I want it. To put it next to my unplayed copy of War of the Ring...

Yahoo! My copy is due here tomorrow! I am very glad to hear you liked this Tom, since I knew you liked War of the Ring. I am also glad to hear it does not play as long as it's predecessor, so we can get it to the table more often. This simply looks like an all-round winner of a game! Thank you for your very, very timely review!

So excited to get this! Thanks for the great review Tom. Do you ever paint mini's? I wonder if Ryan or Dan or someone on the Dice Tower would be interested in do a tutorial/play thru of War of the Ring and 5 Armies!?!? I would LOVE that

Hello, thanks for the Review, Tom. Well, after playing the Battle of the Third Age (from which the game system is based here), The Battle of Five Armies sounded already great in my mind. The board is fantastic, the system great...And your review confirm all I thought. Finally, the game will be more interesting and more epic than...let say...a movie of the same name ?

@Joseph Lynn The game will be available again between the end of October and the begin of November.

Great review Tom! Like you, I really really like this game. For a couple years I had it setup and playing constantly. I found it great solitaire, as well. Usually, there is a smartest card to play, so the hidden card aspect wasn't really an issue, IMHO. The two points I would add is that, with the cards and the dice, every game feels different. The other point, and this is huge, is it's one of those games that has you thinking "One more turn and it's decided!" This is rarely the case, but both sides can feel that they are close to winning. This makes it un-put-downable! It's hard to quit before the victor is determined. Makes it a number one pick for me.

Excited to get finally get a copy to live next to my copy of War of the Rings + expansions with the upcoming reprint, snagged a preorder last week!

Great video! I just purchased this game over Christmas and am still getting the hang of it, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of its complexity so far. While I’m here, I wanted to put out a question for all/anyone who has more experience with the game, since I literally have no one else to ask: I’m finding Bilbo’s character card and the Warg-rider maneuver cards a bit difficult to understand. For example, if one effectively plays the Warg-rider card while attacking an army in a fortification, does that mean they tear through the fortification as well, until there’s only 1 damage token left (or is the damage only applied to the army)? If Bilbo is in that defending army, can the Free People’s player use his ability to mitigate some of the Wargs’ damage? And does Bilbo regain a full stack of 5 ring tokens every time you put him back into play, or does he only have 5 tokens to be used throughout the game? If anyone could clarify, I’d very much appreciate it. Thanks, and happy gaming!

woohoo been waiting on this one for some time. Anybody know if war of the ring will be reprinted?

"Just as cool as the book" ...SOLD! and Thanks Tom!

Tom did the equivalent of 'dropping the mic' at the end of this review. Boom! ha

Hey Tom, I really would like to see your opinion (review?) about Five Tribes. I know there is already a Dice Tower review about it, but very often I like your version/vision better :) Anyway, anything from the Dice Tower is very much appreciated! Thanks so much, guys! Btw... I really enjoyed Sam's & Zee's Top 100's... a big THX to them as well...

Have you ever played The Hunt for the Ring? The result of that game can be brought to the War of the Ring and effect the final outcome. Essentially these two games can be connected if the players choose to do so! Does this game feature a similar mechanic?

Hey Vasel, Could you do a Gameplay with Jason or with Sam? I've had this game for three weeks and still can't figure out how to play it. My kids and I have been playing Thunderstone Advance instead since it arrived on my doorstep on the same day. I really want to play this game but i don't fully understand the rules. Could someone in Dice Tower put something together? -Thanks!

How does this game compare to Kemet, or Battlelore 2?

just picked this up fro Goodwill yesterday for $15. Looking forward to getting it to the table soon.

Big fan of the Hobbit -- read it or listened to the Robert Ingles audiobook countless times (highly recommend Ingles' Hobbit and LOTR readings) -- but I'm still on the fence about this one; I just don't know how often I'd actually be able to get this 2-player non-cooperative to the table. I like the way the orcs spill out from those squares. Seems like a lot of components, setup, and complexity for an hour long game, but I guess once you familiarize yourself with it you can get it running more quickly.

15:45 to 15:47 best part of the video

I am currently painting my war of the ring set. I love that game I want this one too. My taste seems to follow Tom's pretty close so I am sure I will enjoy this one as well.

Putting cards directly in front of the camera was causing me a headache. Had to skip to the end :(

It seems interesting and fun, but it seems a bit convoluted... I rather play Civ if the mechanics are going to get that complex.

Is Smaug in this game? (as miniature?)

Sounds great. I'll be interested to hear from the ultragamers and see if the sides are balanced or if there is an "ultimate" can't-lose strategy for a faction.

yeah playing as the shadow was no fun when after like 3 turns you realize you didn't do anything relevant and the good guys are OP and have the tactical vantage (e.g. they don't have to move anywhere...)

The Hobbit better than Lord of the Rings? Hipster:)

I really enjoy this game and its predecessor, but I feel it is not very well balanced. It is very difficult for the dark forces player to win. I have played several games, and though it has seemed close, as soon as the eagles show up the dark power has all he can do to hang on, then Beorn shows up and seals the deal. The dark forces player could win if all the right cards show up and he rolls enough goblin dice...But that's a lot of ifs. The game is still super fun, but it is most interesting to see if evil can pull it off.

You know what, it might be time to freshen up your whole set up. Animation, video thumb art, animation ,and background for your videos. Your contents is always excellent however, and I'm a loyal watcher.

Passed on this at GENCON. the girl demoing it had no idea about the game and had no interest in figuring it out. I may need to relook it.

Cool war strategy board game so I won't it

The Battle of 5 Armies, but it's for 2 players only!?!? No, I don't think so.

Do not americanize people's names please. The first author is called "Roberto Di Meglio"