Gaming in Middle-earth: roll the dice

INTRODUCTION TO GAMING IN TOLKIEN’S WORLD

Gaming in the world of Middle-earth is currently at the highest point it ever has been since Tolkien first released the Hobbit. There is a wealth of gaming products being brought out by a diverse group of gaming companies - board games, paper and pen tabletop roleplaying games, card games and computer games. If there was ever a time to explore Middle-earth, now would be it.

To give you an idea of what is available, below are the core companies producing games and the range of their products. I've stuck specifically with companies with games based on the books (so no film connected games here).

COMPANIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS: A to Z

ARES
WAR OF THE RING and HUNT FOR THE RING
http://www.aresgames.eu/games/war-of-the-ring-line

[Boardgame, 2-4 players]

Products Released

• War of the Ring (2nd Edition)
• Lords of Middle-earth
• Warriors of Middle-earth
• Battle of the Five Armies
• Hunt for the Ring

To be released

• Hunt for the Ring: Light and Shadow
• War of the Ring: Kings of Middle-earth

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ATHLON GAMES
LOTR MMORPG

http://www.athlongames.com/athlon-games-partners-with-middle-earth-enterprises/
http://www.athlongames.com/amazon-game-studios-and-leyou-to-co-develop-game-based-on-the-lord-of-the-rings-world/

No release date currently.

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CUBICLE 7
THE ONE RING ROLEPLAYING GAME
https://www.cubicle7games.com/our-games/the-one-ring/

[Tabletop RPG, 2+ players]

Products Released (1st Edition)

• The One Ring Roleplaying Game
• Loremaster’s Screen and Lake-Town Guid
• Adventurer’s Companion
• Journeys and Maps
• Tales from Wilderland
• The Heart of the Wild
• The Darkening of Mirkwood
• Rivendell
• Ruins of the North
• Horse-Lords of Rohan
• Oaths of the Riddermark
• Erebor: The Lonely Mountain
• Laughter of Dragons
• The One Ring Q-Workshop Dice

Announcement of the 2nd Edition of The One Ring: Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game

To be released (2nd Edition)

• The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game
• The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings™ Starter Set
• Loremaster’s Screen and Legends of Middle-earth
• Fell Foes
• Minas Tirith – The Tower of Guard
• The Errantries of the King
• Moria – The Long Dark

ADVENTURES IN MIDDLE-EARTH RPG (D&D 5e)
https://www.cubicle7games.com/our-games/adventures-in-middle-earth/

Please note the products for AiME follow the releases for the One Ring Roleplaying Game but usually have different names.

[Tabletop RPG, 2+ players]

Products Released

• Player’s Guide
• Loremaster’s Guide
• Eaves of Mirkwood and Loremaster’s Screen
• The Road Goes Ever On
• Wilderland Adventures
• Rhovanion Region Guide
• Mirkwood Campaign
• Eriador Adventures
• Rivendell Region Guide
• Bree-Land Region Guide
• Lonely Mountains Region Guide

To be released

• Rohan Region Guide (based on TOR Horse-Lords of Rohan)
• Rohan Adventures (based on TOR Oaths of the Riddermark)
• Erebor Adventures (based on TOR Laughter of Dragons)
• All the One Ring: Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game 2nd Edition products

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FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES
THE LORD OF THE RINGS LIVING CARD GAME
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-card-game/

[Card game, 1-4 players]

The Lord of the Rings Living Card Game is comprised of various packs and expansions. Telling the story of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books are the SAGA expansions. There are also STANDALONE SCENARIO packs which are often released at conventions such as GENCON and the Fellowship events. The DELUXE expansions along with their corresponding CYCLE of six packs form the backbone of the game, setting up a story then expanding upon it with the accompanying six cycle packs. Finally there are the NIGHTMARE packs which are there to make previous packs just that much more harder with additional cards. Existing packs with Nightmare additional packs are denoted with a (*N) at the end of their pack name. I have not linked the Nightmare packs.

Please note Standalone Scenarios and Nightmare packs are both Print-on-demand products from Fantasy Flight Games.

Products Released

• Core set
• Limited Collector’s Edition 

DELUXE EXPANSIONS

• Khadad-Dum Expansion (*N) 
• Heirs of Numenor Expansion (*N) 
• Voice of Isengard Expansion (*N)
• The Lost Realm Expansion (*N)
• The Grey Havens (*N)
• The Sands of Harad
• The Wilds of Rhovanion 
  

SAGA EXPANSIONS

• The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill (*N) 
• The Hobbit: On the Doorstep (*N) 
• The Black Riders (*N) 
• The Road Darkens (*N) 
• The Treason of Saruman (*N) 
• The Land of Shadow (*N) 
• The Flame of the West 
• The Mountain of Fire 

STANDALONE SCENARIOS (GENCON and Fellowship events)

• The Massing at Osgiliath
• The Battle of Lake-Town
• Fog on the Barrow Downs
• The Ruins of Belegost
• Murder at the Prancing Pony
• The Siege of Annuminas
• Attack on Dol Guldur
• The Stone of Erech
• The Old Forest
• The Wizard’s Quest
• The Woodland Realm 

CORE SET QUESTS (*N) – come with Core set

• Passage Through Mirkwood (*N) 
• Journey Along the Anduin (*N) 
• Escape from Dol Guldur (*N) 

SHADOWS OF MIRKWOOD CYCLE (Core set)

• The Hunt for Gollum (*N) 
• Conflict at the Carrock (*N) 
• A Journey to Rhosgobel (*N) 
• The Hills of Emyn Muil (*N) 
• The Dead Marshes (*N) 
• Return to Mirkwood (*N) 

DWARROWDELF CYCLE (Khazad-Dum Expansion)

• The Redhorn Gate (*N) 
• Road to Rivendell (*N) 
• The Watcher in the Water (*N) 
• The Long Dark (*N) 
• Foundations of Stone (*N) 
• Shadow and Flame (*N) 

AGAINST THE SHADOW CYCLE (Heirs of Numenor Expansion)

• The Steward’s Fear (*N) 
• The Druadan Forest (*N) 
• Encounter at Amon Din (*N) 
• Assault on Osgiliath (*N) 
• The Blood of Gondor (*N) 
• The Morgul Vale (*N) 

THE RING-MAKER CYCLE (Voice of Isengard Expansion)

• The Dunland Trap (*N) 
• The Three Trials (*N) 
• Trouble in Tharbad (*N) 
• The Nin-in-Eilph (*N) 
• Celebrimbor’s Secret (*N) 
• The Antlered Crown (*N) 

ANGMAR AWAKENED CYCLE (The Lost Realm Expansion)

• The Wastes of Eriador (*N) 
• Escape from Mount Gram (*N) 
• Across the Ettenmoors (*N) 
• The Treachery of Rhudaur (*N) 
• The Battle of Carn Dûm (*N) 
• The Dread Realm (*N) 

DREAM-CHASER CYCLE (The Grey Havens Expansion)

• Flight of the Stormcaller (*N) 
• The Thing in the Depths (*N) 
• Temple of the Deceived (*N) 
• The Drowned Ruins (*N) 
• A Storm on Cobas Haven (*N) 
• The City of Corsairs (*N) 

HARADRIM CYCLE (The Sands of Harad Expansion)

• The Mumakil 
• Race Across Harad 
• Beneath the Sands 
• The Black Serpent 
• The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat 
• The Crossings of Poros 

ERED MITHRIN CYCLE (The Wilds of Rhovanion Expansion)

• The Withered Heath 
• Roam Across Rhovanion 
• Fire in the Night 
• The Ghost of Framsburg 
• Mount Gundabad 
• The Fate of Wilderland 

To be released

• A Shadow in the East 
• Vengeance of Mordor Cycle (A Shadow in the East Expansion): Wrath and Ruin 

LORD OF THE RINGS LIVING CARD GAME (Digital version)
https://www.fantasyflightinteractive.com/en/games/lord-rings-living-card-game/

JOURNEYS IN MIDDLE-EARTH
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/the-lord-of-the-rings-journeys-in-middle-earth/

[Boardgame, 1-5 players]

Products Released

• Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
• Middle-earth Gamemat
• Hunt for the Ember Crown DLC (In-game purchase)

To be released

• Villains of Eriador Figure Pack 

JOURNEY TO MORDOR
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/the-lord-of-the-rings-journey-to-mordor/

[Boardgame, 2-4 players]

Products Released

• Journey to Mordor

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STANDING STONES GAMES
LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE
https://www.lotro.com/en

[MMORPG, 1+ players]

Lord of the Rings Online is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG).

It's currently up to Update 24: Vales of Anduin revisiting places first seen in the Hobbit. In the timeline players have seen Sauron defeated and explored parts of Mordor but have now headed north towards Wilderland and beyond.

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Fun Fact #1

The quote "The board is set, and the pieces are moving" is Gandalf speaking to Pippin, from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Book Five Chapter 1: Minas Tirith.

Fun Fact #2

The dice seen in the "Gaming in Middle-earth" logo is from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. It's a twenty-sided die (icosahedron) from Egypt, dating somewhere between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD, known as the "Ptolemaic Period–Roman Period". More information can be found here.