rm9a eng basic rules 9.2

8/6/2019 RM9A ENG Basic Rules 9.2

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G. Presi

War for the Middle Earth BASIC RULES

Eglish raslai by:

SEAn FoRREStER

FoR 3-6 PLAYERSPLAYInG tIME: 3 HoURS

AGES: 10 AnD oVER

Ring

M aster

9.2



RINGMASTER

A magical Ring lost for centuries has been found by a small hobbit of Middle-earth. Such is its

power that all the forces of the Dark Lord have rallied to recover it...Between battling armies and

duels to the death, who will be the sole ruler of Middle-earth?

GAME CoMpoNENTS150 Infantry (small armies) in six different colors (25 per color)

30 Cavalry (medium armies) in six different colors (5 per color)

30 Leviathans (large armies) in six different colors (5 per color)

1 board representing the Middle-earth

64 Battle Cards

RInGMAStER - Versi 9.2 - Cpyrigh 2000-2011 by:

Gioacchino Prestigiacomo - Via Cufa 6 - 21040 Morazzone (VA) - [email protected]

Credits: Sean Forrester, Antonio Chavez, David Grognard, Corrado Baggioni, Fabio Carta.

All rights of Lord of the Rings are Copyright by their respective owners.

BATTLE CARDS

There are 3 types of Battle Cards in the game:

OrdnanceTroop

R i n g m a s t e r

2

Magic

MAGIC CARDS

These cards may only be played at

the beginning of a player’s turn. They

represent powerful spells and artifactsthat can inuence the strategies of the

players. Magic Cards are marked by a

red border.

tYPE CoMBAt MoVEMEnt CoSt

Ifary 1 2 2

Cavalry 2 3 3

Leviahas * 3 1 3

ARMy VALuES TABLE

There are 3 types of Army Units in the game:

* trlls, oliphaus, Wargs, Eagles, Gias, ad Es.

tRooP AnD oRDnAnCE CARDS

These cards may only be played dur-

ing combat and serve to change the

outcome of battle. Troop Cards aremarked with a yellow border and

Ordnance Cards with a brown.



1. THE GAME BoARDThe board represents Middle-earth and is divided into 50 regions as follows:

30 Domains – colored land territories, such as Gorgoroth or Umbar

12 Neutral Territories – tan land territories, such as The Shire or Brown Lands

3 Sea Territories – blue water territories, such as Great Southern Sea or Bay of Belfalas

5 Mountain Passes – double-sided arrows, such as Moria or High Pass

NOTE: All Domains, Neutral Territories, Sea Territories, and Mountain Passes are identied collectively by

he erm “erriries”.

2. BATTLE CARDS

There are 3 types of Battle Cards:

Magic Cards (red border) may be played only during the magic phase (§ 5) and represent legendary magical

powers and artifacts of Middle-earth.

Troop Cards (yellow border) may only be played during the combat phase (§ 7) and represent the military units

deployed in support of the Army Units on the game board.

Ordnance Cards (brown border) may only be played during the combat phase and represent objects capable of

inuencing the outcome of a battle.

As explained below, you may only draw new cards during the Reinforcement Phase (§ 12).

Players cannot have more than 7 Battle Cards. Any excess cards must be discarded immediately. All played cards

are always discarded and placed face up next to the draw deck. When the draw deck is exhausted, shufe the discard

pile to form a new draw deck.

NOTE: Players cannot exchange or display their cards.

1.

2.

3.

CHALLEnGE SYMBoLS

All Battle Cards are marked in the up-

per right corner with one of followingsymbols:

They will be necessary to determine the

outcome of Duels (§ 7.5) fought during

the course of the game.

Muai PassDmai

MuaisSea terriryScore Tracker

neural terriry

Challege Char

B a s i c R u l e s

3



3. GAME SETupPlayers decide who will go rst. The rst player chooses the color

of his Army Units, based on the number of players in the game

as shown in TABLE 1. For example, if there are 4 players, the

available armies to choose from are Yellow, Black, Green, and

Red. Once the rst player has chosen his Army Units all other

players follow in turn, clockwise around the board.

3.1 - SET-up

Shufe the Battle Card deck and place it face down next to the board.Deal 1 Battle Card to the rst player, 2 to the second, 3 to the third, and so on to all players.

Each player receives 12 Infantry (Army Units) pieces in the color they chose.

The rst player chooses where to place his Infantry pieces. During Setup, Infantry pieces may only be placed

in Domains of a matching color. For example, the Blue Player may only place their armies on Forlindon,

Harlindon, Withered Heath, Lonely Mountain, or Iron Hills. Once the rst player has placed all their armies

all other players follow in turn.

3.2 - NEuTRAL DoMAINS

Before starting the game, all Domains not initially controlled by a player receive 3 Infantry pieces in the same color

as the territory. These pieces are called Neutral Armies. During the course of the game, Neutral Armies cannot move

but can defend themselves from attacks (§ 8).

NOTE: Do not confuse Neutral Domains with Neutral Territories!

4. GAME TuRNAfter all players have placed their Army Units, a new starting player is determined. The new turn order will last for

the rest of the game. On a turn, each player will carry out 4 Phases in the following order:

1. Magic Phase (§ 5)

2. Movement Phase (§ 6)

3. Combat Phase (§ 7)

4. Reinforcement Phase (§ 12)

Once all 4 Phases have been completed, play passes to the next player.

NOTE: When all players have completed their turn the Game Round is over and a new round begins.

5. MAGIC pHASEThe current player may choose only one of the following actions:

MEDITATION - the player discards any one of his Battle Cards and draw another card from the deck.

MAGIC ATTACK - the player declares he is launching a magic attack on the opponent of his choice and plays a

Magic Card from his hand. At this time the opponent may cast a Counterspell (§ 5.1) to cancel the attack. If the

Magic Card is not canceled, the effect is applied as described on the card. All Magic Cards played as an attack or

as a Counterspell are discarded face up next to the draw deck. The current player may continue playing Magic

Cards against the same opponent or any other opponent of his choice, in the same manner as described above.

5.1 - CouNTERSpELL

A player attacked by a Magic Card can completely cancel the attack by discarding any Magic Card in his possession. For

example, if your opponent summons “Lightning Bolts” against you, you may discard your own “Lightning Bolts” card, or

the “Terror” card, or any other Magic Card in your hand to cancel the attack. However, you cannot cancel a Counterspell

with another Counterspell. Any Magic Card used as a Counterspell does not have the effect printed on the card.NOTE: The Neutral Armies of a Neutral Domain are immune to the effects of all Magic Cards!

6. MoVEMENT pHASEThe current player can choose to move any number of his Army Units. Each Army Unit may move 1, 2, or 3 adja-

cent territories, depending on the Movement Value of each army (see “Army Values Table” on page 2). If an Army

Unit moves through a territory occupied by an opponent, he must stop his movement and engage in battle during

the next Combat Phase (§ 7)

6.1 - MouNTAIN pASSES

Mountain ranges may only be crossed through a Mountain Pass, represented by red (Treacherous Pass) and orange (Normal

Pass) double-sided arrows. Army Units can garrison or cross Mountain Passes, the same way as any other territory.

NOTE: A Treacherous Pass (red color) offers more protection than a Normal Pass (orange color) (§ 7.3)!

7. CoMBAT pHASETo engage in battle a player must move at least one of his Army Units into a territory controlled by opponent

forces. It is possible to attack more than one opponent in separate territories during a single turn. In this case, the

attacker will always decide in what order to engage a battle. To resolve a battle, follow these procedures:

1.2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

tAB.1 - ARMIES At WAR

Player Color

3 Yellow, Black, Green.

4 Yellow, Black, Green, Red.

5 Yellow, Black, Green, Red, Blue.

6 ALL.

R i n g m a s t e r

4



The attacker lines up his forces, selecting the Battle Cards he wishes to use in the battle and showing

them to his opponent. Remember that once the attacker’s cards are revealed no additional cards may

be added to his forces. The defender repeats these steps.

The attacker applies the effects of the Ordnance Cards he has played in any order he chooses and resolves

hem immediaely. the defeder repeas hese seps.

The attacker calculates his total Combat Value by adding the value of all remaining Army Units and

Battle Cards engaged in combat. The defender repeats these steps.

Whever has he HIGHESt Cmba Value wins the battle!

NOTE: During a battle you cannot play Magic Cards.

7.1 - BATTLE CARDS

The attacking player is always rst to show his Battle Cards. Only after the attacker has displayed his cards will the defend-

ing player decide which and how many cards to play. After the defender has played his cards, the attacker cannot play any

more cards. A player may play as many Battle Cards as the number of Army Units they have involved in the battle. For

example, if a player engages in battle with 2 Infantry and 1 Leviathan, he may play a maximum of 3 Battle Cards.

NOTE: Once the battle has been resolved, all cards played are discarded and placed next to the draw deck!

7.2 - BATTLE RESoLuTIoN

The attacker and defender both calculate their Combat Value. The player with the highest value wins the battle and

will occupy the territory involved in the battle. The losing player must:

Reduce the size of his Army Units by the difference between the attacker and defender Combat Values. The eliminated

units are chosen by the losing player. For example, if in a battle one player has a Combat Value of 6 compared to their

opponent’s 8, the difference is 2. Therefore, the defeated player chooses 2 Army Units to eliminate from the game.

Withdraw the surviving Army Units to an adjacent territory free of enemy units. If the surviving units cannot withdraw

they are destroyed and removed from the game.

NOTE: If a player loses all of his Army Units as a result of Ordnance Cards, the battle continues. However,

the player’s Combat Value will be calculated based only on the Battle Cards they have played! If both the

attacker and defender loose all their Army Units, the territory will left empty.

7.3 - FoRTIFIED TERRIToRIES AND MouNTAIN pASSES

All territories and mountain passes marked by red or orange stars are considered Fortied Territories. The armies defend-ing in these territories multiply their combat value as shown in TABLE 2:

NOTE: Fortied Territories do not multiply the value of the cards used in battle, only the value of the defend-

ing Army Units!

7.4 - MILITARy FoRMATIoNS

Playing 3 or more Mercenary or Pikemen cards creates a stronger military formation. Change their combined Combat

Value according to these congurations:

HORDE (3 or more Mercenaries): Each Mercenary played is worth 2 points.

PHALANX (3 or more Pikemen): Each Pikeman played is worth 2 points.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

1.

2.

tABLE 2: FoRtIFIED tERRItoRY BonUS

NormalPass(oraNgearrow):doublesthevalueofitsCombatforCes.

Citadel(oraNgestar ):doublesthevalueofitsCombatforCes.

treaCherousPass(redarrow):triPlesthevalueofitsCombatforCes.

fortress(redstar ):triPlesthevalueofitsCombatforCes.

tRooP CARDS

These cards contain a Combat Value in the upper left

corner of the card. The higher the value the greater

the power of a card in battle. Troop Cards are marked

by a yellow border.

oRDnAnCE CARDS

These cards are played in support of a battle and their

effects always refer to the Troop Cards or Army Units

involved in the battle. The effect of an Ordnance

Card cannot be changed after it has been associated

with a Troop Card. For example, if an “Armor” card

is used to double the combat value of a Troop Card

that is later destroyed, the “Armor” card cannot

be used to double the value of another Troop Card.

Ordnance Cards are marked by a brown border.

B a s i c R u l e s

5



7.5 - THE DuEL

If a battle ends in a draw, the attacker may decide to withdraw from the battle

or may challenge their opponent in a duel to the death!

In a duel, the attacker becomes the Challenger and both players draw a Battle

Card. Both players check the Challenge Symbol on their card and compare them

to determine who had won (see TABLE 3). The loser chooses and removes one

of his Army Units from the territory. The winner may choose to continue the

duel as the Challenger or withdraw all of their forces from the battle.

The duel continues until all the Army Units of one side have been destroyed or

one side withdraws.

To remember the order of the Challenge Symbols, refer to the Challenge Chart

in the lower right corner of the map.

NOTE: If both players draw the same Challenge Symbol, the Challenger loses the Duel!

REMEMBER: The Eye looks at the Nazgul, the Nazgul holds the Blade, the Blade blinds the Eye, and the

Ring rules them all!

7.6 - CoMBAT ExAMpLE

7 Black Infantry attack a Citadel territory defended by 3 Yellow Infantry. The two armies launch into battle...

PLAYERS LInE UP tHEIR BAttLE CARDS:

PLAYERS RESoLVE tHE EFFECtS oF tHEIR oRDnAnCE CARDS:

1) The attacker chooses to resolves their cards by destroying a Yellow Infantry (Army Unit) with the Catapult and

by doubling the value of the Archers (taking them to 4 points) with the Armor.

2) The defender chooses to resolve their cards by using the Fire of Orthanc to destroy Black’s Archers card (whose

value had just been doubled by the Armor).

ATTACKER: 7 black Infantry

Black is the attacker and will play rst by showing their opponent the following cards:

Catapult (O), Armor (O), Archers (+2).

DEFENDER: 3 yellow Infantry in a Citadel

After having seen and examined the cards played by the attacker, Yellow follows with the following cards:

Fire of Orthanc (O), Crossbowmen (+3), Pikemen (+1).

tABLE 3CHALLEnGE SYMBoLS

defeas

defeas

defeas

defeats all!

R i n g m a s t e r

6



CALCULAtE tHE FInAL CoMBAt VALUE:

1) The attacker calculates a nal Combat Value of 7 points: 7 Infantry at 1 point each. Only the value of the armies

are counted since the Archers were destroyed by the Fire of Orthanc.

2) The defender calculates a nal Combat Value of 8 points: 4 (2 surviving Infantry doubled by the Citadel territory

bonus) + 3 (value of Crossbowmen) + 1 (value of Pikemen).

oUtCoME oF tHE BAttLE:

The battle did not go well for Black, who loses one Infantry (Combat Value of 7 compared to 8) and must retreat to an adjacent

territory containing no enemy units. If he can’t retreat then all of his units will be destroyed and removed from the board!

8. ATTACKING NEuTRAL DoMAINSWhen a player invades a Neutral Domain containing Neutral Armies, the attacker plays his Battle Cards as usual. Then, the

player to the attacker’s left draws one Battle Card from the deck for each Neutral Army Unit in the territory. These cards

are revealed and played in the best possible combination. Magic Cards (which are not used during battle) are discarded

and no replacements are drawn.

NOTE: Neutral Armies do not withdraw, even when they win a Duel! If the attacker has not defeated all Neutral

Armies in a territory, he must withdraw even if he won the battle.

9. pLAyER ELIMINATIoNWhen a player loses all of their armies on the map, he is eliminated from the game. The player who has destroyed the

last army of another player will receive all the Battle Cards held by the eliminated player as a reward. The maximum

hand size is seven cards. Any excess cards must be discarded at the player’s choice.

10. CoASTAL DoMAINSAll Domains bordering a Sea Territory are considered Coastal Domains. Army Units may sail to and from Coastal

Domains by traveling through the Sea Territor ies. To sail, Army Units must start their move on a Coastal Domain.

When sailing, Army Units may move a maximum of 2 territories per turn, regardless of their normal Movement

Value. When an Army Unit lands, his movement is concluded. Army Units in a Sea Territory do not block the

movement of other enemy units in transit. Army Units belonging to different players can simultaneously occupy a

Sea Territory and do not attack each other.

NOTE: Army Units cannot sail from a Neutral Territory!

11. HoARDING

Although a player may attack a territory with an unlimited number of Army Units, at the end of their turn they may onlygarrison a maximum of 10 Army Units in any single territory. All excess units must be eliminated from the game.

12. REINFoRCMENT pHASEIn this phase, each player earns Reinforcement Points (RP) that can be spent to purchase new Battle Cards and Army

Units at the costs indicated in TABLE 4:

12.1 - REINFoRCEMENT poINTS

The current player earns 1 Reinforcement Point (RP) for each Domain and

Neutral Territory controlled by his Amy Units. Any Army Unit purchased as

reinforcements must be placed on the player’s starting Domains (Domains with

the same color as their armies). If this is not possible the purchased Army must

be eliminated from the game. Any RP’s not used will be lost.

NOTE: Sea Territories and Mountain Passes do not provide RP!

13. END GAME

The rst player to score 10 Victory Points (VP) wins the game. VP are earned by capturing either opponents’ Domains

or Neutral Domains. The values are as follows:

1 VP for each regular Domain.

2 VP for each Citadel Domain (orange star).

3 VP for each Fortress Domain (red star).

Of course, Mountain Passes, Sea Territories, Neutral Territories and Domains of a player’s own color do not provide VP!

For a longer or shorter game simply adjust the winning VP amount at the start of the game (minimum of 7 VP).

NOTE: If a player’s Army Units are destroyed or forced to withdraw from a previously captured Domain, the

player will lose any earned VP related to that Domain.

14. THE SCoRE TRACKERUse the Score Tracker in the lower left corner of the map to keep score throughout the game. At the start of the game

place an army token for each color army in play in the center of the Score Tracker. At the end of each player’s turn

update the Score Tracker, according to the losses or gains that have been made for all players.

•

•

•

tABLE 4

REInFoRCEMEntS

Cost tyPe

1 RP 1 Bale Card

2 RP 1 Ifary Ui

3 RP 1 Cavalry Ui

3 RP 1 Leviaha Ui

B a s i c R u l e s

7

rm9a eng basic rules 9.2

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