War of the Ring: The Card Game

Today's review is of the 2022 release, War of the Ring: The Card Game. For 2-4 players, it takes 90-120 minutes.

Overview

The Free Peoples take on the Shadow in War of the Ring. The Free Peoples' goal is simple: destroy the One Ring and defend their homelands. The Shadow's goal is to stop, corrupt, or burden them beyond hope. Who will prevail?

This simplified overview is for the 4-player 'trilogy' scenario. Here, two players represent the Free Peoples, and two the Shadow. Each player has cards of one or more factions for their side shuffled in their own decks (for example, one Free Peoples player has Hobbit, Dwarf, Wizard, and Rohan cards, while the other has Elf and Dunedain). Players on the same side sit opposite from each other around the table, and turns go clockwise, so the sides will always alternate.

One key concept is cycling vs. eliminating cards. Cycled cards go to a cycled pile, which is shuffled when the draw deck is empty to re-form the draw deck. Eliminated cards are removed from the game.

This is a game about fighting over locations. There are two types, battlegrounds and paths, simulating both the epic battles and perilous journey of the books. After preparing the decks (both for players and locations), each player draws 7 cards, cycles 2, and the rounds begin.

Game in progress; image from here

In a given round, the following occurs: 

1. Location Step

The first player  'activates' one battleground and one path from the appropriate location decks, placing them in the center of the table. 

2. Action Step

Players take turns taking actions or passing. When all players have passed consecutively, this step ends.

Actions include playing characters, weapon, or item cards from the hand to the table (at either the battleground, path, or reserve areas), moving characters from reserve to a battleground or path, cycling a card, performing an action, or a few other things (see below summary card).

In the Action Step, it is important to note the limitations of playing cards: certain cards/factions can be played only to certain battlegrounds are paths.

3. Combat Step

Combat is resolved at each battleground and path active in that round. The attackers' collective offense is compared to the defenders' collective defense. The higher total wins that location (ties go to defense) and it is placed in the appropriate side's victory pile. All attacking characters and 'used' defenders are placed in the eliminated pile; 'unused' defenders go to the cycling pile. The victory points per location are either printed on it or (if the Shadow wins a path) based on the delta between 

4. Victory Check

Each sides' victory points are totaled. If the delta is 10 or greater, or the path is at 9, the higher point total wins. Otherwise, keep playing. The next player clockwise becomes the first player.

5. Draw Step

Each player draws cards based on their side (Free Peoples draw 3, Shadow 4). The next round begins, and the first player starts at step 1 above.

The summary card from the game; image from here

Review

This one is a mixed bag for me. 

- On the one hand, the overall concept is good. The game is simple enough to explain succinctly, the mechanics seem solid, the art is outstanding, and it is fun. 

- On the other hand, the limitations placed on battlegrounds and paths (limiting the factions that can participate), combined with the randomness of card draw, made for frustrating rounds. Some rounds, one player from a side might not be able to do much—or anything. I had one round with only Rohan cards, for example, when the battleground permitted only other factions. It feels odd to have a battle with only one side participating. In some cases, locations were resolved without any participating armies on either side.

In the end, I'd like another try. And maybe look at the 2-player variant. 

Rating: B