How to Win at War of the Ring (Three Basic Tips, #9)

When you have just learned a shiny new board game, especially one which is a bit longer and more complex than others, it’s nice to have some strategic direction. That’s what I aim to provide with my series Three Basic Tips – strategy advice for beginner and intermediate players that is easy to remember and yet gets you places.

War of the Ring (Roberto Di Meglio/Marco Maggi/Francesco Nepitello, Ares Games) is certainly a bit longer and complex than other games – 48 pages of rules and three hours of game length (if you’re inexperienced, rather more) demand a certain commitment from players. At the same time, with its beautiful presentation and its very popular setting it draws in people who are not necessarily heavy gamers to begin with. And that’s fine! As long as you have another person who knows the rules, the game plays pretty straightforward – roll your dice, choose one, conduct an action with it. In fact, I’ve used The War of the Ring as a gateway game to lure in an unsuspecting person into the wonderful world of board gaming!

As there is so much to discover in the game, your first plays should be fun no matter if you win or lose. Still, if you want to improve your chances of victory, here are three basic tips that help you out – both when playing the Free Peoples and the Shadow.

Sidenote: You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge – that might be useful if you want to have a better look at the maps!

Farewell 2019 – Non-Historical Games

This is part 3 of my end-of-year posts. I select three nominees in each category and crown a winner. Here are the first two posts on new-to-me games and historical non-fiction books.
Today’s category are non-historical games. I know – games which are not about history? – A wild notion! But I admit, I sometimes dabble in them. No, in fact, more than half to two thirds of my plays are of games which are not about history. They’re often easier to pitch to other people (who might or might not share my interest in the Austrian Succession of 1740), and they often play a bit faster (I assume my Unconditional Surrender! campaign will keep me busy until late 2020). And: They are often (almost!) as much fun!
So, here are the three non-historical games with which I had the most fun this year:

Farewell 2017!

My dear readers,
The year is coming to its close. I’ll have a look back on its contents in history and gaming from a strictly personal perspective – what I enjoyed this year. Since I tend to be a bit behind the times (as befits the historian) there are not a lot of new releases (in any category) here, but maybe you’ll find some older gems. So, without further ado, here are some good historical board games, non-historical board games, historical non-fiction books, and historical novels. As a bonus, there are three of my favorite posts from this blog in 2017 as well. I’ll highlight one of them as the winner in each category.

Bookish Board Games

Today’s post is a bit different. Since Christmas is all about coming together with people, Naty from Naty’s Bookshelf (which you should check out if you love reading) and I have teamed up for this post. Since Christmas is all about fretting over what to gift other people as well, we’ll give you some ideas for wonderful presents to give to your loved ones, be they bookworms, board gamers, or both. Also remember: New games at Christmas are a wonderful way to convert non-gaming family members who happen to be there and are drawn in by the sheer beauty of a game to The Hobby. So, without further ado, here are a few board games based on books to make your Christmas this year extra special.