An experiment of culture... Gandalfs!

[Thranduil]

Ever thought how much of a shame it was that Aragorn was the only Free Peoples character to change culture in the entirety of the game? Well, I've been thinking about that... Here are 5 Gandalfs (the in their text means that they have the culture):

Gandalf, Lover of Pipeweed
Companion • Wizard
Str: 7
Vit: 4
Res: 8
.
Regroup: Exert Gandalf to heal a Hobbit or play a pipeweed from your discard pile.
'"... Hobbits first put it into pipes... Though one Wizard that I knew took up the art long ago, and became as skillful in it as in all other things that he put his mind to.'"

Gandalf, Defender of Gondor
Companion • Wizard
Str: 7
Vit: 4
Res: 7
. Knight.
Regroup: Exert Gandalf to heal a Man or play a fortification from your discard pile.
"'You will need every man and more,' said Gandalf. 'Make all haste. I will come when I can. But I have an errand to the Lord Denethor that will not wait. Take command in the Lord's absence!'"

Gandalf, Defender of Rohan
Companion • Wizard
Str: 7
Vit: 4
Res: 7
. Valiant.
Response: If a mounted Man is about to take a wound, exert Gandalf to heal that companion or exert a minion.
"'I have but given good counsel in peril, and made use of the speed of Shadowfax. Your own valour has done more, and the stout legs of the Westfold-men marching through the night.'"

Gandalf, Olórin
Companion • Wizard
Str: 8
Vit: 4
Res: 7
.
Maneuver: Exert Gandalf to heal an Elf or reveal the top card of your draw deck; you may place that card beneath your draw deck.
"'Gandalf the Grey set out with the Company... Now tell us where he is; for I much desired to speak with him again.'"

Gandalf, Tharkûn
Companion • Wizard
Str: 7
Vit: 4
Res: 7
. Damage +1.
Skirmish: Exert Gandalf to heal a Dwarf or make a Dwarf damage +1.
"'"Many are my names in many countries," he said. "Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves..."'"

[MR. Lurtzy]

I think that they are all good except the one. I always thought of Gandalf as defending rohan by countering saruman. Some saruman hate would be better.

[sickofpalantirs]

these seem like they would all be C...and then there could be more complicated rare versions.

[Thranduil]

I've changed Defender of Rohan. And I might come up with a super-Gandalf soon... Let's have a few more people see these cards first.

I was just looking through the practical implications of gaining a culture without the normal race that goes alone with it and these Gandalf's mainly seem to fit in token strategies (Heirs of Gondor, Noble Leaders, Sudden Fury, Run Until Found) but also some other funny things like Last Days of My House/Simbelmyne, Elven Armaments. Even funnier are cards like Citadel to Gate, Light the Beacons, Sharpen Your Swords and King's Advisor! :hey:

Thranduil

[SomeRandomDude]

You so stole these from my alternate culture Gandy follower.
j/k

[Thranduil]

You so stole these from my alternate culture Gandy follower.
j/k

I did remember those, actually - which was what put me immediately in mind of Tharkûn as a subtitle (I believe one of yours had that subtitle). But I've also done culture stuff like this in the past.

Thranduil

[Thranduil]

Rather than half 5 rare Gandalfs as SoP suggested, I thought I might make a rare super-Gandalf instead. As I said, one of the interesting things is token cards tend to reference companions by their culture and not their race, so it made sense to have this copy of Gandalf work with tokens as he now does:

•Gandalf, Defender of Middle-Earth
Companion • Wizard
Str: 7
Vit: 4
Res: 7
While you can spot 3 other companions of the same culture, Gandalf gains that culture.
Maneuver: Remove 3 tokens of Gandalf's culture to discard a Shadow condition or Shadow possession from play.
Regroup: Exert Gandalf to reinforce a token of Gandalf's culture.
"'... the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care.'"

[sickofpalantirs]

I likey...maybe 3 other companions, to make it easier to keep the rule of 5 with rohan and such.

[DáinIronfoot]

Yeah, I have a Gandalf that can become a companion under the right set of circumstances in one of my sets. Makes a lot of sense to have non- versions of everyone's favorite Wizard. I like them all (including the newest one), but Defender of Rohan is missing a very important "take".