Opulent Lord of the Rings skirmish

In Middle-earth adventure, the heroes try to defeat Sauron and (what else ...) to get in front of him the ring. Each side has to fulfill certain orders and doing quests / plots to arrive as quickly as possible closer to his goal.

The game proceeds in several phases:

Sauron train
1. Resistance phase: be at all places where heroes are the influence of Sauron marker (will be required to appear monsters or places to make "threatening") away.

2. Progress stage: The label of hero is moved 2 spaces on the 18 fields long Fortschrittsleitse. The three markers Sauron move depending on ausliegenden plots (ie 0-3 fields usually).

3. Plotphase: Sauron can interpret a new plot, if a space is available and the conditions of the plots are met (or Monster minions in certain places, a certain number of influence tokens in an area similar). Instead, Sauron may remove a ausliegenden plot in order to interpret a new card at a later Plotphase can. A maximum. 3 plots at the same time be active. The hero is, of course, it located these plots be removed so that Sauron can not make progress.

4. Event Phase: It is running an event card. Depending on who is currently carrying out three cards are usually drawn and executed one of them. Some of the cards stay in the game, because the heroes have to perform specific actions. Most come leader and / or favor platelets through the cards into play.

5. Action Phase: Sauron may place influence markers, plotting and shadow maps (can be played in different phases against the hero) or draw monster command (move, reseating, henchmen cure). Here Sauron may only perform 2 actions. He wants to act on several occasions in the same area is the respective version less powerful.

6. Hero cards Phase: The heroes draw cards for according to their bravery value.

Heroic trait

1. recovery: Without monster / minion in the same place (! No shadows fortress) must recover the hero. Basically, the hand cards and the deck (life pool) are considered life. Abgepielte cards come in the Regenarationspool, damage taken is given in maps (either manually or life pool) in the damage pool. Who is recovering should the Regenarationspool (and possibly remnants of life pool and hole cards) mix and interpret as a new life pool. Is the hero in a refuge we may even interfere the damage pool. There one should possibly also make a Verdebniskarte (lasting negative effects) against payment of the cost of favor.

2. ambush phase: Is the place of the hero or a monster henchman (eg mouth of Sauron, Ringwraiths) reside is fought against this choice of Sauron.

3. Travel period: Travel means to move to other places (costs hole cards) to fight enemies (monsters or minions) to survive threats (cards are dealt) or to investigate getting (favor tokens war council hold with leaders, complete quests and more ).

4. Encounter Phase: There are pulled from local stack and executed the lowest card three cards.

This phase will be repeated until either the hero or a marker of Sauron's markers has arrived at the final box of the progress bar. Alternatively, it suffices to place Sauron for all three markers on half the strip. Depending on whether the leading side could carry out their initial order, the game ends immediately, or there will be a final battle against the Ringwraiths.

Review:

A riiiieeesiges game that one again draws directly into the Lord of the Rings spell (and yes, we started right back in the evening to watch the films ...). The basic principle of Sauron against heroes like me (as well as eg in Descent) again very good, as it allows cooperative action and one still has yet someone in the game who can react particularly nasty or halfway nice. I find it interesting the life points mechanism with three different pools. The hero may thus have long-term (temporary) die, succumb on the way there but gradually their injuries because they have fewer and fewer cards.
The longer the game lasts, the greater will be the threat of Sauron and it becomes increasingly difficult to grasp for the heroes walk. But because they are true heroes, they can win in the end yet, despite the greatest threat and hordes of monsters. This avoids that you have exactly in the last 1.5 hours of play knows who will win.
Overall, the game is the way - from having very little material - for its size.