New App-Supported 'Lord Of The Rings' Board Game Takes Us Back To Middle-Earth

The Lord of the Rings fans find themselves in a bit of a dead zone in 2019, years removed from the Peter Jackson-directed movies and with Amazon's planned television series still far off in the distance. Enter Fantasy Flight Games, a company that's held the LOTR license for years and is now back with a new Lord of the Rings board game called Journeys in Middle-earth. Players can form their own Fellowship and team up to take down Sauron and the forces of evil in this app-supported game, and you can check out a trailer below.

Fantasy Flight has already released four LOTR games, but this is the first of this property to come with a companion app, which serves as a guide and also controls the enemy forces you'll face off against. Here's part of the official description:

Each individual game of Journeys in Middle-earth is a single adventure in a larger campaign. You'll explore the vast and dynamic landscapes of Middle-earth, using your skills to survive the challenges you encounter on these perilous quests. As you and your fellow heroes explore the wilderness and battle the dark forces arrayed against you, the game's free companion app guides you to reveal the looming forests, quiet clearings, and ancient halls of Middle-earth, while also controlling the enemies you encounter. Whether you're venturing into the wild on your own or with close companions by your side, you can write your own legend in the history of Middle-earth.

Journeys in Middle-earth blends digital with analogue gameplay, incorporating the app but also relying on more traditional card-based play. Players form their own Fellowship by selecting six heroes with a unique mixture of traits like might, wisdom, agility, spirit, and wit. Each hero has their own personal skill cards as well, which can be added to throughout the game. And like any good game, there's a high value placed on replayability:

As your quest begins in Journeys in Middle-earth, you will soon be swept away on a series of adventures that spans across Middle-earth. Each of your adventures is but one part of the greater Bones of Arnor campaign that could take you in any number of directions. Throughout the fourteen adventures of this campaign, you'll unravel mysteries, fight enemies, and further the story as you chase down missing relics and discover a threat that looms over all Free Peoples.

But this story does not remain the same between one playthrough and the next. Whether you're searching for lost treasure or seeking out forgotten lore, Journeys in Middle-earth is continually surprising and highly replayable, adjusting the enemies and allies that you encounter, the events that plague your heroes, and even the size and layout of the map with every adventure. Beyond the individual adventures, the overall campaign also features branching narratives and side quests that you can unlock. Combine that with your options for upgrading your hero's power, finding new items or titles, and diversifying your skill deck, and it's plain to see that no matter how many times you play the campaign, you'll live a new story each time.

Journeys in Middle-earth is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2019. You can find out much more about the gameplay here, and pre-order it now at your local retailer or on their website.