The Lord of the Rings Adventure Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• Set-Up
• To Play
• Board Spaces
• Rings
• Cards
• To Win

Object

Be the first player to reach Mount Doom and throw in the Ring.

Contents

• 1 Gameboard
• 54 Cards
• 12 Plastic Rings
• 9 Black Plastic Bases
• 9 Nazgul Pawns
• 4 Colored Bases
• 9 Character Pawns
• 1 Regular Dice
• 4 Special Dice

Set-Up

1. Remove the nine Nazgul (black riders) pawns from the parts sheet and put them in the black bases. Place one Nazgul on each board space marked N. (These spaces are only used to indicate initial placement and are considered clear terrain when empty.)
2. Remove your favorite character pawn (such as Frodo) from the parts sheet and put the pawn in the colored (red, blue, green or yellow) base of your choice. Place your pawn at "Start."
3. Shuffle the cards and deal five cards to each player. Put the remaining cards on the board space marked "Cards."
4. Give each player a special "Mountain" dice (marked "O, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3").
5. Put the yellow plastic rings in a pile off the board.

To Play

1. Roll the dice. High roller goes first, other players follow in turn, clockwise.
2. On your turn you can do one of the following things:
   • A. Move your pawn one space along the path toward Mount Doom.
   • B. Play a card from your hand and follow the directions on the card. Draw another card from the pile to replace the one you played.
   • C. Try to roll a 5 or 6 (on the regular dice) if you're on the same space with a Monster.
   • D. Turn your Mountain dice to the next lower number if you're on a Mountain space.
   • E. Discard one of your cards and draw another.
   • F. Play a ring to escape a Monster.
3. When moving on the path, you are not allowed to cross heavy black or orange lines.
4. You can land on opponents without penalty.
5. When the draw pile is used up, shuffle the discards and put them face down on the Cards space to start a new draw pile.

Board Spaces

1. Clear Terrain Spaces - These are open spaces. You can be attacked by Nazguls and can be moved by an opponent. If there is anything (Nazgul, Orc, etc.) on a space other than another player or players, then that space is not considered clear terrain.
2. River Spaces - These are SAFE spaces. You cannot move an opponent or put a Nazgul on him when your opponent is on a SAFE space.
3. Town Spaces - These spaces are also SAFE. When you reach a town, you can discard as many cards from your hand as you wish and draw that many new cards to replace them. You also get plastic rings (to be used for escapes) when you stop on a town. You cannot collect rings or change cards at any town more than once.
   • A. Bree - draw one yellow plastic ring from the pile.
   • B. Rivendell - draw two yellow rings from the pile.
   • C. "Lorien - draw as many rings as needed to give you a total of three rings. (Ex. If you have two rings when you reach Lorien, you can only draw one ring.) If you already have more than three rings when you reach Lorien, you must discard all extra rings.
4. Monster (Nazguls, Orcs, Shelob, Gollum) Spaces - You must stop when you come to one of these spaces. On your next turn, you must either play a card or a ring or roll the dice in order to leave.
   • A. Nazguls - To leave a space occupied by a Nazgul, you must play an "Escape" card, a ring, a "Defeat Nazgul" card, a "Move Nazgul" card, or roll a 5 or 6 on the regular dice. If you play a "Defeat Nazgul" card or roll a 5 or 6, remove the Nazgul from the board and advance one space. If you play an "Escape" card or a ring, advance one space and take another turn. (Don't remove the Nazgul.) If you play a "Move Nazgul" card, move the Nazgul to any clear terrain space and wait until your next turn to advance.
   • B. Orcs - To leave a space marked by an Orc's head you must play an "Escape" card, a ring, a "Defeat Orcs" card, or roll a 5 or 6 on the regular dice. After doing one of the above, advance one space. If you played an "Escape" card or a ring, take another turn.

Rings

1. You receive rings when you reach towns and can gain or lose a ring by playing a "Gollum" or "Boromir" card.
2. Use rings to escape monsters. Put one of your rings back into the pile by the board and move your pawn forward one space. Take another turn.
   • NOTE: When taking your "bonus" turn, you cannot play another ring or an Escape card to escape a monster.
3. After leaving Lorien, save your rings to escape Gollum and win the game.

Cards

1. Move 2, Move 3 - You can only use these cards when you are able to move the full amount. You cannot use them if a Monster or Mountain is blocking your path.
2. Move 1 Space Through Mountains - Advance 1 space through the Mountains. You do not roll the Mountain dice.
3. Defeat Orcs and Advance 1 Space - Move off from an Orc space to the next space.
4. Move a Nazgul - Move any Nazgul that is presently on the board (including one that might be on the same space as your pawn) to any clear terrain space.
   • NOTE: Nazguls can be placed on clear terrain spaces occupied by other players. You cannot put more than one Nazgul on a space.
5. Defeat and Remove Nazgul. Advance 1 Space - Play this card only when you are on the same space as a Nazgul. Put the Nazgul off the board. Move ahead one space.
6. Move Opponent 1 Space - Move any opponent that is presently on clear terrain forward or back one space, preferably to a Monster or Mountain space. If none of your opponents are on clear terrain, you cannot play this card.
7. Gollum and Boromir - When you play a "Gollum" card, take a ring from another player and keep it. When you play a "Boromir" card, take a ring from another player and return it to the pile off the board.
   • Restriction: After a player has left Lorien, you cannot take his last ring.
8. Draw a New Hand - Play this card, discard all remaining cards in your hand, and draw five new cards.

To Win

If you are the first player to escape from Gollum with one ring still in your possession, throw it into the fires of Mount Doom and you win the game!!!!

(Advancing to Mount Doom and throwing in the ring are parts of the same turn.)