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Getting Started
First, you'll need to separate the cards into two separate decks, Territory and Adventure. Two wild cards will be present in the Territory deck; those should be set aside. The Territory deck should be then separated into three individual decks called "Good," "Evil" and "Neutral." Decks can then be placed facedown near the board. Each player picks a color and grab all of the battalions of their color. Yellow and green armies are good, while black and red armies are evil. The yellow and green armies are drawn from Lord of the Rings characters like Elvish Archers, Riders of Rohan and Eagles. The black and red armies include characters such as Trolls and Orcish shields.
Each player will get a certain number of starting battalions in order to claim territories before turn-based game play begins. A two-player game will have each player start with 60 battalions, while a four-player game will have 45 battalions for each side. Territories will be given out at random by dealing Territory cards to each player. Four-player games will allow for eight cards to be dealt to each player. After initial territories have been claimed, roll the die to see who goes first. The winner places a battalion onto an unclaimed territory, and players take turns claiming additional territories until all 64 have been claimed. Remaining battalions are then used to reinforce controlled territories.
Taking Your Turn and Winning
Players will take turns in clockwise order. A turn can include receiving and placing additional battalions, engaging in combat, collecting Territory cards, collecting Adventure cards, replacing a leader, and moving the Fellowship. The Fellowship will be marked with a gold ring starting in the Shire. The game is ultimately won or lost when the Fellowship finally reaches Mount Doom. The Fellowship makes progress toward Mount Doom along a predetermined path depending on a die roll by each player during their turn. Rolling higher than three will move the Fellowship, while rolling less than three will keep the Fellowship stationary. When the Fellowship reaches Mount Doom, the player possessing the current turn rolls the die. A roll higher than three destroys the ring and finishes the game.
The winner is decided based on how many points each player has when the ring is destroyed. Points are given according to territories and strongholds controlled, as well as Adventure cards played and regions held. The game can also be won early if a player controls all of Middle Earth before the Fellowship destroys the ring.