New Heroes and Mechanics – Become the Lords of Middle-earth
How would events have developed if the Keepers of the Elven Rings had used their power to challenge the might of the Dark Lord? If the Balrog had risen from the depths of Moria to scorch the lands of the Free Peoples with fierce fire? And if the Council of Elrond had made a different decision regarding the Fellowship of the Ring?
This is the first expansion to the epic war strategy game «The War of the Ring». It introduces new game mechanics that add different possibilities to the game thanks to events and characters not fully revealed in Tolkien`s novels. Important characters from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, previously only mentioned on event cards, are now represented as separate figures with their own rules. The expansion also includes alternate versions of some of the main characters and figures of Aragorn and Gandalf the White.
New characters
- Lord Elrond, Keeper of the Vill. Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, former herald of Gil-galad. One of the Dark Lord`s most persistent rivals remaining in Middle-earth. As the Keeper of the Vilja, the most powerful of the three Elven Rings, he could prove to be a dangerous enemy of the Shadow.
- Lady Galadriel, Keeper of Nenja. Galadriel, Queen of the Golden Forest, is one of the most powerful Elves in Middle-earth. However, as Keeper of Nenja, the Adamantine Ring, she chose to hide from Sauron. What might have happened if Galadriel had used her power to help the Free Peoples by revealing herself to the Eye?
- Gandalf the Grey, Keeper of Narnia. Unknown to none but the wise men, Gandalf was the Keeper of the Great Elven Ring of Narnia. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf used the ring very carefully to give strength and courage to those around him. But what would have happened if he had decided to use its power openly?
- Sméagol, the tamed creature. In the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", Gollum was noticed after the Fellowship left the dungeons of Moria. However, he joined the Ringbearers only when Frodo and Sam were left alone on their way to their goal. What could have happened if the companions had tamed this unfortunate creature before the Fellowship fell apart?
- The Balrog of Moria, evil from the ancient world. The Balrog is a demon from long-forgotten times, a survivor of ancient wars, and now hides in caves under the mountains. This servant of Morgoth could have wreaked havoc across the land, but instead met his end at the hands of Gandalf the Grey on the summit of Zirakzigil. But what if this Shadow-wielding scoundrel had managed to spread his influence into the very heart of Middle-earth?
- Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant. He is clearly one of the most powerful servants of the Shadow. If not for Aragorn`s timely arrival, Gothmog might have been able to turn the tide of the battle in favor of the Shadow forces. What might have happened if Gothmog had taken command of the Mordor army earlier, while the Witch-King was trying to return the One Ring to his master?
- Sauron`s Spokesman, the Black Númenórean. In the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy Sauron`s Spokesman was an envoy and warlord who was to become the tyrant of the Free Peoples after Sauron`s victory in the war. However, Sauron`s Spokesman was a black Númenórean wizard and possessed immense power. What might have happened if the Dark Lord had sent him against his enemies earlier?
- The Witch-King, Ringwraith-Lord. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, after the defeat of the Nazgûl at the Ford of Bruinen, the Witch-King took on a new demonic form and returned as the Black Captain of Sauron`s army, leading the siege of Minas Tirith. What would have happened if Sauron had instead sent the Ringwraith-Lord to search for the One Ring?
Special Action Dice
Three light dice of the Elven Ring-Keepers (Elrond (Vilja), Galadriel (Nenja), Gandalf (Nar’ja) and two dark dice of the younger companions (Balrog and Gothmog) are added to the game.
Special action dice are rolled along with the standard dice. The player must choose one of the results on the special dice, in addition, if the "Eye" is rolled, it must be chosen. New symbols on the faces give the opportunity to draw a card, attract the Balrog or force the player to lose the die.
Elven Ring Tokens
Lord Elrond, Keeper of the Vilja, Lady Galadriel, Keeper Nenni and Gandalf the Grey, Keeper of Nára, each have a special use for their respective Elven Ring. To make it easier for players to distinguish the Rings from each other, this expansion includes new Elven Ring tokens with portraits of their Keepers.
When a Free Peoples player uses an Elven Ring, he flips the token over to the "Fire Eye" side and gives it to the Shadow player (who can use it to change one of his roll results as normal). When a Free Peoples player uses an Elven Ring to change the result of his die roll, he must choose a token for a specific Elven Ring, whose special effect cannot be used until the end of the game.
Event Card "Three - "Elven Lords" allows the Free Peoples player to return used Elven Ring tokens.
Special effects:
- Elrond may keep a used action die;
- Galadriel may cancel a drawn pursuit token with the Eye;
- Gandalf may activate the Free People and advance its policy marker to the "at war" space.
Council in Rivendell
The special scenario proposes to change the canonical plot of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, replacing any members of the Fellowship of the Ring with characters from this expansion. Former companions return to their homelands, and the Shadow player receives action tokens. Action tokens are used to move Nazgûl and Posipak or advance the Shadow people along the politics track.
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