It's Hard To Get This Game Played

[jeffreytaylor]

We just had to set aside a day, mark it on the calendar, and say "this is War of the Ring day", and it was one of my favorite gaming experiences I've ever had at a table. It probably won't get tabled again for a couple years but it was worth it.

[PhilipMB]

Games like LOTR is kinda like owning a pool. It's better to have a friend who owns the pool that you can go swimming in.

[Kojimalosophy]

Have you seen the racks in restaurants that can accommodate like x30 3ft by 3ft baking pans? Ok, imagine War of the Ring set up on one of those baking pans and slid into that rack, and then you can have another game set up and stowed away above that one, so when you want to play you simply slide the baking pan out of the rack and set it down on your gaming table, and that's where you keep your absolute favorite game that are a pain to set up, enabling yourself to play them more often, CUZ THEY WILL ALREADY BE SET UP :D !
...(and you don't have to spend 20 minutes to fit everything BACK INTO THE BOX ! It's awesomen)

[perselmokki]

War of the Ring can become a 3-4 hour game with experienced players, and it helps that it's a 2 player game. I have 10 games since last July with a friend who simply loves LotR enough to want to repeat it. First time took ages, but the playtime has become more and more palatable, and last time we even added one of the expansions in.

But of course, it depends on how you can schedule your days. We basically reserve and evening once a while.

[donkeytorin]

It is worth the effort. Definitely my number 1 game. The rules are definitely rough but after a couple reads, the actual gameplay wasn't too difficult

[ninehundred]

It’s my second favorite game of all time! It’s my special occasion game. Birthday weekend? play War of the Ring. Christmas break? Play War of the Ring. Last weekend of Summer Break and I’m about to have to deal with students for another 10 months? Play War of the Ring! 😆

[VTboardgamer]

War of the Ring is a masterpiece! It's a game I only play once or twice a year, but it's just so good every time. It is a game where it's best to schedule a day/night to play it, and be prepared for a 2-4 hour experience depending on how many rule checks you make, or if you have someone who suffers from AP. I've never regretted any game I played of War of the Ring. I do recommend watching a playthrough and taking notes, I personally found that so much more helpful than the rulebook. Before each play I reread my notes (which are around 4 pages) and between that and the player aids I'm usually good without referencing the rule book.

[bgm-]

You asked how we table such a game as WotR? It's easy... Only once or twice a year. It's really as simple as that and is justification enough to own the game. Because the 15 to 20 plays you'll get in during the course of a decade will all be memorable and certainly worth the cost! Even if you have to mark a day on the calendar, it's worth it.

[cfosburg]

I have a table dedicated to gaming.

I’ve owned this game since around 2007 - 1st edition. I remember pulling this out in college, on a day off, with my wife. After 5 hours of finally getting it sorted and set up it was time to put it away 😮. I have never touched the box since that time…until…

About 6 months ago I finally played this with a relative! I used my dedicated table. I reviewed the rules and found consolidated rules as well. Most importantly, I found videos to watch of how to play. They were long but worth it. This whole endeavor of learning, setting up, and playing took a whole week. Normally we would play for about 3 hours at a time. Learning took just as long as the game did.

Games like this can provide a unique experience. You have to be ready, and know what you are getting into, and you have to accept the whole process as part of this experience.

On the whole, it was unforgettable. We had a great time playing this. And I’ll be luckily we ever play it again! 😅

Note: the rules are atrocious for this game. Get consolidated rules and make sure to take notes from how to play videos!

[stox]

The game is insanly well done and has a good game flow once both players understand the rules well enough. But to get there can be challenging and this is a game that will get better everytime you play it, so I recommend to find someone that is at least willing to try it out three times. Then you will get back a return of investment you spend into understanding the rules. Every game will be very different from the events triggered by the cards available, so it will always feel a little bit like an adventure even if it is a strategy game in the first place. It generates a logical story as an alternative to the original Tolkien story.

[sergioperez]

My shelf is full of amazing games that are difficult to get to the table. I generally find simple, short games less satisfying, although I enjoy some of them as well. Some people feel a successful day of gaming is a high count of games played, but I’d rather spend 3-4 hours with one good game than the same amount of time with 3-4 games I find mediocre. The key to getting any of these more difficult to table games though is definitely planning. Get the game group all on board for a game ahead of time.

[michaelhall]

Great game. You just have to plan it in advance. Get someone who will commit and do it or get someone who knows the rules already. One of my favorite games that still holds up after many plays.

[stephenseverino]

This is the exact reason that I haven't purchased it yet. When my group has 3-4 hours to play games, we typically tend to play large miniature wargames (being diehard mini gamers). So, it's a tougher sell to play a long board game. Not sure there's an ideal answer to your question!

[everythingdice]

There's honestly no greater feeling than when the stars align and you and your War of the Ring buddy find a day to play this fantastic game. We would set-up the game reminiscing about the last time we played, then decide who is playing what side (maybe go over a few rules again lol), and then finally turn on a LOTR playlist somewhere on YouTube and dive in. Once you get the rules down (took us two to three plays), a game should last around 3 hours, plus or minus 30 minutes.

[portwills]

Please play this game! I got it too, never played it because of college but that's almost done with. I'd love to see you guys play it in the meantime!

[zakwolschon]

How I got The most out of the game was to schedule it like an event. I found a friend who was on board with the depth/theme and we scheduled several evenings over the course of 6 mo. WotR will never make it to the table by chance, it has to be intentional, as with most things LotR.

[BobbyJuno]

I've been preparing my copy of this game to make it as easy as possible. All those red and blue minis were separated from the game and replaced with different colored wooden cubes (regular units) and wooded discs (elite units). I never painted anything before but I decided to paint the flags each leader is holding so that it matches the wooden pieces I added and the political counter tokens they represent. To me, distinguishing who is who among all those minis appears to be the most daunting part.

[ctarabusi]

I play it with my wife once every couple of months, amazing game! Quite long setup, long game but I love it so much

[timlorow]

I would cull it and then when I see it on someone else's shelf, beg them to play it with you.

[dingodan]

Planning.

Games like this and Twilight Imperium require dedicated people to set aside a Saturday or Sunday to play.

And the experience is worth the effort.