Lands of Shadow - Something to Fear. (10/24)

[menace64]

While the next round of voting is up in the other thread, I decided SoP had a good point. There's no real reason to hold back the culture, seeing as there's only 4 cards in it. I'll only be revealing 1 card per day.

The Gandalf culture is a light sprinkling of backup in Lands of Shadow, obviously incapable of holding its own, but more than ready to fight alongside other cultures. Gandalf's role is to bolster the defenses and keep the tense alliances between the Free Peoples bound together.

Logically, Gandalf himself shall be spoiled first.

•Gandalf, Guardian of All Free Folk
Companion • Wizard
Strength 7
Vitality 4
Resistance 7
For each Free Peoples alliance you spot, Gandalf is strength +1 (limit +3).
At the start of the fellowship phase, if you can spot a Free Peoples alliance, you may exert Gandalf to take a Free Peoples condition or event of the same culture into hand from your draw deck.
"There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax... 'You cannot enter here,' said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. 'Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master!'"
M1R9

What Gandalf does here, he does well. If you're running a Gondor/Rohan or Dwarf/Elf alliance deck, throw in Gandalf and he'll hold his own just fine. He doesn't need outside assistance to survive. And even at that, he puts his 4 vitality to good use, strengthening your alliances *and* himself at the same time, since you could fetch yet another alliance, or some other helpful event or condition.

Let me know what you think. Also, if you'd like to see a specific card next time (the choices being Glamdring, In Stead of the Steward, and Passed From My Sight), be sure to mention it.

[Thranduil]

•Gandalf, Guardian of All Free Folk
Companion • Wizard
Strength 8
Vitality 4
Resistance 8
For each Free Peoples alliance you spot, Gandalf is strength +1.
Response: If you play a Free Peoples alliance, exert Gandalf to take an event or condition of the same culture into hand from your draw deck.
"There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax... 'You cannot enter here,' said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. 'Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master!'"
M1R9

This seems a bit like overkill - he's awesomely strong AND fetches all your cards. He may only do one thing but what he does is simply amazing. I think he would be balanced either with his usual strength and resistance or without hist first sentence, or possibly with a keyword that is not strength like damage (though obviously you're not using damage, but I couldn't think of your keywords off-hand) - ie. "For each Free Peoples alliance you can spot, Gandalf is damage +1".

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

Having increased strength, plus an uncapped strength bonus.... it's a bit much. Give the first ability a limit.

His second ability should also be each time instead of response - otherwise, he could exhaust himself (and the way culture is, that could be from 3-5 exertions) to pull a bunch of conditions from only one alliance being played.

Actually, I don't like that so much either, because if you play an alliance condition, you can exert him to take another one, then play it and exert for another, and another... etc. True, it's a lot of exertions, but an alliance deck could just exhaust Gandalf to pull their stuff and let him die, which I'm sure wasn't your intent.

[menace64]

Great points from both of you guys. I suppose you've convinced me to drop his strength/resistance back to 7, and I've reworded the second ability to prevent him from being abused.

What kind of strength cap do you suggest? +3?

[lem0nhead]

Whats an alliance in your set?

[Thranduil]

I think it should be at the start of the fellowship phase so that you can play it, or just play it from your draw deck.

Thranduil

[Gate Troll]

While the next round of voting is up in the other thread, I decided SoP had a good point. There's no real reason to hold back the culture, seeing as there's only 4 cards in it. I'll only be revealing 1 card per day.

The Gandalf culture is a light sprinkling of backup in Lands of Shadow, obviously incapable of holding its own, but more than ready to fight alongside other cultures. Gandalf's role is to bolster the defenses and keep the tense alliances between the Free Peoples bound together.

Logically, Gandalf himself shall be spoiled first.

•Gandalf, Guardian of All Free Folk
Companion • Wizard
Strength 7
Vitality 4
Resistance 7
For each Free Peoples alliance you spot, Gandalf is strength +1.
At the end of the fellowship phase, if you can spot a Free Peoples alliance, you may exert Gandalf to take a Free Peoples card of the same culture into hand from your draw deck.
"There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax... 'You cannot enter here,' said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. 'Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master!'"
M1R9

I'd either make him , add a limit to his first ability or make him 7/4/7 instead of 8/4/8. Other than that he's awesome. 

What Gandalf does here, he does well. If you're running a Gondor/Rohan or Dwarf/Elf alliance deck, throw in Gandalf and he'll hold his own just fine. He doesn't need outside assistance to survive. And even at that, he puts his 4 vitality to good use, strengthening your alliances *and* himself at the same time, since you could fetch yet another alliance, or some other helpful event or condition.

Let me know what you think. Also, if you'd like to see a specific card next time (the choices being Glamdring, In Stead of the Steward, and Passed From My Sight), be sure to mention it.

[sickofpalantirs]

I'd limit it to +2 personally...he's mostly about the gondor rohan and elven gondor alliances...

otherwise looks good...
In Stead of the Steward sounds kewl.

[Elf_Lvr]

I think +3 would be a fair cap.

[menace64]

All righty. He's got a +3 strength limit, and the second ability now triggers at the start of the fellowship phase and can only pull a condition or event.

Oh, and an alliance is a loaded keyword found on conditions that tie cultures together. Take a peek at the Wainrider or the voting thread to get the full explanation.

Today's card:

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11

Pretty straight-forward, really. Gandalf's presence lightens the burden of war from the knights of Gondor.

Hmm. Let's go ahead and spoiler a second card today.

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

This is also a simple card. It's below the standard power curve, since I believe not every card *should* be blessed with amazing strength. But it doesn't add any twilight to play, and at the later sites you can get a burden removed for free along with the wound.

Next time I'll post Glamdring, and then it'll be on to the next culture!

[Thranduil]

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11

I feel like this could be . Or perhaps it could be an alliance of and have in the text. Dunno, it just seems like this is a card that wants some kind of keyword.

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

Yeah, fair enough.

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11

Pretty nifty. I'm not so sure of how much it would be used. I guess in G For Grand or Sarn Ford it could be pretty handy. I'd like it better if it gave Gandalf some kind of constant bonus.

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

Not bad, I suppose. Kinda nifty if you have Gandalf as the Ring-bearer.

Maybe just for fun, make it play sometime outside of the Fellowship phase.

[Gate Troll]

All righty. He's got a +3 strength limit, and the second ability now triggers at the start of the fellowship phase and can only pull a condition or event.

Oh, and an alliance is a loaded keyword found on conditions that tie cultures together. Take a peek at the Wainrider or the voting thread to get the full explanation.

Today's card:

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11

It's unique so it definitely could be . I'd actually prefer as a matter of fact.

Pretty straight-forward, really. Gandalf's presence lightens the burden of war from the knights of Gondor.

Hmm. Let's go ahead and spoiler a second card today.

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

That's cool. I love cards that seem to re-create scenes from the books.

This is also a simple card. It's below the standard power curve, since I believe not every card *should* be blessed with amazing strength. But it doesn't add any twilight to play, and at the later sites you can get a burden removed for free along with the wound.

Next time I'll post Glamdring, and then it'll be on to the next culture!

[sickofpalantirs]

All righty. He's got a +3 strength limit, and the second ability now triggers at the start of the fellowship phase and can only pull a condition or event.

Oh, and an alliance is a loaded keyword found on conditions that tie cultures together. Take a peek at the Wainrider or the voting thread to get the full explanation.

Today's card:

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11
it seems like it should have something to do with knights...

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

hmmm...maybe and another companion if you cannot spot a burden in the parentheses?

[lem0nhead]

•In Stead of the Steward
Condition
Bearer must be Gandalf.
While Gandalf is not exhausted, each unbound Man is resistance +1.
Maneuver: Spot X Men and exert Gandalf to shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Discard this condition.
"Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory. Tirelessly he strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south upon the wall..."
M1U11

#$&*@! powerful ability but sound.

Passed From My Sight
Event • Fellowship
Exert Gandalf to heal the Ring-bearer (and, if the fellowship is in region 3, remove a burden).
"'We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'"
M1C12

Meh really useless until site 7 obviously so not sure theres enough incentive to use it.