1. Game Objective

In this strategy and combat game, you and your friends will take on the role of heroes in a fantasy world. The objective of the Free Peoples is to defeat the Forces of Shadow before time runs out. To do this, players must complete missions and save the realm from an imminent threat.

2. Preparation (Setup)

To set up the game, follow the steps below:

1. Turn Markers: Place the turn markers at the beginning of the track. Place the number of markers corresponding to the number of players (e.g., 2 players use markers 1 and 2).
2. Shadow's Umbilicus: Separate the Shadow's Umbilicus cards, shuffle them, and place them in a face-down pile. Draw 8 cards and place them face-up next to the main pile. (If there are fewer than 4 players, remove unused cards from the game).
3. New Troops: Prepare and position the new troops (characters, banners, puppets, and genularios/ghosts) in their respective locations according to the manual.
4. Armies of Shadow: Reserve 9 Armies of Shadow and place the Shadow troop in each indicated location, immediately returning them to the reserve.
5. Secret Objective Cards: Each player receives 2 secret objective cards.
6. Character Figures: Place the 12 character figures in their starting circles according to the "Character" and "Starting Location" legend.
7. Player Cards: Shuffle the event cards with the fate cards (the quantity varies according to the number of players). Deal the corresponding number of cards to each player (e.g., 4 players receive 6 cards each). These piles should be face-down on the table.

3. Game Flow

Players alternate turns. On your turn, you must follow this order:

1. Perform Actions: You can perform actions with your characters.
2. Draw Player Cards: Draw two cards from the Player deck.
3. Reveal Shadow Cards: If you draw a Darkening card, it must be resolved immediately.

Upon completing the turn, the player must draw the Shadow Card corresponding to the turn they are entering. The turn ends after the resolution of the Shadow cards.

4. Actions and How to Play

During your turn, you can perform up to 3 actions with one character and up to 1 action with another. Some actions require the use of emblems or cards.

Available Actions:

• Travel: Move your character to a location connected by a path. Movement may cost action points or emblems. There are Special Paths that may require spending Courage Points.
• Search Test: Used when traveling to get instructions. Success or failure determines displacement or if the character will follow a special path.
• Attack: Can be performed if there are Shadow troops in the same location as your character. Involves a Battle Test with combat dice.
• Summon: Allows you to summon 1 troop or 1 character from an adjacent location or with the same icon.
• Prepare: In a sanctuary, you can discard a region card to gain a hope token.
• Destruction of the One Ring: Frodo can spend one action and 1 die to attempt to destroy the One Ring, depending on the dice roll and available hope.

Card and Event Types:

• Player Cards: Can be region or event cards.
• Darkening Cards: Represent negative events (e.g., The Growing Shadow, I See You!, Battle!, The Price of Absence).

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the main objective is achieved or when the defeat condition is activated.

• Victory Condition (Free Peoples): Defeat the Forces of Shadow before time runs out.
• Defeat Condition (Free Peoples): If the hope level drops to zero, the Free Peoples lose.
• Scoring: At the end of the game, the secret objective cards are revealed. The player with the highest number of victory points wins. Objectives may include having the most treasures, allies, or defeated enemies.

6. Tips for Winning

Consult the manual for details on this section.