The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth

One of you plays the Fellowship and the other Sauron, over three chapters unless someone wins early. The Fellowship wins outright if Frodo and Sam reach Mordor; Sauron by catching them. Either side wins at once with a fortress in every region or all six free races rallied. Otherwise, map presence after the third chapter decides it. Each chapter deals cards into a fixed overlapping layout, some face down. You take a card that nothing covers and pay to play it or discard it for coins. Cards raise your skills, add fortresses, win over a race or push the ring quest. It comes from the designers of 7 Wonders: Duel and plays like a sibling with a map and a chase added. Our pick for two players who liked Duel and want more theme, and for Tolkien readers new to modern card games. Half an hour, ten minutes to teach.