An Unexpected Journey: Cancelled.

[menace64]

I'm not sure who of you were present on the old Decipher forums, but from Battle of Helm's Deep onward I hosted a thread for each set where I put together a complete cardlist using a combination of facts and educated guesswork (like the card number on a newly-spoiled card). I always had a blast doing it, and it tended to become really challenging as more about a given set became known to the players.

What I'd like to do is build 2 blocks of cards along the same lines, utilizing information gathered from production footage, trailers, and press releases, all while maintaining the fantasy that Decipher still had a game to design and the willpower to put out quality sets. Each of the two movies will receive a base set of 365 cards, and then two expansions of 122 cards apiece.

The first block begins with An Unexpected Journey, and it includes the older cultures of Dwarven, Elven, Gandalf, Gollum, Orc, and Shire. This set also introduces Mirkwood , Mountain , and Warg as three new Shadow cultures to be further-developed in the following expansions, Goblin-town and The White Council.

After all that's done, the second block will start with There and Back Again, which will introduce the Laketown culture . I'm still kind of on the fence regarding the names of the expansions, but at the moment they are The Lonely Mountain and Battle of Five Armies.

I'm only going to reveal cultures as I complete their cardlists for each set, and after I complete a cardlist I'll jump into actually writing cards. The trick here is that as we get closer to each film's debut, these lists are going to change [a lot]. Adaptability will be key!

So here is, for now, the cardlist.

The One Ring (2 Cards):
1. The One Ring, The Precious (The Ring, R)
2. The One Ring, The Ruling Ring (The Ring, C)

Dwarven Culture (37 Cards):
3. Armor of Erebor (Possession, U)
4. At Your Service (Event, C)
5. Balin, Son of Fundin (Companion, R)
6. Battle Axe (Possession, C)
7. Bifur, Not Quite Dead (Companion, U)
8. Blue Mountain Pipe (Possession, U)
9. Bofur, Dwarf of the Blue Mountains (Companion, C)
10. Bombur, Always Counts For Two (Companion, R)
11. Dori, Begrudging Porter (Companion, U)
12. Dwalin, Brother of Balin (Companion, C)
13. Dwarven Bow (Possession, U)
14. Dwarven Vambrace (Possession, C)
15. Fili, Tree-climber (Companion, U)
16. Gloin, Able Traveler (Companion, U)
17. Guests of Distinction (Event, R)
18. Harps and Flutes (Event, C)
19. The Ingenious Wizard (Condition, U)
20. Kili, Bowman of the Company (Companion, R)
21. Laden Pony (Possession, C)
22. Leader of Many (Condition, R)
23. The Misty Mountains Call (Event, C)
24. Nori, Friend of Bilbo (Companion, C)
25. Oin, Grizzled Elder (Companion, C)
26. Orcrist (Possession, R)
27. Ori, Young and Adventurous (Companion, U)
28. Over Hill and Under Hill (Condition, C)
29. The Quest of Erebor (Condition, R)
30. Revenge (Event, R)
31. Roused to Fight (Event, C)
32. Seeking the Dragon (Event, R)
33. Set Down Gently (Event, U)
34. Thorin and Company (Condition, C)
35. Threshold of Winter (Condition, R)
36. Thror's Map Wrought of Runes and Riddles (Possession, R)
37. Two by Two (Event, U)
38. An Unexpected Party (Condition, C)
39. We Must Away (Event, R)

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, R)
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, U)
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, U)
59. Out of Gondolin (Event, R)
60. Rivendell Scout (Companion, C)
61. Scout's Spear (Possession, U)
62. A Short Rest (Event, U)
63. Steed of Rivendell (Possession, U)
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)

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, R)
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)

Gollum Culture (25 Cards):
104. Ages and Ages (Event, U)
105. As Quick As Thinking (Event, U)
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, R)
126. What is a Bagginses? (Event, C)
127. The White Face (Condition, R)
128. Wriggling in the Water (Event, U)

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, R)
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, U)
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)

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, U)
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, U)
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, R)
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, U)
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, U)

Orc Culture (43 Cards):
208. Ambush at the High Pass (Condition, U)
209. Armored Goblin (Minion, U)
210. Below the Misty Mountains (Condition, C)
211. Chained (Condition, R)
212. Cover of Darkness (Condition, C)
213. Crack in the Wall (Event, R)
214. Dungeons Deep (Event, U)
215. Gate Keeper (Minion, U)
216. Gate Warden (Minion, R)
217. Goblin Arsonist (Minion, U)
218. Goblin Blade (Possession, C)
219. Goblin Chasers (Minion, C)
220. Goblin Chieftain (Minion, C)
221. Goblin Imp (Minion, R)
222. Goblin Plunderer (Minion, C)
223. Goblin Resilience (Event, C)
224. Goblin Shaman (Minion, C)
225. Goblin Shield (Possession, C)
226. Goblin Soldier (Minion, C)
227. Goblin Spelunker (Minion, U)
228. Goblin Tracker (Minion, C)
229. Goblin Tribe (Minion, R)
230. The Great Goblin, Lord of Goblin-town (Minion, R)
231. Great Spear (Possession, R)
232. Hall of the Goblins (Condition, U)
233. He is a Liar (Condition, C)
234. In Such a Rage (Event, R)
235. Into the Field (Event, C)
236. Large Flat Stone (Possession, R)
237. Lower Gate (Event, R)
238. Mutilated Troll (Minion, R)
239. No Fear of Fire (Event, U)
240. Old Orc, Master of Implements (Minion, R)
241. One Last Trick (Event, U)
242. Outcry (Event, C)
243. Raid (Condition, R)
244. Reviled Reputation (Condition, C)
245. A Shadow By the Door (Event, R)
246. Till Beards Blaze (Condition, U)
247. Township Enraged (Event, R)
248. Tracker's Whip (Possession, C)
249. Tunnel Explorer (Minion, U)
250. Tunnel Whelp (Minion, U)

Shire Culture (36 Cards):
251. Attercop! Attercop! (Event, R)
252. Bilbo, Baggins of Bag End (Companion, C)
253. Bilbo, Ring-winner (Companion, R)
254. Bilbo's Pipe, Precious Heirloom (Possession, U)
255. Birthday Party (Event, C)
256. Close Call (Event, R)
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, R)
284. Thoughts of Home (Event, C)
285. Tosto Boffin, Hobbiton Dancer (Ally, C)
286. Wizard's Recommendation (Condition, C)

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, R)
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, R)
310. Rhovanion Tracker (Minion, C)
311. Shuddering Howl (Event, C)
312. Their Eyes Blazing (Condition, C)
313. Trapped in a Tree (Condition, R)
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)

Adventure Path (38 Cards):
326. Bagshot Row (Region 1 Site, U)
327. Bilbo's Study (Region 1 Site, U)
328. Dining Room (Region 1 Site, U)
329. The Eastern Road (Region 1 Site, U)
330. Elrond's Chambers (Region 1 Site, U)
331. Empty Lands (Region 1 Site, U)
332. Ered Luin (Region 1 Site, U)
333. Gardens of Bag End (Region 1 Site, U)
334. Party Fields (Region 1 Site, U)
335. Rivendell Library (Region 1 Site, U)
336. Troll-den (Region 1 Site, U)
337. Trollshaw Mound (Region 1 Site, U)
338. Valley of the Mountains (Region 1 Site, U)
339. Abandoned Tunnel (Region 2 Site, U)
340. Back Door (Region 2 Site, U)
341. Cavernous Hall (Region 2 Site, U)
342. Eagle's Eyrie (Region 2 Site, U)
343. Goblin Tunnels (Region 2 Site, U)
344. Gollum's Cave (Region 2 Site, U)
345. Great Shelf (Region 2 Site, U)
346. The High Pass (Region 2 Site, U)
347. Narrow Passage (Region 2 Site, U)
348. Rhovanion (Region 2 Site, U)
349. Subterranean Lake (Region 2 Site, U)
350. Vales of Anduin (Region 2 Site, U)
351. Withering Woods (Region 2 Site, U)
352. Bee-fields (Region 3 Site, U)
353. Beorn's House (Region 3 Site, U)
354. Dry Watercourse (Region 3 Site, U)
355. Eaves of Greenwood (Region 3 Site, U)
356. Emyn Fuin (Region 3 Site, U)
357. Forest Path (Region 3 Site, U)
358. Frigid Peaks (Region 3 Site, U)
359. Mirkwood Channel (Region 3 Site, U)
360. Rhosgobel (Region 3 Site, U)
361. Ring of Trees (Region 3 Site, U)
362. Silvan Kingdom (Region 3 Site, U)
363. Woodland Glade (Region 3 Site, U)

Premium Starter Deck Companions (2 Cards):
364. Thorin, Oakenshield (Companion, P)
365. Gandalf, Wise Wizard (Companion, P)

[Thranduil]

Woo! Excited.

[FM]

Wait, wait, wait... so The Hobbit will be a 2-movie split? #$&*@!!

Excited about the DCs, at least...

[menace64]

Wait, wait, wait... so The Hobbit will be a 2-movie split? #$&*@!!

Haha that rock you've been hiding under has got to be comfy for you to have missed that. 

[menace64]

An Unexpected Journey - Menace64's Likely-to-be-Way-Off Synopsis!

The movie will open with Bilbo beginning to recount the events to a pre-Fellowship Frodo. Most of the beginning of the story will be similar to the progression of the book. The fact that there are still no confirmed (or rumored) voice actors for trolls leads me to believe that there aren't any, and that these trolls will be smarter-than-a-Cave-Troll-but-still-pretty-dumb. Certainly no talking purses or sacks for the Dwarves!

We've already seen footage for the first five chapters of the book, as well as snippets from Barrels Out of Bond and A Warm Welcome (although we didn't get to see what Lake-town actually looks like!). Evangeline Lilly - who plays a new Elf character called Tauriel - revealed a while back that she appears in this first film along with Legolas but wont really see any action until film two.

Combine those pieces of information together and I arrive at the conclusion that the cliffhanger will land right in the thick of Mirkwood. We'll see Beorn, Radagast, the Eagles, plenty of Orcs and Wargs and Trolls and even Gollum. And, what's more, the spiders of Mirkwood are probably going to feature as the last major action piece of film one (there are several clips and stills involving the Dwarves wrapped in webs).

What I'm not too sure about is where and when the White Council will really appear. My inkling is that we'll be introduced to the characters (Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf for sure, Saruman and maybe even Cirdan) but their fight against Dol Guldur wont get screentime until film two. For the purposes of these dream sets, however, I'm going to pretend otherwise  

-----

So there's all that. I'd like to talk about the 3 new cultures for a bit before I have to go fill out paperwork for my new job...

The Mirkwood Culture
In the opening set, this culture will revolve primarily around the Spiders of the forest. They're going to have weaker stats for their cost, but I'm rolling around an idea for a kind of site-centric roaming mechanic that will make them roaming at sites that aren't forests. From there, these guys will pull a lot of flavor from Shelob's cards in the culture, such as gaining strength boosts from tokens on conditions (look at Larder), and various forms of poisoning members of the fellowship (in ways similar to Spider Poison and Sting of Shelob). Not too sure which phase they'll favor, but my inclination is to stick these in the Assignment phase... simply because not much tends to happen there.

In later sets, the culture will expand to include elements of Dol Guldur (and perhaps even the Necromancer himself, in some form). However, since we already know about the presence of Nazgul Tombs in the films, the culture is bound to show up somewhere down the line.

The Mountain Culture
This culture will start off with Trolls, Giants, weather cards, and a sprinkling of other things I haven't quite figured out yet. In the fifth set of these blocks (The Lonely Mountain), Smaug the Dragon will finally show up here, as will the Orcs of the Battle of Five Armies who have arrived from the Grey Mountains. This culture will be all about smashing companions into dust: its few minions will be strong, damage-dealing brutes with little worry for arrows or tricks.

One idea, which came to me in a review of Thranduil's sites for his re-emerging set, is to introduce the keyword Ruins for sites. Given how the Trolls and Smaug wreak havoc with villages and camp out in their own desolation, Ruins will be a major source of capabilities for this culture.

The Warg Culture
The Warg Culture is going to get a bit of the old -treatment, in that a whole culture will be born from very few moments of genuine screentime. No longer simply mounts, Wargs will become a minion of its own race. I'm leaning towards a flavor of cultural strength: Wargs will be weak, for instance, to Gandalf and his fire-play, yet more-than-enough-power against poor old Hobbits and ill-equipped Dwarves. There's probably going to be wound-spotting bonuses for Wargs, who slip into feral modes of attack once they've caught a scent of fallen blood!

Later on, the Warg culture will absorb the bats who arrived at the Battle of Five Armies. No real reason there, I just think it would be neat.

[Cw0rk]

Looks like a good idea. Making DCs with actually footage is a good idea.

[Ringbearer]

Also very dangerous legalitywise. It could shut this website down if such images are used on a grand scale.

[TelTura]

Incorrect.  It could shut down the site that hosted such images, but not one linking to them (although they could probably demand that the links be removed), and even then the company who owned the rights are likely to only pursue legal action should they feel it infringes, not on some abstract copyright claim, but on some sort of avenue of profit.   As it stands, google points out that there does seem to be a pair of trading card games tying into the movie, so it would probably not be advised to do anything using the actual movie images, 'least, not until a few years have passed and everyone goes back to not caring again.

[menace64]

I never intended to provide links to images pulled from trailers or even the film itself. What I've seen so far is just a starting point for creating the sets, and as we learn more I'll do my best to alter the card accordingly.

But even if I did use images here, let's be honest: dangerous is a completely overblown word. No one would complain, and no one would even know. I've always thought it strange that these forums derided the use of graphics on DCs, when so many other websites (large and small) do so without consequence. If I sound angry or bitter let me also say that I'm definitely not: this isn't my forum, and frankly I thoroughly enjoy making text-based DCs.

Anyways, I've been sick and training for the new job. Progress here is slow but steady, and I find myself in need of a bit of help. the Warg culture's cardlist is nearly finished, but the selection of minions is rather bland. Old Grey-wolf is the Big Baddy of the culture in the opening set, and the generic minions are Wilderland This or Wilderland That. I need to get another good minion pre-title thingamajig... and so far all I can really think of is Rhovanion or Forest, neither of which I really like.

[TelTura]

to be honest I think it's a holdover from all the community migrations...the decipher forums outright banned it, so CC outright banned it, so TLHH outright banned it.  With the status quo comes justification, and here we are.

[Komitadji]

Conceivably, you could give the Warg minions a bit of that Dunlending Treatment themselves. Why not let them be Warg Howler, or Warg Throatripper, and then use the image of a group of Wargs working together to create larger minions minions using something like Wilderland Blood-pack (in the style of Hill Clan, Hillman Mob, etc.).

[menace64]

For obsessive reasons, I can't use Warg and Wilderland in the same culture. Doing so would bunch up the minions at the end of the cardlist, thereby relegating all the events and conditions to the front and creating a mess of accidental organization. Since my goal (my dream!) here is to create the ideal sets based on what we know of the upcoming films, this sort of minute detail matters to me.

But I'm glad you chimed in, because otherwise I might not have updated this particular dilemma: I'm slowly honing in on the perfect word, and it needs to be either a less-bland word for Forest, or a regional word describing the kind of landscape one might encounter at the low-end or bottom of a mountain (but not Valley, for the same reason I can't use Warg). Despite all the times I've read Lord of the Rings, I still have a fairly pathetic vocabulary when it comes to terrain. 

[Komitadji]

I can think of several excellent synonyms, but none that I'd fancy as a prefix word. In that case, another possibility... I suppose you could break with the more traditional naming conventions. After all, some of the latter day cultures (and, helpfully, the more 'generic' ones) like Orc use some more haphazard names.

Scavenging Warg
Ravening Warg
Foul Tracker

The problem is, there isn't really a unifying theme to the terrain aside from 'forest'... and there just isn't a good word for forest-dwellers that would serve you well here. Couple that with the lack of a master or other affiliation for the beasts, and you've got a real dilemma. I can see why this has been a hang-up for you!

[menace64]

Hang up for sure, man. And yeah I toyed around initially with the no-real-prefix idea that debuted in Shadows, but - and call me old here - I always preferred the clumps of minions from earlier sets. 'Devouring Hunter' or 'Devouring Leaper' sounds too word-heavy.

It's just about my bedtime, but I started the search for a good terrain word, and so far have Gully and Dell. Although both describe the sort of terrain used in this part of The Hobbit, I don't like either very much.

But it's just occurred to me that I could use Rhovanion instead of Wilderland (both names refer to the exact same region) and then I could include either Warg or Wild. That will be something to sleep on, and if you think Rhovanion looks better, let me know. Initially I picked Wilderland to give the culture a touch of wildness, but since it appears I can only have one of those prefixes, it doesn't really matter.

[Komitadji]

I'm right there with you on the more traditional names to be honest with you.

Rhovanion actually doesn't sound too bad. I said it out loud a couple of times, and it actually kind of flows off the tongue.

It's a little bulky printed; I'd consider digging out the shorter titles for the 'Rhovanion' group. But otherwise, it's really not too bad.

[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.

[Cw0rk]

Which culture to start with? I'll vote for Shire.

[Ringbearer]

Mirkwood. A new culture.

[menace64]

I figure Cw0rk has a good point. Starting with a few Bilbo cards is the best way to go. But Mirkwood will be next!

•Bilbo, Baggins of Bag End
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
At the start of each fellowship phase, you may exert a Dwarf companion to heal Bilbo.
"As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains..."
H1C252

This is the young Bilbo, not quite a burglar yet but with all the potential we see later on. Right now he depends entirely on the Dwarves for physical and emotional support, but as the sets progress I reckon we'll see Bilbo's position begin to change, and eventually it'll be Bilbo exerting to benefit others.

•Bilbo, Ring-winner
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
Response: If Bilbo is about to take a wound, add a burden to wear The One Ring until the end of the regroup phase.
"'What have I, I wonder?' he said to himself, as he panted and stumbled along. He put his left hand in his pocket. The ring felt very cold as it quietly slipped on to his groping forefinger."
H1R253

I've been thinking about a Ring-bearer like this for some time. I like the idea of being able to wear the Ring whenever you really need it, and this first rare Bilbo seemed like the appropriate place to try it out. Since the ability is unique, I'm not quite sure if it's balanced as-is, but if you think it would require anything more I might just scrap the idea and go with something else.

[hsiale]

•Bilbo, Baggins of Bag End
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
At the start of each fellowship phase, you may exert a Dwarf companion to heal Bilbo.

Similar to Frodo, Son of Drogo, who, even with his ability being a fellowship action (and thus repetitive) turned out to be rather useless. On the other hand, Ring-winner looks less powerful than Old Bilbo's Heir or Reluctant Adventurer, so maybe those two Bilbos will be balanced against each other.

•Bilbo, Ring-winner
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
Response: If Bilbo is about to take a wound, add a burden to wear The One Ring.

Definitely interesting idea. Is effect duration (till the end of current phase) intended? Ability being balanced or not depends on rings available, so it's hard to say anything about this now.

By the way, should those cards be looked at together with any previous sets, or does "Hobbit Standard" format rotate all Decipher-made cards?

[menace64]

I definitely took inspiration from Son of Drogo when writing this first common Bilbo. It feels right to make them rhyme with each other. As for Ring-winner, if you think he's sort of lacking right now, what about if I raised his strength to 4? It'd be kind of cool to illustrate through strength Bilbo's gradual growth as a valuable companion.

By the way, should those cards be looked at together with any previous sets, or does "Hobbit Standard" format rotate all Decipher-made cards?

That is a fantastic question, and I wasn't planning on bringing it up for a little while. My intention for The Hobbit sets is to introduce the Hobbit Format, similar (if not exactly the same as) Episode One cards from SWCCG. The cards in these sets are being designed with internal vision only, but if someone wants to they can mix up Hobbit cards with Lord of the Rings cards.

I'm definitely not changing any rules though. Hobbit sets are going to be just like any other LotR set, with the only exception (initially) being the change of the term fellowship to company - meaning that a card like Buckleberry Ferry would say "While only Hobbits are in the company..." instead of what we know it says. This is just a thematic shift, and a card targeting "2 companions in the fellowship" would also target 2 companions in the company. The Fellowship Phase is still called the Fellowship Phase.

[ellesar]

bilbo, baggins of bag end looks indeed a lot like the useless son of drogo. But It use will be depended by the need of healing bilbo. I'm thinking maybe about some (dwarven) conditions/posessions/events that need to exert bilbo to play. In which case his ability can be usefull.
But is there a special reason you don't make it a fellowship action?


I like bilbo ring-winner. But like hsiale says it all depends on the ring being used. And i would make it also untill the end of the fase. Otherwise it can become complicated when you put on the ring during the regroup fase. As for his strength I would leave it on 3. but that's just me :-)

[hsiale]

I think I would choose Old Bilbo's Heir or Reluctant Adventurer over Ring-winner. But, if Hobbit cards are meant to have their own format, this is not important, it's more important that the ring-bearers in this set are balanced against each other (Son of Drogo could get more playing not only by being made more powerful, but also by making two other FotR block Frodos weaker). And I think currently it seems they are - though to have the full picture we need to see the rings.

As for Ring-winner, if you think he's sort of lacking right now, what about if I raised his strength to 4?

Definitely not. I think Frodo with basic strength 4 and no ability at all would be easily the most popular one in any LotR format (except maybe Hunters with their highly powerful cards). Just look at how popular Resolute Hobbit is, even though resistance is not as important as strength.

[menace64]

bilbo, baggins of bag end looks indeed a lot like the useless son of drogo. But It use will be depended by the need of healing bilbo. I'm thinking maybe about some (dwarven) conditions/posessions/events that need to exert bilbo to play. In which case his ability can be usefull.
But is there a special reason you don't make it a fellowship action?

There may or may not be considerable emphasis placed on exerting Bilbo. I don't always design cards to be particularly useful, and occasionally I write something that I know might never be utilized in any decent way. Not every card can be awesome! As for why I limited the healing to 1 per turn (since it's not a fellowship action), it's to balance the fact that any of your Dwarf companions can take the exertion, as opposed to only companions with a certain signet for Son of Drogo.

I like bilbo ring-winner. But like hsiale says it all depends on the ring being used. And i would make it also untill the end of the fase. Otherwise it can become complicated when you put on the ring during the regroup fase. As for his strength I would leave it on 3. but that's just me :-)

Since the rule for putting on the Ring is that it stays on until the start of the regroup phase, I'll go ahead and add "until the end of the regroup phase" into his effect. I prefer forcing the FP player to keep it on.

Thanks for the input you two. Good stuff!

Here are a few more simple utility cards for the culture before I get into some technical stuff.

Birthday Party
Event • Fellowship
Exert a Hobbit to play a Hobbit ally from your draw deck.
Drawn to adventure by fate or perhaps something greater, both Bilbo and young Frodo Baggins began their journeys across Middle-earth in the year of their fiftieth birthday.
H1C255

A few clever glances at the production videos shows that they've recreated the sets of Bilbo's big birthday party that we see at the beginning of Fellowship. A broadened functional reprint of Practically Everyone Was Invited, I opened it up a bit more to allow any Hobbit to make the exertion since there are considerably less of them to choose from this time around (just Bilbo as a companion and 7 allies, all unique).

Hobbit Sword
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be a Hobbit.
"It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit."
H1C267

Reprint!

Thoughts of Home
Event • Skirmish
Make a Hobbit strength +1 for each dwelling site in region 1.
"So he sat himself down with his back to a tree, and not for the last time fell to thinking of his far-distant hobbit-hole with its beautiful pantries."
H1C284

Tried to keep it simple, themed, and also not an automatic strength booster since Hobbits themselves aren't naturally inclined to combat.

[Komitadji]

I'm curious, what will the One Ring for your Hobbit set look like? I think that could help considerably in evaluating Bilbo as a character card.

[TelTura]

And, in fact, would it be borne at the beginning or would you have to wait until site 4 to wield?

[menace64]

I'm not going to bother making things more complicated than they need to be. I'm not concerned with the flavor of Bilbo starting in Bag End with the Ring, and if flavor here is your chief concern, just keep in mind that - technically - the film opens with an older Bilbo in the Shire, already possessing the Ring!

Now to be truthful, I don't have anything more in mind for this set's rare Ring than a broad 'deal with shadow cards' theme. So I'll just throw something out and see if it sticks:

•The One Ring, The Precious
Skirmish: Wear The One Ring until the regroup phase to make a minion skirmishing the Ring-bearer lose all strength bonuses until the regroup phase.
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, each time he or she is about to take a wound, add a burden instead.
"'Losst it is, my precious, lost, lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!'"
H1R1

Like I said a second ago, this is just the first pass. I don't want to put any static strength/vitality/resistance bonuses on this Ring, as (in my mind) this version of the Ring comes from a time before it awakens to Sauron's call, meaning its power should be more subdued. I think this one is pretty freakin weak, especially since the rare Bilbo cares only about the Ring he's got.

Also, with the way this is currently worded, using Bilbo's ability to wear the Ring outside of the skirmish phase won't allow you to cancel a minion's bonuses.

•The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
Strength +1
Response: If the Ring-bearer is about to take a wound in a skirmish, he or she wears The One Ring until the regroup phase.
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, each time he or she is about to take a wound in a skirmish, add a burden instead.
"One Ring to rule them all..."
H1C2

Now, Bilbo can also use the old reprinted Ring to his advantage, making it no longer limited to just a skirmish at the cost of an additional burden.

[TelTura]

•The One Ring, The Precious
Skirmish: Wear The One Ring until the regroup phase to make a minion lose all strength and damage bonuses until the regroup phase.
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, each time he or she is about to take a wound, add a burden instead.
"'Losst it is, my precious, lost, lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!'"
H1R1

that seems hideously broken.  As a skirmish action, can't it be activated multiple times? Also, even if it's only able to be activated once, we're talking about a fellowship full of dwarves, here.  Guaranteeing that a chosen dwarf wins his skirmish via innate strength alone is kind of bunk.  How about "to make a minion skirmishing Bilbo..." instead?

[menace64]

I was under the impression that you could only perform the action of wearing the Ring once, therefore limiting the action to once a site. But I hadn't considered too deeply how the effect might influence the sway of battle in quite the way you pointed out, so I agree that it should be limited to Bilbo's skirmish (plus, it makes sense).

EDIT: I also removed the strength-killing aspect of it, because given more thought on the matter this Ring really would be a guaranteed site-9 victory in its current form. I'm not even sure its new incarnation is balanced. Again, I might scrap this and try something else.

[Thranduil]

•Bilbo, Baggins of Bag End
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
At the start of each fellowship phase, you may exert a Dwarf companion to heal Bilbo.
"As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains..."
H1C252]

I agree with whoever said that Son of Drogo could do this repeatedly and that was perfectly fine. If you want to parallel Son of Drogo, then I would do so as explicitly as possible.

•Bilbo, Ring-winner
Companion • Hobbit
Strength 3
Vitality 4
Resistance 10
Ring-bearer. Ring-bound.
Response: If Bilbo is about to take a wound, add a burden to wear The One Ring until the end of the regroup phase.
"'What have I, I wonder?' he said to himself, as he panted and stumbled along. He put his left hand in his pocket. The ring felt very cold as it quietly slipped on to his groping forefinger."
H1R253

I love what you're trying to do here. But it feels weird to me that you are making duplicate copies of the same text or very similar text on your Ring-bearer and Ring. Don't know what could be done about this or whether it's worth thinking about... I think this guy would be incredibly snazzy if he didn't add a burden to use that ability. Strength 4 would really look out of place.

Birthday Party
Event • Fellowship
Exert a Hobbit to play a Hobbit ally from your draw deck.
Drawn to adventure by fate or perhaps something greater, both Bilbo and young Frodo Baggins began their journeys across Middle-earth in the year of their fiftieth birthday.
H1C255

A basically worse version of Practically Everyone Was Invited. This is not a problem, but I wonder why it isn't just the former given that the Hobbit must be a set that's about Bilbo!

Hobbit Sword
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be a Hobbit.
"It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit."
H1C267

This is the most broken card I've ever seen. I can't believe you would ever consider printing this card. I mean, a +2 strength bonus to ANY Hobbit? Utter madness! Great lore—shame this card will be banned so fast...

Thoughts of Home
Event • Skirmish
Make a Hobbit strength +1 for each dwelling site in region 1.
"So he sat himself down with his back to a tree, and not for the last time fell to thinking of his far-distant hobbit-hole with its beautiful pantries."
H1C284

Being pedantic, I don't think that when you're referring to terrain keywords you normally bold them. But I'm a big fan of this card.

•The One Ring, The Precious
Skirmish: Wear The One Ring until the regroup phase to make a minion skirmishing the Ring-bearer lose all strength bonuses until the regroup phase.
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, each time he or she is about to take a wound, add a burden instead.
"'Losst it is, my precious, lost, lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!'"
H1R1

An interesting way to capture invisibility, which is certainly what the ring is about in the Hobbit much more than the Lord of the Rings. This sort of ability could cause confusion in some people about events so you might want to think about restricting it to strength bonuses from cards in play, but this is not necessary.

Thran

[Komitadji]

Just a thought, but, one thing you could do, as opposed to having The Precious grant a bonus to Strength or Vitality... would be to have it grant, say, +2 to Resistance. This fits well as far as theme goes; Bilbo bore the ring for almost a hundred years with very few ill effects. In gameplay terms, it would allow you to use both the Ring and the rare Bilbo more often. Given that he knows of no reason not to wear the Ring until a hundred years later, this seems fitting.

[menace64]

Sorry for the delay. I got sidetracked working on a new drinking game and it devoured my free time. But now that it's done, I'll write up a few more cards after a good walk with my dog.

As for the Ring, I'm going to let it sit for a while. I hadn't intended to write it so soon and my head isn't ready for it.

[menace64]

I feel like throwing out a few random Gollum goodies tonight.

•Crunchable
Condition • Support Area
Assignment: Discard a card from hand to heal Gollum.
Regroup: Exert Gollum to add .
"After a while Gollum began to hiss with pleasure to himself. 'Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable?' He began to peer at Bilbo out of the darkness."
H1U106

•Gollum, Nasty Underground Creature
Minion
Strength 5
Vitality 4
Site Number 3
While at an underground site, companions are resistance -1.
"Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature."
H1C111

Holed-away
Event • Shadow
Exert Gollum twice. Until the end of the regroup phase, the Ring-bearer may not wear The One Ring.
"Gollum used to wear it at first, till it tired him; and then he kept it in a pouch next his skin, till it galled him; and now usually he hid it in a hole in the rock on his island, and was always going back to look at it."
H1R114

I'm still not quite decided on the core themes for the Gollum culture in this. There are plenty of Ring-centric cards, and I guess most of the other stuff will deal with resistance in some way. Riddles will show up in the expansion!

[Thranduil]

•Crunchable
Condition • Support Area
Assignment: Discard a card from hand to heal Gollum.
Regroup: Exert Gollum to add .
"After a while Gollum began to hiss with pleasure to himself. 'Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable?' He began to peer at Bilbo out of the darkness."
H1U106

I'd like a bit of an explanation on why the first effect is in the assignment phase particularly, why not any other phase. I also do in general see the connection between the abilities, but this card isn't gelling as a whole for me. If, for example, I had looked through the whole set cardlist and maybe even played with this card a couple of times in a draft, I would probably not be able to tell you what it did without looking at it.

•Gollum, Nasty Underground Creature
Minion
Strength 5
Vitality 4
Site Number 3
While at an underground site, companions are resistance -1.
"Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature."
H1C111

This card works very well, however. Simple flavour, simply ability, very memorable and very useful. I might consider him doing something even at a non-underground site with a bonus for underground.

Holed-away
Event • Shadow
Exert Gollum twice. Until the end of the regroup phase, the Ring-bearer may not wear The One Ring.
"Gollum used to wear it at first, till it tired him; and then he kept it in a pouch next his skin, till it galled him; and now usually he hid it in a hole in the rock on his island, and was always going back to look at it."
H1R114

I think you should word it like a cause and effect as normal. "Exert Gollum twice to prevent the Ring-bearer from wearing The One Ring until the regroup phase". But I love the card, very nice.

Thran

[Cw0rk]

Are the cards from your 2 new block supposed to be played together or could they be mixed with previously made cards?

[menace64]

Well, yes, I aborted this whole project once it was announced that we'd be getting 3 films instead of 2. That caused me an overload of issues and I had to just pause this whole mess.

In a month's time when we've all seen the first film, I'll try to re-work this first block of cards. Here are my current "issues".

1. The Elven culture. My feeling is that we won't see the Elves of Mirkwood in film one, which limits the culture to Rivendell Elves (unless we get something new). This puts the base set into a weird state, since now the only "full" Free Peoples culture is Dwarven. If the Eagles get enough screen time, I'll be giving them their own culture to help balance this problem. And, of course, we're likely in for a few big surprises that change all of this.

2. The Nazgul. We've all seen the footage of Gandalf in Dul Guldur. I was "planning" to slip in a few cards in the third set, but I have a sneaking bit of intuition that the Nazgul will have a bigger part to play in these movies. We'll have to see, but if they show up in a meaningful way, I'll have to find a way to squeeze them into the set.

3. And on the good side of things: The Wargs will be getting a ton of screen time - and I was totally right about the Stone Giants! Can't wait to see them!

[menace64]

I was never expecting this to happen, but I will not be putting any more work into this project. I saw the film Saturday night and it was the biggest cinematic disappointment since Attack of the Clones. There's too many flaws with it for me to go into tonight, so for now I'll just summarize it at the source: the writers didn't care.

[Cw0rk]

I was never expecting this to happen, but I will not be putting any more work into this project. I saw the film Saturday night and it was the biggest cinematic disappointment since Attack of the Clones. There's too many flaws with it for me to go into tonight, so for now I'll just summarize it at the source: the writers didn't care.

That's sad. I hope that someone with as good DC creating abilities as you will create a nice Hobbit DC set for us.

[Kev-La]

I was never expecting this to happen, but I will not be putting any more work into this project. I saw the film Saturday night and it was the biggest cinematic disappointment since Attack of the Clones. There's too many flaws with it for me to go into tonight, so for now I'll just summarize it at the source: the writers didn't care.

I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed by the film. I saw it the other day and was well-pleased. It seemed to me that the writers did a great job. Do you care to go into more detail about what you didn't like?

[thetimewarptrio]

Not to keep resurrecting dead threads, but with the majority of inactivity on this site I'd like to think it's allowed. It's kind of sad to be here in the aftermath of the fact and see all the effort and creativity that went into this project. As much as I didn't think 'An Unexpected Journey' was all that great, I disliked 'The Desolation of Smaug' even more. Even with the poor quality of the films, I'd love to see the resurrection of the beloved LOTR TCG through 'The Hobbit' movies. Alas, it seems I'm stuck buying TTT booster boxes and teaching my friends to play.