Fill in the Blank Season 1: Lairs #12

[menace64]

Welcome to Fill in the Blank Season 1: Lairs!

Each week I'll post the collector's information for one of the cards in the set's card-list.

Contestants are free to create whatever card they see fit for that slot in the card-list, keeping in mind the surrounding cards. As the contest progresses, the card-list will become more and more defined, guiding the contestants' choices.

The theme of our set is Lairs! You're free to interpret this however you want.

Not every card has to fit the theme, of course, but it's something to keep in mind when coming up with entries.

Each week a poll will go up for the previous week's entries. Simply vote for one you like the most. In the event of a tie, I'll let a random result generator make the decision - but each of the tied cards will appear in the final set card list.


On to Stuff!


Last week's winner...
Inspire scores again with Southern Stranger! Bill Ferny is no longer the only Man! 


Last week's entries to pick from for Card #23...

•Pippin, Co-Conspirator
Companion • Hobbit
Strength: 3
Vitality: 4
Signet: Frodo
Each time you shuffle your hand into your deck, you may draw 3 cards.

Barrow-downs
Site
Fellowship or Shadow: Spot a companion to play a Nazgul or Wraith from your discard pile; its twilight cost is -1 for each wound on that companion.

Designer's Notes: We can't have a theme of Lairs and neglect sites!  I feel like all of the empty chunk here is an obvious opportunity. 
This card obviously started as just a shadow-based site, but then figured the flavor actually works for both sides, so why not.

The Black Gate
Site
While the Fellowship is at The Black Gate, each Orc and Man is strength +2.

Designer's notes:
The card is meant to give Freeps men and Shadow men strength.

[8-K] Shelob's Lair
Site
Lair. While any player spots Shelob and 4 threats (or 8 burdens), only Ring-bound companions may skirmish here.
--->

Designer's notes:
I realize it should be "Mountain. Underground." but I don't want Balrogs showing up here.

This week's contest is...
Card #1!

Your abundance of options:

• A card
• A card (before Stronghold of the Adorn River)

If you choose to go after a One Ring card, I'd strongly suggest spending some time iterating your design over the course of this week. Rings are tricksy!


Closing date: July 18th! Good luck!


Lairs Card List 
Number - Name - (Culture • Type) - Contestant - Week it won
1. IN CREATION THIS WEEK
2. •Stronghold of the Adorn River ( • Possession) - Durin's Heir - 3
3. •Balin, Lord of Moria ( • Ally) - menace64 - 8
4.
5. Sméagol Lied ( • Event) - SGollum - 4
6. Worse Than Orcs ( • Event) - menace64 - 9
7.
8. Sheltered Hollow ( • Condition) - TelTura - 6
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. •Wrested Kingdom ( • Condition) - menace64 - 1
15.
16. •Úlairë Attëa, Khamûl ( • Minion) - SGollum - 7
17.
18. Southern Stranger ( • Minion) - Inspire - 10
19.
20. •Bag End Hearth ( • Condition) - Inspire - 2
21. •Merry, Conspirator ( • Companion) - Inspire - 5
22.
23. SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK'S VOTE
24.
25.


The Misadventure Deck (cards that lost due to tied-decision but will appear in final cardlist! Maybe?)
26. •Durin's Axe, Omen of Fortune
27. From Lowest Dungeon to Highest Peak
28. Orkish Whip
29. •Mountains of Shadow[/list]

[menace64]

A different sort of visual spoiler of the set so far.

[Durin's Heir]

•The One Ring, Fate of All Middle-earth
Strength +1
Each companion whose race or culture you cannot spot is twilight cost -1.
Maneuver or Skirmish: Wear The One Ring until the regroup phase.
While wearing The One Ring, each time the Ring-bearer is about to take a wound, add and a burden instead.
"'...it is for us who still dwell here to deal with it.'"

A new One Ring to support multi-culture decks; with this you can finally start otherwise impossible companions such as Powerful Guide or Treebeard + Merry/Pippin (or combos, like Théoden + Boromir; or Gimli + Legolas + Faramir; or Aragorn/Gandalf + Legolas/Gimli/Eowyn).

As a more versatile version of The Ruling Ring (with the sole advantage of potentially working at archery too) with no resistance/vitality bonuses, works better on the hand/pocket of someone with big base resistance and no burden/wound penalty, nor monoculture dependencies. A Hobbit.

[Durin's Heir]

Didn't notice it before, but the graphic version of Durin's Axe is a Possession, while it should be an Artifact.

[menace64]

Didn't notice it before, but the graphic version of Durin's Axe is a Possession, while it should be an Artifact.

My bad! We didn't have the artifact templates prepared when I made the album. I have updated it!

[SGollum]

•The One Ring, Fate of All Middle-Earth
Strength +1
Each companion whose race or culture you cannot spot is twilight cost -1.
Maneuver or Skirmish: Wear The One Ring until the regroup phase.
While wearing The One Ring, each time the Ring-bearer is about to take a wound, add and a burden instead.
"'...it is for us who still dwell here to deal with it.'"

A Ring to support multi-culture decks, via mighty starting fellowships. Without resistance/vitality bonuses, works better on the hand/neck/pocket of someone with big base resistance and no burden/wound penalty (unlike Gimli/Gandalf/Boromir/Faramir/Isildur), nor monoculture dependencies (unlike Galadriel/Sméagol). A Hobbit.

So you can finally start a cost Gandalf (with a skill, unlike Leader of Men) along with a cost companion. Or Treebeard + Merry or Pippin. Or a Dwarf, an Elf and any son of Denethor. Or...

This ring would work during starting Fellowship. I would retext and make it only apply during the fellowship phase.

[Durin's Heir]

This ring would work during starting Fellowship. I would retext and make it only apply during the fellowship phase.

No, that's precisely the point of this Ring, to allow more interesting Starting Fellowships to happen without making it overpowered. It'd do nothing for the 2 already available 9-comps starting fellowships (Rangers and In the Bloom of Health Ent Swarm), which are mono or bi-cultural decks. The effect also wears off very easily: once per culture/race, and that's it.

The OP potential would be in enhancing monoculture decks, or allowing big stats ARBs to carry the Ring with ease, or not wearing out. But this Ring is slightly better than The Ruling Ring, which is (moderately) good only in the pocket/finger of Hobbits.

[Dictionary]

Burned Village
Condition • Support Area
To play, spot 2 Men.
While you can spot a minion or 6 companions, characters cannot heal.

This was idea of mine from a while back.

[azogsbane]

Tall Ruffian
Minion • Man
Strength: 11
Vitality: 1
Site: 3
While you control site 1, each hobbit is strength -1 (to a minimum of 2).
Each time a companion loses a skirmish involving this minion, you may spot a Man stacked on a condition or a site you control to stack that companion there also. The Free Peoples player may discard three possessions from companions to prevent this.
"'But it's these Men, Sam, the Chief's Men. He sends them round everywhere, and if any of us small folk stand up for our rights, they drag him off to the Lockholes.'"

[Legion]

It's a nice card, but it's after Stronghold in the alphabet.

Blood Oath
Event • Maneuver
Spot Saruman and discard a man to make each Man strength +2 and fierce until the regroup phase.
"Swear it"

Unlike my previous attempt which was hideously weak, this one lets you discard Freca (not kill) for a bonus. You need Saruman, Freca and another Man as well as this event, so I believe it doesn't need to cost more. I would play this card in my site control deck, but only 1 or 2, so I don't think it too strong or weak.

[azogsbane]

It's a nice card, but it's after Stronghold in the alphabet.

Wow! How did I miss that?

Fixed:

Ruffian
Minion • Man
Strength: 11
Vitality: 1
Site: 3
While you control site 1, each hobbit is strength -1 (to a minimum of 2).
Each time a companion loses a skirmish involving this minion, you may spot a Man stacked on a condition or a site you control to stack that companion there also. The Free Peoples player may discard three possessions from companions to prevent this.
"'But it's these Men, Sam, the Chief's Men. He sends them round everywhere, and if any of us small folk stand up for our rights, they drag him off to the Lockholes.'"

[TelTura]

•The One Ring, Fell Repository of Power
Resistance: -2
Each time bearer is exerted, wounded, or a burden is added, put on the One Ring until the regroup phase.
While wearing The One Ring, bearer is strength +1 per burden you can spot.
While wearing The One Ring, each time bearer is about to take a wound, add a burden and exert a companion instead.
"...the Ring's power grew, and it became more fell, untameable save by some mighty will."

This represents the Ring as it grew close to Mordor, Sauron's Lair, but is also a version of the Ring that taps into the temptation of using its power.  I feel like most versions of the Ring don't really show how tempting it is to use it; players should feel like they want burdens, and also feel (falsely) like maybe they can handle it; how hard could it be to just have 2 or 3 burdens?  Or maybe 5?  Well, 6 isn't corrupted, and just think of how much more helpful it will be in combat...

Also, is it cheating to include an image in the submission...?  Well here it is anyway.

[Inspire]

Hillman Regular
Minion • Man
Strength: 7
Vitality: 1
Site: 3
When you play this minion, you may reveal a condition, possession, or non-unique minion from your discard pile. This minion gains the game text of that card until the end of the turn. 
"We were driven back yesterday over the Isen with great loss; many perished at the crossing."

[menace64]

Adorn Reclaimer
Minion • Man
Strength: 9
Vitality: 1
Site Number: 3
While this minion is stacked on a card, each Man is strength +1.
Response: If this minion is stacked on a card and a Man is about to take a wound, play this minion as if played from hand to prevent that wound.
"'They will not give way now for dusk or dawn...'"

I wanted to write a card to synergize off of Stronghold of the Adorn River, while also providing additional utility to the culture. The strategy here would be to ensure Adorn Reclaimer survives into the regroup phase, then stack him on the Stronghold. Doing so will give you a blanket +1 strength boost to your other Dunlendings, while also providing the Dunland player an aggressive wound-prevention option.