Back to the Light - Review

[ket_the_jet]

Here's an idea: Make it a Fellowship event. That way you can just say, "Characters can exert for this event's toil cost, regardless of culture" and it doesn't affect Shadow cards.
-wtk

[Thranduil]

It doesn't effect Shadow cards anyway. Toil X is explicitly: When you play this card, you may exert any number of your characters that share a culture with it to make its twilight cost -X for each companion exerted in this way.. You may remember I had to make wordy cards in the last set so that you could toil them off your opponent's guys.

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

But...if you allowed all characters to exert for its toil cost, then there is no reason that would not include Shadow cards.
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I also didn't think the flavour should allow it to include characters, which is why I've specified.  I will certainly appreciate any other thoughts on how to word it, but I'm glad the concept was well received.

To finish off the culture, I thought I'd briefly touch on Ents. Now I used to hate unhasty because it's such an annoying useless keyword, but then flavour finally triumphed in my mind and so it's been on 3 companions, 1 in each set, 1) Radagast, 2) Treebeard and now 3) Lindenroot. I chose Lindenroot because he never got a second copy of him. So here is he: just a straight beatstick I think mainly for drafting.

•Lindenroot, Enraged Shepherd
Companion • Ent
Str: 10
Vit: 4
Res: 6
Unhasty. Unyielding.
Assignment: Exert another or companion with resistance 6 or more to allow Lindenroot to be assigned to skirmish until the regroup phase.
B C 25

Rise of the Ents
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot 2 companions with resistance 8 or more, each unhasty companion may be assigned to skirmishes.
Maneuver: Discard this condition and spot a companion to discard an engine.
B U 97

Now this card represents one of the angles of cross-culture, but requires a slight change in the rules to actually do anything (though I suppose, cards do trump rules). Obviously what I'm talking about is the current wording of unhasty is "This companion may not be assigned to a skirmish by the Free Peoples player unless a card allows him to do so". So this just changes the word to "Free Peoples" and then everything is cool.

Just because there weren't many cards here, you may remember that in the last set was a Curunír (Saruman) companion in Free Peoples culture. Well, here is some two-edged kit:

•Curunír's Staff (FP)
Artifact • Staff
Vit: +1
Bearer must be Curunír.
Spells are twilight cost -2.
B R 50

[Thranduil]

Literally after posting that lot, I realised that I'd missed such a trick! There is currently common versions of both Merry and Pippin in the culture, but I've just realised that obviously I can put Lindenroot in , and to counterbalance, Merry and Pippin can make their way into . Unfortunately, this might be a little complex to sort out. Do you guys think it's worth the effort? (I can tell you now that the rare Merry and Pippin are in and respectively, so that you don't suggest that as an alternative).

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

•Lindenroot, Enraged Shepherd
Companion • Ent
Str: 10
Vit: 4
Res: 6
Unhasty. Unyielding.
Assignment: Exert a or companion with resistance 6 or more to allow Lindenroot to be assigned to skirmish until the regroup phase.
B C 25

I love unhasty, but you should keep discarding as an option because I love the Lindenroot, Elder Shepherd for the cycling. By making him unyielding, you have conceded that he will likely be able to exert to allow himself to skirmish...I am sure you intended this.

I think the subtitles in this set have been a little bland overall. Let's think of two cards from Towers Block...well, it's Lindenroot...what is another card you see around him...Um...Enraged! Okay. So he's Enraged Shepherd. There has to be something better than that!

Rise of the Ents
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot 2 companions with resistance 8 or more, each unhasty companion may be assigned to skirmishes.
Maneuver: Discard this condition and spot a companion to discard an engine.
B U 97

I always thought this should be a card title! This one I like. I think more likely it should be "each companion loses Unhasty..."

•Curunír's Staff (FP)
Artifact • Staff
Vit: +1
Bearer must be Curunír.
Spells are twilight cost -2.
B R 50

Still think that he should be in the culture and just rename it "Wizard" culture.
-wtk

[Thranduil]

I love unhasty, but you should keep discarding as an option because I love the Lindenroot, Elder Shepherd for the cycling. By making him unyielding, you have conceded that he will likely be able to exert to allow himself to skirmish...I am sure you intended this.

No I did not! Good catch.... Hmmm.... I might actually fix that.

I think the subtitles in this set have been a little bland overall. Let's think of two cards from Towers Block...well, it's Lindenroot...what is another card you see around him...Um...Enraged! Okay. So he's Enraged Shepherd. There has to be something better than that!

To be fair, it had nothing to do with Enraged -  I reused the subtitle from Treebeard, Enraged Shepherd! But yeah, I think I specified right at the start that most of these card titles are more playtest names or vague ideas than real titles. I am very aware of my bad titling! Rise of the Ents, however, was I think the first card I designed for this set, and so I was obviously possessed by some greater creative spirit!

What do you think about my idea of moving Lindenroot to and bringing in the Hobbits to ?

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

I don't mind the Hobbits at , but I'd leave the Ents be.
-wtk

[sickofpalantirs]

•Lindenroot, Enraged Shepherd
Companion • Ent
Str: 10
Vit: 4
Res: 6
Unhasty. Unyielding.
Assignment: Exert another or companion with resistance 6 or more to allow Lindenroot to be assigned to skirmish until the regroup phase.
B C 25
i'd prefer leaving him as gandalf.  The hobbits can be changed though

Rise of the Ents
Condition • Support Area
While you can spot 2 companions with resistance 8 or more, each unhasty companion may be assigned to skirmishes.
Maneuver: Discard this condition and spot a companion to discard an engine.
B U 97
should unhasty be bold?  kewl stuff.

•Curunír's Staff (FP)
Artifact • Staff
Vit: +1
Bearer must be Curunír.
Spells are twilight cost -2.
B R 50

nice and too the point

[Thranduil]

Ah, except the thing is I need characters at common and so if I move Merry and Pippin out of there, then I need to replace them with something. Is it worth losing an Ent to to get the Hobbits in ?

In the mean time, let's talk about Gollum. Now I write cards like a mirror, as you will see below. The exception is with regards to Shelob, who obviously does not have a FP equivalent (though I suppose you could count Déagol...). Last set, amid great controversy, I reintroduced Shelob (given that all the good versions of her had just rotated out - sorry Menace) which you can see at the link given at the first post of this topic. Her strategy was to eat things and ambush people, and there is 1 card for Shelob kit in this set which is not mirrored, which you can see below.

A Difficult Burden (SH)
Event • Maneuver
When you play this card, you may exert any number of characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way.
Spot a card to make the Free Peoples player choose to add 2 burdens or discard 3 cards from their hand.
B U 34

Share the Load (FP)
Event • Regroup
When you play this card, you may exert any number of characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way.
Spot a companion to remove 2 burdens.
B U 37

Secret Plots (SH)
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Exert Gollum and either a or minion to add a token here.
Regroup: Remove a token here to foresee 2. (To foresee 2, look at the top 2 cards of your draw deck; place any number of those cards on the bottom of your draw deck in any order, and the rest on top in any order).
B C 35

Secret Ways (FP)
Condition • Support Area
Fellowship: Exert Sméagol and either a or companion to add a token here.
Regroup: Remove a token here to play the fellowship's next site.
B C 36

•Covert Deeds (FP)
Condition • Support Area
Stealth.
To play, spot Sméagol.
Each Shadow player plays with the top card of their draw deck faceup.
Regroup: Discard this condition to discard a minion with the same twilight cost as the top card of a Shadow player's draw deck.
B R 33

•Treacherous Deeds (SH)
Condition • Support Area
Search.
To play, spot Gollum.
The Free Peoples player plays with the top card of his or her draw deck faceup.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to wound a companion skirmishing Gollum with the same twilight cost as the top card of the Free Peoples player's draw deck.
B R 39

Shelob's Web (SH)
Possession • Support Area
Response: If your minion is discarded or killed and you cannot spot 3 cards stacked here, exert a minion to stack that minion here.
Skirmish: Discard a minion stacked here to make a minion strength +2 or or play a minion from your discard pile.
B C 38

[ket_the_jet]

A Difficult Burden (SH)
Event • Maneuver
When you play this card, you may exert any number of characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way.
Spot a card to make the Free Peoples player choose to add 2 burdens or discard 3 cards from their hand.
B U 34

Okay...how many cards are there in sets 11-19 plus your three?

Share the Burden (FP)
Event • Regroup
When you play this card, you may exert any number of characters to make its twilight cost -2 for each character exerted in this way.
Spot a companion to remove 2 burdens.
B U 37

I think I like the title "Share the Load" better since Sam specifically says that and it is kind of slowed down and epic.

Secret Plots (SH)
Condition • Support Area
Shadow: Exert Gollum and either a or minion to add a token here.
Regroup: Remove a token here to foresee 2.
B C 35

Don't see Gollum as a foresee type, but fair enough. Pretty nice before you reconcile!

Secret Ways (FP)
Condition • Support Area
Fellowship: Exert Sméagol and either a or companion to add a token here.
Regroup: Remove a token here to play the fellowship's next site.
B C 36

This is within Smeagol's meta. I like this one, but why outside of needing a second culture. Just because of the rangers incident?

•Covert Deeds (FP)
Condition • Support Area
Stealth.
To play, spot Sméagol.
Each Shadow player plays with the top card of their draw deck faceup.
Regroup: Discard this condition to discard a minion with the same twilight cost as the top card of a Shadow player's draw deck.
B R 33

I have never really been a fan of the "playing with a card face up" idea but it works alright in other games. I think the regroup action is fine with just revealing the card!

•Treacherous Deeds (SH)
Condition • Support Area
Search.
To play, spot Gollum.
The Free Peoples player plays with the top card of his or her draw deck faceup.
Skirmish: Discard this condition to wound a companion skirmishing Gollum with the same twilight cost as the top card of the Free Peoples player's draw deck.
B R 39

I like how I can just say "ditto."

Shelob's Web (SH)
Possession • Support Area
Response: If your minion is discarded or killed and you cannot spot 3 cards stacked here, exert a minion to stack that minion here.
Skirmish: Exert a minion to play a minion stacked here as if from hand. If you play a minion in this way, it is fierce until the regroup phase.
B C 38

This is neat. I like it overall and it doesn't seem to overpowered. I don't know of many Orcs who escaped the web, but alright. It may be an issue with free-exerting enduring minions...
-wtk

[Thranduil]

Okay...how many cards are there in sets 11-19 plus your three?

Well in Light & Shadow there were 3, all rare. In The Twilight World, the distribution was 3C/3U/4R (so 10 overall) and in this set there are 5 (2C/1U/2R). So I think enough.

Don't see Gollum as a foresee type, but fair enough. Pretty nice before you reconcile!

He's plotting!

This is within Smeagol's meta. I like this one, but why outside of needing a second culture. Just because of the rangers incident?

Yep, because of Faramir's rangers. Also Gollum has had dealings with Aragorn.

This is neat. I like it overall and it doesn't seem to overpowered. I don't know of many Orcs who escaped the web, but alright.

But I'm hoping that, given it's a skirmish action, most of the minions you get off it are going to be eaten by Shelob! In fact, that might be too good... Imagine Shelob in play, exert to play the minion, discard it to Shelob's strength pump, exert to stack it, repeat. I will fix this immediately! It is now radically changed.

Thranduil

[ket_the_jet]

Gollum has had dealings with the Elves too...

Yes, it is radically different and much less powerful. Good job because I missed the combo but it seems okay now!
-wtk

[Not a Zombie]

They look fun, but why the complex wording instead of just toil?

[ket_the_jet]

They look fun, but why the complex wording instead of just toil?

Toil would be able to exert your opponent's Smeagol. That just wouldn't be fair.
-wtk