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DáinIronfoot
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:50 am
Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 4594 Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
Dáin’s DC Duos #18

Well it’s farewell to Gandalf and his fellow Wizards, but we’re not leaving the Gandalf culture any time soon!

Today, I’d like to introduce one of a handful of new subcultures you’ll find in my sets: the Men of Laketown. Here’s a full description....

Laketown/Dale is a new subculture introduced in Lasting Alliances and continuing, to a lesser extent, through all five of my sets. It is contained within the culture that already houses a couple subcultures: the Gandalf culture. It wouldn’t have been my choice of "parent" culture--I would have picked Gondor, personally--but Decipher already put several men from Dale in with Gandalf, so I figured I better follow suit.

The men of Laketown (and Dale) rely on possessions to get better (much like Rohan), have a number of events to help them direct wound--especially against roaming minions--and heal (much like Gondor), and are proficient archers (much like the now-two Elven cultures: Elven and [Mirkwood], represented (for now) by Green).

But they do more than just borrow from other cultures; they have their own unique flavor. For one thing, they are one of the first cultures in my sets that can capture minions, and rather easily at that. (My sets feature capturing/rescuing characters much as one controls/liberates sites. See Duo #17 for more details.) Inspired by their watchfulness for Smaug the dragon’s return, they work A LOT with threats, adding and keying off of them to get stronger and use some of their better abilities and events. They take two not-so-unusual skills--archery and wounding roaming minions--and combine them in new ways. And in the same spirit of healing up Thorin’s exhausted party in The Hobbit, they’re pretty good at healing you up when you need it the most. In general, they support other cultures very well, especially Elves (and particularly Green Elves), Gondor Men (thanks mostly to a certain keyword the cultures share) and Dwarves (moreso in later sets than in Lasting Alliances).

But that doesn’t mean they can’t shine on their own. With heroes like Bard, the Master of Laketown, the Captain of the Guard, and later heroes like Brand, and with possessions galore, archery and skirmish events that can make big minions cry, and the ability to capture minions as you go, the men of Laketown and Dale are a force to be reckoned with even on their own.

Their only real limitations are size (even with all the cards in my sets combined with Decipher’s, it’s still a comparatively small Man subculture) and REMOVING all those threats they add. They have a couple cards that can help in this regard, but not many.

This subculture is, as you would probably guess, biggest in Lasting Alliances since that’s the set that focuses on The Hobbit, and that’s the book where the Lakemen were seen most prominently. But they’ll be dotted throughout the other sets and make a small resurgance in the RotK-focused set The End Of All Things as they desperately fight against the forces of Mordor with their Dwarven allies.

With that all out of the way, let’s kick things off with a couple of Laketown’s biggest heroes. Enjoy!

3•Bard, Heir of Girion Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot a Gandalf Man.
Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may exert a Gandalf Man to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

What would a Laketown subculture be without their greatest hero? The Slayer of the Dragon himself, the only man in Middle-Earth who could be called simply "The Bowman", Bard is a force to be reckoned with. He’s one of only a very small handful of companions in the entire game to be an archer from the get-go, and that alone makes him nice to have around. He’s a also a knight, as many Gandalf Man warriors will be, so he can use a few tricks of his fellow men further south in Gondor, including a couple of their horses (Knight’s Mount and the particularly appropriate Gondorian Steed) and, of course, fortifications!

And that’s just Bard’s keywords. Smile His ability obviously works nicely for him, a perfectly eligible Gandalf archer, but you’ll find that like Elves, several Gandalf Men can become archers as well with less trouble than the Men of Gondor and Rohan.

Now the only bad part: he’s not TOO easy to splash into any old fellowship. You have to already have another Gandalf Man before he can join in on the fun. But after that, he can quickly become your centerpiece companion.

3•Captain of the Guard Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
While bearing a hand weapon, Captain of the Guard is strength +1 and damage +1.
Each time Captain of the Guard wins a skirmish, you may exert him to capture a minion in that skirmish.
“‘If you come in peace lay down your arms!’”

The Captain is never named in The Hobbit, and while I invented names for many characters from Laketown and elsewhere, I thought it would be best if I left his a mystery. Tolkien makes a special point to always call him "Captain of the Guard", so by golly, so will I. Smile

The Captain is a knight as well, so he can have some Gondorian fun if you so choose. But he’s also the quintessential Lakeman: he gets better with possessions, and he can capture minions. With even a simple hand weapon (which we’ll get to before too long), he can become a beast and have a good chance of winning skirmishes and triggering his capturing text a lot. The prisons will fill up fast when he’s on guard!

There are actually more Gandalf cards relating to the Lakemen than there are Gandalf cards relating to Wizards, so we’ll be here for a while. Pull up a chair and get comfy. Smile

However, to make sure this doesn’t drag on TOO long, I’ll be open to posting multiple Duos on the same day, something I’m usually loathe to do. If a Duo gets a couple reviews by, say, sometime in the afternoon, I may post another Duo that same day. Otherwise, I estimate this could take 2-3 weeks, and I fear it getting stale after that long. *shrug* Maybe not. We’ll see how it all goes.

So get the reviews in and you get more cards sooner. Not sure if that’s more incentive for you or me.... Think

Oh, HERE’S incentive. Just like any new post of mine, your first review in this thread earns you a GP, with the potential for me as we go along. That’s a good thing, right? Mr. Green

EDIT: Couple changes made to Bard based on AC’s and mm’s comments.
EDIT 2: One more change to Bard based on an update from AC.
Last edited by DáinIronfoot on Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:24 pm; edited 18 times in total
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macheteman
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:18 pm
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 1200 Location: The Jungle
hey, cool with the laketown idea. back in Dec. i made some DCs along these lines. if you want to check them out.

http://lotrtcgdb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2710


3•Bard, Heir of Girion
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot 2 Men.
Each time a archer wins a skirmish, you may exert Bard and another Man to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

very good. not too over powered, but very useful.

3•Captain of the Guard
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
While bearing a hand weapon, Captain of the Guard is strength +1 and damage +1.
Each time Captain of the Guard wins a skirmish, you may exert him to capture a minion in that skirmish.
“‘If you come in peace lay down your arms!’”

awsome idea for Gandalf knights! plus the bonus for bearing a weapon is cool.
Check out my best article The Utterly Corrupt Corruption,
If at first you don't succeed...Sky-diving isn't for you.
"Combat is dangerous. It tends to interupt your breathing process."
ROLF!!!
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Anonymous Prodigy
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:19 pm
Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 4197 Location: United States
DáinIronfoot wrote:


With that all out of the way, let’s kick things off with a couple of Laketown’s biggest heroes. Enjoy!

3•Bard, Heir of Girion Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot 2 Gandalf Men.
Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may exert Bard and another Gandalf Man to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

Nice skirmish ability! Bard could single-handedly take down a 3 vitality minion! He dishes out an archery wound, then if he wins a skirmish, exert him and another Gandalf Man to wound that minion! Nice card!

3•Captain of the Guard Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
While bearing a hand weapon, Captain of the Guard is strength +1 and damage +1.
Each time Captain of the Guard wins a skirmish, you may exert him to capture a minion in that skirmish.
“‘If you come in peace lay down your arms!’”

Sweet strength bonus, plus he is a splash companion!


Nice cards, DainIronfoot! Cool
I had to put something here.
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DáinIronfoot
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:32 pm
Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 4594 Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
Wow, that was fast. Thanks for the reviews, guys. GP for you both.

I’ll take a closer look at your Laketown cards and probably give ’em a review, mm. Great minds thinks alike, eh?

Anonymous Prodigy wrote:
DáinIronfoot wrote:
3•Captain of the Guard Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
While bearing a hand weapon, Captain of the Guard is strength +1 and damage +1.
Each time Captain of the Guard wins a skirmish, you may exert him to capture a minion in that skirmish.
“‘If you come in peace lay down your arms!’”

Sweet strength bonus, plus he is a splash companion!

Yeah, that’s another thing about the Men of Laketown...I’ve tried to make their subculture, on the whole, a little more splashable than most cultures (and subcultures) are, which would hopefully make up for their small size. The good Captain isn’t the only guy that’s that easy to splash. Since I’ve gotten some quick reviews, you’ll see what I mean soon with another Duo. Smile
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AnxiousChieftain
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:33 pm
Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 3947 Location: Maryland
DáinIronfoot wrote:
3•Bard, Heir of Girion Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot 2 Gandalf Men.
Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may exert Bard and another Gandalf Man to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

First, off, I must say I am rather against the idea of Gandalf Men being knights. It doesn’t seem to fit into the story very nicely, plus they get to use all the Gondor cards (which, in turn, doesn’t really fit into the story).

That being said, he seems underpowered. This is, after all, Bard, so I think you could drop both exertions.

DáinIronfoot wrote:
3•Captain of the Guard Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Knight.
While bearing a hand weapon, Captain of the Guard is strength +1 and damage +1.
Each time Captain of the Guard wins a skirmish, you may exert him to capture a minion in that skirmish.
“‘If you come in peace lay down your arms!’”

See above about the knight issue. Other than that, great card.

- AC
MODS RULE. - lem0nhead
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DáinIronfoot
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:00 pm
Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 4594 Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
AnxiousChieftain wrote:
DáinIronfoot wrote:
3•Bard, Heir of Girion Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot 2 Gandalf Men.
Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may exert Bard and another Gandalf Man to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

First, off, I must say I am rather against the idea of Gandalf Men being knights. It doesn’t seem to fit into the story very nicely, plus they get to use all the Gondor cards (which, in turn, doesn’t really fit into the story).

But how many cards is that, really? There’s only two fortifications--First Level and Fifth Level--that Gandalf knights could use without any Gondor Men, and only those two mounts I mentioned that they can use from Gondor, and I think that makes those mounts even better. Similarly, only a very small handful of Gondor cards (Reckless Counter, Vorondil, Faramir, Defender of Osgiliath) have text that applies to just "knights"...almost all of them say "Gondor knights". The way things are written, and the abilities of cards that have Gondor before "knight" and the ones that don’t, lead me to think Decipher was leaving things open for the potential of non-Gondor knights in the future anyway.

I understand exactly what you’re saying, and I figured that someone would take issue. But believe and trust me when I say that I’ve done my homework on this, and really thought long and hard about it, and I think it works out okay. In fact, I think it makes the cards that DO work for either culture even better, and encourage splashing some Gandalf and Gondor Men together. It’s one of the reasons I thought about doing it in the first place. I have great respect for the storyline Tolkien created (like you, probably much more than Decipher seems to these days) and take great care not to do things with it that don’t fit particularly well. Dale and Gondor share the same (distant) history--Dale split off from Gondor much as Rohan did--and there are many similarities between the two cultures. Unlike the Rohirrim, the men of Dale stayed very much like Gondor in terms of fighting styles, government, and all-around culture.

So again, I understand your concern and appreciate you watching out for my set. Smile But I also very respectfully disagree. Feel free to tell me why I’m wrong, though...and I’ll listen, I promise. I’m not all-out opposed to abandoning the idea, but only for good reason.

AnxiousChieftain wrote:
That being said, he seems underpowered. This is, after all, Bard, so I think you could drop both exertions.

That’s the opposite of what I expected people would say about it. Shows what I know. Razz

I can see dropping one exertion, but I’m reluctant to do two for fear of him being TOO good. How about this:

Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may spot another Gandalf Man and exert that Man or Bard to wound a minion in that skirmish.

Kinda wordy, but it lets you choose who to exert. That work, or you still think I should drop both?

Thanks for the review. GP as soon as I can award one. Smile
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macheteman
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:21 pm
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 1200 Location: The Jungle
maybe drop one exertion, and one spotting cost. so "to play spot a Gandalf man"

-macheteman
Check out my best article The Utterly Corrupt Corruption,
If at first you don't succeed...Sky-diving isn't for you.
"Combat is dangerous. It tends to interupt your breathing process."
ROLF!!!
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DáinIronfoot
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:22 pm
Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 4594 Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
macheteman wrote:
maybe drop one exertion, and one spotting cost. so "to play spot a Gandalf man"

That’s a good thought, too. That work for you, AC?

For the time being, I have changed Bard like this:

3•Bard, Heir of Girion Gandalf
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Archer. Knight. To play, spot a Gandalf Man.
Each time a Gandalf archer wins a skirmish, you may spot another Gandalf Man and exert either that Man or Bard to wound a minion in that skirmish.
“‘Bard is he, of the race of Dale, of the line of Girion; he is a grim man but true.’”

Let me know if that’s better. I plan on posting another Duo in an hour or two.
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Anonymous Prodigy
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:17 pm
Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 4197 Location: United States
It’s like Bard Reloaded! This one’s even better! Laughing
I had to put something here.
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macheteman
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:23 pm
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 1200 Location: The Jungle
better than what? i didn’t think there was a bard card made. there is a brand...
Check out my best article The Utterly Corrupt Corruption,
If at first you don't succeed...Sky-diving isn't for you.
"Combat is dangerous. It tends to interupt your breathing process."
ROLF!!!
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