Ares Games is extending the line of expansions for War of the Ring 2nd Edition Board Game with the introduction of a third dedicated expansion. “Kings of the Middle-earth” will be officially introduced at Gen Con in August 2023 and it will be based around the rules of the Free Peoples.
The expansion will help flesh out details about the rules and their part in the bigger world of J.R.R. Tolkien as well as Lord of the Rings saga. This new installment to the franchise will arrive with interesting characters to choose from, including Theoden, Dáin, Brand, Thranduil and Denethor, and tell their stories through evocative gameplay.
War of the Ring 2E is one of the most accomplished war board games for 2-4 players and played in 150-180 minutes. Since it was released in 2011, the game has gone on to achieve international acclaim and is one of the most voted titles on BoardGameGeek, with 19,000 ratings and an average of 8.5.
Kings of Middle-earth focuses on the time prior to the events in the War of the Ring, when the Dark Lord Sauron tried to subjugate the rulers through his clever ploys and machinations, hoping to turn their kingdoms into pawns for his war machine. Many resisted and fought, but some of the rulers were brought on the brink of betraying their own kin.
The rule set for the game is expanded in this third installment and more rules about siege battles and siege machines figures have been introduced. New units for the Shadow Armies are also featured.
More information as to the release date will be provided during Gen Con. Ares Games previously introduced another ambitious expansion to the core game in 2016 with Warriors of Middle-earth.