The Lord of the Rings Board Game released in 2000 was designed by the famous game designer Reiner Knizia and was illustrated by the famous Tolkien artist John Howe. The game was very well received and had good reviews, it was praised for being one of first co-operative games.
It was re-released multiple times and also had various expansions giving quite a few items which can be collected.
I am only going to detail the UK and US versions of the game, but please note that there are also versions of the game from many other countries with box covers very similar variations of the UK/US.
The box cover features the icon John Howe image of Gandalf, and the main difference in the various versions is the publisher logo on the front of the box.
The first UK version was published by Hasbro/Parker Brothers in 2000. This has a green triangle on the front of the box with a Hasbro logo in the bottom tight corner.
The first US version was published by Wizard of the Coast also in 2000. This also has a green triangle on the front of the box but has a Wizard of the Coast logo in the bottom right corner.
The second UK version was published by Hasbro/Parker Brothers in 2001. This has an orange triangle on the front of the box with a Hasbro logo in the bottom right co4ner.
The second US version was published by Fantasy Flight in 2001. This has a green triangle on the front of the box but with a red Fantasy Flight logo in the bottom right corner.
The Limited Edition was published in 2001, it was limited to 750 copies, 250 in the US, 250 in the UK and 250 in Europe. The game came in brown box with a picture of the game box on the front, it was signed by both the designer Reiner Knizia and illustrater John Howe. It also came with a pewter Hobbit game piece, a 22ct gold Ring game piece and a Limited Edition art print signed by John Howe.
The Silver Line edition was published by Fantasy Flight in 2010, it was revamped with slight rule changes. It had a green triangle on the front of the box but did not have a square border, it also had a larger Fantasy Flight logo in the bottom left corner.
The Small Box edition was published by Fantasy Flight in 2012, this edition was in a smaller box. It had a green triangle on the front of the box but again had no square border, it also had a small Fantasy Flight logo in the centre bottom. The game boards are also smaller.
The Anniversary edition was published by Fantasy Flight in 2020
It is worth mentioning the Polish version of the game, which is the only country to have a significant box variation. Still featuring the same John Howe Gandalf image, but as a larger image and with no borders.
Expansions
Friends and Foes Expansion This was published in 2001.
Sauron Expansion This was published in 2002.
Battlefields Expansion This was published in 2007.
Other Items
Promo Cards A 4-card Promo Pack, produced by Fantasy Flight and distributed at the Origins 2002 convention.
Moves Magazine Issue #106 Features the game on the cover and a review of the game.
Japanese Flyer Featuring an image by John Howe of the Balrog and Gandalf which is one of the games boards.
There is a review of the game in the Tolkien Society bulletin, Amon Hen 172.
I have the first US edition (Wizards of the Coast) and the first two expansions, Friends and Foes and Sauron. They got a lot of play as my kids were growing up, it is great having a cooperative game so varying levels of skill/interest could all have fun together.
I think this game plays really well, though it might take a few playthroughs to learn how to set the difficulty so you have a (non-guaranteed) chance of winning. It is quite possible to make it impossible to win, and also possible to just "walk into Mordor". The base rules seem pretty well balanced for two or three players - if you have fewer players it gets easier, and if you have more it gets harder.
Wow! What a great write up. I thoroughly enjoyed the details you provided. Thanks very much. I have a few lotr games but none of the ones you described. I will now be on the hunt for some of these.
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