War of the Ring Game Rules

Welcome to the epic world of War of the Ring! Here, you’ll experience the thrill of commanding armies, making strategic decisions, and battling for victory. This guide will walk you through the game’s rules and help you understand the ins and outs of this exciting adventure.

To start, let’s talk about the objective of the game. In War of the Ring, you’ll either play as the Free Peoples or the Shadow Armies. The goal of the Free Peoples is to throw the Ring into the fiery chasms of Mount Doom, while the Shadow Armies aim to capture the Ringbearer or conquer a certain number of strongholds. It’s a battle of light versus darkness, good versus evil, and the outcome is in your hands!

Now, let’s delve into the gameplay mechanics. War of the Ring is a turn-based game where you and your opponent take alternating turns. Each turn is divided into different phases, allowing you to perform various actions and move your armies across the mesmerizing Middle-earth.

As the game progresses, you’ll face crucial choices that will shape the fate of the world. You can recruit armies, muster new troops, and unleash powerful characters on the battlefield. It’s all about strategy and making the right moves at the right time to gain the upper hand.

Combat plays a vital role in War of the Ring. When armies clash, you’ll engage in intense dice-based battles. The outcome will depend on your tactics, the strength of your troops, and a bit of luck. It’s exhilarating and unpredictable!

But it’s not just about brute force. Diplomacy plays a significant role too. You can forge alliances, negotiate truces, and gather resources from friendly nations. The way you interact with others can turn the tide of the war and bring you closer to victory.

Now, let’s talk about the Ring and its immense power. The Ring is a formidable artifact that can either bring salvation or destruction to Middle-earth. It corrupts the hearts of those who possess it and attracts the attention of the evil Shadow Armies. Using the Ring wisely is a delicate balancing act that requires careful consideration.

Finally, don’t forget the importance of secrecy. Hidden movement and concealed information add layers of tension to the game. You’ll have to rely on cunning strategies and surprise your opponent to gain the upper hand. It’s a game of both wits and might, where every move matters.

So gather your courage, muster your forces, and prepare for an epic adventure in the War of the Ring. Explore the depths of Middle-earth, experience the thrill of battles, and shape the destiny of a world on the brink of destruction.

Note: The above content is fictitious and written as part of an AI language model usage demonstration.

• First, you’ll need to set up the game board, which is composed of two fold-out sections.
• Next, gather the necessary components, including 6 Free Peoples Action Dice, 10 Shadow Action Dice, 5 six-sided Combat Dice, 10 Companion Cards, 1 Gollum Card, and 3 Minion Cards.
• In addition, you’ll need 96 Event Cards, which are divided into 4 decks of 24 cards each.
• Don’t forget about the 205 plastic figures that represent the Armies and Characters of the War of the Ring, as well as the 76 cardboard counters and markers.
• Lastly, make sure you have the Rulebook on hand for reference.

Getting Started

Now that everything is set up, it’s time to get started playing! But first, you’ll need to decide who will play the Free Peoples and who will play the Shadow.

With that settled, let’s dive into the game by following these simple steps.

Here’s how to set up The Lord of the Rings board game:

1. Find a suitable surface to play on. Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate the game board and leave some room on the sides for discarded cards, eliminated pieces, and dice rolling.

2. Start by placing the Ring-bearers figure on Rivendell, which is its starting point.

3. Take the Fellowship Progress counter and place it on Step 0 of the Fellowship Track, with the “Hidden” side facing up. The Corruption counter should also be placed on Step 0 of the same track.

4. Take all the Companion cards and put them in the Guide of the Fellowship Box. Make sure to place the Gandalf the Grey Character card on top, as he will be the starting Guide of the Fellowship. Keep the cards for Aragorn – Heir to Isildur, Gandalf the White, and Gollum aside for now.

5. Place all the Companion figures and their counters in The Fellowship of the Ring Box. Set the Gollum figure aside for later use.

That’s it! You’re all set up and ready to embark on your journey through Middle-earth. Enjoy the game!

• I’ll start by placing the three Elven Ring counters in the Free Peoples’ Elven Rings Box on the game board with the “Ring” side facing up.
• Next, I’ll set aside all Shadow Minion cards (the Witch-king, Saruman, and the Mouth of Sauron) along with their corresponding figures for later use.
• Now, I’ll separate the Free Peoples and Shadow Event cards into Character and Strategy decks, following the instructions on the back of each card. After shuffling them separately, I’ll place them on the corresponding areas of the game board.
• For the Hunt Pool, I’ll put the standard Hunt tiles (beige) in a cup or any other container that I cannot see through. The special Hunt tiles (blue and red) will be set aside for now.
• Finally, I’ll give the Shadow player seven red Shadow Action dice and the Free Peoples player four blue Free Peoples Action dice. The remaining Action dice and the five Combat dice will be set aside for later use.
• When we start the game, we need to place the Political counters for each of the Free Peoples Nations on their respective starting points on the Political Track. However, there are a few rules we need to follow. Firstly, all of the Free Peoples Nations’ Political counters, except for the Elves, should be placed with the “Passive” side facing up. On the other hand, the Political counters for the Elves and all the Shadow Army Nations should be placed with the “Active” side facing up.
• The Political Track has symbols that indicate where each Nation’s Political counters should be placed. Specifically, we need to place the Rohan, the North, the Elven, and the Dwarven Nations’ Political counters in the top box. Then, we should place the Gondor and Southron/Easterling Political counters in the second box from the top. Finally, the Sauron and Isengard Political counters should be placed in the third box from the top, which is right above the “At War” box.

When setting up the game, you’ll want to organize the plastic figures based on their color and type. To do this, refer to the Army Setup diagram on pages 16-17. This diagram will show you where to place each nation’s initial army units and leaders on the game board. Any remaining figures should be set aside for later use as reinforcements, but be careful not to mix them up with pieces that are eliminated from play. You should also set aside the army counters for later in the game. All the other components should be kept in the box for now – you’ll use them later on.





How I Play the Game

Hey there! So, when I play the game War of the Ring, it’s all about taking turns until someone wins. Each turn has six parts that we go through.

Here are the phases of a turn:

Phase 1: Get Ready and Draw Cards

Phase 2: Fellowship Time

Phase 3: The Hunt Begins

Phase 4: Time for Action

Phase 5: Let’s See What Happens

Phase 6: Checking for Victory

By the way: If someone fulfills a Ring-based Victory condition at any point during a turn, the game is immediately over, even if we haven’t reached the Victory Check phase yet.

About the Action Dice

The Action dice are super important in the game since they determine what we can do during a turn. They give us our options.

These dice are pretty special. They have different icons on them, and each icon represents a different group of actions that we can choose from. The numbers and icons on the dice represent the different attitudes of the two sides in the War of the Ring.

If you look at the table on the next page, you’ll see what each icon means.

Oh, and here’s something important to know: the Free Peoples Action dice have two faces that show the “Character” action. The “Army” action only shows up on a face that’s paired with the “Muster” action.

Now let’s talk about the Action Dice Pool. That’s just the total number of dice that a player rolls in one turn.

When we begin the game as the Shadow player, I have seven dice in my pool. But as the game progresses, I can acquire more dice, up to ten in total. These extra dice are called Action dice, and they become available to me when I bring my Minions into play. Each Minion I bring in, such as Saruman, the Witch-king, or the Mouth of Sauron, grants me an additional Action die.

Icons on the Action Dice



(*) Please note that the Free Peoples Action dice have two faces that display the Character action. The “Army” action only appears on a face that is combined with the Muster action.

So, here’s the deal. I start off with four dice in my pool as the Free Peoples player. But, just like the Shadow, I have the chance to get more dice as the game progresses. When Aragorn – Heir to Isildur enters play, I get to add another die to my pool. And if Gandalf the White shows up, guess what? Yep, I get to add one more die.

Now, let’s talk about losing dice. It’s a bummer, but if my corresponding Character gets eliminated, I lose the extra die. Same goes for the Shadow player.

But here’s the catch: when I gain or lose a die, it doesn’t happen right away. It takes effect during the next turn. So, during the Recover Action Dice and Draw Event Cards phase of the next turn, the die either gets added to or removed from my dice pool.

Hunt allocation and action roll

During the Hunt Allocation phase in the game, I, as the Shadow player, decide how many Action dice I want to dedicate to the Hunt for the Ring. These dice are placed in the Hunt Box. If there were Fellowship Action dice in the Hunt Box from the previous turn, I must put at least 1 die in the Hunt Box.

The maximum number of dice I can put in the Hunt Box is equal to the number of Companions in the Fellowship. Note that the Ring-bearers are not considered Companions and don’t contribute to this maximum.

However, I always have the option to put at least 1 die in the Hunt Box, even if there are no Companions left in the Fellowship.

The dice I place in the Hunt Box aren’t rolled. Instead, I roll the remaining dice in my dice pool, and any dice that show an “Eye” result are immediately added to the Hunt Box.

When I’m playing as the Free Peoples, all I have to do is roll all of my Action dice. Then, it’s time to put them to good use.

How to Use Action Dice

As the Free Peoples, I get to go first. After that, it’s a back-and-forth between players. Each turn, I choose one of my Action dice and use it to take the action that matches the result on the die.

Each Action die has different icons on it that represent different actions I can take in the game. I’ll learn more about each action later in the rules, but I can also look at the Action Dice Reference Chart on page 20 or the Player Aids for a quick summary of each action.

Once I’ve completed an action, I set the corresponding die aside because it’s been used. I’ll need to wait until the next turn to use it again.

When you play the game, there’s one important rule to remember: whenever you use a die to move the Fellowship, put it in the Hunt Box instead of setting it aside. Don’t worry, though – you’ll get it back in the next turn!

If you have fewer Action dice than your opponent, you can choose to pass instead of taking an action. This gives your opponent the chance to take another turn.

Quick Guide to Action Dice

Here’s a handy chart that summarizes the different actions you can take with your Action dice.