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| DáinIronfoot |
![]() Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:05 pm |
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
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...and it ain’t Orcs we’re starting off with, either.  More on that in a second, though....
I’m a bit burned out on a couple of my other cultures right now.  has been slow all along, and I’m finding it harder than I expected to transition from Southrons to Easterlings. I know basically what I want to do with them, but the ideas for actual cards just aren’t coming right now.
I’ve slowed to a barely-moving crawl with my Ages of Middle-earth Elves after a real surge in the beginning. I’m going to keep picking at it, but it’s not going to be a regular, every day type thing for the time being.
And as for The Road Ahead, the last culture,  , is quickly winding down. I anticipate it’ll be finished in a week or so, and then it’s just sites and general cleanup before I can call my second MASSIVE set complete.
So I want to start a new thread, and since The Way Into Mordor is the next natural set and one I’ve only done a couple cultures for, it seems the best place to do it.
And right now, one of the biggest cultures (perhaps THE biggest, depending on how things shake out) in the set is the one I’m having all sorts of ideas for. And since  is done (or very, VERY close to it...we’ll see if I’m inspired for another card or two), I think it’s time for their chief nemesis:  .
So, like I said, we’re not starting with Uruks, Wizards, OR Orcs. So what the heck is left? Glad you asked. 
 •Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
You may not know it yet, but this version of everyone’s (least) favorite betrayer of Rohan is key to our first strategy: Men. They rely a lot on conditions that play on companions, much like the originals from the Towers block. UNlike those, though, these guys will hopefully be useful against more than just Free Peoples Men. (Much of the old Men stuff fell flat if there weren’t some Men in the fellowship.) Anyway, if nothing else, this Gríma does what many other versions do: target the GOOD cards borne by companions. He’s obviously much more useful in this regard with other Men to assign to companions, but he’s servicible even without their support in that he can at least get rid of stuff borne by companions assigned to him.
Our next minion may be a bit of a surprise, especially after me harping on Thranduil recently about turning well-known minions into companions. 
•Théoden King, Bound by Dark Crafts
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Lurker.
If you can spot Théoden, discard Théoden King.
While you can spot Saruman or Gríma, the Free Peoples player may not assign Théoden King to a skirmish.
Each other Man and Wizard is strength +1. Each Man is strength -1.
“‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’”
Believe it or not, Thran, I made this guy literally YEARS ago, as one of my first-ever DCs. So obviously, I don’t have a problem with SOME companion/minion crossover.
But it makes sense, really. For all intents and purposes, at least the film version (and more arguably the novel version) of Rohan’s king WAS a minion for a while, thanks to the manipulation of his "trusted" advisor.
I opted not to just name him "Théoden", as they could cause some unforseen problems with other cards that refer to "Théoden". "Théoden King" is what many Rohirrim called him, so it seemed apt enough as an alternate title, remaining distint from the companion versions yet obviously still closely connected. I toyed with the idea of letting him and regular ol’ Théoden co-exist, but in the end opted to toss in the first line of text which prevents that. Is that good or bad, do you think?
The rest of his text is pretty self-explanatory. His second line (plus the lurker is mainly to help keep him alive, but it also turns him into a sneaky mini-Ferny if you want to go that route. The last line is the real key to using him, though, as that strength boost is badly-needed by other (often weak) Men.
But there are also a couple cards that will key off of this guy--much like there are a handful of cards that specifically key off Gríma--so there’s more to him than initially meets the eye. |
Last edited by DáinIronfoot on Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:34 pm; edited 16 times in totalBest regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
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| DáinIronfoot |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:43 am |
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
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...NO reviews yet? Uh, are they that bad?  |
Best regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
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| lem0nhead |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:47 am |
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Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 2981
Location: Blood Island
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Give me chance dude! I was just doing it!
DáinIronfoot wrote:
• Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove  to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
He’s immensely nasty. Probably cool. May suggest you need to remove 2 on the 1st bit (cos its insane) and make it just the person grima is fighting on the 2nd. Dunno. Swinging a tad towards OP at the moment i think.
• Théoden King
Minion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 3
Lurker.
If you can spot Théoden, discard Théoden King.
While you can spot Saruman or Gríma, the Free Peoples player may not assign Théoden King to a skirmish.
Each other Man and Wizard is strength +1. Each Man is strength -1.
“‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’”
Cool.
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Ban shampoo, demand real poo.
 My Trade List and CC References
"Smart guy, especially considering his head is filled with lemon juice and seeds. That boy’s juicy brain is FULL of good stuff" ~ DainIronfoot
"No fair! And all I got was an oily unconscious steward!" ~ Pippin.
"Okay, stop me if you've heard this one. An elf, a man, and a dwarf walk into the Riddermark..." ~ Eomer |
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| Gate Troll |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:57 am |
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Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 384
Location: Udun Vale, Home of the one and only... Gate Troll!
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DáinIronfoot wrote:
• Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man. “‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
Ooh, a bit OP. Play a ,  , or  condition and save on twilight.
The second ability is also a bit unspecific.
I’d suggest something like this:
•Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove [X] to play an eligible condition that costs [X] on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
DáinIronfoot wrote:
• Théoden King
Minion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 3
Lurker.
If you can spot Théoden, discard Théoden King.
While you can spot Saruman or Gríma, the Free Peoples player may not assign Théoden King to a skirmish.
Each other Man and Wizard is strength +1. Each Man is strength -1.
“‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’”
He’s great. The lurker and his second ability keep him alive and over all
he’s pretty useful. As an afterthought I’d up his attack to 6, though.  |
| "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains that victory."-George S. Patton. |
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| DáinIronfoot |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:57 am |
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
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lem0nhead wrote: Give me chance dude! I was just doing it!
Very good. I should have known.  I just panicked when I saw my thread had gotten three reviews and this one had none!
lem0nhead wrote: DáinIronfoot wrote: • Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
I upped the first ability to , which is probably something I should have done from the get-go. (Must have been in an evil mood when I made it just .  ) Let’s see what other reviews say before I tweak it more drastically.
 for the first review, Faithful Fruit. |
Best regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
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| DáinIronfoot |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:13 am |
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
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Gate Troll wrote: DáinIronfoot wrote: • Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man. “‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
Ooh, a bit OP. Play a , , or condition and save on twilight.
The second ability is also a bit unspecific.
I’d suggest something like this:
• Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove [X] to play an eligible condition that costs [X] on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
A pretty good idea, but the problem is that some of the eligible conditions cost  , and very, very few are more than . So I think lem0n’s suggestion of going with a flat is probably best overall. Still a good idea, though, and one I’ll reconsider if I find that I have more expensive conditions than I expect.
Gate Troll wrote: DáinIronfoot wrote:
• Théoden King
Minion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 3
Lurker.
If you can spot Théoden, discard Théoden King.
While you can spot Saruman or Gríma, the Free Peoples player may not assign Théoden King to a skirmish.
Each other Man and Wizard is strength +1. Each Man is strength -1.
“‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’”
He’s great. The lurker and his second ability keep him alive and over all
he’s pretty useful. As an afterthought I’d up his attack to 6, though.
Up until right before I posted him, he actually WAS at 6. I dropped it since he was so weak at the time of Gandalf’s arrival, though 6 certainly WOULD help him survive longer.  I’ll wait and see what another reviewer thinks about that.
Thanks for the review! Always nice to get one from an unexpected source. |
Best regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
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| menace64 |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:14 am |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 836
Location: Wichita, Kansas
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I just have the one comment at the moment, and it’s purely for flavor’s sake... give Theoden King a subtitle.
Something like ’Shadow of Saruman’ or ’Bound to Dark Crafts’. |
Riddle 9
When I came to Abraham I let him live just a moment longer. When I came to Moses I saved his life more than once. But the salmon... I regret to say I had a hand in its death.
Who am I? |
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| DáinIronfoot |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:21 am |
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
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menace64 wrote: I just have the one comment at the moment, and it’s purely for flavor’s sake... give Theoden King a subtitle.
Something like ’Shadow of Saruman’ or ’Bound to Dark Crafts’.
Done. I had wanted to do something like that, but just couldn’t think of a good subtitle. You gave me a good idea for one, though.
for you too, when I can afford it. Gold all around!  |
Best regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
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| Anonymous Prodigy |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:34 am |
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Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 4197
Location: United States
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DáinIronfoot wrote: • Gríma, Traitorous Servant
Minion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Site: 3
Maneuver or Skirmish: Spot an unbound companion that bears no cards and remove to play an eligible condition on that companion from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Exert Gríma and remove to discard a card borne by an unbound companion skirmishing an Man.
“‘Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see, your uncle is wearied by your malcontent...your war mongering?’”
The first ability is balanced, but the second is... hmmm. In my mind’s eye, I see my Gorn’s Bow, Andúrl, Sword of the Fallen, Elven Bow, Kingsfoil, Sting ELK, and all my others possessions flying away into the sunset- er, discard pile. Not a pretty picture.  I think I’d make the second ability remove . Still powerful, but more balanced IMO.
DáinIronfoot wrote: • Théoden King, Bound by Dark Crafts
Minion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 3
Lurker.
If you can spot Théoden, discard Théoden King.
While you can spot Saruman or Gríma, the Free Peoples player may not assign Théoden King to a skirmish.
Each other Man and Wizard is strength +1. Each Man is strength -1.
“‘Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?’”
Kind of like an -version of Bill Ferny AoS. And for that reason, I think that I’d lower his strength to 4 and bump his vitality to 3. Makes him a little less powerful, but makes him a bit of an archery pincushion, which I always like.
for a couple of great cards!  |
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| lem0nhead |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:55 am |
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Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 2981
Location: Blood Island
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I agree with AP on the theoden stats thing.
Gate Troll wrote:
Ooh, a bit OP. Play a , , or condition and save on twilight.
The second ability is also a bit unspecific.
You misunderstand how the ability works GT. If you use that ability to play a 3 cost condition you have to spend 4 pool. It doesnt say remove to play it for free it says just play it. So you remove 1 then you play the condition and remove the cost of it as normal. Just because its not in the shadow phase doesnt mean its free to play using the gametext. |
Ban shampoo, demand real poo.
My Trade List and CC References
"Smart guy, especially considering his head is filled with lemon juice and seeds. That boy’s juicy brain is FULL of good stuff" ~ DainIronfoot
"No fair! And all I got was an oily unconscious steward!" ~ Pippin.
"Okay, stop me if you've heard this one. An elf, a man, and a dwarf walk into the Riddermark..." ~ Eomer |
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