War of the Ring: The Fate of Erebor
War of the Ring: The Fate of Erebor Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Component List
- 8 board overlay tiles:
- Erebor (as Shadow Stronghold) Stronghold box tile (Standard and Anniversary Release size).
- Fate of Erebor board overlay tile (Standard and Anniversary Release size).
- Two City tiles (to use in the New Cities optional variant – Standard and Anniversary Release size).
Editor's note: the printed list says "8 board overlay tiles" but itemises four tiles (the Erebor box tile, the Fate of Erebor overlay and the two City tiles). The count is transcribed as printed and has not been corrected.
- 8 alternate cards (a summary of the new cards is presented in the Alternate Cards section below for your convenience):
- 4 alternate Free Peoples Event cards (Strategy cards 4, 19 and 22; Character card 17).
- 2 alternate Shadow Event cards (Strategy cards 20 and 22).
- 2 alternate "Gimli" Character cards (alternate "Gimli, Son of Gloin" card; alternate "Gimli, Dwarven Lord" card for use with The Council of Rivendell rules in the Lords of Middle-earth expansion).
Setup
- Place the Fate of Erebor overlay tile over the matching regions of the board (Erebor, Dale, Iron Hills).
- Place the Erebor Shadow Stronghold box tile over the Erebor Stronghold box.
- Replace the War of the Ring cards (Free Peoples Strategy Event cards 4, 19 and 22; Free Peoples Character Event card 17; Shadow Strategy Event cards 20 and 22; "Gimli, Son of Gloin" Character card) with the alternate cards.
- Change the War of the Ring Army setup as follows:
- No Dwarf units in Erebor.
- No North units in Dale.
- 2 Sauron Regular units in Erebor.
- A total of 2 North Regular units and 1 North Leader in Carrock.
- A total of 2 Dwarf Regular units in Ered Luin.
- A total of 2 Dwarf Regular units and 1 Dwarf Leader in Iron Hills.
- The Dwarven Nation is Active at the beginning of the game (the Dwarven Nation's Political counter should be placed with the "Active" side up).
Board Changes
The following changes to the board are shown by the Fate of Erebor overlay tile:
- Erebor is, for all purposes, a Shadow (Sauron) Stronghold. Its region is part of the Sauron, not the Dwarven, Nation. Its control does not give any Victory Points to the Shadow player, and, if conquered by the Free Peoples, it gives Victory Points to the Free Peoples player just like any other Shadow Stronghold.
- Dale is not a City, it is a Fortification, and its region is not a part of any Nation.
- Iron Hills is not a Town, it is a City (and still part the Dwarven Nation).
Apart from these changes to the board and the variant setup and cards, all the normal War of the Ring rules and victory conditions apply.
Lords of Middle-earth
If playing The Fate of Erebor with The Council of Rivendell rules from the Lords of Middle-earth expansion, the character "Gimli, Dwarven Lord" may begin the game in the Iron Hills or Ered Luin, not Erebor. Use the alternate version of the character included in this set.
New Cities (Optional Setup)
If you decide to play The Fate of Erebor with this optional variant, use the two included City tiles to modify the game board as follows:
- Place the Free Peoples City tile in Ered Luin.
- Place the Shadow City tile in South Rhûn.
These regions are treated as Cities, and not as Towns, for all game purposes.
Alternate Cards
The full text of the eight alternate cards is printed on the cards themselves. The summary below is transcribed from the printed Alternate Cards page.
Free Peoples Cards
Gimli, Son of Gloin [Character I/II] Replaces previous version of "Gimli, Son of Gloin" Gimli's ability does not apply in Erebor, but in the Iron Hills or Ered Luin.
Gimli, Dwarven Lord [Character LM 6/10] Replaces previous version of "Gimli, Dwarven Lord" Unlike the Lords of Middle-earth version of the character, Gimli does not start in Erebor, and Gimli's ability does not apply in Erebor, but in the Iron Hills or Ered Luin.
There and Back Again [Character Event 17/24] Replaces previous version of "There and Back Again" Separate from the Fellowship one Companion or group of Companions. You may move them one extra region. Then, if Gimli or Legolas are in Carrock, Iron Hills, or Woodland Realm, activate the North Nation and advance the Dwarven, the Elven and the North Nations one step each on the Political Track.
Book of Mazarbul [Strategy Event 4/24] Replaces previous version of "Book of Mazarbul" Move any or all Companions who are not in the Fellowship. Then, if a Companion is in Iron Hills or Ered Luin, move the Dwarven Nation directly to the "At War" step, then recruit one Dwarf unit (Regular or Elite) in that region.
Bardings [Strategy Event 19/24] Replaces "King Brand's Men" Recruit one North unit (Regular or Elite) and one North Leader in a region adjacent to Dale (or in Dale, if there is a Free Peoples Army there). Then, draw one Strategy Event card.
Dwarves of the Iron Hills [Strategy Event 22/24] Replaces "Dáin Ironfoot's Guard" Recruit one Dwarven unit (Regular or Elite) and one Dwarven Leader in a region adjacent to Dale (or in Dale, if there is a Free Peoples Army there). Then, draw one Strategy Event card.
Shadow Cards
Orcs Multiplying Again [Strategy Event 20/24] Replaces previous version of "Orcs Multiplying Again" Recruit three Sauron Regular units in Dol Guldur and three Sauron Regular units in either Mount Gundabad or Erebor.
Monsters Roused [Strategy Event 22/24] Replaces previous version of "Monsters Roused" Recruit one Sauron Regular unit in each of Angmar, Ettenmoors, and Weather Hills, and one Sauron Elite unit in Trollshaws; or recruit one Sauron Regular unit in each of Western Mirkwood, Northern Mirkwood and Withered Heath, and one Sauron Elite unit in one of these three regions.