Reflections Gold - forgotten for over a YEAR - is now finished. WOOOO!

[menace64]

This has been an on-and-off project for me since, uh, like 2007. I designed this set to be a 'proper' sendoff for the card game (I feel that Age's End was rubbish), and I included many cards that I'd personally wanted to see, along with even more fan-favorites. And since I was dreaming when I made the set, I imagined that Decipher had tons of Hobbit-themed images worked up, allowing characters like Smaug and Thorin to finally get into the game.

Reflections Gold is a 58-card set: 26 Rares, 26 Rare Pluses, and 6 exclusive Box Topper cards (all of which are very cool sites). Here's the complete cardlist, and probably a spoiler or two at the bottom to get things rolling!


Reflections Gold

The One Ring (2 Cards):
1.   The One Ring, The Willing Ring
2.   Passed Out of All Knowledge

Dwarven Culture (5 Cards):
3.   The Arkenstone
4.   Orcrist
5.   The Service of Stonewrights
6.   Thorin Oakenshield, King of Durin's Folk
7.   The Tomb of Balin

Elven Culture (4 Cards):
8.   Arwen, Bearer of Swift Courage
9.   Child of the Vanyar
10.   The Last Ship, Bound For Valinor
11.   Thranduil, King of Mirkwood

Gandalf Culture (4 Cards):
12.   Bard, The Bowman
13.   The Black Arrow
14.   Curunír, Of the White Council
15.   The Eagles Are Coming!

Gollum Culture (4 Cards):
16.   Déagol, Bearer of the Recovered Lost
17.   Hid From the Sun
18.   Shelob, Terror of the Pass
19.   Ufthak, Taken By the Great Spider

Gondor Culture (8 Cards):
20.   Aragorn, Bearer of Kingly Blood
21.   Beregond, Guard of the Tower
22.   Bergil, Son of Gondor
23.   Gilraen's Memorial
24.   The King of Gondor
25.   Pippin, In the Service of Denethor
26.   Sceptre of Annúminas
27.   The Stone of Erech

Men Culture (3 Cards):
28.   Balchoth, Terrible and Tall
29.   Saruman, Sharkey
30.   Shire Ruffians, Big Men of the North

Orc Culture (6 Cards):
31.   Bolg, Chieftain of the Horde
32.   Goblins of the Grey Mountains
33.   Grond, The Wolf of War
34.   Smaug, Descendant of Ancalagon
35.   Stricken Skies
36.   Troll-den

Rohan Culture (6 Cards):
37.   Army of Westfold, The Strength of Erkenbrand
38.   Barrow of Thengel
39.   Éomer, Bearer of Grim Necessity
40.   Gúthwinë
41.   Horn of Helm, The Trumpet of Hammerhand
42.   Merry, In the Service of Théoden

Sauron Culture (2 Cards):
43.   The Mouth of Sauron, Weaver of Wicked Words
44.   Where the Shadows Lie

Shire Culture (5 Cards):
45.   Barrow-blade
46.   The Battle of Bywater
47.   Frodo, Departing Forever
48.   Mithril-coat, Kingly Gift
49.   Sam, Home At Last

Uruk-hai Culture (1 Card):
50.   Blasting-fire

Wraith Culture (2 Cards):
51.   Old Man Willow, Dark Heart
52.   Whispering Mists

Adventure Path (6 Cards):
53.   Deserts of Harad (Box Topper)
54.   Field of Cormallen (Box Topper)
55.   Lake-town (Box Topper)
56.   The Lonely Mountain (Box Topper)
57.   Mirkwood (Box Topper)
58.   Shelob's Tunnel (Box Topper)

Many of these cards were designed to push the limits of, well, card design; I wanted the entire set to have a feeling of that final push against the envelope. This is one such card:


*Hid From the Sun (Diffraction FP/SH)
Condition * Support Area
While at a site that is not a mountain or underground site, Gollum and Sméagol are each strength -2.
At the start of your fellowship phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may spot Sméagol to heal him or remove a burden.
At the start of your shadow phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may remove to play Gollum from your discard pile.
20R17

To figure out what I mean by 'diffraction', you need look no further than Forth the Three Hunters!. Just as that card came in several cultures, so does Hid From the Sun. It would show up in packs as a Shadow card or a Free Peoples card, connecting the Gollum culture in a new way while giving the collectors one more foil to pursue.

As for the card itself, it's worded very particularly to not screw anything up. If you're playing a solo-Smeagol fellowship, for example, and you play HFtS, you'd still see the shadow phase clause on the card, but since this version of HFtS is a Free Peoples card, that line would never activate. It's confusing to new players, sure, but that group isn't who this set is for!

EDIT: Dropped the first line from -3 strength to -2. Made it to grab Gollum, but it still needs to be at a mountain or underground site.

One more:


*The Mouth of Sauron, Weaver of Wicked Words
Minion * Man
Strength-9
Vitality-3
Site Number-5
Maneuver: Discard a Shadow card from hand to make an unbound companion resistance -1 until the regroup phase.
Assignment: Exert The Mouth of Sauron to make an unbound companion resistance -2 until the regroup phase.
Skirmish: Remove to make an unbound companion resistance -3 until the regroup phase.
20R+43

Pretty straightforward, just done better than any other resistance-killers out there. This guy is a disheartening machine! The idea behind the costs is that it's progressively easier for him to strike at your heart the longer he's around. It's also a throwback to Gollum, Dark as Darkness.

More to come!

[Not a Zombie]

looks fun

[ket_the_jet]

*Hid From the Sun (Diffraction FP/SH)
Condition * Support Area
While at a site that is not a mountain or underground site, Gollum and Sméagol are each strength -3.
At the start of your fellowship phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may heal your Sméagol and remove a burden.
At the start of your shadow phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may remove to play Gollum from your discard pile.
20R17

I don't think I'd ever use it. How is paying to grab Gollum from your discard pile at all worth it? We Must Have It (in Expanded) or Captured By the Ring (in Standard) do those things for free, and better. I actually have to say that might be worse than Strands of Elven Hair and might be the most useless Reflections rare I've ever seen.

*The Mouth of Sauron, Weaver of Wicked Words
Minion * Man
Strength-9
Vitality-3
Site Number-5
Maneuver: Exert The Mouth of Sauron to make an unbound companion resistance -1 until the regroup phase.
Assignment: Discard a Shadow card from hand to make an unbound companion resistance -1 until the regroup phase.
Skirmish: Remove to make an unbound companion resistance -1 until the regroup phase.
20R+43

As I don't play Standard, I don't really have a use for the resistance stuff. But I will say, the card seems balanced. But I don't know if resistance -3 is a huge detriment, outside of in decks.
-wtk

[macheteman]

excited for this. seems to me though, discarding a shadow card from hand is more costly than a simple exert.

[Stormcrow]

Nice idea! 

[ramolnar]

*Hid From the Sun (Diffraction FP/SH)
Condition * Support Area
While at a site that is not a mountain or underground site, Gollum and Sméagol are each strength -3.
At the start of your fellowship phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may heal your Sméagol and remove a burden.
At the start of your shadow phase, if at a mountain or underground site, you may remove to play Gollum from your discard pile.
20R17

I don't think I'd ever use it. How is paying to grab Gollum from your discard pile at all worth it? We Must Have It (in Expanded) or Captured By the Ring (in Standard) do those things for free, and better. I actually have to say that might be worse than Strands of Elven Hair and might be the most useless Reflections rare I've ever seen.

-wtk

The shadow part would be useful in Multiplayer, but that's not much. The FP side is more interesting, since "solo-Smeagol" likes to control the site path. Unfortunately, Caras Galadhon is a forest, and I would never play a minus anything at that site.

[menace64]

I don't think I'd ever use it. How is paying to grab Gollum from your discard pile at all worth it? We Must Have It (in Expanded) or Captured By the Ring (in Standard) do those things for free, and better. I actually have to say that might be worse than Strands of Elven Hair and might be the most useless Reflections rare I've ever seen.

I set it at because it's a condition, and the tradeoff for paying a slightly greater cost to fetch Gollum is a freer hand. Given that, do you still think is too high?

excited for this. seems to me though, discarding a shadow card from hand is more costly than a simple exert.

Hmm I actually hadn't thought of that. Can you think of a better cost to plug in there?

---

*Curunír, Of the White Council
Companion * Wizard
Strength-8
Vitality-4
Resistance-5
Muster.
At the start of each skirmish involving Curunír, you may exert him to shuffle up to 2 Shadow cards from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"'"How long, I wonder, have you concealed from me, the head of the Council, a matter of greatest import?"'"
20R+14

This is one of the 'fan-favorite' cards I referred to in my opening post. I'm actually quite surprised that Curunir never found his way onto a card, so when it came time for me to write up a card for him it was pretty easy. I gave him muster less for flavor and more to give him a bit of uniqueness to set him apart from Gandalf and Radagast.


*The Stone of Erech
Artifact * Support Area
Fellowship: Add a threat to stack a Wraith from hand here.
Regroup: Add a threat to play a Wraith stacked here as if played from hand.
"Unearthly it looked, as though it had fallen from the sky…"
20R27

I knew from the get-go that I wanted something simple for the Stone, and then I remembered the Shards of Narsil and decided to combine its particular talents with the Wraith subculture. This particular artifact just stores your Wraiths, perhaps helping to set up a double-move by dumping companions during the regroup phase. As usual with Wraiths, threat-control is critical here, as you add one for each ability. Basically, it's a card with limited function, but in the right deck could work fairly well at opening up a hand and assisting additional moves.

[macheteman]

Hmm I actually hadn't thought of that. Can you think of a better cost to plug in there?

maybe switch the manuever and assignment actions?

curunir seems a tad overpowered. playing events to heal him and then repeat the ability... 2 cards each time... i'd think it might be better to make it: at the start of each skirmish involving curunir. fits with some of the other gandalf culture comps as well.

nice stone of erech.

[Gartax]

Hid from the sun FP is great.

AS for the shadow side it is kind of weak. The cost is fine, but I would add remove 3 to play gollum and add a threat.

Curunir is too strong I guess... I like macheteman suggestion

The Stone is great!

[menace64]

Ah good call on Curunír, fellas. I didn't consider that loop!

I was saving these two cards for later, but really I just like them so much that I want to show them off.

*Frodo, Departing Forever
Companion * Hobbit
Strength-3
Vitality-3
Resistance-10
Ring-bound.
Frodo's resistance may not be lowered by Shadow cards.
At the end of any turn in which Frodo was not assigned to a skirmish, you may place him in the dead pile to heal every companion.
"…until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water."
20R+47

Functionally he's pretty limited, but (as with a few cards in this set) he's more about flavor than anything. This Frodo is retired from war and matters of great importance, and when he finally sails into the West those he leaves behind will know that his pain is finally over.

*Sam, Home At Last
Companion * Hobbit
Strength-5
Vitality-4
Resistance-8
Ring-bound.
Sam's resistance may not be lowered by Shadow cards.
At the end of any turn in which Sam was not assigned to a skirmish, you may play a follower or tale from your draw deck.
"And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in the chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap."
20R+49

Samwise the Brave is starting a family!

[Doom]

Frodo=completely broken? All of a sudden corruption decks stop to exist? Otherwise you need to state that "Frodo cannot be the ringbearer"....

With Sam, it seems he could be abused a bit. I don't play with hobbits that much, but there probably is some loop there that could be figured out with Daddy Twofoot, No Visitors, and some tales. I'm not sure though as I'm not an expert on hobbits.

Also, how did Sam suddenly increase from strength 3 to 5? Must be working out...

[Not a Zombie]

he can't. no ringbearer keyword and no ringed resistance.

[Doom]

I don't think a DC can be shown with ringed resistance. And Frodo, Frenzied Fighter. There was a reason that card had to have a clarification.

[menace64]

Whoops, sorry for not clarifying that initially. Frodo, DF cannot be the Ring-bearer.

As for Sam's strength increase (and Frodo's drop from 4 vitality to 3), I wanted to represent them at the end of their journey. Sam got stronger, Frodo weaker. And I figure if Merry and Pippin can go from 3 to 5 without increasing their twilight cost, why not Sam?

And No Visitors wouldn't work with Sam. Sam can't even be assigned to a skirmish. Simply cancelling the skirmish once it's started won't trigger his effect at the end of the turn.

[Doom]

As you said, Frodo is pretty useless.
I actually meant not assigning Sam to play Daddy Twofoot to then get No Visitors and whatnot, and have even more cancelling. All of a sudden, Sam can play 2 or 3 cards without any cost. Maybe add an exertion cost?
Not that that that combo is necessarily broken in itself. But there's so many   tales that I thought there must be a loop somewhere.