guys I want to preface this review by saying that I did not right it. This was taken from RPG.net and you can read them there as well as here. I highly recommend RPG.net for there reviews and forums. I posted these here so that people interested in the games can get a better understanding of them and they decide whether they want them or not. I know that I will not get a game till I have read severale reviews so instead of refering you to some site I posted them here.
War of the Ring was one of the most highly anticipated games of 2004, and for the most part the anticipation has been justified. It was uniquely positioned to ride the high tide of Tolkien’s popularity, or even rehash the old wargame of the same concept. Thankfully (like the majority of games with the Lord of the Rings theme), it avoids both of these pitfalls with fresh mechanics and compelling concepts. Although expensive, the final result is a fun game with challenging mechanics which promises a lot of replay value.
In War of the Ring, two to four players attempt to recreate the major events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, from the time of the Council of Elrond to the destruction of the One Ring in Mount Doom. While this is occurring, the forces of Shadow send their armies to the free lands of Middle Earth to make this resistance pointless. As the ring edges closer to its home, the ringbearer is tested by his burden and may end up surrendering it even sooner.
A trio of Italians with several titles to their names (notably X-Bugs and the upcoming Marvel Heroes game) designed this game. John Howe provides the illustrations, so the box and contents have the traditional look of a LoTR product.
Presentation
An old college friend was fond of “weighing” his game purchases by hefting of the box – and under this standard, War of the Ring delivers. Priced at sixty dollars, the box is larger than most bookcase games and thicker than most popular boardgames. It holds the following components:
Board - a 28” x 40” playing surface on two folding panels, showing the relevant sections of Middle Earth as well as boxes for major strongholds and various tracks for monitoring the aspects of game play. Believe it or not, it’s arguably not big enough, as several of the smaller spaces won’t be able to accommodate large armies. Still, small touches like the Fellowship’s path out of Rivendell and the approaches to Mordor show that the board was carefully designed.
Cards – four small decks of cards provide the main source of random events during play and unexpected twists in combat. In addition, each Shadow Minion and Fellowship companion has their own card summarizing their game effects.
Dice - over twenty dice, including some normal six-siders and seventeen lustrous (and non-standard, with symbols and not numbers) blue and red Action Dice for the Free People and Shadow sides.
Counters – two hundred or so sturdy die-cut counters. Many of them don’t play a central role and are provided mostly as supplementary play aids (for example, to save space by stacking identical units). A separate set of Corruption tiles are used to track Frodo’s eroding resistance to the ring’s evil.
Miniatures – at least one hundred plastic figures representing regular and elite units of men, elves, dwarves, orcs, and larger creatures (warg riders, cavalry, elephants and trolls). There are also “leader” units for the Free Peoples, eight Ringwraiths & the Witch King, Saruman, the Mouth of Sauron, and eight pieces of the Fellowship (Sam and Frodo being inseparable). The detail on these is impressive, although in large bunches it can be difficult to recognize who is who – and in the case of Sauron’s forces, large bunches are the standard. The Ringwraiths are imposing figures, almost 3” high and astride fell beasts, but they are not well balanced and topple easily (some players suggest gluing washers to their bases). Several pieces in the Free Peoples armies are hard to distinguish without close inspection, depending on spear angle and flag position. Given that the various types need to be separated and placed at the start of each game, it bogs down setup and can give players eye strain.
Except for the nitpicks mentioned above, the presentation is top notch. Many players paint their miniatures (Sharpies on the bases of the Free People units worked for me), and the board, when set up, looks great.
Game Play
Each turn involves the two opposing sides (each of which can accommodate one or two players) rolling Action Dice to determine the range of potential events during that turn, and then resolving them in alternating order. Sauron has both more dice at the outset and a greater number to acquire as the game progresses, but the Free Peoples’ dice are more flexible. To win, either side can triumph militarily or resolve the quest to destroy/reclaim the ring. I have seen odd rolls that could potentially hamstring a player during a turn (I rolled just Character Actions – six of them – as the Free Peoples player in one turn), but there are ways to counter the effects of random rolls built into the game.
Before rolling, the Shadow must weigh using some of his dice to hunt for the Ring. Each die he allocates (as well as any that roll that way after the allocation) makes it easier to find the Fellowship or to corrupt Frodo into giving up. Of course, using too many resources in the hunt reduces the advantage of having more dice; an important part of Sauron’s strategy is striking the proper balance between slowing the Fellowship and directing the military conquest of Middle Earth. Too few, and Ring will reach Mordor quickly; too many, and the Free Peoples can counter his military movements more effectively.
The Free Peoples can also affect the hunt, because the amount of dice allocated cannot exceed the number of companions traveling with Sam and Frodo. Members of the Fellowship will not only succumb to the shadow; it’s often wise to send some of the companions out on their own to lead armies, rouse reluctant nations to war, or (in the case of Gandalf and Strider) become more powerful. Thus the Free Peoples must also balance the defense of Middle Earth against the needs of the Fellowship, both in terms of the use of Action Dice and the role of each hero. It is in this way that the fates of Tolkien’s characters can diverge most from the books, with Boromir rushing to Minas Tirith’s defense, or Legolas guiding the Fellowship until his death in Shelob’s Lair.
An elegant mechanic involves the movement of Frodo ever closer to his goal. Most games seeking to simulate the hidden travel of pieces do so with copious paperwork or decoy/hidden units. In War of the Ring, the Fellowship figure normally occupies its last known position; only when its current location is declared or revealed does physical movement of the token occur (a gameboard chart keeps track of how many spaces it can travel). There are advantages to both following the actual path of the Fellowship and choosing alternate routes, meaning that each game might have a radically different course. The forces of Shadow hinder the advance to Mordor not by physically catching Frodo, but by sending out armies or Nazgul to increase the chances of a successful hunt.
The effects of “finding” the Ring do not result in immediate victory, however – instead, the Free Peoples player draws from a hidden pool of Corruption Tiles. Twelve points of Corruption will drive Frodo into the arms of Sauron. The tiles range from negative numbers, healing the ringbearer, to a die roll and an amount equal to the total dice used for a hunt (potentially ten). Many of the particularly good or bad tiles are contributed to the pool by the players via card play; they represent events and items from the story. Members of the Fellowship can be sacrificed in lieu of getting Corruption, but once this happens, they can no longer help Frodo.
Combat is a relatively simple affair, involving one roll and potential rerolls of ordinary dice each battle round to score casualties. No matter how much the Free Peoples prepare for war, they will ultimately be put on the defensive by sheer numbers and the objectives available to the Shadow Armies. It’s possible for the forces of Good to win militarily, too, depending on strategy and the timely draw of cards. Overall, however, the flow of combat will resemble the source material, with sieges becoming epic struggles over several turns.
Each card is usable both in the course of larger events and individual rounds of battle. The play of cards in combat can make the fortunes of any fight turn abruptly, although experienced players will be able to minimize the effects of the worst cards (for example, keeping units in Isengard to protect Saruman from enraged ents). War of the Ring is not a wargame in the strictest sense, although even grognards will probably enjoy the strategic side of conflict.
In the games that I’ve played, Sauron seems to win more often than not – although it usually happens with the Ring tantalizingly close to the Crack of Doom. In such cases, when a military victory is not on the horizon, it becomes tempting to forego that part of the game and merely play out the last steps of Frodo’s journey. While it certainly can be done, it makes the final result even more dependent on lucky tile draws.
Purists will note that most of the characters and events from the epic not represented in the figures appear in the cards (with the notable exception of Eowyn). It’s possible to closely follow the events of the books, but by no means is this method necessary or even optimal. The randomness of the dice and the ability to affect their subsequent use will make each new session unique. Many strategies have been proposed for quick victories on either side, but there doesn’t appear to be a uniform way to succeed every time. Both factors contribute a great deal of replayability for players of War of the Ring.
Problems
Aside from the issues involving miniatures, small board spaces, and the vagaries of chance (there are four different mechanics for randomization – two types of dice, card decks, and the Corruption tiles), there is very little that drags down this game. Essentially, this is a two player struggle; and although as many as four can play, it’s really only as teams, which can harm either side’s ability to implement a united strategy. Finally, as mentioned before, many of the cards are heavily dependent on specific regions, characters, and even their appearance in the game. Some cards will be gamebreakers if they appear at the right time, while in other games you may be frustrated into burning a card for a much smaller payoff. It’s really the only place where the designers tried to force the events of the book into play. This, along with metagame knowledge, can unduly decrease the value of many cards and frustrate players.
Ultimately, however, the flow of play and adherence to the spirit of Lord of the Rings far outweigh any complaints I could express. It’s even possible to play a decent solitaire game by sacrificing only a little of the gameplay, and I’ve seen one variant that starts a little closer to the beginning of the trilogy, with the Ring still in the Shire and Gandalf imprisoned at Orthanc. I honestly couldn’t give any person who enjoys either Tolkien or high-concept games a reason not to play or buy War of the Ring.