Return to the Paths of the Dead - Abandoning All Reason

[Anvar]

Thanks for the great comments.

Going off into Orc and Wraith cards working together for today:

Serving the Shadows
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion and a minion to add 2 threats.

Desire for the Ring
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 minions (or an minion and a minion) to make the Free Peoples player choose to either add a threat or discard a companion.
"'One by one it will destroy them.'"

[DáinIronfoot]

Serving the Shadows
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion and a minion to add 2 threats.

Looks good.

Pull of the Ring
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 minions (or an minion and a minion) to make the Free Peoples player choose to either add two threats or discard a companion.

My only complaint is that this could do the exact same thing as the previous card. I'd make either the last card of the first part of this one a little different.

[Thranduil]

Serving the Shadows
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion and a minion to add 2 threats.

Pull of the Ring
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 minions (or an minion and a minion) to make the Free Peoples player choose to either add two threats or discard a companion.

You know that Pull of the Ring is already a card title?

Thranduil

[Anvar]

Oops! Ok, title and effect changed.

Anvar

[lem0nhead]

Serving the Shadows
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion and a minion to add 2 threats.

Seeing as youve gotta spot 2 cultures could cost 0, but if your cultures are easy to blend and get out then leave it.

Desire for the Ring
Event • Regroup
Spot 2 minions (or an minion and a minion) to make the Free Peoples player choose to either add a threat or discard a companion.
"'One by one it will destroy them.'"

Hmmm i dont understand how those 2 are comparable, is it purely if you cant add a threat that the purpose of this card is revealed?

[Anvar]

Exactly, Desire for the Ring plays off the fact that the FP player has to choose something he can do. Having maximum threats is a bad thing against my Orcs.

Anvar

[Anvar]

Some conditions today. The first plays on the Unreasonable Choice idea, that you saw in yesterday's cards, and is a common theme in the Orc culture. The second is the way of dealing with Desperation as a Shadow player.

Age of the Orc
Condition • Support Area
Return - remove a threat.
Each time an minion is discarded (not killed), you may make the Free Peoples player choose to either add a threat or scour a card.

Desperate Gambit
Condition • Support Area
Return -
To play, spot 2 minions.
Desperation - Shadow: Play an minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.
Desperation - Shadow: Remove 2 threats to play an and a twilight minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.

[Thranduil]

Desperate Gambit
Condition • Support Area
Return -
To play, spot 2 minions.
Desperation - Shadow: Play an minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.
Desperation - Shadow: Remove 2 threats to play an and a twilight minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.

But that means you can only get a maximum of 8 minions once your deck is gone which is perhaps too little when each time it costs or and 2 threats.o Not sure though, you'd probably have to playtest it - it depends how early one can get desperation.

Thranduil

[lem0nhead]

Age of the Orc
Condition • Support Area
Return - remove a threat.
Each time an minion is discarded (not killed), you may make the Free Peoples player choose to either add a threat or scour a card.

Wow i think return on that is horrible, i dont agree with returns of conditions as condition discard is rendered pointless and its quite annyoing packing extra cards to do something that is futile. The effect itself is ok but could be nasty as its non unique.

Desperate Gambit
Condition • Support Area
Return -
To play, spot 2 minions.
Desperation - Shadow: Play an minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.
Desperation - Shadow: Remove 2 threats to play an and a twilight minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.

Meh ok.

[DáinIronfoot]

Age of the Orc
Condition • Support Area
Return - remove a threat.
Each time an minion is discarded (not killed), you may make the Free Peoples player choose to either add a threat or scour a card.

I'd make it unique. Otherwise it gets nuts REALLY quickly.

Desperate Gambit
Condition • Support Area
Return -
To play, spot 2 minions.
Desperation - Shadow: Play an minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.
Desperation - Shadow: Remove 2 threats to play an and a twilight minion from your discard pile as if from hand. Remove this condition from the game.

Seems alright. It's nice how you can discard this and grab it over and over as needed.

[lem0nhead]

You cant DI you have remove it from the game when you use it...

[DáinIronfoot]

Oh, good call. Well, it's still nice how you can discard or scour it and then pull it back from discard when your deck has run dry.

[sickofpalantirs]

I think the age of the orc is useful because of its nonuniqicity...of course combos most likely abound but hey...whats LOTR without broken combos?

[Anvar]

I've realised that once again I don't have enough minions for this culture, having only 7 (3 that recycle Wraith cards, and 4 that like being discarded). I guess I find designing non-named creatures rather boring. I'll have to give it a bit of thought.

Anyway, here are some more cards for you today, mostly based around the scour mechanic (though we will get back to discarding orcs properly soon):

Sudden Attack
Event • Skirmish
Scour 3 cards to make an minion strength +2 for each Shadow card scoured in this way.

Sudden Onslaught
Event • Response
Return - remove 2 threats.
If an minion wins a skirmish, you may scour 6 cards to make each minion fierce until the regroup phase. Add a threat for each twilight card scoured in this way.

Savage Warg
Possession • Mount
Strength: +1
Vitality: +1
Return -
Bearer must be an Orc with strength 10 or less.
When you play this possession, exhaust bearer. Bearer gains enduring 1.
If bearer is killed, remove this possession from the game.

[lem0nhead]

Sudden Attack
Event • Skirmish
Scour 3 cards to make an minion strength +2 for each Shadow card you scour.

Right o.

Sudden Onslaught
Event • Response
Return - remove 2 threats.
If an minion wins a skirmish, you may scour 6 cards to make each minion fierce until the regroup phase. Add a threat for each twilight card scoured in this way.

Cool could cost 4 or maybe 3 depends on what everyone else says.

Savage Warg
Possession • Mount
Strength: +1
Vitality: +1
Return -
Bearer must be an Orc.
When you play this possession, exhaust bearer. Bearer cannot be healed. Bearer gains enduring 1.
If bearer is killed, remove this possession from the game.

Cool.