War of the Ring is a much larger scale game than LotR. LotR is a skirmish game in which singular models move, fight and act individually, and may feature up to 50 individual models max in a game. WotR pits entire armies against each other, and models move in formations, or large groups. The tactics and gameplay for both are totally different, and there's a set of rules for each game. However, the models, scale, scenery etc. Are still the same; you can play both games with the same models.
I have little experience of LotR, but I did find it fun. WotR appeals to me personally because I love that huge scale carnage! On the surface, it may look like a game of WotR and Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WFB) are similar; you'd see regiments of troops moving and wheeling around, before rolling to charge into combat. For my money, WotR is the superior game. The turn structure (one player moves, then the other moves, the first player shoots, then the second player shoots and so on) is much more engaging; it keeps both players in the game at all times, rather than present a large stretch in which you can do nothing while your opponent takes his turn. Also, I think the more 'realisitc' look of the models is very appealing in WotR. Finally, the game mechanics are in some ways simpler; there are no 'to hit' rolls, 'to wound' rolls or saving throws. Skill determines how many dice you get in an attack, Strength vs Defence (I.E. Toughness) determines what your formation needs to roll to get kills. That simple. It's surprising how much it speeds up the game not having to roll three sets of dice per combat, and it keeps things snappy and streamlined so you can focus on tactics rather than mental mathematics.
Once you understand the basics, it's a case of picking up the very streamlined but tactically nuanced magic phase, and the myriad special rules that season the units and the game.
Finally, the way in which you build an army is very simple, but probably much more functional and fun than pretty much any other game I can think of. The genius is the allies rule which allows you to mix n' match units from other armies with ease, which helps reduce 'army regret', and allow you to use any models or characters from another army (within reason).
Some criticisms abound, mostly regading game balance. Some units (Ringwraiths, Gothmog, Crossbows and a few others) are considered somewhat over-powered, under-priced or both. For the most part, in the dozen or so games I've played, I've not found these common issues to be game-breaking spoilers, but you may find yourself tweaking things with the odd house-rule.
If you're looking at getting into WotR, a great way would be to peruse the Battlehosts expansion. A Battlehost is a formation of particular units, lead by a particular hero (or heroes). When collected in this way, the units are imbued with unique abilities and rules. I started off collecting The Scouts of Saruman, the force of Uruk Hai Scouts lead by Lurtz who slay Boromir and steal away Merry and Pippin.
I'd predict that the popularity of LotR and WotR will steadily increase as buzz around the new Hobbit movie increases (for which G.W. have the rights).
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