In a hobby filled with no shortage of Lord of the Rings themed games, Reina Knizia’s 2000 co-operative contribution – simply called The Lord of the Rings – stands out as a design in much the same way as its name doesn’t. Even as the books on which it is based proved foundational for a whole ongoing genre of writing, the game’s position as one of the earliest ‘modern’ cooperative games and an early example of many elements that are now standard of the category.