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March 15, 2018, 01:02:52 AM
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Eukalyptus

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Virtual Cards
« on: March 15, 2018, 01:02:52 AM »
Some may know the concept of virtual cards. For those who do not: you take an existing card and give it new game text. Just the text and stats may be changed, not the title or the subtitle. There is no need to reference the regular card, as the name stays and gets linked to the wiki.

So, here‘s an example:

[5] *Ugluk, Servant of Saruman [Isengard]
Minion, Uruk-hai
Strength 9
Vitality 3
Home 5
Tracker. Fierce.
Each other [Isengard] Tracker is strength +1.
While you can spot an [Isengard] Tracker, Ugluk is damage +1.
While you can spot a [Sauron] Tracker, Ugluk is strength +3.

I tried to reflect how both parties had to work together, yet being apart from each other, showing different traits off for different effects. I also upped the twilight cost by 1 as he is pretty powerful.

I have a few more ideas, especially for crap cards like Weight of a Legacy etc. Maxbe you do, too.


« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 06:55:52 AM by Eukalyptus »

March 15, 2018, 05:13:23 PM
Reply #1

Gerontius

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2018, 05:13:23 PM »
Some may know the concept of virtual cards. For those who do not: you take an existing card and give it new game text. Just the text and stats may be changed, not the title or the subtitle. There is no need to reference the regular card, as the name stays and gets linked to the wiki.

I like it! Should to virtual cards be balanced for the set the original card came in?


[5] *Ugluk, Servant of Saruman [Isengard]
Minion, Uruk-hai
Strength 9
Vitality 3
Home 5
Tracker. Fierce.
Each other [Isengard] Tracker is strength +1.
While you can spot an [Isengard] Tracker, Ugluk is damage +1.
While you can spot a [Sauron] Tracker, Ugluk is strength +3.

He's much less powerful than the original, and mixing [Isengard] and [Sauron] would inherently devalue a lot of the power cards from those respective strategies (esp. Weary). But that's probably fine given how common [Isengard] trackers are.

If I may...

[1] Seeking New Foes [Rohan]
Condition - Support Area
Each time a [Rohan] companion wins a skirmish, add a token here. Each [Rohan] companion is strength +1 for each token here.
Discard this condition at the end of the turn.

The main idea was to change it from discarding during the regroup phase to discarding at the end of the turn, in order to make it helpful for doubling. And I slightly decreased the cost. I think it's still net underpowered, but much more usable than before.

March 15, 2018, 06:14:28 PM
Reply #2

ket_the_jet

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2018, 06:14:28 PM »
I like the idea of taking cards that were inherently worthless and trying to figure out a place for them. But was Ugluk, Servant of Saruman the kind of card that needs that done? I do think that Grishnakh, Treacherous Captain was a neat idea (if not overpowered), and bringing a bit of that to TTT block is a good idea.

As for Virtual Cards, there is a whole group of guys who tried to make virtual cards.

Cheers,
-wtk

March 17, 2018, 09:02:22 AM
Reply #3

Kralik

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2018, 09:02:22 AM »
crap cards like Weight of a Legacy

Blasphemy!

March 17, 2018, 09:18:39 AM
Reply #4

Not a Zombie

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2018, 09:18:39 AM »
Kralik, you just need to show them your Aragorn killer deck! Minds will be changed :)
No one loves you like I do.
--God

I'm imploring people I've never met to pressure a government with better things to do to punish a man who meant no harm for something nobody even saw, thats what I'm doing!

June 03, 2018, 09:51:53 AM
Reply #5

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2018, 09:51:53 AM »
(0) The Weight of a Legacy [Sauron]
Condition
Strength -1
To play, spot 3 [Sauron] cards. Bearer must be Aragorn.
Each time Aragorn exerts or the Ring-bearer adds a burden, you may spot a [Sauron] minion to play this card from your discard pile.

I replaced the exert cost because eww. I added the second line to enable Shadow players to freely cycle it away until it triggers - conceptually it makes sense since the discard pile is "the past". Also this way it never truly goes away.

June 03, 2018, 11:01:09 PM
Reply #6

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2018, 11:01:09 PM »
(0) Dwarven Heart [Dwarven]
Condition
Bearer must be a Dwarf.
Response: If the fellowship moves during the regroup phase, heal bearer once for each [Dwarven] possession he bears. Discard this condition.
"'…a Dwarf goes on, be the burden twice his own weight….'"

The old version can be useful but ongoing upkeep is nasty. I like how this version somewhat ties into the Three Hunters flavor of moving during the regroup phase.

[2] Wealth of Moria [Dwarven]
Event • Fellowship
Spot 3 Dwarves to reveal the top 6 cards of your draw deck. Take each revealed Rare (or Rare+) card into hand and discard the rest.
"'For here alone in all the world was found Moria-silver, or true-silver as some have called it: mithril is the Elvish name.'"

I don't think the original is bad but I punched-up the flavor a bit by changing the focus from FP cards to rare cards, which means this can also pull cards like, you know, The Balrog...

[2] The Council of Elrond [Elven]
Event • Fellowship
Exert an Elf companion (or Elrond) to play a Dwarf companion, a Hobbit companion, or a ranger from your discard pile.
"'You will hear today all that you need in order to understand the purposes of the Enemy …. What shall we do with the Ring, the least of rings, the trifle that Sauron fancies? That is the doom that we must deem.'"

One of the more longterm-damaging decisions made by Decipher was the punishment leveled against multicultural fellowships (imo). That's kinda the whole point of the story!

[1] Mallorn-trees [Elven]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 3 Elves whose home site is 6.
Each time the fellowship moves to a forest or sanctuary, you may place the top [Elven] card from your discard pile on the bottom of your draw deck to heal a companion.
"Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any they had yet seen in all the land."

I don't know if that's useful enough to be better, but it certainly feels more like a card I might run.

[2] Durin's Secret [Gandalf]
Event • Maneuver
Spot Gandalf, an Elf, and a Dwarf to play an [Elven] or [Dwarven] tale from your discard pile.
"'They are wrought of ithildin that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks words now long forgotten in Middle-earth.'"

(0) Let Folly Be Our Cloak [Gandalf]
Event • Maneuver
Spot Gandalf and discard from play a companion with twilight cost X to remove [X].
"'Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy! … Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it, that having the Ring we may seek to destroy it.'"

Still seems pretty silly but maybe it'd have a niche.

(0) Arwen's Fate [Gondor]
Event • Regroup
Spot Aragorn and Arwen (if neither is exhausted), then return Arwen (and all Free Peoples cards borne by her) to your hand to remove all wounds from Aragorn.
For the love of a mortal Man, Arwen, daughter of Elrond, must forsake her Elven heritage, and give up forever her journey to the Undying Lands.

It always boggled my mind that they turned such a romantic card into a silly skirmish pump.

[1] What Are They? [Gondor]
Event • Regroup
Spot a ranger and discard a tale from hand to discard a minion.
"'They were men … once.'"

I wish more cards targeted unloaded keywords, and using tales seems to make sense here!

[2]Alive and Unspoiled [Isengard]
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert an [Isengard] Uruk-hai (or spot Lurtz).
Each time your Uruk-hai wins a skirmish against a companion with a printed strength of 5 or less, you may wound a companion with a printed strength of 7 or more.
"'Bring them to me…. Kill the others….'"

That feels brutal.

[2] The Misadventure of Mr. Underhill [Isengard]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot an [Isengard] minion (or a Nazgul).
Each time a Hobbit companion exerts or is assigned to a skirmish, the Free Peoples player must choose to add [2] or add a burden.
Discard this condition when the fellowship moves.
"'You're drawing far too much attention to yourself… Mr. Underhill.'"

Still highly situational and it's only around for a turn, but now it can splash with [Wraith] and it stands to really hurt Hobbits who hang around for too long in one place.

(0) The End Comes [Moria]
Event • Assignment
Spot a [Moria] Orc at an underground site to assign that Orc to a companion not already assigned to a skirmish. The Free Peoples player may discard a Free Peoples card from hand to assign that Orc to another companion.
"'They have taken the Bridge and the second hall; we have barred the gates - but cannot hold them for long….'"

Free assignment, likely countered by a discarded FP card. So, not very useful when the FP player is stocked with provisions, but as supplies run low this card starts becoming nastier.

[1] Goblin Domain [Moria]
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert a [Moria] minion.
While an underground site is adjacent to the fellowship's current site, the fellowship's current site gains underground.
The once beautiful kingdom of Khazad-dûm has become Moria, the black pit.

I was going for the flavor of orcs infesting an area, extending their evil influence beyond typical boundaries. Or, put another way, I want an easier way of adding keywords to sites.

[1]Not Easily Destroyed [Wraith]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 2 Nazgul.
After each skirmish involving your Nazgul ends, heal that Nazgul.
"'They were Kings… great Kings of Men. Sauron gave to them Nine Rings of Power and with them the promise of eternal rule… unending life.'"

I have no idea if that's broken but it feels broken.

[2]Sword of Minas Morgul [Wraith]
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be a Nazgul.
Skirmish: Exert bearer to make the Free Peoples player discard a possession borne by a character bearer is skirmishing.
The Morgul hilt seared the flesh that would touch it, but the pierce was painless.

I really wanted to make this non-unique, but dropping the dumb dependency on Lemenya (WHY, Decipher?!?!) made the rest of the weapon too good, so I dropped the damage bonus, and shifted the discarding to the FP player.

(0)Journey Into Danger [Sauron]
Condition • Support Area
Search. To play, exert a [Sauron] minion.
While you can spot 5 companions, each [Sauron] minion is strength +1 for each wound on a companion it is skirmishing.
"'I do not foretell, for all foretelling is now vain: on the one hand lies darkness, on the other only hope.'"

I didn't change much - just swapped out something useless for something better.

(0) Mordor Enraged [Sauron]
Condition • Support Area
Each time a [Sauron] minion takes a wound during the archery phase, that minion is strength +1 until the end of its next skirmish for each race you can spot in the fellowship.
The armies of Elendil and Gil-galad inflamed Sauron's anger and hatred.

Any archery fellowships best not leave survivors, because facing a few of these into skirmishes  can get pretty dangerous.

[1]The Gaffer, Sam's Father [Shire]
Ally • Home 1 • Hobbit
Strength 2
Vitality 2
Regroup: Exert The Gaffer to play a pipeweed possession from your draw deck or discard pile.
"No one had a more attentive audience than old Ham Gamgee, commonly known as the Gaffer. He held forth at The Ivy Bush, a small inn on the Bywater road; and he spoke with some authority, for he had tended the garden at Bag End for forty years..."

I chose to stick this new ability in Regroup partly to nerf it, partly for whimsy: I figure old Ham Gamgee is slow and needs a bit more time to lend his aid than other hobbits.

[2]Sam, Faithful Companion [Shire]
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Frodo Signet
Ring-bound.
Response: If another Hobbit companion is about to exert, exert Sam to place no token for that exertion.
Response: If Frodo dies, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5).
"'Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!'"

I always hated how lousy most of the Hobbit companions are, this Sam being fairly low among them. I swapped out the Bill the Pony fetcher for a response ability with a lot more potential.

[4]Gandalf, The Grey Wizard [Gandalf]
Companion • Wizard
Strength 7
Vitality 4
Gandalf Signet
Unless Gandalf is exhausted, the twilight cost of each [Gandalf] spell you play is -1.
Regroup: Exert Gandalf to shuffle a Free Peoples spell (or tale) from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"…his long white hair, his sweeping silver beard, and his broad shoulders, made him look like some wise king of ancient legend."

There's a little more going on here than I prefer, but it sure does feel wizardly!

[4]Aragorn, King in Exile [Gondor]
Companion • Man
Strength 7
Vitality 4
Aragorn Signet
Ranger.
While you can spot Arwen, Aragorn is strength +1 for each Aragorn signet you can spot.
"'He turned from that path a long time ago. He has chosen exile….'"

Simple, but regular KiE is pretty good as-is. I dropped this version to 7 strength to slightly offset the built-in gains, and to highlight Aragorn's growth across the story.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 10:08:57 AM by menace64 »

June 04, 2018, 08:53:03 AM
Reply #7

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2018, 08:53:03 AM »
(0)Golden Light on the Land [Dwarven]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a Dwarf.
Each time the fellowship moves from an underground site to a non-underground site, you may exert a Dwarf companion to play a companion from your discard pile.
Regroup: Spot a Dwarf companion to return a minion to its owner's hand. Discard this condition.
"'The Orcs will not, maybe, come out till after dusk, but we must be far away before nightfall.'"

[Elven] requires no help here on account of every card in MoM being useful.

[2] Wizard Staff [Gandalf]
Possession • Staff
+ Aragorn Signet
+ Gandalf Signet
+ Theoden Signet
Bearer must be a Wizard.
While bearer is Gandalf, he gains the Frodo signet.
"'We must have power - power to order things as we will for that Good which only the Wise can see.'"

I always thought the original was super bland. Too bland, even for a common possession. It's a staff for Merry's sake! So I took away all the strength/skirmish attributes (those being mostly a silly film contrivance) and tilted it towards my under-represented signet bois and their power to inspire. Of great use but specifically useful, and yes I intend this to "double up" whatever signet your bearing Wizard starts with. BREAK IT OPEN!

[1]Natural Cover [Gondor]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a ranger.
Each time a Shadow card adds [X], you may spot X rangers at a forest site and exert one of them to remove [X].
The tree, the bough, the leaf. To a ranger, these are all defenses against the enemy.

This is disgusting. I'm trying to stay "in the set" so to speak, meaning I don't account for later changes in the game (the Theoden signet above being an intentional exception). In other words, I'm pretending Faramir's RBRs don't exist. This version is unique which sucks because there's no way for you to get rid of it and you'll want to run a bunch because it's good any time, pending you're a proper ranger and stick to forests and close companions.

(0) No Mere Ranger [Gondor]
Event • Skirmish
Exert 2 companions to make Aragorn strength +4, or exert 2 companions with the Aragorn signet to make Aragorn strength +8. If Aragorn loses the skirmish, wound him 4 times.
"'If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will….'"

I hated this card for the longest time. It should be an Aragorn-specific pump, not the other way around. And it should be pushed, on account of this being Aragorn. What I like about it this way is that it's a meta-game shifter: every Shadow player can see your signets, can assume the pump, and have something particularly nasty set-up for whenever the heir of Isildur should choose to reveal himself on the backs of his converts.

*ahem*

[2] Beyond the Height of Men [Isengard]
Event • Skirmish
Wound twice your Uruk-hai skirmishing a Man to cancel all strength bonuses gained from events during this skirmish.
"'Whom do you serve?'"

This is what an Uruk skirmish event should look like. No wussy exertions, just damage until there's nothing left. A hard counter to V-No Mere Ranger, locking Aragorn (or any Man) purely to whatever skill with a sword he possesses. I'm not totally settled on the phrasing though - any help there would be grand.

[1]Cave Troll's Chain [Moria]
Possession • Armor
Vitality +1
Bearer must be a [Moria] Troll.
Archery: Exert bearer and discard a [Moria] condition to exert an archer companion.
"'They have a Cave Troll!'"

Another card I always disliked, kinda symbolic of Mines of Moria overall: lots of cool bad cards. Realms wouldn't've looked so heinous had Mines appropriately boosted the featured cultures. This new Chain shuts down archers, specifically Greenleaf, who finds himself out-maneuvered by a chain-whipping behemoth. The old version was going for something like this, I think, but by skipping the archery phase you're ignoring the problem, not attacking it mercilessly with your super whip!

[2] Foul Things [Moria]
Event • Shadow
Spot 3 [Moria] conditions and the fellowship at a mountain, river, or underground site to make that site gain marsh until the fellowship next moves.
"'Something has crept, or has been driven out of dark waters under the mountains.'"

The whole point is that nobody knew the marsh was there. Unseen goblins fouled everything up. And now, oh look, Watcher decks can work now.

(0) Throw Yourself in Next Time [Moria]
Condition
To play, spot a [Moria] Orc. Bearer must be a Hobbit companion (except the Ring-bearer).
If a non-Hobbit companion is killed by a [Moria] minion, discard bearer.
"'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party….Now be quiet!'"

Stupid fat hobbits.

[2]Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow [Wraith]
Minion • Man
Strength 4
Vitality 1
Site Number 2
Nazgûl are not roaming. Each Nazgûl gains: "Response: Wound Bill Ferny to cancel a just-played Free Peoples event."
The Free Peoples player may not assign Bill Ferny to a skirmish.
"'…as for Ferny, he would sell anything to anybody; or make mischief for amusement.'"

Now the Nazgûl have a response to V-NMR, although it's a bit convoluted and it means murdering a dude. I removed the underground restriction because who cares about that?

[2] His Terrible Servants [Wraith]
Condition • Support Area
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, twilight Nazgûl may not take wounds.
Response: If the Ring-bearer puts on The One Ring, discard a twilight Nazgûl to play a twilight Nazgûl from your discard pile; its twilight cost is -4 and it is fierce. Discard this condition.

Extremely open to abuse, but that's what you get for fooling around with an evil magic ring. It's a highly situational card but it's a bunch of rewards for precisely the same thing: eating Frodo's mind.

[1] The Eye of Sauron [Sauron]
Event • Maneuver or Regroup
Discard a [Sauron] card from your hand to reveal the Free Peoples player's hand.
"'…he has indeed arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood and returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor.'"

That's just how Sauron does things. He's too busy with all his toys to scout before he makes the first move, but will totally sniff you out eventually. The old version was a draw engine, which is still useful, but this card gives its player an above-the-game insight that I feel just belongs here.

[1]Fatty Bolger, Wily Rascal [Shire]
Ally • Home 1 & 2 • Hobbit
Strength 1
Vitality 2
Frodo Signet
Skirmish: Exert a Hobbit companion twice to cancel a fierce skirmish involving that Hobbit.
Fatty knows paths and tracks that few have trodden. He is not adventurous by nature, but his escapades often require rapid departures.

The signet is probably a bit much but I wanted to highlight how close they got to a really special card. Filibert Bolger was a great ally upon release - you'll note I didn't change the text. I swapped out one name for the actual character from the book, bumped him up through site 2, and now he's the best Ally a Hobbit could want for!

[2]Gimli, Dwarf of the Mountain-race [Dwarven]
Companion • Dwarf
Strength 6
Vitality 3
Frodo Signet
Damage +1.
While at a mountain or underground site, Gimli is strength +1 for each mountain or underground site on the adventure path.
"'In the ruins of the Dwarves, a dwarf's head will be less easy to bewilder than Elves or Men or Hobbits.'"

[4] •Watcher in the Water, Driven From the Deep [Moria]
Minion • Creature
Strength 11
Vitality 4
Site Number 4
Shadow: If the fellowship's current site is a marsh, play this card (and all other cards) stacked on this site as if played from hand.
Regroup: Stack this minion and all tentacles in play on the fellowship's current site (if that site is a marsh).

If I had it my way, this would've been the rare and KoW would've been the premium. Who wanted another dumb Gandalf anyways?
« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 09:21:39 PM by menace64 »

June 04, 2018, 09:06:20 PM
Reply #8

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2018, 09:06:20 PM »
[2]Book of Mazarbul [Dwarven]
Artifact • Support Area
Tale. To play, spot a Dwarf in your dead pile.
At the start of each regroup phase, you may discard X cards stacked here to heal X companions.
Response: If a [Dwarven] tale is discarded from play, exert a Dwarf to stack that tale here instead.
"'It seems to be a record of the fortunes of Balin's folk….'"

I really didn't like this card until I changed it from a bearable artifact to support area and added the dead dwarf spotting. It's basically impossible to get rid of once it's out and it yields consistent wound-transferring. (Note that I don't believe this creates an infinite loop, as a stacked card can only be spotted as a stacked card, so once a tale gets stacked it's no longer a tale. Right?)

[1] Mines of Khazad-dum [Dwarven]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a Dwarf ally.
Each time a Shadow player discards another [Dwarven] condition in your support area, you may return a Dwarf ally to your hand to discard this condition instead.
"'Moria! Moria! Wonder of the Northern world!'"

Now it's a rare! This mine was built by ancient Dwarves - I felt that I could only pull off a mechanic like this if I could build in a cost to represent this bit of flavor. Then I recalled the mostly-useless Dwarf allies in the block and figured they could actually get a bit of a bump from this new virtual version.

[2]Arwen, Elven Rider [Elven]
Companion • Elf
Strength 6
Vitality 3
Frodo Signet
Ranger.
At the end of each of Arwen's skirmishes, you may exert her to transfer a mount she bears to any other companion. At the end of your turn, transfer that mount to Arwen.
"'If I can cross the river, the power of my people will protect him.'"

It sounds cool but her usefulness is likely still limited, and you'll end up paying the twilight cost of the mount twice, which may not matter to you but it's still a drawback. Still better than 3 cards to prevent 1 RB wound, and at least now we have a method for putting Frodo in the saddle.

[1] Forests of Lothlorien [Elven]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot an Elf ally whose home site is 6[F].
Each time the fellowship moves to a sanctuary site, you may exert an Elf ally whose home site is 6[F] to shuffle a Free Peoples card from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"'Alas for Lothlórien that I love! It would be a poor life in a land where no mallorn grew.'"

I have a fondness for locations-as-conditions. I won't be virtualizing all of them - mainly just the bad ones.

[2] Unknown Perils [Gandalf]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a Wizard.
Response: If a Free Peoples character with strength 4 or less is about to take a wound outside of the archery phase or skirmish phase, exert Gandalf or discard this condition to prevent that wound.
"Suddenly he stopped as if listening. Frodo became aware that all was very quiet, inside and outside."

I've extended this card to cover any FP character with low strength, including allies. Gandalf's got everybody's back. I didn't feel right allowing this to work at any time, since "they're still in the Shire" and battles are still far away, which is why I restricted it from covering archery and skirmish wounds.

[1] Citadel of Minas Tirith [Gondor]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a [Gondor] companion.
While you can spot a [Gondor] companion who hasn't taken a wound this turn, each companion bearing a weapon wins ties against any minions they skirmish.
"'One day our paths will lead us there, and the Tower guards shall take up the call - The Lords of Gondor have returned.'"

Nothing really wrong with the original version. I think I butchered the wording again on the second half of the effect - not sure if there's a better way to say it!

(0) •The Horn of Gondor (formerly Horn of Boromir) [Gondor]
Possession • Horn
Bearer must be Boromir.
Fellowship: Exert Boromir and add [X] to make him defender +X until the regroup phase.
"On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver…."

That's what it should've been! I corrected the name and then wrote up the ability as an Assignment ability before realizing it needed to be Fellowship. Boromir blows his horn to attract danger, an unknown force, and he does so hoping they will react aggressively.

[1] Tower of Orthanc [Isengard]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot a unique [Isengard] minion.
Each time the fellowship moves, spot an exhausted companion to reveal a card at random from another player's hand.
"'It was not made by Saruman, but by the men of Númenor long ago; and it is very tall and has many secrets; yet it looks not to be a work of craft.'"

Nothing wrong at all with the original. I consider this a downsized version of what Sauron achieves with V-Eye of Sauron; but Orthanc stacks!

[1] Depths of Moria [Moria]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 3 [Moria] Orcs (or 3 Dwarves).
Each time the fellowship moves from an underground site, you may reveal 3 [Moria] Orcs from hand to make the Free Peoples player discard a possession borne by a companion.
"…a great fissure had opened. Out of it a fierce red light came, and now and again flames licked at the brink…. Wisps of dark smoke wavered in the hot air."

Based on the picture, I remember Boromir losing his flaming brand over the chasm's edge which quickly got me here, imagining facing four of these bastards and watching all my companions lose their gear.

[1] Gates of the Dead City [Wraith]
Condition • Support Area
To play, discard a [Wraith] minion from hand.
Each time the fellowship moves to a sanctuary, spot 4 burdens and discard a [Wraith] minion from hand to play a Nazgûl or [Wraith] mount from your discard pile.
"'…and they took Minas Ithil and abode in it, and they made it into a place of dread….'"

This card works a lot better if you pretend there are [Wraith] Orcs in fellowship block. Like:

[2] Morgul Slayer [Wraith]
Minion • Orc
Strength 7
Vitality 2
Site Number 8
Response: If the fellowship is at site 8 or site 9 and a companion (except the Ring-bearer) just became exhausted, wound this minion to wound that companion.
"'Sauron was diminished, but not destroyed. His Ring was lost but not unmade.'"

I remember reading an article during the RotK prerelease in which one of the designers said something to the effect of "Yeah, had we stopped to consider it we might've done [Wraith] Orcs earlier," specficially mentioning the "Morgul"-titled [Sauron] minions. So I went ahead and did that. I jacked up its site number to illustrate when this new subculture starts to get scary: right at the end of the FotR site path, where they're just waiting to drop some heavy hate at a premium.

[1] News of Mordor [Wraith]
Event • Skirmish
Each Shadow player reveals a Shadow card from their hand. Make your [Isengard] minion, [Raider] minion, Nazgûl, or [Sauron] minion strength +1 for each different Shadow culture revealed.
"'Build me an army worthy of Mordor.'"

Cross culture multiplayer strength pump! Realms had a lot of these but not many are very good. This is also another one of those "and here's what's coming next!" cards that Decipher loved to do, similar to mentioning artifacts prior to MoM. [Raider] deserves it!

[2]The Ring Draws Them [Wraith]
Condition • Support Area
Response: If the Ring-bearer puts on The One Ring, spot a Nazgûl to replace the fellowship's current site with your version of the same site, then spot 5 burdens or discard this condition.
"'If I move I shall be seen and hunted!'"

I prefer incorporating The One Ring into the game indirectly - rarely forcing the FP player to put it on, but increasing the danger of the choice itself. I like this card for its simplicity: wear it, and the Nazgûl will herd you exactly where they want you to be, and if you're corrupt enough they won't even try to let you go.

[1] Massing in the East [Sauron]
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 [Sauron] minions to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the number of Shadow cultures you can spot. Take any revealed Shadow cards into hand and discard the rest.
"'The power of the Black Land grows….'"

I think the original card did it backwards: don't punish the FP player for having a multicultural fellowship (you want this as a game dev); rather, reward the Shadow player for out-gobbling-up entire civilizations! What's neat here is the psychological aspect, as a double-moving-inclined player might think twice after seeing the #$&*@! monsters you just drew. (Backfires possible - beware!)

[3] Orc Swordsman [Sauron]
Minion • Orc
Strength 9
Vitality 3
Site Number 6
While this minion bears a hand weapon, the Free Peoples player may only play 1 event during skirmishes involving it.
"'Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay.'"

Only reason I'm updating the swordsman is because I loved the original card and want to shamelessly make him cooler. If he's a swordsman then he deserves a cooler effect than a +2 bonus.

[1] Meant to Be Alone [Shire]
Event • Regroup
Spot a Hobbit and discard an unwounded companion (except a Hobbit) to remove a burden.
"'You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo… to bear a Ring of Power is to be alone.'"

I liked the card but didn't want it to be easily abusable, so I added 'unwounded' to make Frodo not seem so heartless for abandoning his wounded friends, something he wouldn't be likely to do. I also like this as a form of fellowship-control, giving a player the ability to trim the size of his or her fellowship.

[Site-9] Wastes of Emyn Muil [8]
Marsh. Maneuver: Spot 4 companions and exert your [Wraith] Orc to make the Free Peoples player choose to wound one of those companions.
<---

Dropped the shadow number by 1 to offset the addition of Marsh and a bit of a boost in the wounding effect. Also changed it from [Isengard] to [Wraith] because, come on, it makes sense!
« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 09:56:52 PM by menace64 »

June 05, 2018, 07:28:50 PM
Reply #9

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2018, 07:28:50 PM »
I accidentally lost my one-card-from-done pass through TTT, including fixing Men of Harad, Shadowfax, Isengard trackers, Isengard Men, and a bunch of other stuff.

It was a lot of cards. I'll need encouragement before I dive back in.

June 09, 2018, 05:16:15 AM
Reply #10

Phallen Cassidy

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2018, 05:16:15 AM »
A few notes, here and there. When you say "lost my one-card-from-done pass," are we to understand that you redid every card but one from TTT and there's no longer a record of it? Harsh. It does seem that you're revising the unused cards along with some worthwhile ones -- decided to give the whole game a menace64 redo? :P

[1] What Are They? [Gondor]
Event • Regroup
Spot a ranger and discard a tale from hand to discard a minion.
"'They were men … once.'"

I wish more cards targeted unloaded keywords, and using tales seems to make sense here!

Big fan of adding a real cost to What Are They?, especially in light of later shenanigans.
[2] Beyond the Height of Men [Isengard]
Event • Skirmish
Wound twice your Uruk-hai skirmishing a Man to cancel all strength bonuses gained from events during this skirmish.
"'Whom do you serve?'"

This is what an Uruk skirmish event should look like. No wussy exertions, just damage until there's nothing left. A hard counter to V-No Mere Ranger, locking Aragorn (or any Man) purely to whatever skill with a sword he possesses. I'm not totally settled on the phrasing though - any help there would be grand.

Following the format of the rest of the cards "wound twice" is out of place. I'd say "Spot your Uruk-hai skirmishing a Man and wound it twice to cancel all strength bonuses from skirmish events," or even simply "Wound your Uruk-hai skirmishing a man twice to cancel all strength bonuses from skirmish events." Those versions will negate a Savagery to Match Their Numbers played in a previous skirmish, unlike yours, so perhaps you'd rather see "...to cancel all strength bonuses from events played this phase." Any reason to leave other bonuses in place, say from Banner of the White Tree? Is the choice to wound over exert purely aesthetic? Remember that blocking one of those wounds (such as with Saruman, Keeper of Isengard) will cause the cost to be unpaid and nullify the event, unless you move the wounding to the effect.

(0) Throw Yourself in Next Time [Moria]
Condition
To play, spot a [Moria] Orc. Bearer must be a Hobbit companion (except the Ring-bearer).
If a non-Hobbit companion is killed by a [Moria] minion, discard bearer.
"'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party….Now be quiet!'"

Stupid fat hobbits.
I like this card just because of the comment :P

[2]Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow [Wraith]
Minion • Man
Strength 4
Vitality 1
Site Number 2
Nazgûl are not roaming. Each Nazgûl gains: "Response: Wound Bill Ferny to cancel a just-played Free Peoples event."
The Free Peoples player may not assign Bill Ferny to a skirmish.
"'…as for Ferny, he would sell anything to anybody; or make mischief for amusement.'"

Now the Nazgûl have a response to V-NMR, although it's a bit convoluted and it means murdering a dude. I removed the underground restriction because who cares about that?

The wording is a little awkward, perhaps try "Response: If a Free Peoples event is played, wound Bill Ferny to cancel that event."
[2]Book of Mazarbul [Dwarven]
Artifact • Support Area
Tale. To play, spot a Dwarf in your dead pile.
At the start of each regroup phase, you may discard X cards stacked here to heal X companions.
Response: If a [Dwarven] tale is discarded from play, exert a Dwarf to stack that tale here instead.
"'It seems to be a record of the fortunes of Balin's folk….'"

I really didn't like this card until I changed it from a bearable artifact to support area and added the dead dwarf spotting. It's basically impossible to get rid of once it's out and it yields consistent wound-transferring. (Note that I don't believe this creates an infinite loop, as a stacked card can only be spotted as a stacked card, so once a tale gets stacked it's no longer a tale. Right?)

Since you said "discarded from play," it doesn't matter. However, stacked cards *can* be spotted for more than just a card (Free Peoples card, [Dwarven] card, possession, minion, etc.), but only if a card tells you to. I think. An interesting question, I'll stare at the rules and get back to you :P

(0) •The Horn of Gondor (formerly Horn of Boromir) [Gondor]
Possession • Horn
Bearer must be Boromir.
Fellowship: Exert Boromir and add [X] to make him defender +X until the regroup phase.
"On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver…."

That's what it should've been! I corrected the name and then wrote up the ability as an Assignment ability before realizing it needed to be Fellowship. Boromir blows his horn to attract danger, an unknown force, and he does so hoping they will react aggressively.

I usually don't comment on balance, but this card seems incredibly OP for site 9. Decks without fierce minions won't stand a chance, and decks with fierce minions still have to get past any other companions that remain after Boromir. So Nazgul might make it and Saruman, KoI will be essential, but nobody else stands a chance. That and 3 twilight to stack 4 minions on Boromir is a little light. Oh, and Defender of Minas Tirith with Trust Me As You Once Did/Armor would be a brutal deck type, haha.

[1] News of Mordor [Wraith]
Event • Skirmish
Each Shadow player reveals a Shadow card from their hand. Make your [Isengard] minion, [Raider] minion, Nazgûl, or [Sauron] minion strength +1 for each different Shadow culture revealed.
"'Build me an army worthy of Mordor.'"

Cross culture multiplayer strength pump! Realms had a lot of these but not many are very good. This is also another one of those "and here's what's coming next!" cards that Decipher loved to do, similar to mentioning artifacts prior to MoM. [Raider] deserves it!

I like this one! It's just a shame for it to be only worthwhile for multiplayer games. [Sauron] doesn't have any natural pumps in FotR, but +1 for 1v1 is so situational it'd be hard to justify.

[2]The Ring Draws Them [Wraith]
Condition • Support Area
Response: If the Ring-bearer puts on The One Ring, spot a Nazgûl to replace the fellowship's current site with your version of the same site, then spot 5 burdens or discard this condition.
"'If I move I shall be seen and hunted!'"

I prefer incorporating The One Ring into the game indirectly - rarely forcing the FP player to put it on, but increasing the danger of the choice itself. I like this card for its simplicity: wear it, and the Nazgûl will herd you exactly where they want you to be, and if you're corrupt enough they won't even try to let you go.

This is a redundant card, in my opinion. It's most useful when your opponent is already ahead of you and you're playing your own sites, and if your opponent is behind you putting on The One Ring they're probably not going to be able to pull ahead this turn.

[1] Massing in the East [Sauron]
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 [Sauron] minions to reveal the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the number of Shadow cultures you can spot. Take any revealed Shadow cards into hand and discard the rest.
"'The power of the Black Land grows….'"

I think the original card did it backwards: don't punish the FP player for having a multicultural fellowship (you want this as a game dev); rather, reward the Shadow player for out-gobbling-up entire civilizations! What's neat here is the psychological aspect, as a double-moving-inclined player might think twice after seeing the #$&*@! monsters you just drew. (Backfires possible - beware!)

I like this one too :)

I like the viability of multi-culture Shadow sides, something I always found lacking. Rainbow fellowships and The Three Hunters regrettably never got to shine after Fellowship Block, I agree with your points there. I wish they'd built more culture-specific hate into shadow sides to add danger to adding more races/cultures (vulnerable to more cards), and made sure those cards weren't overly situational, especially for Elves (the cornerstone of many multi-culture decks anyway). Or not be so drastic as Chief Counselor. One of You Must Do This is a great example, I think. Orc Insurgent does it alright but over-punishes. IMO the most effective multi-culture decks are 3 cultures anyway (At least, before alternate Ring-bearers), any more than that and you've got to be pretty dedicated to the rainbow, which is harder to successfully pull off in and of itself.

June 12, 2018, 09:07:25 PM
Reply #11

menace64

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Re: Virtual Cards
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2018, 09:07:25 PM »
When you say "lost my one-card-from-done pass," are we to understand that you redid every card but one from TTT and there's no longer a record of it? Harsh. It does seem that you're revising the unused cards along with some worthwhile ones -- decided to give the whole game a menace64 redo? :P

Let's just say I worked through set 4 with a fine toothed comb for cards in need of help, from [Dunland] to [Shire] and I was working on Merry when I lost all of it. As you may expect it took a lot of the wind out of my sails - but I've rewritten a bunch of them already and hope to continue plowing forward!

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
Big fan of adding a real cost to What Are They?, especially in light of later shenanigans.
Agreed!

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
Following the format of the rest of the cards "wound twice" is out of place. I'd say "Spot your Uruk-hai skirmishing a Man and wound it twice to cancel all strength bonuses from skirmish events," or even simply "Wound your Uruk-hai skirmishing a man twice to cancel all strength bonuses from skirmish events." Those versions will negate a Savagery to Match Their Numbers played in a previous skirmish, unlike yours, so perhaps you'd rather see "...to cancel all strength bonuses from events played this phase." Any reason to leave other bonuses in place, say from Banner of the White Tree? Is the choice to wound over exert purely aesthetic? Remember that blocking one of those wounds (such as with Saruman, Keeper of Isengard) will cause the cost to be unpaid and nullify the event, unless you move the wounding to the effect.

Thank you for the phrasing correction. I knew it was wrong but couldn't turn the last corner. I want the card to negate as many skirmish events as possible, including those that would otherwise benefit the Uruks. The choice to limit its field of effect is intentional, and if the FP player has workarounds beyond hand weapons they're free to do so. My choice to wound over exert is to illustrate the full extent of the difference between Men and Uruk-hai: the latter will absolutely run face first into your sword if that's what it takes to win, which also leans into a cultural element at work, that being Uruks working best in large numbers. And if you pair such a savage event with KoI you deserve to lose the skirmish! Man flesh for the Man eaters!

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
The wording is a little awkward, perhaps try "Response: If a Free Peoples event is played, wound Bill Ferny to cancel that event."

Perfect!

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
Since you said "discarded from play," it doesn't matter. However, stacked cards *can* be spotted for more than just a card (Free Peoples card, [Dwarven] card, possession, minion, etc.), but only if a card tells you to. I think. An interesting question, I'll stare at the rules and get back to you :P

I think you're spot-on. It's been years since I've played and some of those murkier corners of the rules have blurred a bit. But you're right - plenty of cards refer to specific kinds of cards stacked on other cards. Thank you for the correction!

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
I usually don't comment on balance, but this card seems incredibly OP for site 9. Decks without fierce minions won't stand a chance, and decks with fierce minions still have to get past any other companions that remain after Boromir. So Nazgul might make it and Saruman, KoI will be essential, but nobody else stands a chance. That and 3 twilight to stack 4 minions on Boromir is a little light. Oh, and Defender of Minas Tirith with Trust Me As You Once Did/Armor would be a brutal deck type, haha.

I have nothing but shame for missing the easy brokenness of the card. My intent was for the Hornto activate only once per turn or move, but as an ability it becomes horrific. :-[ What do you think of this:

Each time the fellowship moves, you may exert Boromir and add [2] to make him defender +2 until the regroup phase. If you do, each Shadow player may draw 2 cards.

That's closer to my initial intent I feel. I can even see a version of this which replaces the twilight cost with simply discarding itself.

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
I like this one! It's just a shame for it to be only worthwhile for multiplayer games. [Sauron] doesn't have any natural pumps in FotR, but +1 for 1v1 is so situational it'd be hard to justify.

I think it's more of a shame that not-more cards were written with a diverse multiplayer in mind! ;)

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
This is a redundant card, in my opinion. It's most useful when your opponent is already ahead of you and you're playing your own sites, and if your opponent is behind you putting on The One Ring they're probably not going to be able to pull ahead this turn.

I wiffed hard on that one. I'll enact self-punitive measures.

Quote from: Phallen Cassidy
I like the viability of multi-culture Shadow sides, something I always found lacking. Rainbow fellowships and The Three Hunters regrettably never got to shine after Fellowship Block, I agree with your points there. I wish they'd built more culture-specific hate into shadow sides to add danger to adding more races/cultures (vulnerable to more cards), and made sure those cards weren't overly situational, especially for Elves (the cornerstone of many multi-culture decks anyway). Or not be so drastic as Chief Counselor. One of You Must Do This is a great example, I think. Orc Insurgent does it alright but over-punishes. IMO the most effective multi-culture decks are 3 cultures anyway (At least, before alternate Ring-bearers), any more than that and you've got to be pretty dedicated to the rainbow, which is harder to successfully pull off in and of itself.

There was a brief moment in time following BoHD where 3 Hunters was working. I was tanking Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn and had all the tools to shut down Grima (Baruk Khazad will do that to you). I lost often to corruption but maaaaan was it fun. I think with a few more pushes we could've started seeing fluent rainbow fellowships that weren't simultaneously broken - it would've likely required complications, maybe the LotR equivalent of objectives/incidents.

I'm a sucker for new card types. New icons too - I wish LotR got both.

Thanks for the review! I'll get around to the next block as time allows!