{"title":"Lord of the Rings Games","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"lotr-duel-for-middle-earth","title":"LotR: Duel for Middle-Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Eye has turned. The Fellowship is forming. Across the table, your opponent is trying to send Nazgul after Frodo while you're trying to get Mount Doom into the Ring's reach. You have thirty minutes. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuel for Middle-earth is a head-to-head two-player game from Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala, the designers behind 7 Wonders Duel. Each turn you draft a card from a shared display, using it to gain influence in regions of Middle-earth, raise an army of allies, or push the Ring closer to Mordor or to Sauron's grasp. There are three ways to win at any moment: complete the quest for the Ring, ally with six Peoples of Middle-earth, or dominate enough regions to control the map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes it sing is the multiple win conditions running in parallel. You can't defend everything, and your opponent can't push for everything. The whole game is reading what they're going for and deciding what to give up so you don't lose to the threat you're not watching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's one of the cleanest, fastest two-player games we carry. Couples will love it as a date-night staple. Tolkien fans will love how much character the cards manage to pack into thirty minutes. Strategy gamers familiar with 7 Wonders Duel will appreciate the thematic redesign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you already love 7 Wonders Duel, you'll like this. If you've never played a card-drafting two-player game before, this is a great place to start.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Game Connection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48376493965561,"sku":"ASM7DUME-EN01","price":29.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/7527\/5001\/files\/01-box-front_1c8e715a-a71c-4319-a88c-5bffaccc7f0f.jpg?v=1778278137"},{"product_id":"the-two-towers-trick-taking-game","title":"The Two Towers: Trick Taking Game","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Fellowship has broken. Frodo and Sam are alone in the wild. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are racing across Rohan. And around your table, the trick-taking deck is dealing out the cards that decide whether Helm's Deep holds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Two Towers Trick-Taking Game is the standalone followup to last year's Fellowship of the Ring trick-taking title. You and your teammates play tricks against the deck, trying to follow suit, win specific tricks, or avoid specific cards depending on the chapter you're playing through. The cooperative communication limits are the puzzle: you can hint, but you can't share information directly, and you've got to read what your teammates are holding from the way they play.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat sets the series apart is how well the storytelling fits the trick-taking framework. The chapters reframe the same core mechanics around different Middle-earth scenes, and a campaign mode (The Road Goes Ever On) chains them together for groups who want to play through the whole story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCo-op gaming groups, families with teens, and Tolkien fans looking for a quick way to revisit favorite scenes will all find a great fit. Plays 1 to 4 with the recommended count of 4, and runs 20 minutes per round, so you can play three or four chapters in an evening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you already love The Crew or you've played the Fellowship game and want more, this is the most natural next step you can buy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Game Connection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48376494489849,"sku":"ASMODLO05","price":26.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/7527\/5001\/files\/01-box-front_6573e95b-303a-48a0-b94e-ca201041d6bf.jpg?v=1778278145"},{"product_id":"the-fellowship-of-the-ring-trick-taking","title":"The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrodo is in the Shire. Gandalf is on the road. Strider is waiting in Bree. And around your table, the trick-taking deck is dealing out the cards that decide whether the Fellowship makes it as far as Rivendell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game is a cooperative card game that wraps the familiar mechanics of Hearts or The Crew around the structure of the first Lord of the Rings book. Each chapter has its own cooperative goal: maybe one player has to win a specific trick, maybe the team has to avoid certain cards, maybe you're protecting Frodo from a specific suit. You can't share what's in your hand. You have to read what your teammates play and trust them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat makes it work is the storytelling. The chapters mirror the events of the book in a way that feels designed rather than decorative, and the stained-glass card art is some of the most striking art on a co-op card game in years. The cooperative pressure mounts as the Fellowship breaks down through the later chapters, and the final chapter at the breaking of the Fellowship is genuinely tense.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCooperative gaming groups, Tolkien fans, and families with teens are all great fits. Plays 1 to 4, with 4 the recommended count and a strong solo mode in the box. About 20 minutes per chapter, so you can play through 3 to 5 chapters in an evening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you love The Crew but wish it had more story, this is the most natural next purchase you can make.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Game Connection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48376494620921,"sku":"ASMODLO01","price":25.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/7527\/5001\/files\/01-box-front_7b2d8bda-f9e4-447f-9380-5acfa719a819.jpg?v=1778278148"}],"url":"https:\/\/thegameconnection.com\/collections\/lord-of-the-rings-games.oembed","provider":"The Game Connection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}