The Way Into Mordor - Dwarves (7/18: Warfare That Suits a Dwarf)

[sickofpalantirs]

Alright, I dropped the last ability from A Marvel Among the Three Kindreds and dropped the cost to . I suppose I can always create another card specifically for the move limit if I want to do that too.

Let's get back to some skirmishing.

Forget the Miles
Event • Skirmish
Make a Dwarf companion strength +2 (or +5 if the fellowship has moved more than once this turn).
"Stone-hard are the Dwarves in labour or journey...."
fine

Just a cousin to cards like Final Shot and Hamstrung.

That One Counts As Mine!
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2.
Make a Dwarf strength +2. If that Dwarf wins this skirmish, you may take a event into hand from your discard pile.
"‘Bring your pretty face to my axe!'"

I would actually cut cost to 2...just to make things interesting.

[FM]

Forget the Miles
Event • Skirmish
Make a Dwarf companion strength +2 (or +5 if the fellowship has moved more than once this turn).
"Stone-hard are the Dwarves in labour or journey...."

Good enough IMO.

That One Counts As Mine!
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2.
Make a Dwarf strength +2. If that Dwarf wins this skirmish, you may take a event into hand from your discard pile.
"‘Bring your pretty face to my axe!'"

So it's a reusable pump? Niiiiiice! Of course, I can see you wanting a DIFFERENT card some times, but I'd use it straight as a reusable pump in a deck, no questions asked. THEN I'd leave to the in-game situation to check if I might want ANOTHER thing back. Basically, I think it might be too good is what I'm trying to say, perhaps limit it to skirmish events? Then you'd still get a reusable pump, or a pump that trades itself for a BETTER pump, so, for instance, you could pack a small number of conditional pumps, like against Uruk-hais, and keep getting it back.

[lem0nhead]

Oooo hadnt noticed it wasnt skirmish events only. Yeah i 2nd FM's review on that aspect.

[DáinIronfoot]

Good idea with the skirmish restriction. Will do.

In the meantime, speaking of reusable events....

My Heart Burns
Event • Regroup
Heal a hunter. Then, if you can spot 3 hunters, you may return this event to your hand.
"‘...I would have started sooner but now I must rest a little to run the better.'"

And something to use before following up with that healing....

Forget My Wrath
Event • Skirmish
Exert a hunter to make a non- hunter strength +3 or strength -3.
"‘So many strange things have chanced that to learn the praise of a fair lady under the loving strokes of a Dwarf's axe will seem no great wonder.'"

[FM]

Really nice, both of them!

[sickofpalantirs]

it took me a bit to catch what the 2nd card was doing...I'll blame it on work...

[FM]

On WHOSE work?!?

[lem0nhead]

My Heart Burns
Event • Regroup
Heal a hunter. Then, if you can spot 3 hunters, you may return this event to your hand.
"‘...I would have started sooner but now I must rest a little to run the better.'"

Interesting, i like. Might be a bit good if you can make 3 dwarves hunters....

Forget My Wrath
Event • Skirmish
Exert a hunter to make a non- hunter strength +3 or strength -3.
"‘So many strange things have chanced that to learn the praise of a fair lady under the loving strokes of a Dwarf's axe will seem no great wonder.'"

Very cool me likey.

[sickofpalantirs]

On WHOSE work?!?

\my work, ie my job...

[DáinIronfoot]

Probably thought I was done with Dwarves once I started up the culture, eh?

Nope, not just yet. I admit I'm in the cleaning up phase though, in which I look at what I've done and try to find holes that need to be plugged. One BIG hole I found is that while I have several cards that do stuff with cards stacked on conditions (eight, by my count), I currently have only TWO conditions that can have cards stacked on them, and one of those stacks minions, not Free Peoples cards! This won't do at all.

So here are a couple more conditions that hopefully help stop this rat-hole. Er, I mean, plug THIS hole. Yeah.

Warfare That Suits Me
Condition • Support Area
Tale. If you have initiative at the start of each maneuver phase, you may stack a card from hand here.
Fellowship: Add to take a card stacked here into hand.
Skirmish: Discard a card stacked here to make a Dwarf strength +1 for each card stacked here (limit +6).
"‘But, maybe, I shall come yet where I can stand and fight.'"

The ultimate stacker, as it were, with a variety of things you can DO with those stacked cards. Takes a bit of work to get that skirmish ability going, but once you do....

•How Shall I Come?
Condition • Support Area
Skirmish: Make a Dwarf that has a damage bonus and is assigned to a skirmish damage -1 until the regroup phase to stack a Free Peoples card from hand here. Make a companion of that card's culture damage +1. Limit once per skirmish.
"‘Men need many words before deeds....Though I doubt not that these Rohirrim are fell-handed when they come to it. Nonetheless this is not the warfare that suits me.'"

I know some people are leery--and rightly so!--about giving out damage bonuses to certain cultures. Should I exert the Dwarf instead of merely spotting?

[FM]

Well, I think it's not supposed to give damage bonuses at all,but you could spot a Dwarf ASSIGNED TO A SKIRMISH and make HIM loseHIS damage bonus, to compensate.

[Elf_Lvr]

Warfare That Suits Me
Condition • Support Area
Tale. At the start of each maneuver phase, if you have initiative, you may stack a card from hand here.
Fellowship: Add to take a card stacked here into hand.
Skirmish: Discard a card stacked here to make a Dwarf strength +1 for each card stacked here.
"‘But, maybe, I shall come yet where I can stand and fight.'"

Since it's non-unique and dwarves probably have a way to stack more cards there than your maneuver ability naturally allows, I'd probably cap the second ability somewhere.

•How Shall I Come?
Condition • Support Area
Skirmish: Make a Dwarf assigned to a skirmish damage -1 and stack a Free Peoples card from hand here to make a companion of that card's culture damage +1. Limit once per skirmish.
"‘Men need many words before deeds....Though I doubt not that these Rohirrim are fell-handed when they come to it. Nonetheless this is not the warfare that suits me.'"

It's fine. However, I see no reason why you couldn't make a dwarf with no damage bonus "damage -1," (which would lead to an obvious rule issue if it ended up at damage -1 in a skirmish...)  to give the other guy a bonus. Maybe change the wording around so it requires a dwarf that already has some kind of damage bonus.

[lem0nhead]

WOW Dain dont faint but you have another reviewer!

Warfare That Suits Me
Condition • Support Area
Tale. At the start of each maneuver phase, if you have initiative, you may stack a card from hand here.
Fellowship: Add to take a card stacked here into hand.
Skirmish: Discard a card stacked here to make a Dwarf strength +1 for each card stacked here.
"‘But, maybe, I shall come yet where I can stand and fight.'"

Phrase If you have iniative at the start of the maneuver phase.... I like this card!

•How Shall I Come?
Condition • Support Area
Skirmish: Make a Dwarf assigned to a skirmish damage -1 and stack a Free Peoples card from hand here to make a companion of that card's culture damage +1. Limit once per skirmish.
"‘Men need many words before deeds....Though I doubt not that these Rohirrim are fell-handed when they come to it. Nonetheless this is not the warfare that suits me.'"

I am one of the guys that dont like givin any culture especially those that dont have it, damage bonuses but here i actually think its ok except for one oversight. The dwarf regains his damage at the end of the skirmish so you need to stipulate til the regroup or its broken.

EDIT: And what EL said about no damage bonus!

[DáinIronfoot]

Alright, awfully convoluted now, but How Shall I Come? is now working as everyone suggested. Thanks, guys. Good to have you back, EL.

[Thranduil]

•Gimli, Dwarf of Many Journeys
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Damage +1. Hunter 1.
While you can spot Aragorn and Legolas, Gimli gains hunter 1.
Each time Gimli wins a skirmish, you may exert him to make a hunter companion damage +1 until the regroup phase.
"‘You speak evil of that which is fair beyond the reach of your thought, and only little wit can excuse you.'"

Apart from the initial hunter bonus which makes him too good for his cost (as per my usual rant), he's interesting - a bit like a built in Whatever End.

•Axe of Erebor, Walking-axe
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be Gimli.
He gains hunter 1 for each of the following that is assigned to a skirmish: Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf.
"Gimli rose and planted his feet firmly apart: his hand gripped the handle of his axe, and his dark eyes flashed."

Interesting. But I would probably take out Gandalf and replace it with an unbound Hobbit, if you're going on Three Hunters theme.

Throwing Axe
Possession • Hand Weapon
Bearer must be a Dwarf. Bearer gains hunter 1.
This weapon may be borne in addition to 1 other hand weapon.
Archery: Discard this possession to exert a minion.

Seems reasonable.

•A Marvel Among the Three Kindreds / /
Condition • Support Area
Tale.
While Aragorn and Legolas each bear a ranged weapon and are each hunters, the fellowship archery total is +1.
While Legolas and Gimli each bear a hand weapon and are each hunters, they are each damage +1.
While Gimli and Aragorn each bear a weapon and are each hunters, they are each strength +1.

Seems a bit complicated to remember which character gets which bonus when. I'd prefer something simpler where the bonus from each line only applies to 1 character and perhaps depends on no more than 1 other.

No Vain Pursuit
Event • Maneuver
Spot a Dwarf companion and a ranger to discard an exhausted or roaming minion.
"‘You are our guide, and you are skilled in the chase.'"

Fair enough, but I feel that a regroup discarding event fits better in the model.

Forget the Miles
Event • Skirmish
Make a Dwarf companion strength +2 (or +5 if the fellowship has moved more than once this turn).
"Stone-hard are the Dwarves in labour or journey...."

Fair enough, but it makes a lot more sense in and culture than it does in .

That One Counts As Mine!
Event • Skirmish
Toil 2.
Make a Dwarf strength +2. If that Dwarf wins this skirmish, you may take a skirmish event into hand from your discard pile.
"‘Bring your pretty face to my axe!'"

This one I like. I would probably just make it or without toil, though.

My Heart Burns
Event • Regroup
Heal a hunter. Then, if you can spot 3 hunters, you may return this event to your hand.
"‘...I would have started sooner but now I must rest a little to run the better.'"

This kind of ability works much better in a Shadow card, not Free Peoples (where you can add infinite twilight without much thought). I would instead make it go on top of your draw deck so that at least you have to work to get it back with Hearth and Hall, otherwise it's too good I feel.

Forget My Wrath
Event • Skirmish
Exert a hunter to make a non- hunter strength +3 or strength -3.
"‘So many strange things have chanced that to learn the praise of a fair lady under the loving strokes of a Dwarf's axe will seem no great wonder.'"

This is fun.

Warfare That Suits Me
Condition • Support Area
Tale. If you have initiative at the start of each maneuver phase, you may stack a card from hand here.
Fellowship: Add to take a card stacked here into hand.
Skirmish: Discard a card stacked here to make a Dwarf strength +1 for each card stacked here (limit +6).
"‘But, maybe, I shall come yet where I can stand and fight.'"

That skirmish event seems excessively good - what's the point of the Axe of Erebor then? I think it should discard a card to make a Dwarf strength +1, or possibly a specific type of card (eg. Free Peoples) for a +2 bonus.

•How Shall I Come?
Condition • Support Area
Skirmish: Make a Dwarf that has a damage bonus and is assigned to a skirmish damage -1 until the regroup phase to stack a Free Peoples card from hand here. Make a companion of that card's culture damage +1. Limit once per skirmish.
"‘Men need many words before deeds....Though I doubt not that these Rohirrim are fell-handed when they come to it. Nonetheless this is not the warfare that suits me.'"

I don't quite understand why this is so complicated. A lot of confusion could be saved by 'At the start of each skirmish involving a Dwarf with a damage bonus...' though losing it until the regroup phase is not a bad idea.

Thranduil