''Sauron'', subtitled "The Battle for the Ring, S.A. 3434", is a licensed board wargame published by

Simulations Publications, Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovati ...

(SPI) in 1977 that simulates the battle between Sauron and the

Last Alliance of Elves and Men In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the history of Arda, also called the history of Middle-earth, began when the Ainur entered Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of labour throughout Eä, the fictional uni ...

mentioned in the fantasy novel '' The Lord of the Rings'' by

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

Description

''Sauron'' is a two-player wargame that deals with the battle at the end of the Second Age between an army of monsters led by Sauron, and the Last Alliance led by the heroes Elendil, Isildur and Gil-galad.

Components

The game, packaged in a ziplock bag or a folio, comes with *17" x 22" paper hex grid map of Minas Tirith and the surrounding plains *100 die-cut counters *two 4-page rulebooks (one with rules common to both this game and SPI's '' Gondor: The Siege of Minas Tirith'', and the other with rules exclusive to this game) *two charts

Gameplay

Both forces meet on the Plains of Dagorlad, and engage in combat using alternate turns. The winner is the player who completely destroys the other army.

Publication history

In 1976, SPI was granted a license by the Tolkien Estate to produce wargames based on ''The Lord of the Rings''. SPI subsequently produced three wargames in 1977: '' War of the Ring'', ''Gondor'', and ''Sauron''. The latter was a game designed by Rob Mosca, with graphics by

Redmond A. Simonsen Redmond Aksel Simonsen (June 18, 1942 – March 9, 2005) was an American graphic artist and game designer best known for his work at the board wargame company Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Simonsen was consi ...

and cover art by Tim Kirk. SPI also packaged all three games into a

boxed set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

titled '' Games of Middle Earth''. This proved to be one of SPI's bestsellers, debuting at Number 1 on SPI's Top Ten list four months before publication based on pre-orders alone. Following its release in November 1977, ''Games of Middle Earth'' remained SPI's bestselling game for almost two years.

Reception

In Issue 17 of '' The Space Gamer'',

David James Ritchie David James Ritchie (October 6, 1950 - September 6, 2009) was a game designer and author. Early life and education David Ritchie was a native of Canton, Ohio. He was a graduate of Lehman High School in Canton and attended Grove City College in Pen ...

was disappointed in both ''Gondor'' and ''Sauron'', writing, "They are adequate, but nothing more. Yet this lack of excellent is a cheat. Those who buy these games will do so because of the familiarity with the Tolkien mythos. They will expect the same impact from these games as was present in the books. They will not find the same degree of experience". Writing for the Dutch games review site ''Casus Belli'', Frank van den Bergh called both ''Sauron'' and ''Gondor'' "clearly lesser games" compared to ''War of the Ring''. Although he admitted, "they are fun games that offer many possibilities," van den Bergh concluded, "These games are only recommended for the devoted Tolkien fan." In Issue 16 of '' Phoenix'', Ed Merryweather found that the use of sorcery by the Dark Forces allowed the game to stay balanced, saying "this is what gives the game its sheer superbness in my eyes." He concluded that the game was "a good pitched battle, balanced and lots of fun."

References

{{reflist Board games based on Middle-earth Board games introduced in 1977 Simulations Publications games Wargames introduced in 1977