The Lord of the Rings – part I: from Bag End to Rivendell
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:02 am
This is my first shot on a solitaire scenario. It is not very well play tested, yet. Any comments are welcome.
Rules
"If you want my advice, make for Rivendell. That journey should not prove too perilous, though the Road is less easy than it was, and it will grow worse as the year fails."
-The Lord of the Rings
Whilst Gandalf didn’t return, Frodo and his two companions finally decide to leave Bag End and make their way towards Buckland.
In this scenario your goal is to safely guide the Ringbearer to Rivendell.
Unless stated otherwise below the normal MECCG rules apply.
Card Layout
Outlay the following twelve site and region cards in a row, in the order listed: Bag End, The Shire (i.e. “Green Hill Country”), Cardolan (i.e. “Crickhollow”), Old Forest, Barrow-downs, Bree, Arthedain (i.e. “Midgewater Marshes”), Weathertop, Rhudaur (i.e. “Somewhere in the wild east of Weathertop”), Rhudaur (i.e. “Last Bridge”), Rhudaur (i.e. “Trollshaws”) and Rivendell. Place each of the twelve corresponding hazard piles (see chapter Deck Construction) above those sites.
The region cards are considered sites and are called encampment sites. An encampment site usually has no site symbol, but hazard creatures that are playable keyed to the site’s region by name or symbol may also be keyed to such a site.
Some characters are placed under a site card which means that they may be played there during the organization phase if the company is there: Gildor Inglorion is placed with “Green Hill Country”, Merry is placed with “Crickhollow”, Strider and Barliman Butterbur are placed with Bree, Glorfindel II is placed with “Trollshaws”.
Movement for this scenario will be handled by moving a counter (a die or some convenient token) around on the above described array of site/region cards. The location of the counter represents the location of the company. At the beginning of this scenario place the counter on Bag End - this represents the Hobbits departing from this site.
Deck Construction
Construct two decks: one resource deck consisting of 32 cards and one hazard deck consisting of twelve deck portions of ten cards each. Each site in the game is assigned a separate hazard deck portion with thematically preselected hazards. For thematic reasons it is highly recommended to use the deck lists below but you are free to exchange cards as you see fit.
Starting Company
Your starting company consists of Frodo, Sam Gamgee and Pippin. You do not start with up to two non-unique minor items. Instead Frodo must control The One Ring, while any character may control Sting. Additionally you start with Saw Further and Deeper in play. You have one and only one company for this scenario. The company starts the game in Bag End.
Turn Sequence
To begin, draw a hand of five cards from your resource deck. Each turn, use the following turn sequence phase by phase. If an aspect of the turn sequence is not addressed below, then it is to be interpreted as written in the rule books.
1. Untap Phase.
2. Organization Phase: If there are character cards placed under the company’s current site you may play one of those characters with the company if you have enough free influence. The company may either decide to move to the next (or previous) site in the row of sites (move counter) or opt to not move (i.e. movement to other sites in the row of sites is not allowed).
3. Long-event Phase.
4. Movement/Hazard Phase: Movement is considered region movement without the opportunity to decide how many regions to move, you always have to use the shortest connection between sites (e.g. movement from Green Hill Country to Crickhollow will be through The Shire and Cardolan only). Other ways of movement according to normal MECCG rules do not apply (i.e. there is no starter movement allowed in this scenario)! If you move, the player draws cards as usual. The hazard limit is determined by the company’s normal hazard limit plus the number of cards the hazard player would normally draw as written on the site card. The number of cards drawn while moving to an encampment site is usually 1/1. Reveal a card from the specific hazard deck of the company’s new site (or current site if the company did not move) and resolve that hazard. Continue revealing and resolving hazard cards that way until the hazard limit is reached.
Sites are not discarded during this scenario. The company can feel free to backup to the last site in the row of sites.
5. Site Phase.
6. End-of-Turn Phase: You my discard one card from your hand and then discard/ draw cards until your hand size of five is reached.
Special Rules for Resources and Characters
Each minor item is worth 1 MP.
A character that carries The One Ring is called the Ringbearer.
The following cards have an altered text/effect:
Athelas: Additionally playable at Weathertop and at every encampment site in a wilderness region. May be used by Strider.
Bill the Pony: Does not allow special movement to the next haven but to the next or last site in the array of sites.
Elf-path: May not be played if the company declares movement to Rivendell this turn.
Praise to Elbereth: Cancels one and only one Nazgûl attack.
Refuge: In order to play this card discard an Elf character at your current site (i.e. which is in your company or placed with this site) instead. This card is used as a separate site card that geographically lies between your site of origin and the next site card in the row of laid out site cards. It is considered to be in the same region as your site of origin. While moving to this site hazards are drawn from the hazard deck of your site of origin.
Reluctant Final Parting: Replace card text with: “Make a roll. Discard an ally from the company (player’s choice) if the result plus the controlling characters direct influence is less than 7.”
Wizard’s River-horses: Replace card text with: “Discard an Elf from the company to cancel a Nazgûl attack and the next Nazgûl attack the company faces this turn.”
Special Rules for Hazards
To determine which character will take a strike under circumstances when an opponent would normally choose, the Ringbearer (i.e. usually Frodo) is selected first. Then select the character with the highest mind stat. If there is a tie, randomly select the character. If possible, the first strike of any attack must always be assigned to the Ringbearer. Any hazard event must be played on the Ringbearer first, if possible.
Any creature that is playable in a deep-wilderness (i.e. two wilderness symbols) may be played keyed to any encampment site in a wilderness region.
When any hazard deck is exhausted, shuffle the hazard discard pile; it becomes your new hazard deck.
The following cards have an altered text/effect:
Barrow-wight: May be played keyed to Barrow-downs.
Bill Ferny: Is considered a hazard creature for all purposes except that his prowess is modified by a dice roll of 2D6.
Morgûl-knife: When revealed this card effects the next Nazgûl attack this turn.
Nazgûl: Are always played as creatures and are always playable regardless of the company’s or the site’s site path. Nazgûl attacks aren’t keyed to anything.
Spells of the Barrow-wights: When revealed this card effects the next Undead attack this turn.
The Pale Sword: When revealed this card effects the next Nazgûl attack this turn.
Specials for encampment sites
Crickhollow reads 'Free-hold. Bill the Pony is playable - cards drawn 1/1'.
Last Bridge says 'no site symbol - cards drawn 1/2'.
Trollshaws has 'Ruins and Lairs. Minor items are playable - cards drawn 1/2'
all others read 'no site symbol - cards drawn 1/1'.
Victory Conditions
You immediately lose if The One Ring is in your discard pile.
You win if The One Ring is at Rivendell during the end-of-turn phase and the Ringbearer successfully passes a final corruption check.
Your mission was a decent success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have up to 18 MP.
Your mission was a big success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have 19-24 MP.
Your mission was a legendary success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have 25 or more MP.
If Frodo is eliminated you additionally receive -5 MP.
If all four hobbits are in play at the end of the game you additionally receive 2 MP.
For every turn played above twelve you additionally receive -1 MP. This means that you have to keep track of your number of turns (e.g. by using a MP-counter or likewise).
Optional Rule: The Nazgûl are Abroad!
All nine different Nazgûl creature cards are placed off to the side in a separate pile. At the end of each turn one of them is randomly chosen and placed in a row somewhere on the table. During each movement/hazard phase, after all other hazards have been revealed, make a roll for each Nazgûl laid out. If the result is 10 or more the Nazgûl attacks immediately.
edit 2020-06-02: added 'Specials for encampment sites'
Rules
"If you want my advice, make for Rivendell. That journey should not prove too perilous, though the Road is less easy than it was, and it will grow worse as the year fails."
-The Lord of the Rings
Whilst Gandalf didn’t return, Frodo and his two companions finally decide to leave Bag End and make their way towards Buckland.
In this scenario your goal is to safely guide the Ringbearer to Rivendell.
Unless stated otherwise below the normal MECCG rules apply.
Card Layout
Outlay the following twelve site and region cards in a row, in the order listed: Bag End, The Shire (i.e. “Green Hill Country”), Cardolan (i.e. “Crickhollow”), Old Forest, Barrow-downs, Bree, Arthedain (i.e. “Midgewater Marshes”), Weathertop, Rhudaur (i.e. “Somewhere in the wild east of Weathertop”), Rhudaur (i.e. “Last Bridge”), Rhudaur (i.e. “Trollshaws”) and Rivendell. Place each of the twelve corresponding hazard piles (see chapter Deck Construction) above those sites.
The region cards are considered sites and are called encampment sites. An encampment site usually has no site symbol, but hazard creatures that are playable keyed to the site’s region by name or symbol may also be keyed to such a site.
Some characters are placed under a site card which means that they may be played there during the organization phase if the company is there: Gildor Inglorion is placed with “Green Hill Country”, Merry is placed with “Crickhollow”, Strider and Barliman Butterbur are placed with Bree, Glorfindel II is placed with “Trollshaws”.
Movement for this scenario will be handled by moving a counter (a die or some convenient token) around on the above described array of site/region cards. The location of the counter represents the location of the company. At the beginning of this scenario place the counter on Bag End - this represents the Hobbits departing from this site.
Deck Construction
Construct two decks: one resource deck consisting of 32 cards and one hazard deck consisting of twelve deck portions of ten cards each. Each site in the game is assigned a separate hazard deck portion with thematically preselected hazards. For thematic reasons it is highly recommended to use the deck lists below but you are free to exchange cards as you see fit.
Starting Company
Your starting company consists of Frodo, Sam Gamgee and Pippin. You do not start with up to two non-unique minor items. Instead Frodo must control The One Ring, while any character may control Sting. Additionally you start with Saw Further and Deeper in play. You have one and only one company for this scenario. The company starts the game in Bag End.
Turn Sequence
To begin, draw a hand of five cards from your resource deck. Each turn, use the following turn sequence phase by phase. If an aspect of the turn sequence is not addressed below, then it is to be interpreted as written in the rule books.
1. Untap Phase.
2. Organization Phase: If there are character cards placed under the company’s current site you may play one of those characters with the company if you have enough free influence. The company may either decide to move to the next (or previous) site in the row of sites (move counter) or opt to not move (i.e. movement to other sites in the row of sites is not allowed).
3. Long-event Phase.
4. Movement/Hazard Phase: Movement is considered region movement without the opportunity to decide how many regions to move, you always have to use the shortest connection between sites (e.g. movement from Green Hill Country to Crickhollow will be through The Shire and Cardolan only). Other ways of movement according to normal MECCG rules do not apply (i.e. there is no starter movement allowed in this scenario)! If you move, the player draws cards as usual. The hazard limit is determined by the company’s normal hazard limit plus the number of cards the hazard player would normally draw as written on the site card. The number of cards drawn while moving to an encampment site is usually 1/1. Reveal a card from the specific hazard deck of the company’s new site (or current site if the company did not move) and resolve that hazard. Continue revealing and resolving hazard cards that way until the hazard limit is reached.
Sites are not discarded during this scenario. The company can feel free to backup to the last site in the row of sites.
5. Site Phase.
6. End-of-Turn Phase: You my discard one card from your hand and then discard/ draw cards until your hand size of five is reached.
Special Rules for Resources and Characters
Each minor item is worth 1 MP.
A character that carries The One Ring is called the Ringbearer.
The following cards have an altered text/effect:
Athelas: Additionally playable at Weathertop and at every encampment site in a wilderness region. May be used by Strider.
Bill the Pony: Does not allow special movement to the next haven but to the next or last site in the array of sites.
Elf-path: May not be played if the company declares movement to Rivendell this turn.
Praise to Elbereth: Cancels one and only one Nazgûl attack.
Refuge: In order to play this card discard an Elf character at your current site (i.e. which is in your company or placed with this site) instead. This card is used as a separate site card that geographically lies between your site of origin and the next site card in the row of laid out site cards. It is considered to be in the same region as your site of origin. While moving to this site hazards are drawn from the hazard deck of your site of origin.
Reluctant Final Parting: Replace card text with: “Make a roll. Discard an ally from the company (player’s choice) if the result plus the controlling characters direct influence is less than 7.”
Wizard’s River-horses: Replace card text with: “Discard an Elf from the company to cancel a Nazgûl attack and the next Nazgûl attack the company faces this turn.”
Special Rules for Hazards
To determine which character will take a strike under circumstances when an opponent would normally choose, the Ringbearer (i.e. usually Frodo) is selected first. Then select the character with the highest mind stat. If there is a tie, randomly select the character. If possible, the first strike of any attack must always be assigned to the Ringbearer. Any hazard event must be played on the Ringbearer first, if possible.
Any creature that is playable in a deep-wilderness (i.e. two wilderness symbols) may be played keyed to any encampment site in a wilderness region.
When any hazard deck is exhausted, shuffle the hazard discard pile; it becomes your new hazard deck.
The following cards have an altered text/effect:
Barrow-wight: May be played keyed to Barrow-downs.
Bill Ferny: Is considered a hazard creature for all purposes except that his prowess is modified by a dice roll of 2D6.
Morgûl-knife: When revealed this card effects the next Nazgûl attack this turn.
Nazgûl: Are always played as creatures and are always playable regardless of the company’s or the site’s site path. Nazgûl attacks aren’t keyed to anything.
Spells of the Barrow-wights: When revealed this card effects the next Undead attack this turn.
The Pale Sword: When revealed this card effects the next Nazgûl attack this turn.
Specials for encampment sites
Crickhollow reads 'Free-hold. Bill the Pony is playable - cards drawn 1/1'.
Last Bridge says 'no site symbol - cards drawn 1/2'.
Trollshaws has 'Ruins and Lairs. Minor items are playable - cards drawn 1/2'
all others read 'no site symbol - cards drawn 1/1'.
Victory Conditions
You immediately lose if The One Ring is in your discard pile.
You win if The One Ring is at Rivendell during the end-of-turn phase and the Ringbearer successfully passes a final corruption check.
Your mission was a decent success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have up to 18 MP.
Your mission was a big success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have 19-24 MP.
Your mission was a legendary success if at the end of the game The One Ring is at Rivendell and you have 25 or more MP.
If Frodo is eliminated you additionally receive -5 MP.
If all four hobbits are in play at the end of the game you additionally receive 2 MP.
For every turn played above twelve you additionally receive -1 MP. This means that you have to keep track of your number of turns (e.g. by using a MP-counter or likewise).
Optional Rule: The Nazgûl are Abroad!
All nine different Nazgûl creature cards are placed off to the side in a separate pile. At the end of each turn one of them is randomly chosen and placed in a row somewhere on the table. During each movement/hazard phase, after all other hazards have been revealed, make a roll for each Nazgûl laid out. If the result is 10 or more the Nazgûl attacks immediately.
edit 2020-06-02: added 'Specials for encampment sites'