The second part of Battles of the Third Age is a new game on its own, using components from the War of the Ring game. In this article I will give you a preview of this new game.

To start things off, lets divide the new game into two parts: The Battle for Gondor and The Battle for Rohan. Each scenario has a few special rules to accommodate for the differences but the new game is actually two games sharing the same basic rules-set. Let us begin by taking a closer look at the general rules:

Just as in the main game the players roll a number of Action Dice each turn, and then alternate in taking actions within the options allowed by the die roll. Possible actions are: moving your armies; attacking enemy armies; recruiting new troops; rallying demoralized and scattered armies; moving characters, and so on. The actions differ somewhat from the main rules so once you get your hands on the expansions make sure to learn the differences.

Another similarity to the main game is the event cards. In the new game both players draw from one generic deck of cards and then the Free peoples player has one Story deck he draws from while the Shadow player draws from another Story deck. Finally the Shadow player has one special deck composed of only six cards he can draw from.

The cards in the Generic deck offer the players better versions of the actions the Action dice allow and also double as Combat cards - similar to how events work in War of the Ring. The Story decks are special for each scenario and allow the players to set in motion important events from Tolkien's story, such as the "Devilry of Saruman" or "Éowyn, Lady of Rohan."

The Shadow player's special decks (one for each scenario) are called the Gríma deck in the Battle for Rohan and the Darkness deck in the Battle for Gondor. These decks compose one of the possible ways to victory for the Shadow (more of this later). Examples of cards in these decks are "It is the will of Théoden King" for the Rohan game and "This is my Hour" for the Gondor game.

Here the big similarities between the new game and the main War of the Ring game end. Once battle is joined the new game lets you in closer to the action and lets you take greater control of your troops on the fields of battle, but before we take a look at the combat in Battles of the Third Age something has to be mentioned about the maps. They are divided into Regions just as the main game's map is, but each Region now shows a certain type of Terrain, which is important since some unit types are better than others in certain types of terrains. Streams and dikes form barriers more easily defended and defensive terrain, like hills, will ensure the attackers fare a bit worse than they do on open ground.

So, playing as the Free Peoples and having positioned your troops in the most beneficial position to you, you await the coming of the storm. Believe me it will. The Shadow has the superiority of numbers as in the main game but now the Free Peoples player is no longer forced to simply sit on the receiving end. There are plenty of opportunities for the good tactician to exploit weaknesses in the enemy's lines and strike hard and fast.

The actual combat still involves rolling dices and generally hitting on 5s and 6s. The playing of Event cards can still modify these odds but the cards are no longer your only means of altering the odds. Each unit in the game (almost) has some sort of special ability that can be applied instead of playing an Event card. It is here that the tactical mind of players will be tested. What strategy will the attacking Shadow commander use? Will he send his Olog-Hais headlong into the Shield-wall of the Gondor Foot soldiers or will he harass the flank with his Southron cavalry? Will the Free Peoples player use his Riders' charge to break the line of the oncoming Uruks or will he try to whittle down their number by using his archers?

Finally the game introduces the aspect of Fate. Many powers work unseen behind the stage of the War, reacting to the dramatic changes brought by the Shadow's aggression to the world. Without warning, they sometimes intervene in spectacular fashion to turn the tide in favor of the Free Peoples, like a wind from the West scattering the Shadows of Mordor.

Fate in Battles of the Third Age is symbolized by a Fate track (much like the Fellowship track in War of the Ring). This track functions as a timer that at certain points trigger events beneficial to the Free Peoples player (such as the arrival of Imrahil to the defenses of the White City or Gandalf the White's appearance in Rohan just before the attack from Isengard) and finally it will end the game by triggering the Ent's destruction of Orthanc (in the Rohan game) and the unmaking of the One Ring (in the Gondor game).

How fast this timer moves depends greatly on the player, the choices the players make and the cards the players play can both speed up and slow down the progress of Fate. The greatest factor in determining how fast Fate progresses is something called The Power of the Shadow. The Shadow player wields great powers but the more of this he uses the faster Fate progresses. In other words: if the Shadow unleashes all he has right from the start he will have far shorter time to finish his task at hand but if he uses guile and treachery he might weaken the enemy so much that once his main assault comes there won't be any one standing in his way. It is here the special Gríma and Darkness decks come into play.

Now we have taken a look at the general rules, to finish this of let us take a peek at the two individual scenarios.

In the Battle for Rohan the Shadow must take control of enough of Rohan's Settlements and Strongholds before the Ents destroy Orthanc. To accomplish this Saruman has a host of Uruk-Hais, Warg Riders, Half-Orcs and Dunlendings as well as some support from Mordor Orcs. In their way stand the Lords and Captains of Rohan, their Riders, Archers and Foot soldiers as well as some of the Companions of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Will Saruman attack swiftly through the Fords of Isen to invade the Westfold, or let Gríma poison the mind of old Théoden King first? Can Éomer rally enough Riders to keep the Rohan Plains free of Orcs and will Merry and Pippin be able to rouse the Ents in time?

In the Battle for Gondor the Free Peoples player must keep the White City from falling before Frodo manages to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Their armies are small and scattered, but hope still lingers. Prince Imrahil is coming with aid from the Outlands and from Rohan King Théoden is riding with a great army. Will they be in time to turn the tide?

The Shadow player has a vast number of troops at his command. Fearless men from the East, lightning fast cavalry from the South, Orcs, Black Uruks and Olog-Hais from Mordor, the great Mûmakil from the plains of Harad and finally the Nazgûl, all lead by the Witch-King of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgûl.

The attack on the land of Gondor has been preceded by a great Darkness from Mordor and as long as it lasts the forces of the Shadow will seem unstoppable but Fate might step in and clear the Darkness and perhaps even return a much-needed King to the land of Gondor.

Written by Kristofer Bengtsson

Stay tuned for future articles where Kristoffer will reveal even more!