War of the Ring First Impressions
November 1st, 2004My brother and I played War of the Ring for the first time the other day. I will only give my initial feelings about it as our first game was more about learning the rules than anything else, plus War of the Rings zealots will probably start a blood feud with me.
Bear in mind that I have never really played any wargames, so this is a massive step up for me:
- There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to consider when taking a go.
- The combat system does feel a little like Risk in that you are fighting with dice, moderated by Combat Cards.
- I lost, by missing the possibility of the Free People capturing four victory points worth of cities. Apparently, that’s difficult to do if you know what you are doing.
- There were no serious problems with the components. I will probably spray the figures different colours, depending on their race, but it is unnecessary.
- The theme is handled sensitively. It could have been mucked up by a clumsy implementation.
- There are a few rules ambiguities and the FAQ is not great.
- The War of the Rings page on the Geek is almost unusable, due to the massive amounts of rubbish posted to it.
- We played for about five hours. If I had not been suckered into a quick loss, we felt it could have taken longer. Of course, if we had both read the rules thoroughly beforehand or been experienced wargamers, it would have been shorter.
- I suspect it is OK with three or four players, but the game was primarily designed for two. It is the opposite/same problem playing Tigris & Euphrates with two.
I have never been really interested in wargames because of the subject matter, but finally here is a wargame that fascinates me. I am surprised it is now the third highest rated game on the Geek, but it might eventually live up to that after a few more plays.
November 1st, 2004 at 22:04
There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to consider when taking a go.
thats steam whisping out of Iain’s ears.
The combat system does feel a little like Risk in that you are fighting with dice, moderated by Combat Cards.
and leaders, the five die limit, and the siege rules
I lost, by missing the possibility of the Free People capturing four victory points worth of cities. Apparently, that’s difficult to do if you know what you are doing.
There were no serious problems with the components. I will probably spray the figures different colours, depending on their race, but it is unnecessary.
The theme is handled sensitively. It could have been mucked up by a clumsy implementation.
I would have expected the production to be slaughtered, but so far so good
There are a few rules ambiguities and the FAQ is not great.
I’d say that if the question is not there, it may well be illusory.
The War of the Rings page on the Geek is almost unusable, due to the massive amounts of rubbish posted to it.
the FAQ and House rules tends to summarise whats necessary.
We played for about five hours. If I had not been suckered into a quick loss, we felt it could have taken longer.
that damp patch on the ceiling would have been bigger, though.
Of course, if we had both read the rules thoroughly beforehand or been experienced wargamers, it would have been shorter.
a little maybe. Overall people have got into the game surprisingly quickly [because they want to play again].
I suspect it is OK with three or four players, but the game was primarily designed for two. It is the opposite/same problem playing Tigris & Euphrates with two.
it works with four, as the other three are the enemy one way or another.
November 1st, 2004 at 23:48
:o)
Thanks Andy. I thought you might reply in your usual style…
November 2nd, 2004 at 10:02
“The War of the Rings page on the Geek is almost unusable, due to the massive amounts of rubbish posted to it”
Still, anything that prompts some thoughts from Lew Pulsipher has to be worth reading.
I have shied clear of ANY of the posts on this game on the Geek for this very reason. However, I did get drawn to your link and was quite fascinated at the depth of feeling it seems to have created. Shades of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger
I read the rules to the game some time back and in some ways found them inconclusive. I got the impression that I ought to like the game but I couldn’t tell whether or not it was actually going to be good. I guess I have to play it to find out. I am not, however, of the opinion that you have to play a game 50 times in order to give a valid opinion on it. The vast majority of people play games because they enjoy them – not because they are a brilliant design. I have enough experience of playing to know after one or two games whether I am going to enjoy it or not.
My main concern is whether or not it plays (well) with more than two. The rules left me with the impression that the 3-4 player rules were added on at the end simply because a 2 player game would not sell as well. If this is the case, then however much I want to, I may end up not buying it simply because it’s not going to get played. Secondary concern is the length – I am willing to accept that 2-3 hours may be the norm with experienced players but if the first game lasts 5hrs then this is enough to put my group off for good. [I picked up Antiquity by Splotter at Essen because the designer assured me that you can play in 2 hrs when you know what you’re doing but I’m still very nervous about introducing it if the first game takes twice as long as that]
I wouldn’t mind getting together to give it a go if we can both find the time at some point.
November 2nd, 2004 at 10:04
Er, that last comment wasn’t meant to be anonymous. I just expected my name to be carried forward from my last comment. Sorry.
Michael
November 2nd, 2004 at 11:20
Yes, the vehemence of the arguments was startling.
I was interested to read Lew Pulsipher’s comments, and about Britannia II. There seem to be playtesting opportunities available. I have not tried Britannia, but I suspect it would make a better multiplayer game than WotR.
I agree that a game does not take much playing before you realise if it is for you or not.
Give it a try with me whenever you like – mid-week would be best. If you read the rules thoroughly before we play it we will finish relatively quickly, much faster than five hours.