Greetings fellow players at TLHH!
At the time I'm posting this, there is a
poll that will decide whether
Galadriel, Lady Redeemed should be banned at this time from "Movie Format (TLHH Rules)".
Galadriel, Lady Redeemed, if it is banned, will join a relatively small list of cards that are banned. There is concern that this card will never be allowed back at all. Let me assure you that if the Rules Team is allowed to follow a process identified in this topic, that it will be back, as will the other banned cards.
First of all, let's just focus on cards within "Movie" block, since that is by far what most players play. As Thranduil, hrcho, and I have mentioned, since the card pool for LOTR is not growing, and number of banned cards is small, we have the ability to get these cards out from being stuck in binders/boxes and into decks where they belong.
At some point in the near future (after the vote on
Galadriel, Lady Redeemed is complete), unless there are any other more pressing matters, we can turn our attention to fixing the banned cards and letting them back into our decks. Allow me to share what I'm thinking this will involve.
Here's a thought about the overall process and timeline (since it's very important that we have a plan):
Stage 1)
Decide if the "promos" are to be allowed. (
see discussion here)
--Update GCCG based on results.
--No other GCCG update (except bug fixes. etc.) for three months (March 2011 - June 2011) so players get a chance
to use the promos that are allowed with no other changes.
Stage 2)
During those three months (March 2011 - June 2011), hold discussions and iron out the "unbanning" (for each card,
this would be either "completely unbanning", changing to "restricted", or "errata" as a last
resort) of the "banned" cards.
The List Elrond, Lord of Rivendell Galadriel, Lady of Light Ottar, Man of Laketown No Stranger to the Shadows Savagery to Match Their Numbers Relics of Moria Ulaire Nertea, Messenger of Dol Guldur Forces of Mordor Sting Flaming Brand Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! Aragorn, Heir to the White City Horn of Boromir Saruman, Keeper of Isengard The Palantir of Orthanc Bill the Pony Frying Pan Uruk Regular Steadfast Champion Aggression Memories of Darkness Galadriel, Lady Redeemed Mordor Fiend (
see discussion)
Gondorian Captain (
see discussion)
--This would be a one-time "cleanup" to allow the card pool to be maximized (getting cards out
of binders/boxes), but while still maintaining the fairness and balance that we expect.
--A separate discussion topic for each card but discussions would be done in parallel, even if
discussions seem to be done, we would wait the three months before "finalizing" it.
--At the end of the discussions (i.e. in three months), hold polls in parallel to determine what to
do with each card.
--Update GCCG based on results.
--Doing this as single "bulk" update would maybe take players a week or two to get used to
the changes, plus they would be able try out everything together. Furthermore, now that
I think about it, if we did this as a long drawn-out series of single-card "monthly" updates,
things would constantly be changing for a long time, which I find to be the most confusing
scenario.
--No other GCCG update (except bug fixes, etc.) for three months (June 2011 - August 2011) so players get
a chance to use the "unbanned" cards.
--After those three months (June 2011 - August 2011), players discuss/vote on whether the "unbanning"
was successful or unsuccessful. We can keep, tweak, or complete undo the "unbanning" based on this feedback.
Stage 3)
After step 2 is done (around September 2011), at some interval (say every 6-12 months), the "Dream Team" releases a
small (around 10 cards) V-set. The first one is currently in progress.
This keeps the game fresh and helps add a little excitement.