Hobbit Draft Game

[-Enola-]

To sum up, the Extension set (Second Booster deck) will include:
- Slopes of the Lonely Mountain
- Dale (or Entrance of Erebor)
- Forges of Erebor
- Thranduil (Shadow as follower or condition ?) + Elves
- White Council
- Sauron/Necromancer
- and weapons
- Ruling Ring
- Key of Erebor

New proposal:
Damage +2. Fierce. May only be played at a mountain site. If Smaug is killed, remove him from the game.

Unfortunately, it's not the same syntax as LOTR TCG, I will keep the previous one.

You can add mountain to site 9 Battle of the Five Armies by adding "Battleground. Mountain. Shadow: Remove 2 doubts to play a minion from your discard pile (except Smaug)".

You are right, I have done it in a previous version, but I will now change my version for your version. Thank you.

There is already an event with different texts for different phases: Eye of Barad-Dur. Decipher made it!

The inclusion of "phase" above the textbox for events, and "support area" too for most conditions and some possessions/artifacts was introduced to allow more room for the gametext. Also, the inclusion of new rules and gameplay dynamics required more use of textbox: site controlling, card stacking, tokens, threats, initiative, enduring... none of them are present here.

The merged version I posted has enough space for both phase actions and even for the lore text of the original "To Me! O My Kinsfolk!". Just look at both card images, they fit without text abbreviation/size reduction.
You can include both phases in the bar above the textbox (separated by a "/"), but won't provide the effect for what Decipher planned that change. And it won't need it either.

Your point is absolutely right, only 1 weapon would give little chances of getting it, and therefore too much advantage to the player who gets it. The second one can be a hand weapon bearable by Men or Dwarves, or even the Deathless itself (bearable by any Dwarf companion, giving more benefits if bearer is Thorin or Balin)...

The ranged weapons (Ori's Slingshot and the bows) would have to find room at the Expansion Set/Pack...

Yeah I know and also: We must have it. Since I made all cards in this way, I will keep the events unchanged.
I think we have to make simple but interesting cards in order to be playable by many players.
We will put all the and weapons in the extension set.

That's good, I believe the restriction to Thorin would render almost useless those followers, as most of the times Thorin would bring down whatever he is skirimishing without any help. The link between those followers and Thorin may remain: Aid X (and either spot Thorin or Y), as explained in the previous post... X is the fixed cost, Y the cost of not spotting Thorin.

Your idea of exerting an ally twice seems good, except it should be a single exertion. Only Elrond can heal himself, there are no multiple copies of allies to heal by discarding, and exerting allies is a heavy cost (except for Radagast and Elrond again). By the way, The Master can only use his skill once, unlike Ottar with Elrond, LoR. If you think he should heal himself, add any of the following options: "At the start of each turn, heal The Master" or "At the start of each turn, heal each ally whose home site is 6 (except Bard)". You can increase his vitality to 3 too...

Your other idea, adding or more, is very good too, seems perfect for big, fat Bombur.

My ideas for aid costs are:
- Discard a card from hand. (This one will limit the power of The Arkenstone, a considerable cost)
- Discard a card from hand. (If the follower is bound to Gandalf/Esgaroth/Eagles/Beorn/Breelanders)
- Discard 2 cards from hand.
- Discard 2 cards from the top of your deck.
- Heal a minion. (Not likely to be suitable)
- Transfer/discard/return to hand a Free Peoples possession. (Return and Transfer might be very amusing!)

The Elrond+Ottar combo in FOTR block is too powerful, so we can only use The Master once.

Thanks a lot. I change most of the followers during my update today.

That's the idea, the Response ability is to protect the Key amongst the Company. "Response: If bearer is about to be killed or discarded, exert a companion to transfer this to another elegible bearer".
According to Tolkien, first bearer was Thror, second was Thrain II, third was Gandalf (at Dol Guldur, 91 years prior to Thorin's Quest, when Thrain passed away) and fourth was Thorin. The possible starting fellowships are either Gandalf alone, Thorin alone, 2 Dwarves or Gandalf and 3 Dwarves. Thus it should be bearable at the starting fellowship...

It might give the ability to play the fellowship's next site... by means of a heavy cost, of course. Maybe discarding it.

You are right, it should be a card for the Expansion. And I think it shouldn't even be a possession, but the "Key card" as The One Ring is just "The Ring", without class, and is played at start of the game with the ringbearer. Some blogs or forum threads (can't remember) talk about the key-bearer, just as the ringbearer, and doubts are put on the keybearer instead of Bilbo... Discussion for the Expansion set anyway.

We will add this in the extension set. But it's a great idea.

The only corruption culture is Gollum, yes, but many FP cards add doubts, they can just pile up until they reach 8 and Biblo would flee even if he doesn't face Gollum. If Bilbo faces Gollum, he can use The Ring to gain +2 strength and survive, but Gollum gains +1 strength that way and can build 2 more doubts if he wins that skirimish (1 for his text, 1 for wound), AND a 3rd if Underground Lake is in play. 4 in a single fight; Underground Lake can be discarded to add 2 doubts more... 6 in a single site.

We will see this during playtest, but it's the only way a Gollum corruption can win. It must have a good corruption engine.

Dale might be included in the Expansion Set. It's a very good picture! The text is very good too, it looks like many cards in the Expansion will be very powerful...

The idea of the Forges of Erebor was born when writing about the role of site 8. "Is there another possible way of playing Smaug from discard/draw deck with Site 8's text?!" Head started to ache, fortunately inspiration came to rescue...
It's a site meant to be epic, representing an epic challenge. There will be need for playtesting to fit the correct Shadow number, in bare theory I think 11 can be a good cost; can be even higher. To give it full strength it should be accompained by a FP card that plays the fellowship's next site, like Speak Friend and Enter or Pathfinder in FotR... or Thror's Map. Maybe Thror's Key/Key of Erebor should allow to play/replace the next site. That is a matter for the Expansion Set anyway...

I would like to include it in the First Set, as that site has such a strong epic feeling in my opinion. But don't know what site should be excluded. Great Goblin's Cavern seems to me the less useful, because culture just can't rely on a site for that whole twilight gameplay. Orkish Footman and Goblin Swarms/Hatred Rekindled should be enough. In my opinion Site 4 should always bring the One Ring, the way Site 8 should always bring Smaug to the party...

And there are only 2 cards to be replayed: Goblin Scimitar and Troll Knife, while FotR Block has 14: 6 for , 3 for , 3 for and 2 for .

I think site 4 Great Goblin's Cavern could be good for many Shadows (except Spiders, but they have the site 5) : weapons for and Troll, no Ring for Gollum, weapons for Wargs if they splash minion to play scimitar.

Sites 6 Esgaroth and Lake Town should be both a river. Or lake, but that site keyword doesn't exist in LOTR TCG; and every lake must and does have a river. Sites 7 Dale and Erebor too should be rivers.

Ok I will change this.

[-Enola-]

About the rule of 9. I think your idea is great, but since I keep all the rules coming from LOTR TCG, I will keep this one too. It will need to many playtests to fix this .

I'm waiting for all the players reports after our playtest, thursday evening. I'll let you know.

[-Enola-]

We will surely download your set and play test it! Thank you for the great work on these!! Maybe we can use your set as a basis for our ideas and combine them? That would be great... of course i will post some of our cards here if you want! Or we could help expand your game.

Thank you Lauben, we are testing the card game now. You can use the card with the LOTR TCG cards but it's not the point of the game.

We would really like to have a similar game to lotr tcg with a wide card pool and some more cultures (i think of course of some white council and some woodelves stuff.. also we wanted to divide shadow into a "gundabad, a misty mountains and a dol guldur/necromancer culture much like the original uruk, moria and sauron)

Sure, we can include all these cards in a Extension Set. I just first want to balance the game with the cards already made.

P.S. i hope my english is at least understandable..

No problem, mine is bad too .

[-Enola-]

Updates 12/11/14 http://hobbitdraftgame.free.fr/Updates.html

• Thorin, Oakenshield
When Thorin is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -2. (better with Gandalf, Leader of Dwarves)

• Bifur, • Bofur and • Bombur   
Not restricted only to Thorin. Bombur gives also damage+1.

• Óin, • Ori and • Gwaihir   
Aid cost: discard a suitable culture card from hand. Ori draws now 3 cards with Balin.

[Cw0rk]

I like the idea of Thranduil as a shadow follower.

[Durin's Heir]

I like the idea of Thranduil as a shadow follower.

To sum up, the Extension set (Second Booster deck) will include:
- Thranduil (Shadow as follower or condition ?) + Elves

Thanks for your reception. Here is an idea of what could look like a Shadow follower version of Thranduil...

•Thranduil, Elvenking (Shadow Card)
Follower - Elf
Strength -3
Aid - Heal bearer or Thorin. Bearer must be a Dwarf.
If you can spot Smaug or bearer wins a skirmish, discard Thranduil.
Bearer may only be assigned to skirmish by the Free Peoples player and each time he or she does, add a doubt.
"You have my word. One King to another."


The text is a little long... The idea is to nullify a fighter, or weaken him and make expensive his participation (strong against Thorin and Dwalin). Threatening Warg might reap too much benefits from this by assigning its rider to a weakened Thorin (and Thranduil was not in service nor coordination with Sauron), thus the assignment limitation. That exclusion of Shadow assignments to bearer, and the healing aid cost, are to represent the "protective" effect of being captive in Thranduil's dungeons...

The healing of bearer or Thorin makes an unwounded dwarf may not be captured by the Elvenking. And Thorin responds for all in his Company.

Other possibility (instead of that doubt-assignment idea) may be to discard bearer's possessions, or to nullify their strength/damage bonuses ("Bearer does not gain bonuses from possessions"). That role may be given to Legolas (Shadow follower), as he seized Orcrist to Thorin. Legolas indeed uses Orcrist in battle at Esgaroth...


Other Shadow followers can be Bill Ferny Sr. and Squint (the bald man at The Prancing Pony), Alfrid Lickspittle and Braga. Here's a list of characters (in the movies):

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Characters
http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Characters
http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Characters

Elves are foes and friends during the book/movies, thus their culture may work as does in LOTR: Shadow and Free Peoples cards. While some characters as Legolas and Thranduil might participate in both sides, others should be exclusively FP: Tauriel, Elrond (and Rivendell Elves) and Galadriel always collaborate. And unwittingly a drunk Galion...

To differenciate Shadow cards from FP cards, Shadow ones use a diamond instead of a circle as marker of Twilight Cost at upper left corner.

[Durin's Heir]

About the rule of 9. I think your idea is great, but since I keep all the rules coming from LOTR TCG, I will keep this one too. It will need to many playtests to fix this .

I'm waiting for all the players reports after our playtest, thursday evening. I'll let you know.

That's alright. I said it was an insane idea, and I'm glad you liked it. But that sort of ideas work better in a Constructed TCG environment, where big and brainy decks may be assembled at the individual's own taste and crazy strategies, instead of a Draft Game with a limited and random card pool.
If anyone else wants to pick that Rule of 5 and use it in his/her own Hobbit or LOTR dream-card game, definitively I wouldn't oppose... 

The Elrond+Ottar combo in FOTR block is too powerful, so we can only use The Master once.

Thanks a lot. I change most of the followers during my update today.

Those changes look nice! I like Thorin's new text, it's more affordable now. The aid cost of Gwaihir, Óin and Ori makes them able to cycle. A wise player will transfer Ori first...

As for The Master, the combo of Elrond, LoR + Ottar is overpowered since each turn they draw from 1 to 4 cards by the cost of just sitting there. The Master shouldn't be that way, you are right. What do you think about giving him a cost for his healing? Remember it's a card from Booster deck, something similar to a Rare card in a TCG, and not just a common one like ARfM...

•The Master
Ally - Man - Site 6
Fellowship: Exert The Master to discard up to 3 cards from hand and draw an equal number of cards.
Fellowship: Add a doubt to heal an ally whose home site is 6 (except Bard).

There it is a suggestion: cycling cards by paying doubts. The underlined text can be changed to "The Master" or "a Man (except Bard)" if there aren't more Site 6 Allies, or to shorten the card's text.

To sum up, the Extension set (Second Booster deck) will include:
- Slopes of the Lonely Mountain
- Dale (or Entrance of Erebor)
- Forges of Erebor
- Thranduil (Shadow as follower or condition ?) + Elves
- White Council
- Sauron/Necromancer
- and weapons
- Ruling Ring
- Key of Erebor

There are other things we can add:

- Wargs as minions (and support area cards to play Warg minions when a Warg mount gets discarded from play...)
- Stone Giants.
- Fortifications.
- Barney Butterbur and good Breelanders; Bill Ferny Sr. and bad ones...
- Alternative versions of key characters (Thorin, Bilbo, Azog, maybe Smaug and Elrond...)
- Site manipulation cards for Gandalf ("Where are you leading us?") and Dwarves (Thror's Map and The Key)
- More sites, as the Caves of the High Pass (where they were caught)...
- More Eagles. And the Birds of Yore...
- Riddle and Stealth events/conditions for Bilbo and Gollum.
- Thror and his Ring of Power (as tale events/conditions, not character/item).
- More tale cards, and dynamics with that keyword.
- Thrain II (I saw the Extended Edition, actually Thrain isn't captive and joins the plot at some point).
- Items, lots of them: The Black Arrow, Mithril-Coat, Azog's Warg and Mace, The Deathless and the Oakenshield for Thorin, Forging or War Hammers...

An alternative Bilbo may pay a cost at sites 7 and onwards to play possessions from draw deck/discard pile (to RECOVER the lost Arkenstone)...


That Warg support card I mean should be like this:

Drink Their Blood! [Gundabad]
Condition - Support Area
Each time a [Gundabad] Mount with twilight cost X is discarded from play, you may play a [Gundabad] Warg from hand or discard pile; it's twilight cost is -X.

Each Warg minion should be fierce. You killed the rider but not yet the mount! It might have a cost like "remove a doubt to..." or "discard a Shadow card from hand to..." if it ends up being overpowered. As it is by now, it may be combined with Goblin Swarms. Here's another one:

The Scent of Fear [Gundabad]
Condition - Support Area
Shadow: Discard a [Gundabad] minion from hand to play a [Gundabad] Mount from your discard pile.


There's an additional point... If Legolas or Thranduil end up as allies/companions, since Legolas wieldes the Orcrist at Esgaroth after seizing it, just maybe, it should be an weapon instead of , bearable by Thorin or an Elf.

(In respect of Smaug's gametext) Unfortunately, it's not the same syntax as LOTR TCG, I will keep the previous one.

That's fine. It would have mattered only if there was a lack of space.

(In respect of mountain keyword and Site 9) You are right, I have done it in a previous version, but I will now change my version for your version. Thank you.

... (In respect of river keyword and Sites 6 and 7) Ok I will change this.

Yeah I know and also: We must have it. Since I made all cards in this way, I will keep the events unchanged.
I think we have to make simple but interesting cards in order to be playable by many players.
We will put all the and weapons in the extension set.

Those events look good, covering each Shadow tactic as you said. Minions will be stronger with the Expansion, thus then there will be a bigger need of weapons and tricks...

As for the weapons, in the book they travelled unarmed most of the time... Here at least they may rely on followers (teamwork!) or powerful events like Take Up Arms or Battle Fury (more teamwork). It should be fine as it is.

Maybe some damage bonus would not be unnecesary (Wargriders, Trolls and Smaug have huge vitality and strength). The Arkernstone might say "Skirmish: Discard a card from hand to make a Dwarf strength +2 or Damage +1". Or "... hand to make a Dwarf strength +2 or Damage +1 (or strenght +2 AND Damage +1 if it's a tale)" to give use of tale keyword (O My Kinsfolk!, Battle of Azanulbizar and Ancestral Knowledge might be tales; The Arkenstone itself too).

And Beorn seems like an orc-killer, he could give Damage +1; besides, his vitality addition looks great but goes away at the end of the turn: if bearer is exhausted and Elrond doesn't heal him, he'll be killed (therefore, most of the times will just add +2 strength). Anyway, I'm not saying that Vitality addition should be removed.

(In respect of The Key) We will add this in the extension set. But it's a great idea.

There are too many options here, we must work them prior to decide the definitive one. But at least it's clear it will be a starting card as Bilbo, and it will be preserved inside the Company... Here's a short article.

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Key_to_the_Side-door
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130611194431/lotr/images/5/59/The_key_to_erebor.jpg

We will see this during playtest, but it's the only way a Gollum corruption can win. It must have a good corruption engine.

It's OK to not change Gollum's corruption dynamics, but then Bilbo or The One Ring should give better chances of survival... By the way, I'd replace in the Gollum Pack 1x Better Than Nothing for another copy of Gollum, to give more chances of pulling him (he's the center card of the whole culture and 2x means too small chances in my opinion).

Bilbo will need to use The Ring often in his skirmishes, and Gollum (and Orkish Sneak) will force him to fight.
The One Ring may have a little change to its Skirmish ability:
Skirmish: Add a doubt or exert Bilbo to wear The One Ring until the regroup phase.

That way, The Ring can give a strength bonus without adding doubts as far as Bilbo doesn't lose the skirmish. There is only one pump for him (Noble Intentions) so he'll be relying on followers and The Ring often to survive. And thus will pay often their costs of use.

I think site 4 Great Goblin's Cavern could be good for many Shadows (except Spiders, but they have the site 5) : weapons for and Troll, no Ring for Gollum, weapons for Wargs if they splash minion to play scimitar.

Great Goblin's Cavern seems ok, as powerful cards as Forges of Erebor and either Dale or Entrance of Erebor will be in the Extension Set. Along with Saruman, Thranduil, The Necromancer...


Thanks Enola and everyone reading for your patience!

[Durin's Heir]

Here's another Shadow follower, in the same way as Thranduil, Elvenking was conceived:

•Legolas, Protector of the Woodrealm (Shadow Card)
Follower - Elf
Strength -2.
Aid - Heal bearer or Kili. Bearer must be a Dwarf.
If you can spot Smaug or bearer wins a skirmish, discard Legolas.
Bearer may not be overwhelmed unless his strength is tripled and does not gain strength bonuses from possessions.
"Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf!"

If anyone of you reading has another idea of how Shadow followers may work, please don't hesitate to post it. No matter how good or bad you do think it is, or how much you like/dislike my suggestions, just post it. Different ideas can enhance each other...

If there will be characters present in both Shadow and FP sides (double agents), a nice consequence of having a Shadow version of a given Elf in play is the FP player must get rid of it in order to being able play the FP counterpart. The exact reciprocal would happen with the Shadow player: if FP player has the good version of Legolas in play, he/she must discard but not kill him in order to play the Shadow counterpart.

As there are no possible different names here to represent the alter ego of an Elf (as Gollum/Smeagol in LOTR TCG, or Saruman/Curunir in LOTR dreamcards), the uniqueness will make those versions compete if the character is released as a double agent. Tauriel should work only for Free Peoples.

Thus, some cards (like events or characters) may work discarding Shadow/FP characters as effect (or even as requisite). And Shotgun Orkish Marauder should replace its text "Maneuver: Spot 7 companions (or 4 followers)..." with "(or 4 Free Peoples followers)", or otherwise the Shadow player will force its trigger. And blood would run for free.

[-Enola-]

Hey Durin's Heir,

I'm sorry, but I'm much more focus on the balance of the game right now than creating new cards .

Can you make a card list with the number of copies for each card that will be in the extension set?


Nevertheless, I made quickly a Legolas based on your thoughts .



After the first tests of the game, I will post soon the next updates.

http://hobbitdraftgame.free.fr/Updates.html

[Durin's Heir]

Hey Durin's Heir,
I'm sorry, but I'm much more focus on the balance of the game right now than creating new cards .

Can you make a card list with the number of copies for each card that will be in the extension set?

I haven't made a list but can work on it. Actually I've been improvising each time a new card idea gets posted...
It will be a trial-and-error labour, moreover as we will need to watch the third movie in order to get more accurance/information. And to define the number of copies of each card in that Extension Booster Deck (or whatever name it takes), we will require first to set goals, and maybe some experimentation after that. So the list will have to pass through several modifications...

The distribution of Sites, FP and Shadow cards in your Booster Deck is as it follows:
- 12 Sites
- 52 FP cards
- 80 Shadow cards

That is 12 : 52 : 80, or 3 : 13 : 20. As the Main Deck doesn't contain an equal card distribution, 30 FP to 20 Shadow, the Booster deck you designed needs to be inclined towards the Shadow side. But after that, both sides should be more or less equilibrated. I think the second Booster Deck, the Extension, should have a ratio of 1 FP : 1 Shadow.

I believe there may be at the end of designing too many cards for only one Extension, so maybe in that eventuality there will be need to make another one. The first could be called "The Desolation of Smaug" including only themes from 1st and 2nd Movies, and excluding themes corresponding the last Movie: The White Council fighting Sauron, Smaug's death, Fortifications, the Battle of the Five Arimes (Mirkwood Shadow elves turning into FP allies/followers; Bats, Olog-hai), Sackville-Bagginses and Bilbo's return... Those themes should be then included in the second Extension: "The Battle of the Five Armies"...

That way we can work more easily in designing cards for consistent themes, instead of just a pile of strong individual ones.

Nevertheless, I made quickly a Legolas based on your thoughts .

That looks awesome! It even has some leftover space to add a lore text... "Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf!"

After the first tests of the game, I will post soon the next updates.

http://hobbitdraftgame.free.fr/Updates.html

I like most of those changes... The Master's healing skill is great and Orkish Marauder looks better as a small guy with maneuver killing skills (with a warg his strength and vitality increases, ending more or less like Shotgun Enquea).

Anyway, the new text of Caught in Webs worries be a little, as it can set up for an easy swarm: as the condition removal is very limited, you would need to keep 2 or 3 of those in hand and only one Old Tomnody and wait for enough twilight (at fierce assignment Bilbo would be fighting 3 or more Spiders). It should provide the options of restriction OR punishment in order to assign: "While you can spot a Spider, the Free Peoples player must first exert bearer to assing him to a skirmish". An adaptation of Morgul Spearman's text. If it feels then like a weak card, add some strength reduction, -1 or even -2.



@ Lauben: The card-designing work you have made with your friend and brother may be very useful here. I would like to see part at least of that work posted in this thread, or you may send it to me in a PM. I'd be really grateful. We'd be...

And don't worry about your english ... We are a French, a German and a Chilean speaking in english; in another age we would be talking in Latin (or Neolatin). Or even Arabic.

[Durin's Heir]

Legolas' gametext is a bit longer than Thranduil's... so there is room for a lore text for the Elvenking too.

"You have my word. One King to another."

[Durin's Heir]

I was wondering, is A Wizard is Never Late meant to play followers in your Draft Game?

I ask because, if the answer is yes, then you will need to change either the rules of followers or the gametext of that card ("Play a character or a follower..."). Decipher said followers aren't considered characters at all (and don't have a race). But we are assigning them a race, which corresponds to the treatment a character would receive...


By the way, what do you think about the idea of implementing tale keyword dynamics to some cards, as the suggestion I made with The Arkenstone? In the case there will be tale cards and dynamics incorporated in the Extension set, then would be wiser to give that keyword to corresponding cards (lore, memories, some relics...) in the First set too.

[Durin's Heir]

I'm working on the cardlist while the card development continues. Here are 3 more card proposals:


•Thorin, Lord of the Blue Mountains or King in Exile
Companion - Dwarf
Strength: 7  Vitality: 4
Damage +1. For each wounded Dwarf you can spot, Thorin is strength +1.
Response: If another Dwarf is about to take a wound, exert Thorin and discard a card from hand to prevent that wound.
"Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!"

A bold Thorin determined to protect his Company, and to restore the greatness of his people, at any personal cost. No twilight reduction on this one...

The more wounded and wearier is his people, the stronger he becomes. His response action can turn any card in hand into a version of Gondor Will See It Done; the wound isn't prevented but distributed.


•Tauriel, Guard Captain of the Woodrealm
Follower - Elf
Strength +1  Vitality +1
Aid - Exert bearer or discard an card from play (except Thranduil).
Bearer is an archer. If bearer is Kili, he is strength +2.
Regroup: Make the move limit for this turn is -1 to heal bearer or to discard a Shadow condition he bears. Return Tauriel to your support area.
"It is our fight. It will not end here. With every victory this evil will grow."

An impulsive fighter of dagger and bow, moved by her principles and feelings instead of hierarchies and fear of consequences. And a good healer too... The aid cost can discard FP or Shadow cards.

Bearer becomes an archer. If bearer is Kili that part is useless, thus she gives him additional love. Only because of that ... Therefore, she turns a fighter into an archer, or a specific weak noble dwarven archer into a big fighter.

As for the regroup action, it has the cost of not allowing the fellowship to move again (whether it has moved once or twice), unless the move limit is 3. That way the healing/condition discarding effect won't be used more than once per turn (again, unless the move limit is 3, and if the fellowship moves twice). Though the regroup action may heal a wound, many times will only heal the exertion of transferring her as there won't be always things to get rid...

The order in which the regroup action is written is very important. Must heal prior to being returned to support area, otherwise an exhausted bearer will die.


•Galion, King's Butler (Free Peoples card)
Follower - Elf
Aid - Add a doubt.
Skirmish: At sites 1 to 5, discard Galion and exert Bilbo to cancel a skirmish involving bearer; any Shadow player may discard a Shadow follower borne by a companion to prevent that. At any other site, discard Galion to heal bearer.

This one is obvious: until site 5, cancel a skirmish or discard a Shadow follower. But Shadow player chooses...
At further sites heals bearer by adding a doubt, but it's not reusable. May even be discarded to pay Tauriel's aid cost.

[-Enola-]

I haven't made a list but can work on it. Actually I've been improvising each time a new card idea gets posted...
It will be a trial-and-error labour, moreover as we will need to watch the third movie in order to get more accurance/information. And to define the number of copies of each card in that Extension Booster Deck (or whatever name it takes), we will require first to set goals, and maybe some experimentation after that. So the list will have to pass through several modifications...

The distribution of Sites, FP and Shadow cards in your Booster Deck is as it follows:
- 12 Sites
- 52 FP cards
- 80 Shadow cards

That is 12 : 52 : 80, or 3 : 13 : 20. As the Main Deck doesn't contain an equal card distribution, 30 FP to 20 Shadow, the Booster deck you designed needs to be inclined towards the Shadow side. But after that, both sides should be more or less equilibrated. I think the second Booster Deck, the Extension, should have a ratio of 1 FP : 1 Shadow.

I believe there may be at the end of designing too many cards for only one Extension, so maybe in that eventuality there will be need to make another one. The first could be called "The Desolation of Smaug" including only themes from 1st and 2nd Movies, and excluding themes corresponding the last Movie: The White Council fighting Sauron, Smaug's death, Fortifications, the Battle of the Five Arimes (Mirkwood Shadow elves turning into FP allies/followers; Bats, Olog-hai), Sackville-Bagginses and Bilbo's return... Those themes should be then included in the second Extension: "The Battle of the Five Armies"...

That way we can work more easily in designing cards for consistent themes, instead of just a pile of strong individual ones.

Yes, 1 FP : 1 Shadow is great for a second booster deck. I made 3/5 of FP cards in main deck and 2/5 of FP cards in the Boosters deck. The draft is more about choosing his Shadow side and preparing the metagame for the FP side.

Ok for the extensions about thematic decks. Don't know how many cards you want to make but be careful to make a number of cards multiple of 4 (I build all the games for 4 players, you take twice the quantities if you want to play with 8 players).

For Fortifications, be careful there is no FP conditions in the main game, so no condition discard for the Shadow player.

You can also make some cards which give you actions during the draft phase, like taking two cards rather than just one .

I was wondering, is A Wizard is Never Late meant to play followers in your Draft Game?

I ask because, if the answer is yes, then you will need to change either the rules of followers or the gametext of that card ("Play a character or a follower..."). Decipher said followers aren't considered characters at all (and don't have a race). But we are assigning them a race, which corresponds to the treatment a character would receive...

It's only for companions and allies. But I can make it more explicitly in the text.

[-Enola-]

Update 20/11/2014

Three new Bilbo!! At the beginnning of the draft, players will now choose randomly and independently among 4 different Bilbo and 4 different Gandalf.
• Bilbo, Collector of Treasures   
• Bilbo, Master in Riddles   
• Bilbo, Reliable Companion

I also make a lot of changes after our first playtest last thursday.   
For example, the Spider culture is fully readjusted.

http://hobbitdraftgame.free.fr/Updates.html