GW Working On New Quest To Mount Doom LotR Board Game
April 5, 2018 by brennon
Games Workshop this week showed off their new board game set in Tolkien's Middle-earth. Quest To Mount Doom has you playing as members of the Fellowship, each trying to be the one who throws The One Ring into Mount Doom.
You are each searching for The One Ring somewhere in Middle-earth and, once found, you will have to outwit and avoid your opponents in order to the one who casts it into the fire. The edge and difference here continue in that the other players won't know you have it, and you'll be trying to make sure you keep the secret safe.
The game uses the film licence here as you'll see in the card art since Fantasy Flight Games still have the keys to the book and wider property. Games Workshop also seems to be reusing some of the old plastic Fellowship miniatures in this game although whether or not they'll come in that shiny material is a different matter.
We know very little more about it at the moment but I have some thoughts, to begin with. While I don't mind things that delve into the canon and mess around with it (Jackson did plenty of that) there's something that just doesn't mesh with me when it comes to the theme here.
It seems odd that they'd have all the different members of The Fellowship clashing against each other to the one to get The One Ring. Considering they have a limited pool to draw from, this seems like a strange choice of story to tell.
Why not change it to be that you're playing as Ringwraiths, Sauron's Nazgul, who are all seeking out The One Ring to return it to their master? The insidious nature of their existence would mean that maybe they'd want to keep it secret from the others and earn the favour of their dark master.
Anyway. We shall see where this goes!
"You are each searching for The One Ring somewhere in Middle-earth and, once found, you will have to outwit and avoid your opponents in order to the one who casts it into the fire..."
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I think there is already a boardgame like the one you propose @Brennon.
It is called “Hunt for the Ring”, put out by Ares Games.
Designers: Marco Maggi, Gabriele Mari, Francesco Nepitello
Artists: John Howe, Francesco Mattioli
Link to Dice Tower review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSPMLTf8sg8
Aye – I do know of this game; although this is about the Ringwraiths hunting down Frodo. What I’m saying is that the theme of this could have been done with Ringwraiths too and been completely different gameplay wise.
I just don’t think I’ll be able to gel well with the idea of the Fellowship all turning on each other to get their hands on the ring…and then be the first to deposit it in Mount Doom. Seems odd to me.
I’m kind of surprised that GW have the licence to produce a boardgame….
Ares do this game plus “War of the Ring” and FFG do a number of board games and card games …..
Seems to be a confused space from both manufacturers and gamers points of view, especially with t/his new game added into the mix.
It’s why the focus of this is the films – all the art is from that etc. Everyone else has the ability to delve into the books.
Well that’s what the Ring does look at frodo turning on sam or Shaun Bean’s caricature when he got the Ring brennon.
True @zorg – but one of the prime themes of the Fellowship is the fact that the others overcome their need to claim the Ring in order to help Frodo.
I know that other games/media have done more to break the themes up a lot more but this one just grated a little bit.
True true.
Yeah- I think that if the whole Fellowship are fighting with one another over “who gets to have the ring and be the hero” then the wold is already doomed, and Sauron has won. I mean, I absolutely cannot see such a glory hound actually dropping the ring in Mount Doom. Now, if we were playing villains from the series, the whole concept makes more sense. Or even if were were playing some of the more powerful beings on middle earth- like if we were all playing Istari and trying to motivate/manipulate others into handling the ring (they might need… Read more »
Yeah, that theme is really off putting. An easy pass.
A player video may help people deside if this one’s a hit or a miss on the game Guy’s?
Aye, the game might be good – and no doubt it will be. GW have been doing some great stuff with their ‘board games’ lately.
Just not sure I can get over what they’re doing with the theme.
What a stupid theme. Easy pass as said above. If I want a hidden movement game, I’ll buy Hunt for The Ring.
They must’ve grabbed the film license from Cryptozoic (no comment on those games either) and THIS is the best they can come up with?
The only other ‘new’ LOTR thing they did was take the community’s ideas on Battlegroups, gussy it up and sell it back to the community?
It may be that GW need to release something new to keep hold of the licence and prevent another company securing it?
Anyone else think this sounds like a reskin of Talisman?
Seems interesting.