The Way Into Mordor - Dwarves (7/18: Warfare That Suits a Dwarf)

[DáinIronfoot]

Okay, since 2/3 of my "normal" reviewers are gone, those of you filling in get a special treat today. Two of the cards below are brand new, and two have been posted elsewhere before but are still some of my favorite cards. Since you're likely new to this, they'll be new to you, right? So you get FOUR cards today.

Oh, and only two are actual cards. It'll make sense why that is when you see them, as the two new ones are pretty well tied together. Anyway, as always...enjoy!

•Gimli, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
Damage +1.
While at a battleground, Gimli is strength +1.
While at a mountain site, Gimli is strength +1.
Assignment: Exert Gimli and add a threat to make a minion gain or lose fierce until the regroup phase.
"‘It does my heart good to be so close to the mountains...this is good quality rock.'"

•Legolas, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
While Legolas bears a unique hand weapon, he is damage +1.
Each time you play a or skirmish event, you may exert Legolas to make him strength +1. Then, if Legolas is at a battleground, you may heal him.
"‘This is a fight we cannot win. It will become a massacre.'"

The two cards above are the ones I've posted before. They're actually from an entirely different set called Ages of Middle-earth, centered around the awesome video game The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age by EA Games, but also acting as a sort of "Reflections" set with other LOTR material as well. Anyway, since Gimli and Legolas both appear in The Third Age at Helm's Deep, that's how they appear in Ages of Middle-earth, each also featuring a new signet based around the main character from the game. Just ignore the signet for now, though, and let me know what you think of the rest.

Oh, one thing I SHOULD note: represents the "Mirkwood" culture, the only all-new culture in my sets. It is the second biggest Free Peoples culture (behind only, ironically, ) in my first set Lasting Alliances (a set centered mostly around The Hobbit), but it is sprinkled throughout my other sets as well. Most stuff focuses on the Wood-elves of Mirkwood (including Legolas in later sets), but also has a mix of Men (Beornings), Eagles, and even a certain Wizard (no, not Gandalf...try his "cousin" ). Just know that much of is similiar to the culture, though Elves have more of an emphasis on skirmishing and less on archery than their brethren. Legolas sometimes gets to dabble in both, as is the case here.

Now, the reason I've gone back and posted that pair is directly related to today's new cards:

•Counting Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Gimli, you may add a token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Scoring Game are each X, Legolas is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘Twenty-one! Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'"

•Scoring Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Legolas (or as a result of Legolas' archery ability), you may add an token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Counting Game are each X, Gimli is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'"

Before you point it out, I'll do it myself...the titles of these are rather lame. :-\ They're semi-direct pulls from the text of The Two Towers, but still...meh. If you have any better suggestions, I'm all ears.

Now, on to what they actually do. Obviously, these are the younger cousins of My Axe Is Notched and Final Count. They're both better and worse than those old-school cards: better in that they can boost up to +5 (rather than the original +3), but worse in that they require not just winning skirmishes, but killing (or otherwise discarding) minions in those skirmishes. For Gimli that's not quite as big an issue with his standard damage bonus, but with Legolas it might be tougher to pull off...or will it? This allows his archery stuff to count as well, but also note the Legolas I re-spoiled above...he can get a damage bonus too! And though I don't want to spoil more cards just yet (this IS, after all, a thread...we'll get to Elves in another thread eventually), suffice it to say that at least one version of Legolas in THIS set can potentially get a damage bonus or two as well. So it's not THAT out of the question.

But is it good enough? Or does limiting it to killing/discarding minions make it too impractical, even for a potential +5 bonus?

Oh, and yes...gold will still be dished out for reviews this week AND next, so don't miss out!

[sickofpalantirs]

•Gimli, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
Damage +1.
While at a battleground, Gimli is strength +1.
While at a mountain site, Gimli is strength +1.
Assignment: Exert Gimli and add a threat to make a minion lose or gain fierce until the regroup phase.
"‘It does my heart good to be so close to the mountains...this is good quality rock.'"
I think it should be gain or lose...instead of lose or gain. but thats just me. 

•Legolas, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
While Legolas bears a unique hand weapon, he is damage +1.
Each time you play a or skirmish event, you may exert Legolas to make him strength +1. Then, if Legolas is at a battleground, you may heal him.
"‘This is a fight we cannot win. It will become a massacre.'"
fine

•Counting Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Gimli, you may add a token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Scoring Game are each X, Legolas is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘Twenty-one! Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'"
too good. all you need is one token than reinforce like mad for +5 bonus...theres gotta be a better way...maybe tokens here cannot be reinforced?

•Scoring Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Legolas (or as a result of Legolas' archery ability), you may add an token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Counting Game are each X, Gimli is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'"

coolio

[FM]

•Gimli, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
Damage +1.
While at a battleground, Gimli is strength +1.
While at a mountain site, Gimli is strength +1.
Assignment: Exert Gimli and add a threat to make a minion lose or gain fierce until the regroup phase.
"‘It does my heart good to be so close to the mountains...this is good quality rock.'"

VERY cool! I like how you can give fierce to a wimpy minion, so as to abuse some of the stuff you have created, for instance allowing for you to get rid of pesky minions for a possible double-move. Very nice.

•Legolas, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
While Legolas bears a unique hand weapon, he is damage +1.
Each time you play a or skirmish event, you may exert Legolas to make him strength +1. Then, if Legolas is at a battleground, you may heal him.
"‘This is a fight we cannot win. It will become a massacre.'"

Like it as well. Ties well with Gimli indeed, and is ALSO nicely abusable!

•Counting Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Gimli, you may add a token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Scoring Game are each X, Legolas is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘Twenty-one! Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'"

•Scoring Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Legolas (or as a result of Legolas' archery ability), you may add an token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Counting Game are each X, Gimli is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'"

Well, not much to say, I always liked the Towers conditions, so I like these ones as well, and I really don't think it's that hard to pull off, and let's face it, it just gets easier as the game progresses and the counters start piling up. However, as a general advice, I'd suggest to try a hand at stuff like Bow of the Galadhrim, instead of regular damage bonuses, for elves. Gives them a little more versatility. Of course, seeing a damage +1 line on Legolas makes me happy, but keep the other way to do so in mind as well.

[DáinIronfoot]

•Counting Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Gimli, you may add a token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Scoring Game are each X, Legolas is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘Twenty-one! Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'"

•Scoring Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Legolas (or as a result of Legolas' archery ability), you may add an token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Counting Game are each X, Gimli is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'"

Well, not much to say, I always liked the Towers conditions, so I like these ones as well, and I really don't think it's that hard to pull off, and let's face it, it just gets easier as the game progresses and the counters start piling up. However, as a general advice, I'd suggest to try a hand at stuff like Bow of the Galadhrim, instead of regular damage bonuses, for elves. Gives them a little more versatility. Of course, seeing a damage +1 line on Legolas makes me happy, but keep the other way to do so in mind as well.

So if they're easy enough to pull off and reinforce like crazy, as SoP fears, should I cut back on the limit some?

And don't worry, I'm not going crazy with damage-heavy Elves. Legolas and one other Elf are the only ones that can gain it specifically (and both require certain possessions to do so), and while I have two events in this set (and this set only) that can do it as well, one is very specific (requires spotting Gimli) and the other is rather costly. I ain't making Elves into Dwarf clones, don't worry. Just a little taste of it.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Okay, since 2/3 of my "normal" reviewers are gone, those of you filling in get a special treat today. Two of the cards below are brand new, and two have been posted elsewhere before but are still some of my favorite cards. Since you're likely new to this, they'll be new to you, right? So you get FOUR cards today.

Oh, and only two are actual cards. It'll make sense why that is when you see them, as the two new ones are pretty well tied together. Anyway, as always...enjoy!

•Gimli, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
Damage +1.
While at a battleground, Gimli is strength +1.
While at a mountain site, Gimli is strength +1.
Assignment: Exert Gimli and add a threat to make a minion gain or lose fierce until the regroup phase.
"‘It does my heart good to be so close to the mountains...this is good quality rock.'"
Excellent.

•Legolas, Defender of Helm's Deep
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Berethor
While Legolas bears a unique hand weapon, he is damage +1.
Each time you play a or skirmish event, you may exert Legolas to make him strength +1. Then, if Legolas is at a battleground, you may heal him.
"‘This is a fight we cannot win. It will become a massacre.'"
A limit on the healing there should be.

The two cards above are the ones I've posted before. They're actually from an entirely different set called Ages of Middle-earth, centered around the awesome video game The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age by EA Games, but also acting as a sort of "Reflections" set with other LOTR material as well. Anyway, since Gimli and Legolas both appear in The Third Age at Helm's Deep, that's how they appear in Ages of Middle-earth, each also featuring a new signet based around the main character from the game. Just ignore the signet for now, though, and let me know what you think of the rest.

Oh, one thing I SHOULD note: represents the "Mirkwood" culture, the only all-new culture in my sets. It is the second biggest Free Peoples culture (behind only, ironically, ) in my first set Lasting Alliances (a set centered mostly around The Hobbit), but it is sprinkled throughout my other sets as well. Most stuff focuses on the Wood-elves of Mirkwood (including Legolas in later sets), but also has a mix of Men (Beornings), Eagles, and even a certain Wizard (no, not Gandalf...try his "cousin" ). Just know that much of is similiar to the culture, though Elves have more of an emphasis on skirmishing and less on archery than their brethren. Legolas sometimes gets to dabble in both, as is the case here.

Now, the reason I've gone back and posted that pair is directly related to today's new cards:

•Counting Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Gimli, you may add a token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Scoring Game are each X, Legolas is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘Twenty-one! Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'"
Groovy.

•Scoring Game
Condition • Support Area
Tale. Each time a minion is killed or discarded in a skirmish involving Legolas (or as a result of Legolas' archery ability), you may add an token here.
While the number of tokens here and the number of tokens on Counting Game are each X, Gimli is strength +X (limit +5).
"‘I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'"
Good.

Before you point it out, I'll do it myself...the titles of these are rather lame. :-\ They're semi-direct pulls from the text of The Two Towers, but still...meh. If you have any better suggestions, I'm all ears.

Now, on to what they actually do. Obviously, these are the younger cousins of My Axe Is Notched and Final Count. They're both better and worse than those old-school cards: better in that they can boost up to +5 (rather than the original +3), but worse in that they require not just winning skirmishes, but killing (or otherwise discarding) minions in those skirmishes. For Gimli that's not quite as big an issue with his standard damage bonus, but with Legolas it might be tougher to pull off...or will it? This allows his archery stuff to count as well, but also note the Legolas I re-spoiled above...he can get a damage bonus too! And though I don't want to spoil more cards just yet (this IS, after all, a thread...we'll get to Elves in another thread eventually), suffice it to say that at least one version of Legolas in THIS set can potentially get a damage bonus or two as well. So it's not THAT out of the question.

But is it good enough? Or does limiting it to killing/discarding minions make it too impractical, even for a potential +5 bonus?

Oh, and yes...gold will still be dished out for reviews this week AND next, so don't miss out!

[FM]

I don't think reinforcing is THAT problematic, since you have to reinforce TWO different conditions, and then agian, all it does is give out a strength bonus. I say leave it as it is. However, you COULD simply block off reinforcing, if it's not what you had in mind when designing the conditions and you think it may be abusable.

[DáinIronfoot]

Nah, I think I'll leave it alone. The strategy could use a little help to get off the ground, and like you said, that would require dedicated token reinforcement for BOTH cultures.

Here's a card that helps in that department, though....

•Send Them To Me!
Condition
Strength +1
Bearer must be a unique Dwarf.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a token or stack a card from hand on a condition that has a card already stacked on it.
Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
"‘Seventeen! Eighteen! Nineteen!...'"

And the card I promised to make based on some of FM's suggestions for Not Left Behind and The Score Is Reduced:

Flint and Tinder
Event • Fellowship
Spot a pipeweed and a Dwarf to play a tale condition from your discard pile. Then you may discard a pipeweed from play or from a condition it is stacked on to place this event on top of your draw deck.
"‘But first—if you have finished eating—you shall fill your pipes and light up.'"

I thought about limiting this to tales, but in the end I opted to make it a little more versatile since cramming Dwarves, pipeweeds (and presumably pipes), and tales into the same deck is already difficult enough to put one MORE constraint on things.

[FM]

I'd make the first card's ability a "you may" triggered ability. Just as to benefit better players, like, the ones who pay attention to the game and remember they CAN perform a maneuver action, rather than FORCING them to "remember". Otherwise, it's cool. A little abusable, but still cool.
As for the second card, I LOVE "responses"! But response events in LotR should tell WHAT you should be responding to, shouldn't they?

[DáinIronfoot]

I'd make the first card's ability a "you may" triggered ability. Just as to benefit better players, like, the ones who pay attention to the game and remember they CAN perform a maneuver action, rather than FORCING them to "remember". Otherwise, it's cool. A little abusable, but still cool.

So I should have "you may" in there for BOTH sentences? Seems like a little overkill to me....

Or are you saying to take it out of the second sentence and JUST put it in the beginning?

As for the second card, I LOVE "responses"! But response events in LotR should tell WHAT you should be responding to, shouldn't they?

DOH! That's supposed to be a different phase. I think I meant fellowship.

[FM]

Didn't catch the other "may". #$&*@! it. But I think I, for one, would use the may just in the beggining. If he remembers to use the triggered ability, he'll remember to use the effect.

[sickofpalantirs]

•Send Them To Me!
Condition • Support Area
At the start of each maneuver phase, name a unique Dwarf. Until the regroup phase, each time that Dwarf wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a token or stack a card from hand on a condition that has a card already stacked on it.
"‘Seventeen! Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!...'"
stop the lore at nineteen IMSOshould it just be discard this condition at the beginning of the regroup phase and ditch the until the regroup phase thing...would seem less complicated

Flint and Tinder
Event • Fellowship
Spot a pipeweed and a Dwarf to play a tale condition from your discard pile. Then you may discard a pipeweed from play or from a condition it is stacked on to place this event on top of your draw deck.
"‘But first—if you have finished eating—you shall fill your pipes and light up.'"

fine

[DáinIronfoot]

•Send Them To Me!
Condition • Support Area
At the start of each maneuver phase, name a unique Dwarf. Until the regroup phase, each time that Dwarf wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a token or stack a card from hand on a condition that has a card already stacked on it.
"‘Seventeen! Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!...'"

stop the lore at nineteen IMSOshould it just be discard this condition at the beginning of the regroup phase and ditch the until the regroup phase thing...would seem less complicated

Changed the lore and retooled the card in a manner similiar to what you suggested. You're right, it DOES seem much less complicted. Is it better now, in your opinion?

[sickofpalantirs]

I think it should be at the end of the regroup phase...but either works. get FM"s opinion

[FM]

I think the condition might be a little underpowered now...

[MR. Lurtzy]

Nah, I think I'll leave it alone. The strategy could use a little help to get off the ground, and like you said, that would require dedicated token reinforcement for BOTH cultures.

Here's a card that helps in that department, though....

•Send Them To Me!
Condition
Strength +1
Bearer must be a unique Dwarf.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a token or stack a card from hand on a condition that has a card already stacked on it.
Discard this condition at the end of the turn.
"‘Seventeen! Eighteen! Nineteen!...'"
Good, though it doesn't really need to be unique.
And the card I promised to make based on some of FM's suggestions for Not Left Behind and The Score Is Reduced:

Flint and Tinder
Event • Fellowship
Spot a pipeweed and a Dwarf to play a tale condition from your discard pile. Then you may discard a pipeweed from play or from a condition it is stacked on to place this event on top of your draw deck.
"‘But first—if you have finished eating—you shall fill your pipes and light up.'"
Good.
I thought about limiting this to tales, but in the end I opted to make it a little more versatile since cramming Dwarves, pipeweeds (and presumably pipes), and tales into the same deck is already difficult enough to put one MORE constraint on things.