The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. 7 out of 10

   akros

   TL;DR: This could have been SO good with some more balancing on the tiles placing mechanics and on the timing within each scenario. Positive: + deck management mechanics is intuitive, simple but yet engaging + the setting and the story are nice + character level progression is nice, although it feels somewhat limited. Would have liked to have more options in terms of "type of effects" Negative: - the app and board building interaction is clunky and I personally find it extremely tedious, up to the point that it kind of ruins the experience - miniatures feel a bit cheap, would expect more given the price - the board exploration dynamics don't fit well with the scenario / timing mechanics. The way rounds are structured is nice, but within each scenario you barely have time to complete the mission, so no time at all to explore... everything is largely dominated by a sense of urgency and that's a shame

2. 10 out of 10

   Aradran

   Mae Govannen, eruhirin! This is the most inmersive and thrilling way to experience lotr on a board game to date. Excellent to any lotr fan. The app can be a downside for people that dont rely on electronic devices, but it's a really good app, and adds a ton of advantages on the storytelling side of roleplaying games, and ease a lot of the mechanics that this kind of games involve. The miniatures are fantastic quality, and the campaign story is a thrill. Even though the use of book characters can be in some sense weird to a Tolkien reader, it can be considered as a marketing and sales strategy by FFG, after all, they need to profit. Replayability: the replayability is excellent, because although the campaign remains the same, the amount of interactions lost during the course of an adventure and the mistakes made, can find redemption in a second walkthrough. This also encourages players to choose new characters and strategies. We are currently playing it with my wife and we are finishing the fifth chapter. We look forward to Fridays and share dangerous and challenging adventures on middle earth. Considerations: Although the game itself is very well done and entertaining and balanced, A person who does not enjoy the world of Middle Earth or who is not familiar with Tolkien's work might consider other board game options, due to that the enjoyment of the game, at least in our case, is largely due to our love for Tolkien's work, and we do not know if this bias could affect our global vision of the game to the point of overlooking aspects that could discourage potential players. I sincerely hope you enjoy this game as much as we do. Namáriê!!

3. 5 out of 10

   anselmi

   Does this game even need the board!? Everything seems to run by the App. Except, the very crucial information. Like the positioning of new villains. In our first game, we missed the notice about where the new goblins were supposed to go. There was no way of backtracking the notice. We placed the baddies on the least beneficial place and lost the scenario. Would have expected better support from the App.