Der Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs (2003)

About this game

Lord of the Ring - The return of the King (the game to the movie)is the 3rd installment for the series from Kosmos. The players have the common goal of defeating Sauron. A play round consists of the two phases "army buildup" and "movements and fighting". In the army phase the players receive new army and hero cards as well as useful action cards. Then, each player in turn moves their units to adjacent spaces. If enemy units are on the space they do battle. If you win, you gain points and can continue the battle. If you lose, the next player continues the fight. Play ends if the player armies can breach the Black Gate which gives the most points. Alternatively, the players win if Frodo and SAM reach the last field of the mount doom. But if Gollum gets there before SAM and Frodo, all players lose. Like the previous 2 big box games in this series, it will likely be released only in Germany.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 3 to 4.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.