Customer Reviews

Lord of the Rings

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When this game was released in 2000. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! With wonderful artistry from John Howe and the game devised by award winner Reiner Knizia I was really looking forward to opening the box - let alone play it!
I wasn't disappointed.
It took some effort to pick up the rules since there is a lot there but once underway it has it's own easy rhythm.
The co-operative gameplay works very well. Every player is one of the hobbits - Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, even Fatty Bolger gets a look in. And each one has an innate skill throughout the game. There's a lot of discussion between players as to whats the best strategy and about cards, etc.

This game is excellent at following the story.
Many times I felt like I was being uncontrollably corrupted and slipping towards the darkness. The 'sliding scale' of corruption is very ingenious. It is the cause of much alarm when the Dark Lord himself starts to slide from the other end towards you!
All the characters pop up in the game in the form of cards to help you in your quest. I would have liked some of the main characters (eg: Aragorn) to have had a more enduring effect than simply move you on a further few spaces.
Still, all in all a worthwhile game!

Like most of the reviewers, I've found this game to be quite fun. As has been mentioned, it is a cooperative game - if the players do not work together, then they will never beat the game. That makes it a nice diversion from the competitive games my family and friends usually play.

The designer obviously loved Tolkien's work and has done an amazing job of capturing the essence of the books in the game. The game is basically a race to destroy the ring before it corrupts you. The corruption scale neatly models this. Every major character and item in the book is represented by one of the cards. Most major events are also represented in the event system within the game. (Interestingly though, the game omits Tom Bombadil, just as the movie did.) It is really a well thought out design.

Another interesting aspect of the design is how it adapts to differing numbers of players. When I first read the rules, I assumed that the game would be much easier with 5 players than with only 2, as there would be more cards in play, and more people to spread out the corrupting influence of the ring. But the event system and the requirement for each player to collect certain tokens within the game negate the advantage of having more players. The strategy required to play the game is actually quite different depending on the number of players you have.

Another twist I've enjoyed is playing the competitive variant for experienced players. Cooperation is still absolutely required, but as you get closer to the end of the game, players become less willing to cooperate, because they want to win. Suddenly that corrupting influence of the ring becomes very, very real!

Perhaps those that say gameplay gets repetitive should try varying the number of players or try the competitve variant.

All in all, I've been very pleased with the game.

While innovative in style and game play, The Lord of the Rings board game lacks some of the deeper strategy offered by games that cast players as opposing forces, even when set amidst a conflict as epic as that envisioned by J.R.R. Tolkein. The game's feel is different and unusual, and until you gain experience by playing the game through a few times, it seems to be a game of great possibility. After a time, however, the supply of new things to try and new places to visit is exhausted, lowering the replayability value of this fascinating game.

The core concepts are not different from a variety of other adventure games; you use a combination of skill and luck to journey to different areas, traveling and fighting your non-player opponents. However, in this incarnation, many factors have changed. Your enemies are no longer distinct, but blend into a "fighting line" along which you advance your piece. Similarly, traveling, hiding, and friendship, which could serve as the basis for encounters with creatures and other players, have been reduced to a line format. Thus, besides minor variations, the only factors that distinguish one area (called a "scenario board") from another are the events that occur there. These events, taken from Tolkein's books, are translated into game terms in a variety of ways, some of them clever adaptations, while others seem unrelated to their effects on game play. Because of their importance, the events on the four scenario boards become the central elements in making game play decisions, so their unchanging nature is one of the elements that reduces replayability.

The players cooperate, advancing the same pieces and using items to aid each other as soon as themselves. This has the beneficial effect of giving players a chance to work together to defeat a great foe. Players can discuss strategies, attempting to determine which should be employed at each particular moment, and formulate backup plans in case the worst should befall. This type of cooperative puzzle-solving gives the game the human interactions it needs to stay viable and entertaining.

The fact that players work together also has the detrimental effect of making it irrelevant which item card was dealt to which player, as any player will use the necessary item when it is needed for the group. Additionally, since the items are the same from game to game, the randomization of the cards plays a very small role, so one game seems relatively like the next. Again, in the trade-off between replayability and creation of a rich gaming experience, replayability was sacrificed for the benefit of the game play.

This is not an easy game. There are a variety of ways to lose the game, ranging from being corrupted by the Dark Lord, Sauron, to letting too many events slip by in Mordor, to simply being unable to discard a required number of cards. However, there is only one way to win: reach the summit of Mt. Doom, with the ring bearer present, and destroy the ring without being corrupted by its influence. Additionally, there are three positions where Sauron may start, to adjust the game's difficulty level. Wait- does difficulty level adjustment equal replayability? Sadly, no. Changing Sauron's start position simply affects how much corruption you can withstand before losing the game; the strategies and game play are all the same.

The quality of this game is surprisingly high, a mark of many of Wizards of the Coast's products. The artwork has been done by John Howe, and each scene from J.R.R. Tolkein's books used in the game has been painted in a beautiful, semi-impressionist style. The item and character cards also feature paintings by this artist, making the game visually stunning. The playing pieces are also of a high quality- Wizards of the Coast could have supplied cheap plastic pieces, but instead chose to give hefty pieces of a smooth material (probably resin or coated wood). A Hall of Fame sheet, provided to allow you to record your score after each game and watch your skill improve, is a nice addition.

An expansion to this game is scheduled to be produced later in 2001. This expansion has the potential to greatly enhance an excellent, but not replayable, game. Additional rules and methods of interaction with other players would be some of the best potential additions this expansion could provide.

There are many reasons why you may wish to give The Lord of the Rings a look. If you tire of competitive games, or long to plan strategies with the aid of your fellow players, this game may be just what you seek. Any Tolkein fan will greatly appreciate the fine artwork and attention to detail this game provides, as well as all the reminders of the epic events in the novels. With a set of unique game mechanics, cooperative play, and high quality construction, The Lord of the Rings board game provides an amazing gaming experience, at least once or twice.

Finally, a cooperative game that's actually fun. I suppose you could put RPGs into the same category, but something like D&D is not a game that you can play with two people in about an hour.

I brought the game on vacation last week, taught a couple young cousins (10 and 11 1/2) how to play and it quickly became a favorite for them. The mechanics of the game are easily learnt although there were a few places where the manual could have been a bit more explicit (the details are supplied on the board). Strategywise, the game can be learned reasonably well after a few plays through, so I have some doubts about whether this is a game that can be lasting fun like, say Monopoly or Scrabble (we'll have to wait for the test of time on this).

Cooperation is the key in this game, and that's where I think the game really shines. What I found happening while I played was that I was competing in many ways less against Sauron, then against myself. *I* wanted to be the one to save the ring and to complete the objectives of the game. In a way it really reflects the dynamics of the novels well in this respect.

This is definitely something to play with the junior-high aged kids in your family, and is one of a few games that may well turn them into better people.

This is a well-crafted board game that succeeds on several levels, being both intellectually engaging and fun. It combines the different playing styles of cards, dice, figures and multiple boards. The theme of "The Lord of the Rings" adds a nice familiar element to it, although I am not sure where the character "Fatty" comes from. He is one hobbit I have never heard of. The main theme of the game is co-operation, but there are some competitive options as well.

I have played this game with a broad class of people, including people that have never read the books and people that generally don't enjoy games. Everyone had a really good time and agreed that this was an excellent game. So far, I have done some two-player games and a four-player game. A larger group is definitely more fun.

As draw backs, the game does have several components and takes some set-up. However, the more familiar you become with the game, the shorter the set-up. Also, the game is not so variable that it can be played several times in a row. This is a game to pull out a few times a year. With that in mind, it is one of the best games of this type that I have played.

When I first heard about this, I thought "Oh boy, another Lord of the Rings product. Surprise surprise." However, a friend of mine grabbed a copy at the local gaming store, and I just bought a copy for myself after playing for just one night!

The game pieces aren't that much to look at, the plastic ring is kind of silly, and the hobbit pieces are the same mold, just difference colors... but the event cards and the game board artwork are just GORGEOUS. Seriously, if you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings, you might want to consider buying this just for the art.

The game itself isn't too complicated, but there are small nuances you might miss unless everyone playing reads the rules before playing their first time. You all play hobbits, making your way to Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Throughout the game, your hobbits will start to become more corrupted (as the journey wears them down), and Sauron will get closer to your party. If your hobbit reaches Sauron, you're out. If Sauron gets the ring, everyone loses. How many games have you played recently where everyone's playing against the board? It's great! It can actually get tense at some times, and makes for really great playing.

After playing a few times through, once you get the hang of the mechanics, it really boils down to how many people are playing, and how lucky you are at drawing event tiles. Lord of the Rings is nicely balanced, and the more players you have, every extra player makes it a little bit easier to win. However, you'll have some games where you breeze by, and some games where you will get mercilessly pounded down, simply on how tiles are drawn.

If you're one of those rare individuals who haven't read the books yet, and want to be surprised by them, don't play this game just yet, as it follows all three books through the One Ring's destruction, and follows the events in the books fairly well. On a final note, there is apparently an expansion out with another game board, and more cards, but you'll have to do some looking for it.

Overall, this is a great game to play if you're a fan of strategy games that require team work, a fan of Tolkien, or are just looking for something different. Get this today!

The LOTR Boardgame was designed but one of the all-time great boardgame designers, Reiner Knizia, and it shows. Coming up with a co-operative themed boardgame, that actually works must have been a huge challenge. Knizia has succeeded admirably where many before have failed. Playing this game, you really have to get along with the other players (the other Hobbits in the Fellowship) if you are going to have any chance of reaching Mount Doom and casting the Ring into the Volcano. The game is pretty unique in that it is co-operative, not competitively based, so be aware of this if you are the sort of gamer that revels in beating your mates up. The learning curve is a little steep the first time you play the game, and it is compounded by the poorly laid out rulebook. On first glance the rules look very nice in their colour format, but they do not read well and make things difficult. I would expect many non-gamers to be quite daunted by them. Never fear though, head on over to "http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.lawson/rk/lotr/index.htm" to browse the LOTR boardgame website and check out the rewrite of the rules which have been checked and approved by Reiner Knizia. Print this out and you have a much easier path to learning the rules. The game packaging is well done and the box is very strong and attractive. The components are a mixed bunch. The playing boards are really very nice. The playing cards are a little lacklustre in their colour and the hobbit figurines a little cheapish as well. Replace those with some nice metal miniatures of the hobbits (such as those produced by Gamesworkshop) and that would set the game off nicely, from an aesthetic point of view anyway. Overall, I am very pleased with the components and the presentation of the game. I'll just get some individual card sleeves at some stage to protect the cards as a result of repeated plays this game is getting. I think many fans of LOTR are really going to enjoy this game, because it ties in with the books theme surprisingly well. You actually get a sinking feeling as Sauron closes in on the Hobbits which really adds to the tension in the game. You are not going to beat Sauron that often, but when the Fellowship does, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Take one off my score for fun if you are not a fan of LOTR, but otherwise I stand by my maximum rating for this game. Highly recommended co-operative boardgame.

This is an excellent game for those tired of playing AGAINST each other. The players MUST work together or all is lost. In this sense it is faithful to Tolkien's books.

While I have some reservations about how many times it can be played before "patterns" of play emerge, the first 20 games I've played have been fun and fufilling.

A quick game, beautifully package and produced. A wonderful addition to any collection. A must for those who don't need an individual winner.

Amazing This game really captures Middle Earth in that Middle Earth was really a very dark place and the fellowship was up against nearly insurmountable odds. It is the same with this game. From the moment you start playing you start losing and have to make decisions as to what sacrifices shall take you the closest to your goal with the least corruption possible. If your characters meet Sauron on the main board they are elimanted from the game and there are very few chances to retreat from him while many present themselves to succumb to him. It is maybe a little too hard however since I have yet to see anyone win the game even on the easy setting. Possibly the thing I like most about the game is the ability to play it single player, a rare thing in boardgames. Although this makes the game harder yet, it does allow you to practice. All in all it is charming game and even though it is very hard to win you still score points for how far you do make it.

Those who played THE HOBBIT boardgame, with its whimsical mechanics, will be in for a quite a ride with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, a game that traces the key events of Tolkien's masterwork, and proves as difficult to win as the novel's quest was to complete. The rules, though substantial, are easy enough for adults to learn after a couple of experimental sessions, but this is the sort of game that the saying, "minutes to learn, years to master" was invented to describe. Even without adding the optional levels of complexity provided for in the attractive, colorful rulebook, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is fiendishly difficult to win.

That said, the game is also enormously fun. Players (as many as five) work cooperatively to complete Tolkien's epic quest, and the decisions they make as a group have repercussions both immediate and subtle. A cool head for strategy and well-developed communications skills are a must for those who'll attempt to defeat Sauron, the Dark Lord.

Fans of the book will find the gorgeous artwork and clever references contained in the game delightful, though the later stages could spoil readers who have not had a chance to reach their corresponding chapters. In addition, those who are NOT fans of Tolkien's writing will probably find the game to be far less amusing, as an enthusiasm for the source material is what keeps players coming back again and again, trying to win, and win well.