RavensburgerLord of the Rings Adventure Book - Immersive Family Strategy Board Games for Kids and Adults Age 10 Years Up - 1 to 4 Players

The rule book is easy to understand - a page each for components, setting up the game, and how a players turn will proceed, two pages detailing how various decks work, and two pages with FAQ for each of the eight chapters of the game (also showing what components are used for each chapter).After a few minutes reading the rules and setting up the game I was ready to play - and a good sign was that I didn’t have to refer back to the rule book during play! The first two chapters are essentially training levels but even so both were close-run things - there is a certain amount of luck required in drawing necessary cards but this is mitigated by being able to exchange cards with other players or an extra hand of cards if playing solo. There were some fun decisions to be made even though the course of action was fairly obvious. Once the game hits the Mines of Moria and beyond things get more difficult and The One Ring use gets ever more tempting…(this is a clever mechanism where using The One Ring cards can help you out of a tight spot or complete challenges but increases “corruption” - this is tracked throughout the entire 8 chapters of the game and periodically makes bad things happen, but can also cause the game to be lost completely should it reach its highest level).The components are of good quality - cards are smooth but sturdy, counters are pre-punched and look good, and the figures are like a flexible rubbery type of plastic still but have a nice amount of detail on them. A few needed a hot water dip to straighten out curved swords etc. but after that they painted up quite nicely. The book itself is very sturdy with each two page spread being a new board & associated rules/win conditions, each being a key moment from the films - 4 for Fellowship of the Ring and 2 each for Two Towers and Return of the King.Each chapter is fairly quick to play - I’d say the game’s estimate of 20 minutes per chapter is about right but probably a bit longer from chapter 3 onwards. I’ve found it good to be able to play a chapter or two and then be able to save the game state for next time (basically all you have to do is note the corruption level and keep unused Special cards away from the main Story deck).I’ve been pleasantly surprised in how well this game captures the events of the trilogy - the mechanisms involved are very thematic and it’s much better than I was expecting. I play a lot of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and was expecting the Adventure Book Game to be a more mainstream affair and very lightweight - while it is much less complex there are still fun decisions to be made and it’s definitely a game I will play many times. It’s a bit like choosing to watch the theatrical edition films instead of reading the books 😁Highly recommended if you’re a LotR fan or want an easy-to-play board game 👍

I am up to chapter 3 as a solo player and I have really enjoyed this experience so far! The detail on the artwork and within the book which doubles as your playing surface is incredible! Quite challenging too I would say, and the ability to use the ring as a good dynamic! You can pick it up very quickly and understand the rules :) All the guides and everything are very helpful, the only slight negative is the fact the hobbits look the same so initially You find yourself going back to the guidebook to detain who is merry, pippin etc! Well worth the investment to unwind away from your screen

I played this through with a group of friends the day after I received it. It was really fun and quite challenging. This game is collaborative and can be played solo or with a group of up to four players.You're playing through the entire plot of the Lord of the Rings films chapter by chapter and have to make difficult decisions to win each challenge. Some of them we had to play through two or three times before being successful and proceeding to the next one.The game is full of imagery from the films, references and setups that really make sense with the plot, and the game mechanics change from chapter to chapter, keeping it fresh and interesting.As a group of four players, it took us a relaxed six hours to play through, and the game still has good re-play value as different players will make different decisions in each chapter, and the drawing of cards gives it a bit of a luck element as well.

I’m halfway through this and am really enjoying it so far.Huge fan of the books and the films - I purchased this immediately due to Ravensburger having the artwork and actors from the film - this really sells the game - it is beautiful to look at really.The rules are pretty basic but each of the 8 levels/chapters have different sub rules and victory conditions (a Dice Tower YouTuber actually criticised the game for this - said she didn’t want to learn new rules for each chapter - she doesn’t like variation in a game? That’s a negative?).I’m not looking ahead so each chapter is a surprise and as I say I like it.It’s classic Ravensburger - a lot of moving characters around and completing tasks to progress to the next stage.It is a bit basic so not sure how much replay value it will have.I’m playing it solo and it works very well.If you had kids who were into the films they would love this I’m sure.If you think you might like it - I’m sure you will.Keep it safe - but not secret.

Very easy to get hang off and nice for any LOTR fan :)

We are a family that like to play games, seeing this on the Lord of the Rings looked great. I’m quite excited to play this version. Come Christmas all the games will be out.Our family ages will vary from 11 - 75 yrs

Really thematic enjoyable set of games.

Bought for my wifes, brothers, birthday.He seems very pleased as he's already onto chaper two.I can't comment on game play, but the minitures are a good enough quality to paint. They took the usual mould line removal, but we're grand other than that.The book and other bits for game play look of good quality.