The first one is very good. I simplify it a bit to make it easier to read:
- The "damage +1" is not necessary. A lot of Dwarves still have this ability, it will be too much.
- Only "companion", it's only for the weapons found in the Troll hoard.
I'm glad you liked it! Though not essential, those subtracted parts had some role to play:
-
The damage +1 is meant for Bilbo and Gandalf, which have none otherwise. It'd give Bilbo more power to erase Gollum or the Aggressor, and thus double move more easily. You wanted ways to counter a dmg+1 Orc enheartened and assigned by Sauron, and while a suprise str +3 pump helps to defeat such Orc, it's often necessary some damage to erase it before the fierce assignment takes place. The only Dwarf target would be Thorin and I agree that damage +3 is a bit too much, but almost always will be worse than
Battle Fury's strength +4.
-
Including allies means only Elrond, and considering it was his grandmother Idril's weapon,
Hadafang is a Gondolin blade too. It'd create more interaction with the Rivendell pack (while the 2nd option will be playing weapons from the Blue Mountains, Dale, Thorin and Dain packs). If you want to shorten it, "Free Peoples character" can be cut to simply "character."
The second one is not in the Rivendell strategy . I don't think we need skirmish events in this pack, and instead of which card?
You're right, there's no need of a
skirmish event, but would be useful anyway if we could get the room. Though I don't know yet what to remove. But frankly, the inner interactions of the Rivendell Pack don't convince me. Many redundant means, and little focus on what the Pack should be doing: help the Company, not overshadow it. I mean...
- Moon Runes shouldn't play Site 3 allies, there's already
AWINL and the new Site 3 for that (and lorewise that event should set up the
culture, not the
).
- with
Hadafang and Rivendell Scouts summoning the allies, there's no need of an event like Hold Ranks.
- I neither like the choke effect of playing big, easy-to-summon fighting Allies at Maneuver phase; only the Dain Pack can do that to some extent, but Röac's skill is expensive to repeat and he's replacing
AWINL (which can't play Dwarves).
The Pack heals and that's good (Lindir's passive skill +
Vilya is a great combo) but feels like it's the 4th FP army with all that focus on fighting. It should heal, play sites, draw cards, perhaps remove some twilight or reduce a site's shadow number... subtle and secret manners, not an army in shinning coats. Except only if is about The White Council fighting Sauron, where an event like Inner Light Revealed might work well.
What can be removed then? I think Hold Ranks is the best candidate: its ally-summoning role can be done instead by
Hadafang and Rivendell Scouts, and is also the weakest card in lore (a non-transcendent part, in the film only).
Moon Runes should play sites, perhaps reducing the Shadow number like
Deft in their Movements, and perhaps heal or increase the move limit by spotting Elrond. Lindir +
Vilya + Elrond means 2 wounds healed per turn, so I don't see the necessity of also playing each turn Lore of
Imladris to remove 2 more (except only to trigger
Vilya/Hadafang's strength reduction), so Lindir might absorb the
artifact playing, and leave then Moon Runes blank for a totally new text about the sitepath.
---------
I got another card that can help
skirmish events, though not a
event...
•
Travelling Messenger Follower • Creature
Strength +1
Aid - Discard an event from hand.
Maneuver: Exert Gandalf and return this follower to your support area to take a
event into hand from draw deck or discard pile.
"We shall need your help, and the help of all things that will give it."The Travellers Pack might need a follower, since lacks any permanent strength bonus or fighting ally (even worse than the Thráin Pack, which as 1 follower and 1 Ring). Followers cannot be killed, which is another advantage over an ally like Betsy Butterbur. She'll be either exhausted or too easy to kill by Narzug, so to use her safely you'll need to retain her in hand. She can be used only once per copy, while a (non-self discarding) follower can be used over and over, assuming you can pay the costs.
So this follower brings either a little bit of strength by discarding an event (FP or Shadow), or a
event by also exerting Gandalf. It's merely an alternative, I know you'll probably dislike it but if you find Besty is too weak for the job of supporting events, you got this option here.