War of the Ring Solitaire

War of the Ring Solitaire
Version 1.2
These guidelines describe how to play a solitaire or cooperative game of War of the Ring. The
Free Peoples are played as usual, either by a single player or by two players who play using the
normal multiplayer rules. The game system “controls” the Shadow by providing an algorithm or set
of instructions for how the Shadow “plays.” Although the algorithm has no overarching strategy
and is unable to adapt to the Free Peoples moves, other aspects of the game have been modified to
make up for this and provide an adequate challenge. You can adjust the difficulty level by choosing
how many action dice the Shadow gets. For an easy game, allow the Shadow only 5 action dice
(plus those for minions). For a moderate game, try 6 action dice, and for a difficult game, give the
Shadow the full 7 action dice. Note that the actual starting dice will be one more than this since
Saruman starts the game in play.
1
Definitions and General Rule Changes
Agressive - a Shadow army is aggressive if it is large enough to attack. A Shadow army that
contains a Minion or that is besieging an FP stronghold is aggressive if and only if it contains
eight or more units. All other Shadow armies are agressive if they contain at least four units
and are not in a region with an unoccupied settlement.
Attacking Position - a Shadow army is in an attacking position if it is currently besieging a
stronghold or if the next region in any progression line in which the army is located contains
an FP army.
Designated Battle Card (DBC) - a card that is set aside to be played in the next battle in
which the conditions for playing the card are met (see the specific instructions for how to play
that card). If in a particular battle the conditions are met for more than one DBC, then the
Shadow plays the card that was set aside first. DBC’s are not considered to be part of the
Shadow’s hand.
Designated Hunt Card (DHC) - a FSP-targeting card that is set aside to be played as a
character event card when the conditions for playing the card are met (see the specific instructions for how to play that card). Cards that target the FSP are set aside as DHCs if
they are unplayable.
Distance to Mordor - the minimum number of moves it would take the FSP to get to Mordor
(i.e. to Minas Morgul or Morannon). At the beginning of the game, this is equal to 10.
From Lorien or the Woodland Realm, the distance to Mordor is 6, and from Minas Tirith,
the distance to mordor is 3. Note that to calculate the distance to mordor you must take into
account not only the last known position of the FSP, but also the FSP progress counter.
End Region - a region in a progression line that units are moved into but not out of. If an end
region becomes occupied and all settlements in adjacent regions are also occupied, then the
units in the end region are removed and become available for reinforcements.
FP - Free Peoples
FSP - The Fellowship
GtG - Gandalf the Grey
GtW - Gandalf the White
Occupied - An FP settlement is considered occupied if has a Shadow settlement control marker
on it. The Shadow must forfeit units in order to occupy a settlement and place a Shadow
settlement control marker. An occupied region contains a backup Shadow army that can be
called up to defend it should the FP attempt to attack the settlement. Note that a control
marker does not count as an army until called on, so that the marker itself does not count
against the maximum of 10 units per region. Also note that an FP settlement control marker
is not used in this way and has the same meaning and function as in the original War of
the Ring board game. FP armies are not permitted to enter a region containing an occupied
settlement, but must attack it instead. The Shadow will not move any units out of a region
containing an unoccupied FP settlement. A progression line is considered occupied if every
FP settlement in that line is occupied.
Overflow - a region in a progression line into which units may move if the next region in the
progression line is full.
Priority Order (PO) - an ordering of options for the Shadow indicating which choices are most
preferable. When given a choice and a PO, choose the first item on the list that you possibly
can. If there are multiple choices that meet this criteria, then move to the next criteria in the
list in order to break ties among the remaining options. Continue this process until a single
choice is selected. If you reach the end of the list without determining which choice to make,
choose arbitrarily among the remaining options. Each time an action is taken, start at the
beginning of the list.
Progression Line - a series of connected regions that form the route that the Shadow armies take
while attempting to conquer the FP. Shadow armies can only exist in regions that are part
of a progression line. If any other effect would move Shadow armies to a region that is not
part of a progression line (such as retreating from a battle), the units are eliminated instead.
However, it is possible for a Shadow army to move out of one progression line into a different
progression line.
Unit - as defined in the War of the Ring rulebook, a unit is either a regular or an elite. Leaders,
Companions, Minions, and Nazgul do not count as units. For example, an army consisting of
one leader, two elites, and three regulars contains five units.
Unit Counter - the unit replacement counters of the original game. In the solitaire/cooperative
game, unit counters are not used to “replace” units, but to represent them. These counters
are only used for Shadow units, not ever for FP units. The Shadow does not need to set
aside a figure in order to use a unit counter. This allows the Shadow to have many more
units on the board than is possible in the original game. Unit counters and figures may be
interchanged as needed whenever necessary in order to muster troops to the board.
Unmovable - a progression line is unmovable if it is occupied or if attempting to move it would
not result in actually moving any units.
Unoccupied - a region with an FP settlement that is not occupied, i.e. that does not contain a
Shadow settlement control marker. Note that not all unoccupied regions are “free” regions,
as some may contain armies.
Unplayable - a card is unplayable if the requirements for playing it are not met, or if the instructions for playing the card indicate that it should be treated as unplayable. Unplayable cards
are set aside as DHCs if they target the FSP. Otherwise, they are put face-up on the bottom
of the deck to be shuffled back in when the face-down cards run out.
Victory Conditions - The victory conditions remain unchanged except for the FP military
victory. An FP military victory now requires 6 Victory Points, two of which must come from
Barad-dur.
WK - the Witch-King.
2
Setup
Set up the game as normal, but do not use the political markers for the Shadow nations. All shadow
nations are considered to be at war. Also, Saruman starts the game in play at Orthanc, and the
Shadow begins the game with the extra die associated with Saruman.
3
The Draw Phase
If the Shadow has 4 or fewer cards, draw one of each for the shadow player. If the Shadow has 5
cards, draw one card of the type that the shadow player currently has the least of. If the Shadow
has 6 cards, do not draw. Keep all cards face down until played.
4
Hunt Allocation
Each turn the Shadow places two dice in the hunt box, or three if the FSP progress marker is at 2
or more. However, as usual, the Shadow does not allocate more dice than there are companions in
the fellowship. If the FSP is in Mordor, then the Shadow allocates the maximum number of allowed
dice to the hunt box.
If the Shadow has an elven ring available, put it in the hunt box. Elven rings in the hunt box
add one to rolls for the hunt outside of Mordor and add one to hunt damage from ”eye” tiles while
in Mordor. Elven rings in the hunt box are removed and discarded at the end of the turn.
Also at this stage, check to see if either the Witch King or the Mouth of Sauron should be
brought into play (if they haven’t already). Note that the Shadow does not spend a muster die
when bringing a minion into play.
If the Witch King has not yet been brought into play, and the distance to mordor is six or less,
roll two combat dice, plus one additional die each if GtW and/or Aragorn are in play. If result of
any of the dice equals or exceeds the distance to mordor, then bring the Witch King into play at
Minas Morgul. Also bring the Witch-king into play if all of the FP nations are active.
If the requirements for bringing the Mouth of Sauron into play are met at this time, then
immediately bring the Mouth of Sauron into play at Barad-dur.
Finally, if any of the original Shadow strongholds are under siege at this time, add as many
regular units as necessary to the Shadow armies defending them in order to bring the Shadow army
up to the maximum five units.
5
Action Roll
The Shadow rolls all available dice. Include the extra die for Minions even if they were brought
into play this turn. Move eye dice into the hunt box as normal.
5.1
Action Resolution
If a DHC is now playable, and a character or event die is available, then use the event die (use a
character die if both are available) to play the DHC. (If more than one DHC is playable, choose the
one that was set aside first.) Otherwise, the Shadow plays action dice in the following PO:
1. Character Dice
2. Muster/Army Dice
3. Muster Dice
4. Event (Palantir) Dice
5. Army Dice
Note that all of the dice of a particular type are used before moving onto the next die type. The
Shadow does not pass/defer to the FP player(s), even if the Shadow has fewer dice than the FP
player(s).
If at the end of the turn, the FSP did not attempt to move or hide, the Shadow gets a bonus
action, which is played as an army die. However, if the FP also used an elven ring during the turn,
then play the action as a muster die followed by an army die. This is in addition to the corruption
gained while in Mordor.
The following sections describe how to resolve the Shadow’s action dice. When the instructions
say to do one of the following, choose the first item in the list that you can. If the instructions say
to roll a die to determine the action, then do the item on the list that matches the result of the die
roll (i.e. if you roll a four, do item number four on the list).
5.2
Character Dice
First move all of the Nazgul and the Mouth of Sauron (see below). Then do one of the following:
1. Attempt to play a character card.
2. Make an attack with an agressive Shadow army in an attacking position that contains a leader.
3. If there are any Nazgul available to recruit, muster one each in Minas Morgul, Morannon,
Barad-Dur, and Dol-guldur (in that order).
4. Move the die to the hunt box.
5.3
Muster/Army Dice
If the Mouth of Sauron is in play, follow the instructions for a normal muster die, and then follow
the instructions for a normal army die. If the Mouth of Sauron is not in play, then just follow the
instructions for a normal Army Die.
5.4
Muster Die
Roll one die to choose the type of muster and follow the instructions according to the number rolled.
Any time two points are specified, muster them as an elite if the region already contains at least
five units, otherwise muster as two regular units. When mustering to a particular nation, always
use units from that nation type. If the region is full, or if there are no more units or unit counters
available, then do not muster to that region. Always muster in the order listed. When mustering
to an army in the field, use any nation represented in the army. Mustering to a Shadow army in a
stronghold under siege is permitted.
1. On a roll of one, muster two points of units each to Minas Morgul, Morannon, and Barad-Dur,
and one regular unit to Nurn.
2. On a roll of two, muster two points of units each to Dol Guldur, Moria, and Mount Gundabad,
and one regular unit to Angmar.
3. On a roll of three, muster two points of units each to Umbar and South Rhun and one regular
unit each to Far Harad, Near Harad, and North Rhun.
4. On a roll of four, muster one regular unit and two points of units to Orthanc, and two points
of units each to North Dunland and South Dunland. Then, if Saruman is in play, convert one
regular unit in Orthanc to an elite unit, if available.
5. On a roll of five, muster one regular unit to each Shadow stronghold, or two points of units
if the stronghold is either under siege or adjacent to a region containing an FP army. Each
nation musters units of its own type. In the Sauron nation, muster in the following order:
Minas Morgul, Dol-Guldur, Morannon, Mount Gundabad, Moria, and Barad-Dur.
6. On a roll of six, muster one Nazgul each to Minas Morgul, Morannon, Barad-Dur, and Dolguldur. Then muster one regular unit to each region that is part of a progression line and that
contains a Nazgul or Minion (regardless of whether the region contains a Shadow settlement
or not), in the following PO: the Witch King, Saruman, the Mouth of Sauron, and then to
the armies with the fewest units.
5.5
Event (Palantir) Die
Do one of the following:
1. If the Shadow has three or fewer cards, draw one card of the type the Shadow has the least
of. In case of a tie, draw a character card.
2. Attempt to play a character card.
3. Attempt to play a strategy card.
4. Move the die to the hunt box.
5.6
Army Die
First check to see if any Shadow armies are adjacent to an empty region containing an FP-controlled
city or stronghold (i.e. the Shadow could gain Victory Points by moving the army to the adjacent
region). If so, move all such Shadow armies into these regions. Then do one of the following:
1. If “A Power Too Great” is in play, and the Shadow has an aggressive army in position to
attack an FP army in Lorien, Rivendell, or the Grey Havens, and if the Shadow has the
required event cards, then discard them (choose randomly) in order to discard “A Power Too
Great.”
2. If “The Power of Tom Bombadil” is in play, and the Shadow has an aggressive army in position
to attack an FP army in The Shire, and if the Shadow has the required event cards, then
discard them (choose randomly) in order to discard “A Power Too Great.”
3. If an agressive Shadow army is in an attacking position, then make an attack.
4. Roll two dice to determine which progression lines to move. Move the lower numbered progression line first. If a progression line is unmovable or was already moved with this action
die then instead try the next progression line in the list, looping back to the first progression
line if necessary. Then move all armies in the chosen progression lines, in order, one space
each along those progression lines.
5. In the unlikely event that every progression line is unmovable, play the action die as it if were
a muster die.
5.7
Attacking
Shadow armies that are besieging a stronghold can only attack the stronghold. All other Shadow
armies can only attack FP armies that are in the next listed region of any progression line the
Shadow army is in. Passive Shadow armies cannot attack. If required to make an attack and more
than one attack is possible, choose one according to the following PO:
1. Attack an FP army in a region containing a stronghold that is not under siege.
2. Attack an FP army in a region containing a city.
3. Attack an FP army in a besieged stronghold.
4. Attack with the largest Shadow army available.
5. Attack the smallest FP army available.
5.8
Progression Lines
When moving a progression line, always move the armies in order. Nazgul (except the Witch-king)
that are part of an army move with the army. Nazgul that are not part of an army are ignored when
moving the progression line. If the Witch-king is part of an army in a progression line that is being
moved, then move the Witch-king according to the normal instructions (see below). Normally, all
the units in each region move to the next region. However, if the region contains an unoccupied
settlement, then do not move any units out of that region. If at any time (except during a battle)
a region contains enough Shadow units to occupy the settlement (and the region contains no FP
units), remove those units from the board (they now become available for reinforcements) and place
a Shadow settlement control marker on the settlement. To occupy a town, forfeit two regular units.
To occupy a city, forfeit three regular units. To occupy a stronghold, forfeit five regular units or
(only if five regulars are not available) three regular units and an elite. These units can be recalled
if the FP attacks the region containing the occupied settlement.
If at any time a progression line becomes occupied, remove all units remaining in the line in any
regions outside Shadow nations. These units then become available for reinforcements elsewhere
on the board. Also remove units from an end region (these are marked with a * in the progression
lines) in this way if it becomes occupied and if it is not adjacent to an unoccupied FP settlement.
No attacks take place while moving a progression line (except to take empty FP settlements). If a
move cannot be made because the destination region contains an FP army, then skip that particular
move. Usually such a situation arises because the Shadow army is too small to be aggressive, and
this will leave the passive army in place until reinforcements arrive.
No region may exceed the standard 10 unit limit at any time, unless the extra units will be
immediately removed in order to occupy a settlement. Some moves have overflow options. This
means that if you can’t move all of the units into the indicated region because it is full, then move
as many as possible there and move the remainder to the overflow region. If no overflow is listed,
then move as many as possible and leave the remainder in the original region.
Also note that a progression line does not care what nations the units in its regions are from.
It is possible for progression lines to mix with one another, and this can result in mixed armies. In
any case, when an army is moved, the entire army is moved regardless of the nations represented
in the army.
1. On a roll of one, move the Mordor Line. If Minas Tirith and Lossarnach are occupied, use the
overflow path to Pelargir.
(a) Lamedon to Dol Amroth*
(b) Pelargir to Lamedon
(c) Lossarnach to Pelargir
(d) Minas Tirith to Lossarnach
(e) Osgiliath to Minas Tirith (overflow to Pelargir)
(f) North Ithilian to Osgiliath
(g) South Ithilian to Osgiliath
(h) Minas Morgul to South Ithilien (overflow to North Ithilien)
(i) Gorgoroth to Minas Morgul
(j) Nurn to Gorgoroth
(k) Barad-dur to Gorgoroth
(l) Morannon to Gorgoroth
2. On a roll of two, move the Central Sauron Line.
(a) Parth Celebrant to Lorien*
(b) Dimril Dale to Lorien (overflow to Parth Celebrant)
(c) South Anduin Vale to Dimril Dale (overflow to Parth Celebrant)
(d) Dol Guldur to South Anduin Vale
(e) Fords of Bruinen to Rivendell*
(f) Trollshaws to Rivendell (overflow to Fords of Bruinin)
(g) Hollin to Trollshaws (overflow to Fords of Bruinin)
(h) Moria to Hollin
3. On a roll of three, move the North Sauron Line.
(a) Dale to Erebor*
(b) Woodland Realm to Dale
(c) Old Forest Road to Woodland Realm
(d) Carrock to Old Forest Road
(e) Eagles’ Eyrie to Carrock
(f) Mount Gundabad to Eagles’ Eyrie
(g) Grey Havens to Ered Luin*
(h) Tower Hills to Grey Havens
(i) The Shire to Tower Hills
(j) Evendim to The Shire (overflow to Tower Hills)
(k) Arnor to Evendim
(l) Angmar to Arnor
4. On a roll of four, move the Southron Line. If Minas Tirith and Lossarnach are occupied, then
use the overflow paths to Pelargir.
(a) Lamedon to Dol Amroth*
(b) Pelargir to Lamedon
(c) Lossarnach to Pelargir
(d) Minas Tirith to Lossarnach
(e) Osgiliath to Minas Tirith (overflow to Pelargir)
(f) West Harondor to Osgiliath (overflow to Pelargir)
(g) Near Harad to West Harondor
(h) Umbar to West Harondor
(i) Far Harad to Near Harad
5. On a roll of five, move the Easterling Line. Note that the Shadow does not move any units
into Erebor if it is occupied.
(a) Dale to Woodland Realm*
(b) Erebor to Dale
(c) Dale to Erebor (if Erebor is unoccupied )
(d) Vale of the Carnen to Dale
(e) East Rhun to Vale of the Carnen
(f) South Rhun to East Rhun
(g) North Rhun to Vale of the Carnen
6. On a roll of six, move the Isengard Line.
(a) Grey Havens to Ered Luin*
(b) Tower Hills to Grey Havens
(c) The Shire to Tower Hills
(d) South Ered Luin to The Shire (overflow to Tower Hills)
(e) Cardolan to South Ered Luin
(f) North Dunland to Cardolan
(g) Edoras to Anorien*
(h) Westemnet to Edoras
(i) Helm’s Deep to Westemnet
(j) Fords of Isen to Helm’s Deep
(k) Orthanc to Fords of Isen
(l) Gap of Rohan to Orthanc (overflow to Fords of Isen)
(m) South Dunland to Gap of Rohan
5.9
Moving the Nazgul and the Mouth of Sauron
When moving the Nazgul and Minions, follow the normal rules and restrictions regarding where
they may be placed.
5.9.1
Moving the Standard Nazgul
Move the standard Nazgul (not the Witch-king) according to the following PO:
1. If one or more of the original Shadow Strongholds are under siege, then divide the Nazgul
evenly among them. However, do not place more than five Nazgul in any stronghold.
2. If there are no Nazgul in the region containing the FSP, and if such a move is allowed, place
a single Nazgul in the region containing the FSP. Note that this step is skipped once the FSP
has been declared in Mordor since the FSP is no longer considered to be in a region.
3. If Shadow armies are besieging Free Peoples Strongholds, place one Nazgul in each of the
besieging armies, starting with the largest Shadow armies.
4. If any Shadow armies are besieging a stronghold or in an attacking position, then place one
Nazgul in each such army, in order of the largest to the smallest of these Shadow armies.
Repeat this step up to four additional times if there are Nazgul remaining.
5. Place any remaining Nazgul in Minas Morgul.
5.9.2
Moving the Witch-king
Place the Witch-king according to the following PO:
1. If no Shadow army contains at least eight units, place the Witch-king in an unbesieged Shadow
stronghold.
2. Place the Witch-king in a besieging army.
3. Place the Witch-king in an army in an attacking position.
4. Place the Witch-king in the largest Shadow army available.
5.9.3
Moving the Mouth of Sauron
The Mouth of Sauron is not moved as normal. He stays in Barad-dur and can only be eliminated
by the FP capturing Barad-dur. However, he can come out to participate in field battles in Minas
Morgul or Morannon. If Minas Morgul or Morannon are attacked by the FP from a region outside
of Mordor, place the Mouth of Sauron in the defending army. At the end of the field battle, return
the Mouth of Sauron to Barad-dur (regardless of the outcome of the battle).
5.10
Playing Event Cards
Randomly choose a card in the Shadow’s hand of the appropriate type and check the instructions in
the following tables. If the DBC conditions are met, set the card aside as a DBC and continue with
the same action die. If the card targets the FSP and is unplayable (either due to the conditions
described in the table or because the conditions printed on the card are not met) then set the card
aside as a DHC and continue with the same action die. If the card does not target the FSP and is
unplayable then put the card face up on the bottom of the appropriate event card deck and continue
with the same action die. At the end of the action die, for each card placed on the bottom of the
event decks with that action die, draw an equal number of the same type to replace them in the
Shadow’s hand. If at any time all of the face down shadow cards in a pile have been drawn, shuffle
any face-up cards in the pile and place them face down to form a new draw pile.
5.10.1
Character Cards
Card Name
Balrog of Moria
DBC
FSP is beyond Moria
Unplayable
The Black
Commands
WK has been removed from play
Playing would not result in an attack
Captain
Cruel Weather
FSP in Mordor
Dreadful Spells
Flocks of Crebain
Grond, Hammer of the
Underworld
FSP in Mordor
WK has been removed from play
The Lidless Eye
Nazgul Search
FSP in Mordor
The Nazgul Strike
FSP in Mordor
The Palantir of Orthanc
The Ringwraiths Are
Abroad
Saruman has been removed from play
WK has already been
brought into play
Wormtongue
Saruman has been removed from play or
Rohan is active
Gollum is leading the
FSP
Worn with Sorrow and
Toil
WK is not in an
agressive
besieging
army
FSP has no unused
Character or Will of
the West action dice
Playing would not reveal the FSP
Playing would not result in a roll for the
hunt
To Play
Use as soon as possible to draw an extra hunt tile. Use as
battle card at first opportunity if FSP gets beyond Moria.
Move the Nazgul. Then recruit up to two Nazgul in the
region containing the WK. Then attack if the WK is in an
aggressive army in an attacking position.
PO: maximize the distance to mordor ; maximize hunt
rerolls; move the FSP as far from any FP city or stronghold
as possible.
PO: army with the most Nazgul; FP army in a city or
stronghold; largest FP army.
Use on the first possible hunt roll.
Battle only lasts one round but gives Shadow army +2 to
combat roll and leader re-rolls
Move a number of dice to the hunt box equal to the number
of unused FP Character and Will of the West action dice
(up to three). Action Die PO: Event (Palantir), Character,
Muster, Army, Muster/Army.
Always choose to roll for the hunt
Draw a card of the type that you have the least of, or a
character card in the case of a tie.
Bring WK and all remaining Nazgul into play. Then move
the Nazgul. Then attack with an aggressive army containing Nazgul.
Discard PO: Mithril Coat and Sting, A Power Too Great,
The Power of Tom Bombadil, a random card from the FP
hand (if there are two FP players, then choose the hand
that gives the highest probability of discarding a character
card).
5.10.2
Strategy Cards
Card Name
Corsairs of Umbar
DBC
Pelargir, Dol Amroth, and Lamedon
are all controlled by
the Shadow
Dawnless Day
Denethor’s Folly
The Fighting Uruk-Hai
Unplayable
FP has no unused
Will of the West action dice
Minas Tirith is controlled by the Shadow
Saruman has been removed from play
Half-Orcs and GoblinMen
Hill Trolls
Horde From the East
no agressive army
meets
the
listed
conditions
playing would not
result in recruiting
both units
playing would not result in two replacements
playing would not result in full recruitment
Many Kings to the Service of Mordor
Monsters Roused
A New Power is Rising
Saruman has been removed from play
Olag-Hai
playing would not
result in recruiting
both units
Pits of Mordor
Rage of the Dunlendings
Return of the Witchking
The Shadow is Moving
The Shadow Lenghtens
Shadows Gather
Shadows on the Misty
Mountains
Stormcrow
Threats and Promises
5.11
To Play
Recruit regular units to Umbar until it contains at least
five units. Attack the smallest FP army or the one worth
the most victory points in case of a tie.
Choose among possible attacks according to the standard
PO.
Choose the largest Shadow army with eight or fewer units
that is in a attacking position. Recruit both a regular and
an elite Isengard unit to that army.
Choose the first unoccupied progression line from the Mordor, Central Sauron, and North Sauron lines. Then choose
the Shadow army that is furthest along that progression
line with at least two regular units.
PO: East Rhun, Far Harad, South Rhun.
Do not recruit as listed. Instead, recruit two regular units
to each of the five Southron & Easterling settlements, with
PO: Umbar, Far Harad, North Rhun, South Rhun, Near
Harad.
Do not recruit as listed. Instead, recruit one regular and
one elite to Angmar, then one regular and one elite to Trollshaws.
Recruit three units in each area instead of two. Choose
elites in Orthanc
Choose the largest Shadow army with eight or fewer units
that is in an attacking position. Recruit both a regular and
an elite Sauron unit to that army.
Do not recruit as listed. Instead, recruit two regular units
in each Shadow stronghold.
Play as an Isengard muster (roll of 4) followed by moving
the Isengard progression line.
WK has been removed from play
Do not move as listed. Instead, move every unoccupied
progression line.
Do not recruit as listed. Instead recruit four points of units
(elites if possible) in Moria and three regular units in Mount
Gundabad.
All FP nations are at
war
All FP nations are active
Playing Battle Cards
The Shadow attempts to play a battle card during the first round only of any battle in a region
containing an FP city or stronghold. If the WK is in the battle, the Shadow chooses to draw a card
of the type it has the least of (a character card in the case of a tie).
Like and event card, a battle card is unplayable either if the conditions listed on the card are
not met, or if the specific instructions given below designate the card as unplayable. When choosing
a battle card, try the DBCs first. Play the first DBC that is not unplayable. If all of the DBCs
are unplayable, randomly select a strategy card from the Shadow’s hand and try to play that. If a
randomly selected strategy card is unplayable, put it face up on the bottom of the Shadow strategy
deck, and try a different strategy card from the Shadow’s hand. If no strategy cards from the
Shadow’s hand are playable as battle cards, then the Shadow does not play a battle card during
this battle. Once a battle card is selected, or if the Shadow runs out of strategy cards from its
hand, replace any cards that were put back in the strategy deck with new strategy cards. As usual,
if at any time the face-down cards in an event card pile run out, shuffle any face up cards in that
pile to form a new draw pile.
5.11.1
Battle Cards
Card Name
Black Breath
Cruel as Death
Dread and Despair
Foul Stench
They are Terrible
Words of Power
Deadly Strife
Desperate Battle
Great Host
Onslaught
Relentless Assault
We Come to Kill
5.12
Unplayable
leader/companion
elimination
not possible (assume GtW
negates Nazgul leadership if
present)
GtW in battle
GtW in battle
GtW in battle OR Shadow leadership less than FP leadership
GtW in battle
playing would neither deny 2+
dice (combat/leadership) to FP
army nor save 2+ nazgul leadership if GtW is in battle
FP army is not in a besieged
stronghold
FP army is not in a besieged
stronghold
number of Shadow units ≤ number of FP units
FP army is not in a besieged stronghold OR number of
Shadow units ≤ number of FP
units OR Minion in Shadow army
FP army is not in a besieged
stronghold
less than 2 elites in Shadow army
To Play
PO: GtW, Aragorn/Strider, Boromir, Gimli, Legolas, GtG, Merry,
Pippin, any FP leader
Forfeit up to the combat strength of FP army
PO: GtW, Aragorn, GtG, Strider, Boromir, Gimli, Legolas
During battle, downgrade all elites before eliminating any regulars.
When using card, eliminate only regulars, up to the number of units
in FP army, but leave at least two Shadow units.
PO: 2 regulars, 1 regular, 1 elite. Do not reduce Shadow army below
4 units
During battle, eliminate all regulars before downgrading any elites.
Fighting Battles
Use the following guidelines when fighting battles.
• When attacking, the Shadow continues the battle until it becomes passive, at which point it
will choose to break off the attack as soon as possible.
• If at any time an FP army is attacking (with an army or with cards such as the Dead Men
of Dunharrow) a region containing an occupied settlement, and the region contains five or
fewer Shadow units, then remove the Shadow settlement control marker and replace it with
a number of regular units equal to the number required to occupy the settlement (two for
a town, three for a city, five for a stronghold). These may be represented by replacement
markers even if there are not enough Shadow units set aside to do so. The settlement is no
longer considered occupied, though it may be reoccupied at the end of the battle if the Shadow
has enough units to do so.
• Any time the FP attempts to use an action die to move into or attack one of the original
Shadow cities, immediately place up to five regular units in that city as a defensive force.
• If the FP wins a field battle in a region containing an original Shadow stronghold, do NOT
eliminate any Nazgul or minions in the battle. Instead, retreat them into the stronghold.
• Any time an FP army moves into a region containing an original Shadow stronghold (it must
attack to do so), immediately place four regular units and one elite unit inside the Shadow
stronghold, which is now under siege. If the Mouth of Sauron has not yet been brought into
play, bring him into play at Barad-dur. If the FP army besieging a Shadow stronghold is
destroyed or leaves the region, remove the units inside the stronghold from the board.
• If the FP plays any of the Ent cards as events, and Orthanc is not under siege, immediately
recruit up to three regular units in Orthanc. Only do this for the first Ent card played with
any one action die.
• When defending in a region with an FP stronghold, the Shadow fights a field battle if it has
more than five units and retreats into the siege if it has five or fewer units in the battle.
• When defending elsewhere, the Shadow chooses to retreat only if the Shadow army contains
two or fewer units and the FP army has at least two units more than the Shadow army. In
this case, or if the Shadow army is forced to retreat by other means, the Shadow retreats, if
possible, along a progression line (in either direction) towards the nearest Shadow army. If
the adjacent region cannot accomodate all of the Shadow units in the retreating army, then
retreat the Nazgul and Minions into the adjacent region, along with as many units as the
adjacent region will accomodate. If more than one retreat is possible, choose the one that will
allow the most Shadow units to retreat, choosing the region furthest along the progression line
in the case of a tie. Nazgul, minions, and units that are not able to retreat are eliminated.
(Think of them as having been scattered and hunted down in the wilderness.)
• The Shadow extends a siege by downgrading an elite unit if the besieging army is aggressive.
• During the first round only of any battle in a region containing a stronghold or city, if there
are no DBCs which can be played, and the Shadow has at least one strategy card in hand,
then randomly choose a strategy card from the Shadow’s hand and play it as a battle card.
If the Witch King is in the battle, it uses the redraw ability to draw a card of the type it has
fewest of, drawing a character card in the case of a tie.
• If the battle takes place in a region containing one of the original shadow strongholds, the
Shadow does not play a battle card. However, the Shadow army gets a plus one bonus to its
combat and leader rerolls during each round of the battle.
• If a combat card gives the Shadow the option to eliminate units, and the Shadow army is
agressive at the time, it eliminates as many as possible, but no more than the number of units
in the FP army, and not so many that the Shadow army becomes passive.
• When eliminating Shadow units, the shadow downgrades elites (if available) if there are five
or fewer units in the Shadow army. Otherwise, the Shadow eliminates regular units.
• When the Shadow wins a battle in which it was attacking, it moves units into the conquered
region. Note that because of the restrictions on how the Shadow attacks, such a move will
always be one that is listed as part of a normal progression line (not as an overflow move).
It moves as many units as possible when moving in this way.
6
Contact Information and Disclaimer
If you have questions or comments, contact me through my boardgamegeek account, username
TheMoss. If I get enough constructive feedback I will post new and improved versions.
Please note that this document is not intended as a challenge to any copyright or trademark,
but instead as a way to encourage people to buy the real War of the Ring board game and enjoy
their legally purchased copies in new ways. Although I do not anticipate any issues, in order to
insure that this does not go against the wishes of any legal copyright holders, I request that you
do not copy or distribute any part of this document, though you may refer people to the file where
I have posted it at the boardgamegeek website. This allows me to remove access to it should I be
requested to do so.
7
Acknowledgements
First of all, many thanks to the original designers of the War of the Ring board game as well as to
the publishers who have made this excellent game possible! Also, a special thanks to havoc110 for
his extensive playtesting of this variant and his many helpful suggestions. Finally, thanks to the
boardgamegeek community for their support of this game, without which this variant never would
have been written. I hope this document only adds to your enjoyment of this truly amazing game.