Game: Der Herr der Ringe: Die Gefährten, Das Kartenspiel

Image

Lord Baldrick — 2007-08-04T10:48:25+00:00

box contents

Thread: Cardhas & tie questions

fmoros — 2007-03-30T07:10:32+00:00

hi, all

i have started to play this game, I have the german version, and have a couple of questions, which can probably be solved by a German speaker:

a- In Caradhas:
"You can play only one "1 card" on this site"
but is it per turn, like at the other place, or just "1 card" for the place?

b- How is the tie resolved anti-clockwise?
is it in favor of the player closer to that who played the last card? or in favor of the one who is farther?

thanks a lot
and happy games!
fer
sk

Image

pepzaza — 2004-10-11T13:18:48+00:00

LOTR - fellowship - Belgian box (dutch-french)

Image

pepzaza — 2004-10-11T13:18:48+00:00

LOTR - fellowship - Belgian box (dutch-french) back

Thread: Re:Rules Question???

orangeblood — 2004-04-13T16:19:22+00:00

Eddy Bee (#28464),

Good question. I believe by just following the rules as written, you can play the Value 0 and the Nazgul and other tiles. In other words, option A.

I've only played King's Gate (the later re-theming of this game), but I'm sure it's the same.

Rex

Thread: Rules Question???

Eddy Bee — 2004-02-19T17:36:40+00:00

The rules state you can play a 0 value card instead of, or along with, any other card. They also state you can play a Nazgul card in the same way as a 0 value card.

Does this mean:

A) I am allowed to play a 0 card AND a Nazgul card AND another card on my turn?

or

B) I can only play a 0 card OR a Nazgul card AND another card on my turn?

Thanks in advance for your response,
-Eddy Bee

"Once a gamer, always a gamer!"

Thread: User Review

Eggo — 2002-09-08T13:39:24+00:00

Publisher: Ravensburger

Author: Reiner Knizia

Tester: Aaron Haag

Game Tested: 2001 release

Scenario: Frodo and his friends Sam, Merry and Pippin flee through the towns of Middlearth to prevent Sauron from taken the ring back from him. Two to four players play character cards for each town in order to receive victory points.

The Game: Although designed by the same author this game is not an extension or sequel to the "Lord Of The Rings" game series published by Kosmos/Hasbro. In fact, there is very little reference in the game mechanics to the Lord of the Rings theme and one may assume that Ravensburger decided to use the current LotR hype for marketing reasons only as the game itself is an abstract card-laying game. The cards use photographs of characters of the LotR movie and this may explain the relatively high price.

Up to four players use identical sets of 22 cards to gain control over 10 towns of Middlearth. To do this players in sequence place cards next to the two cards representing a town from their hand. Of the 22 cards each player receives 6 randomly drawn cards. Once all ten spaces surrounding a town are occupied players earn points depending on their relative strength in that town. Each character card has a value between 0 and 5. Players may play any number of cards valued 1 or one higher valued card. The one card with value 0 and the Nazgûl may be played in addition. All character card values of a player on the cards bordering the currently scoring town are added up and the top scoring players receive the victory points printed on the town card. Additionally, some towns provide a "ring" to the strongest player. Such a ring may be used in subsequent turns to protect a character just played. In addition most rings provide special powers that influence the character cards played in a town or the town itself.

The player who placed the card which initiated the scoring of a town is the first player to place a new town on the table. The two cards of the new town must be placed next to each other and next to already placed character cards. This means that characters can score twice in a game. It is therefore a considerable advantage to place the last card for a town because only then one is able to place the new town cards in a favorable position.

Some towns (black) are more dangerous than others (white) because in black towns stronger character cards may be placed on top of already played cards. And there is the Nazgûl card of which each player has exactly one. The Nazgûl is used to remove an already played card from the table. Frodo (value 3) is however always protected by the ring against being covered up or being removed.

The game ends when either the last (tenth) town has been completed or all but one player have run out of cards.

Playing Time: The game can be explained in about 5 minutes. Playing time is 20 to 45 minutes.

Similar Games: Samurai, Corruption

Westpark Gamer's Opinion: Besides the fact that the game's atmosphere bears no resemblance to LotR whatsoever, which may disappoint players looking exactly for this, "Die Gefährten" is not a bad game at all. Due to the nature of card games there is an element of luck but the game mechanics provide sufficient room for tactics and timing. I personally believe that the game is rather more complex than one may think after one has played it just once or twice - a typical Knizia so to say.

The victory points per town vary from the lesser valued towns (5 points total plus 1 rings) in the beginning to the higher valued towns (13 points) towards the end of the game. Some careful resource management with respect to character cards is asked for here. It is also quite important to keep an eye on the card layout on the table. First, this provides valuable information about the cards other players are still able to play; secondly, one must avoid that one player gains many "high-valued" sides for placing new towns and thirdly, the edge of the table is often approaching faster then one may think. It is a good idea to agree beforehand how this last situation is dealt with - either towns may only be placed where it is possible to play all character cards (not quite to the rules though) or the cards are shifted on the table (not as easy as it sounds). On smaller tables I suggest you move to the floor anyway.

"Finishing" a town by placing a card on the last free space is of a considerable advantage in this game. On the one hand it enables a player to tip the scales in this town by playing a high valued card and gaining higher victory points and on the other hand it enables a player to decide upon the location of the next town. This "double scoring effect" is what makes the game rather complex and which forces the players to carefully think and plan ahead. As a consequence there may be very little player interaction and a lot of thinking and calculating in a group of "serious" gamers.

Aaron's Rating: 6 (out of 10)

Westpark Gamers' Rating: 4

Image

Psauberer — 2002-07-28T03:37:56+00:00

Image

Psauberer — 2002-07-28T03:37:53+00:00

Image

dougadamsau — 2002-07-26T01:57:55+00:00

Thread: Session Report

gschloesser — 2002-01-31T23:36:47+00:00

This is one of the games I purchased while on my recent family vacation to Europe. My wife kept a careful eye on me this time, since last time I purchased 16 games while in Germany. So, I was a good boy this time, only coming home with 2 games. OK ... confession time. Sure, my desire to please my wife was one of the reasons I purchased so few games. However, the main reason is that I actually already owned or had no interest in most of the games I saw in the various stores!

I had read some positive things about this Knizia card game which capitalizes on the Lord of the Rings movie. The cards have photos of the various characters from the movie and, in my opinion, are well done. Unfortunately, once you get past the characters and the names of the locations, any resemblance to the movie or classic books vanishes. However, that really isn't too much of a drawback, as long as you are willing to accept this fact and not moan about how the game isn't true to the book or movie.

The basic game is not all that difficult to play. There are ten Middle Earth locations, which is depicted by two side-by-side full size playing cards. Each player has a deck of cards consisting of various movie characters. These cards carry values from 1 - 5, with the deck consisting of more 1's and only one 5 (Gandalf). Plus, each player has a Nazgul, which can ultimately be used to capture an opponent's card, with both of them being discarded from the game.

The first location is set onto the table and players take turns playing cards adjacent to that location. Once the location is completely surrounded by cards, it is scored and the player with the highest cumulative point value of cards at that location scores victory points as indicated on the location card. Players who capture second and third place also receive points, but in a decreasing amount. Ties are broken in favor of the player who played the final card at that location, or the player closest to him in a clockwise fashion. Although this may seem unfair, players must use the knowledge of this tie-breaking procedure when planning their card plays.

On a turn, a player may play one or more cards following certain rules:

1) If the location is a 'safe' one (white), then cards must be played to a vacant spot adjacent to the active location. If, however, the location is 'not safe' (black), then players may play cards to a vacant spot OR on top of another previously played card, but ONLY if the value of the card being played is higher than the card it will cover.

2) A player may play as many cards with a value of '1' as he desires.

3) A player may only play one card IF the value of the card is higher than 1.

4) The zero card or the Nazgul may be played in addition to any other card or cards played.

This would be easy enough to understand and remember, but these rules can be modified by special rules which are in effect at certain locations or by various rings. You see, when certain locations are scored, rings are also awarded to the player who exerts the most influence on that area. These rings grant certain powers and can be played in conjunction with a card at a future location. These 'powers' alter the rules and often cause some conflicts which aren't clearly explained in the rule book. Most of the situations are fairly easy to rectify, but others required on the spot rulings which may or may not have been correct. Many of these situations were subsequently clarified on the internet.

Once a location is scored, the player who played the final card at that location gets to place the next location cards to the table. These must be adjacent to a previously laid card, but with the exception of that one restriction, can be placed anywhere on the table. This makes playing the last card at a location a very valuable move and one which should be planned for whenever possible.

The game ends in several fashions. The most obvious is when all ten locations have been scored. However, the game can also end if everyone depletes their supply of cards or if only one player has cards remaining following the scoring of a location. In any case, the player with the most cumulative points is victorious.

The game was rather interesting and is clearly influenced by many of Reiner's earlier designs and mechanisms. Each player holds six cards and draws back up to six from his face-down deck at the conclusion of his turn. This has a similar feel of Samurai, as do the mechanics of exerting influence over certain locations. The game works well and is rather fun. The special rules in effect at various locations, as well as the special powers conveyed by the various rings, add some confusion to the game, but also add needed spice. Without these, the game would undoubtedly feel rather bland.

My biggest complaint with the game is that it simply takes too much table space to play. The game will spill over the sides of all but the largest of tables. We were forced to shove two cafeteria-style tables together and even then we were teetering on both edges. This could easily have been solved had the manufacturer released the game using half-sized cards, similar to the ones used in Cartagena. As is, it may be easier to play the game on the floor where there are not 'edges' except for the walls. I understand that there was a 'table' rule in the original prototype wherein the edges of the table were the limit for expansion, but this was dropped by Ravensburger as a rule.

Early on, we were all getting used to the rules and mechanics, so no one had a clear advantage. Once we began understanding the various strategies, the game became more fun and challenging. Unfortunately, we began the game VERY late and didn't finish until near 1 AM. Several folks were tied, so I think this somewhat affected our overall enjoyment of the game.

Jim and Keith seemed to be leading early, but Elizabeth made a late run and was threatening for the lead. However, Jim had conserved several of his high valued cards and used them to great effect on the final few locations.

Finals: Jim 29, Elizabeth 20, Greg 20, Keith 17

Ratings; Greg 6.5, everyone else 6

Thread: Preview

gschloesser — 2002-01-30T19:11:55+00:00

I had read some positive things about this Knizia card game which capitalizes on the Lord of the Rings movie. The cards have photos of the various characters from the movie and, in my opinion, are well done. Unfortunately, once you get past the characters and the names of the locations, any resemblance to the movie or classic books vanishes. However, that really isn't too much of a drawback, as long as you are willing to accept this fact and not moan about how the game isn't true to the book or movie.

The basic game is not all that difficult to play. There are ten Middle Earth locations, which is depicted by two side-by-side full size playing cards. Each player has a deck of cards consisting of various movie characters. These cards carry values from 1 - 5, with the deck consisting of more 1's and only one 5 (Gandalf). Plus, each player has a Nazgul, which can ultimately be used to capture an opponent's card, with both of them being discarded from the game.

The first location is set onto the table and players take turns playing cards adjacent to that location. Once the location is completely surrounded by cards, it is scored and the player with the highest cumulative point value of cards at that location scores victory points as indicated on the location card. Players who capture second and third place also receive points, but in a decreasing amount. Ties are broken in favor of the player who played the final card at that location, or the player closest to him in a clockwise fashion. Although this may seem unfair, players must use the knowledge of this tie-breaking procedure when planning their card plays.

On a turn, a player may play one or more cards following certain rules:

1) If the location is a 'safe' one (white), then cards must be played to a vacant spot adjacent to the active location. If, however, the location is 'not safe' (black), then players may play cards to a vacant spot OR on top of another previously played card, but ONLY if the value of the card being played is higher than the card it will cover.

2) A player may play as many cards with a value of '1' as he desires.

3) A player may only play one card IF the value of the card is higher than 1.

4) The zero card or the Nazgul may be played in addition to any other card or cards played.

This would be easy enough to understand and remember, but these rules can be modified by special rules which are in effect at certain locations or by various rings. You see, when certain locations are scored, rings are also awarded to the player who exerts the most influence on that area. These rings grant certain powers and can be played in conjunction with a card at a future location. These 'powers' alter the rules and often cause some conflicts which aren't clearly explained in the rule book. Most of the situations are fairly easy to rectify, but others required on the spot rulings which may or may not have been correct. Many of these situations were subsequently clarified on the internet.

Once a location is scored, the player who played the final card at that location gets to place the next location cards to the table. These must be adjacent to a previously laid card, but with the exception of that one restriction, can be placed anywhere on the table. This makes playing the last card at a location a very valuable move and one which should be planned for whenever possible.

The game ends in several fashions. The most obvious is when all ten locations have been scored. However, the game can also end if everyone depletes their supply of cards or if only one player has cards remaining following the scoring of a location. In any case, the player with the most cumulative points is victorious.

The game was rather interesting and is clearly influenced by many of Reiner's earlier designs and mechanisms. Each player holds six cards and draws back up to six from his face-down deck at the conclusion of his turn. This has a similar feel of Samurai, as do the mechanics of exerting influence over certain locations. The game works well and is rather fun. The special rules in effect at various locations, as well as the special powers conveyed by the various rings, add some confusion to the game, but also add needed spice. Without these, the game would undoubtedly feel rather bland.

My biggest complaint with the game is that it simply takes too much table space to play. The game will spill over the sides of all but the largest of tables. We were forced to shove two cafeteria-style tables together and even then we were teetering on both edges. This could easily have been solved had the manufacturer released the game using half-sized cards, similar to the ones used in Cartagena. As is, it may be easier to play the game on the floor where there are not 'edges' except for the walls. I understand that there was a 'table' rule in the original prototype wherein the edges of the table were the limit for expansion, but this was dropped by Ravensburger as a rule.

Thread: Preview

BoardGameGeek — 2001-12-01T08:36:54+00:00

I have only seen one mention of this game so far and it was basically negative. But I thought this was one of the best games of Essen (2001). It is a Knizia game to be sure but it manages (IMO) to feel reasonably well themed (although this IS a card game and the basic mechanic has nothing to do with LotR action). The artwork is not the best (stills from the movie), but I'm not terribly enamored of the illustrations
used in the other recent LotR games anyway.

The game is tactically and strategically interesting. I find myself making long term plans as well as taking advantage of specific situations that are arrising moment to moment. It plays pretty quickly too.

The basic idea is that you have a series of encounters at various LotR locations and try collect the most "success" points.

Here is some info about the game mechanics:

Each player has an identical set of cards (numbered 0-5, in various amounts, and one "Nazgul"). Each player mixes her cards and plays with a hand of 6 cards, drawing up to 6 after playing any cards. Each card can only be played once (i.e. there is no discard pile or recycling of cards).

The locations are composed of two cards set side by side and these locations are always "visited" in the same order (Bags End, Bree, Weathertop, etc.).

Players take turns laying cards around the location. When the location is completely surrounded (10 cards) it scores.

Here is a finished location:

R G R Y
B L L Y
G R R G

(where R=red card, G=green card, B=blue card, Y=yellow card, L=Location Card)

Generally the players with the highest value of cards surrounding the location score points (i.e. if the
sum of the value of: red cards is 10, green cards is 5, yellow cards is 4 and blue cards is 1, then (generally) red will get the most points, then green, then yellow and blue gets nothing. Additionally the player scoring first place will occasionally (depending of the location) acquire a ring. The rings at the various locations have special affects on the game later on when they are used.

The play of cards is generally:
Play one (and only one) card with a value of 2-5
OR
Play one or more cards with the value of 1

Cards may be played anywhere around the border of the location.

One or both of the special cards 0 and "Nazgul" may be played instead of or in addition to the above actions.
The 0 card is basically a normal card with the worth 0, while the "Nazgul" card lets you discard one card that has already been played at a location.

The player that lays the last card around a location (triggering the scoring of that area), ALSO determines the placing of the next location, regardless of that players score for the current location. The next location must be
laid out so that it touches (including diagonally) at least one card already on the table.

In the above example, if yellow (Y) had laid the last card, he might then lay out the new location as follows (to take the best advantage of cards that yellow already has on the table):

R G R Y L L
B L L Y
G R R G

and then the game proceeds with yellow's left neighbor. In this way yellow begins with points at the new location and nobody else has any (in this example).

An additional twist is that some locations are "white" and some are "black". At black locations it is allowed to play a card OVER an already existing card at the location providing the new card has a higher value than the old card. So if on my turn I lay a "2", you can set your "3" on an empty space OR you can set your "3" on top of my "2" (i.e. replacing it).

As mentioned before, rings can be played to change some of the basic rules--and some locations have special rules that apply at that location as well (these special location rules are printed on the location cards).

All rings also have an additional function of protecting the card they are on (rings are played WITH a card, and some cards--all the 3's, which are the hobbits--are printed with a ring on them). A protected card cannot be "overlaid" by a higher card NOR can it be discarded by a "Nazgul" card.

The game basically goes on until all locations have been played, or (as can be the case) until one (or no) player has cards left after a location is scored. This may mean that a player who played aggresively early on must sit out a round or so near the end of the game since that player will run out of cards before the others. A typical game seems to last about 30-45 minutes.

And that's about it. I think it is pretty nifty. I didn't buy it (in German, at Essen) because I was hoping to get a version in English...but I haven't heard anything about that yet.