NinjaDorg’s LOTR: LCG The Hills of Emyn Muil Review

SPOILER WARNING - this review contains a whole bunch of spoilers.

My expectations have been somewhat managed (i.e. lowered) by the expansion packs so far, with some middling heroes and player cards of dubious use, but there are some good player cards in this set, and appropriate to the scenario too.  Gildor almost feels like a hero all of his own, there are some other cool allies - horseys! - and the Rohan theme continues to be the clear favourite of the Mirkwood cycle.

But Brand, Son of Bain, is the new Hero in The Hills of Emyn Muil and it has to be said, it’s difficult to want to play the guy.  I mean, bless him but this fella makes predator look like a beauty pageant runner-up.  He’s so ugly he could turn milk.  Literally, his Mum had to tie a steak to his neck so the dog would play with him.  Etc.

Despite being able to make onions cry at a glance, Brand is also a bit limp when it comes to his special ability, which is useless in fact, in solo play.  Given that I always run the scenarios solo before putting mates through them, Brand had to take a back seat (like really far back, with a bag on his head) in last night’s session.

So up stepped Legolas, Prince Imrahil (thought I’d give Arry a rest and see what all the fuss was about – not much as it turns out) and – yawn – Eowyn.  Glanced over the one single card Emyn Muil scenario, given that NOT reading scenario cards beforehand is basically tantamount to suicide in this game.

‘Muil specific SPOILERS:

You need to collect 20 VPs of Locations and Enemies to win, so clearly threat reduction is required to keep you steady whilst you search the encounter deck for VP cards.  This encounter deck is location heavy, but you have Sauron’s Reach and Dol Guldur orcs thrown in for good measure too, which means some nasty combats and mini bosses like the illiterate Chieftan and his Beastmaster cronies, plus a bunch of evil treachery to boot.  And treachery appears particularly nasty in this scenario as it gets Surge if there are no Locations already in the staging area.

Many Locations in this pack have VP values attached so you’ll need to explore them for VPs, so you might actually be glad that treachery will Surge you into the next expanse of land which Gollum is running through.

Collecting VPs also adds a sorely needed sense of achievement to the game because normally the only advantage to gaining Victory is taking that card out of the encounter deck.  And given that we rarely re-shuffle the encounter deck before it’s game over, this was of little consequence.  If you’re one of the crazy people who use FFG’s existing scoring system you might be pleasantly surprised to see your scores sky-rocket off the back of this mission.

Initially I was sceptical of the one card scenario idea – it seemed a little lazy – but to have more stages for this scenario would really drag it out.  The quest is a slog as it is, with your heroes ploughing on through the snow and rockfalls and up and down dangerous hills.  But it actually plays out quite nicely.  In the same way that Hunt For Gollum was simple but gentle fun, Emyn Muil provides a semi-challenging but fun adventure for your heroes with some interesting locations, the occasional (uphill) battle though with only one new enemy, and the occasional event which will kill off a hero or two without warning.

So how did Eowyn, Leggy and Princey fair?  Well, I’d obviously prepared for this scenario by chucking in the Trackers and Guides, and threat control, the required Steward, tactics songs, all the Dunedain attachments, and a whole bunch of low cost allies that I’d be able to churn out quickly, coupled with Faramir and Radagast for the big hitters.

In the first game the Pretty Prince of Parties got himself some Unexpected Courage, but as he was mostly questing and there are fewer enemies this wasn’t absolutely required.  Steward went onto Eowyn mostly because I had a big Spirit draw with my first hand.  My 2 cost Allies started appearing and coming into play quickly.  FWIW I think I don’t play to the Prince’s strengths because I tend to plan my decks/games around NOT losing allies rather than having them leave play to trigger effects.  Cards like Valiant Sacrifice – whilst probably very useful – don’t see much game time because I’m not fond of cards which rely on a bad result (i.e. ally leaving play, even if it’s a Sneak Attack or Ally ability) to work, I’d sooner have another weak-ass Gondorian instead.

Legolas was occasionally useful for helping to clear locations, but mainly for being the one who wasn’t getting injured by treachery because he was hanging back all the time.  Eowyn was her usual invaluable self.

It’s worth noting that because I’d neglected Lore and any kind of healing Eowyn bit the dust in the two games I played, and Prince Charming also fell in the first game due to some vicious treachery draws.  But in both games this was a late occurrence, and with Legolas hanging back with a horde of allies to quest for him I was able to keep going and net all the Locations I needed, and in the second game killing Chieftan Uthak for the win.  Also Faramir bumping up legions of Snowburn Scouts and Gondorian Spearmen to serious questers was a sight to behold.

I don’t claim to be an expert deck builder – “keep the card costs low if you’re using three spheres” is pretty much my main rule – so I wouldn’t deign to post any deck setups I use as there are plenty of cool ones already in the forums.  But all in all, even though I was losing heroes and taking hits, it didn’t feel too challenging.  And even when I was down to just Legolas in the second game I wasn’t panicking or feeling the pressure too much because he had so many mates with him, including Radagast to help pull in some creature allies.

But it was enjoyable nevertheless, and I enjoyed the new Location effects and card interactions.  The game gives you a good head start on that VP count by having a couple of potentially nasty Locations in the starting set up but after that you’ll mainly be parsing the deck for more VPs.  To that end I would probably enlist Denethor in the next attempt.

In summary: a good addition to the set I’d say.  Ease yourself down from Rhosgobel/Osgiliath/Dol Guldur or step up from the cake-walk of Mirkwood/Carrock to enjoy this scenario at the pace it’s meant for.  Thematically it feels cool to be literally scouring the hills for Smeagol’s less friendly alter-ego too.

I’m looking forward to visiting Dead Marshes and Returning to Mirkwood, but does anyone else feel that Khazad Dum is casting a long, long shadow??

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - Keen Eyes in the Emyn Muil

Original article here:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2690

They are good folk, the Bardings. The grandson of Bard the Bowman rules them, Brand son of Bain son of Bard. He is a strong king, and his realm now reaches far south and east of Esgaroth.
    –J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
As the heroes of Middle-earth begin to scour The Hills of Emyn Muil for recent signs of Gollum’s passage, they gain the benefit of a keen-eyed new companion. The Hills of Emyn Muil, the fourth Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, introduces an exciting new hero who provides tremendous options for Tactics players and their companions.
A new hero from Esgaroth
Brand son of Bain (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 72) travels southwest from Esgaroth to join the fellowship and aid them in their quest. He arrives steeped in a tradition of archery hailing back at least as far as his grandfather, Bard the Bowman, who slew the mighty Smaug with his black arrow.
Brand is the second hero to feature the Ranged keyword, along with Legolas (Core Set, 5), and like Legolas, he assists the party with a powerful ability that triggers when he defeats an enemy. After Brand son of Bain attacks and defeats an enemy engaged with another player, he can ready one of that player’s characters. This makes him an excellent hero in multiplayer games and the first hero whose text explicitly supports (and relies upon) the game’s cooperative aspect.
Brand in action
Imagine you and a friend are playing the Journey Down the Anduin scenario from Core Set. Your friend is running Gimli (Core Set, 4), and after questing, you’ve exhausted all your heroes other than Brand and Gimli. With two enemies in the staging area, your friend chooses to engage the Hill Troll (Core Set, 82), and the Dol Guldur Orcs (Core Set, 89) chase after him because of his threat. After a brief discussion, your friend chooses to have Gimli defend against the Hill Troll, ready to cancel any lethal shadow effect with a Hasty Stroke (Core Set, 48). Gimli takes four damage, but survives.
In the following action window, you jump in to play Quick Strike (Core Set, 35), have Brand declare an attack against the Dol Guldur Orcs, and defeat them. Now, Brand lets you ready Gimli, and the enraged Dwarf can strike at the Hill Troll for six damage, three of which gets past the Hill Troll’s defense. On his own, Brand can’t fire past the Hill Troll’s defense, but his special ability grants your fellowship enough flexibility to make the best use of each hero’s strengths.
Have you always wanted to use Glorfindel (Core Set, 11) both to quest and attack? With Brand’s assistance, it’s possible. Do you need to use Denethor (Core Set, 10) to manipulate the encounter deck and defend? With a Quick Strike, Brand can help. With his keen eyes, Brand can identify tactical advantages other heroes may miss.
A quiver full of arrows
As a Tactics hero, Brand can help pay for a number of attachments and events that further reinforce your fellowship. With the aforementioned Quick Strike and cards like Feint (Core Set, 34) and Gondorian Spearman (Core Set, 29), Brand and his resources can help control the ebb and flow of combat, letting your allies engage enemies to pull them out of the staging area, then helping your fellowship defeat the enemies other players have engaged.
Armed with cards like Blade of Gondolin (Core Set, 39), Dwarven Axe (Core Set, 41), and Dúnedain Mark (The Hunt for Gollum, 2), Brand can quickly become a fearsome archer, capable of damaging the most powerful enemies on the table, no matter with whom they’re engaged. Then he readies your teammate’s heroes, so they can take additional actions.
As the heroes of Middle-earth seek to recapture Gollum’s trail, Brand son of Bain assists the fellowship with his keen eyes and skilled archery.
The heroes of Middle-earth have nearly reached The Hills of Emyn Muil. Keep checking our website for updates as this Adventure Pack is coming soon!

The Lord of the Rings: LCG - The Hills of Emyn Muil preview

Original article here:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2659

Goblins don’t care who they catch, as long as it is done smart and secret, and the prisoners are not able to defend themselves.
    –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Soon, the heroes of Middle-earth will arrive at The Hills of Emyn Muil, the fourth Adventure Pack for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Amid the barren slopes and stones of Emyn Muil, Gollum’s trail grows cold, and the heroes must explore the craggy terrain for fresh signs.
Hillsides full of hidden threats
In The Hills of Emyn Muil, your fellowship must cover a lot of ground and must do so quickly. The longer they take, the further Gollum gets ahead of them, the colder his trail grows, and the more likely your heroes will lose it entirely amid Emyn Muil’s many treacherous twists and turns.
As they travel, the rocky landscape serves both to hide the heroes from all but a handful of their enemies… and to hide their enemies from them. The Hills of Emyn Muil feature less combat than some other Adventure Packs, such asConflict at the Carrock, but the combat dynamic takes a dramatic turn toward hit-and-run tactics.
Utilizing Shadow effects like those on The Outer Ridge (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 89), enemy combatants stage multiple skirmishes, striking at your heroes, then racing back into the hills before you can retaliate. This can force you to exhaust more and more of your fellowship as you need to commit more Willpower to the quest to make progress past the threat of the pack of enemies following on all sides. Bad turns to worse as exhausted heroes can neither defend nor attack, and as your allies get weary or fall prey to Orc skirmishers, your heroes become vulnerable.
Cards like Hasty Stroke (Core Set, 48) and A Burning Brand (Conflict at the Carrock, 33) can help your heroes trap the enemies that engage with you, but if you don’t draw them quickly enough–or if you play your last Hasty Stroke and run out of options–you may find enemies launching attacks at you each turn, with several of them escaping to gather reinforcements. Even a small band of enemies able to elude your heroes can defeat your fellowship if your heroes are unable to counter.
Hunting the enemy
Fortunately, players have a few options to deal with retreating enemies. Dúnhere (Core Set, 9) can ride them down, even in the staging area. Armed with a Blade of Gondolin (Core Set, 39) to increase his Attack strength, Dúnhere can cut through most Orc enemies, speeding your fellowship’s progress and keeping your backs free from threat.
Some foes may be too powerful for Dúnhere to dispatch, however, and you may need to provide him some assistance. Enter the eagles…
If you’re already playing with the Tactics sphere to arm Dúnhere, then The Hills of Emyn Muil provides you another resource to deal with pesky skirmishers. Descendant of Thorondor (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 75) allows you to deal two damage to any enemy in the staging area when you bring him into play and, again, when he leaves play. This can make the Descendant of Thorondor an excellent target for a Sneak Attack (Core Set, 23), and it means that even if he makes the ultimate sacrifice, defending the fellowship at the cost of his own life, the Descendant of Thorondor does not fall easily.
Prepare for the unexpected
Shadow effects add a dramatic element of surprise to combat in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, and The Hills of Emyn Muil feature challenging new Shadow effects that continue to change your game experience. Each Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle has introduced a scenario that focuses on different aspects of the game, populating your travels in Middle-earth with new perils.
As the time draws nearer for your heroes to step into The Hills of Emyn Muil, you may wish to seek advice from other members of our community forums as to how you may develop the flexibility you need to deal with the different challenges of multiple scenarios.
Finally, Fantasy Flight Games wishes happy birthdays to both Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins, who celebrate their birthdays on September 22nd. Join us in our celebration, and try building a deck to use both of these legendary heroes!

Sacrifices in The Hills of Emyn Muil

New update from FFG here:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2645

“I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.”
   –Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring
One of the traits that most distinguishes Tolkien’s noblest heroes and holds them firmly in our minds is their willingness to make sacrifices. In addition to Aragorn’s oath, Tolkien gave us several stunning examples of individuals becoming heroes through their actions. Gandalf buys the Fellowship time to flee the Balrog. Boromir redeems himself by racing to protect Merry and Pippin at the cost of his life. The armies massed at Minas Tirith ride to the Black Gate of Mordor with little hope but that they might buy Frodo some time for his quest with their deaths.
Similarly, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game features myriad opportunities for players to make sacrifices for each other. Players recognize that they’re working together in this cooperative game and constantly make decisions for the good of the party, not just for themselves. Characters with Sentinel allow players to defend across the table, timely intercepting attacks that might be lethal to other heroes. Players can play attachments on heroes other than their own, letting other players accelerate their resources with Steward of Gondor (Core Set, 26) or Horn of Gondor (Core Set, 42) or giving them additional power to quest with Protector of Lorien (Core Set, 70).
The Hills of Emyn Muil
With the upcoming release of the fourth Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle, The Hills of Emyn Muil, players will have more reason to consider making sacrifices to protect the fellowship, and they’ll have more to gain from the sacrifices they make.
After A Journey to Rhosgobel, Gollum’s trail leads the heroes south, where it grows cold. Now, the heroes must explore the vast expanse of The Hills of Emyn Muil, in the hopes of rediscovering the trail and following it wherever the elusive creature has fled…
This scenario places a heavy emphasis on the fellowship’s ability to quickly and efficiently explore a number of locations as they fend off skirmishing enemies and look to catch sign of Gollum’s trail. As the journey grows long and the heroes grow tired, a new Leadership sphere event, Rear Guard (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 74) can help them renew their focus and redouble their Willpower.
Finding their way forward
It was the third evening since they had fled from the Company, as far as they could tell: they had almost lost count of the hours during which they had climbed and laboured among the barren slopes and stones of the Emyn Muil, sometimes retracing their steps because they could find no way forward, sometimes discovering that they had wandered in a circle back to where they had been hours before.
    –The Two Towers
Frodo (Conflict at the Carrock, 25) and Samwise got lost for days in the barrens of the Emyn Muil, and the heroes of Middle-earth may face the same fate unless they draft a plan to navigate their way through the slopes and stones. Veterans of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game know they must act quickly to prevent the staging area from filling up with unexplored locations. If they don’t, their quest is quickly opposed by threats from all side, and their fellowships can make no progress forward.
The sacrifice of Rear Guard enables players to force their way past a threatening pile of locations and enemies. The more heroes committed to the quest, the more a single Rear Guard can help the fellowship near its goal. This can be particularly useful when encountering such deadly locations as Rauros Falls (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 87).
Because you’ll need a hero with the Leadership icon to pay for Rear Guard, some fun Leadership combinations may come to mind. The ubiquitous Snowbourn Scout (Core Set, 16) places a progress token on a location of his choice when he comes into play, and can then benefit the fellowship’s quest by serving as Rear Guard. Prince Imrahil (A Journey to Rhosgobel, 50) will stand the first time an ally leaves play each round, allowing him to combat enemies after questing–and to quest at an extra Willpower!
Or you can time your actions to gain the services of Faramir (Core Set, 14), using him to give an additional Willpower to all questing characters controlled by a single player, then benefitting from his sacrificial duty as Rear Guard. As a four-cost ally, Faramir may be too expensive to sacrifice so readily, but if he drops in for a Sneak Attack (Core Set, 23) and gives players the ability to exhaust him for his text before sacrificing him as a Rear Guard, then he gives a massive boost to the party’s Willpower for a mere two resources and two card draws.
Commit to the journey
As the saying goes, it’s not the destination that counts; it’s the journey. Prepare to enjoy the scenic vistas and to encounter the native wildlife of The Hills of Emyn Muil when this Adventure Pack releases later in the month. Until then, dig out your maps, find a guide, prepare your fellowship, and though you may hope that it won’t come to it… you may need to make some sacrifices.