The Fellowship of The Ring

I have always been captivated by the enchanting world of Middle-earth. From the moment I first delved into J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” I knew I had discovered something truly special.

This epic tale follows the perilous journey of a diverse group of heroes, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. As I immersed myself in the world of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Men, I couldn’t help but feel a profound connection to their quest.

You see, “The Fellowship of the Ring” is about much more than a simple journey. It is a story of bravery, friendship, and the enduring power of hope. This timeless tale reminds us that even in the face of overwhelming darkness, we have the ability to rise above our fears and come together for a greater purpose.

The central theme of “The Fellowship of the Ring” is the struggle between good and evil. It explores the corrupting influence of power and the choices we make in the face of temptation. It reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness and courage can have a ripple effect, shaping the destiny of the world.

One of the key lessons I took away from this captivating story is the importance of unity. The members of the Fellowship may come from different backgrounds and possess different skills, but it is only through their collective strength that they are able to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

“The Fellowship of the Ring” also teaches us the value of perseverance. Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles they face, the characters in this tale never give up. They press on, even when the path ahead appears bleak, knowing that their cause is worthy and their determination unwavering.

In a world filled with uncertainty, “The Fellowship of the Ring” offers a glimmer of hope. It reminds us that we all have a part to play in the grand tapestry of life and that our actions, no matter how small, can make a difference. It encourages us to embrace our inner hero and to believe in the power of friendship and love.

So, if you are seeking an adventure that will ignite your imagination and inspire your soul, look no further than “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Lose yourself in the pages of this timeless tale and join the fellowship on their extraordinary journey. You never know, it may just change your life.

When it comes to the War of the Ring, Frodo and Sam go everywhere together, like two peas in a pod. They’re the Ring-bearers, after all. In The Lord of the Rings, those two Hobbits bring along a bunch of friends called Companions. These Companions are chosen from the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.

All these characters, Frodo, Sam, and the Companions, make up the Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo and Sam are determined to reach Mount Doom and finish what they started. But the other Companions can make a choice. They can stay and protect the Fellowship. Or they can eventually leave and help the Free Peoples of the West in their battle against the Shadow.

Fellowship Figures and Counters

When you play the game, you’ll come across various figures and counters that represent the Fellowship of the Ring.

• There’s a figure called the Ring-bearers (Frodo & Sam) that shows where the Fellowship was last seen. It starts in Rivendell, and its position determines the current location of the Fellowship, regardless of the Fellowship Progress counter.
• The Fellowship Progress counter tells you how far the Fellowship has traveled from its last known position. It also shows if the Fellowship is hidden or revealed. You’ll find this counter on the Fellowship Track on the game board. It moves forward each time the Fellowship advances.

When playing the game, you will use the Companion figures and counters to represent the hero characters of the Free Peoples. There are seven unique Characters in total. At the start of the game, all the Companion figures and counters are placed in the Fellowship of the Ring Box on the game board, which shows that they are all part of the Fellowship. However, when a Companion decides to leave the Fellowship, their figure is moved from the box to the map, and their counter is taken out of the Fellowship Box.

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The Fellowship of the Ring

I want to talk about the Ring-bearers. They’re a really important part of the War of the Ring game. The Ring-bearers figure shows Frodo and Sam together. You know, in this game, these two Hobbits are always together and they can’t leave the Fellowship. That’s why this figure always shows them like that.

The Heavy Burden

Now, let’s talk about this thing called Corruption. It’s a way to measure how much burden the Ring-bearers have to carry. At the beginning of the game, their Corruption score is zero. But as they carry the One Ring and get closer to destroying it, their Corruption score can go up to 12.

Once the Ring-bearers reach 12 Corruption points, it means they couldn’t resist the power of the One Ring anymore. They failed in their mission, and the Shadow, which is like the bad guys, they win the game.

If you’re playing as the Free Peoples, it’s your job to keep an eye on the Corruption of the Ring-bearers. You can do this by moving the Corruption counter along the Fellowship Track on the game board. Remember, the game board also has the Fellowship Progress counter, so make sure you place the Corruption counter on the right numbered space.

Companion Character Cards

Hey there! Let me tell you about Companions and how they work in the game. Each Companion has their own unique abilities, which are described on their Character card. At the start of the game, all Companions are part of the Fellowship. Their cards are stacked together to form the Fellowship deck. Just remember to set aside the cards of Gollum, Aragorn – Heir to Isildur, and Gandalf the White.

You’ll find the Fellowship deck placed in the Guide of the Fellowship Box on the game board. While a Companion is still part of the Fellowship, their card stays in the deck.

But what happens when a Companion leaves the Fellowship? Well, their card is taken out of the deck and placed on the table in front of the Free Peoples player. Easy enough, right?

Now, let’s take a closer look at what you’ll find on a Character card. It contains important information about the Companion depicted on the card:

• First up, you’ll see their Level. This number comes into play during the Hunt for the Ring and when you’re moving the Companion around.
• His Nation icon indicates which Nations the Companion can activate.
• His Special Ability is only in effect when he is the Guide of the Fellowship (see later).
• His Special Ability is in effect after he has left the Fellowship.
• His Leadership Rating is used in battle.

The Guide of the Fellowship

One of the Companions in the Fellowship is considered to be the Guide during the quest. At the start of each War of the Ring game, Gandalf the Grey is the Guide.

The Guide must always be the remaining Companion with the highest Level. If there is a tie in Levels, the Free Peoples player can choose the Guide from the tied Companions.

Example: In the first turn of the game, you can replace Gandalf as your guide with Strider if both characters are Level 3 Companions.

The Guide in the Fellowship can be changed by the Free Peoples player at the end of each Fellowship phase, or when the composition of the Fellowship changes during a turn (such as when a Character is separated or eliminated).

However, when changing guides during the Fellowship phase, only a Character with the highest Level can be chosen as the Guide.

The Character card of the Guide Companion is always on top of the Fellowship deck, so you can easily access their special abilities.

When I am acting as the Guide, I can only use my special ability that is marked “Guide:” (if I have one). I cannot use any other special abilities listed on the card, because they only apply after I leave the Fellowship.

Gollum: The Reluctant Guide

When all the companions have left the Fellowship, and the ring-bearers are left on their own, an unexpected guide steps forward – Gollum. In this situation, the Gollum Character card is placed in the Guide of the Fellowship Box.

Keeping Tabs on the Fellowship

To stay informed about the secret movements of the ring-bearers, we use the Fellowship Track.

The figure representing the ring-bearers helps us mark their last known position on the game board. However, it’s only the Fellowship Progress counter that moves whenever the Fellowship takes a step.

The higher the number on the Fellowship Track, the farther away the Fellowship has traveled from its last known position.

Guiding the Fellowship

When it’s time to resolve actions, you have the opportunity to make progress in your quest. There are a couple of ways to do this – you can use a character result on an action die, or you can play specific event cards to advance the Fellowship Progress counter. It’s up to you to choose the best strategy for moving forward!

Every time we move, we make progress. We move one step forward on our journey, but it’s important to keep our progress hidden.

After each step we take, the enemy has a chance to challenge us. The one who seeks to reclaim the precious Ring will stop at nothing to corrupt us, kill our companions, or find our whereabouts.

If we move more than once, the danger grows. Each time we use an Action die to move, that die is added to the enemy’s Hunt Box after the challenge is over.

Exception: When we move using an Event card, the die used is not added to the Hunt Box.

In each turn, if you put any Action dice in the Hunt Box, you’ll get them back at the start of the next turn.

Tracking Down The Fellowship

The numbers on the Fellowship Track show how far the Fellowship has traveled from its last known position (where the figure of the Ring-bearers is).

We only know the actual position of the Fellowship if one of two things happens:

1. If the Free Peoples player chooses to reveal the Fellowship’s position, or
2. If a Hunt for the Ring succeeds and the Fellowship is found.

In either case, the Ring-bearers figure moves to a new location on the game board, and the Fellowship Progress counter goes back to ‘0.’

When I move the Ring-bearer figure on the game board, I can’t go over the black border because it represents terrain I can’t cross.

Note: If the Fellowship Progress counter is on step ‘0’ of the Fellowship Track when it’s declared or revealed, the Fellowship must stay in the same region as before because it hasn’t actually moved.

There are some important differences between “declaring” and “revealing” the Fellowship that I need to explain further.

The Fellowship chooses where it is

If the Fellowship is Hidden (the Progress counter shows the Hidden side up), I can tell the other players where it is during the Fellowship phase.

When I decide to declare the Fellowship, it’s usually because I want the Ring-bearers to recover from Corruption in a City or Stronghold, trigger a Nation, or use an Event card that requires them to be in a specific location.

Once I declare the Fellowship, I can immediately move the Ring-bearers figure a certain number of regions (from where they were last seen) based on the position of the Fellowship Progress counter on the Fellowship Track. I can choose to keep the Ring-bearers figure in its current position if I want.

After that, I reset the Fellowship Progress counter and move it back to the starting step of the Fellowship Track. The Fellowship Progress counter remains hidden.

Example: So, here’s what happened. It was the fourth turn of the game, during the Fellowship phase. That’s when I, the player controlling the Free Peoples, decided to reveal the position of the Fellowship. As of now, the last known location of the Fellowship was in Rivendell. The Ring-bearer’s figure was there, and the Fellowship Progress counter was at ‘5.’

Now, I had to move the Ring-bearer through a series of places: Fords of Bruinen, Hollin, Moria, and Dimrill Dale. Finally, they reached Lorien. At this point, I reset the Fellowship Progress counter back to ‘0’ on the Fellowship Track. The Fellowship was still Hidden, safe within the protective boundaries of the golden wood of Lorien.

Oh, and here’s a cool thing: if the Ring-bearer had suffered from any Corruption, being in a Free Peoples Stronghold like Lorien would heal one Corruption point. I love these little advantages!

Note: By the way, the Fellowship can freely enter or leave a besieged Stronghold. How cool is that?

Now, let’s talk about how the Fellowship can be revealed through a hunt for the Ring.

If the Fellowship is Hidden, the Shadow player can reveal its position through a successful Hunt or by playing specific Event cards.

When the Fellowship is revealed, turn the Fellowship Progress counter to its Revealed side. Then, the Free Peoples player must move the Ring-bearer’s figure, as explained earlier. However, the figure cannot end its movement in a region that contains a Free Peoples Stronghold or City controlled by the Free Peoples.

Remember: Once the Fellowship has been revealed, the Free Peoples player cannot move it using a Character Action die until it becomes Hidden again.

Furthermore, a Revealed Fellowship is more vulnerable to certain Shadow Event cards that aim to harm the Ring-bearers or impede the Fellowship’s progress.

During the second turn of the game, if I successfully Hunt and track the Fellowship, I can determine their current location. Right now, the Fellowship is last seen in Rivendell, and the Fellowship Progress counter shows a ‘3’ on the Fellowship Track.

If I choose, as the Free Peoples player, I can move the Ring-bearers through Fords of Bruinen and Hollin, and then into Moria. However, I need to be cautious because entering the Moria region means I’ll have to draw an additional Hunt tile. That could be risky.

Instead, I decide to take a different approach. I move the Ring-bearers through Fords of Bruinen and High Pass, and then into Goblin’s Gate. This way, I avoid the Shadow Stronghold in Moria and the risk of drawing an extra Hunt tile.

To reflect this change in location, I move the Fellowship Progress counter to the ‘0’ step of the Fellowship Track, and I flip it to the Revealed side. But before the Fellowship can move again, it must be Hidden once more.

It’s essential to be mindful of the Fellowship’s movements and take into account the potential dangers they may face. This strategic decision can greatly impact the course of the game.

Hey there! Let’s talk about what happens when the Fellowship is discovered and its journey takes them through a Shadow Stronghold. You see, if the Fellowship goes through, moves from, moves into, or stays in a Stronghold controlled by the Shadow player, then the Shadow player gets to draw a Hunt tile. This is just like a successful Hunt, even if the Fellowship was already revealed.

If the Fellowship’s path leads them through multiple Shadow Strongholds, then a Hunt tile is drawn for each Stronghold they pass through. It’s all about staying one step ahead, you know?

Now, keep in mind that this only happens when the Shadow player reveals the Fellowship. It’s an extra consequence that they have to deal with.

Keeping the Fellowship Hidden

But wait, there’s a way for the Free Peoples player to give the Shadow player the slip! During the Action Resolution phase, the Free Peoples player can use a Character result on an Action die or play a special Event card to hide the revealed Fellowship. This turns the Fellowship Progress counter to its Hidden side. Sneaky, right?

When I use a Character Action die to conceal the Fellowship, I can’t also make it move. The die I used won’t go into the Hunt Box. If I want to move the Hidden Fellowship again, I’ll need to use another Character die.

Remember, the Fellowship has to be Hidden in order for it to move.

Helping the Ring-bearer Heal

If the Ring-bearers rest in a sanctuary during the Fellowship phase, they can get some relief from the burden of the Ring.

So, if the Fellowship is declared in a region with a Free Peoples City or Stronghold that isn’t controlled by the enemy, I immediately remove one Corruption point (but it can’t go below zero). I update the Corruption counter on the Fellowship Track accordingly.

When the Fellowship stays in a City or Stronghold for several turns, you have the option to declare them in that region during the Fellowship phase of each turn and heal one Corruption each time.

Getting into Mordor

In the realm of the Dark Lord lies Mordor, a treacherous place with towering mountains and heavily guarded passes. Here, the normal rules of the Fellowship don’t quite hold true.

At some point in most games, the Fellowship will inevitably reach either Morannon or Minas Morgul. It is crucial that during a Fellowship phase, the group finds itself in one of these locations to embark on the final leg of the journey to Mount Doom.

Parting Ways with the Fellowship

While a Companion remains with the Fellowship, their role in the game is limited, with only their “Guide” ability (if they are the Guide) and their influence on the Hunt for the Ring coming into play.

To have a say in battles and the intricate politics of Middle-earth, a Companion must break away from the Fellowship.

When it’s time to resolve actions, the Free Peoples player has the option to part ways with one Companion or a group of Companions from the Fellowship. This can be done by using a Character Action die result, unless the Fellowship is on the Mordor Track, where it’s not allowed.

When a Companion separates from the Fellowship, that Companion’s figure is moved from the Fellowship Box to the region on the map where the Ring-bearers are currently located.

Once separated, the Companion can then move across a certain number of regions, up to the number indicated by the step the Fellowship Progress counter is on, plus the Companion’s own Level. If the Free Peoples player chooses to separate a group of Companions, their figures are moved together to a single region that can be reached by the Companion with the highest Level in the group.

When I’m playing the game, I have to remember that the way Companions move is the same as Characters, just like it says on page 24. But there’s something special about the Ring-bearer. If the Ring-bearer is in a place with a Stronghold that’s being attacked and controlled by the Free Peoples, the Companions have to stay there and can’t move.

When I separate my Companions, I take their cards out of my deck and the counters out of the box where I keep track of them.

Example: The last place we know the Fellowship is in Rivendell, and they have made it to the fifth step on the Fellowship Track. Now, I have to decide whether I want to split up Legolas (who is Level 2) and Meriadoc (who is Level 1).

If I choose to separate them, Legolas and Meriadoc can travel up to 7 different regions from Rivendell. I think I’ll move them together to the Woodland Realm.

But here’s the tricky part: if the Guide of the Fellowship gets separated, one of the remaining Companions with the highest level becomes the new Guide. If all the Companions leave, then Gollum takes over as the Guide.

Once a Companion leaves the Fellowship, they can never join back in.