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Author Topic: Second Quest: The Dwellings of the Breefolk!  (Read 16905 times)

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July 23, 2018, 09:16:27 AM
Reply #30

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XII: 16 Cultures, 17 Cards!
« Reply #30 on: July 23, 2018, 09:16:27 AM »
Thanks, Shapeshifter! I've been wanting to see firework cards forever - I'm dying to see In Bilbo's Honour with a picture of the dragon firework in Pippin's thieving little hands. Soon!

---

Today, let's hit a card in each culture.

[1] Cultural Differences (W)
Event • Skirmish
Make an (W) character strength +2 for each different race you can spot among allies whose home site is 2[F].
"The Big Folk and the Little Folk (as they called one another) were on friendly terms, minding their own affairs in their own ways, but both rightly regarding themselves as necessary parts of the Bree-folk. Nowhere else in the world was this particular (but excellent) arrangement to be found."

One of three new cultures you'll find in this post, (W) stands for Arnor, a Free Peoples culture built around the Breeland and the Rangers of the North. Multiracialism is the big mechanic here, compounding off of the "Site 2[F]" cards posted previously. With a 30-site game in mind, a LOT of the cards in (W) will be free but of limited use outside of the early game.

---------

(0) Dunland Forager [Dunland]
Ally • Home 1[T] • Man
Strength 3
Vitality 2
Shadow: Exert this ally and spot a [Dunland] minion to draw a card for each site you control.
"...the last of the Dunlendish people that lingered..."

Just about the most worthless of Shadow allies, the Forager is still the best way to grab long-lerm [Dunland] spotting, if that's something you're looking for. He may matter a little more by the end of all this.

---------

(0) Kindled Flame [Dwarven]
Event • Fellowship or Regroup
Unless the fellowship is at a battleground or sanctuary site, exert a Dwarf at that fellowship's site to heal a companion.
"When the Dwarf had a small bright blaze going, the three companions drew close to it and sat together, shrouding the light with their hooded forms."

Easy wound transference, worded to allow Dwarf companions and participating Dwarf allies to use it.

---------

(0) Close Connection [Elven]
Event • Fellowship or Regroup
Exert an Elf companion to reveal the top 3 cards of your draw deck. Take a revealed [Elven] or (G) card into hand to heal a companion, then replace the other cards.
"...Legolas stood alone in the open, looking towards the profound shadow of the wood, leaning forward, as one who listens to voices calling from a distance."

(Eventually I'll stop writing [Dwarven] / [Elven] mirror cards - it's just so much fun!)

This broad-range healing event is practically guaranteed to work in a deck tailored around it, but it doesn't work with Elf allies. And it targets... (G)?

---------

[1] Slumbering Power (G)
Condition • Character
Bearer must be an Ent.
Skirmish: Exert an Ent-bound Hobbit and remove a threat from bearer to make bearer strength +2 and damage +1.
"‘Now let thy children beware! For there shall walk a power in the forests whose wrath they will arouse at their peril.'"

(G) means Fangorn! Let's do it!

The core mechanic of (G) is the cultivation of forests and Trees, as you might guess; and the Ents are exceptional at what they do, at the cost of being painfully slow. Lots of set-up, and I encourage players way ahead of even showing the rest of the culture: Don't wait until Rohan to start your Entgame.

I'm also toying with the idea of moving threats from the dead pile straight onto individual Freeps characters. I haven't explored it much yet, but it shows up as a cost on many (G) cards, and themes like Denethor's Madness will fit nicely later on.

---------

(0)Narya, Heart-kindler [Gandalf]
Artifact • Ring
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Gandalf.
Each time Gandalf wins a skirmish, you may exert him twice and spot 3 allies at his current site to liberate a site.
Fellowship: Exert Gandalf and spot an ally in the fellowship's current region. Until the regroup phase, that ally is strength +2 and participates in archery fire and skirmishes.

Badass Ally Ring, reporting for duty! I think all of this is straightforward, offering just about any Freeps deck a method for rallying allies to battle.

---------

[1] We Won't Let Him Have It [Gollum]-FP
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot Sméagol.
Response: If a Shadow player draws a card (except when reconciling), exert Sméagol and spot less than 5 burdens to discard that card. Discard this condition.
"‘Yes, yes, my precious,' came the answer, ‘we promised: to save our Precious, not to let Him have it—never.'"

The biggest problem with writing Gollum cards is how narrow his cultural identity feels. He doesn't do much more than generally wreck everything; so, in an effort to not make every card about wounding and maiming and throttling, I want to introduce a new cultural identity I call espionage. Basically, [Gollum] is about to get really good at mucking up your card engines, your card recycling, your card manufacturing - he's coming after it all.

---------

[4]Return of the King [Gondor]
Event • Regroup
Tale.
Reveal the top 7 cards of your draw deck. Play any Aragorn revealed (for free), then place the remaining revealed cards on the bottom of your draw deck in any order.
"‘I deemed that the time was ripe, and that the Stone had come to me for just such a purpose... Too seldom has he been challenged since he returned to his Tower.'"

I have a cycle of cards all with set names - this one is all for Aragorn.

I also hope to write a more robust set of persona-changing rules than "you can't", which will increase this card's overall utility manifold.

---------

[4]Saruman, Master of Orthanc [Isengard]
Ally • Isengard • Wizard
Strength 8
Vitality 4
Saruman may not take archery wounds or be assigned to skirmishes.
Shadow or Regroup: Exert Saruman (or discard a Tree) to play an [Isengard] ally from your draw deck. (Limit once per phase.)
"‘He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment.'"

[Isengard] allies are almost universally Orcs, those pit breeders and metalsmiths Saruman was so fond of. But there's a Crebain ally that can be pulled, and who knows what else is coming?

I'll need a whole post to unpack the new [Isengard] culture.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2018, 10:03:43 AM by menace64 »

July 23, 2018, 09:21:50 AM
Reply #31

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XII: 16 Cultures, 17 Cards!
« Reply #31 on: July 23, 2018, 09:21:50 AM »
(Part 2!)

(0) The Siege of Gondor (B)
Event • Shadow
Play a (B) siege weapon from your draw deck.
"All day the labour went forward, while the men of Minas Tirith looked on, unable to hinder it. And as each length of trench was completed, they could see great wains approaching; and soon yet more companies of the enemy were swiftly setting up, each behind the cover of a trench, great engines for the casting of missiles."

And the final new culture to reveal: (B) for Morgul, a new Shadow culture encompassing the dark settlements of the Ephel Duath, and the bulk of the Orcish forces attacking Minas Tirith. Siege weapons (and thus dwelling/fortification hate), Nazgûl ally support, and a presence along 2 different site paths (Ring-bound and War-bound) will make (B) a good late game Shadow option.

---------

(0) Impassable Door [Moria]
Event • Response
If the fellowship moves to a [Dwarven] site, spot 3 Goblins to halt the fellowship. The Free Peoples player may reveal any of the following from hand to prevent this: a [Dwarven] artifact, a [Dwarven] or [Elven] tale, a riddle, or Gandalf.
"‘Dwarf-doors are not made to be seen when shut,' said Gimli. ‘They are invisible, and their own masters cannot find them or open them, if their secret is forgotten.'"

Signaling a bevy of new terms, Impassable Door is legal only in 30-site play, unless older sites get retconned to having culture icons! Halting the fellowship prevents it from moving again that turn, unless the move limit is raised.

---------

[3]Insurrection [Raider]
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 3 Corsairs, 3 Easterlings, 3 Southrons, or 3 Variags.
Each time a Free Peoples token is added, reveal 3 [Raider] cards from hand to reinforce a [Raider] token.
At the start of each regroup phase, the Free Peoples player may remove 4 Free Peoples tokens to discard this condition.

Relentless token copying, but when Insurrection is working the Freeps player will also (potentially) have the resources to discard it with an offering...

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[5]Éomer, Fell King [Rohan]
Companion • Man
Strength 10
Vitality 4
(No Signet)
War-bound. Damage +1. Enduring. Valiant.
At the start of each skirmish involving Éomer, wound him.
Skirmish: Unless Éomer is exhausted, exert him.
"‘Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising / I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing. / To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking: / Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!'"
(In honor of AgentDrake)

Here's an Éomer fit to give Third Marshal a run for his ridderbucks! The idea for this springs from an old card of AD's, which I've merely facelifted into my design specifications. Thanks, AgentDrake!  ;D

---------

(This card should have a •-like dot in front of its name. Imagine an open diamond where uniqueness would go since the forums are being fussy with me.)

[1] Nightmare [Sauron]
Condition • Companion
To play, spot a [Sauron] dwelling (or 5 burdens). Bearer must be Ring-bound or War-bound.
At the start of each fellowship phase (except at sanctuary sites), if bearer has 2 or more wounds, the Free Peoples player must discard a card from hand matching bearer's culture, if able.
"He saw lights like gloating eyes, and dark creeping shapes, and he heard noises as of wild beasts or the dreadful cries of tortured things..."

(New •) is a new level of uniqueness, settling between non-unique and unique. I haven't arrived at a hard definition for it yet, but when it's on a condition it translates to "limit 1 per area", referring to whatever it's played on/to.

---------

(0) Bywater Dandy [Shire]
Possession • Support Area
Pipeweed. To play, spot 3 Hobbit allies. When you play this possession, add a pipeweed token here.
Fellowship or Regroup: Remove a pipeweed token from here (or discard this possession) and exert a character bearing a pipe to discard a Shadow condition borne by that character.
"A great deal of mystery surrounds the origin of this particular custom, or ‘art' as the Hobbits preferred to call it."

There's bound to be some pipeweed support forthcoming in (W), but Bywater Dandy should work pretty well for Hobbits, for now.

---------

(0) Midnight Raid [Wraith]
Event • Assignment
If the fellowship is in Eriador, assign your Nazgûl to an ally. If that Nazgûl wins the skirmish, draw a card.
"‘In dark and loneliness they are strongest; they will not openly attack a house where there are lights and many people—not until they are desperate, not while all the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us."

I still haven't quite landed on a new flagship Nazgûl mechanic, but you better be sure they're still good at eating allies.

---------

(Site 1[F]) Party Tent
Eriador • The Shire[Shire]
--->
Fellowship: Play a Hobbit ally to play a firework or pipeweed possession from your draw deck.

Party on, Wayne!
« Last Edit: July 23, 2018, 07:48:36 PM by menace64 »

July 24, 2018, 04:30:05 AM
Reply #32

Shapeshifter

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XII: 16 Cultures, 17 Cards!
« Reply #32 on: July 24, 2018, 04:30:05 AM »
What if the Fangorn culture included other regions, like Druadan forest(woses), Old forest(huorns, OMW), perhaps also Mirkwood & Ithilien? Sort of a general "forest" culture with both Shadow and FP cards.. Radagast for sure would belong there too.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2018, 04:31:59 AM by Shapeshifter »

July 25, 2018, 07:50:41 AM
Reply #33

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XII: 16 Cultures, 17 Cards!
« Reply #33 on: July 25, 2018, 07:50:41 AM »
What if the Fangorn culture included other regions, like Druadan forest(woses), Old forest(huorns, OMW), perhaps also Mirkwood & Ithilien? Sort of a general "forest" culture with both Shadow and FP cards.. Radagast for sure would belong there too.

 :-k I wonder...

You've got me scratching my head on this one. While I wouldn't want to splash-in the Woses or Radagast (the former fits fine into [Rohan], and the latter [Gandalf]), they'd both make excellent splash cards in this hypothetical Mono-forest culture. Moving Old Man Willow and all the other Tree-related cards in [Wraith] to (G) would open up an intriguing design angle, and here's two points in your proposition's favor:

1. Adventure Area: Active cards. In my current iteration of the rules for this new card zone, cards there are always active, enabling for broader interactions between FP and SH cards. Up until now this has been more of a personal-preference thing, but by moving Old Forest to (G) and splitting the culture down the middle (it'll actually probably be 80/20) you end up with:
2. Treespotting. I already have Ents requiring Trees in order to do things (they also care about how many Ents and Trees have been killed), and adding spottable Trees into a SH side would really, really help get the culture on its roots.

(I think you convinced me! :gp:)

---------

Another thing I'm trying to pay more attention to with this unfurling 30-site concept is the idea of setting up mid- and late-game cultures earlier than you need them. Some cultures will be more difficult to accelerate in this way, while some cultures naturally bleed into others. (Arnor -> Gondor, for example).

(0) My Cousin Hal [Shire]
Event • Fellowship
Tale.
Exert a Hobbit ally whose home is in The Shire (or spot Sam as an ally) to play a non-unique (G) character from your draw deck.
"'But this one was as big as an elm tree, and walking—walking seven yards to a stride, if it was an inch.'"
'Then I bet it wasn't an inch. What he saw
was an elm tree, as like as not.'
'But this one was
walking, I tell you; and there ain't no elm trees on the North Moors.'
'Then Hal can't have seen one,' said Ted."


I love that bit from the book, and figured this might be a cheap method for a player to transition from Hobbits to Ents. Honestly I'm not sure how it'll all work out, but it feels right.

---------

Thanks for your insight, Shapeshifter! My computer needs some repairs so I won't be posting as many cards for the time-being, but I've kinda already made the mental decision to move OMW, so that'll happen once I'm all repaired! (G) is looking great!

July 27, 2018, 08:30:20 AM
Reply #34

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XIII: Hot New Nazgul!
« Reply #34 on: July 27, 2018, 08:30:20 AM »
(0) Fell Beast (V) [Wraith]
Possession • Mount
Strength +2
Search. Bearer must be a Nazgul ally.
Assignment: Discard 2 [Wraith] cards from hand to allow bearer to participate in skirmishes at this site.

[1] Wraith on Wings [Wraith]
Ally • Any [R] or [K] Site • Nazgul
Strength 10
Vitality 3
Fierce. To play, spot 3 Shadow dwellings, each of a different culture.
This ally may only take wounds during a skirmish involving it.
Maneuver: Exert this ally and spot a non-unique Free Peoples character. Until the start of the regroup phase, that character is strength -1.

Those literally just popped into my head. Hot cards! What do you think?

July 30, 2018, 11:57:54 AM
Reply #35

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XIV: Exploring a Bit.
« Reply #35 on: July 30, 2018, 11:57:54 AM »
Today I just wanna throw some random cards at the wall. Some of these might lead deeper down a design tunnel but at the moment any of these could find themselves cut... from the first set..

[1] At the Sign of the Prancing Pony (W)
Condition • Support Area
Each time you play an (W) dwelling, you may add [1] to play an (W) ally whose home is Bree from your draw deck.
Regroup: Spot a ranger companion and discard this condition to draw a card.
"The door was open and light streamed out of it. Above the arch there was a lamp, and beneath it swung a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs."

(W) (the Arnor culture) shares [Shire]'s strength for populating adventure areas. You'll want to wait to use the Regroup ability until you see how many of these you can balance against your ranger-choking, but it's good in prep of any double-move.

—————

[1] From Houseless Hill (W)
Event • Maneuver
Exert 2 unbound rangers in Eriador to discard a Shadow dwelling in the same region.
"‘Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come down from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless wood, they fly from us.'"

I worded this intentionally to allow its use by both (W) rangers and 1E [Gondor] rangers.

—————

[2] Heirs of Valandil (W)
Event • Response
If an (W) character dies, transfer any number of Free Peoples cards borne by that companion to any eligible bearers at the same site.
"‘But my home, such as I have, is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil have ever dwelt in long line unbroken from father unto son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the Sword has passed to a new keeper.'"

I have nooooo idea if this card would be worth running.

—————

[2]Arwen, Wraithsbane [Elven]
Ally • Site 2[F] & 3[F] • Elf
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Defender +1.
For each Free Peoples card borne by Arwen, fierce minions skirmishing her are strength -1.
"She was little changed, for the mortal years had passed her by; yet her face was more grave, and her laughter now seldom was heard."

Tank her up, and send her out against some fierce baddies! (On a personal note, I think Defender +1 is a natural fit for Arwen.)

—————

(0) No Time to Lose [Gollum]-FP
Event • Regroup
Exert Sméagol and X other Ring-bound companions to remove [1][Ring] for each exertion. If you place 3 or more exertions, the Ring-bound move limit is +1 this turn.
"‘Silly!' hissed Gollum. ‘We're not in decent places. Time's running short, yes, running fast.'"

As if I hadn't yet had my fill of fiddling with the rules, I'd like to heap one more element onto this virtual dumpster fire: bounded twilight tokens! I'd like to try designing cards that field from the twilight of specific site paths. "[1][Ring]" just means 1 twilight from the Ring-bound twilight pool.

If you can get 3 characters (1 being Smeagol) to exert, you'll remove [3][Ring] (a significant removal, as bounded tokens don't empty at the end of a turn) and get a +1 move boost. Good luck using it!

—————

[1] Dark Secrets (B)
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 3 Shadow dwellings.
Each time you play a (B) ally, exert a Free Peoples ally.
Shadow: Discard this condition to look at the top 2 cards of your draw deck. You may reveal a (B) card from among those looked at to take both cards into hand.
"‘But there is some dark terror that dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul. If Cirith Ungol is named, old men and masters of lore will blanch and fall silent.'"

By design, (B) is pretty good at riffing off the bones of other cultures: in this case, being able to spot Shadow dwellings of any cultures means you can run Dark Secrets whemever, potentially playing it early to set-up more lethal Morgul/Cirith Ungol play.

There won't be a stupendous number of (B) allies, but you'll want to use them, even if they aren't necessary to make use of this condition's Shadow effect: a small gamble for 2 cards, 1 you get to keep secret.

—————

[4] Hasten While You May (B)
Event • Shadow
Spot no minions (except stacked minions) to shuffle up to 10 (B) or [Sauron] cards from your discard pile into your draw deck, then draw 3 cards. End your shadow phase.
"‘My scouts and watchers have all returned... they all find a strange thing. The land is empty. Nothing is on the road, and no sound of foot, or horn, or bowstring is anywhere to be heard.'"

I don't see this ever being a game breaker, but it could come in handy if you have less to do this turn than there are still turns to come. (Afterthought: If you set up a nasty Shadow Ally swarm, this would pare fiendishly well with it.)

August 09, 2018, 07:47:03 AM
Reply #36

menace64

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I've been mentally focused elsewhere this past week but the process is still moving forward, if at intermittently-glacial speeds!

I thought it'd be nice to share some simple cards today, beginning with a familiar face:

[3]Aragorn, Longshanks (W)
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 7
Ranger.
Each time you play a Hobbit, you may exert Aragorn to make that Hobbit twilight cost -1.
"Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud."

3:7/4/7 will be Aragorn's base stats in the Arnor culture, a little pushed due to his solitary stature within the culture. This version of Aragorn helps drive Hobbits even deeper into twilightless territory, either as a solid choke support for Hobbit allies ((W) or [Shire]); or as an engine for a new starting fellowship: Frodo (0), this Aragorn, exhausted [3], Merry (0), Pippin (0), and Sam [1]. (And, of course, adding Smeagol if starting 6 companions doesn't bother you.)

---------

(0) Concealing Cloak (W)
Possession • Cloak
Mettle +1
Bearer must be a ranger.
While at a forest site or a ruin, bearer may not be overwhelmed.
"A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face..."

The spiritual successor to Coat of Mail, this new possession boosts a ranger's Mettle by 1 and provides conditional overwhelm protection. Not much reason not to run this, especially if you're going heavy on rangers.

---------

[1] Meditation [Elven]
Event • Regroup
Place an [Elven] possession borne by an Elf companion on top of your draw deck to heal that Elf twice.
"Gimli was still deep in slumber, but Legolas was standing, gazing northwards into the darkness, thoughtful and silent as a young tree in a windless night."

Meditation is a free double-heal, as long as you don't plan on moving again and don't mind clogging up your hand with a possession you've already played.

---------

[3] Roots of the Mountains [Gollum]-SH
Condition • Support Area
Search.
Each time you would draw a card, you may discard a [Gollum] character from hand to draw from the bottom of your draw deck instead.
Regroup: Exert Gollum and discard this condition to place a Shadow card from your discard pile on the bottom of your draw deck.
"‘All the "great secrets" under the mountains had turned out to be just empty night: there was nothing more to find out, nothing worth doing, only nasty furtive eating and resentful remembering.'"

Like I said before, [Gollum] is getting into more deck-manipulation antics, and with Roots of the Mountains Gollum doesn't even have to enter play to cause trouble. This card rebounds off of itself with enough copies in play, and is a tantalizing reason for splashing Gollum into just about any Shadow side with a relevant recycling engine.

---------

[2] Near-miss [Moria]
Event • Archery
Spot 2 [Moria] archers and a companion to prevent that companion from taking any wounds this phase.
"Every moment they expected to feel the bite of black-feathered arrows. Many whined overhead..."

Simple, but situationally deadly. If there's a companion you know the Free Peoples player intends to sacrifice heedlessly to archery fire, play Near-miss to force that companion into cover, exposing their juicier compatriots to the goblin bows.

---------

(0) A Knife in the Dark [Wraith]
Event • Skirmish
Exert a Nazgûl bearing a hand weapon to kill an ally in the same region. The Free Peoples player may exert a unique companion with mettle 6 or more to prevent this.
"In the dark without moon or stars a drawn blade gleamed, as if a chill light had been unsheathed. There was a blow, soft but heavy, and the door shuddered."

Very conditional, but in this hypothetical format Allies are more prevalent than ever. Characters with a Mettle stat of 6 or more are basically "Decent Big Folk", so it's not too difficult for the Freeps player to save their precious ally, if they opt to.

August 15, 2018, 01:54:11 PM
Reply #37

menace64

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Here's all the versions of Aragorn I've got written so far.

[3]Aragorn, Protector of the Shire (W)
Ally • Site 2[F] • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 7
Ranger. Defender +1. To play, exert Gandalf or Elrond.
Response: If your Hobbit (or ally whose home site is 1[F] or 2[F]) is about to take a wound, exert Aragorn to prevent that wound.
"Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud."

[3]Aragorn, Longshanks (W)
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 7
Ranger.
Each time you play a Hobbit, you may exert Aragorn to make that Hobbit twilight cost -1.
"'It would take more than a few days, or weeks, or years, of wandering in the Wild to make you look like Strider,' he answered. 'And you would die first, unless you are made of sterner stuff than you look to be.'"

[3]Aragorn, Son of Arathorn (W)
Companion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 7
Ranger.
Skirmish:
Exert an (W) or [Elven] ally whose home site is 2[F] or 3[F] to make Aragorn strength +2. (Limit +4.)
"...he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil. He is the chief of the Dúnedain in the North, and few are now left of that folk.'"
« Last Edit: August 15, 2018, 06:56:49 PM by menace64 »

August 15, 2018, 06:37:58 PM
Reply #38

menace64

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Re: Allies of the Ring, Part XVI: 'Gornlove.
« Reply #38 on: August 15, 2018, 06:37:58 PM »
Part XVI: 'Gornlove.

[1] The Prophecy (W)
Event • Fellowship
Tale.
Spot 2 (W) Men to play an (W) or [Gondor] card with "Aragorn" in its name (or any card bearable only by Aragorn) from your draw deck.
"‘The more need of haste! The days are darkening before the storm, and great things are to come. If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts.'"

AWINL but for Aragorn and his toys, plus whatever else this event happens to catch.

---------

[2] The Hands of a Healer (W)
Event • Fellowship or Regroup
Tale.
Exert Aragorn to heal another Free Peoples character at his current site twice.
"‘But there are few left in Middle-earth like Aragorn son of Arathorn. The race of the Kings from over the Sea is nearly at an end. It may be that this War of the Ring will be their last adventure.'"

This event would apply to any companion in his fellowship, along with any rallied allies or those occupying a dwelling at the same site.

---------

[1]Ranger's Sword, Weapon of the Old North (W)
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +2
Bearer must be Aragorn. While Aragorn bears The Shards of Narsil, Ranger's Sword may be borne in addition to 1 other hand weapon.
At the start of each skirmish involving Aragorn, you may exert him to make each minion skirmishing him strength -1 (or -2 if a [Wraith] minion).
"Throwing back his cloak, he laid his hand on the hilt of a sword that hung concealed by his side. They did not dare to move."

I'm not 100% on the wording of the second-weapon-bearing text, but it has to go there since I want Aragorn to have access to both of his weapons at once. If you don't think my wording would allow this to work, please let me know!

I tried to keep this new Ranger's Sword at the same power-level as its two older kindred, while also doing something different. I leave it to you to tell me how well I managed!

---------

(0)The Shards of Narsil, Elendil's Blade (W)
Artifact • Hand Weapon
Vitality: +1
Mettle: +1
Bearer must be Aragorn. While Aragorn bears no other weapon, he may not be overwhelmed unless his strength is tripled.
Response: If another character in Aragorn's region is about to take a wound during a skirmish, prevent that wound. (Limit once per site.)
"‘Yet we are hard pressed, and the Sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope—if such a thing could indeed return out of the shadows of the past.'"

For the longest time I had a -1 (and then a -2) strength debuff attached to this bearable version of The Shards of Narsil, but upon reflection I feel that'd only convince players to never, ever run this artifact, since dropping his strength undercuts the overwhelm protection.

Also, did I mention that this artifact offers even MORE wound protection?! Golly, it's almost like a core mechanic of the (W) culture!  :P
« Last Edit: August 15, 2018, 06:57:30 PM by menace64 »

August 17, 2018, 11:10:13 AM
Reply #39

menace64

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Second Quest, part XVII: Heavy Mettle!
« Reply #39 on: August 17, 2018, 11:10:13 AM »
This is Part One of a series of posts focusing more intently on the new Mettle stat, which is representative of a character's resolve/bravery/intent of purpose. In practical application, consider it a more fluid rewrite of Resistance. Any character with 0 Mettle is broken, a term not unlike exhausted that can open said character up to some truly nasty debuffs.

Let's get started with my first One Ring this decade!

[Ring]The One Ring, Weapon of the Enemy
Strength: +1
Mettle: +2
Maneuver: Exert bearer (or spot a unique minion) to wear The One Ring until the regroup phase.
While wearing The One Ring, each time the Ring-bearer is about to take a wound, add a burden and wound a character bearing a Ring or add 2 burdens.
"...and in the darkness bind them..."

Weapon of the Enemy opens up lots of resolution options for your Ring-bearer, able to target unique minions and characters bearing Rings to deflect harm away from your Ring-bearer. (Yes, you can wound Nazgul bearing Rings!)

---------

[1] Doughty Men (W)
Event • Response
If an (W) or [Gondor] Man with mettle 5 or more exerts, heal that Man.
"‘...the last remnant in the North of the great people, the Men of the West.'"

One of Arnor's greatest cultural strengths is dealing with exertions, summarized no more clearly than Doughty Men. You still need to actually exert your Man (so this isn't quite Strength of Spirit) but can immediately heal it for a mere [1] twilight token. Of course, this requires a mettle-5 Man, which under ideal conditions will apply to all rangers.

---------

[4]Hill Tyrant [Dunland]
Minion • Man
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Mettle: 4
Enduring.
For each broken companion you can spot, [Dunland] Men are strength +1 and damage +1.
"‘...possibly there is some trouble away south from which they are fleeing...'"

It's been a while since we've looked at the Dunlendings. Enduring is a core mechanic of the "Hill" minions, and typically these guys will come with ways of exerting themselves to gain the effect - and to return them to their 1-vitality roots. Hill Tyrant can't self-exert, but he's got a profound interest in mettle, offering universal bonuses for each broken companion you spot. It won't be easy to stack multiple broken companions, but cards like the Tyrant provide tempting targets for [Dunland] players in SQ.

Oh, and yeah: Hill Tyrant doesn't have a site number! I've done away with minion site numbers entirely!  I don't need 'em! Sites will be determing who and what are roaming.

---------

(0) Steel Corslet [Dwarven]
Possession • Armor
Bearer must be a Dwarf.
While exhausted, bearer is mettle +2.
Response: If bearer loses a skirmish to a minion with lower mettle than bearer, discard this possession to prevent all wounds to bearer.
"...for there was no hauberk in the hoards of Edoras of better make than his short corslet forged beneath the Mountain in the North."

Dwarves relate to mettle in-reverse of pretty much every other Freeps race: the stronger they are, the worse their mettle; and the worse they hurt, the higher their mettle. Steel Corselt provides a +2 bonus while exhausted, which boosts the potency of the very-Gimli's Helm-like response effect.

---------

(0) Cloak of Grey [Elven]
Possession • Cloak
To play, spot 3 Lothlórien Elves. Bearer must be a unique companion.
If War-bound, bearer is strength +1.
If Ent-bound, bearer is vitality +1.
If Ring-bound, bearer is mettle +1.
"‘Leaf and branch, water and stone: they have the hue and beauty of all these things under the twilight of Lórien that we love; for we put the thought of all that we love into all that we make.'"

This is my favorite card in this batch, even if it doesn't make any sense in the current official rules! Useless on unbound companions and restricted to those who are unique, Cloak of Grey bolsters the most-critical stat of each fellowship: strength for the War-bound companions questing to deliver the West from destruction; vitality for the Ent-bound Hobbits struggling to rally the Onodrim; and mettle for the Ring-bound companions, whose paths lead them ever-nearer to the heart of dark despair.

---------

(0)Wandlimb the Lightfooted (G)
Condition • Character
Mettle: +1
Tale. Bearer must be Treebeard.
Skirmish: Exert Treebeard and spot an Ent in the dead pile to use mettle to resolve his skirmish instead of strength.
"‘"When Spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade; / When blossom like a shining snow is on the orchard laid; / When shower and Sun upon the Earth with fragrance fill the air, / I'll linger here, and will not come, because my land is fair."'"

I don't know how useful this will be in most skirmishes (Treebeard retains his base strength of 12 so he can still squish most minions) but this is a solid backup plan for winning otherwise-tough skirmishes. You can ask me if mettle-overwhelms are going to be a thing, but my answer is likely to be "I have no idea!"  8-)

---------

(0)Narya, Redstone [Gandalf]
Artifact • Ring
Mettle: +2
Bearer must be Gandalf.
Each time Gandalf wins a skirmish, you may exert him twice and spot 3 allies here to liberate a site.
Maneuver: Exert Gandalf to rally an ally in this region; until the regroup phase, that ally is strength +2.
"‘For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill.'"

This is the second or third time I've posted this card, and I suppose it's the flagship for how most of the Rings will work. Offering a +2 mettle boost is solid, and from there Narya gets crazy with the site liberation and ally support.

I've also been playing with terminology a bunch in my off-hours, inserting the term "rally" to replace "participates in archery fire and skirmishes until the regroup phase." Seems to work.

---------

(0)Sméagol, Not Altogether Wicked [Gollum]-FP
Companion
Strength: 3
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 2
Ring-bound. To play, add a burden.
At the start of each phase, you may exert Sméagol to make a Ring-bound Hobbit mettle +2 until the end of that phase.
"‘He would follow after me as he long has done. And I have promised many times to take him under my protection and to go where he led. You would not ask me to break faith with him?'"

Expect this effect to change slightly/profoundly as I go deeper into mettle-design, for I'm still unsure how "permanent" changes in a character's mettle will be: like Strength, lasting until the end of the phase; or like Vitality, lasting indefinitely... I dunno!

So, for now, Smeagol boosts mettle by 2 until the end of whatever phase you choose to activate the effect. Hobbits have a base mettle of 3-4, but have plentiful access to boosters, including Smeagol here for the Ring-bound halflings.

---------

(I'm going to keep posting cards until my hands fall off. I feel this thread has mostly run off the rails of its original purpose, so expect a better-focused post in the next week or two once I've started locking cardlists.)
« Last Edit: August 17, 2018, 05:22:54 PM by menace64 »

August 20, 2018, 01:19:26 PM
Reply #40

menace64

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Re: Second Quest, Part XVIII: Well Met(tle) Indeed!
« Reply #40 on: August 20, 2018, 01:19:26 PM »
And here's Part Two!

(0) •Palantír of Minas Anor [Gondor]
Artifact • Palantír
Mettle: +2
Bearer must be a unique [Gondor] Man.
Each search card is twilight cost +1.
Fellowship: If bearer is Denethor, exert him to reveal a card at random from an opponent's hand. If the revealed card is a minion, place it on top of its owner's draw deck.
"...for the Stone of Minas Tirith was the palantir of Anárion, most close in accord with the one that Sauron possessed."

The Palantir of Minas Tirith was used heavily by Denethor in the waning days of the Steward, a desperate defense against Sauron's mounting power across the River. Of course I originally intended this card to play only on Denethor, but seeing as he doesn't show up in card-form until Set 5, I needed this to have some utility until we actually get to him. I've got a card slot reserved for each of the remaining palantíri in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring; if I do it right, they'll all react off of one another almost like a palantir-mini-game.

---------

(0) Agent of Angrenost [Isengard]
Ally • Edoras • Man
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Mettle: 4
To play, spot Gríma.
Shadow: Exert this ally and spot an unbound companion bearing X possessions to make that companion mettle -X until the regroup phase (limit -2).
"‘None are welcome here in days of war but our own folk... Who are you that come heedless over the plain thus strangely clad...?'"

I'm going to do everything I can to make [Isengard] Men playable, and I figure a good place to start is with some old-fashioned possession hate. Being a simple (and free!) ally, Agent of Angrenost requires only Grima to start being useful, digging into an unbound companion's mettle, possibly up to a -4 debuff.

---------

(0) He's a Sneak (B)
Event • Maneuver
Spot Sméagol (or Gollum) and discard 2 (B) cards from hand to exert a Ring-bound companion. The Free Peoples player may make a Ring-bound Hobbit mettle -3 until the regroup phase to prevent this.
"‘Sméagol has to take what's given him,' answered Gollum. ‘He was given that name by kind Master Samwise, the hobbit that knows so much.'"

The Morgul culture is only ponderously coming into tighter focus. With this card, I begin to see one of the culture's potential strengths: pitting Hobbits against Gollum, dishing out exertions - or worse - for no other reason than bringing Slinker (or Stinker!) along on such a perilous journey. I don't yet know what (B) will care about more: Ring-bearer wounds, or broken companions. Maybe both!

---------

(Not for the first time, my post is crashing when I try adding the limited-unique dot to this card. Very annoying! For now just pretend there's a four-point star in front of the card title, which limits it to "one per site" in this case.)

[3] Ghâsh! [Moria]
Condition • Site
Plays on an underground site.
While you can spot X [Moria] ruins, each companion at this site is mettle -X.
Shadow: Exert 2 [Moria] minions and discard this condition to add [3]. If you can then spot [1](0) in the twilight pool, halt the fellowship.
"Right across the floor, close to the feet of two huge pillars a great fissure had opened. Out of it a fierce red light came, and now and again flames licked at the brink and curled about the base of the columns. Wisps of dark smoke wavered in the hot air."

Ghash! is a long-term investment, trading [3] to play it in exchange for a potential twilight flood later that can even halt the fellowship. One of the issues with [Moria] is that it relies heavily on underground sites, which don't persist beyond Site 5[F] in any meaningful way. I wrote this card to help give the culture some teeth along the later [F] sites. It might do better at a cost of [2].

----------

[7] •Corsair Captain [Raider]
Minion • Man
Strength: 12
Vitality: 3
Mettle: 5
Corsair. Fierce.
For each [Raider] dwelling you spot, each War-bound companion and [Gondor] ally is mettle -1.
Skirmish: Exert a non-unique corsair to make Corsair Captain strength +1 and mettle +1.
"‘The Corsairs of Umbar are coming! So Belfalas is taken, and the Ethir, and Lebennin is gone...'"

I haven't shown them yet, but the new corsair ships come in the form of [Raider] dwellings. The Captain here cares a lot about how many ships he's got, and can use his crew to gain unrestricted strength and mettle bonuses. AND he's fierce!

---------

(0) •Horn of Helm, Legacy of Hammerhand [Rohan]
Possession • Adventure Area
Plays on The Hornburg.
Skirmish: Exert a [Rohan] ally here (or Gimli) to make a skirmishing Free Peoples character mettle +1 (and damage +1 if that character bears a mount) until the regroup phase.
"Back from the Deep the echoes came, blast upon blast, as if on every cliff and hill a mighty herald stood. But on the walls men looked up, listening with wonder; for the echoes did not die."

I'm really excited to reveal my plans for [Rohan] in Set 3 & 4, with the new Horn of Helm giving only the slightest glimpse into what's coming. It plays on... The Hornburg...? before offering a simple mettle bonus, tacking on a damage bonus if mounted. You'll have to stay tuned to see the rest of [Rohan]'s new look!

---------

(This card should also have a limited-unique dot in front of its name, which limits it to 1 copy per character.)

(0) Contest of Will [Sauron]
Condition • Character
Search. To play, spot a [Sauron] artifact. Bearer must be a Free Peoples character bearing a Palantír or Ring.
At the start of each Shadow phase, you may spot a [Sauron] artifact and reveal a unique [Sauron] character from hand to make bearer mettle -3 until the start of the regroup phase.
"And suddenly he felt the Eye. There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there. It leaped towards him..."

Pretty straightforward, and singlehandedly cancels the base +2 mettle bonus conferred by palantiri with just a bit of infrastructure work.

---------

[2] •Sam, The Stout-hearted [Shire]
Companion • Hobbit
Strength: 3
Vitality: 4
Mettle: 3
Ring-bound.
Each time a [Shire] or (W) companion is assigned to a skirmish, Sam is mettle +1 until the regroup phase.
Response: If Frodo is killed, make Sam the Ring-bearer (resistance 5).
"‘"Don't you leave him!" they said to me. "Leave him!" I said. "I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon, and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with," I said.'"

Each of Frodo's companions begins as an Ally in Set 1, but after that they'll be standard Companions doing standard Companiony things. Sam here is, I feel, an early echo of Great Elf Warrior, gaining not strength but mettle, requiring others to be fighting for him to gain his bonuses. Expect a few extremely potent [Shire] mettle-based cards to combo with Sam.

---------

[1] Piercing [Wraith]
Event • Maneuver
Spell.
Exert a Nazgûl to make a Free Peoples character mettle -2 until the regroup phase. You may take the next maneuver action.
"A long-drawn wail came down the wind, like the cry of some evil and lonely creature. It rose and fell, and ended on a high piercing note. Even as they sat and stood, as if suddenly frozen, it was answered by another cry, fainter and further off, but no less chilling to the blood. There was then a silence, broken only by the sound of the wind in the leaves."

If anybody ever says including flavor text in your card design doesn't amount to anything, refer them to me for re-education. For the longest while Piercing had only that first line of text and no lore, gaining the Baruk Khazad callback only once I'd gone lore-hunting and found myself wondering how cool it would be to give [Wraith] players additional control over the maneuver phase. This might become "a thing" in the culture... it just feels so awesome and so right!

---------

I think it's about time to jump deeper into Dwellings. I have a lot already done behind the scenes, and now that all the cultures have some meat on their bones I feel much more comfortable working with the new card type. Give me a few days for revisions and hopefully I'll have something neat to share with you next time!
« Last Edit: August 20, 2018, 01:25:54 PM by menace64 »

August 22, 2018, 12:15:00 AM
Reply #41

Wyrden333

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Re: Second Quest, Part XVIII: Well Met(tle) Indeed!
« Reply #41 on: August 22, 2018, 12:15:00 AM »
Hi menace,
here I'm now. I'm not done reading all of your cards yet, but I'm looking forward to read the rest.
Yesterday, after I read your  Mûmak Ally, I couldn't get the idea out of my head and I didn't remember what your Mûmk did so I wrote one on my own! I've no idea if he's to strong with the condition I wrote for him so I ask for Feedback.

  [6] Mûmak  [Raider]
Ally(Home 5) - Mûmak
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Fierce, Damage+1, Stomp
This Ally is Strength +1 for each wound on unbound companiens and Allies you can spot.
Skirmish:Exert this ally and discard a [Raider] Man skirmishing a companien or ally to wound that companien or ally. The Free People Player may exert the Ringbearer to prevent that.

I've no idea what stomp means but it sounds good on a Mûmak.

 [2] Mûmak Assault  [Raider]
Condidition - Support Area
Each time a companien or ally exerts or takes a wound, you may add a  [Raider] token on this card.
Maneuver: Remove 5  [Raider] tokens from this card and spot a Mûmak ally to make that ally participate at archery and in skirmishes until the Regroup Phase.

That allows the Mûmak to fight and the Token-adding synergieses with the Mûmak.

I wrote some more  [Raider]Conditions and  [Raider]Minions, maybe they will be able to follow soon.
Go King Standard!

August 22, 2018, 09:24:25 AM
Reply #42

menace64

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Re: Second Quest, Part XVIII: Well Met(tle) Indeed!
« Reply #42 on: August 22, 2018, 09:24:25 AM »
(I had to reformat your cards slightly. It's nothing personal - everybody's got their own way - I just have a compulsion for such things!)

[6] Mûmak [Raider]
Ally • Home 5 • Mûmak
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Damage+1. Fierce. Stomp.
For each wound on allies and unbound companions, this ally is strength +1.
Skirmish: Exert this ally and discard a [Raider] Man skirmishing a companion or ally to wound that companion or ally. The Free People Player may exert the Ring-bearer to prevent that wound.

I've no idea what stomp means but it sounds good on a Mûmak.

If I had to plug-in an effect for Stomp, I'd start with something like "Each time this character wins a skirmish, discard a card borne by the losing character."

Right off the bat, I think that Skirmish ability is darn-near close to perfect as a [Raider] ability. Everything about it feels right in-line with the culture. Of course the whole card is broken beyond belief  \:D/ but that's fine! It's sometimes easiest to start way above (or below!) the curve and then refine the card down to something serviceable.

[2] Mûmak Assault [Raider]
Condition • Support Area
Each time a companion or ally exerts or takes a wound, you may add a [Raider] token here.
Maneuver: Remove 5 [Raider] tokens here and spot a Mûmak ally to make that ally participate in archery fire and skirmishes until the regroup phase.

Perfect! I'd suggest adding a simple To Play requirement just to keep this card in-culture. "To play, spot a Southron." would probably do just fine!

I'd love to see what else you've got! One of my favorite DC topics has always been skirmishing Mumaks.

August 22, 2018, 10:46:23 AM
Reply #43

menace64

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Re: Second Quest: The Dwellings of the Breefolk.
« Reply #43 on: August 22, 2018, 10:46:23 AM »
I've found myself these last few days pouring creative energies into the Arnor culture, which means I think I'm finally ready to share Dwellings! Let's get some basics out of the way before moving on to the cards themselves.

  • There is always an active area for each site on the adventure path, even if said site hasn't yet been played. (Example: There is always a location for "Site 2[F]" even if all players are still at site 1[F].) This enables players to play their dwellings without having to wait for a fellowship to first reach the appropriate site.
  • Dwellings always play to the Adventure Area. When you play a dwelling, it goes wherever indicated in the class bar. Most dwellings are straightforward enough, but expect them to pop up EVERYWHERE.
  • Speaking of the class bar, each dwelling also comes with a number of Shadow culture icons. What's that all about? Well, you see, whether or not a character is roaming comes down to spotting that character's culture icon on the current site, or on any adjacent dwellings. For a host of technical reasons I had to make this change, and so far I haven't regretted it.
  • Allies are now able to move about the adventure area. Each time the fellowship moves, your allies can also move, for free, from one location to another, but unable to move beyond their home region. (That's where I'm sitting on this right now, but there's still some fiddling to be done.)

Now - Let's jump into some cards!

---------

[2] •Bree, Village in the Lone-lands (W)
Dwelling (2[F]) • [Dunland] | [Wraith] | [Gollum]
While you can spot 3 (W) allies here (or a ranger), Bree may not be destroyed.
Each time you play a Free Peoples card with twilight cost 0, you may exert an (W) character to shuffle an (W) or [Shire] card from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"Bree was the chief village of the Bree-land, a small inhabited region, like an island in the empty lands round about."

To play Bree, place it in the Adventure Area either adjacent to Site 2[F] or adjacent to where a Site 2[F] will eventually appear. Once in play, Bree enables [Dunland], [Wraith], and [Gollum] characters to play to site 2[F] without paying a roaming penalty.

The first line of Bree's game text is a powerful effect commonly included on dwelling cards which encompass large population centers: destruction-protection. You'll be happy it's there once Shadow players start gunning for your allies! After that it reads like a regular card, in this case leaning into a cultural strength of Arnor - rewarding you for playing free cards!

I hope none of that sounds outlandishly complicated; trust me when I say that it plays out a lot easier in practice, and honestly the overwhelming majority of dwellings will play and feel exactly like "Condition • Site" cards, minus the vulnerabilities to cards such as Saruman's Power and Grown Suddenly Tall.

---------

[1] •The Prancing Pony, Pride of Bree (W)
Dwelling (Bree) • [Dunland] | [Wraith]
Each time you play or move a character here whose race you cannot spot elsewhere in Bree, add an (W) token here.
At the start of each regroup phase, you may remove X (W) tokens here to heal a character in Bree X times.
"...men of Bree, a collection of local Hobbits... a few more dwarves, and other vague figures difficult to make out away in the shadows and corners."

Right now I have The Prancing Pony as playing off of Bree, which may be too convoluted for practical execution, but once I've formally introduced the Quest card type this issue may cease to be one. So, for now, I'm keeping these sub-dwellings as-is. (Makes it tough to review, I know. Sorry!)

This dwelling keys off of another cultural strength of Arnor: multiracialism! Shuffle some characters around to generate some (W) tokens, and come the regroup phase you can get some healing done. This can technically work on companions, but typically you'll be using this dwelling to maintain the health of Breeland allies.

---------

[1] Gate-house (W)
Dwelling (Bree) • [Dunland] | [Wraith]
Fortification 1.
At the start of your fellowship phase, you may exert an (W) ally here to make a companion strength +1 until the fierce assignment phase.
"There was another gate in the southern corner where the Road ran out of the village. The gates were closed at nightfall; but just inside them were small lodges for the gatekeepers."

The Fortification keyword has moved to dwellings, and it's a loaded keyword now: Fortification X (When you play this card, add X defensive tokens here. If this card has any defensive tokens, you dwellings at this site may not be destroyed.)

It's almost too wordy for my liking (does "too wordy" even exist for me!?), but the effect is more-or-less where I need it to be. Fortifications protect your dwellings, but are also natural targets for opponents. Most Shadow cultures will have specific cards for dealing with fortifications, and some cultures will be scary-good at hurting Freeps players over-reliant on dwellings.

---------

[2] Gate-keeper (W)
Ally • Bree • Man
Strength: 3
Vitality: 2
Mettle: 3
While this ally is at an (W) fortification, Shadow characters may not move to Bree.
Fellowship: Exert this ally to reinforce a fortification here.
"‘We have to keep watchers all round the fence and put a lot of men on the gates at nights.'"

Gate-keeper is the sort of ally you want to drop into the Gate-house and never, ever move. Not only does he prevent Shadow characters from entering Bree (I'm still not sure how that part works, but expect it to be extremely simple, fast, and temporary), but he also replenishes the defensive tokens of your fortifications. Solid ally, but expensive compared to other (W) allies.

--------

I need to eat lunch. I know these cards are all new and weird and stuff. With the flood-gates open I'll be wanting to share dwellings from other cultures. I may also need to reveal Quest cards before their appointed hour... we'll see.

Thanks for reading! Good luck!  :mrgreen:

August 22, 2018, 12:33:03 PM
Reply #44

Wyrden333

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Re: Second Quest: The Dwellings of the Breefolk!
« Reply #44 on: August 22, 2018, 12:33:03 PM »
OK,
I think I finally got what you wrote there.

For '•Bree, Village in the Lone-lands' I think for the Free People Player it doesn't sound that good, but as soon as you play  [Wraith][Gollum] or  [Dunland] Shadow it becomes pretty good. That makes Deckbuilding pretty interesting.

'The Prancing Pony, Pride of Bree'
Where do you have to play it? On Bree, or what? Else than that it sounds pretty good (It's for purpose that if you've two Allies there and they are 'jumping' you get like a free heal each turn, or did I get something wrong?)

For the Gate-House and -Keeper I think they are pretty solid from Power Level.

Question: Can you activate the effect of i.e. Gate-House whenever you want or only if the Fellowship is at Site 2? And i guess Your opponent may activate the effect of it on his own turn as well, can't he?

So far so good but keep in mind not to make the game to complex.  :cop: :cop: ;)
 
Go King Standard!