Today's review is of the 2023 release, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom. For 1-4 players, it takes 50 minutes.
Overview
In this cooperative game, you and your teammates help the fellowship of the ring make its way to Minas Morgul (from there, Sam & Frodo go on to Mount Doom). Along the way, you must avoid Nazgul, battle Orcs, encounter monsters like the Balrog, and dodge other hazards. But hope is not lost; you also have allies who may appear and aid your quest. Can Frodo destroy the ring in time?
Gameplay is straightforward. Each fellowship member has their own colored die, and there are two black encounter dice. On a players turn, they choose two colored dice and roll them with the encounter dice. They choose one encounter die result and one colored die result and place them on page one of a placeholder called the 'book.' Then they choose two colored dice and the remaining encounter die, roll them, and place one of each on page two of the book. The die are then resolved (page 1, top to bottom, page 2, top to bottom). The turn passes to the next player, and gameplay continues until victory (or defeat).
The overall journey is divided into stages, each ending at a 'haven' of sorts. For each stage, there are six encounter cards placed at the bottom of the map (two are initially hidden). When resolving the encounter die, you look at the encounter that corresponds to the number rolled and do as it says. That could be a battle, loss of courage, or (if you're fortunate) an ally that you can remove from the board to help you at a later time. After that, resolve the fellowship die that follows it in the book, moving that character the stated number of spaces. Resolve page 2 of the book in like manner, and keep going. When Frodo & Sam complete a stage, the encounter cards for the next stage are placed (and the prior stage discarded).
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| Game components at the start; image from here |
When moving the fellowship, landing exactly on a haven matters. If a character other than Frodo & Sam do it, you gain one courage. If Frodo & Sam do it, you draw a Gandalf card, which can give you a powerful effect later on.
Some spaces or abilities have a Nazgul or a black heart.
- For the former, place one Nazgul in the stated space on the board. One placed, these are never removed. Once all nine are on the board, you lose.
- For the latter, move the ring token on the courage track down one space. If you run out of courage, you lose.
Your Gandalf and other ally cards can be used by any player but only once during the game. They are often used to advance a character, change a die roll, or change the outcome of a battle.
Once the fellowship reaches Minas Morgul, Frodo & Sam must continue alone. The rules are slightly different for this final stage. But if they can reach Mount Doom before courage is lost or the Nazguls swarm, they win!
Review
This game is simple and yet sneakily good. I have long sought a LOTR game that captures the spirit of the books in a concise form. This comes very close. The encounter cards and stages reflect the stories pretty well. The dice rolling means there is a heavy luck component, but with multiple rolls each turn (and some ally cards that can help), there are still a lot of meaningful decisions. The mechanics are solid and reflect deep experience in the industry (well done, Kosmos). It plays quickly and captures the suspense well. It is very hard to win, and the map is not accurate (they say for overall gameplay purposes). That aside, I like it for a light LOTR experience.
Rating: A-
Update: after many plays, the game has fewer meaningful decisions than I first stated. This remains a light and fun experience, yet agonizingly hard, occasionally frustrating, and not as satisfying as I first thought.
New Rating: B
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