10.

3
 BASIC LEVEL
(3 to 6 players)
Basic Level
A magic ring lost for centuries is found by a small Hobbit. It’s so powerful, that all the Dark
Lord’s forces are mobilized to recover it... Between armies fighting to the death, who will rule
Middle Earth?
This Rulebook is divided into three levels of increasing difficulty (Basic, Advanced and
Team). Depending on the level of difficulty, the game can be played between 2 to 6 players.

COMPONENTS – BASIC LEVEL

• 150 Infantry (small army) in yellow, black, green, red, blue and purple (25 armies for each color).
• 30 Cavalry (medium army) in yellow, black, green, red, blue and purple (5 armies for each color).
• 30 Leviathans (large army) in yellow, black, green, red, blue and purple (5 armies for each color).
• 1 Game board representing Middle Earth.
• 1 Morannon token (The Black Gate).
• 64 Battle Cards (with orange back).
BATTLE CARDS
(MAGIC)
Magic cards are used at the begin-
ning of a player’s turn and repre-
sent powerful spells and artifacts
BATTLE CARDS able to influence the strategies of
(TROOP) the players. These cards can also
Troop cards are used during a be used to cancel opponents spell
battle to modify the result of the effects. They have a red border.
fight. They have a yellow border
and values of 1, 2 or 3 points.

THE MORANNON
This token is located above the dot-
ted line that divides the territories
of Dagorlad and Gorgoroth. The
Morannon is a giant black gate
BATTLE CARDS controlled by the Black Army only.
(ORDNANCE) It prevents the passage of all enemy
Ordnance cards are used during a forces in Gorgoroth.
battle to give unpredictable fight NOTE: If the Gorgoroth is con-
results. Each card produces a par- quered by enemy armies, the gate
ticular effect described on it. They is destroyed and the Morannon
have a brown border. token is eliminated from the
game!

TABLE 1 – ARMIES’ VALUE

Type Force Movement Cost
Infantry 1 2 2
Cavalry 2 3 3
Leviathans* 3 1 3

2
*Trolls, Oliphaunts, Werewolves, Eagles, Giants and Ents.
RINGMASTER - Version 10.3 (February 2014) - Copyright 2000-2014 by:
Gioacchino Prestigiacomo - Via Cuffia 6 - 21040 Morazzone (VA) - slegato@yahoo.com
Thanks to: Rick Blaney, Roig Yves, Sean Forrester, Antonio Chavez, David Grognard, Corrado Baggioni, Fabio Carta, Varese Wargame Club.
ALL THE RIGHTS OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS ARE COPYRIGHT BY THEIR OWNERS.
1. GAME BOARD
The game board represents Middle Earth and is divided into 50 territories as follows:
30 Domains represented by colored areas such as GORGOROTH and UMBAR.

Basic Level
12 Neutral Territories in light brown like the SHIRE and DAGORLAD.
4 Mountain Passes represented by double arrows in red or orange, such as HIGH PASS or MORIA.
4 Maritime Areas such as the SEA OF RHUN, or the GREAT SEA.
NOTE: all Domains, Neutral Territories, Mountain Passes and Maritime Areas are collectively identified with
the term “territories”.

Neutral Territory Mountain Pass Morannon Citadel Fortress

Score Wheel Domain Maritime Area Challenge Chart

2. BATTLE CARDS
1. MAGIC CARDS (red border): may be only played during the Magic Phase (§6) and represent legendary
spells and artifacts of Middle Earth.
2. TROOP CARDS (yellow border): may be only played during a battle and represent military units deployed
in support of the armies on the board.
3. ORDNANCE CARDS (brown border): may be only played during a battle and represent military material
capable of influencing the result of a battle.
Each player can hold in his hand a maximum of 9 Battle cards. Any excess cards must be discarded (player’s choice).
More Battle cards can be drawn, but only during the Reinforcement Phase (§14). Played cards are always discarded
and placed face up, next to the draw deck. When the deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
NOTE: players can never exchange or show their cards!

CHALLENGE SYMBOLS
All Battle Cards are marked with
one of the following symbols:

They will be needed to determine

the outcome of Duels (§8.5) carried
out during the game.
3
 3. ARMIES AT WAR
Players decide who will go first. The first player chooses the color TABLE 2 – ARMIES AT WAR
of his Army Units, based on the number of players in the game, as Player Color
shown in TABLE 2 (for example in a 4 player game, the armies 3 Yellow, Black, Green.
Basic Level
4 Yellow, Black, Green, Red.
that you can choose from are only: yellow, black, green and red).
5 Yellow, Black, Green, Red, Blue
The others follow in turn, clockwise 6 All.

4. BASIC LEVEL SET-UP

1. Place the Morannon token above the dotted line that divides Dagorlad from Gorgoroth.
2. Shuffle the Battle Cards and place them face down, next to the game board.
3. Distribute 1 Battle Card to the 1st player, 2 cards to the 2nd, 3 cards to the 3rd , 4 cards to the 4th, 5 cards to
the 5th and 6 cards to the 6th.
4. Each player receives 12 Infantry (Army Units) in the color he previously chose.
5. The first player places all of his Infantry, but only on Domains of his color and in any Mountain Passes adjacent
to his domains (e.g.: the black player can place his armies on these territories: Southern Mirkwood, Eastern
Wilderlands, Gorgoroth, Nurn, Lithlad and in the pass of Cirith Ungol). The other players will do the same in
their respective turns
4.1 - NEUTRAL DOMAINS
At the beginning of the game, all Domains not controlled by a player receive 3 Infantry pieces in the same color as
the territory (Neutral Armies). During the course of the game, Neutral Armies cannot move, but can defend them-
selves from attacks (§10).
NOTE: do not confuse Neutral Domains with Neutral Territories.

5. GAME TURN
After 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. During their turn, each player will carry out 4 Phases in the following order:
1. Magic Phase (§6).
2. Movement Phase (§7).
3. Combat Phase (§8).
4. Reinforcement Phase (§14).

6. MAGIC PHASE
In this phase, the current player can play only ONE of the following options :
• MEDITATION – The player discards one of his Battle Cards and takes another one from the deck.
• MAGICAL ATTACK – The player declares against which opponent he will launch a Magical Attack and chooses
one of his Magic Cards by showing it. The opponent examines the card and eventually may cancel it with a Counter
Spell (§6.1). If The Magic Card is not canceled, the effect is applied as described on the card. Thereafter, the current
player can play other Magic Card(s) against the same or a different opponent, as described previously. All Magic
Cards played as an attack or as a Counter spell are discarded face up, next to the deck.
NOTE: Neutral Armies are immune to the Magic Cards!
6.1 - COUNTER SPELLS
A player attacked by a Magic Card can cancel the attack by discarding any Magic Card in his hand (e.g.: if a player casts
Lightning Bolts, the targeted player can dispel it by playing a Terror or another Lightning Bolts card). A Counter spell
can’t cancel another Counter spell. Any Magic Card used as a Counter spell does not have the effect printed on the card.

7. MOVEMENT PHASE
Depending on the movement capacity of each Army Unit (TABLE 1 on page 2), the player can move at will, his
Army Units 1, 2 or 3 adjacent territories, moving also, any Army Units he wants to engage in battle. The mountain
ranges on the game board are passable only through Mountain Passes. If an Army Unit passes through a territory
containing enemy Army Units, the moving Army Unit must immediately stop its’ movement.
7.1 - MOUNTAIN PASSES
Mountain ranges are crossed only through Mountain Passes, represented by red (Treacherous Pass) or orange (Normal
Pass) double arrows. The Mountain Passes are crossed and garrisoned as any other territory.

4
NOTE: Treacherous Passes offer more protection than Normal Passes (§8.3).

8. COMBAT PHASE
To perform a combat, a player must move at least one of his Army Units into a territory, occupied by one or more
enemy Army Units. It is possible to attack more than one opponent in different territories, during a single turn. In
this case, the attacker will decide in what order to engage battles.
To perform a battle, proceed as follows:
1. The attacker lines up his forces, selecting the Troop and Ordnance Cards he wants to engage in the
combat and shows them to his opponent. Once revealed, no more cards may be added to the player’s
forces. The defender then does the same.

Basic Level
2. The attacker applies the effects of Ordnance Cards he has played, in the order he chooses and resolves
them immediately. The defender then does the same.
3. The attacker calculates his total Combat Value by adding the value of all his Army Units (1 point for
Infantry, 2 points for Cavalry and 3 points for Leviathans) and Troop Cards involved in combat. The
defender then does the same.
4. Whomever has the HIGHEST Combat Value wins the battle!
NOTE: Magic Cards cannot be played during a battle!
8.1 - TROOP AND ORDNANCE CARDS
The attacker is always first to show his cards to his opponent. Only after the attacker has played his cards, the de-
fender decides which and how many cards to play. After the defender has played his cards, the attacker can’t play
any more cards. A player may play as many Battle Cards as the number of Army Units he has engaged in the battle
(e.g.: If a player attacks with 2 Infantry and 1 Leviathan, he may play a maximum of 3 Battle Cards).
NOTE: all played cards are discarded and placed face up, next to the draw deck!

TROOP CARDS
These cards are marked with a Combat Value in the
upper left. The higher the value, the higher the power
of the card during battle. They have 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 once associated with a Troop Card
during a battle (e.g.: If an “Armour” card is used to
double the Combat Value of a Troop Card that is later
destroyed, the “Armour” card can no longer be used
to double the Combat Value of another Troop Card).
They have a brown border.

8.2 - BATTLE RESOLUTION

The attacker and defender both compute their Combat Value. The player with the highest value WINS and occupies
the territory involved in the battle. The player who LOSES the battle must:
• Reduce the number of his Army Units (his choice) by the difference between the attacker and defender total
Combat Value (e.g.: if a player has a Combat Value of 8 and the opponent a Combat Value of 6, the difference
is 2. Therefore, the loser chooses 2 Army Units to remove from the game).
• Withdraw the surviving Army Units to one adjacent territory, free of enemy units, otherwise they are destroyed
and removed from the game.
NOTE: if a player immediately loses all his Army Units as a result of an Ordnance Card, the battle continues.
However, the player’s Combat Value will be computed only on the Battle Cards he has played!
8.3 - DEFENSIVE BONUS OF TERRITORIES
The defending Army Units in Mountain Passes or territories with a Forest or a Star, receive a defensive bonus, as shown
in TABLE 3.

TABLE 3 - TERRITORIES’ DEFENSIVE BONUS

• NORMAL PASS (ORANGE ARROW): doubles the Combat Value of defending Army Units.
• CITADEL (ORANGE STAR): doubles the Combat Value of defending Army Units.
• TREACHEROUS PASS (RED ARROW): triples the Combat Value of defending Army Units.
• FORTRESS (RED STAR): triples the Combat Value of defending Army Units.
• FOREST: +1 to the total Combat Value of defending Army Units for each tree in the territory.

8.4 - MILITARY FORMATIONS

When a player combines 3 or more identical Troop Cards with a Combat Value of 1 (e.g.: 3 Mercenaries or 3 Pike-
men), his Combat Value changes according to these formations:
• HORDE (3 or more Mercenaries): each Mercenary is worth 2 points.
5
• PHALANX (3 or more Pikemen): each Pikeman is worth 2 points.
 8.5 - THE DUEL
If a battle ends in a draw, the ATTACKER may decide to withdraw from the battle, TABLE 4
CHALLENGE SYMBOLS
or may challenge his opponent to a duel to the death!
In this case, the ATTACKER becomes the Challenger and draws a card from the deck, defeats
Basic Level
followed by his opponent. Both players check the Challenge Symbol on their cards
and compare them to determine the winner (see TABLE 4). The loser chooses and defeats
removes 1 of his Army Units. The winner holds the title of Challenger and he can
launch another Duel, or withdraw all of his forces from the battle. The duel continues defeats
until one of the opposing armies is destroyed or withdrawn. To remember the order
of the Challenge Symbols, refer to the Challenge Chart, in the lower right corner of defeats all!
the game board.
NOTE: if both players draw two identical symbols, the Challenger always loses the Duel!
REMEMBER! The Eye looks at the Nazgul, the Nazgul holds the Blade, the Blade blinds the Eye, the Ring rules them all!

9. BATTLE EXAMPLE
7 purple Infantry attack a Citadel defended by 3 yellow Infantry. The two armies clash in battle ...
A) PLAYERS LINE UP THEIR BATTLE CARDS:

ATTACKER
(7 purple Infantry)
Purple is the attacker and will play first by
showing the following cards to the opponent:
Catapult (O), Armour (O), Archers (+2).
DEFENDER
(3 blue Infantry + Citadel)
After having seen and examined the attacker’s
cards, Blue plays the following cards:
Orthanc’s Fire (O), Crossbowmen (+3),
Pikemen (+1).

B) PLAYERS RESOLVE THE EFFECTS OF THEIR ORDNANCE CARDS:

The purple player resolves the effects of his Ordnance Cards in this way:
• He uses the “Catapult” to destroy 1 blue Infantry.
• He uses the “Armour” to double the Combat Value of the Archers (leading them to 4 points).
The blue player resolves the effect of his Ordnance Card in this way:
• He uses the “Orthanc’s Fire” to destroy the “Archers” (whose Combat Value was just doubled by the “Armour”)

C) PLAYERS COMPUTE THE FINAL COMBAT VALUES:

1. The attacker (purple) has a final Combat Value of 7 points (Combat Value of all his Infantry), because his archers
were destroyed by the “Orthanc’s Fire”.
2. The defender (blue) has a final Combat Value of 4 points (Combat Value of 2 surviving Infantry, doubled in the
Citadel) + 3 (Combat Value of Crossbowmen) + 1 (Combat Value of Pikemen) = 8 points.

D) BATTLE RESULTS:
The purple Attacker loses the battle and removes 1 Infantry (8-7=1). He must also retreat all his 6 remaining Infantry,
to an adjacent territory, free of enemy units, or they will be destroyed!

10. NEUTRAL ARMIES

When a player invades a Neutral Domain (§4.1) containing Neutral Armies, the attacker plays his Battle Cards as
usual. Then, the player located to his left, draws from the deck as many Battle Cards as Neutral Armies, found in the

6
concerned territory. Once discovered, these cards must be played in the best combination. If a Magic Card is drawn, it
must be discarded without replacing it. If the battle is a draw, the attacker must automatically retreat all of his armies.
BEWARE! If, at the end of the turn, a Neutral Domain is free and unoccupied by Enemy Units, 3 new Neutral
Armies will occupy the territory!
NOTE: Neutral Armies that survive in a battle do not retreat from their territory, but the Attacker must
retreat, even if he won the battle!
11. PLAYER ELIMINATION
When a player loses all his armies on the gameboard, he is eliminated from the game. The player who has destroyed
the last Army Unit of his opponent will receive all his Battle Cards. Any excess above the 9 cards is immediately
discarded (player’s choice).

Basic Level
12. COASTAL DOMAINS
All Domains bordering a Maritime Area are considered Coastal Domains, from which Army Units can sail to, or land
into others’ Coastal Domains, or Neutral Territories. To set sail, the Army Units must begin their movement from
a Coastal Domain. When sailing, the Army Units can move a maximum of 2 territories, regardless of their ground
movement capacity. When the Army Units lands, its’ movement is immediately ended. Army Units at sea don’t block
movement of an opponents’ Army Units in transit, but if Army Units from different players simultaneously occupy
the same Maritime Area, a battle will occur.
NOTE: Army Units can land on a Neutral Territory, but they cannot sail from it!
12.1 - INLAND SEAS
The Sea of Rhun and the Sea of Nurnen are two inland seas of Middle Earth, crowded with angry sea monsters. Even
if it’s possible to cross these Maritime Areas, any Army Unit that stops his movement there, is destroyed.

13. HOARDING
Although a player can attack a territory with an unlimited number of Army Units, at the end of his turn, he can only
garrison a maximum of 10 Army Units. Any Army Unit in excess, must be eliminated.

14. REINFORCEMENT PHASE

In this phase, the player earns Reinforcement Points (RP) that can be used to buy new Battle Cards and Army Units
at the cost indicated in TABLE 5.
14.1 - REINFORCEMENT POINTS TABLE 5
For each Domain, Maritime Area and Neutral Territory controlled by an Army REINFORCEMENTS
Unit, the player earns 1 Reinforcement Point (RP). Any Army Units purchased Cost Type
as reinforcements, must be placed on the player’s original Domains (same 1 RP 1 Battle Card
color), if this is not possible, the purchased Army Units must be eliminated 2 RP 1 Infantry
from the game. Any RPs not used at this Phase, are lost.
3 RP 1 Cavalry
NOTE: Mountain Passes and Inland Seas don’t provide RP! 3 RP 1 Leviathan
ATTENTION! The original Domains that are not garrisoned, at least
by one Army Unit, don’t give any RP!

15. VICTORY POINTS (VP)

The first player to score 10 Victory Points (VP) wins the game. VPs are won by capturing other opponents’ Domains,
or the Neutral Domains. The values are as follows:
• 1 VP for each Domain, enemy or neutral.
• 2 VP for each Domain, enemy or neutral, containing a Citadel (orange Star).
• 3 VP for each Domain, enemy or neutral, containing a Fortress (red Star).
Mountain Passes, Maritime Areas, Neutral Territories and Domains of a player’s own colour don’t provide VP!
If you want, you can determine the game duration by adjusting Victory Point conditions.
NOTE: even if a player previously conquered an enemy or neutral Domain, he immediately loses its’ VP, when
all his Army Units are destroyed or withdrawn from that Domain!

16. THE SCORE WHEEL

Use the Score Wheel, in the lower left corner of the game board, to keep score during the game. At the start of the
game, place an Army Unit token for each color in play, in the center of the Score Wheel. At the end of each player’s
turn, update the Score Wheel, according to the losses or gains (in VPs) that have been made for all players.

You’ve read to the end of the Basic Rules. Enjoy!

7
 ADVANCED LEVEL
(3 to 6 players)
Advanced Level
Relive the epic journey of the Fellowship, into the dark land of Mordor. Cooperate closely with your allies. Recruit
legendary heroes or fearsome Nazguls into your army. Fight against the corrupting power of the Ring ... But in
the end, will the Ringbearer escape the Nazgul’s reach? … Or avoid the legions of darkness, involved in a bloody
war of conquest? With these rules you can relive the main events of the Lord of the Rings!

COMPONENTS - ADVANCED LEVEL

Use all the components of the Basic Level (listed on page 2) and add the following items:
• 1 Ringbearers’ Integrity (yellow ring).
• 1 Fellowship Pawn (white pawn).
• 1 Hobbit Infantry (brown).
• 1 ten-sided die.
• 64 Event Cards (with brown back)

RINGBEARERS’
FELLOWSHIP PAWN
INTEGRITY
This is a white pawn which is moved
It is represented by a yellow ring
on the Gameboard of 1 territory per
which is placed on the Score Wheel. It
turn. This pawn indicates all the cards
indicates the will and physical condi-
in the Fellowship Deck. They have the
tions of the two Ringbearers (Frodo
mission to destroy the One Ring, trying
& Sam). When the Integrity reaches
to reach the territory of Gorgoroth in
zero, the game ends with a victory for
the shortest possible time (§20).
the Darkness players (§22).

EVENT CARDS EVENT CARDS

(GOLLUM) (CHANCE)
The character of Gollum is rep- The Chance Cards (green border) are
resented by a gray border card. important events related to the saga of
It can be played only if cer- the Lord of the Rings. They influence
tain conditions are met (§27). the actions of all the players or the
Fellowship Pawn (§24).

EVENT CARDS EVENT CARDS

(WHITE LEADERS)
White Leaders (white border) are
divided into 2 groups: Fellowship
Characters (marked by a ring at the top
left corner) whose task is to destroy the
One Ring and Alliance Leaders able
to increase the Ringbearers’ Integrity.
All these cards show a numerical value
in the upper left corner: the higher
the value the more powerful the card.
Some of these cards also describe
character’s skills transcribed in italics.
(BLACK LEADERS)
Black Leaders (black border) are di-
vided into 2 groups: Nazguls (marked
by a ring at the top left corner) that
can reduce the Ringbearers’ Integrity
and Darkness Leaders able to attack
and eliminate individual Fellowship
Characters. All these cards show a nu-
merical value in the upper left corner:
the higher the value more powerful the
card. Some of these cards also describe
character’s skills transcribed in italics.

8
Furthermore, they can be recruited by Furthermore, they can be recruited by
Alliance Players and used in battle as Darkness Players and used in battle as
Troop Cards (§28). Troop Cards (§28).
17. ALLIED FACTIONS
In the Advanced Level, each player belongs to a particular opposing faction:
• ALLIANCE (friends of the Fellowship): YELLOW, GREEN and BLUE Army Units.
• DARKNESS (enemies of the Fellowship): BLACK, RED and PURPLE Army Units.

Advanced Level
NOTE: cooperate with your faction, or you will inevitably be defeated! Also, as explained ahead, the Fellowship
may affect the final Victory Points, of one of the two opposing factions (§30)!
17.1 - ALLIED MOVEMENT
Army Units can cross any territories occupied by Army Units of the same faction, only if authorized by the owner of
the territory (e.g.: purple Army Units raised in South Rhun, may request authorization from the black player, to cross
EASTERN WILDERLANDS, to attack the blue player’s LONELY MOUNTAIN).
NOTE: However, Army Units from the same faction, that are in the same territory, must face off in battle!

18. ADVANCED LEVEL SET-UP

6
4 3 4 FELLOWSHIP

1 FELLOWSHIP DECK

5 7
PAWN

BATTLE
CARDS 2 MORANNON

NAZGUL
DECK

8
RINGBEARERS’
INTEGRITY

EVENT
DECK
1. Shuffle the Battle Cards (orange back) and place them face down on the left side of the game board.
2. Place the Ringbearers’ Integrity (yellow ring) on the 9th space of the Score Wheel.
3. Place the Fellowship Pawn on the territory of Rhudaur.
4. Place 1 Brown Infantry (Hobbits) on the Shire (§23.1) and 3 Black Infantry on High Pass (§23.2).
5. Place the Morannon token on the dotted line that divides Dagorlad from Gorgoroth.
6. Form the Fellowship Deck, taking from the Event Cards the following White Leaders: Frodo, Sam, Merry,
Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, Aragorn and Gandalf). Place them face up on the right side of the game board.
7. Form the Nazgul Deck, taking from the Event Cards the following Black Leaders: The Witch King, Khamul,
3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Nazgul. Place them face, up next to the Fellowship Deck.
8. Form the Event Deck by shuffling the remaining Events Cards and place it face down, on the right side of the
game board.
9. The colors of usable Army Units are described in §3.
10. Distribute 1 Battle Card to the 1st player, 2 cards to the 2nd, 3 cards to the 3rd , 4 cards to the 4th, 5 cards to the
5th and 6 cards to the 6th player.
11. Each player receives his Army Units as shown on Table 6.

TABLE 6
ADVANCED LEVEL DEPLOYMENT
Players Darkness alliance
3 12 Infantry 8 Infantry
4 12 Infantry 12 Infantry
5 12 Infantry 8 Infantry
6 12 Infantry 12 Infantry

19. GAME TURN

The players’ order remains unchanged throughout the entire course of the game according to this fixed order:
YELLOW, BLACK, GREEN, RED, BLUE, PURPLE.
9
Players will follow this order strictly.
 20. THE FELLOWSHIP PAWN
The Fellowship Pawn (white pawn) represents all the cards in the Fellowship Deck and indicates in which territory of
the game board these are (e.g.: at the beginning of the game, the Fellowship Pawn indicates that Frodo, Sam, Merry,
Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, Aragorn and Gandalf are in Rhudaur).
Advanced Level
NOTE: the Fellowship Pawn can’t conquer or control any Domain!
20.1 - GOAL OF THE PAWN
The Fellowship Pawn must travel as soon as possible, to the territory of GORGOROTH, to destroy the magical Ring,
saturated with the evil power of Sauron (Evil Lord), before his darkness eliminates the two Ringbearers (Frodo &
Sam). If both Ringbearers are eliminated, or if the Fellowship Pawn reaches GORGOROTH and destroys the Ring,
the game ends immediately with the VP scoring (§30).
20.2 - MOVEMENT OF THE PAWN
The Fellowship Pawn is moved 1 territory or Maritime Area, when ALL players have finished their turn. It is always
driven by common agreement, between the players of the Alliance, and is never forced to move. In case of dispute,
the player of the Alliance or Darkness with more VP will move the pawn.
NOTE: choose the shortest path to the land of GORGOROTH, because the Fellowship Pawns will be facing
ever increasing dangers along the way!
20.3 - NAZGULS’ HUNT
Each time that the Fellowship Pawn is moved into new territory (except by the effect of an Event Card), the Nazguls
perform their hunt: a Darkness player rolls 1D10. If the result is less than or equal to the number of Nazguls in the
Nazgul Deck, the Ringbearers’ Integrity decreases by 1 point!

21. THE RINGBEARERS (FRODO & SAM)

The goal of the Alliance players is to get one of the two Ringbearers (Frodo and Sam), to arrive safely, in the territory
of GORGOROTH (which, like all the other characters of the Fellowship, is represented on the game board, by the
Fellowship Pawn), to throw the One Ring into the volcano of Mount Doom and destroy it forever. Only Frodo and
Sam can be Ringbearers and achieve this goal.

22. RINGBEARERS’ INTEGRITY

This represents the will and physical condition of the two Ringbearers, and is tracked by placing a yellow ring, on the
Score Wheel, that is moved clockwise or counter-clockwise, during the events of the game (§24). The Ringbearers’
Integrity may never exceed 10 points. When it reaches 0, both Ringbearers are eliminated and the game ends imme-
diately, with the VP scoring (§30).
22.1 - REST OF THE FELLOWSHIP
If the Fellowship Pawn is not moved during its’ movement phase, the Nazguls cannot make their hunting action and
the Ringbearers’ Integrity is immediately increased by 2 points!

23. SPECIAL TERRITORIES

23.1 - THE SHIRE
At the beginning of the game, place 1 brown Infantry (Hobbit Infantry) on the Neutral Territory of the Shire. This
Army Unit will defend itself from attacks as a single, Neutral Army (§10) using only 1 Battle Card. But be careful! The
player who controls the Shire must continually garrison this territory, with at least 1 Army Unit. Otherwise, another
Hobbit Infantry will take back control of the Shire.
23.2 - HIGH PASS
When the game begins, place 3 Black Infantry in High Pass. These armies belong to the Black Player and can be moved
in just 3 ways: if they suffer an enemy attack (by Army Units or Magic Cards); if the Fellowship Pawn reaches that
territory; or if the Black Player pays, in full, all of their RP costs (6 RP).
23.3 - LORIEN
When the Fellowship Pawn reaches Lorien territory, for the first time, and before being occupied by Army Units of
Darkness, the Ringbearers’ Integrity is immediately increased by 3 points!
23.4 - MORANNON
The Fellowship Pawn can never cross the Morannon (unless it is destroyed).

24. EVENT CARDS

10
The Events Deck consists of 3 types of cards: Chance, Alliance Leaders and Darkness Leaders. Every time a player
starts his turn, he must draw a card from the Event Deck and show it to all. The cards represent these situations:
1. CHANCE (green): the player reads the text printed on the card and resolves the effects immediately. The drawn
card is then placed face, up near the Event Deck.
2. ALLIANCE LEADER (white): the current player will roll 1D10. If the number rolled is less than. or equal
 to the Combat Value of the drawn card, the Ringbearers’ Integrity is increased by 1 point. Otherwise, nothing
happens. The drawn card is then stacked, face up along with all the other Alliance Leaders, as they were drawn.
From now on, these cards can be recruited by the players of the Alliance (§28).
3. DARKNESS LEADER (black): the current player makes a Melee Battle against this card (§25.1). The drawn

Advanced Level
card is then stacked, face up along with all the other Darkness Leaders, as they were drawn. From now on, these
cards can be recruited by players of Darkness (§28).
NOTE: in a 3 player game, the Black Player must draw and play 2 Events Cards, consecutively!

25. MELEE BATTLES

25.1 - MELEE AGAINST DARKNESS LEADERS
To perform a Melee Battle against a Darkness Leader, the player who drew the card rolls 1D10:
1. LETHAL ATTACK: if the number rolled is less than or equal to the Combat Value of the card, a Leader card
from the Fellowship Deck is removed randomly.
2. FAILED ATTACK: if the number rolled is greater than the Combat Value of the drawn card, nothing hap-
pens.
NOTE: if both of the two Ringbearers (Frodo & Sam) are removed, the game ends immediately with the final
VP scoring (§30).

25.2 - MELEE AGAINST DARKNESS UNITS

Each time the Fellowship Pawn enters into a territory containing Darkness Units, the owner of these Army Units will
conduct a Melee Battle (this battle doesn’t occur if the Darkness Units enter into a territory containing the Fellowship
Pawn). Roll the D10:
1. LETHAL ATTACK: if the number rolled is less than or equal to the number of the Armies in the territory, a
Leader card from the Fellowship Deck is removed randomly.
2. FAILED ATTACK: if the number rolled is greater than the number of the Armies, nothing happens.

25.3 - MELEE IN TREACHEROUS PASSES

When the Fellowship Pawn arrives in a Treacherous Pass (e.g.: Moria) all the Melee Battles against Darkness Units,
or Leaders, increase their Combat Value by 3 points (e.g.: if the Fellowship Pawn is in Moria and draws the Shelob
Card (value 4), it makes a Melee Battle of 7 points, instead of 4. The same results as if the Fellowship Pawn encounters
4 Black Infantry in Moria).

26. POWER OF THE RING

Alliance Players may mutually agree to use the power of the Ring, to cancel a Lethal Attack, to avoid the loss of a
Leader from the Fellowship Deck. After using this power, the Ringbearers’ Integrity is reduced by 2 points!

27. GOLLUM
In the Event Deck, there is a special card (gray border) that represents Gollum. If during the game, this card is drawn,
it comes into play, only if the Fellowship Pawn is in a Neutral Territory (e.g.: Dagorlad). In all others cases (e.g.: A
Domain or Pass), the card is reshuffled into the Events Deck, without Leader cards already discovered.
When Gollum comes into play, all the Leaders present in the Fellowship Deck (other than the Ringbearers) are dis-
carded and stacked together with the other Alliance Leaders already discovered.
NOTE: thanks to the “stealth” skill of Gollum, all Melee Battles are successful, only if the die roll gives “1”,
regardless of the required result!

28. LEADERS’ RECRUITMENT

During the Reinforcement Phase, a player can recruit 1 Leader card, by choosing freely among all, already discov-
ered cards, marked with the Recruitment Icon ( ). To recruit a Leader, you must meet both of these requirements:
1. Own at least as many VPs as the value specified in the Recruitment Icon.
2. Pay the same Reinforcement Points as the Combat Value of the card.
E.g. Treebeard can be recruited if you have at least 6 VP and pay 5 RP.

28.1 - GENERAL RULES OF RECRUITMENT

• Darkness Players can recruit only Black Leaders (Nazguls and Darkness Leaders).
• Alliance Players can recruit only White Leaders (Fellowship Characters and Alliance Leaders).

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• Each player can only recruit 1 Leader per turn and can have a maximum of 3.
• All recruited Leaders, should be kept in hand, along with Battle Cards that you have.
• During the Reinforcement Phase, players are free to dismiss their Leaders; stack together with all other Leaders
already discovered.
NOTE: recruitment of Nazguls and Fellowship Characters cost 1 VP less than the other Leaders!
 28.2 - LEADERS IN BATTLE
During a battle, both the attacker and the defender may deploy their Troop and Ordnance cards, and also 1 of the Lead-
ers they have recruited. Leaders are played face down and are not counted in the maximum number of cards played in
a battle (e.g.: you can attack with 3 Army Units, playing 3 Troop Cards and 1 Leader). After the defender has played
Advanced Level
his cards, both players reveal any deployed Leader and compute the Combat Value, adding the Combat Value of the
Leader. At the end of the Combat Phase, surviving Leaders go back into the hands of their legitimate owner, to be used
again in later turns!
NOTE: all Leaders are immune to the effects of Ordnance and Magic cards!
28.3 - LEADERS ELIMINATION
• When a player loses a battle (even if he has Army Units to withdraw), the Leader used in the battle is eliminated
and removed from the game.
• If the battle is a draw, the Leaders of the two factions should be discarded and stacked face up, along with other
Leaders of the Event Deck, at the end of the player’s turn, ready for recruitment
NOTE: if Leaders with the “Immortal” skill (e.g.: Gandalf or Nazguls) loose a battle, they are NOT removed
from the game, but are stacked face up, with all the other Leaders of the Event Deck!

29. RING DESTRUCTION

When the Fellowship Pawn reaches the territory of GORGOROTH, the game ends immediately and the Ringbear-
ers try to throw the One Ring into the volcano of Mount Doom. This is done successfully by performing a Duel (as
described in §8.5) against the power of the Ring (this duel is managed by any Alliance Player against any Darkness
Player). The Ringbearers are the Challengers for the entire length of the duel, and for each loss, they decrease by 1
point, the Ringbearers’ Integrity. If the Integrity reaches zero or if the Ringbearers perform successfully only one
duel, the game ends immediately with the final calculation of VPs (§30).
NOTE: in this duel, the Ringbearers cannot retreat!

30. END OF GAME

The game ends immediately in ANY of the following cases:
1. If a player reaches 10 VP.
2. If the Ringbearers are both eliminated. In this case all the Darkness Players triple their VP.
3. If the Ringbearers’ Integrity reaches zero. In this case all the Darkness Players triple their VP.
4. If the Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom. In this case all the Alliance Players triple their VP.
5. If the Event Deck is exhausted.
The player with the most VPs is the winner! In a draw, the player who has the most Army Units on the game
board wins!

31. PLAYING TIPS

• Keep a minimum hand of at least 4 Battle Cards.
• Defend your Leviathans from the Lighting Bolts (Magic Card) keeping in hand some Counter Spells (§6.1).
• The longer the journey of the Fellowship Pawn, the more the Nazgul’s Hunt action will weaken the Ringbearers’
Integrity.
• If necessary, rest a turn, to keep the Ringbearers’ Integrity above 3 points.
• Leaders are very useful in battle: recruit at least one, as soon as possible.
• It‘s very important to help your allies. If necessary, play Magic Cards to help them. Ringmaster is a balanced game:
if one of your allies is eliminated, you will be mathematically disadvantaged to continue the game, because your
opponents have more Army Units and more Battle Cards against you.
• Although cooperation is essential with your allies, note that you can also ATTACK them, to win easy VP.

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You’ve read to the end of the Advanced Rules. Enjoy!
 TEAM LEVEL
(2 or 6 players)

Team Level
All armies are deployed. The Council of Elrond has chosen its heroes. Gollum searches for the ring, while the Nazguls
are risen. Thousands of blades are unsheathed ... The War for the Ring has begun!

COMPONENTS – TEAM LEVEL

Use all the components of the Basic Level (listed on page 2) and the Advanced Level (listed on page 8).

32. TEAM LEVEL SET-UP

This level is designed to play with 6 players (for a 2 player, game see §35) and takes place using all the rules from
the Basic and Advanced Levels.
The game ends in the usual way. Perform the set-up as indicated in the Advanced Level, but deploy Army Units on
the game board as indicated in TABLE 7.

33. ALLIED SHARING

In the Team Level, Army Units of the same TABLE 7 - ARMIES SETUP
faction, may occupy the same territory Colour Domain Armies
Yellow Rohan 5 Cavalry
(respecting the Hoarding rule) sharing the Yellow Anorien 3 Infantry
Reinforcement Points and Victory Points Yellow East Gondor 1 Infantry
Yellow West Gondor 1 Infantry
that it gives.
Black High Pass (Pass) 3 Infantry*
In any case, it is only the player that owns the Black Southern Mirkwoord 5 Infantry
territory that may grant his allies passage, to Black Eastern Wilderlands 1 Leviathan
Black Gorgoroth 1 Leviathan
cross or share his Territory. Black Cirith Ungol (Pass) 1 Leviathan
If this Territory is already shared with another Black Nurn 1 Leviathan
Black Lithlad 1 Leviathan
ally, both must agree on the permission. In
Green Rhudaur 1 Infantry
cases where permission is refused, the ally Green North Anduin Dale 3 Infantry
that wants to cross, must attack the territory, Green Northern Mirkwood 3 Infantry
Green Lòrien 3 Infantry
to conquer and or cross it. Green Fangorn 3 Leviathans*
NOTE: the conquest of a Domain of the Red Minhiriath 1 Infantry
same faction, does not provide any VP! Red Dunland 3 Infantry
Red Eastern Enedwaith 3 Infantry
Red Western Enedwaith 3 Infantry
34. COMBINED Blue Forlindon 1 Infantry
Blue Harlindon 1 Infantry
FORCES Blue Lonely Mountain 3 Infantry
If a battle occurs in a territory where there Blue Iron Hills 5 Infantry
are simultaneously, several Army Units of Purple Umbar 3 Infantry
the same faction (Darkness or Alliance), Purple Haradwaith 1 Leviathan
Purple South Rhun 3 Infantry
their owners play Battle Cards, depending Purple Noth Rhun 3 Infantry
on how many Army Units they have in this Brown The Shire (Neutral Territory) 1 Infantry
territory (e.g.: if in a territory there are 2 red
and 1 purple Army Units, the red player can (*) These armies can be moved only in 3 ways: if they suffer an enemy
play 2 cards and the purple only 1 card). The attack (by Army Units or Magic Cards); if the Fellowship Pawn
reaches that territory; if the owner pays in one amount all their RP
Combat Value provided by the cards and costs. During the Reinforcement Phase, the Leviathans on Fangorn
Army Units of each allied player, is added to provide normally 1 RP to the green player.
form a single Combat Value. Losses are cho-
sen by mutual agreement between the allies.
NOTE: if players of a combined force own more than one Leader, they can play just one Leader, chosen by
mutual agreement.

35. TWO PLAYER GAME

In 2 player games, use the set-up and rules of the Team Level (§32). One player takes all of the Darkness Armies
and the other, all of the Alliance Armies (keep the colors of each army separated from each other). Each player starts
with 3 Battle Cards and can hold a maximum of 9. These cards will be used to manage all of the battles, and all of
the Army Units of his side. Players alternate turns as usual, starting with Yellow, then Black, then Green, etc.. Each
player draws 1 Event Card at the beginning of his turn.

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That’s it for team play. Enjoy!
Ringmaster
GAME TABLES
ARMIES’ VALUE
Type Force Movement Cost
Infantry 1 2 2
Cavalry 2 3 3
Leviathans 3 1 3

REINFORCEMENTS
COSTS
Cost Type
1 RP 1 Battle Card
2 RP 1 Infantry
3 RP 1 Cavalry
3 RP 1 Leviathan

DEFENSIVE
BONUS
RED PASS x3
ORANGE PASS x2
FORTRESS x3
CITADEL x2
FOREST (each tree) +1