Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
First Edition (1975, Lore / JMJ Enterprises) The contents are: A Plain Manila Envelope with "The Battle of The FIVE Armies" and a drawing of a giant EAGLE with a MOUNTAIN printed upon it. A copyright symbol with "by Larry Smith" and further down is "A LORE Product Div.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Secret Unit Deployment
Place or assign units secretly before their positions are revealed.
See all 8 mechanisms
Read the full game description
First Edition (1975, Lore / JMJ Enterprises) The contents are: A Plain Manila Envelope with "The Battle of The FIVE Armies" and a drawing of a giant EAGLE with a MOUNTAIN printed upon it. A copyright symbol with "by Larry Smith" and further down is "A LORE Product Div. of JMJ Enterprises" is also printed on the envelope front. The game components consist of: a beige Mapsheet-19 inches by 25 inches with 2 color graphics-BROWN mostly with some BLUE; GRID co-ordinates along the edges; 146-counters-BLACK printing on WHITE for "GOOD" units and WHITE on BLACK for "EVIL" forces. The counters have some descriptive print to distinguish them such as Dw(arves), Gob(lins), Warg, Men, Elves, Eagle, plus some individuals-G(andalf), Beorn, Bard, Dain, Thorin and the Elf King. A 6-sided and 10-sided DICE are needed but not provided and Players must also provide their own TURN record. The RULES booklet is 5-1/2 inches by 8 inches and has the Reinforcement Schedule, Optional Rules, Scenarios Set-up, the Terrain Effects Chart, Army Morale Chart, ADDENDUM for "Under the Mountain" effects, Combat Results Table, Missile Effects Chart, and Morale Stack Chart.2nd (1976) & 3rd (1977) Editions - TSR This is the TSR remake of the earlier game and is a VAST improvement over THAT, with a 3rd BOXED edition of THIS game being produced in 1977. This game has a PLASTIC zip-"baggie" for it's contents, with 2 smaller zip-"baggies" for the game counters. Players provide a 6-sided & 10-sided DICE as well as a Turn Record Track. There is a small Errata sheet included denoting Corrections, Omissions, and with Additions to Missile Fire and Combat. The contents of the game include: a Mapsheet 17 inches by 23 inches; one hex-row LESS than the FIRST game; Light GREEN overall; BLACK features and Olde English Printing; BLUE water features; YELLOW Hillsides; Light-BROWN Rocks; BROWN Slopes, Dark-BROWN Mountain/Ridge; WHITE-Outposts, Paths, and Dale enclosure; and a PINK-Title/Credits. There is also a "dotted-line" delineating the area of "under the Mountain".There are 163-game counters (79 orange goblins, 20 white wargs, 10 red dwarves, 10 blue men, 5 brown eagles, 32 green elves, 6 named characters, and one dark red SMAUG) and represent the biggest improvement over the first game. They are at least 3 times thicker, and are BLACK Print of the following colors: Dwarves-RED, Elves-GREEN, Men-Light BLUE, Eagles-TAN, Beorn-OLIVE, Bard-BLUE, Gandalf-GRAY, Elf King-Dark GREEN, Thorin & Dain-Brown, Goblins & Goblin King Bolg-ORANGE, Worgs-WHITE and SMAUG the Dragon-Dark RED. Each unit has a glossy silhouette "bust" and/or weapon printing (except the Eagles and SMAUG which have their full bodies) and COMBAT factors/Numerals. NEW additions include Worg-Riders, HIDDEN movement, denoted Elves/Men ARCHERs-(optional rules), SMAUG the Dragon counter, and more detailed MORALE rules. The RULES booklet is 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches and includes a TSR Product Releases Page, as well as UNIT pictures at the top of the Terrain Effects Chart, with the Combat Results Table & Missile Effects Chart on the back page.