Chain reaction cards

[mrweasely]

www.osaurus.us/~dm/wotr/chain-cards.html
These are very rough drafts of something I won't finish.
The big idea is that the Free People are constantly suprising Sauron in the books, and what better way to do that than to add a lot of "then draw or play a card" or "then move or attack with this army" riders to the traditional free cards.
And then I changed a bunch of stuff because I felt like it.

[Lord Aragorn]

I belive that game is balanced, but many people don't. So, for them this is a grat help. Dispate my belifs of balanced game I like any intresting ideas.
The idea of chain-cards is excelent. You really done a great job. I willl now write my comments about your cards.

Elven Cloaks - Good change
Elven Rope - Good change
Phial of Galadriel - No need to change, it is gift only to Frodo, not to every companion like elven cloaks, so you don't move them.
Smeagol helps nice master - Maybe you should write: "If Gollum/Smeagol is the guide, you may declare the fellowship", because it is Smeagol helps nice master, he was tamed. Gollum is also OK, because Smeagol can declare fellowship, but not by event.
Mithril Coat and Sting (unchanged)
Axe and Bow - OK
Wizard's Staff (unchanged)
Altheas (unchanged)
There is another way (unchanged)
I Will Go Alone - Good, becase you can place unwanted cards in your deck, good idea.
Bilbo's Song (unchanged)
Mirror of Galadriel - Great, now FP can use Mirror of Galadriel for it's real propose - to look into a future.
Horn of Gondor - More useful than before.
Challenge of the King - good becase you totaly destroy his cards, but I am not sure this was necessary change
Gwaihir the Windlord - nice, makes chains
We Prove the Swifter - same comment
There and Back Again - Gives more options, so the cards isn't ruinned after Book of Mazurbul or Fear! Fire! Foes!
The Eagles Strike! - Good, another chain, also you can attack SP when he doesn't have any Nazguls.
Ents: Treebeard, Hurons, Entmoot (all 3 unchanged)
Ents: Quickbeam - makes ents a bit stronger (you always says "Ents sucks")
Dead Men of Dunharrow (unchanged)
House of the Steward - another chain
The Grey Company - Good, now you place a North unit from dead pool. It is useful if North is at war, but if they haven't fight already, then you can't use card. I like it, because of name - Grey Company - Rangers from the North help Strider.

Wind from the West - Almost the same, but makes chain.
The Last Battle - Very good if Gondor is alive, now SP is forced to attack them early or make a blocade in around Gondor - capture Osgiliath.
A Power Too Great - It is a realy great power now, makes even harder to capture Lorien.
The Power of Tom Bombadil (unchanged)
Book of Mazurbul - Nice, it gives more options to FP.
The Spirit of Mordor - OK
Faramir's Rangers - Good, you now can muster them around Osgiliath and SP is forced to reduce elites - In most of cases there is only one sauron Elite unit attacking from Mordor (from Barad - Dur), so SP can't eliminate him and continue battle for Minas Tirith under siege.
Fear! Fire! Foes! - Nice for defence of Eriador, SP will attack you and move to war.
Wisdom of Elrond - very nice
Help Unlooked For - very good, becase it is very helpful for DEW - line, but I think that it should be used to attack SP army besieging the stronghold, becase it is HELP Unlooked For, but now it is realy Unloooked For, becase you ignore political restrictions. I have another idea. It sounds like this: "Play if there are two or more Free armies of at least two different nations that could attack a Shadow army, ignoring political restrictions", so it would be help, example - Dwarves help Elves to fight the enemy.
The Forgotten Road (aka Paths of the Woses) - First card I don't like, there isn't anything to do with Rohan and Gondor. The Forgotten Road is there I belive.
Through a Day and a Night - Good, now you can attack.
Cirdan's Ships - Excelent, my favourite and you can use Gray Havens, not only wait for attack on them.
Guards of the Citadel - very good
Imrahil of Dol Amroth - I think it is better:
Recruit a Gondor unit and a Gondor leader in Dol Amroth. Now you may move or attack with that army. Draw or play an event card.
Celeborn's Galadhrim - Why in any Stronghold? It is Celeborn and he fight in Lorien not in Grey Havens for an example. Good, because another chain
Thranduriel's Archers - same stuff
Kindred of Glorfindel - same stuff
The Red Arrow - Then take a Muster action in Rohan - very good
Riders of Theoden - another chain
Eomer, son of Eomund - nice
Grimbeorn the Old, son of Beorn - OK, can suprise the SP.
King Brand's Men - They can help Erebor or WR now.
Rangers of the North (unchanged)
Swords in Eriador - good change
Dain Ironfoot's Guard - Good, makes Dwarves much stronger.

Daring Defiance - OK
Advantageous Position - nice, example - army in Fords of Isen now have four dices and 3 re-rolls and can make a big damage to Isengard.
It is a Gift - Like a fire, strong but you can burn yourself.
Blade of Westernesse - OK
Mighty Attack - stronger than before
Anduril - like Mighty Attack, you don't lose re-roll.
Last Defenses - very good change
Among the Siege Engines - stronger
Hasty Folk - nice, very nice

Really a great job mrweasely!

[mrweasely]

Smeagol Helps Nice Master / Celeborn / Thranduil / Kindred: good points
Challenge of the King: Note that Aragorn can avoid being corrupted by stepping away from his army.
The Grey Company: if the north has no casualties, they can always use a unit on the table, usually the North Downs elite. I think is what they did "historically".
Forgotten Paths:The idea is, its pretty unusual to draw a Rohan->Gondor specific card AND at the same time need a Rohan->Gondor specific card. I usually discard it. The idea here is an abstract forgotten road, that happens to go where you need it to go, whenever you draw the card. It could be the Paths of the Woses, or it could be some other path in the North, or whatever.

[SevenSpirits]

Nice idea. Sorry I don't have time to comment more right now.

[Lord Aragorn]

I agree about The Forgotten Road (aka Paths of the Woses). Before it was really useless card, you could only discard it or play combat card. That is because of attacks from Isengard to Rohan. Maybe it is Rohan who need help. So if they can cross The Forgotten Road, Gondor can do it too.
However you can always return Three Rings for the Elven Kings in play and delete The Forgotten Road. I don't say that idea about The Forgotten Road is bad, in fact it is really good and interesting. I just don't like it because it isn't taken from book THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
You can also create a new card to replace it. I always wanted to have something like House of Healing - to return units from dead pool, not all of them, maybe two gondor regulars...

[mrweasely]

I forgot about Threat to the Fiefdoms of the South. Here's the best idea I could come up with for a replacement:

The Blood of Westernesse

Play if 'Threats and Promises' is not on the table.

Play to the table.
Every Gondor leader gains the following abilities:
Captain of the West: add 1 to the combat strength of your army.
Son of Numenor: these leaders are companions of level 2 for purposes of combat cards.
___________________________

Note that these cards are designed to be used with the existing shadow deck, so I thought I'd give one of their lamer cards (Threats & Promises) a boost in the endgame, where its particularly weak.