War of the Ring (SPI game)
Encyclopedia
War of the Ring was a wargame
based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
, published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in the United States in 1977. It was the first wargame to cover the entire conflict depicted in the story (starting from the Fellowship's departure from Rivendell), as opposed to a single battle from it. The game was primarily intended to be played by two players, with the Fellowship player taking the side of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth
and the Dark Power player controlling the forces of Sauron
and his subordinates. The published game also had abbreviated rules for a three-player version with one player taking the role of Saruman
; a fuller version of these rules was printed in issue #37 of Moves
magazine.
Like most SPI wargames, it is played on a map with a hex grid imposed upon it to regulate movement, using small cardboard counters to represent the units. There are also many cards with data on characters, monsters, and magic items, as well as playable events from the story and a deck to regulate Sauron's searches for the Fellowship.
The game can be played in one of two modes. The simpler is the Character Game, which covers only the quest by the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring
. In the Character Game the only units controlled by each player are, for the Fellowship player, the members of the Fellowship, and for the Dark Power player, the nine Nazgûl
, Saruman, the Mouth of Sauron
, and possibly Gollum
(should he manage to acquire the Ring). The Fellowship player attempts to transport the Ring to Mount Doom
, while the Dark Power player attempts to locate the Fellowship, seize the Ring, and take it to Barad-dur. The Dark Power also has the option of winning a military victory, played out by moving Nazgûl to various important Fellowship-controlled fortresses and rolling dice see if they are captured (an abstract way of playing out the military campaigns of the war).
The more complex mode of play is the Campaign Game, which adds in army units for both sides as well as other characters from the story who were involved in the military campaigns. An odds-ratio combat system is used to play out combat between armies. Players can win with their Ring-based objective from the Character game or by capturing a specified list of objectives with their armies.
Characters in the game are rated for their abilities in individual combat, magic, army leadership, endurance, and resistance to the lure of the Ring. The latter rating determines the difficulty they have of voluntarily removing the Ring once they put it on; they gain various benefits by wearing it, but if they do so for too many turns, they become a "semi-Ringwraith" under Dark Power control.
To simulate Sauron's conflicting needs of searching for the Ring versus directing his armies, the Dark Power player is given a variable number of "Shadow Points" each turn, which they spend to perform various activities. Among these is searching for the Fellowship; although the hex locations of various Fellowship members are known, their identity is not (their counters are kept upside-down), and Sauron must perform search actions with Nazgûl or orcs
to identify the characters, and to spot them so they can be fought or captured. Which areas of the map can be searched, and with what forces, is controlled by a small deck of cards.
Although the game was popular in its day, and won the Charles S. Roberts Award
for Best Fantasy Board Game of 1977, it has been criticized for having an optimal strategy for the Dark Power player. Since the only realistically achievable way for the Fellowship player to win is to destroy the Ring, the Dark Power player can simply stack all nine Nazgûl on Mount Doom, attempt to spot the Fellowship when it enters the hex (with a good chance of success), and if successful, conduct a series of individual combats to attempt to take the Ring. The Dark Power player has a greater chance of taking the ring this way than by engaging the Fellowship with fewer Nazgûl, as they would have to using the normal search mechanism. As a result, the design has been faulted for having the entire game be decided by an enormous brawl atop Mount Doom.
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in the United States in 1977. It was the first wargame to cover the entire conflict depicted in the story (starting from the Fellowship's departure from Rivendell), as opposed to a single battle from it. The game was primarily intended to be played by two players, with the Fellowship player taking the side of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
and the Dark Power player controlling the forces of Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
and his subordinates. The published game also had abbreviated rules for a three-player version with one player taking the role of Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
; a fuller version of these rules was printed in issue #37 of Moves
Moves (magazine)
Moves was a wargaming magazine originally published by SPI , who also published manual wargames. Their flagship magazine Strategy & Tactics , was a military history magazine featuring a new wargame in each issue. While S&T was devoted to historical articles, Moves focused on the play of the games...
magazine.
Like most SPI wargames, it is played on a map with a hex grid imposed upon it to regulate movement, using small cardboard counters to represent the units. There are also many cards with data on characters, monsters, and magic items, as well as playable events from the story and a deck to regulate Sauron's searches for the Fellowship.
The game can be played in one of two modes. The simpler is the Character Game, which covers only the quest by the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
. In the Character Game the only units controlled by each player are, for the Fellowship player, the members of the Fellowship, and for the Dark Power player, the nine Nazgûl
Nazgûl
The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
, Saruman, the Mouth of Sauron
Mouth of Sauron
The Mouth of Sauron is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings — specifically in the chapter "The Black Gate Opens" in the third volume, The Return of the King — as the chief emissary of Sauron.He belonged to the race of the Black...
, and possibly Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
(should he manage to acquire the Ring). The Fellowship player attempts to transport the Ring to Mount Doom
Mount Doom
Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Barad-dûr, it is approximately high. Alternative names, in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin, include Orodruin and Amon Amarth...
, while the Dark Power player attempts to locate the Fellowship, seize the Ring, and take it to Barad-dur. The Dark Power also has the option of winning a military victory, played out by moving Nazgûl to various important Fellowship-controlled fortresses and rolling dice see if they are captured (an abstract way of playing out the military campaigns of the war).
The more complex mode of play is the Campaign Game, which adds in army units for both sides as well as other characters from the story who were involved in the military campaigns. An odds-ratio combat system is used to play out combat between armies. Players can win with their Ring-based objective from the Character game or by capturing a specified list of objectives with their armies.
Characters in the game are rated for their abilities in individual combat, magic, army leadership, endurance, and resistance to the lure of the Ring. The latter rating determines the difficulty they have of voluntarily removing the Ring once they put it on; they gain various benefits by wearing it, but if they do so for too many turns, they become a "semi-Ringwraith" under Dark Power control.
To simulate Sauron's conflicting needs of searching for the Ring versus directing his armies, the Dark Power player is given a variable number of "Shadow Points" each turn, which they spend to perform various activities. Among these is searching for the Fellowship; although the hex locations of various Fellowship members are known, their identity is not (their counters are kept upside-down), and Sauron must perform search actions with Nazgûl or orcs
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
to identify the characters, and to spot them so they can be fought or captured. Which areas of the map can be searched, and with what forces, is controlled by a small deck of cards.
Although the game was popular in its day, and won the Charles S. Roberts Award
Charles S. Roberts Award
The Charles S. Roberts Awards are given annually for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It is named after Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "Charlie" and officially called a "Charles S...
for Best Fantasy Board Game of 1977, it has been criticized for having an optimal strategy for the Dark Power player. Since the only realistically achievable way for the Fellowship player to win is to destroy the Ring, the Dark Power player can simply stack all nine Nazgûl on Mount Doom, attempt to spot the Fellowship when it enters the hex (with a good chance of success), and if successful, conduct a series of individual combats to attempt to take the Ring. The Dark Power player has a greater chance of taking the ring this way than by engaging the Fellowship with fewer Nazgûl, as they would have to using the normal search mechanism. As a result, the design has been faulted for having the entire game be decided by an enormous brawl atop Mount Doom.