Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

"He is seeking it... seeking it, all his thought is bent on it."

This stand-alone two-player Lord of the Rings game is designed by master game designer Reiner Knizia and illustrated by acclaimed Tolkien artist John Howe, the duo behind the bestselling core Lord of the Rings board game. In this wonderful game interpretation of the novels, the Fellowship must seek to bring Frodo to Mordo, and the dark lord Sauron must seek to capture Frodo and the One Ring before Frodo reaches Mt. Doom.

Each player controls nine characters who each have a unique special ability (the nine characters of the Fellowship are controlled by one player, and nine of Sauron's greatest minions are controlled by the opposing player). The game uses a hidden movement system to simulate the search for the ring, and the conflict resolution system is a brilliant cardplay mechanic from a limited resource pool of cards. The dark lord Sauron is stronger and projects more power, but the Fellowship have more devious and surprising maneuvers at hand. The straight-forward gameplay of The Confrontation allows each game to be played in about a half hour. Great strategy and fun.