The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game
The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
7 character miniatures • Adventure Book game board • Corruption Track • 88 cards 52 counters • 4 reference cards • Rulebook
7 Character Miniatures Frodo, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli
Adventure Book Game Board — the illustrated book of chapter pages that forms the game board.
Cards
- 42 Story cards
- 18 Special cards
- 15 Plot cards
- 8 Plot Chart cards
- 5 "Eye of Sauron" cards
Rulebook and 4 Reference Cards
Corruption Track
Counter Distribution (some counters are needed in more than one chapter)
- Chapter 1: 2 "Black Riders" counters, 1 "Gandalf" counter
- Chapter 2: 1 "Elrond" counter, 1 "Elven Wrath" counter, 1 "Dwarven Wrath" counter, 1 "Human Wrath" counter
- Chapter 3: 1 "Balrog" counter, 1 "Gandalf" counter, 6 "Goblin" counters, 4 "Wound" counters
- Chapter 4: 5 "Orc" counters
- Chapter 5: 1 "Treebeard" counter, 3 "Ent" counters, 5 "Goblin" counters
- Chapter 6: 6 "Orc" counters, 1 "Gandalf" counter
- Chapter 7: 1 "Gollum" counter, 3 "Web" counters
- Chapter 8: 1 "Gollum" counter, 3 "Footprint" counters, 6 "Orc" counters
- For every chapter: Completed Challenge tokens, 1 Corruption marker
Setup
- Open the book to Chapter 1 and place it in the middle of the table.
- Place the Completed Challenge tokens ready to hand, to the right of the book.
- Remove all Special cards from the Story card deck and set them aside as a separate, face-down deck. Special cards are marked with the ✳ symbol on their front. Then shuffle the two remaining decks together and place the Story card deck above the book. Place the Special card deck to the right of the book.
- Place the Corruption Track above the book. Place the Corruption marker on the ✳ space.
- Shuffle the 5 "Eye of Sauron" cards and place them face down next to the Corruption Track.
- Shuffle the Plot card deck and place it face down to the left of the book.
- Lay out the Plot Chart card for Chapter 1 face up next to the Plot card deck.
- Each player receives 1 reference card.
- The remaining materials are not needed for now. Each chapter requires different contents. Follow the rules given for each chapter as you reach it.
Note: for the sake of readability, the German rulebook uses generic masculine pronouns for "player" throughout; this is intended to be understood as gender-neutral in all cases.
Game Overview
In The Lord of the Rings, you work together to help the Fellowship destroy the One Ring. None of you controls a single character — instead, you always work together. To master the many Challenges, you move any character pieces (and sometimes counters too) and discard Story cards from your hand.
Each chapter is a scenario in the game that you can either win or lose. You follow the basic rules as well as any special rules given in each chapter. If you win a chapter, move on to the next one. You keep any Special cards you have won as you do. The position of the Corruption marker on the Corruption Track is also kept. If you lose a chapter, you must try it again. In this case too, the position of the Corruption marker on the Corruption Track is kept. You win the game if you are able to successfully complete all 8 chapters before you reach the end of the Corruption Track. Correspondingly, you lose the game if you reach the end of the Corruption Track first.
Your Turn
On your turn, carry out the following five steps in the given order. The reference card helps you remember the individual steps.
1. Movement
You may move any one character piece 1 or 2 spaces, or move 2 character pieces 1 space each. Character pieces may be moved in any direction. A counter may also be revealed between the two movements (if the chapter rules require this). You do not have to move a character piece if you don't want to. Any number of character pieces may occupy a space, unless the chapter rules explicitly state otherwise.
2. Storytelling
In this step, you may carry out one or more of the following actions in any order.
- Trade 1 card from your hand with 1 card from any other player's hand. You may only do this once per turn in total.
- Discard any number of cards and move a character piece 1 space per card discarded. You may do this multiple times on your turn, too, even with different pieces.
- Complete one or more Challenges, by fulfilling their requirements and discarding the corresponding cards from your hand (see Story Cards & Completing Challenges).
- In this phase, each of you may also play Special cards — including your fellow players (see Special Cards).
- Play a "The One Ring" card to carry out the chapter's special Ring ability (shown at the bottom right of the current chapter's game board).
3. Draw
Draw 2 cards from the Story card deck. If this deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
4. Plot Chart
Draw the top card of the Plot card deck and read the matching instruction on the current Plot Chart aloud, to see what happens. Then place the Plot card on a face-up discard pile. If you can't draw a Plot card because the deck is empty, you have lost the chapter.
5. Discard Cards
If you now have more than 6 cards in hand, discard cards until you have only 6 left. If you discard a "The One Ring" card while doing so, you must move the marker on the Corruption Track forward 1 space. Your turn is over. Play passes to the player on your left.
Story Cards & Completing Challenges
There are six kinds of Story cards. Courage, Mystery, Adventure, Insight, Combat Skill, The One Ring
Each is represented by a different symbol.
To complete a chapter and move on to the next chapter, you must fulfill all of the Challenges in the chapter.
To fulfill a Challenge, all of the listed requirements must be met. In addition, the active player must discard Story cards with the symbols shown on the Challenge. If this symbol ? is shown, any card may be discarded from your hand. For ? = ?, this can be 2 cards of your choice, as long as they are identical.
Every time you complete a Challenge, a Completed Challenge token is placed on it. Whoever completes a Challenge receives the reward listed there (if any) and follows any additional instructions.
For example, to complete the Challenge "Frodo Leaves the Shire" (Chapter 7), you must move Frodo onto Galadriel's space, and Gollum and Samwise onto adjacent spaces. In addition, the active player must discard 2 Mystery cards from their hand. As a reward, they then draw 2 Story cards.
(Diagram callouts: Requirement — the Challenge's listed conditions. Reward — the listed prize for completing it. Story Cards to Discard — the symbols shown on the Challenge card. Challenge Completed — place a Completed Challenge token on the Challenge.)
"The One Ring" Cards and the Corruption Track
The "The One Ring" Story cards can be used like jokers, played at any time in place of other Story cards. They can also be used to activate the chapter's special "The One Ring" ability, shown at the bottom right of the game board for that chapter. However, every time a player uses a "The One Ring" card, the marker on the Corruption Track must be moved forward 1 space. It does not matter whether the card was discarded, used to complete a Challenge, used to move a character piece, used to carry out a special "The One Ring" ability, or discarded to reduce your hand at the end of your turn.
When the marker reaches an eye-symbol space on the Corruption Track, immediately draw a card from the "Eye of Sauron" deck and carry out its effect. If you move the marker on the Corruption Track backward (for example, because you complete a Challenge with such a reward) and this causes you to reach or pass such a space again, you do not need to draw an "Eye of Sauron" card, either when moving back or when moving forward across it again.
If the marker reaches the last space of the Corruption Track before you have successfully completed all chapters, you lose the game.
Special Cards
Many of the rewards for Challenges instruct you to draw cards from the Special card deck. These cards have special effects.
When you play a Special card, read it aloud and then place it on the discard pile of Story cards. Whenever this discard pile is reshuffled, the discarded Special cards are shuffled back in with it.
Special cards can also be discarded to move character pieces, or to fulfill the requirements for "any card" or for special chapter requirements (see the individual chapters). Regardless of whether you complete a chapter successfully or lose it, all Special cards you have won and added to the Story card deck remain in the deck.
Example Special cards:
Shadowfax — You may move any character piece up to 3 spaces. "He is the lord of all horses, and my friend through many dangers."
Arwen's Love — Complete a Challenge with 3 or more "The One Ring" cards without advancing on the Corruption Track for doing so. "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone."
Completing a Chapter
Once you have completed all the Challenges in a chapter, take all character pieces off the board and discard all the cards in your hand. You may now turn the page and move on to the next chapter...
End of the Game
If you complete all the chapters without the marker reaching the end of the Corruption Track, you have won the game and the One Ring is destroyed! However, every chapter can be lost in a number of ways. If this happens, you must try it again, but the marker on the Corruption Track is not reset.
Solo Rules
In a solo game, all the previously stated rules apply. At the start of each chapter, lay out an additional hand of 6 Story cards, which you may use for trading cards during the Storytelling step. This hand also counts as a "player" for the purposes of certain Plot Chart entries.
Saving Your Progress
If you would like to pause the game, follow these steps:
- Finish playing the current chapter, then mark the next chapter in the book (e.g., with a bookmark).
- Take all hand cards in play, the discard pile of Story cards, and any Special cards you have won so far, and shuffle them together. Be careful to keep these cards separate from the Special cards you have not yet won.
- Note which space the marker on the Corruption Track is on.
- If you would like to continue the game, follow the setup steps, but skip the part where you are asked to remove Special cards from the Story card deck. Place the marker on the space you noted on the Corruption Track. Then place the Adventure Book in the middle of the table and begin with the next chapter.
FAQ for the Individual Chapters
Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins
Q: Can I choose which direction I move the Black Riders? A: No, the Black Riders always move clockwise.
Q: Can one Black Rider overtake the other? A: No, whichever Black Rider is able to complete its required move in full without reaching the other Black Rider must always be the one that is moved.
Chapter 2: Forging the Fellowship
Q: Can the "Wrath" counters be moved? A: No, you cannot move these counters. As soon as the matching character piece lands on its "Wrath" counter, the counter is removed from the board.
Q: Is a character piece immediately reset to its starting space when Elrond reaches it? A: Yes, the pieces are reset right away.
Chapter 3: The Mines of Moria
Q: What does the ? = ? symbol mean? A: This symbol requires you to play 2 cards of your choice, as long as they are identical.
Q: Do I have to pay for a movement or a card, and additionally also the Story cards shown on the space, in order to move Gandalf onto the bridge? A: No, you only need to play the Story cards shown on the bridge space in order to move onto it.
Q: If the Cave Troll recovers from a Wound after the Challenge "You Have a Cave Troll!" has already been completed, does it need to be wounded again? A: No, you can simply keep playing and try to complete the final Challenge, "You Cannot Pass!"
Chapter 4: The Fellowship Breaks
Q: Can there be more than one Orc on a space? A: Yes, that can happen!
Chapter 5: The Last March of the Ents
Q: Can 2 Ents be on the same space in order to put out a fire? A: Yes, as long as the space is adjacent to the fire.
Q: What happens if the Plot Chart calls for placing a Goblin on space 9, but it is already occupied? A: Place it on space 1, or the next free space in ascending order.
Q: Do the Ents have to stay at the dam once I have completed the "Free the River!" Challenge? A: No, once you have completed the Challenge, you can keep moving the Ents (using Merry and Pippin).
Q: Do I have to defeat a Goblin if I am on its space? A: No, you can be on the same space as a Goblin without defeating it. If it turns into a fire, move to an adjacent space to put it out.
Chapter 6: Battle of Helm's Deep
Q: Can I move onto or off of spaces with Orcs without defeating them? A: Yes. However, you lose if you would have to place an Orc and all Orcs are already on the board.
Chapter 7: Shelob's Lair
Q: What does it mean to be "in Shelob's Lair"? A: Every space past the cave entrance is considered to be in "Shelob's Lair."
Chapter 8: The Last Battle
Q: Where is Gandalf? A: He is on the back of one of the Orc counters. Defeat Orcs to reveal him. Once revealed, he helps you complete the rest of the chapter!
Q: Can I complete a Challenge or defeat an Orc with a character piece that is lying on its side? A: No.
Q: If I have to play "The One Ring" cards to complete the final Challenge, does the marker on the Corruption Track move forward as a result? A: Yes, it does. So plan carefully and cover as many "The One Ring" symbols as possible beforehand.
Credits
System Design: Ryan Miller; Game Design: Jason Little and Marcus Ross; Game Development: Shanon Lyon; Illustration: Wigwam Studios, Vlad Rodriguez; Art Direction: Chiara Bellavite; Graphic Design: Andry Lawrence; Playtesters: Andrew, Sarah, and Aven Burkhalter, Alyson Erb, Matthew Johnson, Richard Mulvihill, Garrett Partch, John Walseth, Sonia Walseth, Treasa Sweek, Brooke Ike, Makoto Ike, Jenny Webb, Lucy Webb, Calvin Webb; Special Thanks to Scot Eaton.
© New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING; THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS; THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are ™ of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s23) © 2023
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