Verdict Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a triumph, building on solid, well-known bedrock to produce a game that's unexpectedly exciting, strategic, and flavorful. Pros Gorgeous board and art styleImproves on Pandemic in every wayFeels genuinely Lord of the Rings Cons Long set-up and fiddly piecesBad luck can defeat youIf you squint just a little, it's not hard to see the bones of Pandemic poking out underneath Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship. Anyone who's experienced Pandemic (not to be confused with 'the Pandemic') will be familiar with the very basic structure of Fate of the Fellowship. But in Fate of the Fellowship this core gameplay loop is transformed, and dare I say improved (I do. Overall, Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is far more than a rather complicated Pandemic.