Return to the Paths of the Dead - Abandoning All Reason

[Thranduil]

You need some square brackets, but other than that looks good!

Thranduil

[lem0nhead]

•Arwen, Mortal Queen
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
At the start of the fellowship phase you may scour 2 to heal Aragorn or an Elf.
Desperation - Arwen cannot be overwhelmed unless her strength is tripled.

Meh. That all i can say.

[0 ] •A Mortal Life
Condition.
To play spot Aragorn (or 2 Gondor Men).
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains the culture.
If bearer is Arwen, she is resistance +2.

As Thran and Dain get constantly reminded i hate this dual culture thing. I understand the theory and it makes perfect sense but id staill rather it not happen. Unbiased review: Balanced.

Anvar

[Anvar]

I think that in moderation, dual-culture would be very very interesting, and would open up all sorts of deck-building potential. I think the real question is - how much is moderation? In my set this is the only card and was the result of a top-down design trying to capture the essence of Luthien's choice.

Anvar

[sickofpalantirs]

Ok, I'm bowing to pressure and changing Desperation to a loaded keyword (for now at least). Sorry for lack of lore but I'm a bit busy at the moment to hunt through LotR. Updated versions will come, when I get a moment...

•Arwen, Mortal Queen
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
At the start of the fellowship phase you may scour 2 to heal Aragorn or an Elf.
Desperation - Arwen cannot be overwhelmed unless her strength is tripled.
snazzy!

[0 ] •A Mortal Life
Condition.
To play spot Aragorn (or 2 Gondor Men).
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains the culture.
If bearer is Arwen, she is resistance +2.

it feels like it should have a vitality minuser, and maybe a strength plusser? I'm not sure

[lem0nhead]

I think that in moderation, dual-culture would be very very interesting, and would open up all sorts of deck-building potential. I think the real question is - how much is moderation? In my set this is the only card and was the result of a top-down design trying to capture the essence of Luthien's choice.

Anvar

Like I said dude, Flavour: Awesome, Gamplay: Not sure it should be messed with.

[Anvar]

So we've seen some splashy Elf stuff, but now we're hitting the real meat of the culture in the form of Glorfindel, Returned. This is based on the idea that the Gorfindel of the first age is one and the same as the Glorfindel of the third age, though the first died fighting a Balrog. He is the only companion with the twilight keyword straight up (other than the Wraiths).

•Glorfindel, Returned
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Twilight. Return - add 2 threats.
Desperation - each card in your discard pile gains "Return - remove 3 cards in your discard pile from the game".
"With his last failing senses Frodo heard cries, and it seemed to him that he saw, beyond the Riders that hesitated on the shore, a shining figure of white light..."

Immortal Eyes
Condition
Twilight.
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains twilight.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may look at the top card of your deck, then either replace it or put it at the bottom of your draw deck.

Blade of the West
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Bearer must be an Elf.
If bearer is twilight, at the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may scour a card to make a minion strength -2.

[Thranduil]

•Glorfindel, Returned
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Twilight. Return - add 2 threats.
Desperation - each card in your discard pile gains "Return - remove 3 cards in your discard pile from the game".
"With his last failing senses Frodo heard cries, and it seemed to him that he saw, beyond the Riders that hesitated on the shore, a shining figure of white light..."

I think you should have a lore of him dying against the Balrog from the Silmarillion - that would fit his subtitle better. Other than that, the card looks good. Are all cultures going to have a desperation strategy?

[0] Immortal Eyes
Condition
Twilight.
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains twilight.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may look at the top card of your deck, then either replace it or put it at the bottom of your draw deck.

Watch out for the weird 0 twilight thing, you need a space somewhere to stop it becoming a bullet point. Perhaps should cost (free for good telepathy seems too much for me), but other than that looks good.

Blade of the West
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Bearer must be an Elf.
If bearer is twilight, at the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may scour a card to make a minion strength -2.

What's the rationale behind this card? I don't understand the relevance of twilight. I'd be tempted to take it out and reduce the strength reducer to -1 and I think it would be fine.

Thranduil

[sickofpalantirs]

•Glorfindel, Returned
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Twilight. Return - add 2 threats.
Desperation - each card in your discard pile gains "Return - remove 3 cards in your discard pile from the game".
"With his last failing senses Frodo heard cries, and it seemed to him that he saw, beyond the Riders that hesitated on the shore, a shining figure of white light..."
I think that second ability totally owns...decipher seemed to think removing cards wasn't enough...make it 4 and I will be happy

Immortal Eyes
Condition
Twilight.
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains twilight.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may look at the top card of your deck, then either replace it or put it at the bottom of your draw deck.
twilights unloaded right?

Blade of the West
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Bearer must be an Elf.
If bearer is twilight, at the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may scour a card to make a minion strength -2.

should be the minion skirmishing bearer, otherwise as long as you have cards in your deck and 5 minions nothing can touch your RB...owns swarm.

[lem0nhead]

should be the minion skirmishing bearer, otherwise as long as you have cards in your deck and 5 minions nothing can touch your RB...owns swarm.

No its fine. You only get at the start of each skirmish involving bearer once, twice if facing a fierce minion.

•Glorfindel, Returned
Companion • Elf
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Twilight. Return - add 2 threats.
Desperation - each card in your discard pile gains "Return - remove 3 cards in your discard pile from the game".
"With his last failing senses Frodo heard cries, and it seemed to him that he saw, beyond the Riders that hesitated on the shore, a shining figure of white light..."

Very confusing but interesting!

Immortal Eyes
Condition
Twilight.
Bearer must be an Elf.
Bearer gains twilight.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may look at the top card of your deck, then either replace it or put it at the bottom of your draw deck.

Why would an elf be twilight? Other than this strange incongruity its fine.

Blade of the West
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Bearer must be an Elf.
If bearer is twilight, at the start of each skirmish involving bearer you may scour a card to make a minion strength -2.

Cool, but again whats with twilight elves?

[DáinIronfoot]

Looks balanced and all, but like lem0n, I'm a little leary, flavor-wise, of making regular ol' Elves twilight. Just doesn't quite make sense to me. I can see it for Glorfindel, but others...meh.

[Anvar]

Ah, I should have explained the whole Elves being twilight thing. Basically, I expanded the concepting of twilight to mean something like 'beyond the physical world' or 'supernatural'. Glorfindel appears very differently when Frodo sees him with the ring on, and I figured that other Elves might be the same - in some way they have a presence in the other world. To my mind, the flavour of this was tied in with their natural magic and gift of foresight. BTW, no Elf has twilight has a given keyword except for Glorfindel.

Some ammendations and more cards later,
Anvar

[DáinIronfoot]

Ah, I should have explained the whole Elves being twilight thing. Basically, I expanded the concepting of twilight to mean something like 'beyond the physical world' or 'supernatural'. Glorfindel appears very differently when Frodo sees him with the ring on, and I figured that other Elves might be the same - in some way they have a presence in the other world. To my mind, the flavour of this was tied in with their natural magic and gift of foresight. BTW, no Elf has twilight has a given keyword except for Glorfindel.

Makes enough sense for me to give it a hearty thumbs-up. There is certainly no doubt that Elves have a connection to the "supernatural" that other races lack. I'm curious, though...do you plan on any twilight stuff?

[sickofpalantirs]

now THAT would be awesome...maybe ent draught having something to do with twilight?

[DáinIronfoot]

now THAT would be awesome...maybe ent draught having something to do with twilight?

I was thinking more Gandalf himself, since he is a Wizard and all. But I suppose you could do some stuff with Ents, or perhaps Eagles....

[Thranduil]

Well Gandalf has the same connection to the world beyond and the West that the Elves have as, in essence, the Istari and Elves are the same thing - beings that cannot die but will always return to the West.

Thranduil