Repos ProductionAsmodee The Lord of The Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth Board Game - Epic Strategy Game of Power and Conquest for Kids and Adults, Ages 10+, 2 Players, 30 Minute Playtime

If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings and love strategic board games, Duel: Lord of the Rings is a must-have. This game brilliantly combines the iconic lore of Middle-earth with engaging, well-balanced gameplay that keeps you on your toes until the very end.The design is stunning, with beautiful artwork on the cards, detailed game pieces, and a map that feels like it’s pulled straight out of Tolkien’s world. The mechanics are easy to learn but offer enough depth for seasoned players to strategize and outwit their opponent.What I love most is how thematic the game feels. Every decision you make feels like it has weight, as you reenact the epic battles and critical moments of the story. Whether you’re controlling the forces of good or the armies of Mordor, every duel feels intense and satisfying.It’s perfect for two players, and the sessions are just the right length—not too short, not overly long. My partner and I can’t get enough of it! Whether you’re a casual gamer or a die-hard Tolkien fan, this game delivers an unforgettable experience.Highly recommend adding it to your collection!

TLDR: ConclusionA must have. Do not let this pass you by. This will scratch that "simple, yet complex" game design itch you did not know you had, in a delicious fantasy package.ThemeArtwork is colorful and evokes the Lord of the Rings feel you were looking for. Colorful, yet fantasy enough that it fits. Symbols fit the theme but convey the game info you need to know without cluttering the play area.Game MechanicsExcellent game design balance with the three win conditions, most games feel neck and neck until one of you barely snatches the ring and chucks it into Mt. Doom! (Or the Ringwraiths catch Frodo and seize the ring as they likely would have in real life! Feels good when you do this.) Every game choice feels impactful. Excellent complexity without having a thousand game pieces spread over the map.I like the "choose a card mechanic" much better than all of my deck building games. Game is tactically crunchy without too many tokens sprawled everywhere. Can easily do a game in 20 minutes with little clutter, yet each game feels like it has tactical crunch and depth without overly complex rules bloat.

One of the best games I’ve played this year. Easy to table, quick to play, and very thematic

This is a beautiful game with absolutely gorgeous art. The gameplay is great fun for the most part and feels a lot like Splendor (get cards to buy cards to get cards to buy cards to get victory points) but with three victory tracks. Take over the map, catch the other player or get to the end of the journey track, or get a complete set of green race cards. So you are required to stop an opponent from advancing across a map or take it over yourself, stop a player from advancing across a track or fully advance it yourself, or stop them from collecting green cards or get a complete set yourself.This balancing act means that this game has a LOT of player interaction from blocking the other player from taking actions.In the end you are just collecting cards and playing card symbols from your tableau (or wild cards which are coins) to get more cards, but the wonderful artwork, movement across the map, and reveal and discard and other actions make the game feels a lot more dynamic.I played this one twice in a row before brain fatigue set in and I want to play it more.My only concern is that the game did not quite seem balanced in terms of victory relation to skill (making brilliant/lucky moves and then losing feels off) but this may be due to a misinterpretation of a rule.Be sure to read the rulebook on this one CAREFULLY. At least one reviewer didn't understand you could use coins to substitute for any symbol when buying a card, and I didn't realize you could get a race alliance bonus for two-of-a-kid green cards over-and-over.At any rate I like this game enormously more than 7 Wonders Duel, which somehow just didn't feel right thematically. I like the theme and execution here much much more.

Fantastic 2-player game! The theme really fits, the components are great, and it’s very well balanced. Due to the multiple win conditions, our games are always really close because if one player starts feeling pummeled in one area they can focus on a different strategy. I also appreciate a game like this that plays so quickly rather than taking hours. 5 stars!

I have played many games of Lord of the Rings: Duel in the past week, and every game has been neck and neck to the very end. Great components and a fun gimmick, beautiful artwork, easy learning curve, short game times, and a mix of skill (maybe...) and luck, make this game very enjoyable. However, the more I played, the more suspicious I grew about how each game could be so competitive, regardless of my opponents general skill level.Well, the answer is that the game is set up to be nearly impossible to win prior to the third round. This is not a bad thing, but by how the game limits certain resources to not become available until the last round, it controls win conditions. Using this fact and that the game is an equal division of resources, I tested a few games by constantly making choices opposite to my usual (aside from just cashing in cards every turn). The only time I would make a logical decision was when choosing from alliance tokens and against choices that would ultimately result in a win condition for the opponent or for a final win moment for myself. What I found was that regardless of how I played, these matches still came out tight in the end, with me winning one of every three or so games.The result of my play tests has me thinking that this game may be more luck-based than competitive. With that said, it is still fun! My only recommendation for future revisions is a better rulebook and individual player aids.