About the game
One player leads the Fellowship, seeking to protect the free peoples and destroy the One Ring. The other plays Sauron, trying to capture Frodo and Sam and cover Middle-earth with his armies.
A game runs over three chapters. Each chapter lays out a structure of face-up and face-down cards; on your turn you take a card that is not covered by any other, and use it to strengthen your skills, hoard treasure, spread your presence across the map, rally races to your cause, or move the quest of the Ring along.
There are three ways to win. Race: the Fellowship destroys the Ring before Sauron catches it. Military: control enough regions of Middle-earth. Support: win over all the races. The first player to reach any one of them ends the game at once.
A round, in order
- 1
Take a card
Pick any uncovered card. Pay its cost in resources, or take it free if you already own the right symbol.
- 2
Act
The card advances one track: a skill, a region, a race, or the quest of the Ring.
- 3
Check for a win
Ring destroyed or captured, enough regions held, or every race won over. Any one of them ends it.
Credits
- Design
- Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
- Art
- Vincent Dutrait
- Publisher
- Repos Production, 2024
- On this table
- Live
- Card drafting
- Area control
- Set collection