[Headline]

WAR OF THE RING
- THE GAME OF MIDDLE EARTH -


[IMAGE]

Author: unknown

Publisher:
Fantasy Games Unlimited
1978

Awards: none

EVALUATION

[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]

This is another game for 2 players based on the military action of the Lord of the Rings. When you first open the box and have a look at the gameboard and the components, you cannot hide a little smile. The map is a quite crude resemblance of Middle Earth, and the rest of the components simply are 64 counters (32 red, 32 green). The counters just show a number (1-3) in order to give their strength as an army, or they have a "G" for Gandalf, a "S" for Strider, a "H" for one of the THREE (!!!) Hobbits, a "N" for Nazgul or a "F" for a fleet. For this reason I didnīt scan an image of the game but only the cover-art of the box.

The game itself is nothing spectecular, but at a closer scrutiny itīs not too bad. As said before, the game is mainly centered around moving armies and fighting armies of the other player. Battles are not resolved by rolling a die, but simply by looking which army is more powerful. Normally the winner of a battle pushes the other army out of the province defended by him. An army is only destroyed if it has no room left to retreat.

An important part in the game play the characters of each player. Gandalf, Strider and the Nazgul strengthen the combat value of the army they accompany, whereas the Hobbits (The Ringbearer among them) arenīt moved on the gameboard but their movement must be noted on a piece of paper. Since the Dark Power Player doesnīt know where the Hobbits are, he must search for them with some of his armies in order to prevent the Ringbearer from reaching Mount Doom.

Unit-Movement is the most interesting feature of the game, since the players move their units simultaneously. Both players give their orders on a sheet of paper and these orders are carried out together. Thus an attacking army may not attack but simply conquer a now unoccupied province. Vicory-Points are given for several possibilities: Ringbearer gets to Mount Doom, a Nazgul with the Ring gets to Barad-Dur, the strongest Mordror army is destroyed, the Ring is captured by Mordorīs strongest army, Gadalf, Aragorn and the two Elven-Armies are destroyed.


Looking for this game? Visit Funagain Games!


[Gamebox Index]

Kulkmann@aol.com

Copyright © 2006 Frank Schulte-Kulkmann, Essen, Germany