The Way Into Mordor - Isengard (12/31: Token Machine Stuff)

[DáinIronfoot]

Reduced Overmastered to 2 tokens. Better?

[Elf_Lvr]

Well, minions (unless you made more with 2+ vitality) still can't really use it, as they have to exert for the token, yknow?

[Thranduil]

•Overmastered
Condition • Support Area
Each time an or minion wins a skirmish, you may exert that minion to place an token here.
Regroup: Remove 2 tokens from here to take control of a site (or 2 sites if you can spot 3 or minions).
"‘Alas for my folk!...It grieves me to fly before them.'"

Perhaps give an option to discard that minion to place the token, making an interesting quandary between spotting the minions in the regroup phase or adding the tokens?

•Greatness of Their Army
Condition
Strength +1
Bearer must be an Uruk-hai.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, you may choose one: discard an ally; add an token on a machine; or remove an token to take control of a site.
"‘How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate?'"

Seems reasonable. I'd prefer this as a hand weapon, though, like a banner.

Thranduil

[lem0nhead]

•Overmastered
Condition • Support Area
Each time an or minion wins a skirmish, you may exert or discard that minion to place an token here.
Regroup: Remove 2 tokens from here to take control of a site (or 2 sites if you can spot 3 or minions).
"‘Alas for my folk!...It grieves me to fly before them.'"

Sound. 

•Greatness of Their Army
Condition
Strength +1
Bearer must be an Uruk-hai.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, you may choose one: discard an ally; add an token on a machine; or remove an token to take control of a site.
"‘How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate?'"

Adding 1 token doesnt seem equal to discard of an ally or taking a site, thats my only niggle though.

[DáinIronfoot]

Alright, here's one area I haven't covered much yet. Remember this card?

Orthanc Ballista
Possession • Support Area
Machine.
Maneuver: Exert an archer and make that minion lose archer until the regroup phase to add an token here.
Archery: Remove an token from here to make the minion archery total +2. Discard an machine.
"Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun...."

Or this one?

Uruk-hai Bow (reprint from The Road Ahead)
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Bearer must an Uruk-hai.
Bearer gains hunter 1.
If bearer is a tracker, bearer is an archer.
"The hobbits were left with the Isengarders: a grim dark band, four score at least of large, swart, slant-eyed Orcs with great bows...."

Well, those are the only times I've touched on Uruk archers thus far. Time to remedy that with some new cards.

Uruk Archer
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
While at a battleground, this minion gains hunter 1.
Archery: Exert this minion to make the Free Peoples player wound an unbound companion or ally; this minion does not add to the minion archery total.
"‘Out of the darkness arrows whistled.'"

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
At the start of the archery phase, you may remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. Then you may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

•Ranged Commander, Leader of the Orc-archers
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
The twilight cost of each other archer is -1.
When you play Ranged Commander, you may reinforce an token.
Each time the minion archery total is increased by an card, you may exert a unique archer to make the minion archery total +1.
"‘Get down or we will shoot you from the wall.'"

[FM]

Orthanc Ballista
Possession • Support Area
Machine.
Maneuver: Exert an archer and make that minion lose archer until the regroup phase to add an token here.
Archery: Remove an token from here to make the minion archery total +2. Discard an machine.
"Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun...."

Liked it then, like it now.

Uruk-hai Bow (reprint from The Road Ahead)
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Bearer must an Uruk-hai.
Bearer gains hunter 1.
If bearer is a tracker, bearer is an archer.
"The hobbits were left with the Isengarders: a grim dark band, four score at least of large, swart, slant-eyed Orcs with great bows...."

Ok, I've gotta rant. I just HATE bows that don't make bearer an archer. I mean, the guy's bearing a bow (and probably some arrows). Therefore, he can shoot arrows. Period. I'd switch the abilities around, makes much more sense for a Tracker to be a Hunter rather than any Uruk, instead of it being an archer.

Uruk Archer
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Exert this minion to make the Free Peoples player wound an unbound companion or ally; this minion does not add to the minion archery total.
"‘Out of the darkness arrows whistled.'"

Fine. But I think the site requirement hurts these guys too much...

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. You may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

Very nice.

•Ranged Commander, Leader of the Orc-archers
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
The twilight cost of each other archer is -1.
When you play Ranged Commander, you may reinforce an token.
Each time the minion archery total is increased, you may exert a unique archer to make the minion archery total +1.
"‘Get down or we will shoot you from the wall.'"

Very nice as well, love the combo potential to "go off" at a given site (Anduin Banks?).

[Elf_Lvr]

Orthanc Ballista
Possession • Support Area
Machine.
Maneuver: Exert an archer and make that minion lose archer until the regroup phase to add an token here.
Archery: Remove an token from here to make the minion archery total +2. Discard an machine.
"Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun...."

Fair enough.

Uruk-hai Bow (reprint from The Road Ahead)
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Bearer must an Uruk-hai.
Bearer gains hunter 1.
If bearer is a tracker, bearer is an archer.
"The hobbits were left with the Isengarders: a grim dark band, four score at least of large, swart, slant-eyed Orcs with great bows...."

Second FM.

Uruk Archer
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Exert this minion to make the Free Peoples player wound an unbound companion or ally; this minion does not add to the minion archery total.
"‘Out of the darkness arrows whistled.'"

OP. The only other archer with 3 vitailty and this ability costs . And he's unique. Strength doesn't matter in an archery deck. You get 2 wounds out of 2 twilight. Plus, he's so darn splashable in any wounding deck; Good-bye Desert Lord, I can get your ability for less twilight! Drop vitality, and maybe do something else.

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. You may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

Well, right now he's OP, because you can just use the same ability over and over even if you can only spot him. "At the start of the archery phase" would make this ability balanced, as currently the second line doesn't do a thing.

•Ranged Commander, Leader of the Orc-archers
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
The twilight cost of each other archer is -1.
When you play Ranged Commander, you may reinforce an token.
Each time the minion archery total is increased, you may exert a unique archer to make the minion archery total +1.
"‘Get down or we will shoot you from the wall.'"

Odd(er) wording, but I guess he works. Although, how WOULD he work with Anduin Banks? Since the archery total is increased from the moment the fellowship moves there, really there's no possible way to use his ability with that site. I don't know if that was intended or not... there's plenty of cards that make him work just fine.

[Thranduil]

Uruk Archer
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Exert this minion to make the Free Peoples player wound an unbound companion or ally; this minion does not add to the minion archery total.
"‘Out of the darkness arrows whistled.'"

EL's right, this is seriously OP. With vitality 2 he'd be fine; just a low-level Uruk Crossbowman.

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
Archery: Remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. You may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

Apart from the first ability being OP in itself, this doesn't really make any sense either. A special ability can always be repeated as long as you can continue to pay the cost. It needs to be at the start of the archery phase, and even then it's pushing the realms of balance. Perhaps if he wasn't himself an archer?

•Ranged Commander, Leader of the Orc-archers
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
The twilight cost of each other archer is -1.
When you play Ranged Commander, you may reinforce an token.
Each time the minion archery total is increased, you may exert a unique archer to make the minion archery total +1.
"‘Get down or we will shoot you from the wall.'"

A better trigger would be something like "Each time you use an archery special ability..." or something like that, because as it is I don't know when it triggers and when it doesn't.

Thranduil

[DáinIronfoot]

Alright, tweaked all three archers. Musta been drunk when I made those. (Just kidding, of course.) Better now?

[Thranduil]

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
At the start of the archery phase, you may remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. Then you may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

I still think that he's too good. You only need 1 Siege Engine and suddenly you've doubled your archery total (you play X archers, add X tokens, then remove X tokens to add +X to the archery total).

Thranduil

[lem0nhead]

Wow only 1 batch in my missing 5 days. Cool saves me time and effort!

Alright, here's one area I haven't covered much yet. Remember this card?

Uruk Archer
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
While at a battleground, this minion gains hunter 1.
Archery: Exert this minion to make the Free Peoples player wound an unbound companion or ally; this minion does not add to the minion archery total.
"‘Out of the darkness arrows whistled.'"

Fair enough.

•Uruk Crossbow Company
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
At the start of the archery phase, you may remove an token from a machine to make the minion archery total +1. Then you may repeat this for each other archer you can spot.
"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall...."

Wowser this guy is immense, id say up his cost but even then i think hes insane. 1 pedantic point i'd cut the "Then".

•Ranged Commander, Leader of the Orc-archers
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Archer.
The twilight cost of each other archer is -1.
When you play Ranged Commander, you may reinforce an token.
Each time the minion archery total is increased by an card, you may exert a unique archer to make the minion archery total +1.
"‘Get down or we will shoot you from the wall.'"

Poor subtitle Dain you can do better than that! Sound card though.

[DáinIronfoot]

Jeez, I haven't touched this since July?! Holy cow. I knew it had been a while, but I had no idea it had been THAT long.

I thought Uruks would be easy, especially those of the Helm's Deep warrior variety, but I seem to keep getting bogged down as I design Uruk after Uruk. It's hard to be creative with a race that's already had SO many varied minions, but I'll keep trying.

So, with a renewed vigor (for now, at least ), let's dive back into these guys. And what better place to dive in then into a sea of Uruks themselves? Swarming Uruks, here we come!

Orthanc Trooper
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 9
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Damage +1.
This minion's twilight cost is -1 for each other Uruk-hai you can spot.
"...the men of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, tossed by a tempest of war, and every ear glinted with barbed light."

Not sure if this would really see much use, but I THINK it's costed about right.

Another problem with these Uruks (and others I'm designing) is finding good lore that hasn't already been used. To me, at least, lore is a BIG part of designing a proper DC, and there aren't really any good ways to search for lore that I know of...even my otherwise mighty DLB and SdA offer no help in that department, and nor does our own otherwise impressive LOTR TCG DB. So if you know of another card that has the lore of these cards--or any other cards I post in this thread--let me know and I'll gladly change it. But best as I can tell, the lores I'm using SHOULD still be available. I think.

Anyway, onto a more conventional swarming method....

•Orthanc Assaulters
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 16
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1. Toil 2.
While the fellowship is at a battleground, Orthanc Assaulters is fierce and may be played any time you could play an assignment event.
"They wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea, they halted at a higher point."

Mwaha!

[Elf_Lvr]

The Trooper is, sorry to say, quite pathetic. A -cost, 7 strength guy is still vastly superior.

Give him strength 10. Now we're talking.

Other guy looks pretty good.

[FM]

Orthanc Trooper
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 7
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Damage +1.
This minion's twilight cost is -1 for each other Uruk-hai you can spot.
"...the men of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, tossed by a tempest of war, and every ear glinted with barbed light."

•Orthanc Assaulters
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 16
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1. Toil 2.
While at a battleground, Orthanc Assaulters is fierce.
"They wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea, they halted at a higher point."

I know Uruks are supposed to have damage +1, but still, the first card seems grossly overcosted, even with it's potential cost reduction, and the second one, well, ok, it DOES have toil, but what's with a swarm-oriented, 16-strength minion? It seems... pointless. Then again, swarming uruks tend to be more about the wound-piling than the overwhelming, so I think it there could be minions like Backstabber, which get a huge damage boost when swarming.

[Thranduil]

Orthanc Trooper
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 7
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
Damage +1.
This minion's twilight cost is -1 for each other Uruk-hai you can spot.
"...the men of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, tossed by a tempest of war, and every ear glinted with barbed light."

•Orthanc Assaulters
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 16
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Damage +1. Toil 2.
While at a battleground, Orthanc Assaulters is fierce.
"They wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea, they halted at a higher point."

Uruks in general have been seriously overcosted in the past because Decipher made the mistake of valuing damage equally or greater to fierce, which is simply not true. The first one having strength 10 would make it very competitive - I would perhaps make it 9 just to be on the safe side. The Orthanc Assaulters I think is actually costed fairly with the toil, though he could probably be so that 4 minions gets him out for free. Maybe he could have a text which plays him in the skirmish phase? Dunno why, just seems to fit a little.

Thranduil