The Road Ahead: New Set from Thranduil!

[Thranduil]

So I know I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I've been idle! I've been working sporadically on the next block: Paths.

And the first set is this one: The Road Ahead (coded A).

This block is a sites-block. This has been my plan for a while as part of my battle for exploring more of the game's design space. So the last block Light & Shadow was the resistance block, and this block is the sites block. You can see how the theme of sites comes across in many facets and many cards. This set cares about the adventure path, the adventure decks as well as the sites themselves, including Shadow numbers with simple terrain keywords. (There's also a secondary theme of the discard/dead pile, but we'll come back to that another time! ).

I'm not particularly expecting any comments. I know there are a lot of cards here. But if you have a moment, then just drop in with some thoughts or ideas or praise or suggestions.

I'll hopefully update this thread with some more cards in the future.



RINGS:
*RS01
•The One Ring, Borne with Great Haste
Strength: +2
At the end of your turn, if the fellowship did not move more than once that turn, add 2 burdens.
Response: If the Ring-bearer is about to take a wound in a skirmish, make him or her wear The One Ring until the regroup phase.
While the Ring-bearer is wearing The One Ring, each time he or she is about to take a wound, add a burden instead.
A S 1


THIS SET HAS BEEN REBOOTED!

MORE COMING!

[FM]

Ok this is a lot to digest. Let me take a rain check on it for now, though for startes, I'd make the first Ring better, probably giving it a strength bonus, since the RB needs to run (or a vitality one).

[FM]

What's the deal with "your" Dwarf card/companion? Will you be able to interact with the opposing Freeps cards when playing the Freeps yourself?

[Thranduil]

What's the deal with "your" Dwarf card/companion? Will you be able to interact with the opposing Freeps cards when playing the Freeps yourself?

You will not! I wanted to use the wordings on Shadow cards and felt it was nicer to use it for FP as well. Also, in a set introducing cards that are indeed active during both turns, I thought it would be a useful clarification.

Quick point:

A lot of this stuff on this thread is now outdated. I've had a further think and quite a lot will be changing (one of those being the tribal theme, another being the discard/dead pile theme). I've been working on more site-related mechanics. Will update when I have some more cards and some more time!

Thran

[MR. Lurtzy]

What tribal theme?

[Thranduil]

What tribal theme?

Many above cards reference by race. I will be referencing by culture (or unloaded keyword) in future.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Okay, just wondering because I was doing sommat similar. And honestly, I hadn't looked at the actual cards yet, because of the length.

[Thranduil]

So I've rethought this set and a few changes will be happening, at some point when I have the time to think about them. But for now, I will post a couple of cards to try and showcase what I'm thinking.

Straight site mechanics:

•Gimli, Cousin of Balin
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
Fellowship: If the fellowship is at an underground site, exert Gimli to search your draw deck for a card; reveal it, and put it into your hand; shuffle your draw deck. (Limit once per turn).
A R 11

•Arwen, Wraithsbane
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Each minion skirmishing Arwen is strength -X, where X is the Shadow number of the current site.
While the fellowship is at a river site, each minion skirmishing Arwen loses fierce and cannot gain fierce until the regrou phase.
A R 17


Moving mechanics (do note that "sitestorm" is a pseudo-MTG keyword that I haven't worked out a good name for yet!):

Lost Treasures
Event • Maneuver
Tale.
Sitestorm – Exert your companion to play a Free Peoples condition or Free Peoples possession from your discard pile for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 14

•Legolas, Swift-footed
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Archer.
If the fellowship has moved more than once this turn, Legolas is strength and resistance +1.
A C 28

Woodland Ambush
Event • Archery
Stealth.
Sitestorm – Exert your archer character to make the fellowship archery total +1 for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 35


Site-like mechanics:

•Borders of Elvenhome
Condition • Site
Monument. (This card's game text is always active).
To play, exert 2 of your companions.
This site is a sanctuary.
A R 18


Lookout:

Warrior of Erebor
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this card any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion, you may make a valiant companion strength +3 until the regroup phase.
A C 15

Lórien Ranger
Companion • Elf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Ranger. Lookout — Maneuver. (You may play this card any time you could play a maneuver event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion, you may spot another card to discard a Shadow condition from play.
A U 30

[ket_the_jet]

•Gimli, Cousin of Balin
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
Fellowship: If the fellowship is at an underground site, exert Gimli to search your draw deck for a card; reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your draw deck. (Limit once per turn).
A R 11

Any time you play something from draw deck you are supposed to shuffle your deck.

•Arwen,
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Each minion skirmishing Arwen is strength -X, where X is the Shadow number of the current site.
While the fellowship is at a sanctuary, each minion skirmishing Arwen loses all gametext keywords until the regroup phase.
A R 17

Is "Gondor's Queen" being used as a subtitle? I think this is easily the strongest Arwen in the game...

•Legolas, Swift-footed
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Archer.
If the fellowship has moved more than once this turn, Legolas is strength and resistance +1.
A C 28

Lame common. But that's the way it goes.

Woodland Ambush
Event • Archery
Stealth.
Sitestorm – Exert your archer character to make the fellowship archery total +1 for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 35

Well balanced. It kind of has a rare ability as opposed to an uncommon...

•Borders of Elvenhome
Condition • Site
Monument. (This card's game text is always active).
To play, exert 2 of your companions.
This site is a sanctuary.
A R 18

So...every site is a sanctuary?

Warrior of Erebor
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this card any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion, you may make a valiant companion strength +3 until the regroup phase.
A C 15

I don't really like the lookout mechanic.

Lórien Ranger
Companion • Elf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Ranger. Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this card any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion during a skirmish involving an companion, you may exert that companion cancel that skirmish.
A U 30

Again, not fond of the mechanic.
-wtk

[Cw0rk]

I would cut the 'If you do' from Gimli's text. As you have to shuffle.

Your Arwen would be with the post-MD sites right?

Yeah, Borders makes every site a sanctuary? That's probably not what you wanted but that's what I think when I read it.

I think that Lookout is fine.

[Thranduil]

Your Arwen would be with the post-MD sites right?

Yes that's right. Shadows sites.

Yeah, Borders makes every site a sanctuary? That's probably not what you wanted but that's what I think when I read it.

Well, it's unique. So it makes 1 site a sanctuary (so 3 sites in total).

I can also tell you why, as a designer, the lookout mechanic is good. What it does is allows you to design conditions or characters as if they were events. This cuts down on the amount of design space you have to spend on actual events, which also makes the limited environment (for draft, as ideally I want all my sets to be draftable) easier to cater for. This is because conditions and characters tend to be better in limited than events, and now you can pack your draft decks with characters that are also events.

As a player, I think I would be interested because of the flexibility. Essentially, lookout is saying that this card has a dual purpose: you can either let it sit around or get a one-shot. This would appeal to some players.

Thran

[AgentDrake]

So I've rethought this set and a few changes will be happening, at some point when I have the time to think about them. But for now, I will post a couple of cards to try and showcase what I'm thinking.

Straight site mechanics:

•Gimli, Cousin of Balin
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
Fellowship: If the fellowship is at an underground site, exert Gimli to search your draw deck for a card; reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your draw deck. (Limit once per turn).
A R 11

I don't think you need the "If you do," clause. Presumably, if you get to that, it's because you've exerted Gimli to do this. As it is, though, the wording would allow you to exert Gimli after drawing 4 cards. Then you perform this action to search your deck. You then reveal the card... but you can't take it into hand (rule of 4). Since you didn't take it into hand, this wording suggests that you don't reshuffle the deck. Which means that you can exert Gimli to look at your entire deck, then put it back just how it was. I'd make it just "...and put it into your hand. Shuffle your draw deck."
Love the concept, though.

•Arwen,
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Each minion skirmishing Arwen is strength -X, where X is the Shadow number of the current site.
While the fellowship is at a sanctuary, each minion skirmishing Arwen loses all gametext keywords until the regroup phase.
A R 17

Nice. Does she have a subtitle, though?

Moving mechanics (do note that "sitestorm" is a pseudo-MTG keyword that I haven't worked out a good name for yet!):

Lost Treasures
Event • Maneuver
Tale.
Sitestorm – Exert your companion to play a Free Peoples condition or Free Peoples possession from your discard pile for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 14

Erm. Can't think of a better keyword. "Flight" or "Persuit" maybe, for Fellowship or Shadow cards respectively?

•Legolas, Swift-footed
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Archer.
If the fellowship has moved more than once this turn, Legolas is strength and resistance +1.
A C 28

Good, although he seems familiar. Not sure why.

Woodland Ambush
Event • Archery
Stealth.
Sitestorm – Exert your archer character to make the fellowship archery total +1 for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 35

Nice.

Site-like mechanics:

•Borders of Elvenhome
Condition • Site
Monument. (This card's game text is always active).
To play, exert 2 of your companions.
This site is a sanctuary.
A R 18

As I understand it, this would have to come into play during the Fellowship phase -- after healing has occurred, and before movement. Probably more useful in context of other cards, but I'm missing how this could be useful, unless there's some way to play it in the regroup phase.

Lookout:

Warrior of Erebor
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this card any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion, you may make a valiant companion strength +3 until the regroup phase.
A C 15

Lórien Ranger
Companion • Elf
Strength: 5
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 5
Ranger. Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this card any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play).
When you play this companion during a skirmish involving an companion, you may exert that companion cancel that skirmish.
A U 30

Both nice.

I forgot how much fun your DCs are. Keep up the good work!

[Thranduil]

I don't think you need the "If you do," clause. Presumably, if you get to that, it's because you've exerted Gimli to do this. As it is, though, the wording would allow you to exert Gimli after drawing 4 cards. Then you perform this action to search your deck. You then reveal the card... but you can't take it into hand (rule of 4). Since you didn't take it into hand, this wording suggests that you don't reshuffle the deck. Which means that you can exert Gimli to look at your entire deck, then put it back just how it was. I'd make it just "...and put it into your hand. Shuffle your draw deck."
Love the concept, though.

Quite right! That wording was a holdover from some optional actions.

Nice. Does she have a subtitle, though?

Not at the time, but she is probably called Wraithsbane (or something similar) and the last ability has been changed to work on river sites and also only remove fierce.

Erm. Can't think of a better keyword. "Flight" or "Persuit" maybe, for Fellowship or Shadow cards respectively?

Yeah—flight, pursuit, chase, etc.

As I understand it, this would have to come into play during the Fellowship phase -- after healing has occurred, and before movement. Probably more useful in context of other cards, but I'm missing how this could be useful, unless there's some way to play it in the regroup phase.

You can play it on any site. So it would be most useful for a player going second or for someone with lots of ways to play sites.

I forgot how much fun your DCs are. Keep up the good work!

Thanks! In that case, I'll give you another one!



•Gandalf, Master Strategist
Companion • Wizard
Strength: 7
Vitality: 4
Resistance: 7
Valiant.
Each time you play a companion, you may add a burden to wound a minion (or wound that minion twice if the fellowship is at a battleground site).
A R 41

[hrcho]

This looks like a lot of fun, but it seems to me that this Lookout mechanic might be too powerful. Companions are too splashable. You can throw them in so many decks and use them as companions should the need arise, but they don't take up the precious slot because you can use them as events too. I'd add some more spotting requirements for their playing.

[Mager]

Let me check these interesting old ones:

•Gimli, Cousin of Balin
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
Fellowship: If the fellowship is at an underground site, exert Gimli to search your draw deck for a card; reveal it, and put it into your hand; shuffle your draw deck. (Limit once per turn).
A R 11

I see potential in it. A bit powerful indeed, it let you take key card directly from the deck with one single exertion. Dwarves can set up even more readily than ever before.

•Arwen, Wraithsbane
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 7
Each minion skirmishing Arwen is strength -X, where X is the Shadow number of the current site.
While the fellowship is at a river site, each minion skirmishing Arwen loses fierce and cannot gain fierce until the regrou phase.
A R 17

Is shadow number mean site number? so at site 9, the minion would be strength -9? If so, this is too powerful. Maybe let it only effect wraiths, as the title refers Arwen to wraithsbane.

•Legolas, Swift-footed
Companion • Elf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Archer.
If the fellowship has moved more than once this turn, Legolas is strength and resistance +1.
A C 28

Title fits the ability, nice.
I very much appreciate your effort in it.  is for you.