Game description from the publisher:
The Battle of Five Armies – based on the climax of JRR Tolkien's novel The Hobbit – pits the hosts of the Elvenking, the Dwarves of Dain Ironfoot, and the Men of the Lake led by Bard the Bowman against a horde of Wolves, Goblins and Bats led by Bolg, son of Azog. Will Gandalf turn the tide for the Free Peoples? Will the Eagles arrive, or Beorn come to the rescue? Or will Bilbo the Hobbit perish in a last stand on Ravenhill?
The Battle of Five Armies features a game board representing the Eastern and Southern spurs of the Lonely Mountain and the valley they encircle, and a number of plastic figures representing troops, heroes and monsters.
The Battle of Five Armies is a standalone game based on the rules for War of the Ring, which is from the same designers, but with the rules modified to function on a tactical level as they describe a smaller battle rather than the entire war. Ares Games plans to expand the Battles game system in the future, releasing expansions depicting other battles from the Third Age of Middle-earth narrated in The Lord of the Rings, such as the Siege of Gondor and the assault of Saruman against Rohan.
- Strong thematic tie-ins to Tolkien lore
- Dramatic, tense combat with impactful decisions
- Varied unit types and special character powers
- High luck element in dice results
- Complex setup and learning curve
- Balance can lean toward a particular side depending on scenario
- struggle for territory and influence between Free Peoples and Shadow forces
- Middle-earth during the Battle of the Five Armies, around the Lonely Mountain
- dice-driven tactical combat with character abilities and event cards
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice-based combat — Roll dice to resolve engagements with special symbols and modifiers
- event cards and abilities — Draw and play event cards that alter outcomes and lets the Shadow side disrupts Free Peoples
- leadership tokens — Use tokens to activate leaders, influence reinforcements and morale
- special abilities for named characters — Gandalf, Thorin and other characters provide unique actions
- terrain advantages — Terrain effects confer combat bonuses or penalties
- territory control and recruitment — Control regions, recruit units and manage resources
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Gandalf work his magic.
- Gandalf's here in the middle of the board.
- It's going to be bloody.
- We can't retreat here or here.
- The goblins have terrain superiority.