Welcome to Middle-earth and its strategic board game War of the Ring. Players take part in the struggle between the armies of the Free Peoples and the heroic Companions of the Fellowship of the Ring against the dark hordes of Shadow and the mighty Servants of the Dark Lord.

In one game of War of the Ring, the player controlling the Shadow attempts to conquer Middle-earth using their military superiority. He gathers, under his command, the legions of Orcs and Trolls of Sauron, the forces of the magician Saruman and the hordes of Suderons and Orientals, to cover the West with darkness. Faced with this offensive, the Free Peoples player leads an alliance of Elves, Dwarves, Horsemen of Rohan, Men of Gondor and Men of the North: a fragile union trying to defend the last free kingdoms of Earth of the Middle and to gain precious time for the success of the Ringbearers Quest.

As the armies clash, the nine Companions of the Fellowship of the Ring travel to the heart of the Dark Lord's domains - the Mountain of Doom - to destroy the One Ring in the Mountain of Fire. Controlled by the Free Peoples player, the Fellowship is his real chance to win, the military forces of Darkness being defeated along with their master if the Ring is defeated. But the Quest faces increasing dangers as Darkness spreads over Middle-earth ... In the end, only one side will be victorious.