The Lord of the Rings Fate of the Fellowship reference sheet

Overview

• 1–5 players, cooperative — win or lose together [p.9 — Key Concepts]
• Goal: complete all objectives, then Frodo destroys the One Ring at Mount Doom [p.9 — Objective]
• Each player controls 2 characters with unique abilities [p.9 — The Free Peoples]
• Protect Frodo, defend havens from shadow troops, and evade the Eye of Sauron [p.2 — Overview]
• Lose if the hope marker reaches 0 [p.19 — Losing Hope]
• Core loop: Do Actions → Draw 2 Player Cards → Draw Shadow Cards [p.10 — Playing the Game]

Setup

1. Place board; set threat rate marker and hope marker on their dotted starting spaces [p.4 — Setup]
2. Place 2 special shadow cards in discard pile; shuffle remaining shadow cards into shadow deck [p.4 — Setup]
3. Place starting friendly troops, shadow troops, Nazgûl, and Eye of Sauron per board icons [p.4–5 — Setup]
4. Draw 9 shadow cards 1 at a time; add 1 shadow troop to each featured location; discard those cards [p.5 — Setup]
5. Select 4 objective cards (include 'Destroy the One Ring'); follow any setup instructions on them [p.6 — Setup]
6. Deal each player 2 character cards; place figures at starting locations shown on cards [p.6–7 — Setup]
7. Deal starting player cards by player count (see table below); keep hands face-up [p.8 — Setup]
8. Build player deck: divide remaining cards into stacks per difficulty, shuffle 1 Skies Darken card into each stack, then pile stacks together [p.8 — Setup]

Player Card Setup

Difficulty (Skies Darken stacks / Objectives)

Turn structure

Each turn follows these 3 steps in order [p.10 — Playing the Game]:

1. Do Actions — up to 4 actions with one character, up to 1 action with the other
2. Draw 2 Player Cards — resolve any Skies Darken cards immediately; discard down to 7-card hand limit
3. Draw Shadow Cards — flip and resolve a number of shadow cards equal to the current threat rate

Actions

• Same action may be taken multiple times; each use costs 1 action [p.10 — Do Actions]
• Both characters share your hand and tokens [p.20 — Fine Points]

Combat

Player-initiated Attack (characters do the action):

• Shift Eye of Sauron to the battle region [p.13 — Attack]
• Roll up to 3 battle dice (1 per friendly troop in location, minimum 1) [p.13 — Rolling a Battle]

Shadow-card-initiated battle:

• Roll 1 die per shadow troop in location (max 3); do NOT shift Eye [p.13 — Rolling a Battle]

Battle die results:

• Rout: remove 1 shadow troop
• Exchange: remove 1 shadow troop + 1 friendly troop
• Overrun: remove 1 friendly troop (ignored in a haven)
• Nazgûl!: if Nazgûl present, remove 2 friendly troops; else no effect
• Fate: spend 1 Resistance per die to reroll after rolling [p.13 — Rolling a Battle]
• Show Valor: spend 1 Valor to remove 1 shadow troop after rolling [p.13 — Rolling a Battle]

Haven lost: if shadow troops occupy a haven with no friendly troops → shadow stronghold + lose 3 hope [p.13 — Attack]

Scoring

• Capture a shadow stronghold → gain 2 hope [p.14 — Capture]
• Complete an objective → follow 'When Completed' on card (often gain hope) [p.19 — Completing Objectives]
• Hope is not a score — it is a survival track; reaching 0 means instant loss [p.19 — Losing Hope]

End of game

Win: Frodo completes 'Destroy the One Ring' at Mount Doom (spend 5 Stealth; pass final search roll with at least 1 hope remaining) — all other objectives must be completed first [p.12 — Destroying the One Ring]

Lose: Hope marker reaches 0 at any time [p.19 — Losing Hope]

Main ways to lose hope:

• Search result Weary or Exposed: –1 each [p.11 — Rolling a Search]
• Skies Darken drawn while Eye is in Frodo's region: –2 [p.15 — Skies Darken Cards]
• Haven taken by shadow troops: –3 [p.19 — Losing Hope]
• Shadow troop or player card cannot be drawn from empty supply/deck: –1 each [p.19 — Losing Hope]

Glossary

• Hope: Frodo's morale track; game ends immediately if it hits 0 [p.9 — Hope]
• Threat Rate: number of shadow cards resolved each turn; advances when Skies Darken cards are drawn [p.15 — Skies Darken Cards]
• Haven: friendly refuge location; shadow troops march toward these; losing one costs 3 hope [p.9 — The Free Peoples]
• Shadow Stronghold: a captured haven or printed red fortress; can be recaptured with the Capture action [p.14 — Capture]
• Eye of Sauron: marker showing Sauron's focus region; triggers extra hope loss when Skies Darken cards are drawn [p.9 — The Forces of Shadow]
• Nazgûl: 9 figures each occupying an entire region; affect search rolls and battle results [p.9 — The Forces of Shadow]
• Search Roll: dice rolled when Frodo travels or is exposed; 1 die per Nazgûl in his region + per shadow troop in his location (max 7) [p.11 — Rolling a Search]
• Battle Line: colored arrow path from a red shadow location to a haven; shadow troops advance along these during Advance shadow cards [p.16 — Advance]
• Skies Darken Card: special player deck card that advances threat rate, may shift Eye, adds shadow troops, and reshuffles shadow discard [p.15 — Skies Darken Cards]
• Spending Symbols: discard a player card showing the symbol OR return a matching token to supply [p.9 — Spending Symbols]
• Friendship / Valor / Stealth / Resistance: the 4 symbols used to pay for actions and abilities [p.9 — Spending Symbols]

FAQ

• Q: Is there a limit to shadow troops in a location? — A: No limit. Unlike other Pandemic System games, unlimited shadow troops can stack in one location [p.5 — Setup]
• Q: Can I move other players' characters when I Travel? — A: Yes, but ask permission first [p.10 — Travel]
• Q: Do I shift the Eye when a shadow card triggers a battle? — A: No. Only shift the Eye when players do the Attack action [p.20 — Rolling Battles]
• Q: Can I play event cards during another player's turn? — A: Yes, most events can be played at any time, but not while a search, battle, or card ability is currently resolving [p.20 — Timing]
• Q: What happens if I draw 2 Skies Darken cards at once? — A: Do all 4 Skies Darken steps once, then do them again [p.15 — Skies Darken Cards]
• Q: Can Frodo attempt to destroy the One Ring before other objectives are done? — A: No. All other objectives must be completed first [p.19 — Completing Objectives]