The Battles of Middle-earth are behind the famous foundations.
After Dune, which I introduced you to last week, today I have another game for you related to a famous brand. This time it is a work related to the Lord of the Rings universe, but not as impressive as War for Arrakis. The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is a clash of two sides, where you and your hordes fight for the fate of Middle-earth. The following lines will tell you whether the game is interesting enough to interest you.
Number of players: 2
Play time: 30 minutes
Price: 799 CZK (Alsa)
Age: 10+
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth presents the famous fight in a new format
The legendary fantasy book The Lord of the Rings has had several film adaptations. One of the most recent is none other than The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth, in which each player will take a side in the conflict that shaped the history of Middle-earth. It doesn’t really matter which side you’re on, as both factions are more or less identical. Yes, Sauron starts with a few pennies less and his dog is chasing Frodo, but that’s it. So these are some concrete numbers to look at, but unfortunately that’s where the differences end. Both players have the same groups at hand, and three identical paths to victory await them.
The cornerstone of the gameplay are the cards, which are divided into chapters. The game is divided into three parts in total, in which you not only work with different cards, but they are also folded differently, so at each stage you have to conquer a slightly different pyramid than at the previous one. However, in any case, you will find pieces of different colors in the pile, associated with different effects. Some cards will offer you certain skills, others will reward you for their acquisition with gold or love, which is associated with building relationships with local peoples.
Anyone expecting Sauron to only befriend the bad guys while the Free Nations are friends with the good guys will be disappointed. Unfortunately, nothing has been done with a number of nations, so it’s no problem to develop very intense relationships with the Elves or Ents in Mordor. Building relationships unlocks various bonuses that will help you later in the game. What will also help you during the game are the blue cards that are used to move Frodo and Sam across the map to Mount Doom. That is, them, and the Ringwraith who has his hands firmly on their throats. If he catches them before the boys get there, it’s all over.
To make the card offer sufficiently diverse, there are also parts focused on creating armies. Thanks to them, you place your forces in certain regions, which you then throw into the territory occupied by enemies. Capturing the game world is also one of the available victory conditions. Here, you buy cards primarily with money or with skills. They are also used to buy selected items. If you are not strong enough, brave enough, smart enough or do not have enough charisma, there is always the option to take money out of your pocket and supplement the missing statistics with gold, which can solve any problem.
Coins are obtained through cards, as well as by discarding a part of the pile taken during your turn, after which you collect a certain amount of money. You need funds to buy cards, as well as to buy fortresses, which represent different places in Middle-earth. You take both cards and fortifications only if you have them. Buying fortifications is made difficult by their slowly increasing cost, which you will have to put up with if you want to go down this path. The entire game ends when one of three conditions is met. One, of course, is related to the ring. The second advocates for an alliance of nations, and the third works for the domination of Middle-earth. The neutral option is to end the third chapter with no clear winner, with the one with the most territory deciding.
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is just one step away from perfection
After several games I must admit that The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is a great duel game where you fight in a familiar world in battles that will not be unfamiliar to you. The gameplay is very good, I also like the handling of the cards. However, what I have a certain problem with is the lack of differentiation of the factions, which, in short, could have been minimal. In fact, it is a step short of a certain degree of perfection in this successful business. If you like fast strategies based on cards and the constant presence of decisions, this is The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth the right choice.
We would like to thank Czech distributor Blackfire for providing us with a copy of The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth.
Source :Indian TV
