Garrison and Fortress, two new mechanics from Gate Troll

[Gate Troll]

I designed these two mechanics a few weeks ago and finally get to hit you guys with them. They basically function on the idea of storing minions with the game text 'garrison' on conditions with the game text 'Fortress'  For example minion with garrison might have:
Garrison- (to play, spot a Fortress and remove to stack this minion on that Fortress)
or
Garrison- exert (to play, spot a Fortress and exert an minion to stack this minion on that Fortress)

And a condition with Fortress might have:
Fortress 2 (You may stack up to two minions with Garrison on this condition.)

So does anybody like the mechanics? I want some input so I don't go and create a bunch of DC's nobody likes.
Any criticism, comments and re-wordings would be appreciated.   

[sickofpalantirs]

well the keywords make sense...but I don't see how there really useful in their current form...obviously we need to see some DCs

[Thranduil]

I exactly agree with SoP - the keywords themselves seem fine, but I need some reasons why you would want to garrison your fortresses. For that, DCs would be most helpful!

Thranduil

[Gate Troll]

Barad-Dur Tracker
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 6
Vitality; 2
Site: 6
Garrison- Damage +1. Assignment: Play this minion for free from a fortress; it is strength +1 for each garrisoned minion you can spot (limit +3) until the regroup phase.

Mordor Tower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 2. Assignment or Regroup: Play a minion stacked here for free.

In answer to your questions, the reason you would use these abilities, it makes more room in your hand for possessions, companions, events, etc
and it has some nice advantages to grant, lots of minions, less roaming time, damage and strength bonuses.

For example, in the Shadow phase you would remove to play Barad-dur Tracker, either normally, (which would not be advisable, as you would lose his ability) or on Mordor Fortress, for example in which case you would pay his Garrison penalty. In the Assignment phase, or the Regroup phase, not the shadow phase you can play them for free since their twilight cost has already been extracted. They then get assigned, and skirmish normally. Any questions?

[Thranduil]

Barad-Dur Tracker
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 6
Vitality; 2
Site: 6
Garrison- Damage +1. Skirmish: If you played this minion from a Fortress he is strength +1 for
each minion stacked on a fortress you can spot (limit +3).

Mordor Tower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 2. Minions stacked here are not roaming.

In answer to your questions, the reason you would use these abilities, it makes more room in your hand for possessions, companions, events, etc
and it has some nice advantages to grant, lots of minions, less roaming time, damage and strength bonuses.

For example, in the Shadow phase you would remove to play Barad-dur Tracker, either normally, (which would not be advisable, as you would lose his ability) or on Mordor Fortress, for example in which case you would pay his Garrison penalty. In the Assignment phase, or the Regroup phase, not the shadow phase you can play them for free since their twilight cost has already been extracted. They then get assigned, and skirmish normally. Any questions?

Ah, I wasn't clear that minions could be played from fortresses like that. I would do 1 or 2 of 2 things to make it clear:

1) Have abilities on garrisons which play them from fortresses (eg. your Barad-Dur Tracker could be: "Assignment: Play this minion for free from a fortress; it is strength +1 for each garrisoned minion you can spot (limit +3) until the regroup phase" - I used "garrisoned" for a streamlined way of referring to minions stacked on fortresses, but you can do whatever you like with that).

2) Have abilities on fortresses which play minions stacked there (eg. the Mordor Tower could have: "Assignment or Regroup: Play a minion stacked here for free.")

One or both of those approaches would, I think, prevent people like me from misunderstanding your mechanics!

I'm also not clear what it means on the Mordor Tower that minions stacked on it are not roaming: they can't be roaming, because they're not really in play, and when you play them from the fortress you don't pay roaming penalties anyway. Perhaps you could tell me what your intentions were.

Thranduil

[FM]

Also, you either have to reword Fortress to include that minions may be played from it as from hand during the Shadown phase, or give each of them an ability allowing you to play a minion stacked on them.

[Gate Troll]

Barad-Dur Tracker
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 6
Vitality; 2
Site: 6
Garrison- Damage +1. Skirmish: If you played this minion from a Fortress he is strength +1 for
each minion stacked on a fortress you can spot (limit +3).

Mordor Tower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 2. Minions stacked here are not roaming.

In answer to your questions, the reason you would use these abilities, it makes more room in your hand for possessions, companions, events, etc
and it has some nice advantages to grant, lots of minions, less roaming time, damage and strength bonuses.

For example, in the Shadow phase you would remove to play Barad-dur Tracker, either normally, (which would not be advisable, as you would lose his ability) or on Mordor Fortress, for example in which case you would pay his Garrison penalty. In the Assignment phase, or the Regroup phase, not the shadow phase you can play them for free since their twilight cost has already been extracted. They then get assigned, and skirmish normally. Any questions?

Ah, I wasn't clear that minions could be played from fortresses like that. I would do 1 or 2 of 2 things to make it clear:

1) Have abilities on garrisons which play them from fortresses (eg. your Barad-Dur Tracker could be: "Assignment: Play this minion for free from a fortress; it is strength +1 for each garrisoned minion you can spot (limit +3) until the regroup phase" - I used "garrisoned" for a streamlined way of referring to minions stacked on fortresses, but you can do whatever you like with that).

2) Have abilities on fortresses which play minions stacked there (eg. the Mordor Tower could have: "Assignment or Regroup: Play a minion stacked here for free.")

One or both of those approaches would, I think, prevent people like me from misunderstanding your mechanics!

I'm also not clear what it means on the Mordor Tower that minions stacked on it are not roaming: they can't be roaming, because they're not really in play, and when you play them from the fortress you don't pay roaming penalties anyway. Perhaps you could tell me what your intentions were.

Thranduil

About my intentions for the roaming ability: I thought about having them pay roaming penalties after they were stacked on a Fortress. Thanks and for the help.

Barad-Dur Sentry
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress to add .

Barad-Dur Sniper
Minion • Orc
Strength: 6
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress and do one of the following (add a threat, remove or remove a burden) to make the Free peoples player wound a companion.

Nurn Guardtower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 1. To play spot three minions.

Barad-Dur Scimitar
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Shadow: If bearer is stacked on a Fortress, bearer is strength +1 and Damage +1
until the Regroup phase.

Loopholes
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion with Archer. and a Fortress to wound a companion.

Great Fortress
Fortress 5. Toil 1. Assignment or Regroup: play a minion stacked here for free.

[Thranduil]

Barad-Dur Sentry
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress to add .

I think you need to specify "Play this minion for free from a Fortress to add ." He doesn't have a garrison cost. Is this intentional?

Barad-Dur Sniper
Minion • Orc
Strength: 6
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress and do one of the following (add a threat, remove or remove a burden) to make the Free peoples player wound a companion.

Do you mean "remove a threat"? The way I think I would word this would be something like: "Play this minion for free from a Fortress and pay one of the following costs to make the Free Peoples player wound a companion: remove a threat; remove ; or remove a burden." Certainly there should be colon/semi-colon thing going on here, but it's tricky as it has never been done before. I might make this into a cycle of Common/Uncommon/Rare each with one of those. Also no Garrison cost.

Nurn Guardtower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 1. To play spot three minions.

So this one can't play minions by itself?

Barad-Dur Scimitar
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Shadow: If bearer is stacked on a Fortress, bearer is strength +1 and Damage +1
until the Regroup phase.

This can't be a special ability or needs a limit of once per turn: currently it grants infinite strength and infinite damage. You also need to clarify to what extent a garrisoned card is in play because you normally can't spot or play things on stacked cards.

Loopholes
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion with Archer. and a Fortress to wound a companion.

Was there supposed to be a culture symbol in there? If not, I think there probably should be. I think it could be .

Great Fortress
Fortress 5. Toil 1. Assignment or Regroup: play a minion stacked here for free.

Fair enough. One thing that needs clarifying is: can you exert garrisoned minions, to pay this card's toil for example?

Thranduil

[sickofpalantirs]

Barad-Dur Tracker
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 6
Vitality; 2
Site: 6
Garrison- Damage +1. Skirmish: If you played this minion from a Fortress he is strength +1 for
each minion stacked on a fortress you can spot (limit +3).

Mordor Tower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 2. Minions stacked here are not roaming.

In answer to your questions, the reason you would use these abilities, it makes more room in your hand for possessions, companions, events, etc
and it has some nice advantages to grant, lots of minions, less roaming time, damage and strength bonuses.

For example, in the Shadow phase you would remove to play Barad-dur Tracker, either normally, (which would not be advisable, as you would lose his ability) or on Mordor Fortress, for example in which case you would pay his Garrison penalty. In the Assignment phase, or the Regroup phase, not the shadow phase you can play them for free since their twilight cost has already been extracted. They then get assigned, and skirmish normally. Any questions?

Ah, I wasn't clear that minions could be played from fortresses like that. I would do 1 or 2 of 2 things to make it clear:

1) Have abilities on garrisons which play them from fortresses (eg. your Barad-Dur Tracker could be: "Assignment: Play this minion for free from a fortress; it is strength +1 for each garrisoned minion you can spot (limit +3) until the regroup phase" - I used "garrisoned" for a streamlined way of referring to minions stacked on fortresses, but you can do whatever you like with that).

2) Have abilities on fortresses which play minions stacked there (eg. the Mordor Tower could have: "Assignment or Regroup: Play a minion stacked here for free.")

One or both of those approaches would, I think, prevent people like me from misunderstanding your mechanics!

I'm also not clear what it means on the Mordor Tower that minions stacked on it are not roaming: they can't be roaming, because they're not really in play, and when you play them from the fortress you don't pay roaming penalties anyway. Perhaps you could tell me what your intentions were.

Thranduil

About my intentions for the roaming ability: I thought about having them pay roaming penalties after they were stacked on a Fortress. Thanks and for the help.

Barad-Dur Sentry
Minion • Uruk-hai
Strength: 10
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress to add .
sure

Barad-Dur Sniper
Minion • Orc
Strength: 6
Vitality: 2
Site: 6
Garrison. Assignment: Play this minion from a Fortress and do one of the following (add a threat, remove or remove a burden) to make the Free peoples player wound a companion.
[b  : after following, no parentheses maybe just wound a minion without them...][/b]

Nurn Guardtower
Condition • Support Area
Fortress 1. To play spot three minions.
maybe 2 minions and cost 1

Barad-Dur Scimitar
Possession • Hand Weapon
Strength: +1
Shadow: If bearer is stacked on a Fortress, bearer is strength +1 and Damage +1
until the Regroup phase.
maybe if bearer is played from a fortress.

Loopholes
Event • Skirmish
Spot an minion with Archer. and a Fortress to wound a companion.
cut to 2.

Great Fortress
Fortress 5. Toil 1. Assignment or Regroup: play a minion stacked here for free.

fine.

[DáinIronfoot]

I think Thran and SoP have this pretty well covered. Tweak 'em a bit, and I'll be happy to add a review for those.