The Road Ahead: New Set from Thranduil!

[FM]

GAC04
•Barliman Butterbur, Friend to Gandalf
Follower • Man
Resistance: +1
Villager. Aid – .
Regroup: If the fellowship is at a dwelling site and bearer is a Wizard, exert him to take a event into hand from your discard pile.
A C 37

Are there wizards from other free peoples cultures? Otherwise the text seens needlessly clunky. I like it, though. And if the text does mean that wizards can exist in other cultures, I like the foreshadowing, as well.

GAU03
•Járnsmid, Friend to Gandalf
Follower • Man
Strength: +1
Villager. Aid – .
While you can spot a mountain site on the adventure path and another card, bearer may not take more than 1 wound during each skirmish.
A U 45

Why another card? That's so loose of a requirement, I think you could remove it altogether to allow splashing and simply let him aid for less (or for free) when played in a deck.

GAR02
•Erland, Friend to Gandalf
Follower • Man
Villager. Aid – spot your companion and add a burden.
While there is a mountain site on the adventure path, bearer is strength +2.
When Erland is transferred from your support area to a companion, you may discard up to 3 cards from your hand to draw that many cards.
A R 39

Seems meh. Not sure I'd play this for the cycling, and the strength bonus is negligible.

[Thranduil]

Are there wizards from other free peoples cultures? Otherwise the text seens needlessly clunky. I like it, though. And if the text does mean that wizards can exist in other cultures, I like the foreshadowing, as well.

Well, not foreshadowing. More like "postshadowing"!

Why another card? That's so loose of a requirement, I think you could remove it altogether to allow splashing and simply let him aid for less (or for free) when played in a deck.

Okay, I see that.

Seems meh. Not sure I'd play this for the cycling, and the strength bonus is negligible.

Hmm... I think it might be quite good (Ottar was excellent). It might be a slightly disappointing rare to open, but I guess that's okay too. It could be that his aid should be twilight instead of a burden.

Uniqueness of followers is an interesting thing. There have so far been only 2 non-unique followers, as far as I can tell (both ). I want to try them out more widespread, and thanks to the Eagle's burden aid cost, I don't think having too many of them out at once will be a problem.

Thran

[FM]

Not to mention the twilight cost. It costs a strong companion to get a herugrim (without the damage bonus) that adds burdens out. Not seeing it beng abused, except with The Shire Countryside, but then again, EVERYTHING that deals with burdens can - and will - be abused with The Shire Countryside.

[Thranduil]

Some support cards will finish off the culture, from the standard and expected to the weird and bizarre! Let me know your thoughts.

Next post will probably be another culture, perhaps .

GAC06
Courage In the Face of Darkness
Event • Skirmish
Spell.
Spot your Wizard to make a companion strength +2 (or +4 if the current site has Shadow number 1 or less).
A C 38

GAU06
Long-Term Plans
Event • Regroup
Search.
Pursuit – Spot your Wizard to look at the top 5 cards of your draw deck; replace those cards in any order. Then draw a card for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 46

GAU05
Inspired Bravery
Condition • Companion
Resistance: +1
Spell.
To play, spot your Wizard. Limit 1 per bearer.
Skirmish: If the fellowship is at a battleground site, discard this condition to transfer a follower from your support area or another companion to bearer (without paying its aid costs).
A U 44

GAU04
Ancient Staff
Possession • Staff
Strength: +1
Bearer must be a Wizard.
Response: If the fellowship is at a battleground site and you play a spell event, exert bearer twice and discard this possession to return that event to your hand after it resolves.
A U 36

GAR+1
Thick Fog
Event • Regroup
Spell. Weather.
Exert your Wizard twice to shuffle all the sites on the adventure path and deal them again in a random order.
A R+ 50

[leokula]

GAC06
Courage In the Face of Darkness
Event • Skirmish
Spell.
Spot your Wizard to make a companion strength +2 (or +4 if the current site has Shadow number 1 or less).
A C 38

This is pretty cool, but I think would be so much cooler if it was shadow number 3, after all, makes more sense since the name is "in face of darkness". Either way I like this concept.

Also something like an added bonus if you didn't play the site on which ur in... that would be very interesting.

[Thranduil]

This is pretty cool, but I think would be so much cooler if it was shadow number 3, after all, makes more sense since the name is "in face of darkness". Either way I like this concept.

Yes and no. Sites with Shadow number 1 and 0 tend to be good for Shadow players, whereas sites with Shadow number 2 or 3 tend to be good for Free Peoples players, which was the thinking behind the card the way it is. But it's a good point to raise and you could probably argue it either way.

I think there is at least 1 card in the set which cares whether they're your sites or your opponents'. It might be a theme that I increase in volume for the second set.

Thran

[FM]

I liked those. Agree with leokula on the event, and let me add that Thick Fog is awesome.

[Olorin]

I always thought that wizard staffs are somehow to weak (except radagast's staff or gandalf's staff from fellow block).
concerning thick fog: i like that!

[gk1964]

How does thick fog deal with the text for Mount Doom? I assume that any region with Mount Doom in it would be exempt from the shuffle and re-deal.

[macheteman]

in all fairness, the sites wouldn't be replaced, only rearranged.

[Thranduil]

Well, I'm fairly sure a clarification would have to say that the sites are all indeed being replaced, because they are being removed and then put back. So I would probably think that Mount Doom would work as suggested, that it and any sites in its region would be exempt from Thick Fog.

I will think more on the Courage in the Face of Darkness problem. I'm still leaning more towards the flavour of the site rather than the flavour of the twilight tokens (because sites with or tend to be nasty, Shadow-y places while sites with or tend to be nice, Free Peoples-y places), but we'll see what else other cards might suggest on this as it isn't an isolated theme.

I said this post might be . Obviously, it will be, and I think it will be some corsairs, which are fairly self-contained for one post:

MEC01
Corsair Crossbowman
Minion • Man
Strength: 6
Vitality: 1
Site: 6
Besieger.
While the fellowship is at a river site and you can spot your possession, this minion is an archer.
A C 99

MEU02
Corsair Blademaster
Minion • Man
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Lookout — Skirmish. (You may play this minion any time you could play a skirmish event; if you do, discard it from play),
When you play this minion, if you can spot a river site on the adventure path, you may add 2 threats.
A U 97

MER01
•Corsair Captain
Minion • Man
Strength: 11
Vitality: 3
Site: 6
Fierce.
Each time you play another minion, you may remove to exert a companion.
Each time your other minion is killed or discarded from play (except during the regroup phase), you may add .
A R 98

[gk1964]

Just one other quick point. There wasn't a no.51 in the Gandalf culture. Is this a mis-numbering of the listings or did we miss out on a card?

[Thranduil]

Just one other quick point. There wasn't a no.51 in the Gandalf culture. Is this a mis-numbering of the listings or did we miss out on a card?

Well-spotted! You're obviously paying very close attention!

We're not missing a card, it appears to be a mistake. I think Watcher of Dale ought to have the collector's info "A U 51", because the culture begins on 52.

Thanks for that!

Thran

[Thranduil]

Some various utility cards, including one reprint. Comments on these and the cards from the last post welcome!

MEC09
Overrun (reprint)
Event • Skirmish
Make a minion strength +2 (or +4 if the fellowship is at a battleground or plains site).
A C 109

MEC08
Burden of Memories
Condition • Unbound Companion
Resistance: -2
Limit 1 per bearer.
To play, spot your or tracker minion.
When bearer is a assigned to a skirmish, add (or if there is a dwelling site on the adventure path).
A C 96

MEU07
Far Lands
Condition • Support Area
When you play this condition, you may spot your other card to replace the fellowship's current site with a plains site from your adventure deck.
Response: If your or besieger minion is about to take a wound in a skirmish, spot 3 plains sites on the adventure path and discard this condition to prevent that wound.
A U 107

MEU08
Disarming Strike
Event • Maneuver
Pursuit – Exert your minion to return a Free Peoples possession to the Free Peoples player's hand for each time the fellowship has moved this turn.
A U 102

MER05
•Desert Arrows
Condition • Plains site
While the fellowship is at this site and you can spot a minion, the minion archery total is +3.
A R 101

[Haszor]

Lookout – Regroup. (You may play this companion any time you could play a regroup event; if you do, discard it from play).

This text really should be worded differently as to prevent it being too much of an event.  As is what would seem to happen is card comes into play and is immediately discarded.  Is that what you had in mind or did you want it to stay through the phase?