The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Publisher: Repos Production (Distributed by Asmodee)
Release Date: November, 2024
MSRP: $34.99
Creator(s): Antoine Bauza, Bruno Catala (Designers); Vincent Dutrait (Artist)
Format: Boxed board game
Number of Players: 2
Playing Time: 30-45 mins.
Age Rating: 10+
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
For The Lord of the Rings fans who want a short board game, or gamers who want a lightish fantasy-themed game, this is a very good one. Familiarity with The Lord of the Rings, in book or movie form, provides the best context, but it could be played by anyone familiar with basic tropes of fantasy, in film or literature.
Something that makes the game both unusual and easier to learn is that its game mechanics are based on the very successful Seven Wonders: Duel, the two-player spin-off from the hit tabletop game. This is not the same game as Seven Wonders: Duel, but it uses that game’s mechanics for a game with a strong flavor of Tolkien’s work. The two sides represent the Free Peoples of Middle-earth and the dark lord Sauron and his evil minions.
Because the game uses a mixture of game mechanisms, there is a board for area control of the lands of Middle-earth, a set of cards that are used to build each player’s tableau of resources and actions, and a set of tiles, representing the fortresses that can be built across the land. There is also a “pursuit” track that represents Hobbits Frodo and Sam, on their way to destroy the One Ring, along with a clever representation of the Nazgul chasing after them.
A player’s victory conditions can be met by things in any one of the three basic areas, the board, the pursuit track or the cards. The tiles can’t produce victory on their own, but certainly help affect things in the other victory conditions, and with the tiebreaker, needed if neither player meets the various victory conditions before the game ends, which is when the display of cards are all played.
The time spent in play will probably be longer for a player’s first game, as some of the cards are worth staring at for the artwork. The rules are simple enough and well-enough organized that they are very helpful.
The game ends if either of the two sides completes their pursuit goal, or if either side controls all seven regions on the map, or if either side has contacts within all of the races of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, which is possible from the cards. In addition, the cards determine pursuit movement and strength of the competing armies, while the tiles determine which fortresses can be built. Since fortresses combine with armies in controlling the regions, the effects are dramatic during play.
The only odd thing, for those who have not played Seven Wonders: Duel, is that players can be working toward entirely different victory conditions, and if they don’t pay attention to the actions of their opponent, the game’s end through a player victory can come as a surprise. Also, for those who have not played that game, the way that cards are set up in the game is unusual, but fully explained in the rules. Some of the cards have costs or qualifications needed to put them in play, although players have to watch closely for the “chaining” symbol, which is easy to overlook at first. As in a lot of well-balanced games, players usually feel like they just need a little more in the way of resources to pull off whatever they’re trying to do.
The game’s designers have come up with a game which will be a good experience for those new to board gaming, and an excellent filler game for serious players who want something lighter but interesting, and that can be set up and played in well under an hour. The artist has done some excellent work on the cards and tiles. The only downside to the components is that the cards are a slightly unusual size, so for those who want to put their cards in plastic sleeves, they may have to hunt a bit for the correct size. Also, the insert is not quite correct to make it easy to put everything back in the box comfortably.
A relatively low price, simple rules and attractive game components should make this a strong seller this holiday season, and The Lord of the Rings fans young and old will find this to be an interesting new game.
—Nick Smith
Source: ICv2
