A brand-new Lord of the Rings tabletop game has just been announced, and it’s beginning its crowdfunding journey on July 14. Titled The Lord of the Rings: Ascension, this officially licensed project will be a fast-paced deckbuilding card game designed for 1–4 players.
As its name suggests, The Lord of the Rings: Ascension will use the same gameplay system as Stone Blade Entertainment’s Ascension series of fantasy deckbuilding games. Ascension first released in 2010, and it was originally forged by some key Magic the Gathering alums. This Magic the Gathering DNA can be seen in key areas of Ascension‘s gameplay, with it generally revolving around casting monsters and heroes and having players use them to battle one another.
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The Lord of the Rings: Ascension Starts Crowdfunding on July 14
In May, Stone Blade Entertainment officially announced The Lord of the Rings: Ascension, a 1–4-player deckbuilding card game that will release in three separate, standalone volumes, each one based on one part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Soon after its announcement, Stone Blade confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: Ascension would begin crowdfunding on July 14 via the Gamefound platform. There’s currently no word on when The Lord of the Rings: Ascension will hit store shelves.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Less than two weeks out from its campaign start date, it’s currently unclear what The Lord of the Rings: Ascension‘s pledge goal will be, or what tiers will be available to backers when the project goes live. That said, Stone Blade Entertainment has announced a Deluxe Saga Collection of The Lord of the Rings: Ascension that will give fans all three volumes of the game and some premium components, all bound in faux leather cases and a faux leather slipcase that’s designed to mimic the look of the very first edition of The Lord of the Rings novel series.
While Stone Blade Entertainment has extensive experience in the tabletop space, this upcoming release has caused some controversy. In its initial post on Gamefound, Stone Blade revealed some early artwork for The Lord of the Rings: Ascension‘s Frodo, Gandalf, Gimli, and Mordor cards. Though Mordor’s artwork generally got a pass from fans, the Fellowship cards were heavily criticized in the post’s comments, with many expressing their dislike for the “cartoonish” art style and some pointing out more specific issues like a lack of color contrast and visual depth.
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Rather than shy away from these criticisms, Stone Blade Entertainment has taken them in its stride. In its next update, Stone Blade presented a revised version of the Frodo artwork. This new iteration removed elements that were getting in the way of the card’s key figure, and made some subtle changes to make Frodo stand out more against the backdrop. In its update, Stone Blade had this to say about its approach to community feedback:
One of the benefits of crowdfunding is the opportunity to improve the game together, and we truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts.
