The Games of Middle Earth

About this board game

The Games of Middle Earth is a 1977 boxed compilation of three primarily two-player hex-and-counter wargames, playable by 2–3 players with an approximate playing time of 210 minutes.

The collection’s centerpiece is War of the Ring, a large game in which great armies clash while individual characters from the books influence the fate of the One Ring. Its separate character game offers a way to play with reduced time and complexity, while a three-player scenario provides another option.

The compilation includes three distinct Middle-earth settings:

• War of the Ring: Large-scale armies and individual characters shape the struggle surrounding the One Ring.
• Gondor: A game based on the siege of Minas Tirith and the battle outside the city gate, as depicted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
• Sauron: A simulation of the Battle of Dagorlad in the Second Age, fought outside Mordor’s main gate between Sauron and the forces of the Free Peoples.

In Gondor, the focus is the defense of Minas Tirith and the battle beyond its gate. In Sauron, elves, men, and dwarves unite as the Free Peoples against Sauron’s forces in a conflict from an earlier age.

With its combination of a substantial central game and two smaller ziplock- or folio-style games, The Games of Middle Earth brings several Tolkien-inspired conflicts together in one collection. It offers battles, characters, and historical moments from across Middle-earth for players seeking a classic strategic wargaming experience.