burdens-mini-expansion)
- [War of the Ring: Scenario – The Breaking of the Fellowship](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-scenario-the-breaking-of-the-fellowship)
- [War of the Ring: The Seeing Stones](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-the-seeing-stones)
- [War of the Ring: Kings and Lords of Middle-Earth – Limited Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-kings-and-lords-of-middle-earth-limited-edition)
- [War of the Ring: Sieges of Middle-earth](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-sieges-of-middle-earth)

## Similar games

- [War of the Ring Collector's Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-collectors-edition)
- [War of the Ring](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-2)
- [War of the Ring: The Card Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-the-card-game)
- [The Battle of Five Armies](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-battle-of-five-armies-3)
- [Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar](https://www.ludoya.com/games/falling-sky-the-gallic-revolt-against-caesar)
- [Hannibal & Hamilcar](https://www.ludoya.com/games/hannibal-and-hamilcar)
- [Star Wars: Rebellion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/star-wars-rebellion)
- [Dune: War for Arrakis](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dune-war-for-arrakis)
- [Andromeda's Edge: Deluxe Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/andromedas-edge-deluxe-edition)
- [Triumph & Tragedy: European Balance of Power 1936-1945](https://www.ludoya.com/games/triumph-and-tragedy-european-balance-of-power-1936-1945)
- [Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno](https://www.ludoya.com/games/verdun-1916-steel-inferno)
- [Successors (Fourth Edition)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/successors-fourth-edition)

## Rules questions

### How do I get and spend Action Dice each turn?

Each turn you gain the Action Dice indicated plus any from leaders or cards and spend them to perform actions matching die icons (Character, Army, Muster, special); players alternate taking actions using dice from the common pool until it’s exhausted or skipped (pp.18–21).

### Can the Fellowship move through enemy armies or enter Mordor while hidden?

The Fellowship can be moved while hidden but must obey impassable borders and declaring/revealing limits; entering Mordor and certain moves are governed by the Fellowship and Mordor Track rules and may force revealing or other effects (pp.36–39, 43).

### What is the Hunt for the Ring and what happens when the Shadow succeeds?

The Shadow conducts the Hunt by rolling dice from the Hunt Pool against the Hunt Level; successful Hunt results inflict wounds on the Fellowship or force a reveal and increase the Corruption counter, and if Corruption reaches 12 it causes a Ring victory (pp.40–43, 44).

### When I muster, where do new units go and are there placement limits?

Muster results place units into the appropriate army/stronghold boxes or onto the map according to each nation’s placement rules and stacking limits; some Event Cards can alter mustering—follow the muster and recruitment placement rules (pp.26–27; see p.22 for card exceptions).

### When my army takes hits in battle, do I remove Elite units first?

You assign casualties: for each hit you may remove one Regular unit or replace one Elite with a Regular, and for two hits you may instead simply remove one Elite—casualty choices are decided by the owning player per the rules (p.30).

### How do you win—what are the victory conditions?

A Ring victory happens if Corruption reaches 12 or the Ring is destroyed; Military victory is by settlement-control Victory Points (Shadow needs 10 VP, Free Peoples need 4 VP) as described in the victory rules (p.44).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/war-of-the-ring-second-edition)
- [War of the Ring: Second Edition in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/war-of-the-ring-second-edition)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/115746)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._