Hello All,

Over the past year my friends and I have dove more into the Board Game scene. We use to play years ago with games like Samurai Swords and Axis & Allies, but that slowly died out and we eventually moved into table-top minis (Warhammer 40k). Now we are back into Board Games with games like Battlestar, Middle Earth Quest and Game of Thrones. Generally when we play we have 3 or more people, there is almost never a point when just 2 of us gets together for a game.

That said, I have been looking into War of the Ring for awhile mainly because I am a huge LotR fan. I have read mixed reviews on games with 3 or 4 players and wanted to get a few more opinions before deciding to buy this or one of FFGs other great games.

Also, how long does a game take? Most of the games we play say they take about 3 hours, but that's always with a give and take. It takes us about 2-2.5 hours to play a 5 player game of Battlestar, while it takes 4+ hours to play a 5 player game of Game of Thrones. Wondering what end of the spectrum WotR falls under. Granted we've played BSG over a dozen times and GoT has only been played a total of 3 times, but its the solo play/strategy involved in GoT that makes it take so long as several of us can take a while making decisions.

Finally, if I do buy should I get the expansion now and start using it? Or are we better off playing the basic game for awhile before adding the expansion (if at all)?

Thanks in advance!

In my opinion the game plays well with four players. It's a bit of a different game than when it's played with two players, as the action tends to spread out more.

Playing time will vary greatly from group to group, and will depend on how well you can absorb the rules without having to look things up all the time. There is a fairly steep learning curve, as the game system is very rich. However, it's worth it, and play time will be much shorter as you get used to the game and rules. Some groups start out taking as many as 7 to 9 hours to finish, but that quickly drops off. Our first game took about 5 hours, but we regularly play in 2 to 3 now. Did I mention that it's worth it?

I would recommend playing the base game first, and only moving on to the Expansion once you've gotten the hang of it.

Thanks Krieghund!

I'm the rules guru of the group and generally after a few sessions of play there is little need to look back on the rules every turn, so hoping that will pay off here. Glad to hear that games can get down to a few hours (2-3). Currently deciding between this, Arkham Horror and World of Warcraft (the Board Game). Planning on purchasing 2 games right now to help expand out collection. If I don't go with WotR now its will certainly be on my x-mas list

Thanks again!

If you are a huge LotR fan, then you must get this game anyways and you won't regret if you buy it. To me it truly feels like I'm in the Middle-Earth when I play this masterpiece. I have not played Middle-Earth Quest but I've played some other LotR games and War of the Ring is the only game that actually feels like Lord of the Rings.

That said, we played with four players once. It was NOT an enjoyable experience. It felt very clumsy. You can't, for example, show or discuss your cards with your ally which is frustrating as you can't then really discuss about some killer tactics you have in mind that depends on the cards. And the new player in my team couldn't really ask if this or that card is nice or not because he can't discuss them. And then there is the ambiquity about which one of your team can actually play the card, so you grab the last page of the FAQ (which I printed in 4 copies) and try to find the card in the list... Overall it all felt way too strick and complex. I'm not sure if I ever want to play a four player game again.

But the two player game is how this game is meant to be played and it's VERY good. You said you generally have at least 3 people but surely sometimes you're in a situation where there are only two of you?

About the expansion, you really don't need it until you've played some good amount of the base game.

Hipsu said:

Hmmm, that's unfortunate cause we never play with just 2 people. I suppose we could, but there is a core group of 5 of us who play alot and another 3-4 guys who come every now and again. So we basically never have just 2 people on a planned game night. If that were the case we generally take the women out or something, instead.

Thanks for the feedback though, much appreciated!

Yo Monkey,

Since i'm eyeing for loooong time on this game, could you now give us a feeback from YOU when you buy it ? (if you do). I'd be glad to have your experience. I love LotR, but I'm not a huge fan. And here in France, my friends are probably less lovers than me. So I always wondered if I should skip that one. Give us (me!) feedback please !

Hem,

Unfortunately I will not be purchasing WotR at this time. However, when I do down the road I will certainly post my thoughts!