The Lord of the Rings LCG

Fantasy Flight Games

Cooperative card game against a quest deck. The core-set scenario is modelled completely, including every card used, and plays end to end.

1–4 co-op vs the encounter deck · cooperative

A fixed round of 7 phases with an action window after almost every step. Heroes, allies, enemies and locations are instances with their own state (exhausted, damage, resources, progress). Core Set, scenario Passage through Mirkwood. Both the rules and the card texts are executable: When Revealed, shadow, Forced, Response, Travel and Action effects sit on the card itself as triggers, modifiers and abilities. Rule procedures that come back often (revealing an encounter card, leaving play after damage, exploring a location, advancing the quest) are triggers on an event, so cards can call the same procedure.

Core rules, one to four players (one by default). Starting deck: three heroes and only allies from Leadership and Tactics; events and attachments from the player deck come later. No mulligan. Sentinel and Ranged are modelled (they only matter with more players). Card values: RingsDB (player cards) and Hall of Beorn (encounter cards); the texts below are our own summaries.

Goal and end of the game

  • Win Beorn's Path completed and Ungoliant's Spawn not in play
  • Win Don't Leave the Path and Ungoliant's Spawn defeated
  • Out threat ≥ 50 or all heroes dead
  • Loss all players eliminated

How the game goes

Follow the track from top to bottom. ↻ repeats, a side track is a branch; under every step: what you decide there. Tap a step for what you decide there.

startGameSetup: shuffle, hand,quest 1A↻ Roundno until: the game ends through the end conditions1. Resourcesplayers may play fast actions↻ 2. Planningper active players from the first playerstart planning↻ Play alliesuntil player is donePlay an ally or stopby playerplayers may play fast actions3. Quest↻ Commitper active playersSend ready characterson the quest (exhaust)by playerplayers may play fast actionsStaging: 1 encountercard per playerplayers may play fast actionsΣ willpower vs Σthreat → progress or…players may play fast actions4. Travelby first playerplayers may play fast actions5. Encounter↻ Optional engagementper active playersMay engage 1 enemyfrom stagingby player↻ Engagement checksuntil no enemy can engage any more↻ Per playerper active playersHighest engagement ≤threat engagesplayers may play fast actions6. CombatShadow card to eachengaged enemyplayers may play fast actions↻ Enemy attacksper active players↻ Per enemyper engaged enemies, highest engagement firstEnemy attacksDefender (exhaust) orundefendedby playerTurn over shadow cardsDamage = attack −defenseby playerplayers may play fast actions↻ Player attacksper active players↻ Per engaged enemyper engaged enemiesChoose attackers(exhaust), damage = Σ…by playerplayers may play fast actions7. Refreshplayers may play fast actionsend of the game
All steps in words
  1. Setup: shuffle, hand, quest 1A
  2. Round no until: the game ends through the end conditions
    1. 1. Resources
    2. 2. Planning per active players from the first player
      1. start_planning
      2. Play allies until player is done
        1. Play an ally or stop by player

          One of:

          • play ally

            Allowed if an ally in hand that the heroes of its sphere can pay for.

            • Choose affordable allies in hand
          • done planning
    3. 3. Quest
      1. Commit per active players
        1. Send ready characters on the quest (exhaust) by player
          • Choose ready heroes and allies (zero or more)
      2. Staging: 1 encounter card per player
      3. Σ willpower vs Σ threat → progress or threat goes up
    4. 4. Travel by first player

      One of:

      • travel

        Allowed if no active location and a location in staging whose travel cost can be paid.

        • Choose reachable locations in staging
      • skip travel
    5. 5. Encounter
      1. Optional engagement per active players
        1. May engage 1 enemy from staging by player

          One of:

          • engage enemy

            Allowed if an enemy in staging.

            • Choose enemies in staging
          • skip engage
      2. Engagement checks until no enemy can engage any more
        1. Per player per active players
          1. Highest engagement ≤ threat engages

            Allowed if an enemy with engagement ≤ threat.

    6. 6. Combat
      1. Shadow card to each engaged enemy
      2. Enemy attacks per active players
        1. Per enemy per engaged enemies, highest engagement first
          1. Enemy attacks

            Allowed if the enemy is still engaged.

          2. Defender (exhaust) or undefended by player

            One of:

            • defend

              Allowed if enemy still engaged and a ready character (own, or another player's Sentinel).

              • Choose ready characters
            • undefended

              Allowed if the enemy is still engaged.

          3. Turn over shadow cards

            Allowed if enemy still engaged and has shadow cards.

          4. Damage = attack − defense by player

            Allowed if the enemy is still engaged.

            • If there is a hero: choose own heroes
      3. Player attacks per active players
        1. Per engaged enemy per engaged enemies
          1. Choose attackers (exhaust), damage = Σ attack − defense by player

            One of:

            • attack

              Allowed if enemy still engaged and a ready character (own, or another player's Ranged).

              • Choose ready characters
            • skip attack
    7. 7. Refresh

On the table

13 zones and piles
  • player deck per player · face down · shuffled
  • hand per player · only its owner sees it
  • heroes per player · open
  • allies per player · open
  • attachments per player · open — attachments on this player's characters
  • discard per player · open
  • engaged per player · open
  • staging open
  • encounter deck face down · shuffled
  • revealed open
  • encounter discard open
  • shadow cards face down — face-down shadow cards; which enemy each belongs to is kept in enemy['shadows'] (uids)
  • active location open

Cards and components

heroes 3 items · structure only

player cards 11 items · structure only

encounter 19 items · structure only

quest 4 items · structure only

Under the hood

These rules are read straight from the game's model: the same data the engine plays with. For the exact expressions, the rules diagram and the model source:

Rules diagram

Fan model of a game by Fantasy Flight Games: only the rules structure is shown, in our own words. Cards, scenarios and play are not published without the publisher's permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.