"In 2017, the War of the Ring Anniversary Release was published. With a print run limited to 2000 copies, this gorgeous version of our best-selling War of the Ring game, with 205 hand-painted miniatures and upgraded components, sold out immediately and, soon after its publication, its price on the secondary market increased to a level unaffordable by most.

When, in 2018, we released Warriors of Middle-earth Limited Edition, to complement and expand the core game with a painted set and enhanced components of that expansion, we received hundreds of requests and messages from would-be buyers who had missed the preorder of the base game, and asked us if a reprint was possible. The same happened when, this year, we produced and released the Kings & Lords of Middle-earth Limited Edition.

When asked if and when such a reprint could happen, I always answered “It’s not in our plans” – and that, at the time, was the only honest answer I could give. I also answered that, when we offer our limited edition products, we want them to preserve their value, without endlessly reprinting them.

As months passed, we realized the demand for a new, beautifully painted set of our War of the Ring game (and its expansions) was just too much for us, as a company, to ignore. Talking with our suppliers, we realized that such a project – even if more costly than in the pre-Covid years – was still possible.

And… Exactly 20 years ago, the first copies of War of the Ring reached the homes of gamers all over the world, and this birthday was hard to ignore. How could we properly celebrate 20 years of a game who has been acclaimed as the best adaptation of the most beloved Trilogy of the XX Century literature?

Ok, ok, I could go on all day ranting about the past twenty years, and the future of the game (you can listen to all that in a couple of videos you can find on YouTube, for example this one). Let’s get to the point!

War of the Ring - The Two Decades Limited Edition.

So, here I am - proudly announcing THE TWO DECADES LIMITED EDITION. Revised deluxe reprints – with a new design style unique to this line, to keep them distinct from their predecessors – of War of the Ring, Warriors of Middle-earth, and Kings & Lords of Middle-earth.

Now, if you got the deluxe expansions but you sadly missed the deluxe base game, you can finally own it – at a price higher than in 2017, but much, much lower than eBay prices. If you decided not to buy the deluxe expansions because you missed the deluxe base game, now you have a chance, for a limited time, to acquire the entire set, and even walk out with a little discount over the individual purchases. And if you missed just one of them – now you can get it!

We also know that many of our players have hand-painted their own set of War of the Ring with artistic skills which we cannot ever match, even in quality products like these sets. We kept them in mind as well – offering, as a set, the upgraded game boards and strategy guide, and a deluxe box with all the cards in the base game and expansions (updated to the latest revisions of each expansion), including card sleeves. In this way you can still enhance your copy of War of the Ring and expansions without going all the way and get the new limited editions.

We are very excited to share with you this opportunity to say “Happy birthday” by launching the pre-orders of this product line, which we plan to ship to you in the 2nd semester of the next year. On December, 11th at 4 PM CET (3 PM UTC), we will open pre-orders on our e-commerce website.

These editions will be limited to a maximum of 2500 copies of the base game and 1200 copies of each expansion and accessory. We warrant that these editions will never be reprinted, so this is a one-off chance to acquire these works.

Tomorrow at 4 PM CET we will share all the details on the products of this line on this website. (click here)

Thanks for sharing with us this 20-year journey from the first copy of War of the Ring to this day. The Road Goes Ever On!"


Lucca, December 9th, 2024

Roberto Di Meglio, War of the Ring co-designer and director of production at Ares Games


Pre-orders will open on 11 December, at 4:00 PM (CET) on the Ares Games e-commerce.

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