The second major expansion for the adventure board game The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth will have you traveling the kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan to defeat invading mercenary forces.
The big-box expansion includes 15 scenarios that will have you defending the tainted depths of Fangorn Forest and the ruins of Osgiliath against the mercenary forces of Sauron. Rather than following a linear path, the campaign’s story will be influenced by your party’s decisions. Your choice to travel between Gondor and Rohan, or spend more time defending one Kingdom over the other, will influence the direction of your journey, and the outcome of your quest.
The longer your party spends identifying and tracking the orchestrator of the mercenary attacks, the greater the incoming forces will become. By the campaign’s end, you’ll be squaring off against new unit types, including Oliphaunts, Soldiers, and Fell Beasts, which introduce additional combat mechanics, such as granting movement buffs to allied units.
Fantasy Flight says Spreading War will also include 18 double-sided map tiles, over 20 enemy miniatures, additional role, and terrain mechanics, and six new heroes to play as.
The expansion will bring in some fan favorites such as the shape-shifting Beorn, who sheltered Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Thorin’s company of Dwarves on their way to Erebor during the events of The Hobbit. Adept at exploring in his human form, Beorn can scout for free, stun enemies, and gain an additional scouting action by defeating them. But when the fight begins, he can transform into a Great Bear for offensive stat boons.
Also joining the fight will be Boromir will be joining the game as a playable character, alongside Thorin’s buddy Dwalin.
Spreading War Expansion supports one to five players, age 14 and up, and plays in 60 to 120 minutes. It will retail for $79.99. Set to arrive in retail in October 2021
