The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games since 2011. As part of the Living Card Game (LCG) genre, it is a cooperative and strategic card game set in Middle-earth, a fantasy world featured in literary works by J. R. R. Tolkien, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Its digital adaptation, titled The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game, is published by Asmodee Digital since 2019 for cross-platform play on Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, being the "first ever digital LCG".

Mechanics Like other card games in Fantasy Flight's "Living Card Game" line, it has deck construction and regularly released expansions similar to a collectible card game, but without the randomized card distribution.

The game may be played either solitaire or with a group. The revised core set released in 2022 supports up to four players, whereas the original core set supported up to 2 players with a single core set, and up to 4 players can play with an additional core set. Unlike most card games of this type, this game is a cooperative game; the players are not opponents, but work together against an "encounter deck" which represents the forces of Sauron and produces the obstacles that the players have to conquer.

Each player has their own cards: their heroes (up to 3) which start in play, and a deck of at least 50 cards, composed of Allies, Attachments (such as weapons, armor, and other items), and Events. Although the core set comes with pre-constructed decks, deck construction is a major aspect of the game, and many players build their own decks, utilising cards from the various expansions. Community The Lord of the Rings Living Card Game has an active following, with multiple podcasts and blogs dedicated to discussing gameplay, strategy, deck-building, and news, as well as providing custom content. Podcasts include Card Talk Cardboard of the Rings, The Grey Company, and The Mouth of Sauron. Blogs include Tales From the Cards, Hall of Beorn, Master of Lore, Dor Cuarthol, and Vision of the Palantir. Rings DB provides an online platform for generating and sharing decks and quest experiences.

Revised Core and New Distribution Model In September 2021, FFG announced plans to release a revised core set as well as adopting a new distribution model for expansions and player cards. The revised core sought to incorporate player concerns by (1) providing support for 4 players out of the box, (2) providing 3 copies of all player cards, and (3) adding a campaign mode that also serves to smooth out some of the difficulty challenges with the introductory scenarios, especially when playing true solo. Specifically, many expansions that were previously distributed over multiple products have been combined into one or two boxes (with a campaign mode added). In addition to the core lord of the rings trilogy series, three of the many other cycles have been repacked this way. Some of the key Player cards from omitted cycles are available in starter decks tailored to particular types of heros (i.e., dwarves, elves, gondor, rohan).

The revised core box and the distribution model has generally been well received by the LOTR LCG community (8.5 rating on BGG). The revised core box resolved a range of long-time complaints with original core box: about excessive difficulty and needing to buy two core boxes to have sufficient cards or play 3 players, and the campaign mode was a welcome addition. The updated distribution model that aggregates expansions into a smaller number of boxes has also made it easier for new players to acquire them. The community is also pleased to see that the product has ongoing support. Several cycles have not been repackaged, and many in the community would like to see them repackaged and reprinted in the future, but as of 2025, FFG has not expressed any plans to do so.

On July 18, 2024, FFG announced the release of the final officially repackaged expansion. On March 16, 2026, a community manager for FFG wrote, about some of the repackaged expansions and starter decks, that they were out of stock at the US Asmodee store and that they did not intend on ordering more, adding that it was very unlikely that any other print runs would be done . These elements suggest that there will no longer be official printing of the game and that it will no longer be possible for players to obtain new copies.

Expansions When the game was originally released, there were several types of expansion to this game. Expansions were released in cycles which usually shared a mechanical or story-driven theme. They typically consisted of a deluxe expansion (with 3 quests) supplemented by 6 Adventure Packs for a total of 9 quests per cycle. Since 2021, cycle expansions have been repacked so that each cycle is divided into two products, a Hero Expansion (with player cards) and a Campaign Expansion (with quests and campaign cards).

The Saga Expansions follow the story of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, with the initial time-frame for the game the 17 years between Bilbo leaving The Shire and Frodo following him. The latter introduced a mode of play called Campaign mode allowing for some degree of permanence between the quests telling the story. Players can earn powerful "Boon" cards, which can be used in the following quests, as well as "Burden" cards which make future quests more difficult.

A complete list of both the expansions both as they were originally released and in their repackaged form is available on Halls of Beorn with a separate page listing all scenarios and their user-rated difficulty levels. Name of the expansion Type of expansion SKU Release year Khazad-dûm Deluxe Expansion MEC08 2011 Heirs of Numenor Deluxe Expansion MEC17 2012 The Voice of Isengard Deluxe Expansion MEC25 2014 The Lost Realm Deluxe Expansion MEC38 2015 The Grey Havens Deluxe Expansion MEC47 2015 The Sands of Harad Deluxe Expansion MEC55 2016 The Wilds of Rhovanion Deluxe Expansion MEC65 2018 A Shadow in the East Deluxe Expansion MEC77 2019 Angmar Awakened Hero Hero Expansion MEC107 2022 Angmar Awakened Campaign Campaign Expansion MEC108 2022 The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion MEC16 2012 The Hobbit: On the Doorstep Saga Expansion MEC24 2013 The Black Riders Saga Expansion MEC32 2013 The Road Darkens Saga Expansion MEC34 2014 The Treason of Saruman Saga Expansion MEC45 2015 The Land of Shadow Saga Expansion MEC46 2015 The Flame of the West Saga Expansion MEC54 2016 The Mountain of Fire Saga Expansion MEC62 2017 The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion MEC109 2022 The Massing at Osgiliath Standalone Scenarios uMEC15 2011 The Battle of Lake-town Standalone Scenarios uMEC35 2012 The Stone of Erech Standalone Scenarios uMEC33 2013 Fog on the Barrow-downs Standalone Scenarios uMEC36 2014 The Old Forest Standalone Scenarios uMEC37 2014 The Ruins of Belegost Standalone Scenarios uMEC63 2015 Murder at the Prancing Pony Standalone Scenarios uMEC64 2015 The Siege of Annuminas Standalone Scenarios uMEC72 2016 Attack on Dol Guldur Standalone Scenarios uMEC74 2017 The Wizard's Quest Standalone Scenarios uMEC75 2018 The Woodland Realm Standalone Scenarios uMEC76 2018 The Mines of Moria Standalone Scenarios uMEC84 2020 Escape from Khazad-dûm Standalone Scenarios uMEC85 2020 The Hunt for the Dreadnaught Standalone Scenarios MEC86 2020 The Dark of Mirkwood Standalone Scenarios MEC102 2022

Adventure Pack Cycles continue the story of Deluxe Expansions, or, in the case of the Shadows of Mirkwood Cycle, the Base Game. Each Deluxe expansion provides encounter cards for three scenarios, and each Adventure Pack in the associated Cycle provides encounter cards for one more scenario. Both types of expansions also introduce new player cards. An Adventure pack consists of 60 fixed cards. Adventure Pack name Cycle Expansion SKU The Hunt for Gollum Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC02 Conflict at the Carrock Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC03 A Journey to Rhosgobel Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC04 The Hills of Emyn Muil Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC05 The Dead Marshes Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC06 Return to Mirkwood Shadows of Mirkwood Base Game MEC07 The Redhorn Gate Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC09 Road to Rivendell Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC10 The Watcher in the Water Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC11 The Long Dark Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC12 Foundations of Stone Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC13 Shadow and Flame Dwarrowdelf Khazad-dum MEC14 The Steward's Fear Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC18 The Druadan Forest Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC19 Encounter at Amon Din Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC20 Assault on Osgiliath Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC21 The Blood of Gondor Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC22 The Morgul Vale Against the Shadow Heirs of Numenor MEC23 The Dunland Trap The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC26 The Three Trials The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC27 Trouble in Tharbad The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC28 The Nin-in-Eilph The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC29 Celebrimbor's Secret The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC30 The Antlered Crown The Ring-maker The Voice of Isengard MEC31 The Wastes of Eriador Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC39 Escape from Mount Gram Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC40 Across the Ettenmoors Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC41 The Treachery of Rhudaur Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC42 The Battle of Carn Dûm Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC43 The Dread Realm Angmar Awakened The Lost Realm MEC44 Flight of the Stormcaller Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC48 The Thing in the Depths Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC49 Temple of the Deceived Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC50 The Drowned Ruins Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC51 A Storm on Cobas Haven Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC52 The City of Corsairs Dream Chaser The Grey Havens MEC53 The Mûmakil Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC56 Race Across Harad Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC57 Beneath the Sands Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC58 The Black Serpent Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC59 The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC60 The Crossings of Poros Haradrim The Sands of Harad MEC61 The Withered Heath Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC66 Roam Across Rhovanion Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC67 Fire in the Night Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC68 The Ghost of Framsburg Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC69 Mount Gundabad Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC70 The Fate of Wilderland Ered Mithrin The Wilds of Rhovanion MEC71 Wrath and Ruin Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC78 The City of Ulfast Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC79 Challenge of the Wainriders Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC80 Under the Ash Mountains Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC81 The Land of Sorrow Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC82 The Fortress of Nurn Vengeance of Mordor A Shadow in the East MEC83

Digital adaptation