•Hilan, Soldier of Esgaroth
Companion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
For each threat you can spot, Hilan is strength +1 (limit +3).
Each time Hilan wins a skirmish, you may remove a threat.
Long without battle but also long under siege, the men of Laketown have kept their skills—and spears—sharpened for battle.

•Tarn, Esgaroth Watchman
Companion • Man
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
For each threat you can spot, Tarn is strength +1 (limit +2).
Response: If an opponent plays a minion, exert Tarn and a Man to remove [X], where X is the vitality of that minion.
“‘The lights again! Last night the watchmen saw them start and fade from midnight until dawn.’”

Esgaroth Long Sword
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be a knight.
Skirmish: If you cannot spot three threats, add two threats to make bearer damage +1.
Though known throughout the northern lands for their skill with bow and spear, the Lakemen were proficient swordsmen as well.

Maybe damage +2?

Dáin’s DC Duos #30

Today we cross into the 30s (we’re flying by with these, aren’t we? ), so to celebrate (and make up for no Duo yesterday), you get a trio of some of my favorite Men cards today. Enjoy!

•Armed and Ready
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 2 Man companions.
Maneuver: Play up to 3 possessions from your draw deck. Discard this condition.
Maneuver: Take up to 2 archery or skirmish events into hand from your draw. Discard this condition.
“Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed....”
with the second ability it needs to be draw deck. cut the first ability down to 2. and possible add, exert a gandalf man to both abilities.

Not Lost
Event • Response
Tale.
If your companion is about to be killed or discarded, spot 2 Men and remove a threat to return that companion to your hand instead.
“And in the very midst of their talk, a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes. ‘Bard is not lost!’ he cried.”
it works. though IMO there should be a ! after lost in the title.

•The King Beneath the Mountains
Condition
Vitality +1
Tale. To play, spot a Dwarf.
Bearer must be a Man companion. Bearer gains the Thorin signet.
Maneuver: Spot a unique Dwarf companion and exert bearer to heal each other Man. Discard this condition.
“‘The streams shall run in gladness, / The lakes shall shine and burn, / And sorrow fail and sadness / At the Mountain-king’s return!’”
works for me

•Armed and Ready
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 2 Man companions.
Maneuver: Play up to 3 possessions from your draw deck. Discard this condition.
Maneuver: Take up to 2 archery or skirmish events into hand from your draw. Discard this condition.
“Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed....”

Not Lost
Event • Response
Tale.
If your companion is about to be killed or discarded, spot 2 Men and remove a threat to return that companion to your hand instead.
“And in the very midst of their talk, a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes. ‘Bard is not lost!’ he cried.”

•The King Beneath the Mountains
Condition
Vitality +1
Tale. To play, spot a Dwarf.
Bearer must be a Man companion. Bearer gains the Thorin signet.
Maneuver: Spot a unique Dwarf companion and exert bearer to heal each other Man. Discard this condition.
“‘The streams shall run in gladness, / The lakes shall shine and burn, / And sorrow fail and sadness / At the Mountain-king’s return!’”

with the second ability it needs to be draw deck. cut the first ability down to 2. and possible add, exert a gandalf man to both abilities.

Wow, that’s very very powerful. I’d take SoP’s advice and add an exertion or two to both abilities.

Hmm.... with all the ways that Men have to add threats, it seems like removing a threat would help more than hinder. I’d switch it to adding 2 threats, just so it doesn’t get out of hand.

Dáin’s DC Duos #30

Today we cross into the 30s (we’re flying by with these, aren’t we? ), so to celebrate (and make up for no Duo yesterday), you get a trio of some of my favorite Men cards today. Enjoy!

•Armed and Ready
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 2 Man companions.
Maneuver: Exert a Man to play up to 3 possessions from your draw deck. Discard this condition.
Maneuver: Exert a Man to take up to 2 archery or skirmish events into hand from your draw deck. Discard this condition.
“Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed....”

Very balanced. Nice.

I believe this was actually inspired by one of Menace64’s cards back in the day. It’s unique to prevent things from getting out of control, but it’s hard to justify NOT having one of these when using Men. Is it too powerful? Too weak? Just right? You tell me.

Not Lost!
Event • Response
Tale.
If your companion is about to be killed or discarded, spot 2 Men and add a threat to return that companion to your hand instead.
“And in the very midst of their talk, a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes. ‘Bard is not lost!’ he cried.”

Nice....but kinda, um...powerful. Make it exert to men

This card was originally a condition, but I realized that having this card stick around could get a little out of hand. So instead, you have to either clog your hand or find a way to pull this from your deck.

Also note that, unlike many Men cards, this one works on ANY companion. Sure, you still need to spot a couple Lakemen to trigger it, but you can save Trees, Ents, and even Gandalf himself with this, too.

•The King Beneath the Mountains
Condition
Vitality +1
Tale. To play, spot a Dwarf.
Bearer must be a Man companion. Bearer gains the Thorin signet.
Maneuver: Spot a unique Dwarf companion and exert bearer to heal each other Man. Discard this condition.
“‘The streams shall run in gladness, / The lakes shall shine and burn, / And sorrow fail and sadness / At the Mountain-king’s return!’”

Nice

This may be my favorite Men condition in the whole set. I really don’t know what else to say about it. I try not to get a big head when I make these cards, but there are still a few that I get a little proud about. This is one of them. I don’t even know why, exactly. I just think it’s cool.

EDIT: Changes made to the first two cards after SoP and AC reviewed.

Laketown Banner-bearer
Companion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
To play, spot a Man.
While bearing Banner of the Lake, this companion is strength +1.
Response: If an opponent plays a minion, discard a hand weapon borne by this companion and add a threat to return that minion to its owner’s hand.
“‘...we bid him consider well the claims that have been urged, or be declared our foe.’”

Banner of the Lake
Possession • Hand Weapon
Bearer must be a Man companion.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, spot another Man and a minion to remove a threat.
Response: If bearer wins a skirmish, discard this possession to liberate a site.
“They bore with them...the blue banner of the Lake, and they advanced until they stood right before the wall at the Gate.”

Dáin’s DC Duos #31

Today we have one of the more interesting Man companions, as well as the return of a long-lost type of possession. Enjoy!

Laketown Banner-bearer
Companion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
To play, spot a Man.
While bearing Banner of the Lake, this companion is strength +1.
Response: If an opponent plays a minion, discard a hand weapon borne by this companion and add a threat to return that minion to its owner’s hand.
“‘...we bid him consider well the claims that have been urged, or be declared our foe.’”

Maybe make it discard that minion.

Let’s look at his response ability first. Give him one of the Lakemen’s myriad of hand weapons, and you get a nice little ability to stall. If a Shadow player drops an expensive (and probably tough) minion, you can frustrate them by making them scoop that minion right back up (after paying its cost, of course). This can be a killer for big baddies like Smaug and Trolls and, of course, minions like the Balrog and Sauron. The Shadow player could leave themselves too short on twilight and other costs to play that minion again, at least until the next turn.

As for his other text....

Banner of the Lake
Possession • Hand Weapon
Bearer must be a Man companion.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, spot another Man and a minion to remove a threat.
Response: If bearer wins a skirmish, discard this possession to liberate a site.
“They bore with them...the blue banner of the Lake, and they advanced until they stood right before the wall at the Gate.”

Nice

This is a direct nod to the Towers block’s banners (Banner of Elbereth, Banner of Westernesse, Banner of the Mark and others). I always thought that was a nifty idea that really could have taken off if Decipher had focused more attention on it.

This card is critical to Men decks because of its easy threat removal. It’s non-unique, so you can have up to four out if you want to. It’s a good card to slap on your archers (who don’t really need the bonuses other, more traditional hand weapons give) or, of course, the Banner-bearer above, who gets a modest strength boost from it.

Okay, there’ll be another Duo today if this gets reviewed early enough. Also, keep an eye out for a poll later to see what type of cards you want to see next after Men are done.