An Unexpected Journey: Cancelled.

[menace64]

I looked into the length of the word Rhovanion, and even though I realized you were right as soon as you pointed out its bulkiness, it's actually shorter than Dunlending... which, yeah, surprised me, but encouraged me to just go with it. As soon as I made that change, the logical second prefix just clicked into place without much effort: Wolfen. It has the right blend of archaic and bestial that I was looking for this whole time, and when I first wrote it down I wasn't even sure that it was a real word. TIL!

With these bits in place, the cardlist for the Warg culture in this set is finished being written. I expected it to be the most difficult of them all which is why I jumped right into it, and from here I'll spend some time in the Mountain culture.

Here's the cardlist. Keep in mind that as we learn more about the movie, I'll amend this as necessary. If it turns out that PJ scraps the Wargs from the movie entirely, this culture will disappear. I don't see that happening, though, since you can't have a true Battle of Five Armies without Wargs!


Warg Culture (39 Cards):
287. All Around Them Now (Event, R)
288. Downwind (Condition, R)
289. Dreadfully Afraid (Condition, U)
290. Evil Hound (Minion, U)
291. Evil Pack (Minion, R)
292. Feral Sentries (Condition, C)
293. Forests of Wilderland (Condition, R)
294. Great Gathering (Event, C)
295. Havoc (Event, C)
296. Hunting Party (Minion, C)
297. Language of the Evil Wilds (Condition, U)
298. Moon Was Up (Condition, R)
299. No Escape (Condition, U)
300. Old Grey-wolf, The Black Maw (Minion, R)
301. Over the Edge of the Wild (Event, C)
302. The Plains Beyond (Event, U)
303. Red and Fierce as Flames (Event, R)
304. Rhovanion Circlers (Minion, C)
305. Rhovanion Follower (Minion, C)
306. Rhovanion Howler (Minion, R)
307. Rhovanion Hunter (Minion, R)
308. Rhovanion Pack (Minion, U)
309. Rhovanion Stalker (Minion, C)
310. Rhovanion Tracker (Minion, C)
311. Shuddering Howl (Event, C)
312. Their Eyes Blazing (Condition, C)
313. Trapped in a Tree (Condition, C)
314. Warg of the Lone-lands (Minion, C)
315. Warg of Rhovanion (Minion, C)
316. Warg of Wilderland (Minion, C)
317. Well-guarded (Condition, U)
318. White Wolves (Event, R)
319. Wicked Deeds (Event, U)
320. Wolfen Ambusher (Minion, U)
321. Wolfen Devourer (Minion, R)
322. Wolfen Leaper (Minion, U)
323. Wolfen Predator (Minion, C)
324. Wolfen Snapper (Minion, C)
325. Wolfen Yelper (Minion, R)

Stay tuned! Bunches more to come.

[menace64]

Well the Mountain culture's cardlist came together with very little energy (which is good, because I haven't got much). Here it is:

Mountain Culture (44 Cards):
164. Bert, Burned and Bashed (Minion, C)
165. Bitter Cold (Condition, C)
166. Boulder (Possession, C)
167. Cauldron (Possession, R)
168. Crude Imitations (Condition, R)
169. Dangerous Caves (Event, C)
170. Down from the Mountains (Event, C)
171. Fair-sized Troll (Minion, C)
172. Giant of Far-legend (Minion, U)
173. Great Stone-giant (Minion, R)
174. Guardians of the Peaks (Condition, C)
175. Heavy Stone (Possession, C)
176. High Pass Champion (Minion, R)
177. High Pass Guardian (Minion, U)
178. High Pass Hurler (Minion, C)
179. High Pass Rager (Minion, C)
180. High Pass Sentinel (Minion, U)
181. High Pass Striker (Minion, C)
182. Hill-troll (Minion, C)
183. Landslide (Event, R)
184. Madder Than Ever (Event, R)
185. Mountain's Disciple (Minion, R)
186. Mountain's Power (Condition, U)
187. Nasty Mood (Event, C)
188. Nightfall (Condition, U)
189. No Place For Maps (Event, U)
190. Onslaught of Rocks (Event, C)
191. Plunder (Possession, C)
192. Pot of Gold (Possession, R)
193. Quarrelling (Event, U)
194. Roast Mutton (Condition, C)
195. Stash of Weapons (Possession, U)
196. Stone-giant (Minion, U)
197. Stone-troll (Minion, U)
198. Storm of Storms (Condition, U)
199. Thunder-battle (Condition, R)
200. Tom, Great and Heavy (Minion, C)
201. Troll of the Fells (Minion, C)
202. Troll of the Misty Mountains (Minion, C)
203. Troll's Row (Minion, C)
204. Untidy Litter (Possession, C)
205. A Village and a Half (Event, R)
206. William, Slow and Suspicious (Minion, R)
207. Wind and Rain (Condition, C)

Next is going to be the Elven culture, because right now it's a mess and I absolutely know that I'll end up redoing it the most out of all the Free Peoples cultures in this set.

[TelTura]

Would there be a possibility of shadow elven cards?  After all, the elves were quite the opposing force for the first half of the hobbit.

[menace64]

I've done that in the past, but I decided fairly early this time around to avoid splitting the culture. After all, these are Elves, and no amount of distrust for Dwarves could make them servants of the Shadow. There will probably be a few (or many) cards that require exertions or various other penalties on Dwarves. Also, the Mirkwood Elves will probably have, on average, a lower resistance.

[TelTura]

You need not be a servant in name to serve...see Bill Ferny.

[menace64]

Did you just compare the Elves to Bill Ferny...!?!?

Oh no you din't!! (snaps fingers)

[TelTura]

mmmmmm-HMM you best BELIEVE I went there, sista!

[Komitadji]

Just a thought on the whole 'Elven antagonists' bit. Why not have Shadow cards in the Mirkwood culture which punish the fellowship for having both Dwarven and Elven culture cards in play?

EDIT: It doesn't have to be anything drastic to achieve the desired flavour. What if we had a Shadow card (thrown together very quickly, so I apologize) that looked like this:

*Ancient Mistrust
Cost: 1
Culture: Mirkwood
Event * Maneuver
To play, exert a Mirkwood culture minion.
If you can spot a Dwarf and an Elf, the Free People's player must either exert an Elf and discard a Dwarven condition or possession, or exert a Dwarf and discard an Elven condition or possession.

That card's probably not great, but for spotting only two Freeps cultures, it shouldn't be much stronger in my opinion. But it does give the sense of pointless backbiting between the Elves and Dwarves when they should be focusing on the greater danger of the Shadow.

[menace64]

That's an awesome idea! And since I was having concerns about rounding out the Mirkwood culture (it can't JUST be spiders!) your idea will work perfectly.

And here's the Elven cardlist:

Elven Culture (32 Cards):
40. Banner of Rivendell (Possession, R)
41. The Broken Sword (Event, R)
42. Citadel of Ancient Knowledge (Condition, R)
43. Crown of Leaves (Artifact, R)
44. Elrond, The Halfelven (Ally, U)
45. Enchantments (Condition, C)
46. Erestor, Trusted Counsellor (Ally, R)
47. Food and Provisions (Event, C)
48. Galadriel, Daughter of Finfarfin (Companion, C)
49. Galadriel, Oldest of the Noldor (Companion, R)
50. Galion, King's Butler (Ally, C)
51. Greenwood Bow (Possession, C)
52. Greenwood the Great (Condition, U)
53. Greenwood Sword (Possession, C)
54. Lamps in the Branches (Event, C)
55. The Last Homely House (Event, C)
56. Legolas, Descendant of Orophir (Companion, R)
57. Legolas, Sindaran Elf (Companion, C)
58. Lindir, Singer of the House (Ally, C)
59. Out of Gondolin (Event, R)
60. Rivendell Scout (Companion, C)
61. Scout's Spear (Possession, C)
62. A Short Rest (Event, C)
63. Steed of Rivendell (Possession, C)
64. Sure Shot (Event, C)
65. Tauriel, Head of the Guard (Companion, C)
66. Tauriel, Woodland Warrior (Companion, R)
67. Tauriel's Daggers (Possession, R)
68. Thranduil, Woodland King (Ally, R)
69. Unwelcomed (Event, C)
70. Upon Them as We May (Condition, U)
71. White Star Within Her Hand (Condition, R)

Gollum has been getting neglected on my end, so his culture is next!

[menace64]

Gollum is ready to go!

Gollum Culture (25 Cards):
104. Ages and Ages (Event, U)
105. As Quick As Thinking (Event, C)
106. Crunchable (Event, U)
107. Dark Waters (Condition, U)
108. Days Beyond Darkness (Condition, R)
109. Ensnared (Condition, R)
110. Gathered for a Spring (Event, C)
111. Gollum, Nasty Underground Creature (Minion, C)
112. Gollum, Slave to the Ring (Minion, R)
113. Hatred and Despair (Event, C)
114. Holed-away (Condition, R)
115. It Mustn't Ask Us (Condition, C)
116. Nassty Little Pocketses (Event, U)
117. Nosing About (Event, R)
118. Painful Memories (Condition, U)
119. Precious is Lost! (Event, R)
120. Silent Tunnels (Condition, C)
121. Small Green Lamps (Event, C)
122. Throttled (Event, R)
123. Unnatural Long Life (Condition, R)
124. The Very Roots of the Mountain (Condition, R)
125. We Hates It Forever! (Condition, C)
126. What is a Bagginses? (Event, C)
127. The White Face (Condition, R)
128. Wriggling in the Water (Event, C)

The Shire culture is already nearly finished, so I'll go ahead and get it completed. Expect it very soon!

[menace64]

Woooo pipeweed!

Shire Culture (36 Cards):
251. Attercop! Attercop! (Event, C)
252. Bilbo, Baggins of Bag End (Companion, C)
253. Bilbo, Luck-wearer (Companion, R)
254. Bilbo's Pipe, Precious Heirloom (Possession, U)
255. Birthday Party (Event, C)
256. Close Call (Event, C)
257. Company's Contract (Possession, R)
258. Dragonsbreath (Possession, U)
259. Drogo, Father of Frodo (Ally, R)
260. Everything There Was to Know (Condition, C)
261. A Fire Blazing (Event, C)
262. Fredegar Chubb, Proprietor of Fish (Ally, U)
263. Frodo, Young Baggins (Ally, C)
264. Good Morning (Event, R)
265. Herblore of the Shire (Condition, U)
266. Hobbit Resolve (Event, C)
267. Hobbit Sword (Possession, C)
268. Into the Blue (Event, R)
269. Light Pack (Possession, R)
270. Milo Burrows, Galling Baker (Ally, C)
271. More or Less Right (Condition, R)
272. New-found Confidence (Condition, U)
273. Odd Little Fellow (Condition, C)
274. Otho and Lobelia, The Sackville-Bagginses (Ally, R)
275. Overhill Pipe (Possession, C)
276. Ponto Longbottom, Planter of Pipeweed (Ally, U)
277. Professional Pride (Condition, R)
278. Rescued (Event, U)
279. Southern Star (Possession, C)
280. Sting, Dagger of Gondolin (Possession, R)
281. The Sun Was Shining (Event, R)
282. Sweet Galenas (Possession, C)
283. A Tale of Two to Tell (Event, C)
284. Thoughts of Home (Event, C)
285. Tosto Boffin, Hobbiton Dancer (Ally, C)
286. Wizard's Recommendation (Condition, C)

Mirkwood is to be completed next.

[ellesar]

i really like the fact that frodo is an ally: it's logic, but it still looks very odd if you're used to play with him for such a long time

[menace64]

I think it's really cool that Frodo is an ally now. I'm also excited to see how the Sackville-Bagginses turn out!

And heeeeere's Mirkwood:

Mirkwood Culture (35 Cards):
129. Abominable Threads (Possession, U)
130. Across All Spaces (Event, R)
131. All in a Row (Condition, C)
132. Bloated Spider (Minion, U)
133. Cast a Net (Event, C)
134. Cobwebs (Possession, C)
135. Dark Enchantments (Condition, C)
136. Dense Black Shadows (Condition, R)
137. Giant Spider, Broodling of Shelob (Minion, R)
138. Good Juice (Event, C)
139. Horde of Angry Spiders (Minion, R)
140. Intricate Web-work (Condition, C)
141. Mirkwood Chaser (Minion, C)
142. Mirkwood Climber (Minion, C)
143. Mirkwood Dangler (Minion, C)
144. Mirkwood Flanker (Minion, U)
145. Mirkwood Poisoner (Minion, R)
146. Mirkwood Pursuers (Minion, C)
147. Mirkwood Racer (Minion, U)
148. Mirkwood Spinner (Minion, C)
149. Mirkwood Tangler (Minion, C)
150. Mirkwood Watcher (Minion, R)
151. Mirkwood Weaver (Minion, R)
152. Mistrust (Event, R)
153. Naught But Bones and Skin (Event, U)
154. Off of the Track (Event, C)
155. Potent Venom (Possession, C)
156. Quick as Lightning (Event, C)
157. Snares of a Woodland Feast (Condition, R)
158. Spider of the Black Wood (Minion, C)
159. Spider's Colony (Possession, R)
160. Thirsty Brute (Minion, R)
161. Tired Out (Condition, U)
162. Under the Shadows (Condition, R)
163. Waving Snares (Event, R)

I'm nearing the end of this phase of set design. Gandalf will show up next time!

[menace64]

Took me a bit longer to finish this culture. Lots of roots being laid in for future expansions and I couldn't neglect certain easily-neglected items.

Gandalf Culture (32 Cards):
72. An Adventure (Event, C)
73. Beorn, Man of the Mountains (Companion, R)
74. Beorn, Skin-changer (Companion, C)
75. The Burglar's Rune (Event, R)
76. Cheated of Their Sport (Event, C)
77. Circling Heights (Condition, R)
78. Dawn Take You All! (Event, R)
79. Espied (Condition, U)
80. Friend of Wild Creatures (Event, U)
81. Gandalf, Disturber of the Peace (Companion, R)
82. Gandalf's Pipe, Caller of Colors (Possession, U)
83. Gandalf's Staff, Weapon of the Mortal Flame (Artifact, R)
84. Glamdring, Blade of Gondolin (Possession, R)
85. Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles (Ally, R)
86. Hidden in the Boughs (Event, C)
87. Master of Shape and Hue (Condition, C)
88. More Important Business (Event, C)
89. Older Days Will Come (Condition, R)
90. Open Pastures (Event, C)
91. Queer Lodgings (Event, R)
92. Radagast, Cousin of Gandalf (Companion, C)
93. Radagast, Fourth of the Istari (Companion, R)
94. Radagast's Cart (Possession, C)
95. Returning to the Shire (Event, C)
96. Ruins of Dol Guldur (Condition, R)
97. The Shape of a Bear (Condition, C)
98. Smoke-rings (Event, U)
99. Solitude (Condition, C)
100. Thrain's Secret (Event, R)
101. Twist of Tongues (Event, U)
102. Untold Origins (Condition, U)
103. Wizard's Robes (Possession, C)

365. Gandalf, Wise Wizard (Companion, P)

The Orc culture still needs work, so it'll be next.

[menace64]

Whole cardlist is finished! I had to redo a few rarities to fit the 121/121/121/2 split, but now that it's all done, I'll be leaping into actual card design in a day or so, and if you've got a request for me, I can probably accommodate you.