by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 26, 2009

"Lord of the Rings" board game is a unique gaming experience. Instead of competing against the other players, you all band together to defeat Sauron. But can you escort Frodo's ring back to Mordor - or will Sauron extinguish your band, freeing him to spread darkness across the land?

The game tries to capture the atmosphere of both the movies and the books by J. R. R. Tolkein. Players choose one of the familiar characters - and they're aided in their quest by drawing "Gandalf cards" - and all the action starts at a square labeled "Rivendell." The game's artwork is by John Howe, one of the lead artists Peter Jackson worked with for his "Lord of the Rings" movies. He's drawn four different game boards, one for each region along Frodo's journey. And the games boards represent the most foreboding locations in Middle Earth. There's the darkness in lair of Shelob the spider, plus Moria, Helm's Deep, and eventually - Mordor itself.

The game's official description warns survival comes from "using skill and fortune to guide you" - but that's a fancy way of saying you'll roll dice. They don't dominate the game, since players have the option of not rolling at all - and regardless of what's on the dice, players will stop when they've reached a square labeled "Goal" or "Plot complication." The skill comes in the occasional strategic decision, but there's also a lot of randomness.

That's probably my biggest gripe with the game. It's possible to play for an hour - and then discover that your entire fellowship has failed, and you've all lost after all. And even if you won, it's a "shared victory" - and even then, not really. Some players can die along the way through a bad roll of the dice, and are left to watch the other players finishing the game. Their only consolation is telling the survivors characters that "my spirit will enjoy this victory along with you."

And if you haven't seen the movies, the board game loses some of its charm. It's just funny names and strange setbacks unless you can get one of your friends to fill you in with some context. You could argue that the game is encouraging its players to read - but it's also proof that the gameplay really doesn't stand on its own.
Plus, the board game is just plain expensive. It was released more than five years ago, but they're still charging nearly $50 for a copy. If you're a fan of the movies - or a fan of the books - it's fun to see them adapted into a game format, and you'll probably enjoy playing this game a few times. But you'll be even better off if you know a friend who has the game - because you can get all the same enjoyment without spending the $50!

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