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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game

Cryptozoic Entertainment · 2014
2–545 min15+ yrs2.1/5 complexity7.0 BGG#5.493 BGG1,5 K
short answer

How do you play The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game?

Game description from the publisher: In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game, you take on the role of Frodo, Legolas, Aragorn, or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron!

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Not available new in shops
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game box art
official art · Cryptozoic Entertainment

Game description from the publisher:

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game, you take on the role of Frodo, Legolas, Aragorn, or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron! While you begin armed only with the courage of the free peoples of Middle-earth, you will add new, more powerful cards to your deck as you go. Your goal is to defeat the deadly forces that serve Sauron as you make way towards Mount Doom to destroy The One Ring.

Each player takes on the role an iconic hero from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King including Aragorn, Éowyn, King Théoden, Legolas & Gimli, Frodo & Samwise, Merry, or Pippin. Each hero comes with a special card unique to that character and usable only by that player.

Each player starts with his own basic ten-card deck and draws a hand of five cards each turn. Power is the currency you will use to buy new, stronger cards to add to your deck. The goal of a deck-building game is to craft your personal deck into a well-oiled machine with the six types of cards that can be acquired: Enemies, Allies, Artifacts, Maneuvers, Fortunes, and Locations. When a player has amassed enough Power, he may defeat more powerful enemies from the "Archenemy" deck, including Shelob, The Witch-King, and the Eye of Sauron! Each card acquired during the game has a Victory Point (VP) value with the Archenemy cards providing the most VPs. In the end, whoever has the most VPs wins.

Whether played on its own or combined with the other LotR deck-building games from Cryptozoic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game introduces a new feature to the game: a map of "The Journey of the Ring". Can you deliver The One Ring to Mount Doom, then destroy it? Some of the cards you play will move the Ring of Power towards Mount Doom on the map, while the minions of Sauron will delay the Ring on its journey. If you fail to destroy The One Ring, Sauron may be too powerful to overcome...

Cryptozoic's The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit deck-builder series:

 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game
 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Deck-Building Game
 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game
 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Deck-Building Game
 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Deck-Building Game Expansion Pack
game anatomy
Complexity2.1 / 5
BGG rating7.0 / 10
Language dependence
Moderate text — a crib sheet helps
Play time
45 min
Players
2–5
Recommended age
15+ yrs
BGG rank
#5.493
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game cost?
No store is currently tracking The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game is a card game game, for 2–5 players, taking ~45 minutes, featuring deck, bag, and pool building. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game support?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game is played by 2–5 players.
Q5How long does a game of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game take?
A game of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game takes about 45 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game for?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game is recommended from age 15.
Q7How complex is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 2.1 out of 5.

Right now, none of the shops we track sells The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game new.

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