Lord of the Rings Reveals New Game (And You Can Play As The Villains)

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The world of Lord of the Rings is becoming increasingly popular in gaming, with titles appearing in various styles. Recently, Tales of the Shire brought a relaxing, cozy experience to fans, and tabletop games like Foes of Middle-earth and Fate of the Fellowship let players recreate the classic adventure. Now, a new Lord of the Rings game has been announced, and it’s coming out this year! What’s unique about this one is that players will get to experience the story from the villains’ perspective.

Asmodee’s new game, Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict, lets 2 to 4 players battle it out as either the forces of good (the Free Peoples) or evil (The Shadow). Players command armies and unlock famous characters like Gandalf and the Witch-King. To win, you must choose whether to corrupt the Fellowship or destroy the One Ring.

Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict Puts A New Spin On The Franchise

In Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict, players control both the forces of good and evil, engaging in strategic battles with unique advantages for each side. To win, you’ll need to cleverly command your armies, forge alliances, and outmaneuver your opponents. You’ll also face tough choices: do you directly attack your enemy’s heroes with powerful Nazgûl, or focus on protecting your own heroes while avoiding Sauron’s watchful eye as you move across the game board?


To win as the Free Peoples, be the first to guide the Fellowship to Mount Doom and defeat Sauron. If you’re playing as the Shadow, your goal is to corrupt the Fellowship entirely and overcome them in battle.

To play Circle of Conflict, you’ll use a large dry-erase book to track the game’s progress. Eight special dice will help you reach your objectives, and a Gollum figure with its own board is also included. Gollum moves on his board when the dice show the One Ring symbol, but how this affects the game and what happens when he reaches the end of his path isn’t yet fully explained.

Every player gets a Battle Board to keep track of the game, and we’ve included four dry-erase markers so you can write on both your Battle Board and your Player Board. After you roll the dice, you’ll pick from several options and mark your choices on your boards for that turn.

The game will feature a variety of characters from the franchise that you can recruit as allies. Based on promotional materials, Gandalf, Arwen, Saruman, the Undead King, and the Witch-King are confirmed to appear. The trailer suggests there will be at least 18 playable characters, each with their own special ability.

Okay, so I’m really intrigued by The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict. It looks like they’re doing something totally different with the LOTR universe, and I just found out it’s coming out on November 6, 2026! I’m definitely marking that date on my calendar.

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2026-03-09 02:10