Sometimes brute force is not the answer. Sometimes the best way to win is not to fight. Can you walk the Pacifist Way?

There are two basic keys to this puzzle. One is to realize that so long as Sam reaches Gondor without cards being played, you will win. Even if the Sauron player attacks you on the following turn, you can walk into Mordor without having to fight. The other is to recognize that Smeagol is your biggest liability - keeping him out of harm's way will become a chore.

Remember, the board looks like this.

Fellowship Turn One: Your first move is to send Gandalf forward and to the left, into Eregion. Doing so saves him from the Orcs and the inevitable cardplay of their attack.

Sauron Turn One: Sauron will now attack Aragorn with the Orcs. He might choose to attack Smeagol with the Uruk-Hai, but this is an inferior choice because it will not force your next move (Smeagol will trade with Aragorn, Aragorn will choose no cards to be played, Gandalf will reveal to boost Aragorn, and the Uruk-Hai will be defeated. Sam will move to Rohan and victory). Aragorn will choose not to play cards and will be defeated by the Orcs. Without Aragorn to protect him, Smeagol is now threatened by the Uruk-Hai.

Fellowship Turn Two: Smeagol must now move to Eregion to join Gandalf. Any other move will allow Sauron to attack Smeagol and force cardplay.

Sauron Turn Two: The Sauron player must again threaten Smeagol, or Sam will advance to Rohan and victory. Saruman will move forward into one of his two available mountain spaces (it does not matter which). Now, Saruman is poised to attack Eregion, which contains both Smeagol and Gandalf.

Fellowship Turn Three: Smeagol must move forward to avoid Saruman, into the adjacent mountain region. He must not use the Tunnel of Moria to move to Fangorn, the region Saruman began in, because if he does Gollum will attack him. You are not concerned about Saruman attacking Gandalf, because Saruman's ability will immediately defeat the wizard with no cards played.

Sauron Turn Three: Sauron must keep pressure on Smeagol, or once again Sam will advance. He will advance Gollum into either Fangorn or Mirkwood, depending in part on which region Smeagol has moved into. Any other move allows Sam to advance.

Fellowship Turn Four: As the Fellowship player, you now move Smeagol forward once more, to either Fangorn, Rohan, or Mirkwood, depending. You are now home free - Smeagol can be threatened only by the Witch King. If Smeagol fights the Witch King, both will die, and Sam will have nothing standing in his way!

Sauron Turn Four: The Sauron player will, for the sake of argument, reveal the Uruk-Hai to move them into the Shire.

Fellowship Turn Five: You move Sam forward into Rohan. If you move Smeagol instead, it is possible that Sauron will get his three pieces into the Shire before you win (one of his victory conditions), so you will move only Sam from here on.

Sauron Turn Five: The Sauron player will, for the sake of argument, move the Orcs into the Shire.

Fellowship Turn Six: You move Sam forward into Gondor.

Sauron Turn Six: The Sauron player will, for the sake of argument, attack Eregion with Saruman, defeating Gandalf. No cards are played.

Fellowship Turn Seven: You move Sam to Mordor, where you immediately win before a battle can occur.

It's worth noting that there is an alternative scenario in which the Sauron player DOES force card play, but too late to achieve victory. It works like so.

Fellowship Turn One: Gandalf advances to Eregion, for the reasons previously discussed.

Sauron Turn One: The Orcs attack Aragorn, defeating him with no cards played.

Fellowship Turn Two: Smeagol advances to Eregion.

Sauron Turn Two: Gollum advances to Fangorn, to join Saruman. This does not immediately threaten Smeagol or Gandalf, but does set up for a future inevitable conflict.

Fellowship Turn Three: With no immediate threat, Sam advances to Rohan.

Sauron Turn Three: Either Gollum or Saruman advance into the mountains to threaten Eregion - it doesn't particularly matter which. If Gandalf or Saruman choose to advance to the adjacent mountain region to avoid combat, they can be attacked by the Sauron character in Fangorn.

Fellowship Turn Four: Seeing Eregion threatened and no way around it ... Sam advances to Gondor.

Sauron Turn Four: The Sauron player attacks Eregion, combat occurs, someone dies, hands refresh ...

Fellowship Turn Five: Sam advances to Mordor and wins with no fight.

But those might not be the only solutions, of course. Feel free to discuss your own on the forums.