This series of cards is intended for Movie Block. It was inspired by the lines of verse that Boromir heard in his dream and which led him to Rivendell, a.k.a. Imladris:
Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsels taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand,
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand.
Sweet!
(3) Boromir, Seeker After Riddles
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Signet: Frodo
Companion • Man
If Boromir is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -1.
Cards born by Boromir may not be discarded by Shadow cards.
This is merely a formatting thing, but usually we stick the card type before the stats. It works either way, but you'll likely get more of a response by "sticking to the script" as it were. And if you want to use twilight cost symbols, use [ ] instead of ( )!
That all being said, I really like
the angle on this card. There aren't many versions of Boromir without any sort of unloaded keyword, and I think lacking the typical Ranger or Knight keywords acts as a counter-balance for the early start. This Boromir also slots into the starting fellowship of any of the starting Faramirs which is a flavor+.
I'm a fan of the discard-prevention. It illustrates how Boromir has "gone off the grid", really sticking this persona into his 100-day journey to
Imladris.
(2) • Boromir's Steed
Possession • Mount
Bearer must be a Man.
You may play this possession any time you could play a Regroup Event.
Bearer is a knight and a ranger.
If bearer is Boromir, each time the fellowship moves from any site 2 or 5, you may exert him to wound a minion and play the fellowship's next site, replacing an opponent's site if necessary.
"And seated a little apart was a tall man with a fair and noble face...he was cloaked and booted as if for a journey on horseback."
Neither "regroup" nor "event" need be capitalized. (See
Rohirrim Army from Set8.)
I'd say cut the knight/ranger bit entirely, since it detracts from the focus of the card. It's already doing enough, playing out of phase and placing/replacing sites.
You could even toss a Strength +1 in there for a bit more "oomph".
(1) Dream
Condition
Bearer must be Boromir or Faramir. Limit 1 per bearer.
Each time bearer exerts you may draw a card (limit once per phase).
Each time bearer loses a skirmish, you may discard a card from hand to heal another companion or to play a condition from your discard pile.
"'A dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me.'"
Aaaaaaabsolutely cut the condition recursion haha. All I see coming from this is an infinite recycling of Gondor Bowman and that hurts me deep inside.
(2) • Seek for the Sword That Was Broken
Condition
Bearer must be Boromir or Faramir.
When you play this condition, you may spot Aragorn to remove (3).
When Aragorn is played you may discard this condition to heal each companion and make bearer defender +1 until the end of the turn.
"'In the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear...'"
I like that it has a payoff before or after Aragorn gets onto the table.
The second effect should be:
"
Response: If you play Aragorn, heal each
companion and make bearer
defender +1 until the end of the turn. Discard this condition."
(1) In Imladris it Dwells
Event • Fellowship or Regroup
Spot Boromir bearing Boromir's Steed to play an artifact from your draw deck (or two if you can spot Elrond). Or exert Boromir to play a mount from your draw deck.
"'And here in the House of Elrond more shall be made clear to you,' said Aragorn standing up. He cast his sword on the table that stood before Elrond, and the blade was in two pieces."
This is a bit too specific for my taste but I appreciate your adherence to flavor. It's also kinda clunky.
"Exert Boromir bearing a mount to play a
artifact from your draw deck (or 2
artifacts if you spot Elrond)." In this configuration, I'd also recommend changing it to just a Regroup event.
• There Shall be Counsels Taken
Condition • Support Area
When the fellowship moves to a sanctuary you may spot Boromir and exert X companions to play a character whose twilight cost is X from your draw deck or discard pile.
Fellowship: Discard this condition to heal Boromir.
"'I come to ask for counsel and the unravelling of hard words.'"
This isn't the best
condition out there but I sure do love it. It's slightly under-pushed on the front end but the utility of the sanctuary effect leaves it wide open for experimentation - and it would actually increase the viability of unbound Hobbit discard strats!
(1) Stronger than Morgul-Spells
Event • Manuever
Spot Boromir at a sanctuary to discard a condition and draw two cards (you may also discard an artifact).
"In this evil hour I have come on an errand over many dangerous leagues to Elrond."
Hold up! We gotta talk cultural strengths/weaknesses now.
is bad at condition discard. Seeing "discard a condition" on a Gondor card makes my spidey sense tingle, but I think the balance otherwise is fairly on-point, since this is an event you'll need to hold onto until either site 3 or 6. That's awfully inconvenient... but still a bit of a cultural no-no.
"If the fellowship is at a sanctuary, spot Boromir to draw 2 cards or to discard a Shadow artifact."
This tweak would eliminate the condition-removal aspect, but would provide
a situational option for targeting the even-more-difficult-to-eliminate Shadow artifacts.
(2) There Shall Be Shown a Token
Condition • Support Area
Fellowship: Exert a Hobbit companion and play a Free Peoples artifact to add 2 tokens to a condition that already has a token on it.
"'Bring out the Ring, Frodo!' said Gandalf solemnly. 'The time has come. Hold it up and then Boromir will understand the remainder of his riddle.'"
(1) • That Doom Is Near At Hand
Condition
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Boromir. Boromir may not heal except at a sanctuary. Each time the fellowship moves, bearer must exert. Bearer is strength +1 for each card born by him.
"'But doom and great deeds are indeed at hand.'"
"Bearer must be Boromir. He is strength +1 for each card borne by him and he may only heal while at a sanctuary.
Each time the fellowship moves, exert Boromir."
This is one of those cards that simply requires playtesting to discern its power level. It basically turns Boromir into
Gandalf, Mithrandir, which is definitely an interesting idea!
(2) • For Isildur's Bane Shall Waken
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert the Ringbearer.
When you play this condition, place 2 tokens here.
Skirmish: Spot Boromir bearing at least 3 cards and remove a token from here to make a companion bearing an artifact strength +1.
"'A new hour comes...Battle is at hand.'"
I'd reduce the number of tokens placed to 1 and add a self-discard option. It probably doesn't need to cost
+ a Ring-bearer exertion though, in either case. Probably
+ the exert.
(1) • And the Halfling Forth Shall Stand
Event • Fellowship or Regroup
Spot Boromir bearing at least 3 cards, spot an artifact, and exert a Hobbit companion at a sanctuary to make the move limit for this turn +1.
"'Isildur's Bane is found...The Sword shall be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith.'"
Is it your intention to include Shadow cards borne by Boromir in the spotting? I didn't mention this with That Doom Is Near At Hand because I rather like the idea of Boromir getting stronger when he's being assailed by Shadow. That's kind of his shtick, really, but I'm curious if that's intentional in the design or a "happy accident".
Thanks for sharing your cards! You've turned a dreamy prophecy into a legit cycle of cards and that's no small feat.
Also, since I didn't recognize your username I pulled up your profile expecting to find a new user, but you're a veteran of these parts! Welcome back, old friend, and I apologize for not remembering you right away, especially since we appear to be from the same city!