Inspired by the best-selling and award-winning War of the Ring board game, War of the Ring - The Card Game allows players to journey to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and create their own version of the dramatic conflict between the Dark Lord, Sauron, and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.

In War of the Ring - The Card Game, up to 4 players compete in two teams, the Shadow against the Free Peoples, each player using a specific and different card deck representing the strengths and weaknesses of the different factions involved in the war.

The Free Peoples desperately try to complete their quest to destroy the One Ring, while at the same time defending their homelands from the encroaching hordes of Sauron and from his evil allies. The Shadow players must strike quickly and decisively, before the Ring-bearers can complete their quest; or try to slowly corrupt Frodo, burdening him with wounds, toil, and the sorrow for the loss of his Companions.

During the game, players will take turns playing cards representing the characters, armies, items, and events of the War of the Ring. Each card they play will help or hinder the journey of the Fellowship as it progresses on its Path; or be used to defend or conquer the strongholds of Middle-earth, as they fight to control the new Battleground cards activated in each round.

With more than 100 original illustrations from the greatest Tolkienian artists in the world, including an amazing gallery of landscapes from The Shire to Mordor by John and Fataneh Howe, War of the Ring - The Card Game is more than a game – it's also a memorable collection for all lovers of the world imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien.

This is your chance to forge the destiny of an age, like you never did before!

Designed by Ian Brody, with Roberto Di Meglio and Karin Weston-Brody, War of the Ring - The Card Game includes 120 game cards, which will form the players’ decks; 14 oversized battlegrounds, like Helm’s Deep, where the armies of Middle Earth clash; and 27 path cards, upon which the fellowship makes its way to Mordor to complete the quest to destroy the One Ring. Also included are player aids and tokens, along with the rules. The cards contain original illustrations from renowned Tolkien artists like John Howe and many others.

This card game is inspired by the award-winning epic board game War of the Ring. War of the Ring players will find many familiar concepts – for example, balancing the allocation of resources between the fellowship’s progress and the defense of Free Peoples homelands. Of all things, though, the most important feature carried over from the board game is its epic nature, worthy of the scope of Tolkien’s literary fantasy – condensed down to a card game.

As you might expect, the game pits the Free Peoples against the Shadow. The four-player “Trilogy” game will provide the most complete experience, allowing teammates to work together to achieve victory – two Free Peoples players against two Shadow players. Each player has a unique deck of cards comprised of characters, armies, items, and special events; all based on the books.

The game progresses through nine or fewer rounds. At the beginning of each round, one battleground and one path card are activated. During each round, players take turns playing cards to attempt to win the combats that will be resolved on the battleground and path at the end of the round. Winning combat is how you gain victory points. Sometimes you’ll play cards to your “reserve area”, which will allow it to fight in a future round, or do something cool.

Like most card games, much of the game play information is written onto the cards themselves. This helps players start having fun very quickly, as the rules can be taught in just a few minutes, although the first game may be a bit slower going as players familiarize themselves with the cards.

Included are rules for a 2-player duel, as well as a 2-player learning game covering the narrative of just the first book, "The Fellowship of the Ring". You may also play the 4-player trilogy game with just 2 or 3, but some players may find it a bit unwieldy.

In addition, the designers have announced that playtesting is in the works for a 3-player game (2-on-1) as well as a 1 or 2-person solo/cooperative version. These might or might not make it into the box, but will be available on their website. The designer has also hinted that there would be more scenarios to come in the future, focusing on specific sections of the story, some to be released online and others to appear in the planned expansion.

Like the boardgame, War of the Ring: The Card Game is an epic depiction of the struggle for Middle Earth. It’s loaded with theme and satisfyingly validating against Tolkien’s work. It takes much less time to setup and play than the boardgame, but is comparatively long as a card game, with a typical 4-player game lasting less than two hours.

WotR - The Card Game: Shadow cards.

Card and strategy game players will appreciate the card interplay and tactical nuances of the epic battles. This game will also be of interest to gamers who enjoy team play, since it simultaneously provides both a competitive and a cooperative experience. Lord of the Rings fans will appreciate the faithfulness to the literature and the great card art. And finally, it’s obviously a must have for War of the Ring fans, who will appreciate the similarity of the experience, presented in a new medium.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

• 60 Shadow cards
• 60 Free Peoples cards
• 27 Path cards
• 14 Battleground cards
• 4 Reference cards
• 20 Corruption/Victory point tokens
• 20 Combat tokens
• 1 Starting Player token
• 4 The One Ring tokens
• Rules