LOTR Risk

@ABWorsham:

@skinny1:

I played it once when it first came out. The person that brought it over was dating my sister and since she has moved on i have not seen the game since. I do remember that it was on okay game.

On a side note, my family plays Catan a lot and my wife especially really likes it. I have the 3 big box expansions for it and we play it with Seafarers quite a bit and have added in a few things from Traders and Barbarians. I can’t wait to try Cities and Knights as well as the last three scenarios in Traders adn Barbarisans.

We just play regular Catan. How is the game changed with the expansions?

It really depends on which expansion is added. Seafarers adds ships and a pirate ship that acts like the robber in the base game. Cities and Knights changes the game a little by adding walls and 3 metropolises to the game so people are racing to get them. Cities are upgraded by a flip chart and once a certain level is reached you get special priviledges. Knights can be used to chase away the robber or block other players roads. It is quite fun. The Traders and Barbarins expansion adds new scenarios and campaign games. They can be combined or played seperately depending on how long of a game you want. They are all good if you like Catan but want to add a little variety to the base game.

@Gargantua:

The person that brought it over was dating my sister and since she has moved on

Clearly, had he brought over a REAL GAME, like Axis and Allies,  she wouldn’t have felt the need to move forward with her life.

LOTR Risk, pfftp.

He did play some A&A games but it was more than which games were or were not played.

Played this weekend, and go figure, 3rd turn, the baddies find the ring…damn lucky ass 12 roll…and the good guys were in great position…just the only spot that we didn’t have, was the game ender.

I don’t remember that in any version I ever played?

@Mallery29:

Played this weekend, and go figure, 3rd turn, the baddies find the ring…damn lucky ass 12 roll…and the good guys were in great position…just the only spot that we didn’t have, was the game ender.

Then DON’T PLAY WITH THE FRICKIN’ RING!

Play like classic Risk but use the strongholds and/or cards. Much less predictable than playing with the Fellowship/Ring and I think a lot more fun than classic Risk.

I don’t understand why everyone thinks they have to play with the Fellowship… I always thought that was lame because it was like you weren’t playing Risk but rather hide and seek or something. And it can get over with so quickly.

We’d have to remove all the ring specific cards.  I’m assuming you completely randomize the territories at that point and everybody is own their own?

Already was mad about the defeat in Global (finished in turn 11 I think), so losing this way (the baddies finding the ring) after having a good allied start was just mind blowing to me…I was very frustrated by the time we started our 2nd game of LOTR Risk.

@Mallery29:

We’d have to remove all the ring specific cards.  I’m assuming you completely randomize the territories at that point and everybody is own their own?

Already was mad about the defeat in Global (finished in turn 11 I think), so losing this way (the baddies finding the ring) after having a good allied start was just mind blowing to me…I was very frustrated by the time we started our 2nd game of LOTR Risk.

I definitely sympathize with the losing streak… better luck next time. But then again, that is where we kick ourselves while we are down: it should be a better strategy next time. Nothing like a little self-resentment for motivation.

But yes, I take out all ring (Fellowship) specific Ring Cards and just use the rest (special moves, happenings, reinforcements, leaders, sites of power, etc…). We usually play that you can get one a turn as long as you conquer at least one territory with your leader. Although you could make it however many you want.

Yes, territory cards are randomized at the start and dealt to all players at the beginning (removing the wilds of course). You make placements based on any convention you like; usually we roll to see who places their armies first and cycle clockwise. The person who places last then gets to take their turn first and the person who placed first takes their turn last. To be somewhat fair.

There is also a way to play with territory card reinforcements, which you may be familiar with. Sometimes we use it and sometimes we don’t. I tend to think that doing so upsets some balance in the game, but it can be interesting.

Other than Strongholds existing and being bound by rivers and mountains, the game is played mechanically the same as classic Risk.

What irony.

@ABWorsham:

I had a friend who put the ring on during the game play, we laughed and made comments about the ring over powering him. He then could not get the ring off his hand. It had to be cut off his hand.

That’s the FUNNIEST thing I’ve heard in awhile LOLOLOL!

@LHoffman:

What irony.

More like terrible orc/demon union worker quality….indestructible ring only to be cut off by lowly humans?  Sauron would NOT be happy…I’m sure the crafter of the ring probably found his way to the bottom of Mt. Doom.

In the famous words of John Lennon: “Jewler you’ve failed!”

I never understood why Sauron didn’t just wear a mace gauntlet over his hand - so he could never lose his power.

What a dumb-a$s.

Felloship prevails!  Ring got to Mt. Doom….it was glorious…it was a difficult game for both sides…helped that the allies were setup perfectly (and my starting hand was bada$s with two attrition battlion cards and add those two to my armies)…the elves even got to hold Udun for two turns (epic holding of the line, six after six after six rolled by the two elves).  Hoping to get to play this again sometime.

@ABWorsham:

Do you think MiddleEarth back in the theaters this winter with The Hobbit will bring this Risk version back?

Back in what way? Popularity or as a product?

If anything I would imagine they make a new one… though I think that unlikely.

I’ve had this game for awhile, and we just started playing it again.  I was Mallery29’s good-guy partner in the games he’s talking about.

We play the Team Risk variant, which is a ridiculous amount of fun for all involved.  Good guys try to destroy the ring, bad guys try to find it.

I run the game at conventions sometimes, and I’ve never had an empty seat.  People love Lord Of The Rings and people love Risk.

I always enjoyed the game.  I only played the second release with the expansion made into the game.  I don’t know about the first one.

If I recall the game ends when the ring gets to Mt Doom.  Then you count up the territories and the completed mission and declare a winner.

I also seem to recall the “build a huge stack and fight to an objective” being a frequent strategy.  I believe this was used to accomplish another mission.

I never played enough to just play straight up Risk but it seems it would be as good or better than the original game because of the territories connections.

I may play again during Christmas.