Fantasy Flight Games recently revealed The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Anniversary Edition, a precise replica of The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game first published in 2000, but with new high-quality upgrades. The Anniversary Edition is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Anniversary Edition (LTR20) is the one edition to rule them all, bringing back the classical cooperative gameplay and famed design from the first edition 20 years ago. The new LTR20 edition includes all the beautiful John Howe art and Reiner Knizia design elements from the previous edition, and comes with a set of newly sculptured miniatures, markers, tokens, and dice.
In LTR20, you control the fate of the Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins of the Shire, as he and the Fellowship of the Ring (you and up to four other players) make a treacherous journey across Middle-earth to destroy the One Ring, while avoiding and defeating the evil forces of Dark Lord Sauron. LTR20 encompasses gameplay that covers the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy of books, including the dark depths of Moria, the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the gloom of Shelob’s Lair, and the desolation of Mordor.
In the 2000 edition of the game, the tokens, markers, and game die were punchboard. In LTR20, these have been upgraded to plastic sculptured miniatures, including all the Hobbits, Sauron, the One Ring, and the Threat Die. Each miniature is detailed, from the hobbit’s hairy feet to the frightening new Black Rider miniature, which replaces the previous punchboard Sauron token. Even the One Ring mini now has the authentic elvish script, and will neatly fit around the base of the Ring-bearer’s mini when they choose to use it.
During your quest to destroy the One Ring, you’ll play over four game boards, one each for Moria, Helm’s Deep, Shelob’s Lair, and Mordor. You’ll move along quest paths which depict fighting, friendship, hiding, and traveling, and use quest cards to gather runes, help defend against Sauron’s corruption with life tokens, end conflicts quickly, or hide to avoid them altogether. And during all this, you’ll have to keep constant vigil on the corruption track. If Sauron finds the Ring-bearer, he will claim the One Ring, and the game and Middle-earth are over!
The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game Anniversary Edition is available now to pre-order from the Asmodee Store or from your own FLGS. Check in with the Fantasy Flight Games website and Twitter feed for more info and upcoming news.
Source: Fantasy Flight Games
