The Fate of the Fellowship: A New Cooperative Game on the Pandemic System

Matt Leacock and Z-Man Games are planning to release a new Pandemic game, this time based on The Lord of the Rings. The new game will be called The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship.

Like Pandemic, the new game will be designed for up to 5 players (with the possibility of solo play). Each player will control two characters and will need to use their unique abilities to protect Frodo, fight enemies in familiar locations, and avoid encounters with the Nazgûl and the Eye of Sauron. One character will perform the usual 4 actions per turn, while the second will only be able to perform one action.

The game will feature a total of 13 characters, 14 events, and 24 different quests, ensuring a wide variety of gameplay experiences. Additionally, the solo mode, specifically developed by Pandemic creator Matt Leacock, is highlighted as a unique feature.

During the game, players will move across the game board. They start at one edge of the board, and Mordor, the destination, is located on the opposite side. Meanwhile, Sauron's forces move between locations, similar to the invaders in Pandemic: Fall of Rome.

The game will include a Hope/Despair track, and if it reaches zero, the players lose. When the forces of darkness enter a location, friendly troops are removed (those initially present or added by the players). If no troops remain, the darkness captures the city, resulting in a -3 penalty on the track.

Players will have access to 4 resources:

• Stealth, used for Frodo's movement;

• Friendship, which allows recruiting troops;

• Valor, needed to fight the forces of darkness;

• Resistance, representing the ability to withstand evil.

As usual, at the end of a turn, players draw cards from the player deck and then reveal cards from the Shadow deck, which determine the movements of the dark forces and sometimes introduce surprises.

The game will be released in June 2025