V1: Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor

[TheJord]

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is defender+1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is strength +2.
While you can spot a tale, add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.

Dwarves are rarely defender (correct me if I'm wrong) so I would say another damage bonus.
For flavour's sake, if you want to add defender, I would suggest a tale for defender, a la Balin's Tomb

[Hobbiton Lad]

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is defender+1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is strength +2.
While you can spot a tale, add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.

Dwarves are rarely defender (correct me if I'm wrong) so I would say another damage bonus.
For flavour's sake, if you want to add defender, I would suggest a tale for defender, a la Balin's Tomb

Conceptually, I was thinking of augmenting Gimli with abilities common to the culture of a particular tale on the table. Perhaps something like this would be more appropriate:

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
Maneuver: Discard a tale to make Gimli strength +2 and defender +1 until the regroup phase.
Archery: Discard a tale to add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.
Skirmish: Discard a tale to cancel a skirmish involving Gimli.

[hrcho]

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is defender+1.
While you can spot a tale, Gimli is strength +2.
While you can spot a tale, add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.

I think this is waaay too powerful because it would enhance Dauntless Hunter decks immensely. And Dauntless Hunter decks don't need enhancing.

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
Maneuver: Discard a tale to make Gimli strength +2 and defender +1 until the regroup phase.
Archery: Discard a tale to add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.
Skirmish: Discard a tale to cancel a skirmish involving Gimli.

This on the other hand, looks nice. I like it a lot.

[Thranduil]

Agreed. The second concept is very strong. He doesn't know anything about the other cultures to start with, but he just needs to hear some of their tales and he becomes a powerful ally.

@TJ: There have been more than 1 defender card. I would think that defender, in order of culture expertise, goes something like: , , —. But the second concept here circumvents this problem by essentially making it a ability. Which is nice.

Thran

[macheteman]

ok, the concept is fabulous, but you do realize this card is ridiculously OP.

4x gondor bowmen. if you need archery, use them normal, otherwise, chuck them to assign all minions to gimli, with dwarven armor and gimli's helm they don't even barely hurt him.

the elven part is fine.

there are enough sire tales to cancel every skirmish gimli is assigned to. add that to the gondor ability and you don't even have to worry about being overwhelmed.

altogether, this concept is great, but this specific implementation is not gonna work.


maybe something like:

Fellowship: Discard a tale to heal a companion.
Archery: Discard an tale to add 1 to the Fellowship archery total.
Skirmish: Discard a tale to make Gimli strength +2.

[TheJord]

@Thran, DooP is the only defender card.

With his text, Beren and Luthien (an otherwise dreadful card) may actually see play.

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
At the start of the maneuver phase, you may discard a tale
to make Gimli strength +2 and defender +1 until the regroup phase.

Or

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
Regroup: Discard a tale to discard a
condition

I think burrito cards have a tendency to escalate pretty quickly, as you want each ability to be equally useful, meaning if he has 1 "good" ability, he know has 3 "good" abilities, making him way too versatile.

[Tbiesty]

Some of the tales related abilities mentioned here are good.  I just think Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor doesn't really like Elves at that point, so he shouldn't do anything with tales.

[Hobbiton Lad]

Here's an updated version with some more limitations. While I understand that Gimli may have some enmity toward Elves at this point, he sets out with the Fellowship and puts those differences aside. He is inspired by Aragorn, Legolas, and the Hobbits in different ways. However, I also feel like Gimli should benefit from tales as well, given that he speaks about his people with such reverence and awe. So with that being said, it may make some sense to replace the ability with a ability. So here is another thought:

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
Maneuver: Discard a tale (limit 1) to make Gimli strength +2 and defender +1 until the regroup phase.
Skirmish: Discard a tale at sites 1-4 to cancel a skirmish involving Gimli or at any other site to heal a Hobbit.
Response: If Gimli wins a skirmish, discard a tale (limit 1) to take a card from your discard pile into hand.

[Hobbiton Lad]

Or something a little more culture specific to Dwarves:

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Resistance: 6
Damage +1
Your tales may not be discarded by shadow cards.
Maneuver: Exert Gimli and discard X tales to return a minion with X twilight cost to its owner's hand.

[macheteman]

what about, taking almost a bilbo rout, and making gimli's ability (whatever it ends up being) apply to all tales. that way, tales might become a viable movie block strategy.

[Thranduil]

what about, taking almost a bilbo rout, and making gimli's ability (whatever it ends up being) apply to all tales. that way, tales might become a viable movie block strategy.

I'm all for this!

[FM]

I want to point out that while, yes, Gimli DID set out with the Fellowship, etc, Dwarf of Erebor depicts him ARRIVING at the Council of Elrond. LATER versions of him would work better with Fellowship characters. Also, we don't actually see him in a close-knit relationship with the other characters until the Two Towers, and the game DOES show that pretty well already, so, the characteristics of this Gimli toward other races would be:
-Grateful to ;
-Indifferent to and ;
-Does not like and does not trust ;
-Is oblivious to .
Which would mean it should basically work within the / theme, which I thik is actually nice, since very few cards enfoce this theme (which SHOULD be there, story-wise AND movie-wise), since both cultures tend to be card-heavy, meaning decks end up going HUGE.
To work with the idea I gave previously, but without using Tokens (although I actually do not see any harm in it, for clarification purposes - and, as a side note, people need to stop posting Gimlis with resistance values, he has a SIGNET, people!), I'd suggest one of the following versions (or an amalgamation of them):

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Damage +1.
While you can spot Gandalf, all your conditions are tales.
Regroup: Exert Gimli twice to play a condition from your discard pile.

Explanation: Due to Gandalf's role in assisting the Dwarves, it's only logical he'd be part of their tales. It pairs up nicely with the idea of playing a Dwarven deck with a Gandalf thrown in for good measure (without needing a bunch of cards to be anything than an extra companion that does not forward the strategy at all), specially if we're talking about a deck with Gloin.

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Damage +1.
While Gimli is damage +2, conditions in play are tales.
While Gimli is damage +3, all Free Peoples conditions in play are tales.
While Gimli is damage +4, all Free Peoples conditions are tales.

Explanation: This Gimli is a throwback to the first one I suggested, giving the possibility of not being so narrow (but, if played as a narrow card, being way better, since you need a single condition you'd otherwise not play - Lord of Moria - or Gimli's Battle axe to turn him on). However, if played as a not-narrow card, you need to jump through some hoops to make him work, stacking your deck a little, meaning it makes deckbuilding harder (which is a pro, IMO).

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Damage +1.
Skirmish: Discard a tale to make a companion of that tale's culture strength +2.

Explanation: This is the most bland version of Dwarf of Erebor I could come up with and still like. The idea is simple, as they share stories, their bond strenghtens and they grow stronger. This shows the start of the process. It still plays well with Dwarves in Fellowship Block, just not so Gloin-oriented (still good enough with him as well, though).

[macheteman]

yeah, personally i like the last one.

i'm not a big fan of making other conditions become tales. the while concept of tales is those cards like baren and luthien, tale of gil-galad, all the old stories and stuff. if you start making other conditions tales, players won't be using those original tales, and a lot of flavor is lost.

just my thoughts.

[FM]

You know, you COULD spot TALES to make conditions tales... Maybe this would be more flavorful? I don't actually see it as being so, but perhaps...

[Hobbiton Lad]

I was thinking more about this last night. Perhaps we are making the tale mechanic a bit too complicated. Maybe it should be incorporated in a way that is simple, effective, and that provides a boost to dwarf decks. This version gives Dwarf decks some benefits while still being fluffy. The telling of tales can inspire Dwarves to heal quicker and overcome harsh circumstances.

•Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (V)
Companion • Dwarf
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Aragorn
Damage +1
Fellowship: Play a tale to heal a Dwarf or discard a condition.