Review of Lord of the Rings - the Confrontation: Deluxe Edition
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Then I received the Deluxe Edition. Not only was this version nicely produced (probably over-produced), but it added a variant set of tiles that could be used. These added a new dimension to the game that while not necessary to folks who bought the original game, certainly made the experience more enjoyable. Lord of the Rings: Confrontation basically distills the experience from the novels into an almost abstract-like mode yet retains enough of the theme to appeal to a Tolkein fan. It’s amazing how different the two sides feel – this isn’t a symmetrical game by any means – yet still come across as reasonably balanced. Truly a great design by Dr. Knizia.
Two players set a board up between them in a diamond shape fashion, with sixteen regions placed in a 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 fashion, with The Shire on one end and Mordor on the other. Each player takes either the nine characters of the Fellowship or the nine evil Sauron characters and places them on the board – four of them in their starting region (Shire or Mordor), and five in the two rows in front of that – one character per region. The characters are tiles that slide into plastic pieces so that the opponent doesn’t know which piece is where. Each player takes nine Combat cards for their side, and the Sauron player takes the first turn.
On a player’s turn, they must move one of the characters forward to an adjacent region. Each region can have only two characters in it, except the mountain regions (middle row), which can only have one; and Mordor and the Shire, which can have four. When a player moves their character into a region containing one or more of the opponent’s characters, a battle occurs. If the defending player has two or more characters in the region, the characters are fought one at a time in a random order.
In a battle each player reveals the characters and resolves any special abilities mentioned on them – such as automatic defeats, retreats, etc. Players then look at the number on each character, and both simultaneously play face-down a card from their hand. Cards are revealed, and the number on them is added to the strength of the character. The character with the highest total is the winner, with the loser being removed from the board. Both cards played are discarded, and a player can no longer use them until they’ve used all nine cards.
A few of the Combat cards have special text, rather than a number:
Players continue to play the game until either Frodo enters Mordor (in which case the Fellowship immediately wins, or the Sauron player gets three characters into Mordor (in which case he wins), or if Frodo is killed (in which case the Sauron player wins.)
The Deluxe version also has nine additional characters on the reverse side of the original nine. Players can either play a “variant” game, in which all new nine characters are used, or a “draft” game, in which players pick between which characters they wish to use. There are also four special cards for each player, which can be used in a variant. These special cards can only be used once per game but give some great advantages.
Some comments on the game…
1.) Characters: I wanted to compare the eighteen sets of characters and show which ones I preferred more. The character I list first comes from the classic set, and the second is the character on the reverse of the card.
2.) Components: First of all, I want to congratulate Fantasy Flight games on a really top notch production in the Deluxe version, which is really well done. The artwork, done by the wonderful John Howe and others, is simply amazing and catches the feel of the Lord of the Rings quite well. The tiles stand up rather tall in the plastic holders, which look really nice and hold the cardboard counters well. Small cardboard counters are included for use with the draft game, so that players can know which characters their opponents have chosen. The cards are of a good quality and are large and easy to handle – not to mention the fabulous artwork. The board is very similar to the one in the original game, only larger to accommodate the larger pieces. My only problem with the new game is that while everything is bigger, the box size is MUCH bigger, and the pieces inside take only a small fraction of the space inside. Also, some may be saddened to know that the new expansion characters can only be gotten by completely buying the Deluxe version; there is no upgrade for the first game.
3.) Rules: The large, eleven page full color rulebook does a great job at showing and explaining the rules. More importantly, there is detailed description of each of the characters and special cards, something that is quite helpful when playing with the variant characters. More importantly, two reference sheets that show all cards and characters of each player are included, allowing players to have a good grasp on the special abilities of their opponents. When teaching the game, I use only the basic version and allow the newcomer to use the Sauron army, which seems to be slightly easier for a new player. The game isn’t that difficult to learn, but children are usually not very good at the bluffing aspect; so I usually wait until they are older before bringing this game out.
4.) Bluffing: I usually don’t do very well when playing Confrontation, if only because I have the hardest time calling the other player’s bluff. With no luck in the game, much of the outcome is a direct result of certain battles. When playing cards, a player must make difficult decisions. Go for the sure win, but using up their best card in the process, or play a lower card, hoping your opponent does the same? Bluffing also applies to characters – is that character that the opponent is pushing forward so blatantly the vicious Cave Troll or the weaker Orcs? Just where is Frodo? The uncertainty (which is really quickly resolved) is fairly entertaining, and the main reason I enjoy the game – even if I stink at it.
5.) Dark vs. Light: In my first game, I immediately decided that the Fellowship player was at a distinct disadvantage, after being totally trounced when using them. The instantaneous rematch, in which I was the Sauron player, quickly proved my theory wrong, as I lost badly that way, also. Since then, after many plays, I’m convinced that the sides are different yet equally matched. The Dark Side has shear power, with higher powered strength cards and strong characters. The Fellowship has better special cards and nicer abilities, although it may take a more experienced player to use them to their maximum effectiveness. I’ve met people who swore that the Fellowship / Sauron player could not lose, and I think that the difference in opinion proves that the game is more balanced than some might think.
6.) Special cards: The special cards are extremely powerful and really change the course of the game. I think that I would only want to play with one or two of them, because otherwise, the entire face of the game is different; and character abilities seem to be lessened. Still, considering that the game includes two variant groups of characters and these cards, the variety is there; and the game will stay fresh for quite a while.
7.) Fun Factor and Time: Part of the allure of LOTR: Confrontation is that the game can be finished in twenty minutes and still retains a heavy, strategic value. I’ve lost games in a couple moves (stupidity – I assure you I’m not good at the game) and still thought the design was brilliant and enjoyable. I’m amazed at how Christian Petersen and Eric Lang managed to make a variant set of characters that were very well balanced and seamlessly fit into the main game.
Although it’s slightly overproduced (and I say this about few games), I will give a hearty thumbs up to Lord of the Rings: Confrontation: the Deluxe Edition. Games are short and tense; and when you win, it’s because you played better! It retains the feel of the Lord of the Rings universe, while introducing a clever combat system used in many other games – such as Game of Thrones. Some might categorize it as “Lord of the Rings Stratego”, but that is oversimplifying this elegant game; it’s deeper and more interesting than that older, classic game. Even folks who aren’t fans of Tolkein may enjoy this game – one of the best two player games I’ve ever played.
Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games”
www.thedicetower.com
6586
[Board/Tactical Game]: Lord of the Rings - the Confrontation: Deluxe Edition, reviewed by Tom Vasel (4/5)
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