The Lord of the Rings card game demonstrates a far-reaching transformation of the source material, while still remaining dependent on it. The literary source is evoked through the textuality of the game (illustrations and verbal description), through the gameplay systems, and even through the design of material components. This strong relation that develops between the game’s and literary work’s storyworlds is the paper’s main focus. I examine how the design of the game evokes its literary source: what kind of alterations were involved in transforming literary material into a game and how does the card game evoke its predecessor? Is The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game a “well played” adaptation? To answer these questions, I use tools from literary studies to survey different modes of narration and world building in the game.
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