War of the Ring FAQ
215 questions players ask · Updated Nov 8, 2026 · Full rulebook
Setup and Components
- Is the first edition playable as printed, or should I adopt second-edition changes?
- Do Nazgul come back after being killed?
- What counts as a settlement, and is a Fortification one?
- Are South Rhun and East Rhun adjacent?
- Can Gwaihir the Windlord fly over mountains?
- Are Nazgul Minions, and are they Leaders?
- Where does the Elves' political counter start?
- Are the extra miniatures in the box used for setup or reinforcements?
- What does 'friendly' mean for a region or Stronghold?
- Does a captured settlement stay captured when left empty, and can Nazgul enter it?
- Are characters killed when an enemy army moves into their region?
- Are units limited, and can eliminated units be recruited again?
- What are the Army Unit Replacement counters for?
- What are the Companion counters used for?
- What do the black lines on the map mean, and are regions across them adjacent?
The Game Turn and Action Dice
- Why do the Free Peoples action dice have two Character faces and no plain Army face?
- What is the difference between an Army die and a Character die for moving and attacking?
- If I change a die with an Elven Ring, must I use that same die for the action?
- How many Elven Rings can a player use per turn?
- Can an Elven Ring change a die that already shows an Eye?
- If I must use my last action die and my hand is full, what do I do?
- What can the Free Peoples Will of the West die be used as?
- Can an army or character move more than once per turn?
- Can one Character die move all the Nazgul and the Mouth of Sauron?
- Can one Character die move both the Fellowship and the separated Companions?
- Can an Army/Muster die be used both to muster and to move?
- Can a Companion or Nazgul attack on its own?
- How many action dice does each side have?
- Do dice in the Hunt Box come back to their owners?
- When can a player pass instead of using a die?
- With a full hand, do I draw both cards at the start of the turn before discarding?
- What is the action order in a four-player game, and what if someone passes?
Event Cards and Combat Cards
- Is Help Unlooked For a full battle with combat cards and Leader re-rolls?
- Does Durin's Bane's 'within two regions of Moria' include Moria itself and regions across black lines?
- If part of an Event card cannot be carried out, can I still play it?
- Can recruiting Event cards place units in a besieged Stronghold, for a nation not at war, or in a captured settlement?
- Can House of the Stewards recruit in a region without a settlement, or in a settlement the Shadow has captured?
- When is a card played on the table discarded?
- Can Threats and Promises be played when every Free Peoples nation is already at war?
- When is The Last Battle discarded?
- When does Worn with Sorrow and Toil trigger?
- When discarding cards to pay for A Power Too Great, must I show them to my opponent?
- What does A Power Too Great stop, and does it protect the Elven Strongholds?
- Which units count toward Dreadful Spells?
- Can Devilry of Orthanc be played in a field battle outside a Stronghold?
- Can Nazgul Search or Nazgul Strike move a lone Nazgul into a Free Peoples stronghold region?
- Does The Eagles card hit every adjacent army, and does it affect the Witch-king?
- Can Swarm of Bats cancel the Scouts combat card?
- Does Mumakil's extra hit still count if Heroic Death is played?
- Can Corsairs of Umbar rescue a besieged army the way Dead Men of Dunharrow moves Companions?
- Which Companions does Dead Men of Dunharrow move?
- When must Crebain Swarms be discarded, and how do Mithril replacement tiles work?
- Does Cruel as Death check my own leadership or the total Nazgul leadership?
- Where do Eye tiles go after Challenge of the King, and is the Balrog's combat use free?
- Can I Will Go Alone be played when no Companions remain in the Fellowship?
- Does playing a combat card cost an action, and are the two halves of a card independent?
- Do players draw event cards on the first turn, and what happens when a deck runs out?
- Can Ent cards kill Saruman or attack defenders on the Shadow side?
- Can an Event die be used to fight a battle, and do Event card attacks count politically?
- Can Dead Men of Dunharrow recruit Gondor units in a region the Shadow controls?
- If the Shadow plays Words of Power, can Mighty Attack still work?
- Can Onslaught eliminate the last unit of the Shadow's own army?
- Can the Ents attack a besieged Shadow army in a Stronghold from the adjacent region?
Armies, Movement and Recruiting
- When mustering two Regulars or two Leaders with one Muster die, can they go in the same settlement?
- How many units can be in a region, and do Leaders and Companions count?
- Can Leaders move with an army when I use an Army die, and can one stay behind?
- What does an attack with a Character die require, and can an immobile Leader like Saruman provide it?
- Can a unit move twice with one action, for example by joining another army and moving on?
- Can one Army die split an army into two parts that go to different regions?
- Does an army need a Leader to move or attack?
- Where can units be recruited with a Muster die?
- Can one Muster die bring in units from two different nations?
- What can one Muster die bring in?
- Can a lone Nazgul, Companion or Minion be attacked or killed by an army?
- Can Nazgul enter or leave besieged Strongholds and Free Peoples regions?
- Do Isengard Elite units count as Leaders?
- Does a captured Stronghold give its defensive bonus to whoever holds it?
- Do I keep control of a captured settlement when my army leaves?
- In a mixed army, can units of a nation that is not at war attack?
- Can Army Unit Replacement counters be used to field more units than there are figures?
- Can a card that moves an army several regions pass through friendly or enemy armies?
Battles and Sieges
- What do combat dice hit on, and how do modifiers work?
- Does a combat card bonus to the Combat Roll also apply to the Leader re-roll or to extra attacks?
- Are combat rolls and casualties simultaneous, and who plays combat cards first?
- When an Elite is replaced by a Regular, where does the Regular come from?
- What happens to Leaders and Companions when all the army's units are eliminated?
- Is the Witch-king immortal, and can a lone Nazgul capture a settlement?
- After winning a battle, must the attacker move into the conquered region?
- Does an attacking army enter the target region, and must all units attack?
- Can a retreating army split up, or leave characters behind?
- When can the defender retreat or withdraw into a siege?
- Does retreating into a siege end the battle, and does the attacker need another die to besiege?
- How does a siege battle work, and how can it last longer?
- Can a besieged army leave, retreat, or be reinforced?
- When a garrison sorties, can Companions or Leaders stay inside?
- Does the attacker's 6-to-hit in the first round apply to the Leader re-roll?
- If both armies are eliminated, who controls the stronghold or region?
- Can Scouts be played by the attacker or used to withdraw into a Stronghold?
- What happens to Saruman if a Free Peoples army enters Orthanc?
Politics of Middle-earth
- What is the difference between an active nation and a nation At War?
- What activates a Free Peoples nation?
- Can a passive nation be moved to At War with a Muster die?
- Does a Companion passing through a city or stronghold activate that nation?
- Does an attack on a nation's army advance it on the Political Track?
- Which Event cards count as an attack for political purposes?
- Can Help Unlooked For let units of a nation that is not at war attack?
- Where can a non-belligerent army go when it retreats into another nation, and must it leave later?
- Can The Red Arrow send a nation to war if it is not active?
- Does the Witch-king's entry into play activate the Free Peoples nations?
- Can I muster a nation that is not At War with a Muster die?
- Do Companions, Minions and Nazgul need their nation to be at war to move and fight?
- Can a non-belligerent nation's besieged army sortie?
- Do I move one box or one diamond on the Political Track?
- How do Legolas, Gimli and Boromir's abilities affect the Political Track?
- Does capturing or attacking a fortification move a nation on the Political Track?
- Are the Shadow nations active at the start of the game?
The Fellowship and Companions
- Who becomes the Guide when the Guide dies or leaves the Fellowship?
- Can Merry and Pippin both separate as Guide to reduce one Hunt's damage?
- Can Companions leave the Fellowship while it is in Mordor?
- Can one Character die send separated Companions to different places?
- How far can Companions move when they separate?
- Can a Companion alone in a region be attacked or killed?
- Can Companions enter or leave a friendly stronghold that is under siege?
- Can the Fellowship be declared in, enter or leave a besieged stronghold?
- Can the Fellowship be killed or involved in a battle in its region?
- What is the difference between declaring and being revealed, and does declaring draw a Hunt tile?
- Can the Fellowship declare without moving, and heal each turn in the same city?
- Can a revealed Fellowship end its move in a Free Peoples settlement?
- Where and how does Strider become Aragorn?
- What do I need to bring in Gandalf the White?
- Where are Companions placed by Breaking of the Fellowship, and can they move on?
- Do cards that discard a 'Character card on the table' remove Companions?
- Can Gollum use a Guide ability on the Hunt that made him Guide, and do Merry and Pippin return?
- Must a Companion stop when entering a Shadow Stronghold?
- Can a Companion rejoin the Fellowship after leaving?
- How far does the Fellowship move per Character die?
- Which position do cards use when they ask where the Fellowship is?
- When does Gollum count as a Companion?
The Hunt for the Ring
- Does the Shadow roll for the Hunt every time the Fellowship moves, including by Event card?
- How do Free Peoples dice in the Hunt Box change later Hunt rolls?
- Does the die that plays a card moving the Fellowship go into the Hunt Box?
- What gives the Shadow Hunt re-rolls?
- How much damage does an Eye tile do?
- If the Hunt roll has several successes, how many tiles are drawn?
- Can I eliminate several Companions to absorb the damage from one Hunt tile?
- Can Merry or Pippin be a casualty after another Companion was already taken in the same Hunt?
- If the Hunt tile shows 0 damage, can I still sacrifice a Companion?
- Can Gollum, as Guide, reveal the Fellowship to cut damage when the damage is already 0 or the Fellowship is already revealed?
- With Gollum as Guide, does The Breaking of the Fellowship still draw a Hunt tile?
- What if Shelob's Lair is drawn during Breaking of the Fellowship?
- Can Companions be taken as casualties in Mordor, and do tiles drawn by Event cards work the same?
- What goes into the new Hunt Pool when the Fellowship enters Mordor?
- When is an extra Hunt tile drawn for a Shadow Stronghold?
- What does 'using the Ring' mean after a successful Hunt?
- How many dice can the Shadow put in the Hunt Box?
- Do Hunt tiles go back to the pool after being drawn?
- Can the Shadow attack the Fellowship directly with armies or Nazgul?
- What position do cards use for the Fellowship once it is in Mordor?
- Is a Hunt roll made in Mordor?
- Does The Balrog of Moria trigger if the Fellowship merely passes through Moria?
Mordor and the Quest for Mount Doom
- If the Fellowship is revealed in Minas Morgul or Morannon, does it enter the Mordor track right away?
- When the Fellowship is declared in Minas Morgul or Morannon, which step of the Mordor Track does it start on?
- Can the Mouth of Sauron be mustered when the Fellowship is merely in Minas Morgul or Morannon?
- How does a turn change while the Fellowship is on the Mordor track?
- Can the Fellowship advance on the Mordor track while revealed?
- What damage does an Eye tile do on the Mordor track, and does the Free Peoples die from this move count?
- What happens to Companions when the Fellowship is in Mordor?
- Can event cards that target the Fellowship be played while it is on the Mordor track?
- Can the Fellowship heal Corruption in a Free Peoples City when its progress counter is above zero?
Winning the Game
- How many victory points are Strongholds, Cities and Towns worth?
- Do Shadow Cities count toward the Free Peoples' four victory points, or only Strongholds?
- Are military victory points net or absolute?
- If the Free Peoples retake a city, does the Shadow lose the points it had from it?
- If I captured a Stronghold and my army then retreats inside it and is besieged, do I keep the points?
- If both players meet a victory condition on the same turn, who wins?
- If the Ring is destroyed on the same turn the Shadow reaches 10 victory points, who wins?
- If the Fellowship reaches the Crack of Doom but corruption is 12 or more, who wins?
- Does the Fellowship still win if it is revealed when it reaches the Crack of Doom?
- Does a military victory happen the moment the points are reached?
- Does occupying the region of an enemy Stronghold score points, or must I capture it?
Multiplayer Rules
- In a three-player game, can the Free Peoples player use two actions in a row on the same nation?
- In a three- or four-player game, does a player who passes still get his next action or does his teammate?
- May teammates talk about which action dice to use or leave for each other?
- In a multiplayer game, can I recruit a nation with an Event card and then muster the same nation with the next action?
- In multiplayer, does a Companion of another nation let a different player move an army?
- In a three- or four-player game, who may move the Witch-king and the Mouth of Sauron?
- How are three- and four-player games divided between players?
- In a four-player game, may each player use an Elven Ring each turn or only one per side?
- What is the Free Peoples hand limit in a three-player game?
- How does the event card draw and card exchange work in a four-player game?
- What does the Leading Player token do in team play?
- In team play, may I play a card about a nation or unit I do not control?
War of the Ring: Battles of the Third AgeExpansion
- Can Heroic Death cancel the casualty that Great Host inflicts?
- When a Fate tile says to draw another tile, is it a full series of draws?
- What is the maximum number of Action dice in the pool?
- How can the Free Peoples use Action Tokens?
- Can the Shadow move into an empty, unbreached Free Peoples Stronghold and use its Protection?
- What happens when a Smeagol Hunt tile is drawn, including by cards like Orc Patrol?
- Can the Balrog move on his own?
- Can the Dunlendings or Corsairs be eliminated for good?
- Can a half Army die move ships to two different regions?
- How do Siege Engines work for removal timing and captured Strongholds?
- How does Siege Engine superiority interact with Grond and The Fighting Uruk-Hai?
- Do Ent attacks kill the Minions, Nazgul and Leaders in the army they destroy?
- Can units other than Ents move between Fangorn and Derndingle?
- How many Shadow Leadership tokens can be in play?
- How do Call to Arms and Stand and Fight work?
- Are unit special abilities optional, and does Rohan Shield Wall stop them?
- How do Recruitment Areas work in the Gondor scenario?
- What does the Woses token do in the Gondor scenario?
- What does 'advance Aragorn on the Fate track' mean, and how do character dice work?
- Is the Great Horn of Helm's attack optional?
- Does the Pelennor Wall protect against attacks through Causeway Forts?
- How does Nazgul Search reveal the Fellowship?
- Which is used first, Mithril Coat or We Shall Get It?