by: Michael Barnes

The new Lord of the Rings card game turns out to be quite a nice surprise even though it represents one of the most over-represented settings in hobby gaming. I’ve been quite surprised at how good the game is both in multiplayer as well as a solitaire option. The challenge level is high, and the game successfully blends the key competencies of a collectible card game with co-op mechanics to create a fresh-feeling experience. The artwork and production are exceptionally well-executed, but more significantly the visual style offers a darker take on Middle-Earth that lays to rest the now dated John Howe/Alan Lee concepts used in the feature films and in previous games.

The game is also an alternate take on the events and situations Tolkien depicts in the novel. Much like Middle-Earth Quest or before that the Iron Crown Middle-Earth CCG, this title doesn’t necessarily focus on the Ring quest, Helm’s Deep, or stories featuring familiar faces. Sure, Gandalf and the gang along with several minor characters put in their token appearances, but this is really more of a fantasy game with a Tolkien setting rather than a canonically reverent Lord of the Rings offering. Many fans don’t like to see Aragron slain by a spider in Mirkwood or Beorn showing up to lend a hand to Glorfindel and Eowyn as they fight off a Marsh Drake. But I think it’s a stronger game for staking out its own path instead of treading the well-worn one from the Shire to Mount Doom.

Players can either choose a starter deck based around one of four resource types or build their own combination ones out of the included cards. Each player gets three heroes at the outset, and each of these generates a resource point of their affiliation every turn. Cards such as allies, equipment, and actions are paid for from these pools and must be paid in the correct resource type. It’s a tight, interesting system that streamlines management and production and serves as a solid foundation for the game’s approachable deckbuilding options.

There are only three scenarios included, which is a tremendous disappointment given that each only requires three cards. There’s no reason that this game couldn’t have shipped with at least five or six. As it stands, there’s an “easy” beginner’s trip through Mirkwood, a medium-difficulty sojourn down the Anduin, and a quite hard setup that requires players to rescue a captive at Dol Guldur by retrieving key items. That’s the really good one, because it demonstrates how dynamic the scenarios could be- too bad there’s not another like it in the box. Maybe in next month’s expansion there will be?

Each scenario determines the kinds of Shadow cards that will comprise the Encounter deck, which represents enemies, hazards, and treachery that the players have to overcome as they travel. Every phase of a scenario has a target number indicating how many travel markers have to be placed on it to move to the next stage. Every turn, players can send their heroes out questing to try to place these markers on the scenario cards, comparing Wisdom scores against the Threat that local adversaries and their abodes represent. Later in the game it becomes a tough decision as to who to send out and who to retain for other purposes, such as combat.

Battles are simple, attack-versus-armor comparatives modified by card effects. Heroes are sometimes shockingly frail, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Before each combat phase, an encounter check is made against each player’s Threat level. Enemies have a Threat value, and they’ll automatically engage players with high enough numbers and this can be disastrous for a tapped-out or weakened player. Fortunately, collusion is encouraged by card effects, so ranged attacks, healing, and other benefits can be shared between players.