Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Silver Line Edition:
This new Silver Line Edition of The Lord of the Rings has been given a beautiful graphics overhaul, retaining the elegant illustrations of John Howe while updating the game boards and components. Because many of the components have changed in size and design (making the game much more compact) this new edition will be incompatible with previously released expansions.
Please note - this board game should not be confused with the previous Lord of the Rings Board Game of the same title (now discontinued) - this page is for Lord of the Rings Board Game the Silver Line Edition. Also, because many of the components have changed in size and design this new edition will be incompatible with previously released expansions.
Lord of the Rings Board Game Overview:
Sauron’s influence is spreading across the land, corrupting those without the will to stand against him. If he manages to recover the One Ring, the people of Middle-earth are surely doomed - forced to live their lives in vile servitude. And now the One Ring, along with all hope of salvation, rests in the small hands of a hobbit.
The Lord of the Rings is a unique cooperative board game for 2-5 players. Legendary designer Reiner Knizia puts players in the roles of hobbits on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring. Their journey is brought to life by world renown Tolkien artist John Howe, whose illustrations make this game an immersive work of art. Spanning the entirety of J.R.R. Tolkien’s timeless book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings lets players relive the Fellowship’s heroic journey again and again.
To begin a game of The Lord of the Rings players first determine which hobbit they will play as - either Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, or Fatty. The number of players determines which hobbits will be available, but Frodo will always be one of the available hobbits. Once hobbits are chosen and the game is set up, it’s time to begin your journey.
Gameplay takes place on the Master Game Board and the four Conflict Game Boards (Moria, Helm’s Deep, Shelob’s Lair, and Mordor). The players’ overall journey is tracked on the Master Game Board, and whenever their Activity marker reaches a Conflict location, the players switch their focus to the appropriate Conflict Game Board. Also located on the Master Game Board is the Corruption Track, which determines how close to darkness the hobbits are treading.
The hobbits begin their quest in Bag End, a Safe Haven. There are three Safe Haven locations on the Master Game Board - Bag End, Rivendell, and Lothlórien. Each Safe Haven has three actions that the players preform before moving on, most of which are beneficial. For example, the first action in Bag End lets each player draw six Quest cards. These Quest cards represent valuable resources that will aid the hobbits in their journey to Mordor.
Quest cards come in two different colors - grey and brown - which limits how many cards each player can play on their turn: one grey card and one brown card. Each Quest card has an Activity symbol on it to represent either Fighting, Friendship, Hiding, Traveling, or a wild symbol that can be used for any Activity type. These cards are used during Conflicts to move the Activity marker along the corresponding Activity tracks.
