“One Ring to rule them all
One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them” – Inscription on the One Ring

Frodo Baggins and his companions have only just begun their legendary quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron. The journey is fraught with danger, from the brutal Uruk-hai to the terrifying Balrog, to say nothing of the dreaded Nazgûl that hound them at every step. But even in the face of such peril, Frodo and the others must press on—the fate of Middle-earth depends on it!

Experience the beginning of the journey to destroy the One Ring in this epic expansion. This expansion contains six scenarios that recreate the adventures featured in the first part of the legendary The Lord of the Rings saga. You’ll also find over 50 hero and player cards, which can be used to build or enhance your decks for any of the game's scenarios or campaigns!

Note: For longtime fans of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, this expansion combines all of the contents from The Black Riders and The Road Darkens. If you already own those two expansions, you will not find any new cards or content in this product.

The Journey Begins

“I will take the Ring,” he said, “though I do not know the way.” – The Fellowship of the Ring

In order to properly begin the quest to destroy the One Ring, The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion includes a treasure trove of player cards to expand your deckbuilding options, including a fifth sphere of influence, the Fellowship sphere!

This special sphere can only be used for scenarios in saga expansions, and it allows a player to control a special fourth hero that has the Ring-bearer trait. This expansion includes two versions (The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion, 1) of Frodo Baggins (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 2), either of which can serve as the Fellowship sphere hero for a scenario. Both versions interact with The One Ring (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 166) in their own way, and with Fellowship cards like Fellowship of the Ring (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 25) and Frodo's Intuition (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 26) providing solid buffs to the party, you’ll be happy to have the Ring-bearer on your team! Just be careful; if the One Ring ever leaves play, you lose the game, so you must always remember to keep Frodo safe!

Fortunately, this expansion comes with plenty of potent hero cards to help you do just that. Frodo’s fellow Hobbits Sam Gamgee (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 3), Merry (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 4), and Pippin (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 6) all join the quest as a Leadership, Tactics, and Lore hero respectively. Each Hobbit has low threat cost but also low hit points, as well as stats that some might consider to be unimpressive. However, with cards like Bill the Pony (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 8), Hobbit Cloak (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 10), Halfling Determination (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 14), and Take No Notice (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 21), you’ll find that these Hobbit heroes excel at slipping past their enemies and working together to complete the quest bit by bit.

That said, if you are looking for a bit more raw power, then look no further than Gandalf (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 7). As a neutral hero, Gandalf does not belong to any sphere of influence, which means he normally can only spend his resources on neutral cards. However, his ability allows him to play the top card of your deck as if it were in your hand, and he “belongs” to all spheres when he does so. Combine that with tools like Gandalf's Staff (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 22), Wizard Pipe (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 23), and Flame of Anor (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 24), and Gandalf is a mighty hero that can guide any team to victory.

The Road Darkens

The riding figure sat quite still with its head bowed, as if listening. From inside the hood came a noise as of someone sniffing… – The Fellowship of the Ring.

In addition to all the player content, this expansion also comes with six scenarios, which can be played individually or as an epic campaign.

As we mentioned earlier, this campaign recreates the events and encounters of The Fellowship of the Ring. You begin the story in the Shire, making your way through the wilderness and doing your best to avoid the Black Riders (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 39) that hound your every step. The first scenario introduces the “hide X” keyword and hide tests, which represent your characters’ efforts to avoid their pursuers as they journey. Failing to hide when facing the dreaded Nazgûl can have dire consequences, so you will always want to have friends on hand to help you slip past your enemies unseen. Make your way to Bucklebury Ferry (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 35), and you’ll be safe…for now.

As your journey continues, you’ll find yourself traveling to iconic locations from The Fellowship of the Ring, from The Prancing Pony (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 52) to Weathertop (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 53) to the Mines of Moria (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 124). You’ll have to contend with dangerous foes like The Witch-king (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 167), the Watcher in the Water (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 91), and The Balrog (The Fellowship of the Ring SE, 116), but if you hold firm and press ever onward, you will prevail.  

Note: As a fun bit of trivia for newcomers to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Black Riders and The Road Darkens—the two saga expansions from which this one combines all the contents—were actually the expansions that pioneered the campaign mode for this game. This means that, even though the Revised Core Set and Angmar Awakened Campaign Expansion will have released before this product, The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion is the one that contains the game’s very first campaign! Also, this campaign will continue to its conclusion at Mount Doom in later expansions, so keep an eye out in the future!

The Ring Goes South

With the forces of Sauron on the move, only you and your fellow heroes can help Frodo on his journey to destroy the One Ring. Whether you missed The Black Riders and/or The Road Darkens or are just now getting into
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, you can look forward to adding The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion to your collection when it releases this fall!