Twilight of the Third Age

I’ve enjoyed playing several games of War of the Ring this past month. I played 72 games in the first four years, but since then it has slowed to a trickle. There was even quite a stretch of years where it did not see the light of day. I broke the dry spell last year, getting in four games during the summer. I’ve exceeded that count slightly this year. Most of my plays have been with the base game (I have the 2004 first edition) but a number of games have included the Twilight of the Third Age expansion (released in 2006 with Battles of the Third Age).

I enjoy considering What If scenarios, and being a Tolkien fan, War of the Ring allows me to ‘replay the tape’. Multiple times. With different strategies. So, here’s a recent session report with one version of that tale. This one includes Twilight of the Third Age. It includes an actual Balrog character, and more!

The Balrog makes an early appearance in Moria just as the Fellowship starts off from Rivendell. Forces of Shadow begin to mass in Moria and Dol Guldur. The Elves are quickly roused to war, and Galadriel takes military command of Lorien which is assailed by the two orc armies from east and west. Lothlorien comes under siege.

Meanwhile, six members of the Fellowship of the Nine Walkers arrive in Fangorn stealing through Moria unawares. The remaining three (Gandalf, Frodo and Sam) however are finally spotted at the Goblin’s Gate, having braved the High Pass. Shortly after, a tamed Smeagol joins the group as a guide, but proves not to be helpful in avoiding the spies of Sauron. Gandalf sacrifices himself to protect Frodo, but Sauron’s hunt for the ring proves a heavy burden for Frodo and takes its toll. Frodo, Sam and Smeagol divert their original plan and take refuge in the Woodland Realm for Frodo to recover.

Saruman reveals himself as an ally of Sauron, stirring up the Dunlendings to war. Saruman splits his forces. A small army of orcs and Dunlendings marches north and east through Moria to aid the siege against Lorien, where Galadriel has been holding out after eliminating the Balrog, but Elven reinforcements are depleted. The Witch King reveals himself, and his Nazgul circle Lothlorien. A second small yet potent army of the White Hand, with orcs and wolfriders, storms the Fords of Isen and quickly besieges a lightly garrisoned Helm’s Deep marshaled by Gimli. Legolas has ridden to Edoras and the armies of Theoden are marshaled. In the meantime, Boromir, arrives in Minas Tirith to shore its defences while Pippin and Strider arrive in Pelargir. Merry remains in Fangorn but Saruman’s quiet mustering of his armies does not rouse the Ents to anger.

Lorien finally falls after a protracted siege and the Nazgul fly towards Helm’s Deep. Gimli and the small defense is no match for Saruman’s orcs. Helm’s Deep falls quickly. Meanwhile, two large armies of orcs pour out of Minas Morgul. The Haradrim march west and Strider, having been crowned King of Gondor in Pelargir, arrives in Dol Amroth with Merry. They have heard word of ships massing at Umbar. Although Frodo is not fully healed, the fall of Lorien and Helm’s Deep, and movements in the south mean that there is no time to lose. Frodo and Sam, still guided by Smeagol strike South for Mordor. Gandalf, now clad in the White, reappears in the Woodland Realm for defence. The Northmen have been roused to war and muster troops in Dale and Carrock.

The Mordor orcs spill into Osgiliath and besiege Minas Tirith just as the Haradrim strike Pelargir. Siege towers are built around Minas Tirith even as Boromir tries to shore up the defence of the city. The Witch King, commanding the Shadow forces, slowly wears down the defences of the city. The Haradrim meanwhile push towards Lamedon where they are joined by the Southrons from Umbar. Dol Amroth comes under siege but Aragorn is well-prepared with a strong defence. Meanwhile the ring quietly moves south. However, the spies of Sauron are effective in forcing Frodo to use the ring repeatedly. Tame Smeagol seems to be of no help.

Minas Tirith finally falls and the Nazgul shift their focus to Dol Amroth. Frodo and Sam are found by the spies of Sauron in the Dagorlad, in the presence of an army of orcs. They are able to escape, hide and steal through the Black Gate into Mordor, steal guided by Smeagol. While Legolas and Theoden hold Edoras in force, Saruman’s orcs move closer. At the same time, a second army of Morgul orcs moves into the Druadan forest from Osgiliath. Edoras is about to be assailed on both sides.

In the pits of Gorgoroth, Frodo succumbs to the power of the ring, thus removing the last hope of the Free People. Who knows? They might have stood a better chance if malicious yet cunning Gollum was the guide instead of tame Smeagol.* Although Aragorn holds Dol Amroth against a massive siege, he will not be able to stand against the might of Sauron who has regained his One Ring. (The Shadow player won this time, but in two other recent games of Twilight, the Free Peoples won – one by a considerable margin, and the other was a nail-biter to the very end.)

*After the game, I realized I made a rule error. If the Fellowship is declared by the Free Peoples, tame Smeagol should have left the Fellowship, and thus Gollum should have become the guide with Gandalf’s demise.

Here’s a picture of the board at game’s end showing the large besieging army at Dol Amroth. The smaller inset at the edge of the board is where defending armies are placed when they retreat into a stronghold. I’ve annotated some features of the game. Those familiar with War of the Ring who have not seen the Twilight expansion will notice some game pieces not found in the base game: siege towers, trebuchets, corsair ships and the Ents. In this session report I’ve also highlighted new characters: (tame) Smeagol, Galadriel, the Balrog, and the Dunlendings.

I’ve now played close to a hundred games over almost fifteen years. (That’s some 200-300 hours by my estimate, but it’s time enjoyably spent.) In my opinion, the base game favors the Shadow player slightly (even with the recommended extra elite unit in Erebor during setup). Maybe about 20% of my games have included Twilight, and I think it favors the Free Peoples slightly, but my sample size is much smaller. While there is a chunk of strategy involved, the luck of the dice and the card draw allows fortunes to sway back and forth. It keeps things interesting and exciting!