Battle Icons would be a range of, well, icons showcasing each of the battles fought during (and sometimes long before) the War of the Ring. Imagine a Mazarbul battle icon, or Cirith Ungol, or Last Alliance...! - each one feels ripe for some design exploitation, opening new avenues of cooperation and mischief between cultures, and even card types.
The pool of exploitability here is simply massive: imagine a
Pelennor Fields battle icon shared across
,
,
(there could be a whole mechanic involved beacons in which you grant said battle icon to
companions),
,
... and even a few
cards. All those characters and cards could target each other in potent ways, restricting their obvious power-creep to scenarios in which the full battle is in motion. A companion could read:
Gondorian Warrior Companion • Man
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Battle: (Pelennor)
While skirmishing a (Pelennor) minion, this companion is strength +3.
This would trigger against minions across multiple cultures, as you can no doubt imagine. I don't even want to get into all my ideas for a (Pelennor) icon at the moment... I need to be productive elsewhere today
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However, certain sacrifices would have to be made to make this work. For companions, Battle Icons would occasionally fill the slot of Signet/Resistance; I figure that's okay though, since in the heat of battle your thoughts typically stray no further than the swords at your throat. (Design exception: companions that ought to have the Black Gate battle icon would instead have Frodo Signets.)
Minions have to change though:
Hill Brigand Minion • Site 2[T] • Man
Strength: 9
Vitality: 1
Battle: (
Westfold)
Response: If a (
Westfold) minion wins a skirmish, discard this minion to discard a
condition.
Uruk Arsonist Minion • Site 5[T] • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Battle: (
Westfold)
Damage +1.Skirmish: Exert this minion to make a (
Westfold) minion strength +2.
I've removed Site Number as the third icon, moving the relevant information to the card type box where Allies had been making it work all this time anyways. It literally says the same thing, no?
The Fires of Saruman Condition • Support Area
To play, exert Saruman.
Each time a (
Westfold) minion wins a skirmish at a plains site, you may discard this condition to microwave your opponent's phone.
(Examples not playtested. Use with caution.)
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The battle icon can expand to Allies by showcasing who takes on supporting roles during battle. Gimli, for example, could be a kickass Ally like this:
•
Gimli, Friend of Men Ally • Site 4[T] & 5[T] • Dwarf
Strength: 7
Vitality: 3
Battle: (Helm's Deep)
Damage +1. To play, spot a
fortification.
Skirmish: If the fellowship is at Gimli's home site and he is not assigned to a skirmish, exert Gimli to have him replace a Helm's Deep companion in a skirmish.
I imagine each battle icon would share the iconography of the Towers and King site path icons, something coherent and vectorable. Of course there's a few ways of writing Gimli's skirmish ability, depending on how far you'd want to expand the concept. Battle icons could easily appear on critical sites, likely replacing the Battleground keyword altogether. Thus, Gimli would read:
"
Skirmish: If the fellowship is at a (Helm's Deep) site and he is not assigned to a skirmish, exert Gimli to have him replace a companion in a skirmish."
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Well, that's all just a concept. What do you think?