tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77588022063642479132024-03-13T19:33:14.178-07:00The Mirkwood RunnerA Journey through The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game by Fantasy Flight GamesChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-64996913449421038552016-07-08T11:30:00.000-07:002016-07-08T11:30:11.817-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 16 - Into the Pit (2p)Matt and Chris take some Dwarves into a dark pit.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-16681908592448066142016-06-06T11:30:00.000-07:002016-06-06T11:30:25.296-07:00Sidetrack - BGG Spring 2016I just got back from Dallas (editor's note- a week ago, at the point at which I finally got to post), where I attended the second annual BGG Spring convention, formerly know as BGG FAM. Last year, I was shocked at how small the convention was compared to BGG.CON in November, but still had a lot of fun. This year was no different. Still smaller than its fall counterpart, BGG Spring was bigger this year than last. For most conventions, I volunteer for <a href="https://strongholdgames.com/" target="_blank">Stronghold Games</a>. Stephen is a good dude, and getting free games in exchange for demoing isn't bad either. This time, however, I decided to take it easy and just focus on playing games. I got 28 game plays over the two days I was there, and I thought I'd talk about them.<br />
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The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - 4 Plays</h4>
This probably doesn't come as a surprise, but I don't typically get a chance to play LOTR at cons. I got to teach it to two of my friends, and these four games are me teaching them, and coming back for more! We played two games each of Journey along the Anduin and Encounter at Amon Din. I had built three decks for the event: A Leadership/Spirit deck with Aragorn/Arwen/Frodo, an Ent Deck with Treebeard/Merry/Pippin, and a Silvan deck with Celeborn/Legolas/Haldir.<br />
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Bear Valley - 2 Plays</h4>
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This was one of the various games which I played and immediately bought. New from Stronghold Games, Bear Valley is a press your luck "card game" from Carl Chudyk. It's a card game, simply in the sense that it uses cards, but they could just as easily be tiles. In the game, you start on one end of a river, and you are trying to get to the other end before your other players. That, and not get eaten by a bear in the process. It's a pretty easy game to teach, especially since most features don't need to be explained until they show up on the table. Very light, very simple, but a fun little game, none the less.</div>
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Codenames - 2 Plays</h4>
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A classic late night game, since I first played it at Gen Con last year. If you don't know Codenames, it's basically a team game, where one player on each team is giving clues to help the rest figure out their "codewords" while avoiding the other team's words, and the dreaded "assassin" word, which will end the game. I imagine that I will be hard pressed to not play this game at cons, or other social settings for that matter. Last Thanksgiving, this was in heavy rotation, even though the relatives are typically more of the "Five Crowns" crowd.</div>
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The Grizzled - 2 Plays</h4>
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Another cooperative game that I love. It is incredibly difficult, and while simple, takes a lot of team work to be successful. I have only beat this game once, these two plays weren't one of them.</div>
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Mafia de Cuba - 2 Plays</h4>
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If you've played The Resistance, I recommend you try Mafia de Cuba. Similar in the aspect of hidden roles, but different in that you get to choose your role. One player is the Godfather, and he passes around his cigar box, which is the actual box for the game. In the box are the boss' diamonds, as well as role chips, such as drivers, loyal hechmen, and federal agents. The Godfather has to find all of his missing diamonds, while not making too many wrong accusations or revealing one of the feds,</div>
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Simon's Cat: The Card Game - 2 Plays</h4>
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I have a friend who works for Steve Jackson Games. When I first met up with him at the con, he was demoing this game. A very simple game based on a YouTube series, which I have never seen, but basically you are playing cards to get other to take tricks. Whoever takes the most tricks gets a "blame card", and whoever is first to get three blame cards loses. </div>
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World's Fair 1893 - 2 Plays</h4>
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I really dug this game. My first game was a demo, then I checked it out from the BGG library and taught it to some friends. Each section has cards next to it, and on your turn, you place a cube next to a section, take the cards from said section, refill and pass turn. Whoever has the most cubes in a given section gets to submit invention ideas for points, most points wins.</div>
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Animals on Board - 1 Play</h4>
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My second "demo then immediately buy" game, Animal on Board has the players filling the role off the Ark owners who were left out of the bible. The basic mechanic is splitting lots, which seems basic, but has significant strategic potential. You have room in your Ark for 10 animals, and the more of a single type, the more points you get. Watch out for only having a pair of animals, though, because Noah will grab them. I guess history is written by winners.</div>
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Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame - 1 Play</h4>
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Another upcaming game from Steve Jackson Games that my friend showed me. This one is a programmed movement game. You move your phone booth around based on the directions on cards played, trying to pick up historical figures. The trick is, though, that as you pick up historical figures, they add their own required movements that you have to take into consideration. Pretty neat, and it's something I may have to pick up when it comes out.</div>
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Blood Rage - 1 Play</h4>
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Colosseum - 1 Play</h4>
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This is up there as far as favorite board games. I own the original Days of Wonders edition, and while I don't plan to get the Tasty Minstrel edition, I am excited it's going back in print. There are so many interesting aspects to this game that make me love it. It really rewards learning the game, as you need to plan from the start what you want to do on your last turn. In addition, I love that your score through the game is a strategic element as well. </div>
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The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game - 1 Play</h4>
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First off, I know nothing about The Dresden Files books or TV series. I say that, because I really enjoyed playing this game, and it had nothing to do with the source material. Very different than other cooperative card games, you see all of your threats from the start and unless you can get some card draw, you're stuck with your opening hand. I have reached out to the publishers, Evil Hat Productions, and I hope to dig into this game further.</div>
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Master Thieves - 1 Play</h4>
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This is a must play if you go to BGG. Master Thieves is all about spacial memory. You have a pile of diamonds that you are trying to launder through this very impressive box. You've got to experience it to fully appreciate it.</div>
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Of Dungeons Deep! (Second Edition) - 1 Play</h4>
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This game was originally a Kickstarter project by Jason Glover. I discovered it while browsing the vendor area. One of the vendors, Bob's Weekend Wonders, a non-brick and mortar FLGS, had their own lending library for people to check out. In addition, checking games out entered you into a drawing for the game at the end of the con. I played this with a random guy, who ended being the dude who made Captain N: The Game Master (for those who remember that cartoon). It was an interesting dungeon crawling card game. It reminded me of Cutthroat Caverns, where you work with the other players to kill the monsters, but you only get rewards if you do the most damage, but you can also set it up so your opponents get hurt by the monsters. Not a bad game, especially considering I ended up winning it in the drawing! Definitely worth the price.</div>
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Quadropolis - 1 Play</h4>
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This is one I had come into the con wanting to play. A game built around tile placement, but with a spacial element involved in the drafting of tiles. It's interesting to have to balance which tile you want, plus having to make sure you have an "architect" that can grab that tile, plus having the space available to play said architect. I really enjoyed it and expect to eventually pick this up.</div>
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Qwirkle Cubes - 1 Play</h4>
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Qwirkle is one of those games which are easy to sit down and play. Qwirkle Cubes is a version of the classic game, but with cubes (shocker!). Each cube is a certain color, and the sides of the cube have the different shapes. Each turn, you get to reroll the cubes to see if you can get the shape you need.</div>
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Taluva Deluxe - 1 Play</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxaQQiq4HnJLoKFLAfsfLyr9bzfNHHDhV51JGFcJtBV2tQ06Y7AS_amXGaLxeAfj9FtM7mPBANNkJ0ASTY-DKnv0OGC5Azu80GLNq50q_2npWoWD4vzs5O5zXuWM2hJMiigD49Hs65qc/s1600/92ca7d_6019173f39e341ec9f1b8cf455f45222.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxaQQiq4HnJLoKFLAfsfLyr9bzfNHHDhV51JGFcJtBV2tQ06Y7AS_amXGaLxeAfj9FtM7mPBANNkJ0ASTY-DKnv0OGC5Azu80GLNq50q_2npWoWD4vzs5O5zXuWM2hJMiigD49Hs65qc/s320/92ca7d_6019173f39e341ec9f1b8cf455f45222.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2002188924/taluva-deluxe-version?ref=nav_search" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> I remember seeing last year. I had never played the original, but the the pretty factor of the deluxe intrigued me. A very interesting game where you are trying to layout tiles to make an island, meanwhile trying to put out your hut pieces. Each type of piece you have has their own rules for placement, and if you ever can't place a piece, you're out of the game. If you are able to place all of two types of pieces, you win the game. I didn't win this, but it was really close.</div>
<h4>
Trajan - 1 Play</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpNjgliOiN2I9wUC2e0ZLg_KKuSvnGfDZuTuI5z9bqlslrXDPMyeYuTOxFw9WDJB27Wpz5sTZLVMceKarIAiN1NMDN3Ur46ZYJd6O_1fj9L_EU6gRQ7cxRPKBkWnyKK71UAeibELBMxo/s1600/Trajan-game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpNjgliOiN2I9wUC2e0ZLg_KKuSvnGfDZuTuI5z9bqlslrXDPMyeYuTOxFw9WDJB27Wpz5sTZLVMceKarIAiN1NMDN3Ur46ZYJd6O_1fj9L_EU6gRQ7cxRPKBkWnyKK71UAeibELBMxo/s320/Trajan-game.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was the last game I played at BGG Spring, and I'm still impressed I was able to teach, play, and win a Stefan Feld game after midnight. For those unfamiliar, it has a mancala mechanic for choosing actions taken. Like other Feld games, efficiency is </div>
<h4>
Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game - 1 Play</h4>
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Last, and unfortunately least, was this game. Probably the biggest disappointment of the con. I played the tutorial scenario, and had no desire to play any further. The game play was really simplistic, but in such a way that I wasn't motivated to keep going. Obviously, the scenarios past the tutorial are more complex, but unless someone really wanted to play with me, I'd pass.</div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-91600872857244179812016-05-03T11:30:00.000-07:002016-05-03T11:30:11.395-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 15 - Return to Mirkwood (2p, Take 3) One more time, let's go back to Mirkwood...<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-47507031593457058412016-04-21T10:22:00.002-07:002016-04-21T10:24:02.313-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 14 - Return to Mirkwood (2p, Take 2) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matthew and I once again attempt to return the creature Gollum.</div>
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http://ringsdb.com/fellowship/view/254/nightmare-run-episode-14-return-to-mirkwoodChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-8336455019167525002016-03-05T11:30:00.000-08:002016-03-05T11:30:07.382-08:00Dori and Bilbo.. Good Heroes?<div class="" data-block="true" data-offset-key="cjo32-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="cjo32-0-0">If you haven't gotten to chance to play with mndela on OCTGN, you should look for him. He posted this deck: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/204396-doribilbo-are-good/</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="30cfh-0-0">Now, most people mock Dori and Bilbo as less than great cards, but his deck sung when paired with my questing deck. It was rad!</span></div>
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(note- I accidentally exported the wrong cards for Arwen & Treebeard)</div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-43242056787783041352016-02-26T11:30:00.000-08:002016-02-26T11:30:06.956-08:00What do I buy? Mirkwood Runner Buying GuideIt doesn't matter what forum you frequent, any where that discusses LOTR, the same question comes up. "What should I buy next?" Ian, over at <a href="https://talesfromthecards.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Tales from the Cards</a>, has done at great job keeping up with the new expansions in his <a href="https://talesfromthecards.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/new-player-buying-guide/" target="_blank">buying guide</a>. What my intention is to not give as much of an in depth look at each individual expansion, but to look at them at a higher level and give you advice as to what to buy next.<br />
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Not all players are created equally, and as such, I do not expect one buying guide to handle all. To that end, I have come up with a few player types, and in each, axioms which I will use to build their guide. My hope is that you will find a player type that fits your interest in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and will be helpful when making your purchasing decisions.<br />
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<b>Slave to Theme</b><br />
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The Slave to Theme players are fans of the books, first and foremost. They are looking to recreate the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings through the card game. Because of this, the majority of quests will be those which come in the saga expansions, but other expansions are purchased for the cards which fit thematically. Not only does Ian make a great buying guide, but I also recommend his custom expansion, <a href="https://talesfromthecards.wordpress.com/first-age/" target="_blank">First Age</a>, to be able to play through the events of The Silmarillion.<br />
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<u>Axioms</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Gameplay must be focused on the events from the books.</li>
<li>Utilizes cards that are thematically accurate to the books.</li>
</ul>
<u>Purchasing Order</u><br />
<br />
In this list, I took care to focus on the saga expansions, and also add in other expansions to add characters that were central to the part of the books represented by that particular saga expansion. All these expansions are optional, as their quests do not tie into the events of the books, but the player cards included do.<br />
<ul>
<li>Core Set</li>
<li>The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion</li>
<li>Khazad-Dum Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>Across the Ettenmoors Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Hobbit: On the Doorstep Saga Expansion</li>
<li>Return to Mirkwood Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Battle of Lake-town Print on Demand Expansion</li>
<li>The Black Riders Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Wastes of Eriador Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Old Forest Saga Expansion</li>
<li>Fog on the Barrow-downs Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Road Darkens Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Dead Marshes Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Watcher in the Water Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Treason of Saruman Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Voice of Isengard Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Land of Shadow Saga Expansion</li>
</ul>
<b>LCG Enthusiast</b><br />
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With the variety of living card games, such as Android Netrunner and Warhammer Conquest, and even non-FFG games which follow a similar game model, such as AEG's Doomtown Reloaded or Plaid Hat Games' Ashes, some people will find their whole gaming life consumed by them. Lord of the Rings is a great addition to the LCG collector, as it fits a specific niche not held by others. To the best of my knowledge, LOTR is the only LCG that is cooperative. Because of this, it's easy to fit into the collection, without having to worry about keeping up with the meta like you have to in competitive LCG's. This type of player is personified in The Tenth Nazgul's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr278B6bpwxzin9rzgd4u2CRhrSoFjJkW" target="_blank">Progression Series</a>. Unfortunately, Mitch has moved on to cover Conquest, but another member of the community has taken up the task in the form of The Warden of Arnor's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLegYhrfIq2vPA2mrDef3dKQGip9MUNz9-" target="_blank">Line Unbroken Series</a>.<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Axioms</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Buys multiple LCGs</li>
<li>Interested in deck building and how the game has evolved</li>
</ul>
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</ul>
<u>Purchasing Order</u><br />
<div>
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This is the simplest purchasing order of the group. For the player interested in experiencing how the game has changed since its inception, simply buy it in the order of release. Ian's buying guide is organized by order in which things were released. I would also recommend Nightmare decks as you feel comfortable with the respective quest, and are ready to kick up the difficulty. Extra core sets can also be added as you see the need for extra copies of the 1-of and 2-of cards.<br />
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<b>Deck Builder</b><br />
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The deck builder player is similar to the LCG enthusiast, and may also collect other LCG's, but this player is interested in building the strongest decks first.<br />
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<u>Axioms</u><br />
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<ul>
<li>Wants the best decks as quickly as possible.</li>
<li>Quest variety is secondary to getting the best cards.</li>
</ul>
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<u>Purchasing Order</u><br />
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Core Set x3</li>
<li>The Dunland Trap Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Trouble in Tharbad Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Antlered Crown Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Celebrimbor's Secret Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Black Riders Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Road Darkens Saga Expansion</li>
<li>Return to Mirkwood Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Khazad-Dum Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Hobbit: On the Doorstep Saga Expansion</li>
<li>Foundations of Stone Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Watcher in the Water Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Shadow and Flame Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Heirs of Numenor Deluxe Expansion</li>
</ul>
</div>
<b>Cost Conscious</b><br />
<br />
I try not to think about how much money I've spent on this one game. Between three core sets, every expansion, sleeves, etc, the total is high at this point. For someone just getting into the game, this can be fairly daunting, regardless of their gaming budget. This list is intended to help get the player in and maximize the utility of their purchases.<br />
<br />
<u>Axioms</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Get the most "bang for their buck"</li>
<li>If you can't fully utilize the expansion, save it for later.</li>
</ul>
<u>Purchasing Order</u><br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Core Set</li>
<li>Return to Mirkwood Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Khazad-Dum Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Hobbit: On the Doorstep Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Watcher in the Water Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Foundations of Stone Adventure Pack</li>
<li>Heirs of Numenor Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Steward's Fear Adventure Pack</li>
<li>The Voice of Isengard Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Lost Realm Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Grey Havens Deluxe Expansion</li>
<li>The Black Riders Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Road Darkens Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Treason of Saruman Saga Expansion</li>
<li>The Land of Shadow Saga Expansion</li>
</ul>
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In this list, you are given two main archetypes to play with: Dwarves and Outland. Both are very strong, and give you good decks with minimum investment. The deluxe expansions give you a view into the various types of decks you can build. If a certain trait catches your eye, I recommend Ian's guide to find the adventure packs that are associated with those traits.</div>
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This is by no means an exhaustive list of player types, but a start. Do you have other ideas for player types? Feel free to let me know your thoughts and look forward to new player types, and decks to fit the types.</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-59914250418900717552016-02-23T11:30:00.000-08:002016-02-26T17:36:58.596-08:00Taking Back the Questing Crown - Community Deck ContructionWhen we bought our core sets, we were handed four decks of 30 cards, and had to figure out what to do with them. When I got to that blue deck, I looked at the four willpower of Eowyn, plus her discard ability, I assumed that Spirit was deck for questing. As time has gone on, looking at cards such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/the-watcher-in-the-water/sword-that-was-broken-twitw" target="_blank">Sword that was Broken</a>, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-morgul-vale/visionary-leadership-tmv" target="_blank">Visionary Leadership</a>, and the ability to get a bunch of allies on the board, Leadership has become the superior choice in many cases.<br />
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My intention is to build a strong questing deck with only Spirit heroes. I started added all the cards I wanted, and got up to over 90 cards! I started to think how I could trim it down, but instead, I thought I'd throw it out to community to take over from here.</div>
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My thought in putting this together is that this deck will handle the majority of questing, but also be able to handle a bit of combat. Defense is handled either by <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-hobbit/over-hill-and-under-hill/gandalf-ohauh" target="_blank">Gandalf</a> or using <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-druadan-forest/white-tower-watchman-tdf" target="_blank">White Tower Watchmen</a> to tank undefended attacks. Attacking back can be handled a variety of ways. I have <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-treason-of-saruman/herugrim-r1456" target="_blank">Herugrim</a> to bolster <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/eowyn-core" target="_blank">Eowyn's</a> attack, or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/fair-and-perilous-r1605" target="_blank">Fair and Perilous</a> to make <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-grey-havens/c%c3%adrdan-the-shipwright-r1710" target="_blank">Cirdan</a> a threat. If all the pieces fell together, I'd love to Eowyn, with Herugrim and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/elf-friend-r1638" target="_blank">Elf-friend</a> attached, use her discard ability, then using Fair and Perilous and/or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/celebrimbor-s-secret/nenya-r1266" target="_blank">Nenya</a> to boost her attack to ridiculous levels. This combo could be expanded. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/protector-of-lorien-core" target="_blank">Protector of Lorien</a> and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-morgul-vale/lay-of-nimrodel-tmv" target="_blank">Lay of Nimrodel</a> are both included to help with questing or continue to boost the aforementioned Eowyn or Cirdan combos. I take advantage of Nenya and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-grey-havens/narya-r1724" target="_blank">Narya</a> giving their wielders Lore and Leadership, respectively, by including various attachments and events, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/steward-of-gondor-core" target="_blank">Steward of Gondor</a>, which I would expect to best go on <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/celebrimbor-s-secret/galadriel-r1259" target="_blank">Galadriel</a>, </div>
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With that said, I hand this over to the Lord of the Rings LCG community. What are your thoughts on the deck? The first thing I'd like to do is see what we feel needs to be trimmed off. Because of Cirdan cycling through cards, and the other card draw opportunities, I don't think it's necessary to get down to exactly 50, but the deck size is a little silly right now. Feel free to reply on Twitter, leave a comment on Facebook, or any other way you wish to respond. I want to start more of a conversation between myself and the greater LOTR crew, so I encourage anyone who wants, to respond in their own blogs, or record a video or an audio clip. If you do, I will share it so everyone can check it out.</div>
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Total Cards: (96)</div>
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<div>
Hero: (3)</div>
<div>
Círdan the Shipwright (The Grey Havens)</div>
<div>
Eowyn (Core Set)</div>
<div>
Galadriel (Celebrimbor's Secret)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ally: (28)</div>
<div>
3x Arwen Undomiel (The Watcher in the Water)</div>
<div>
3x Curious Brandybuck (The Wastes of Eriador)</div>
<div>
3x Escort from Edoras (A Journey to Rhosgobel)</div>
<div>
3x Ethir Swordsman (The Steward's Fear)</div>
<div>
3x Galadriel’s Handmaiden (Celebrimbor's Secret)</div>
<div>
3x Pelargir Shipwright (Assault on Osgiliath)</div>
<div>
2x Gandalf (Over Hill and Under Hill)</div>
<div>
2x Treebeard (The Antlered Crown)</div>
<div>
3x White Tower Watchman (The Drúadan Forest)</div>
<div>
3x Envoy of Pelargir (Heirs of Numenor)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Attachment: (37)</div>
<div>
3x Herugrim (The Treason of Saruman)</div>
<div>
3x Light of Valinor (Foundations of Stone)</div>
<div>
3x Map of Earnil (Assault on Osgiliath)</div>
<div>
3x Mirror of Galadriel (Celebrimbor's Secret)</div>
<div>
3x Snowmane (The Land of Shadow)</div>
<div>
3x Silver Harp (The Treachery of Rhudaur)</div>
<div>
3x The Favor of the Lady (Core Set)</div>
<div>
1x Elf-friend (The Treachery of Rhudaur)</div>
<div>
3x Narya (The Grey Havens)</div>
<div>
3x Nenya (Celebrimbor's Secret)</div>
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1x Celebrian's Stone (Core Set)</div>
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3x Protector of Lorien (Core Set)</div>
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2x Steward of Gondor (Core Set)</div>
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3x Unexpected Courage (Core Set)</div>
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Event: (31)</div>
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3x A Test of Will (Core Set)</div>
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3x Elrond's Counsel (The Watcher in the Water)</div>
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3x Lay of Nimrodel (The Morgul Vale)</div>
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3x The Galadhrim's Greeting (Core Set)</div>
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1x Will of the West (Core Set)</div>
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3x Fair and Perilous (Across the Ettenmoors)</div>
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3x Daeron's Runes (Foundations of Stone)</div>
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3x Deep Knowledge (The Voice of Isengard)</div>
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3x Word of Command (The Long Dark)</div>
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3x Elwing’s Flight (The Grey Havens)</div>
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3x Dwarven Tomb (Core Set)</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-68458909467776492722016-02-21T11:30:00.000-08:002016-02-21T11:30:20.148-08:00My Newest HobbitMy first blog post was made from a hospital room, so I figured this would be appropriate. Meet Matthew Oliver. Born 2/16 at 12:35 pm. He has two other hobbits waiting for him at home, ready to make mischief.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-76717196244681600122016-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:002016-02-01T11:30:00.820-08:00Nightmare Run Episode 13 - Return to Mirkwood (2p)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matt and I attempt to return Gollum to King Thranduil.</div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-41917039790599657602016-01-14T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-14T11:30:07.336-08:00Nightmare Run Episode 12 - The Dead Marshes (2p) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matt and I skip over Emyn Muil and go straight to tracking down Golem. </div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-33135410184242545922016-01-12T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-12T11:30:13.669-08:00COTR New Years Eve Mega-Stream!I missed them posting the video since it didn't go through their standard YouTube channel. I was on the COTR New Years Eve stream. We chatted, had a trivia contest, and then I helped Brandon pilot his deck. A very challenging task when you have to deal with stream delay. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-33468584253690274002016-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-11T11:30:04.577-08:00Nightmare Black Riders Contest Winner!Thank you so much to everyone who entered the contest. Out of the 17 who entered, either on Facebook or Twitter, the winner was Thomas Vos, from the Netherlands. Congrats to him, and I will be sending the cards out as soon as possible.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-58547007467661911192016-01-06T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-06T11:30:11.987-08:00Temple of the Decieved - I'm the Map!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24ES5R7XlO4Fgqnd5IUJvx2KlkH4Dr6nw9DqDj6WedsZl6SGa57-cYWHK2lOj0sBtICBSJ6qxaDpxf-4pcqk65dvmPN1-krVWTjH9OA2UJ3Obghho0IwLGLE5IErsyy5r-aapHOLpBGg/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24ES5R7XlO4Fgqnd5IUJvx2KlkH4Dr6nw9DqDj6WedsZl6SGa57-cYWHK2lOj0sBtICBSJ6qxaDpxf-4pcqk65dvmPN1-krVWTjH9OA2UJ3Obghho0IwLGLE5IErsyy5r-aapHOLpBGg/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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FFG has <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/1/6/temple-of-the-deceived/" target="_blank">announced the third adventure pack</a> in the Dream-chaser cycle, Temple of the Deceived. In this adventure, we see a new take on locations, by using them to make a map of an uncharted island. I am very excited by this news, as location lock has been a concern since the beginning of the game. Instead of drawing these locations, they start out in play, in such a way that they make a map you move around and explore. Only adjacent locations to your active location are considered in the staging area, and thus you have a better idea of what to expect, and not get bogged down by locations.</div>
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In addition to this news, we got some previews regarding the scout trait, with three different cards. If these three cards are an example of things to come, I'm very interested to play around with the trait.</div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-12570318810602551392015-12-28T11:30:00.000-08:002015-12-28T11:30:05.654-08:00Oops! Let's have a contest<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oZjQEqU5-tdfA-3QgJkzKrKPOpuhqIpptoQ3fZNAF5MdqLPu03580434eyAF2pFIxgmWGy530Pnh3K6PIa13NlcUVw42fPH6KmojmWhN1beLgyPewyeVslD51DB6JbK7QPa3OInR4HM/s1600/FFGMEN19.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oZjQEqU5-tdfA-3QgJkzKrKPOpuhqIpptoQ3fZNAF5MdqLPu03580434eyAF2pFIxgmWGy530Pnh3K6PIa13NlcUVw42fPH6KmojmWhN1beLgyPewyeVslD51DB6JbK7QPa3OInR4HM/s400/FFGMEN19.jpg" /></a></div>
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A month ago, I purchased the nightmare decks for Black Riders. I finally got around to putting them away, only to find out that I already had it. Oops.</div>
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So what to do? Let's have a little contest. Here's how you can join in:</div>
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<li>Like my Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mirkwoodrunner">https://www.facebook.com/mirkwoodrunner</a></li>
<li>Follow me on twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mirkwoodrunner">https://twitter.com/mirkwoodrunner</a></li>
<li>Retweet/Share the posts about this contest.</li>
</ul>
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That's four chances to win, regardless if you're a new reader or brand new. If this winner lives in the United States, shipping will be covered. If the winner is international, we can still work something out, but I will probably need help with shipping costs. Good luck!</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-61856415300623760182015-11-13T11:30:00.000-08:002015-11-13T11:30:01.247-08:00Impressions - The Battle of Carn Dûm Player CardsI feel like I've blinked and the Angmar Awakened cycle is almost complete. The second to last adventure pack has come out and we are seeing the promises made in the preview articles really flesh out.<br />
<b>Heroes</b><br />
We've seen him as an objective ally in three of the quests of this cycle, and now <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/amarthi%c3%bal-r1660" target="_blank">Amarthiúl</a> is getting the hero treatment. Sporting the same stats as his objective version, we see him as a Leadership hero, but with a very strong Tactics feel. This becomes even clearer in his abilities. As with other Dúnedain, he benefits from engaging enemies. In this case, he gains the Tactics sphere when engaged with one enemy, and gains extra resources. Armarthiúl combines <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-dead-marshes/song-of-battle-tdm" target="_blank">Song of Battle</a> and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/the-watcher-in-the-water/resourceful-twitw" target="_blank">Resourceful</a> into his hero ability. Leadership is rich, forgive the pun, with resource acceleration, and being able to smooth resources between both Leadership and Tactics is beneficial. Unfortunately, there aren't any Dúnedain cards in the Tactics sphere which truly need the resources. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/dunedain-hunter-r1337" target="_blank">Dúnedain Hunter</a> is a zero cost card which, while you need the resource match, you don't need any of the additional resources. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/assault-on-osgiliath/gondorian-fire-aoo" target="_blank">Gondorian Fire</a>, on the other hand, benefits strongly from Armarthiúl being able to gain extra resources. If you access to Spirit, then <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/heirs-of-numenor/blood-of-numenor-hon" target="_blank">Blood of Numenor</a> is another benefit to Armarthiúl's resources. Many times, I find putting these attachments on <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-dead-marshes/boromir-tdm" target="_blank">Boromir</a>, since he can use his readying effect to take advantage of the combat boosts multiple times, but with readying effects such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/athelas-r1344" target="_blank">Athelas</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/unexpected-courage-core" target="_blank">Unexpected Courage</a> you can get similar utility.<br />
<b>Allies</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/beechbone-r1663" target="_blank">Beechbone</a> joins the Ent army as another Tactics ally. His ability allows you to declare him as a defender, and immediately take damage to then deal damage to the attacking enemy. Just like core set classic, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/gondorian-spearman-core" target="_blank">Gondorian Spearman</a>, direct damage becomes more and more important as we see the game evolve. To counter the larger player card pool, we have seen nastier enemies come out with higher hit points, and higher defense. Being able to throw some direct damage on enemies, especially if Beechbone is going to die from the attack, is an excellent form of action advantage. If he survives, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/escape-from-mount-gram/boomed-and-trumpeted-r1499" target="_blank">Boomed and Trumpeted</a> gives him the chance to ready and attack strongly. Damage effects boost <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/the-antlered-crown/booming-ent-r1285" target="_blank">Booming Ent's</a> attack, and at the end of the round, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/wellinghall-preserver-r1606" target="_blank">Wellinghall Preserver</a> can heal him up.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/guardian-of-arnor-r1661" target="_blank">Guardian of Arnor</a> is yet another card to add to the strong Dúnedain archetype. In this case, this sentinel defender gains additional defense for every enemy engaged with the player. A solid ally for sure, especially at three cost. My immediate comparison is to <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/warden-of-annuminas-r1339" target="_blank">Warden of Annuminas</a>, which gives additional willpower for every enemy engaged, but at a cheaper cost. With the higher cost, you do get slightly better stats, but considering that the Guardian is in Leadership vs Warden's Spirit sphere, the cost difference is even rougher. If you're using Dúnedain with access to Leadership, this is definitely an inclusion. Be careful, however, when using his sentinel ability, since the defense boost only works based on how many enemies you have engaged.<br />
In the books, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/lindir-r1665" target="_blank">Lindir</a> role is as the smug Elf Lord who listened to Bilbo's poetry. That smugness is definitely clear in the art for this card. For three cost, you get an ally with decent stats, as well as the possibility to draw cards, up to a hand size of three. This plays right into the Noldor trait that has been in development this cycle. Obviously, if you're using <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/erestor-r1629" target="_blank">Erestor</a>, card draw is not typically an issue. With other builds, however, especially in Lindir's Spirit sphere, some form of card draw is needed. This could be a more reliable form of <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/a-journey-to-rhosgobel/ancient-mathom-ajtr" target="_blank">Ancient Mathom</a>, with card draw in the planning phase rather than questing. Paired with Leadership, I could see Lindir as a good candidate for <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/sneak-attack-core" target="_blank">Sneak Attack</a>, with him popping in for cheap, drawing some cards, and then returning to hand. Alternatively, he could be a target for <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-blood-of-gondor/children-of-the-sea-tbog" target="_blank">Children of the Sea</a>, where he quests for four, then gets shuffled back into the deck, to be used later.<br />
<b>Attachments</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/favor-of-the-valar-r1669" target="_blank">Favor of the Valar</a> is the first attachment to attach to a player's threat dial. Tying right into the valour trait, this card, in a fairly clumsily written fashion, triggers when a player would otherwise be eliminated by threat. Instead, the player's threat is dropped by five, and player sticks around. When running valour, it behooves you to stay at 40 threat for as much of the game as possible. Typically, threat management has been seen in Spirit, but this is not what you would expect to see in a valour deck. Tactics did get some threat management with Secret Vigil, but it is not as reliable as other forms of threat reduction. This allows you to get some threat reduction, but only at the last moment. It could be very difficult if RNG keeps you from drawing this card, but such is the ever present concern in this game of ours. In addition to valour, playing doomed cards introduced in the previous cycle could also take advantage of this card.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/the-long-defeat-r1667" target="_blank">The Long Defeat</a> thematically captures the feeling of the Elves, as they slowly are losing the battle against darkness over their immortal lives. As we saw the first time an attachment attached to a threat dial, this is the first time we see a player attachment that attaches to the quest. For one lore resource, after the attached quest is defeated, each player gets to either heal 5 damage among the characters he controls, or draw two cards. Obviously, card draw is great, but with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/shadow-and-flame/elrond-saf" target="_blank">Elrond</a>, the healing could be bonkers. Elrond's text reads that whenever a character is healed by card effects, heal one additional hit point. Based on card text, as written, if you heal one hit point, Elrond heals another. Therefore, if you heal five separate characters, this could heal a total of 10 hit points! Spread across four players, and this could be incredible value for the cost. In most cases, this card would be wasted on the final quest card, but in a quest like A Journey to Rhosgobel, attaching this card to quest 2B could give you the boost to make sure Wilyador is fully healed.<br />
<b>Events</b><br />
Typically, cards that interact with quest are meant to improve your willpower, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/doom-hangs-still-r1662" target="_blank">Doom Hangs Still</a> is there to protect you in case you quest unsuccessfully. Similar to <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/khazad-dum/ever-onward-kd" target="_blank">Ever Onward</a>, this card protects players from raising your threat after questing unsuccessfully. A reactionary card, to be sure, I prefer to be more proactive. I have never included Ever Onward in a deck, as I rather be in control at the start than wait for something bad to happen. Furthermore, this card is played as a Planning Action, so it can't even be used in response to questing successfully. It could be argued that these cards could be used to save characters for combat, but since staging still occurs, you will still have to deal with any when revealed effects on cards. This is where Doom Hangs Still's valour action comes into the play. For effectively Doomed 2, you skip the quest phase entirely. This is the best part of the card, as it allows you to not worry about questing, but at a significant cost. This seems like a last ditch effort in most quests, where you already have quested sufficiently, but you still need to finish some other condition, such as defeating a boss enemy. That said, it still seems like a last ditch effort, where the game is on the line and that doesn't feel like the way I want to play, except in very specific scenarios, such as Helm's Deep.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/hold-your-ground-r1664" target="_blank">Hold Your Ground!</a> adds a new dynamic to sentinel characters. Previous to this card, sentinel had no utility outside of multiplayer and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/the-antlered-crown/the-day%e2%80%99s-rising-r1284" target="_blank">The Day's Rising</a>. While a small step, this card begins to give value to the trait in a single player game. For one resource, a sentinel character can ready, or in the case of valour mode, all sentinel characters can ready. This one is fairly cut and dry, but being able to ready a bunch of characters, or even just one, can be clutch when fighting some rough enemies. In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5FJDvGd8HY" target="_blank">recent game with COTR</a>, I played a deck with a heavy sentinel focus. Had this card been in the deck, the utility of the deck would be even great, including utility that could of been had from other players' sentinel characters.<br />
Over the course of the cycle, we have seen many ways to put cards into our discard pile in exchange for various abilities. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/lords-of-the-eldar-r1666" target="_blank">Lord of the Eldar</a> takes full advantage of this. Only playable from the discard pile, this relatively expensive spirit event boosts the stats of all Noldor on the board, for the entire round. When paired with a Noldor-focused deck, or Noldors across multiple decks, this card could give so much utility. Any Noldor, equipped with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/foundations-of-stone/light-of-valinor-fos" target="_blank">Light of Valinor</a> will see a nice boost to two different actions that round, and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/celebrimbor-s-secret/galadriel-r1259" target="_blank">Galadriel</a> acts like a double boost as see gets the boost to her willpower which she can give to a fellow Noldor that had already been boosted. Throw in <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/the-watcher-in-the-water/arwen-undomiel-twitw" target="_blank">Arwen</a>, and she'll be questing for three, and giving someone else yet another defense boost. <br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-battle-of-carn-d-m/quick-ears-r1668" target="_blank">Quick Ears</a> gives Dúnedain and Rangers access to encounter cancellation similar to <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/eleanor-core" target="_blank">Eleanor</a>. Exhaust a character from one of these archetypes, and shuffle the card back in, revealing a new card. As the deck gets smaller, the chance of getting the same character gets greater, but it does give a chance to remove a card which would really be deadly. Since it's a response that occurs when the card is revealed, surge and doomed keywords are also cancelled. It's an OK card. I see the utility, but its effect isn't that exciting, especially when you consider you could get the same card back, possibly. If you have cheap rangers, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/heirs-of-numenor/ithilien-tracker-hon" target="_blank">Ithilien Tracker</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-land-of-shadow/mablung-r1588" target="_blank">Mablung</a>, and it could be decent.<br />
<b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
This impressions took a bit of time to write. I don't know if it's as we get later in the year, and we get busier, or if it is an expression of my excitement for the adventure pack. There are good cards in this pack, but definitely a lot of cards which didn't excite me. I'm thankful to have it, though I found some cards boring or outside of playstyle, we continue to see development in Dúnedain and Noldor which are very fun ways to play the game. No side quest included in the pack makes me wonder if we've seen the last of player side quests, which I hope is not the case.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-38630902581130389192015-11-03T11:30:00.000-08:002015-11-03T11:30:01.100-08:00Deck List - Dúnedain, with a side of Shenanigans<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will soon have </span><span style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Battle of Carn Dûm, and I have begun looking at the player cards, in preparation for my upcoming Impressions article. Seeing that </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amarthiúl has been promoted from Objective Ally to full-blown hero, it made me interested to flesh out the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dúnedain trait in a full deck. I wanted to put three Dúnedain heroes for this, and I was pleasantly surprised when I started listing out how many we have at this point. I knew Aragorn would be in there, but which one is the question. I thought Tactics would be the obvious choice, since I love his abilities. As I thought about it, I decided to go with Leadership, which led me to also include Halbarad, for mono-Leadership. That then led me to include some of Aragorn's attachments to give him multiple spheres, which then led me to include </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dúnedain allies of all spheres, and Lord of Morthond. To get LoM on the board, I also included Steward of Gondor. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">At this point, I haven't playtested, but my idea is to put Steward of Gondor and Lord of Morthond on Aragorn, along with his artifact attachments. Obviously, the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dúnedain benefit from being engaged with enemies, so </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dúnedain Hunter and Son of Arnor are included to get set up. There's definitely some shenanigans involved in getting the deck set up, but I'll be interested to see how it works.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hero: (3)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">Amarthiúl (The Battle of Carn Dûm)
Aragorn (Core Set)
Halbarad (The Lost Realm)
Ally: (24)
3x </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dúnedain </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 13.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">Hunter (The Lost Realm)
3x Ranger of Cardolan (The Wastes of Eriador)
3x East Road Ranger (The Wastes of Eriador)
3x Greyflood Wanderer (The Three Trials)
3x Guardian of Arnor (The Battle of Carn Dûm)
3x Sarn Ford Sentry (The Lost Realm)
3x Warden of Annuminas (The Lost Realm)
3x Son of Arnor (Core Set)
Attachment: (24)
2x Celebrian's Stone (Core Set)
2x Sword that was Broken (The Watcher in the Water)
2x Ring of Barahir (The Steward's Fear)
2x Lord of Morthond (Encounter at Amon Dîn)
2x Steward of Gondor (Core Set)
2x Blood of Numenor (Heirs of Numenor)
3x Dunedain Mark (The Hunt for Gollum)
3x Dunedain Warning (Conflict at the Carrock)
2x Gondorian Fire (Assault on Osgiliath)
2x Heir of Valandil (The Lost Realm)
2x Star Brooch (The Lost Realm)
Event: (2)
2x Descendants of Kings (Escape from Mount Gram)</span></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-84128394578124793302015-10-29T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-29T11:30:01.058-07:00Treachery of Rhudaur (4p); Lord of the Rings LCG, CotR Twitch 10/27/2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This week, I got to play a game with the COTR crew on Twitch. </div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-79961401086414839272015-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-25T11:30:00.357-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 11 - A Journey to Rhosgobel (2p, Take 3)Once more, we try to save this damn eagle. I accidentally shut off the recording early into the game, so enjoy this two-parter!<div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-20934818413716683982015-10-21T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-21T11:30:00.102-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 10 - A Journey to Rhosgobel (2p, Take 2)Chris and Matt try again to save the Eagle. Still rough.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-52138338486187456342015-10-16T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-16T11:30:00.094-07:00Nightmare Run Episode 9 - A Journey to Rhosgobel (2p)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matt H and I try to save an Eagle. It was rough.</div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-39402198056317667162015-10-12T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-12T11:30:00.701-07:00Deck List - Galadriel's Seeing StoneLife has been fairly busy, but my sight is fixed upon recording new videos. The next Nightmare Run video will be A Journey to Rhosgobel. The deck I'm looking at is designed to be the questing side, while my partner is more focused on combat and healing. To this end, I have put together a deck that will hopefully give us a good idea of what to expect, particularly in regard to finding the precious athelas. The basic strategy is to get Palantir onto Galadriel as soon as possible, probably taking a mulligan for this over any other card. After getting it on her, Merry, the handmaiden, and Elrond's Council are there to negate the threat gain from using in. Wingfoot is used, with the use of the Palantir or Rumour from the Earth, to keep Haldir ready after questing, available to attack. I also include Light of Valinor in the deck, but this is simply to attach to my partner's side, who will be running Elrond. If I was playing solo, I would simply replace it with extra copies of other attachments already in the deck. <br />
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<b>Galadriel's Seeing Stone</b><br />
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Hero: (3)<br />
Haldir of Lórien (Trouble in Tharbad)<br />
Galadriel (Celebrimbor's Secret)<br />
Merry (The Wastes of Eriador)<br />
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Ally: (12)<br />
2x Arwen Undomiel (The Watcher in the Water)<br />
1x Curious Brandybuck (The Wastes of Eriador)<br />
3x Ethir Swordsman (The Steward's Fear)<br />
3x Galadriel’s Handmaiden (Celebrimbor's Secret)<br />
3x Warden of Healing (The Long Dark)<br />
<br />
Attachment: (20)<br />
1x Mirror of Galadriel (Celebrimbor's Secret)<br />
2x Nenya (Celebrimbor's Secret)<br />
3x Palantir (Assault on Osgiliath)<br />
2x Silver Harp (The Treachery of Rhudaur)<br />
3x Unexpected Courage (Core Set)<br />
2x Warden of Anor (The Three Trials)<br />
3x Light of Valinor (Foundations of Stone)<br />
3x Wingfoot (The Nin-in-Eilph)<br />
1x Steed of Imladris (Across the Ettenmoors)<br />
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Event: (18)<br />
3x Rumour from the Earth (Return to Mirkwood)<br />
3x Shadow of the Past (Return to Mirkwood)<br />
3x A Test of Will (Core Set)<br />
3x Daeron's Runes (Foundations of Stone)<br />
3x Elrond's Counsel (The Watcher in the Water)<br />
3x Hasty Stroke (Core Set)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-81452684158055663512015-10-03T11:30:00.000-07:002015-10-03T11:30:01.234-07:00Impressions - The Treachery of Rhudaur Player CardsThe Treachery of Rhudaur has been released, and with that, a new set of player cards. Now that we are past the halfway mark of the Angmar Awakened cycle, we are starting to see FFG make good on the promises of new Noldor synergy,<br />
<b>Heroes</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/erestor-r1629" target="_blank">Erestor</a>'s debut as a hero comes with standard lore flavor, but with a twist. As is no surprise, card draw is the main bullet point in his skill set. Similar to <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-hunt-for-gollum/bilbo-baggins-thfg" target="_blank">Bilbo</a>, Erestor gives additional card draw, but this time, it is only for his controller and it's three extra cards! The draw back, however, is that all cards have to be discarded at the end of the round. To put that into perspective, that's 10 cards, one fifth of a standard deck, in your opening hand, and four cards every round there after. Obviously, quests such as Deadman's Dike, where you're punished for running through your deck, will not see much Erestor action. In solo games, Erestor could be included, replacing all other forms of card draw. That's pretty huge, as it could free up a significant amount of space in a deck. In multiplayer, I could see including <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/beravor-core" target="_blank">Beravor</a>, as a support hero, to give other players card draw. Erestor's extra card draw really shines with abilities which require card discard. Old staples such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/eowyn-core" target="_blank">Eowyn</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/protector-of-lorien-core" target="_blank">Protector of Lorien</a> going to see a lot of use, as the discard requirement is less rough when the card are going away anyway. All the benefits I see, however, are weighed against the potential downfalls. Certain cards, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/a-test-of-will-core" target="_blank">A Test of Will</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/feint-core" target="_blank">Feint</a>, are typically held in hand until they're needed. With Erestor, you have to think differently. The player board is where you have to put your reliance in, not your hand. Cards such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-morgul-vale/scroll-of-isildur-tmv" target="_blank">Scroll of Isildur</a> will be very useful in recycling cards. Another auto-include might seem to be <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/will-of-the-west-core" target="_blank">Will of the West</a>, but this is one you definitely will want to mulligan out of your starting hand.<br />
<b>Allies</b><br />
Silvan is one of my favorite archetypes, and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/galadhrim-weaver-r1634" target="_blank">Galadhrim Weaver</a> continues the trait. For one cost, which is not reducible by <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/trouble-in-tharbad/o-lo%CC%81rien-r1180" target="_blank">O Lórien</a>, it only provides one will power. However, its enters play ability allows you to shuffle the top card of your discard back into your deck. One of the keys to the Silvan trait is being able to return cards to hand, which are typically done through a number of event cards. By playing the Weaver, you can return these valuable cards back into the deck to be used again. Obviously, there are opportunities to use this card in any deck where you want to continuously recycle cards. <br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/galdor-of-the-havens-r1636" target="_blank">Galdor of the Havens</a> is an appropriate pairing with hero Erestor. As soon as you discard a card, draw a card. Since it allows you to essentially replace the card you discard, it seems like an easy decision. I especially like him with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/celebrimbor-s-secret/galadriel-r1259" target="_blank">Galadriel </a>and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/celebrimbor-s-secret/mirror-of-galadriel-r1263" target="_blank">her mirror</a>. I don't typically like to run the mirror, since I don't like the chance of losing the card I just pulled, but with this ally, you can replace whatever card you lose.<br />
<b>Attachments</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/elven-spear-r1632" target="_blank">Elven Spear</a> gives Silvan and Noldor a new weapon to run. For the cost of three cards, the hero wielding the spear can boost his attack by three. Since this is done in three separate occasions, Galdor would be triggered each time. <br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/silver-harp-r1635" target="_blank">Silver Harp</a> also helps the Noldor trait's new discard ability. After discarding a card, exhaust the Silver Harp to return it to the hand. This seems like a great card in general. Obviously, it requires Spirit, both to pay for, and to attach to. Oddly, it is a restricted attachment, which isn't usually an issue for Spirit heroes, with the exception of, perhaps, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/foundations-of-stone/glorfindel-fos" target="_blank">Glorfindel</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/elf-friend-r1638" target="_blank">Elf-friend</a> is a card I never expected to see. By attaching this card to a character, they become both Silvan and Noldor. This falls into the situational section of cards. I like strong combos that don't rely on drawing the right cards at the right time. In the case of this card, you have to pull it in, and then draw whatever card. This could cause some cool combos, such as equipping <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/aragorn-r1334" target="_blank">Tactics Aragorn</a> with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/road-to-rivendell/rivendell-blade-rtr" target="_blank">Rivendell Blade</a> to reduce enemies' defense by three, but I would probably include it in a deck that has a target that wouldn't require Elf-friend as well, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/legolas-core" target="_blank">Legolas</a>.<br />
<b>Events</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/horn%e2%80%99s-cry-r1633" target="_blank">Horn's Cry</a> adds to the Valour trait in a way I can get behind. One less attack for each enemy until the end of the phase, or minus three attack for a single player's enemies. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-hobbit/over-hill-and-under-hill/beorn-ohauh" target="_blank">Beorn</a><i> </i>is a strong defender, but his one defense can sometimes be a burden, with no way of directly boosting it. By using this card, along with the bear's unexhausting sentinel defense, he can take a lot more slings and arrows. Similarly, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-dead-marshes/boromir-tdm" target="_blank">Boromir</a> could also benefit from being able to lessen the attack of his enemies, and with his readying action, his player will probably be consistently using this card's Valour ability.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/reinforcements-r1630" target="_blank">Reinforcements</a> is a card I hadn't made up my mind about when I started analyzing it, but by the end, started to really like it. For three leadership resources, coming from three different heroes, the group can put two allies into play from their hand, but only for that phase. This is essentially a different version of <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/sneak-attack-core" target="_blank">Sneak Attack</a><i>, </i>but something that the whole group can utilize, rather than just the player playing the event. The old combo was to use Sneak Attack plus <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/gandalf-core" target="_blank">Gandalf</a>, but it required that both cards be in one player's hand to pull off. Not only that, but you had to have access to Leadership. Though more expensive, and requiring either mono-Leadership, or the inclusion of <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-hunt-for-gollum/song-of-kings-thfg" target="_blank">songs</a>, this event allows any player in the game to utilize this same combo. Not only that, but the allies may enter play under anyone's control. Perhaps one player has Gandalf in hand and needs some card draw, while another player needs a defender for the round. Simply play this card and both players get what they need. Taking the example further, perhaps that same player needs some help killing the engaged enemy, you still have another ally that can be put into play. Just like Sneak Attack, the allies return to their owners' hands at the end of the phase, which will trigger <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/horn-of-gondor-core" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a>, leaving only a net usage of one resource and one card. As mentioned above, I wasn't sure how I felt about this card initially. Obviously, this won't see as much action in solo, and the three resources from three different resource pools can be rough. In both cases, the downsides aren't that bad. Even in solo play, getting two allies out could still be very strong, and mono-Leadership is one of the strongest mono-spheres in the game. I'm very excited to play around with this card.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/the-door-is-closed-r1637" target="_blank">The Door is Closed</a> is a very interesting play on <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/a-test-of-will-core" target="_blank">A Test of Will</a>. For one Lore resource, you may discard any revealed encounter card. The stipulation is, however, that a card with the same title has to be in the victory display. Immediately, I think of this in a <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/escape-from-mount-gram/rossiel-r1495" target="_blank">Rossiel</a> deck. Whether the card already has victory points on it already, or you use cards such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/road-to-rivendell/out-of-the-wild-rtr" target="_blank">Out of the Wild</a> to put them in there, this card takes a little bit to setup. It seems like it could be OK, but at the same time, just like Rossiel, could whiff.<br />
<b>Side Quest</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-treachery-of-rhudaur/send-for-aid-r1631" target="_blank">Send for Aid</a> finishes the set of side quests for each sphere. When this is played, each player gets to search the top 10 cards for an ally and put it into play under their control. This ability is similar to other events such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-hunt-for-gollum/the-eagles-are-coming-thfg" target="_blank">The Eagles are Coming!</a>, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-hunt-for-gollum/mustering-the-rohirrim-thfg" target="_blank">Mustering the Rohirrim</a>, or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-treason-of-saruman/entmoot-r1457" target="_blank">Entmoot</a>, where you get to search your deck for a certain trait, but in this case, you get to put them into play, albeit only one. I could see this working well in a Rohan deck. Mustering the Rohirrim is similar, but for only one player and they still have to pay to put it into play. When playing multiplayer, this also benefits all players around. You could also use <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-road-darkens/gandalf-r1205" target="_blank">hero Gandalf</a> and <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-road-darkens/wizard-pipe-r1212" target="_blank">Wizard Pipe</a> to toss the ally you want on top of your deck to ensure you get a strong play out of playing this side quest. Strangely, this is the only side quest, thus far, that costs a resource, but Leadership is typically not stretched for resources. That said, more than likely you will get more than one resource's worth of allies out of this card, which makes it more than worth it.<br />
<b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
With the release of this adventure pack, I finally feel that the promise of the new Noldor trait has been fleshed out. With Erestor's extra card draw, and the new benefits from discarding, I'm very excited to fully explore our new cards.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-84466280439979912942015-09-05T11:30:00.000-07:002015-09-14T10:16:30.863-07:00Impressions - Across the Ettenmoors Player CardsAcross the Ettenmoors has been released to the public, and with it, we see a resurgence in some of the most classic archetypes of the game, as well as newer ones.<br />
<b>Heroes</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/dori-r1599" target="_blank">Dori</a> finally gets a proper hero. Like his <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-hobbit/over-hill-and-under-hill/dori-ohauh" target="_blank">ally version</a>, he is focused on protecting his companions. In this case, he is a little less self-sacrificial. Adding his defense to the defense of another hero, essentially makes him a <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-stewards-fear/gondorian-shield-tsf" target="_blank">Gondorian Shield</a> that gains resources. Unlike the shield, his ability is a one shot. The boost only lasts for the one attack, and even if the defending hero can ready for another defense, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-dead-marshes/boromir-tdm" target="_blank">Boromir</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-hobbit/over-hill-and-under-hill/beorn-ohauh" target="_blank">Beorn</a>, Dori is spent. Dori's ability is not limited, so if he could be readied, he could use it again. At that point, you either need to ready multiple heroes, or have multiple heroes to defend, which at that point you're probably limited in your attack, and on the downfall. The bigger issue is that you cannot use his ability reactively, and have to use his ability after declaring defenders, before resolving any shadow effects. This could mean that Dori's ability isn't needed, and thus his 2 attack (more likely 3 with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/return-to-mirkwood/dain-ironfoot-rtm" target="_blank">Dain</a>) is wasted. <br />
More than likely, I see Dori finding a home in Dwarf decks, and less so in other decks. His ability definitely mitigates the weakness that Dwarves typically have. In addition, this is the third Tactics Dwarf hero, which means that you can make a mono-sphere dwarf deck for every sphere now.<br />
<b>Allies</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/longbeard-sentry-r1602" target="_blank">Longbeard Sentry</a> mitigates the Dwarves' defensive issues, just the same as Dori. At the cost of two cards from the top of your deck, this Dwarf gets additional defense and sentinel. This is a solid card, regardless of deck type. Obviously, in a Dwarf deck, especially paired with Dain, he's going to have better stats. If you include <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/foundations-of-stone/imladris-stargazer-fos" target="_blank">Imladris Stargazer</a> to be able to have control over the top of your deck, then you're also be able to use his ability, while milling your deck for the cards you need. <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-morgul-vale/hidden-cache-tmv" target="_blank">Hidden Cache</a> also is a good one to throw in to gain a bit more resource generation with the ability.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/wellinghall-preserver-r1606" target="_blank">Wellinghall Preserver</a> was spoiled a while back in Spanish, here we see it in English. Though the name isn't quite the same as the translation, the ability translated exactly. After this character readies, you can heal 1 damage from an Ent. Though this could weaken your <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-ring-maker-cycle/the-antlered-crown/booming-ent-r1285" target="_blank">Booming Ents</a>, this will allow abilities that trigger off of damage, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/escape-from-mount-gram/derndingle-warrior-r1498" target="_blank">Derndingle Warrior</a>, to trigger multiple times. As well, Boomed and Trumpeted gains value by taking damage, readying, attacking, and then getting a heal. In addition, running <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-treason-of-saruman/treebeard-r1449" target="_blank">hero Treebeard</a> also means needing healing to utilize his willpower/attack boosts. Unlike a similar card, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/the-dead-marshes/silvan-tracker-tdm" target="_blank">Silvan Tracker</a>, the healing is triggered off of the Preserver's readying, rather than the healed character, so your healing is limited by comparison. That said, if you get three of these allies out, your healing capability will be in good shape.<br />
<b>Attachments</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/ranger-provisions-r1600" target="_blank">Ranger Provisions</a> comes in as the leadership version of <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/shadows-of-mirkwood/a-journey-to-rhosgobel/ancient-mathom-ajtr" target="_blank">Ancient Mathom</a>. Instead of drawing cards, you add a resource to each hero for the first player. Looking at other event cards that give resources, such as <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-voice-of-isengard/legacy-of-numenor-voi" target="_blank">Legacy of Númenor</a> or <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/against-the-shadow/the-stewards-fear/gaining-strength-tsf" target="_blank">Gaining Strength</a>, this card costs one resource, which is different. Based on this, I think this card is designed for multiplayer. Leadership has plenty of opportunities to gain resources, and I think the best use of this card is to smooth resources across players.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/steed-of-imladris-r1604" target="_blank">Steed of Imladris</a> adds another mount attachment that gives Spirit additional location control. Attaching to either a Spirit or Noldor hero, this mount allows you to commit to the quest, and then discard a card to place two progress on the active location. A good effect, but I see some issues. For example, Spirit doesn't have great card draw, except for Ancient Mathom. Obviously, if you want to use the effect, you need cards that you can sacrifice. Additionally, since the effect is limited to the active location, it essentially plays like a <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/lorien-guide-core" target="_blank">Lorien Guide</a>, cheaper but with an ongoing cost. If you pair this card with some Lore, I think you could make it work, especially as new Noldor effects come in to synergize with the discard pile.<br />
<b>Events</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/fair-and-perilous-r1605" target="_blank">Fair and Perilous</a> looks vicious, in both art and card effect. Similar to <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/lord-of-the-rings-saga-expansions/the-treason-of-saruman/herugrim-r1456" target="_blank">Herugrim</a>, this event allows a Silvan or Noldor character to boost their attack by their willpower. The first target I can think of is <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/foundations-of-stone/glorfindel-fos" target="_blank">Glorfindel</a>. Combined with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/foundations-of-stone/light-of-valinor-fos" target="_blank">Light of Valinor</a>, he gets to quest, and still be up for attacking. In addition, boost his willpower with <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/core/the-favor-of-the-lady-core" target="_blank">Favor of the Lady</a>, and his questing and attack is better.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/d%C3%BAnedain-message-r1601" target="_blank">Dúnedain Message</a> is pretty straight forward. Search your deck for a side quest, draw it, and shuffle your deck. That's it. You need <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/gather-information-r1347" target="_blank">Gather Information</a>? Grab it. The one weird thing about this card is that it's Leadership, and to this point, there isn't a Leadership side quest released. Otherwise, it's a fine card. It's also a signal card, which means <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/the-lost-realm/weather-hills-watchman-r1336" target="_blank">Weather Hills Watchman</a> can pull it, which can in turn pull whatever side quest you want.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/none-return-r1607" target="_blank">None Return</a> is great paired with the last expansion's hero, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/escape-from-mount-gram/rossiel-r1495" target="_blank">Rossiel</a>. This is a mirror of the card, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/escape-from-mount-gram/leave-no-trace-r1502" target="_blank">Leave No Trace</a>, except instead of putting a location into the victory display, you can put enemies in. I think I like this better than Leave No Trace, because having Rossiel's defense boosted is great, especially when you're likely to have a bunch of the same type of enemy in a quest.<br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/hope-rekindled-r1608" target="_blank">Hope Rekindled</a> will get better. At this point, there's only one event that can be used with this card, <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/the-wastes-of-eriador/rallying-cry-r1469" target="_blank">Rallying Cry</a>. It's nice to reduce the cost, but if FFG doesn't continue to put out Valour cards, it will go into obscurity. As it stands, it is basically a version of <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dwarrowdelf/the-redhorn-gate/good-meal-trg" target="_blank">Good Meal</a>, but more limited.<br />
<b>Side Quest</b><br />
<a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/angmar-awakened-cycle/across-the-ettenmoors/delay-the-enemy-r1603" target="_blank"><span id="goog_294658705"></span>Delay the Enemy</a> gives Tactics their own side quest. In this case, it includes the Battle keyword. Upon clearing the side quest, each player gets to discard a non-unique enemy engaged with them. I think this is definitely a side quest made for multiplayer. As a Tactics player, I don't seem them being as concerned about the engaged enemies. <span id="goog_294658706"></span><br />
<b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
It's interesting to see a return to the Dwarf archetype, as well as other newer archetypes continuing to see new cards. The big thing that I noticed in this pack is the cards which have potential, but obviously there are key components waiting to be released. Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-81494598104698142312015-09-01T11:30:00.000-07:002015-09-01T11:30:02.777-07:00Ruins of Belegost [2p]Derek and I take on the latest Gen Con quest. We did make a major error. We forgot to add resources to "Stalking the Ruins," which would of had the dragon come into play sooner, causing us to lose sooner. Regardless, it was fun and I hope you enjoy.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758802206364247913.post-51480859207214434422015-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:002015-08-26T11:30:00.899-07:00The Grey Havens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two adventure packs into the current cycle, and FFG has announced the next deluxe expansion, <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2015/8/25/the-grey-havens/" target="_blank">The Grey Havens</a>, as well as the next cycle, the Dream-chaser cycle. Having completed our journeys in Angmar, the players are now going to be taken to the ruins of Númenor. </div>
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As would be appropriate for the namesake of this expansion, sailing has been introduced as a new mechanism, Two ships are spoiled in this article, Dawn Star, and Silver Wing. It is stated that each player will select a ship for their heroes, or two in a solo game. Not much has been said about how this will interact, but it appears to be similar to another hero, affecting your starting threat, but also requiring to keep the ship from being destroyed, otherwise you'll be eliminated.</div>
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In addition, the promise of additional Noldor synergy has been mentioned to build on what is being introduced in the Angmar Awakened cycle. We see this in Cirdan the Shipwright, one of the two new heroes for the expansion. This new hero, boasting strong stats, also gives the ability to draw additional cards during the resource phase, at the cost of having to discard one. Though we haven't fully seen the Noldor's synergy with the discard pile, we are promised that cards will be introduced to increase in power based on other copies being in the discard, and others which will be effected by the top card of your discard pile. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWhoa_qAItKjCgP6SuUN186FJMrX3cMcezr7hjDSKtQlXoEgrhIquU-YxBvHF04thzCf9gLkJSIxZlDrHLDtpCLYMLj2adCGMBeHyWXfXbcrW62rDKpd7FDq6Z-DvSE2Pg3KqteYCUb0/s1600/mec47-fan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWhoa_qAItKjCgP6SuUN186FJMrX3cMcezr7hjDSKtQlXoEgrhIquU-YxBvHF04thzCf9gLkJSIxZlDrHLDtpCLYMLj2adCGMBeHyWXfXbcrW62rDKpd7FDq6Z-DvSE2Pg3KqteYCUb0/s400/mec47-fan.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Grey Havens will be released in Q4 of 2015.</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00126455003241087229noreply@blogger.com0