The Lord of the Rings: Ascension is set to turn J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy into a deckbuilding game, with players moving through the full story across three connected sets based on The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The game is designed for 1 to 4 players and is set to launch on Gamefound later this summer.

Instead of drawing on the films, the game uses original artwork. Gandalf, Samwise and Legolas are rendered with a stylized, almost animated look, while Gollum and the Orcs are drawn in a more unsettling style that fits the darker corners of Middle-earth.

The core of play is familiar to deckbuilding fans, but the setting gives it a clear arc. Players recruit heroes, gather resources and strengthen their forces as they build decks and face growing threats, all while calling on the Free Peoples of Middle-earth and trying to resist the temptation of the One Ring. Each of the three sets connects into a larger campaign-style experience, so the trilogy is meant to unfold as a single journey rather than three separate releases.

The project also reaches back to a much older game name. Ascension was first launched by Stone Blade Entertainment in 2010, and The Lord of the Rings: Ascension merges that established system with one of fantasy’s most recognizable worlds. That pairing matters because it asks players to do what the books demand of their heroes: keep moving, keep building and keep the Ring from taking control.

The result is a tabletop adaptation that aims to be more than a skin on a known engine. By linking all three books into one campaign and using art that stands apart from the films, The Lord of the Rings: Ascension is setting itself up as a fresh take on Middle-earth when it reaches backers later this summer.