Post by SevenSpirits on Feb 20, 2005 8:37:35 GMT 1
Regarding your example, it only clicked in my head much later. D'oh!
What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter for the FP player how many dice they roll per turn, and how many dice the Shadow rolls per turn. What matters is the ratio. Assuming two eyes (one placed, one rolled), the basic die ration is 4:5. With the minions and Gandalf, this drops to 5:7 - a better ratio for the Shadow. Aragorn's die doesn't change this superiority: 5:5 is not as good as 6:7, for the Shadow.
Here's where the number of dice per turn matters.
1. A greater number of FSP moves per turn means more success in the hunt
2. A greater number of dice per turn means fewer event cards drawn per game, because the dice are distributed over a fewer numebr of turns.
Number 1. shows how the Shadow benefits from extra dice per turn, while 2. is releatively player-neutral. So, if it was only about the dice, the Shadow should clearly go for the extra two in exchange for the extra one, because doing so improves the die ratio, as well as helping with the hunt by lengthening turns.
However, what you're saying is that you find the Witch-King's drawback of activation to be a significant reason not to play him early. Once you decide not to bring him out until later, holding back Saruman to prevent the entrance of Gandalf is a very reasonable proposition. I, personally, have yet to be convinced that the Witch-King's drawback is worth playing around. Noot only do I find the improved die ratio to be helpful, I think the WK's ability to draw cards is exceptionally powerful, and I rely on it to draw lots of good Shadow character cards.
What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter for the FP player how many dice they roll per turn, and how many dice the Shadow rolls per turn. What matters is the ratio. Assuming two eyes (one placed, one rolled), the basic die ration is 4:5. With the minions and Gandalf, this drops to 5:7 - a better ratio for the Shadow. Aragorn's die doesn't change this superiority: 5:5 is not as good as 6:7, for the Shadow.
Here's where the number of dice per turn matters.
1. A greater number of FSP moves per turn means more success in the hunt
2. A greater number of dice per turn means fewer event cards drawn per game, because the dice are distributed over a fewer numebr of turns.
Number 1. shows how the Shadow benefits from extra dice per turn, while 2. is releatively player-neutral. So, if it was only about the dice, the Shadow should clearly go for the extra two in exchange for the extra one, because doing so improves the die ratio, as well as helping with the hunt by lengthening turns.
However, what you're saying is that you find the Witch-King's drawback of activation to be a significant reason not to play him early. Once you decide not to bring him out until later, holding back Saruman to prevent the entrance of Gandalf is a very reasonable proposition. I, personally, have yet to be convinced that the Witch-King's drawback is worth playing around. Noot only do I find the improved die ratio to be helpful, I think the WK's ability to draw cards is exceptionally powerful, and I rely on it to draw lots of good Shadow character cards.