I got the new Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation Deluxe Edition yesterday. The original is one of the best two-player games I have, how does the new edition compare?

First thing you notice is the big box. It’s a big box game now, which makes me a bit reluctant to sell the old edition, even though it’s clearly obsolete now. The big box means there’s a bigger board and the stands are now bigger, too — they’re vertical and some people claim they tip over easily. Don’t know about that, but I think they’re really neat.

The art is new and really, really good. The game looks absolutely brilliant, even better than before (after all, it was a good-looking game to start with). The new tarot-sized cards aren’t linen-finished, so they’ll wear out, which is a shame, but at least the new art is absolutely fabulous.

The new elements in the game include 18 new characters to play and two new special cards for each side. The new characters are on the reverse side of the old characters. Some are new versions of old characters, some are completely new. Instead of following the Fellowship’s progress, the new game paints a broader picture of the war of the ring.

Of course, mixing the old and new characters is possible, which should give the game more depth for a long time, as the different combinations explode. The new characters have few interesting ones, like Frodo who makes Sam the new ringbearer if he dies, a Witch-king who wins the game for Sauron if he reaches Shire and Wormtongue, who is -1 power but cannot be killed.

I’m itching to try the new game!