Last updated: 18 December 2025

What is This Page?

This page is an effort to collect in a single and easily searchable page all the information that a player who wants to play a game of LOTR LCG while using all the errata, answers, and rules clarifications issued by the developers might ever need. We consider everything on this page as close to an official FFG communication as possible.

This page is divided into two main sections:

The Semi-Official Errata collects all the errata issued by the developers to official cards, as either reprints or direct confirmations that a printed card was wrong we consider basically official. To further supplement this powerful tool for players we also added in this section the official errata from the last official FFG FAQ document of 2017 (version 1.9).

This section is divided into three sub-sections, the first one includes the official errata present in the last official FFG document. The other two include all the errata never collected in an official FFG document, divided on the basis of the origin of these errata: official reprints by FFG and confirmed errors (that is to say cards not yet officially reprinted, but explicitly confirmed by the developers as being incorrect as printed).

The Semi-official Rules Clarifications and FAQ collects all the clarifications, Q&A and rulings ever given by the developers to the public that we could find, all in a single place to make everything easily searchable. To further supplement this powerful tool for players we also added in this section the official FAQ and rules clarifications from the last official FFG FAQ document of 2017 (version 1.9).

This section is divided into three sub-sections: first, you will find the official rules clarifications, then the official Q&A, and finally all the rulings given out by the developers over the 10+ years of life of this game that we were able to collect. This last sub-section is constantly updated with new rulings given out or old ones we uncover.

When a card is referenced on this page you will find an indication like this [XX YY] after the card name. That specifies the product code (XX) and card number (YY). A list of the product codes we use can be found here.

Semi-official Errata

Last updated: 29 July 2025

The purpose of this section is to gather in one place all the errata to FFG cards, both those that were collected in the last official FFG FAQ document in 2017 (version 1.9) and those that were never collected in an official FFG document.

This section is divided into three sub-sections, the first one includes all the items present in the last official errata. The other two include all the errata never collected in an official FFG document, divided on the basis of the origin of these errata: official reprints by FFG and confirmed errors (that is to say cards not yet officially reprinted, but explicitly confirmed by the developers as being incorrect as printed). A card might be moved from the confirmed errors sub-section to the official reprints sub-section based on the latest reprints.

Any errata-ed text will be highlighted by using red strikethrough for the old text and green for the new text.

Official Errata

Core Set [CORE]

Thalin [CORE 6]

When an enemy card is revealed from the encounter deck, Thalin’s ability resolves before any keyword or When Revealed card effects on the encounter card.

ALeP’s Note: To be precise this is more of a “Rules Clarification” item, but the official FFG FAQ has always put this as an errata, so we will keep doing so too.

Eleanor [CORE 8]

The replacement card is also revealed from the encounter deck. Resolve any When Revealed effects and keywords on the new card following the standard game rules.

ALeP’s Note: To be precise this is more of a “Rules Clarification” item, but the official FFG FAQ has always put this as an errata, so we will keep doing so too.

Beravor [CORE 12]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust Beravor to choose a player. That player draws 2 cards. Limit once per round.”

Feint [CORE 34]

Should read: “Combat Action: Choose an enemy engaged with a player. That enemy cannot attack that player this phase.”

Thicket of Spears [CORE 36]

Should read: “Action: Choose a player. That player’s engaged enemies do not attack cannot attack that player this phase.”

Horn of Gondor [CORE 42]

Should read: “Response: After a character leaves play is destroyed, add 1 resource to attached hero’s pool.”

Wandering Took [CORE 43]

Should read: “Action: Reduce your threat by 3 to give control of Wandering Took to another player. Raise that player’s threat by 3. (Limit once per round.)”

ALeP’s Note: As far as we know this card was reprinted with this errata only in the Revised Core Set.

Will of the West [CORE 49]

Shoud read: “Action: Choose a player. Shuffle that player’s discard pile back into his deck. Remove Will of the West from the game.”

Stand and Fight [CORE 51]

Stand and Fight cannot return neutral allies from the discard pile, as neutral cards do not belong to “any sphere.”

ALeP’s Note: To be precise this is more of a “Rules Clarification” item, but the official FFG FAQ has always put this as an errata, so we will keep doing so too.

Protector of Lórien [CORE 70]

Should read: “Action: Discard a card from your hand to give attached hero +1 [defense] or +1 [willpower] until the end of the phase. Limit 3 times per phase.”

Dol Guldur Beastmaster [CORE 91]

Should read: “Forced: After When Dol Guldur Beastmaster attacks, deal it 1 additional shadow card.”

The additional shadow card is dealt when the Dol Guldur Beastmaster is chosen during step 1 of enemy attack resolution.

ALeP’s Note: The second paragraph of this item is more of a rules clarification than a true errata. It’s also worth noting that the “step 1” it refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

Nazgûl of Dol Guldur [CORE 102]

Should have the additional text: “No attachments can be played on Nazgûl of Dol Guldur.”

The Necromancer’s Tower 1A [CORE 123]

Should read: “Setup: Search the encounter deck for the 3 objective cards, reveal and place them in the staging area. Also, place the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur face up but out of play, alongside the quest deck. Then, shuffle the encounter deck, and attach 1 encounter to each objective card.”

Out of the Dungeons 3B [CORE 125]

If a facedown Orc Guard would be returned to the staging area, it is instead placed in its owner’s discard pile.

ALeP’s Note: To be precise this is more of a “Rules Clarification” item, but the official FFG FAQ has always put this as an errata, so we will keep doing so too.

Shadows of Mirkwood Expansion [SoM]

Boromir [SoM 95]

Should read: “Raise your threat by 1 to ready Boromir. (Limit once per phase.)”

Khazad-dûm Expansion [KD]

Narvi’s Belt [KD 3]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust Narvi’s Belt to give attached hero a resource icon of your choice [leadership], [lore], [tactics], or [spirit] icon until the end of the phase.”

Zigil Miner [KD 9]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust Zigil Miner and name a number to discard the top 2 cards of your deck. If at least one of those cards has a cost equal to the named number, choose a hero you control. That hero adds resources to his resource pool equal to the named number. For each card that matches the named number, add 1 resource to that hero’s resource pool.”

Dwarrowdelf Expansion [D]

Snow Warg [D 27]

Should read: “Forced: When Snow Warg attacks After a character is declared as a defender against Snow Warg, deal 1 damage to the defending character, if able.”

Out of the Wild [D 36]

Should read: “Action: Search the top 5 cards of the encounter deck for any 1 non-objective card worth no victory points and add it to your victory display. Shuffle the encounter deck. Add Out of the Wild to the victory display.”

ALeP’s Note: As far as we know this card was never officially reprinted in its correct form.

Háma [D 76]

Should read: “Response: After Háma is declared as an attacker, return a [tactics] event from your discard pile to your hand. Then, choose and discard 1 card from your hand. (Limit 3 times per game for the group.)”

Erebor Battle Master [D 79]

Should read: “Erebor Battle Master gets +1 [attack] for each other Dwarf character ally you control.”

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that this card also got a “silent erratum” in the last reprints of this cycle, which introduced a limit of +4 to the [attack] bonus.

Out of Sight [D 81]

Should read: “Action: Enemies engaged with you cannot attack you this phase.”

Love of Tales [D 85]

Should read: “Response: After a Song card is played, exhaust Love of Tales to add 1 resource to attached hero’s resource pool.”

We Are Not Idle [D 129]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust X Dwarf characters heroes to add X resources to a hero’s resource pool and draw 1 card.”

O A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! [D 132]

Should read: “Response: After a non-unique enemy attacks you, put that enemy on the bottom of the encounter deck. If your threat is lower than that enemy’s engagement cost, set your threat equal to the engagement cost of that enemy.”

Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion [OHaUH]

Nori [OHaUH 3]

Should read: “Response: After a Dwarf ally enters play under your control you play a Dwarf character from your hand, reduce your threat by 1.”

Thrór’s Map [OHaUH 13]

Should read: “Travel Action: Exhaust Thrór’s Map to choose a location in the staging area. Make that location the active location. (If there is another active location, return it to the staging area.)”

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that this card also got a “silent erratum” in the last reprints of this expansion and now the player have to discard it instead of exhausting it to trigger the Travel Action.

Troll Purse [OHaUH 42]

Should read:

“If Troll Purse is discarded, resolve its “When Revealed” effect, if able.

When Revealed: Attach to a Troll enemy.

If Troll Purse is discarded, add it to the staging area. If Troll Purse is unattached and in the
staging area, attach it to a Troll enemy, if able.”

Troll Key [OHaUH 43]

Should read:

“If Troll Key is discarded, resolve its “When Revealed” effect if able.

When Revealed: Attach to a Troll enemy.

If Troll Key is discarded, add it to the staging area. If Troll Key is unattached and in the
staging area, attach it to a Troll enemy, if able.”

On the Doorstep Saga Expansion [OtD]

Ravens of the Mountain [OtD 11]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust a hero you control to shuffle the encounter deck and reveal look at its top card. Place progress tokens on the current quest equal to the revealed card’s [threat] [threat] of the card you looked at. Then, put that card back on top of the encounter deck.”

Expert Treasure-hunter [OtD 17]

Should read: “Attach to a hero. Limit 1 per hero.”

Secret Entrance [OtD 45]

Should read: “Travel: The first player must exhaust a hero and name a card type to travel here. Then, reveal look at the top card of the encounter deck. If the revealed looked at card is not the named type, return Secret Entrance to the staging area. (The players cannot travel again this round.)”

Lost in the Dark 2B [OtB 68]

Should read: “When Revealed: Reveal stage 3 and create a separate staging area for the first player using that stage. Then, all other players advance to stage 4. If there are no other players in the game, discard this stage and each card in the staging area. All other players advance to stage 4.”

Heirs of Númenor Expansion [HoN]

A Watchful Peace [HoN 12]

Should read: “Response: After a location worth no victory points leaves play as an explored location, return it to the top of the encounter deck.”

Master of Lore [HoN 16]

Should read: “Action: Exhaust Master of Lore to name a card type. Lower the cost for you to play [lore] cards the next [lore] card of that type by 1 until the end of the phase (to a minimum of 1).”

Blocking Wargs [HoN 29]

Should read: “When Revealed: Deal 1 damage to each character committed to the quest. (If the current quest has the battle or siege keyword, shuffle this card back into the encounter deck.)”

The Power of Mordor [HoN 61]

Should read: “When Revealed: Count the number of encounter cards in the staging area and shuffle them into the encounter deck. Then, reveal Reveal an equal number of cards from the encounter deck and add them to the staging area. This effect cannot be canceled.”

Against the Shadow Expansion [AtS]

Trained for War [AtS 36]

Should read: “Action: Until the end of the phase, if the current quest has no keyword does not have siege, it gains battle.”

Counter-attack [AtS 106]

Should read: “When Revealed: Each player must either return the location he controls with the highest [threat] to the staging area, or raise his threat by the total [threat] of all locations he controls.”

Caldara [AtS 107]

Should read: “Action: Discard Caldara to put 1 [spirit] ally from your discard pile into play for each other hero you control with a printed [spirit] resource icon. (Limit once per game.)”

The Ambush 1B [AtS 117]

Should read: “At the beginning of the combat phase, each player must either turn each of his hidden cards faceup, or take 1 hidden card.”

The Cross-roads [AtS 123]

Should read: “The current quest card gains siege (and loses battle).”

Impenetrable Fog [AtS 157]

Should read: “When Revealed: The first player either places 3 progress tokens on To the Tower or reveals X additional cards from the encounter deck and adds them to the staging area. X is the number of players in the game.”

The Ring-maker Expansion [TRM]

Blue Mountain Trader [TRM 6]

Should read: “Action: Choose another player. That player gains control of Blue Mountain Trader. Then, that player moves 1 resource from the resource pool of a hero he controls to the resource pool of a hero you control, or Blue Mountain Trader is discarded. (Limit once per round.)”

ALeP’s Note: As far as we know this card was only reprinted with this errata in the Two-Players Limited Edition Starter Set.

Wingfoot [TRM 92]

Should read: “Response: After attached hero commits to a quest, name enemy, location, or treachery. If a card of the named type is revealed during this quest phase, exhaust Wingfoot to ready attached hero.”

The Treason of Saruman Saga Expansion [TToS]

Devilry of Saruman [TToS 43]

Should read: “When Revealed: Place 3 progress on the current main quest (bypassing any active location). Until the end of the round, treat each character’s text box as if it was blank (except for Traits).”

The Land of Shadow Saga Expansion [TLoS]

The Passage of the Marshes Campaign Card – Side A [TLoS 67]

Should read: “Setup: Each player may change hero cards he controls without incurring the +1 threat penalty. Each player shuffles 1 copy of The Searching Eye into his deck. Remove each burden with the following burden set icons from the encounter deck and each player’s deck:”

Official Reprints

The following cards have seen official reprints in recent products by FFG, with functional changes to their text. Even though there was no official communication about it in an FFG FAQ, we consider these changes to be official errata in all regards.

The Dark of Mirkwood Standalone Scenario [TDoM]

The Oath Campaign Card – Side A [TDoM 50]

Should read: “Response: Forced: At the end of each round, place 1 resource token here.”

ALeP’s Note: The intent was clearly for this effect to be triggered no matter what each round, but being initially erroneously printed as a Response its activation was subject to the players’ choice.

Defenders of Gondor Starter Deck [DoG]

Envoy of Pelargir [DoG 13]

Should have 1 printed Hit Point (not 2).

Faramir [DoG 28]

Should have the Traits Gondor. Noble. Ranger.

Helm of Secrecy [DoG 33]

Should read: “Action: Choose a hero you control and discard all tokens from it. Select a different non-[fellowship], non-[baggins] hero from your collection with a threat cost less than or equal to the chosen hero. Swap those heroes, moving all eligible attachments and damage tokens to the hero from your collection.”

ALeP’s Note: The above three errata for the Defenders of Gondor starter deck basically bring these three cards back in line with their original text from the Heirs of Númenor, Against the Shadow, and The Vengeance of Mordor expansions.

Elves of Lórien Starter Deck [EoL]

Daeron’s Runes [EoL 20]

Should read: “Response: Action: Draw 2 cards. Then, discard 1 card from your hand.”

Elrond’s Counsel [EoL 21]

Should read: “Response: Action: If you control a unique Noldor character, give another character +1 [willpower] until the end of the phase and lower your threat by 3.”

ALeP’s Note: The above two errata in the Elves of Lórien starter deck basically bring these cards back in line with their original text from the Dwarrowdelf expansion.

Shadows of Mirkwood Expansion [SoM]

A Burning Brand [SoM 33]

Should read:

“Attach to a [lore] character. Restricted.

While attached character is defending, cancel any shadow effects on cards dealt to the attacking enemy. Response: Exhaust A Burning Brand to cancel a shadow effect just triggered during an attack that attached character is defending.”

ALeP’s Note: The latest printings of the Conflict at the Carrock AP included this “silent erratum”, that is to say one never added to the official FAQ despite coming out before the game hiatus.

Dáin Ironfoot [SoM 116]

Should have the Traits Dwarf. Noble.

ALeP’s Note: The Noble trait was added when this card was reprinted in the Dwarves of Durin starter deck.

Dwarrowdelf Expansion [D]

Legacy of Durin [D 61]

Should read: “Response: After you play a Dwarf character from your hand, exhaust Legacy of Durin to draw 1 card.”

ALeP’s Note: The latest printings of The Watcher in the Water AP already included this “silent erratum”, that is to say, one never added to the official FAQ despite coming out before the game hiatus. This was further confirmed when it was reprinted with the same updated text in the Dwarves of Durin Starter Deck.

Erebor Battle Master [D 79]

Should read: “Erebor Battle Master gets +1 [attack] for each other Dwarf ally you control. (Limit +4 [attack].)”

ALeP’s Note: The latest printings of The Long Dark AP included this “silent erratum”, that is to say, one never added to the official FAQ despite coming out before the game hiatus. Worth noting that the Erebor Battle Master already had a previous erratum (recorded in the official FAQ) that tied his attack bonus to the number of other Dwarf allies you control, instead of other Dwarf characters you control as was originally printed.

Healing Herbs [D 109]

Should have the Trait Item.

ALeP’s Note: The Item trait was added when this card was reprinted in the Dwarves of Durin starter deck.

Against the Shadow Expansion [AtS]

Silvan Refugee [AtS 37]

Should have the Traits Silvan. Scout.

ALeP’s Note: The Scout trait was added when this card was reprinted in the Elves of Lórien starter deck.

The Lost Realm Expansion [TLR]

The Lost Realm Rules Sheet [added 14 April 2023]

The Encounter keyword for player cards that is presented in the new Angmar Awakened Hero Expansion works slightly differently than the old version that appeared for the first time in The Lost Realm deluxe expansion. The new version of the keyword allows each player to set aside up to 3 copies of each player card with the Encounter keyword, as opposed to before, when each player could only set aside 3 player cards with the Encounter keyword in total (be it 3 copies of a single card, a single copy of 3 different cards or anything in between). So, with the new version of the Encounter keyword, a player with a full collection (at the moment we are writing this) can set aside at the start of a game 3 copies of Ranger of the North [TLR 15/AAHE 22], 3 copies of Wind from the Sea [TH 144], 3 copies of Eagle of the North [EM 35/EMHE 69] and 3 copies of Tom Bombadil [TVoM 10].

The Dream-chaser Expansion [TDC]

Déorwine [TDC 60]

Should read: “Action: While Déorwine is defending, While Déorwine is defending, he gains: “Response: Spend 1 [leadership] resource to cancel a shadow effect dealt to the attacking enemy just triggered. Any player may trigger this action. response.””

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was added when the card was reprinted in The Dream-chaser Hero Expansion, to make it actually work as intended. The previous wording was problematic since it was an Action instead of a Response, as is usual for this kind of effect, and it was unclear when it could actually be triggered. Caleb Grace had already clarified in the past the intent for this card (see item #3.210) and now the wording clearly reflects that intent.

Ered Luin Miner [TDC 66]

Should read: “Response: After Ered Luin Miner is discarded from the top of your deck, put it into play under your control.”

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was added when the card was reprinted in the Dwarves of Durin starter deck as part of a general rewording of the mining effects, to avoid issues about what actually constituted the “top of your deck” in combination with effects like King Under the Mountain [OtD 18/DoD 16] or A Very Good Tale [OHaUH 14/DoD 20].

Windfola [TDC 116]

Should read: “Response: After attached character is removed from the quest, exhaust Windfola to commit attached hero that character to the quest.”

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was added when the card was reprinted in The Dream-chaser Hero Expansion and is meant to keep the last phrase in line with the rest of the card, to cover those corner cases where a character this card was attached to is no longer a hero (for example, Prince Imrahil [TFotW 5/TRotK 19] when there is no hero in the discard pile anymore).

The Haradrim Expansion [TH]

Dwarf Pipe [TH 7]

Should read: “Response: After a card is discarded from the top of your deck, exhaust Dwarf Pipe to place that card on the bottom of your deck.”

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was added when the card was reprinted in the Dwarves of Durin starter deck as part of a general rewording of the mining effects, to avoid issues about what actually constituted the “top of your deck” in combination with effects like King Under the Mountain [OtD 18/DoD 16] or A Very Good Tale [OHaUH 14/DoD 20].

Quickbeam [TH 135] [added 14 April 2023]

Should have the uniqueness symbol before the card name.

ALeP’s Note: The original printings of the [tactics] hero version of Quickbeam lacked the uniqueness symbol. This was fixed in later printings.

Ered Mithrin Expansion [EM]

The Goblin’s Task – Rescue Tiny – Retrieve Urdug’s Horn – Find Durin’s Key – Urdug’s Gambit [EM 47-51]

All quest cards show an incorrect encounter set icon (Gathering Gloom). The correct icon (Lost in Wilderland) can be found on the rules sheet.

ALeP’s Note: The first printings of this AP showed an incorrect encounter set icon. Subsequent printings fixed the mistake.

Mount Gundabad Rules Sheet

Should read: “Players will progress through stage 2 quest cards until they have won the game; there is no stage 3. Quest cards are not flipped to side B immediately when revealed. Rather, the current quest card is flipped at the beginning of the staging step of the quest phase. Flipping a quest card this way causes the B side to be revealed.”

Also, should read: “To create the Caves deck, take Dagnir’s Hoard and Throat of the Mountain, plus each card from the Lost Caves encounter set, and shuffle them together. This is the Caves deck.”

ALeP’s Note: The first printings of the Mount Gundabad AP included a couple of erroneous information. In the first case, it was confirmed by Caleb Grace the quest cards were correctly showing the timing and not the rules sheet (see item #3.306). In the second case, it was confirmed, once again by Caleb Grace, that Dagnir’s Hoard and Throat of the Mountain were indeed meant to be included in the Caves deck (see item #3.315). Subsequent printings fixed the mistake.

Dagnir’s Slave [EM 127] [added 28 August 2024]

This card’s name was changed to Dagnir’s Supplicant [EMCE 112] when it was released as part of the Revised line.

ALeP’s Note: Only the card name was changed, there are no mechanical differences between the two versions.

Radagast [EM 145] [added 26 May 2024]

Should read: “You may use resources from Radagast’s pool to pay for Creature allies of any sphere. While playing a Creature ally, Radagast gains the printed [leadership], [spirit], and [tactics] icons.”

ALeP’s Note: With the previous version of the text, using Radagast to play an off-sphere Creature ally whose cost had been reduced to 0 with Radagast’s Staff [EM 154/EMHE 72] was not possible. Caleb Grace has confirmed upon the release of the Ered Mithrin Hero Expansion that this non-bo was not intended and that they changed the wording accordingly, to make Radagast work “as originally intended” (see item #3.384).

Reforged [EM 153] [added 26 May 2024]

Should read: “Action: Choose an Item attachment with a printed cost of X in any player’s discard pile and play that attachment for no cost. (The chosen attachment can belong to any sphere of influence.)”

ALeP’s Note:  Caleb Grace has confirmed upon the release of the Ered Mithrin Hero Expansion that this card’s wording was updated so that it could work “as originally intended” (see item #3.384).

The Goblins’ Assault – The Heroes’ Defense [EM 155-156]

There is a typo on these two objectives used in The Fate of Wilderland scenario, where an incorrect scenario name (Mount Gundabad) is shown instead of the correct one (The Fate of WIlderland).

ALeP’s Note: The first printings of this AP showed an incorrect scenario name for the objectives. Subsequent printings fixed the mistake.

The Vengeance of Mordor Expansion [TVoM]

Helm of Secrecy [TVoM 90]

Should read: “Action: Choose a hero you control and discard all tokens from it. Select a different non-[fellowship], non-[baggins] hero from your collection with a threat cost less than or equal to the chosen hero. Swap those heroes, moving all eligible attachments and damage tokens to the hero from your collection.”

ALeP’s Note: Initially it was not clear how to handle the damage tokens on the hero swapped with this event since it was first said to discard all tokens (including damage ones) and then to move the damage tokens. Caleb Grace later confirmed that this event was meant to bring in a fully healed hero (see item #3.391) and the last printing of the Under the Ash Mountains AP fixed the text (the same is true for later printings of the Defenders of Gondor Starter Deck).

Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion [OHaUH]

Thrór’s Map [OHaUH 13]

Should read: “Travel Action: Exhaust Discard Thrór’s Map to choose a location in the staging area. Make that location the active location. (If there is another active location, return it to the staging area.)”

ALeP’s Note: The latest printings of Over Hill and Under Hill Saga Expansion included this “silent erratum”, that is to say, one never added to the official FAQ despite coming out before the game hiatus. It was later confirmed again when this card was reprinted in the Dwarves of Durin Starter Deck. It’s worth noting that this card already got another erratum (one recorded in the official FAQ), that changed it from a generic Action usable during any action window to an Action usable only during the Travel phase.

The Black Riders Saga Expansion [TBR]

Gandalf’s Delay [TBR 78] [added 14 April 2023]

Should read: “Each player draws 1 less card in his starting hand. Skip the draw cards step during the first round of the game.”

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was added when the card was reprinted in The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion. It was introduced since the old version of this card didn’t actually work as intended, since it came into play after the players had already drawn their starting hands.

The Road Darkens Saga Expansion [TRD]

Doom, Doom, Doom [TRD 43] [added 14 April 2023]

Should read: “Forced: At the end of the quest phase, remove 1 damage token from Doom, Doom. Doom. Then, if If there are no damage tokens here, add The Balrog to the staging area.”

ALeP’s Note: This erratum was introduced when the card was reprinted in The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion. Its intent is to avoid a corner case situation in which the players removed the 10th damage token before the Forced effect of Doom, Doom, Doom did so. In that case, the use of “Then” would make it so that the Balrog would not be added to the staging area when the 10th damage token is removed and subsequent triggers of the Forced effect would whiff. Since that would be against the mechanics of the scenario, that corner case was fixed by removing the “then”.

Confirmed Errors

For the following cards, we received confirmation from an FFG developer (usually Caleb Grace) that those cards were meant to have a different text. Those cards might be fixed in future reprints (and then moved to the Official Reprints section), but for now, we will collect their intended correct wording here.

The Dark of Mirkwood Standalone Scenario [TDoM]

Obsidian Arrows [TDoM 26]

Should read: “When Revealed: Deal 2 damage to a character you control controlled by the first player.”

ALeP’s Note: We received confirmation from Caleb Grace about how this card was meant to work and he explained how the wording was influenced by how much work he was doing on Marvel Champions at the time (see item #3.390).

Dwarrowdelf Expansion [D]

The Long Dark Rules Sheet

The rules sheet incorrectly mentions the Hazards of the Pit encounter set instead of the Deeps of Moria encounter set. The encounter set icons on the quest cards are correct. This was mentioned in the FFG article “Stars, Clarity, and Foundations of Stone”.

Foundations of Stone Rules Sheet

The rules sheet incorrectly mentions the Deeps of Moria encounter set instead of the Hazards of the Pit encounter set. The encounter set icons on the quest cards are correct. This was mentioned in the FFG article “Stars, Clarity, and Foundations of Stone”

Heavy Stroke [D 105] [updated: 31 January 2025]

Should read: “No more than 1 copy of Heavy Stroke can be played each phase.

Response: After a Dwarf deals X damage to an enemy during combat, deal an additional X damage to that enemy. (Limit once per phase.)”

ALeP’s Note: As written it was not clear how the “limit 1 per phase” impacted this card use since it was an event. Caleb Grace confirmed that the intent was to make it so “only 1 copy of this event can be played by a player group in a phase.” (see item #3.189).

The Lost Realm Expansion [TLR] and Angmar Awakened Expansion [AA]/Angmar Awakened Campaign Expansion [AACE]

Iârion [TLR 16/AACE 1] [added 14 September 2023]

Should have the uniqueness symbol before the card name.

ALeP’s Note: Caleb Grace confirmed that Iârion was meant to be a unique character (see item #3.379), which can have an impact on cards like Coney in a Trap [TH 9/DoG 32].

Angmar Awakened Campaign Expansion [AACE]

Iârion’s Pendant [AACE 157] [added 14 September 2023]

Should read: “Attach to a character. Attached character gets +1 [willpower].”

ALeP Note: As written this card, if chosen as a boon in the Resolution of the Deadmen’s Dike Campaign Card [AACE 166] and later included in a player’s deck, cannot be correctly played, since it lacks the specification about who it can attach to. Caleb Grace later confirmed the intent was for it to attach to any character (see item #3.379).

The Weather Hills Campaign Card – Side A [AACE 159] [added 14 April 2023]

Should read: “Setup: Add the Mysterious Omens side quest to the Campaign Log Pool and shuffle it into the encounter deck. Add the Protect the Innocent side quest to the staging area and place damage on it equal to the amount of damage noted for it in the Campaign Log.”

ALeP’s Note: This was clearly a typo that was later confirmed by Caleb Grace (see item #3.379).

Mysterious Omens [AACE 160] [added 14 September 2023]

Should read: “Forced: When Mysterious Omens is defeated, remove it from the Campaign Pool. Then, each player may choose 1 of the following boons and attach it to a hero they control: Cunning, Hardy, Resolute, Ruthless, or Stalwart. The players have earned those boons and add them to the Campaign Pool.”

ALeP’s Note: While the intent was quite clear for this card to allow the players to earn those boons, as written it did not work like that. We asked Caleb Grace for clarification and he confirmed that it is indeed how this card is meant to work (see item #3.379).

The Battle of Carn Dûm Campaign Card – Side B [AACE 188] [added 14 April 2023]

Should read: “Resolution: Note the amount of damage on each hero at the end of the game in the Campaign Log.”

ALeP’s Note: This was clearly a typo that was later confirmed by Caleb Grace (see item #3.379).

The Dream-chaser Expansion [TDC]/The Dream-chaser Campaign Expansion [TDCCE]

Fate of the Dream-chaser – Side A [TDC 148/TDCCE 118] [added 19 December 2023]

Should read: “When Revealed: Each player assigns damage among non-Ship characters he controls equal to the total damage on each Ship objective he controls. Discard all shadow cards, Ship enemies, Ship objectives, and Ocean locations in play.”

ALeP’s Note: This addition is introduced because one of the ways you can advance to Stage 2A in The City of Corsairs scenario is by destroying The Stormcaller [TDC 151/TDCCE 121], but this can be done while other enemies are still in play with their shadow cards not yet discarded, since the end of the combat phase has not been yet reached. This could end up adding some unintended cards to the encounter deck used in the second part of the scenario. Caleb Grace later clarified the developers intent for this situation (see item #3.326) and proposed a fix to the wording, which we slightly changed to better reflect the intent.

The Dream-chaser Campaign Expansion [TDCCE]

Helm of the Stormcaller [TDCCE 56] [added 17 August 2023]

Should have 2 printed Threat (not X).

Should read: “X is 2 more than the number of resources on all Raider enemies in play Helm of the Stormcaller gets +1 quest point for each resource token on a Raider enemy in play.”

ALeP’s Note: When this card was reprinted in The Dream-chaser Campaign Expansion there were some changes introduced to its threat value and quest points calculation, possibly brought by a desire to make it more clear and easy to interpret. Unfortunately, this ultimately ended up creating a completely different card, that worked against the scenario intent. Caleb Grace confirmed that the correct version is meant to be the original one from The Dream-chaser cycle, which you can see below, thanks to the support from Hall of Beorn.

On the Doorstep Saga Expansion [OtD]

Desperate Alliance [OtD 10] [updated 31 January 2025]

Should read: “No more than 1 copy of Desperate Alliance can be played each phase.

Action: Choose a hero you control. Until the end of the phase, give control of that hero and all resources in that hero’s resource pool to another player. (Limit 1 per phase.)”

ALeP’s Note: As written it was not clear how the “limit 1 per phase” impacted this card use since it was an event. Caleb Grace confirmed that the intent was to make it so “only 1 copy of this event can be played by a player group in a phase.” (see item #3.189).

Semi-official FAQ 1.10

Last updated: 18 December 2025

This section is divided into three sub-sections: first, you will find the official rules clarifications, then the official Q&A, and finally all the rulings given out by the developers over the 10+ years of life of this game that we were able to collect. This last sub-section is constantly updated with new rulings given out or old ones we uncover.

We formatted and numbered every item in this document for ease of reference and we also added ALeP’s Notes where needed to point out and clarify things for the readers. Any invalidated text is shown in a red strikethrough (like this), any invalidating item or ruling is shown in green (like this), things that are only partially at odds are pointed out in orange (like this) and finally more general considerations are shown in blue (like this).

Official Rules Clarifications

The following sub-section includes all the Rules Clarification items presented in the last official FFG FAQ document from 2017 (version 1.9).

(1.00) The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule reads: “If the game text of a card contradicts the text of the rulebook, the text on the card takes precedence.”

The Golden Rule applies when there is a direct contradiction between card text and rules text. If it is possible to observe both card text and the text of the rulebook, both are observed.

Example: The rulebook (p. 15) reads: “Any progress tokens that would be placed on a quest card are instead placed on the active location.” Legolas [CORE 5] has an effect that reads, “…place 2 progress tokens on the current quest.” Legolas’ effect would place 2 progress tokens on the quest; the core rule from page 15 instead places those tokens on the active location. Thus, the Legolas ability can successfully resolve, and the core rule can be observed, without creating a golden rule situation.

(If a card effect read, “place a progress token on the current quest, bypassing any active location,” a direct contradiction between card text and rulebook would be created, and the golden rule would then take effect.)

(1.01) Encounter Keywords

Surge, Doomed, and Guarded keywords should be resolved any time the card on which they occur is revealed from the encounter deck, including during setup.

(1.02) Simultaneous Effect Timing

If two or more conflicting effects would occur simultaneously, the first player decides the order in which the effects resolve.

Example: Tom plays Sneak Attack [CORE 23] to put Beorn [CORE 31] into play during the combat phase. Sneak Effect has the condition, “At the end of the phase, if that ally is still in play, return it to your hand.” During combat, Tom uses Beorn’s triggered effect, which has the condition, “At the end of the phase in which you trigger this effect, shuffle Beorn back into your deck.” At the end of the phase, a situation arises in which two conflicting effects are attempting to resolve simultaneously on Beorn. The first player determines which of the two effects resolves first. (The second effect no longer applies when Beorn leaves play.)

(1.03) Conflicting Effect Targeting

If an encounter or quest effect attempts to target a single player or card, and there are multiple eligible targets, the first player selects the target of the effect from among the eligible options.

Example: The card Caught in a Web [CORE 80] has an effect that reads, “The player with the highest threat level attaches this card to one of his heroes.” Tom and Kris are tied for the highest threat level when Caught in a Web is revealed, so the first player determines whether the card affects Tom or Kris.

(1.04) Damage and Multiple Defenders

If a player uses card effects to declare multiple defenders against a single enemy attack, the defending player must assign all damage from that attack to a single defending character.

(1.05) Removing Progress Tokens from Quests

When a card effect removes progress tokens from a quest or quest card, the effect applies specifically to the quest card, and never to the active location.

(1.06) Control of Non-objective Encounter Cards

Players do not gain control of encounter cards unless control of the card is explicitly granted by a card effect. When an encounter card (such as Caught in a Web,[CORE 80]) becomes an attachment and attaches to a character, that character’s controller does not gain control of the attachment.

(1.07) Control of Objective Cards

When a player claims an objective card, he gains control of that card unless otherwise directed by a card effect.

(1.08) Responses per Trigger

If a Response or Forced ability is triggered, the effect can only occur once per trigger.

Example: Theodred [CORE 2] reads, “Response: After Theodred commits to a quest….” This effect can only be triggered once each time Theodred commits to a quest.

(1.09) Forced Abilities

Forced abilities resolve immediately when their specified prerequisite occurs, and before any Response effects that also can be triggered off the same prerequisite.

Example: Tower Gate [CORE 107] reads, “Forced: After travelling to Tower Gate….” If a player wishes to play a Response such as Strength of Will [CORE 47] after the players travel to Tower Gate, he must wait until after the Forced ability resolves.

(1.10) Limitations on Actions

Actions are only limited by whether or not a player can pay the cost of the Action, or by built in limitations on the card itself, such as “limit once per round.”

Example: Protector of Lorien [CORE 70] reads, “Action: Discard a card from your hand to….” This Action may be triggered three times per phase, as long as the card’s controller has cards in hand to discard.

(1.11) Limitations on Attacks

When a player is the active attacker during the combat phase, the game rules grant him the option to declare 1 attack against each enemy with which he is engaged. If, through card effects such as ranged, a player is able to declare attacks against enemies with which he is not engaged, the game rules still only provide for a single attack against each of these enemies.

However, if a player makes an attack against an enemy by a card effect such as Quick Strike [CORE 35] or Hands Upon the Bow [D 131], that is an extra attack and does not count against the limit of 1 attack.

Characters are not limited as to how many times they can participate in attacks against the same enemy, provided each attack can be legally declared, and the character is ready and eligible to be declared as an attacker.

(1.12) Exhaustion and Attachments

Attachments and the card to which they are attached exhaust and ready independent of one another.

Example: Steward of Gondor [CORE 26] reads, “Action: Exhaust Steward of Gondor to….” Using this Action only exhausts the Steward of Gondor card, not the hero to which it is attached. Additionally, exhausting the hero to which Steward of Gondor is attached does not exhaust the Steward of Gondor card.

(1.13) Characters and Enemies

“Character” refers to both hero and ally cards. Enemy cards are not considered characters.

(1.14) The word “cannot”

If a card effect uses the word “cannot”, then it is an absolute: that effect cannot be overridden by other effects.

(1.15) The word “then”

If a card effect uses the word “then,” then the preceding effect must resolve successfully for the subsequent dependent effect to resolve.

(1.16) The phrase “put into play”

If a card effect uses the phrase “put into play,” it means that the card enters play through a card effect instead of through the normal process of paying resources and playing the card from hand. “Put into play” effects are not considered to be playing the card, and will not trigger any effects that refer to a card being played. “Put into play” will, however, trigger any effects that occur when a card “enters play”.

Example: The quest Through the Caverns [CORE 124] has the text, “The players, as a group, cannot play more than one ally card each round.” While this quest is active, a player can put an ally into play with Stand and Fight [CORE 51], even if an ally has already been played this round.

(1.17) Unclaimed Objectives

An unclaimed objective is one that is not currently claimed and under the control of a player. An unclaimed objective can be guarded or unguarded. A guarded objective is treated like an attachment if

guarded by an enemy or location, and remains attached to that card until it leaves play, at which point it will return to the staging area. Any unclaimed objective in the staging area that is not attached to a card is considered to be unguarded. If an objective is claimed at one point, and then returns to the staging area, it regains the status of unclaimed.

(1.18) Explored Locations Leaving Play

A location card is immediately discarded from play any time it has as many progress tokens as it has quest points, whether it is active or not.

(1.19) Card Effects during Setup

When Revealed effects are resolved if the cards are revealed during setup. A player can trigger Responses during setup, following the normal game rules. Players cannot take Actions during setup.

When Revealed effects that last “until the end of the phase” will last until the end of the first resource phase. Effects that last “until the end of the round”, will last until the end of the first round.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.054.

(1.20) Engaged Enemies

During the quest phase, engaged enemies do not count their threat for the staging area. An enemy remains engaged with a player until it is defeated or until a card effect returns it to the staging area, engages it to another player, or removes it from play.

(1.21) Search Effects

Whenever a player searches through a deck, that player shuffles the deck after searching it unless a card effect says otherwise. Players do not shuffle or change the order of a discard pile after searching it.

(1.22) “When Revealed” Effects

A card is only considered to be revealed if the card or game effect causing the card to enter play specifically uses a form of the word “reveal”.

Example: If the players use the Stage 3B “Don’t Leave the Path!” [CORE 121] quest card effect to search for a King Spider [CORE 74] and put it into play, the When Revealed effect on the King Spider will not trigger, since the effect on “Don’t Leave the Path!” does not specifically use a form of the word “reveal.”

(1.23) Attachments

Any objective card that attaches to another card is treated as an attachment in addition to its other card types.

Any non-objective card that attaches to another card loses its original card type and gains the attachment card type.

The “Attach to…” rules text on an attachment is only a play restriction, and is not taken into account after the card is already attached.

(1.24) Questing Successfully

Questing successfully and the physical placement of progress tokens are two separate game occurrences that happen in sequence during the Quest Resolution step. As soon as the players determine that the total committed [Willpower] is greater than the total [Threat] in the staging area, they are considered to have quested successfully. Any Forced or passive effects initiated by questing successfully resolve before physically placing progress tokens.

Example: Tom has just successfully quested during stage 1B of The Hunt Begins [SoM 11], and he will be placing enough progress to advance to the next stage. However, he must first resolve the Forced effect (which resolves immediately upon the occurrence of “questing successfully”) before placing progress tokens on the quest.

(1.25) Collecting, Adding, Moving, and Gaining Resources

Collecting resources refers to both collecting resources during the resource phase and gaining resources through other card effects. An effect that prevents a hero from collecting resources prevents both methods of acquiring new resources.

Adding a resource to a hero’s pool is the act of taking a resource from the token bank and placing it in that hero’s pool. Adding a resource always results in the total number of resources controlled by the players being increased.

Moving a resource is the act of taking a resource from one hero’s pool and placing it in another hero’s pool. This does not count as ‘adding’ a resource because it did not take a new resource from the token bank and the total number of resources controlled by the players did not increase.

Gaining a resource is a blanket term that includes collecting, adding and moving. Any time the number of resources in a hero’s pool is increased, that hero has gained one or more resources.

(1.26) The word “switch”

In order for a switch to occur, switched items must exist on both sides of the switch.

(1.27) Bypass the active location

The only time an active location does not act as a buffer for progress to be placed on a quest is when card text specifically instructs the players to “bypass” the active location.

(1.28) Enemy attacks outside of the combat phase

If an enemy attacks outside of the combat phase, it is still dealt a shadow card at the beginning of the attack. Then follow the steps of the Enemy Attack Resolution chart, as shown in the rules. There is an action window after each step. Any shadow cards dealt to the attacking enemy are discarded after the attack resolves.

ALeP’s Note: See item 3.349 for a further clarification.

(1.29) Victory Display

The victory display is a game area where victory points are tracked. Cards in the victory display are considered to be out of play, but are not considered to be a part of the encounter discard pile. Cards in the victory display are not considered “removed from game,” and some card effects may still interact with them.

(1.30) “First Player” elimination

If the player with the first player token is eliminated, the first player token immediately passes clockwise to the next eligible player.

(1.31) Self-referential effects

If a card refers to its own title in its text it should be read as referring only to that copy of the card. A card that refers to other copies of itself will use the language “any copy of…” or “another copy of…” or “a card with the title…”

(1.32) Mid-Attack Control or Engagement Change

If a card involved in combat changes control, is returned to the staging area, or engages another player during the resolution of an attack, that attack still resolves with the card still participating from its new state.

(1.33) Attacks by non-engaged enemies

When an enemy attacks a player, that player may declare 1 defender whether the enemy is engaged with him or not. Sentinel may also be used to defend against such attacks.

(1.34) Two active locations

If a card effect causes two locations to be active at the same time, they are both considered to be the active location. However, when a card effect targets “the active location,” it does not target both active locations at the same time. The first player must choose which of the active locations the effect will target. Both active locations serve as buffers for the quest stage and when placing progress on the active location, the players may divide that progress among both active locations however they choose.

(1.35) “Enters the staging area”

Enters the staging area is a term that applies to a card (enemy, location, objective, etc) that is placed in the staging area. This term applies whether the card in question has been revealed from the encounter deck, placed in the staging area from out of play, returned from the discard pile or from engaged with a player, or by other means.

(1.36) Triggered abilities vs. Passive abilities

Triggered abilities are abilities on cards that have a bold trigger word such as Forced, Response or Action. These abilities are only applied when they are triggered. Passive abilities are abilities on cards that have an ongoing effect without a bold trigger word. Because passive abilities don’t have a trigger they are always active and cannot be “triggered”.

(1.37) Timing of effect resolution

When resolving multiple effects with a shared condition, players should use this order of resolution: passive abilities first, Forced abilities second, Response abilities third. When determining the order of effect resolution among abilities within those categories, players should first resolve abilities that use the word “when” and then resolve abilities with the word “after”.

A player card effect that cancels an encounter card effect interrupts this timing structure. A cancel effect must be triggered immediately after the encounter card effect that it cancels.

ALeP’s Note: It’s relevant to point out that this concept was further clarified by the “Cancel” definition as presented in the Rules Reference, which states that “Cancel abilities interrupt the initiation of an effect, and prevent the effect from initiating.”

(1.38) Control of attachments

When a player plays an attachment on a character controlled by another player, that character’s controller gains control of the attachment. When a player plays an attachment into the staging area, or on an enemy or location, that player retains control of that attachment.

(1.39) Staging objective cards

When a player reveals an objective from the encounter deck, he adds it to the staging area unless that objective instructs the player to do something different.

(1.40) The letter X

Unless specified by a card effect, or granted player choice, the letter “X” is equal to 0.

(1.41) Attacks against a character

An attack made against a character works the same as an attack made against a player with one exception: undefended damage from an attack against a character must be assigned to that character.

For example: Bilbo Baggins [OtD 1] has the most poison attached when Crazy Cob [OtD 29] is revealed from the encounter deck and its When Revealed effect triggers an attack against the character with the most poison attached. Even though the first player controls 3 other heroes, any undefended damage from this attack must be applied to Bilbo Baggins. Because Bilbo is already exhausted from committing to the quest, he cannot exhaust to defend himself and will be killed if the attack is undefended. Knowing this, the first player chooses to exhaust one of his ready characters, Bombur [D 35/DoD 4] to declare him as the defender for this attack. At this point, the attack resolves as normal and any damage from the attack is applied to Bombur.

(1.42) Additional attacks by an enemy

When an enemy makes an additional attack, discard all of its previously dealt shadow cards before dealing it a new shadow card.

(1.43) Modifiers of variable quantities

The game state constantly checks and (if necessary) updates the count of any variable quantity that is being modified. Any time a new modifier is applied, the entire quantity is recalculated, considering all active modifiers.

A quantity cannot be reduced below zero: a card cannot have “negative” cost, stats, keywords, etc.

ALeP’s Note: It’s relevant to point out that what is clarified in the second paragraph of this item also applies to a player’s threat dial, see item 2.85 of the official FAQ.

(1.44) “Must X or Y” vs “must either X or Y”

If a card instructs a player to perform one task or perform a second task using the structure “… must X or Y…” then the player must attempt to perform the first task, and performs the second task instead only if the first task cannot be performed.

If a card instead uses the structure “… must either X or Y…” then the player may choose which task to perform, although one of them must be performed in full, if able.

(1.45) “Reveal” vs “Reveal and add”

Any time encounter cards are “revealed” from the encounter deck, the players should follow the rules for staging as explained on page 14 of the rulebook and item 1.39 of this document.

If a card effect uses the phase “Reveal and add to the staging area”, it means the same as simply using the word “reveal”, and the above steps should still be followed (i.e. treachery cards should still be placed in the discard pile after resolving its effects, unless otherwise indicated by the card’s text).

(1.46) “Next” player

If there is only one player in the game, there is no next player. Card effects that target the “next” player will not trigger if there is only one player in the game.

For example: The shadow effect of Pathless Country [TBR 72/TFotR 171] reads: “Shadow: After this attack, the attacking enemy engages the next player then makes an immediate attack.” If there is only one player in the game, there is no next player to engage. The word “then” indicates that the immediate attack is conditional on the attacking enemy engaging the next player, so the enemy will not make an immediate attack.

(1.47) “Immune to player card effects”, expanded

Cards with the text “Immune to player card effects” ignore the effects of all player cards. This means that player card effects cannot directly influence or interact with a card that is immune to player card effects. Examples include dealing damage to an enemy, placing progress on a location, altering a card’s text or statistics, moving a card, engaging an enemy, traveling to a location, or discarding a card.

However, a card that is immune to player card effects can still be affected by normal framework effects such as placing progress from questing successfully, engaging an enemy during the encounter phase, or dealing damage through an attack made by a character.

For example: Pippin’s [TBR 4/TFotR 6] passive ability cannot increase the engagement cost of an enemy that is immune to player card effects, because that enemy will ignore Pippin’s ability. However, if you engage an enemy who is immune to player card effects and has an engagement cost higher than your threat, you may still use Pippin’s Response to draw a card, because this Response is not affecting the enemy in any way.

Additionally, cards that are immune to player card effects cannot be chosen as targets of player card effects. This means that any player card that uses a form of the words “target” or “choose” cannot choose a card that is immune to player card effects as its target. This includes the “attach to…” text of any player attachment. Player cards that do not use the word “target” or “choose” but force the player to choose a specific card cannot choose a card that is immune to player card effects.

For example: Hands Upon the Bow [D 131] cannot be used to attack an enemy that is immune to player card effects, because it clearly indicates that the player must pick an enemy in the staging area to attack. This is different from Quick Strike [CORE 35], which targets a character and allows them to perform a normal attack, which is a framework effect.

(1.48) Discarding cards vs placing cards in the discard pile

When a character is destroyed, or an event card is played, it is placed in the discard pile. This is not the same as being “discarded.” Cards are only discarded when a card effect instructs a player to discard a card.

(1.49) Engaging enemies vs being engaged

When a player engages an enemy, that enemy has also engaged him, and when an enemy engages a player, that player has also engaged that enemy. There is no difference between engaging an enemy and being engaged by an enemy. Effects that trigger “after an enemy engages you” will trigger at the same time as effects that trigger “after you engage an enemy.”

(1.50) “Considered to be engaged” vs actual engagement

An enemy that does not leave the staging area but is considered to be engaged with a player does not actually engage that player, nor does that player engage it. In order for a player to engage an enemy, the enemy card must physically enter his play area.

For example: Durin’s Bane [D 150] cannot leave the staging area and is considered to be engaged with two players. Player 1 has Mablung [TRM 84] and wishes to trigger his Response effect, but he cannot because he has not actually engaged Durin’s Bane. Player 2 wishes to play Feint [CORE 34/DoG 22/RoR 22] to prevent Durin’s Bane from attacking him. He can, because Durin’s Bane is considered to be engaged with him.

(1.51) Limitations on card effects

When a card with a triggered effect has a limit on the number of times that effect can be triggered (i.e. “Once per round,” “Limit 3 times per phase,” etc.), the limit is specific to that card. However, if a card has a limit of “once per game,” that limitation is specific to the player who triggered it.

(1.52) “The defending player”

When an enemy makes an attack against a player, or a character controlled by a player, that player is “the defending player” regardless of whose character is declared as a defender. Card effects, including shadow card effects, that target “the defending player” or “you” still target the player who the enemy is attacking even if another player declares one of his characters as a defender for that attack.

(1.53) Canceling an encounter card effect

When an encounter card effect is canceled, the game proceeds as if that encounter effect was never triggered. The rest of the encounter card is resolved as normal.

For example: If a player plays A Test of Will [CORE 50/EoL 19/RoR 20] to cancel the When Revealed effect of Dark Sorcery [TLR 65], each player must still raise his threat by 2 for the Doomed 2 keyword on Dark Sorcery. Additionally, any effect that triggers after a card with the Sorcery trait is revealed will still trigger because Dark Sorcery has the Sorcery trait, and even though its When Revealed effect was canceled, the card itself was still revealed.

(1.54) Canceling an encounter card

When an encounter card is canceled, the game proceeds as if that encounter card was never revealed, except that it still fulfills that encounter card reveal. Effects that would have triggered in response to the canceled encounter card being revealed cannot be triggered.

For example: If a player plays The Door is Closed [AA 92/AAHE 67] to cancel Dark Sorcery [TLR 65], the Doomed 2 keyword on Dark Sorcery will not trigger, nor will any effects that trigger after a card with the Sorcery trait is revealed, because the entire encounter card was canceled.

(1.55) Lasting Effects

There are two classes of lasting effects in the game: those created by player cards and those created by encounter cards. Each class is handled differently as follows:

A lasting effect created by a player card ability must be calculated at the time that the ability is triggered, and that effect is not recalculated if the game state changes.

For example: If a player triggers the Quest Action on Nenya [TRM 121/EoL 16] to add Galadriel’s [TRM 112/EoL 2] 4 [Willpower] to another hero until the end of the phase, that +4 [Willpower] bonus will not be recalculated if Galadriel’s [Willpower] is increased later that phase.

A lasting effect created by an encounter card ability, is recalculated if the game state changes.

For example: Part of the When Revealed effect on Poisoned Vapour [TToS 61/TTTo 86] reads: “Until the end of the combat phase, treat each damaged character’s text box as if it were blank (except for Traits).” If Aragorn [TToS 1/TTTo 5] had 1 damage at the time Poisoned Vapour was revealed, his text box would be treated as if it were blank. However, if that damage was healed, his text box would no longer be considered blank. If he was damaged again, his text box would be treated as if it were blank until the end of the combat phase.

ALeP’s Note: It’s relevant to point out that the text “If Aragorn leaves play, the players lose the game.” cannot be modified by player card effects or encounter card effects, as clarified in the rulebook of The Flame of the West Saga Expansion.

(1.56) “Cannot have attachments”

The text “cannot have attachments” is absolute. It is possible to play attachments on a card with this text while its text box is considered to be blank, but any attachments on that card must be discarded immediately the moment its text is active again.

(1.57) Threat elimination

A player is immediately eliminated from the game the moment his threat reaches his threat elimination level regardless of card effects in play.

For example: A player who has played Vanish from Sight [TDC 11/TDCHE 75] treats his threat as if it was 20 until the end of the phase, but if his threat dial reaches his threat elimination level, he is still immediately eliminated from the game.

(1.58) Triggering Forced effects

A Forced effect must be in play and active at the time its trigger occurs in order to resolve its effect. If the resolution of another effect causes a Forced effect to enter play or become active after its triggered has occurred, that Forced effect is not resolved.

For example: Stage 1B of Helm’s Deep reads: “Forced: At the end of the round, advance to stage 2A,” and stage 2B reads “Forced: At the end of the round, place 1 progress here for each enemy in the staging area.” When the end of the round triggers, the players resolve the Forced effect on stage 1 and advance to stage 2, but they do not resolve the Forced effect on stage 2B because it was not in play when the end of the round triggered.

Official Q&A

The following sub-section includes all the Q&A items presented in the last official FFG FAQ document from 2017 (version 1.9) as well as the FAQs about Campaign Mode that were present in The Road Darkens rules booklet (starting from item 2.89).

Sometimes rules clarifications, Q&A and rulings can contradict each other. In those instances, the most recent answer from the developers overrides and invalidates any previous answer on the argument. In some cases the answers might only be partially at odds, perhaps they can even be reconciled by taking a more comprehensive view. 

In any of those cases, there are ALeP’s Notes in all the relevant items and rulings clarifying and discussing the situation. Any invalidated text is shown in a red strikethrough (like this), any invalidating item or ruling is shown in green (like this), things that are only partially at odds are pointed out in orange (like this) and finally more general considerations are shown in blue (like this).

Q&A Items:

ALeP’s Note: For ease of reference we added a numeration system to the following items, adopting the same system used for the Rules Clarification section of the official FAQ document.

(2.00) Q: If the players do not commit any characters to a quest, does the staging area still count its threat against them?

A: Yes, the threat in the staging area still counts against the players, who have a combined committed willpower of 0.

(2.01) Q: Does a player commit his characters to a quest at once, or one character at a time? When can a player trigger Responses to committing his characters to a quest?

A: A player commits all characters he wishes to commit to a quest at once. Responses to the characters committing (such as those on Aragorn [CORE 1] and Theodred [CORE 2]) can then be triggered in the order of that player’s choice. After a player has committed his characters (and triggered any Responses to those characters committing), the next player has the opportunity to commit his characters to the quest.

(2.02) Q: Does the effect on Legolas [CORE 5] place progress tokens on an active location, if there is one?

A: Yes. Always place progress tokens on an active location instead of the quest, unless the ability specifically states to bypass any active location.

(2.03) Q: When do “after this enemy attacks” Forced effects like those on Chieftain Ufthak [CORE 90] and Wargs [CORE 85] resolve?

A: These effects resolve immediately after step 4 of enemy attack resolution.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 4” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4.4 in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(2.04) Q: Can a player have cards in his player deck from a sphere that doesn’t match the sphere of one of his heroes?

A: There is nothing in the rules that disallows this, although a player will need to find clever card interactions to make use of such cards.

(2.05) Q: Does Dungeon Jailer [CORE 101] shuffle guarded objectives back into the encounter deck?

A: Yes. Dungeon Jailer will shuffle any unclaimed objective, whether or not it is guarded.

(2.06) Q: Can a player use a Response effect like the one on Eleanor [CORE 8] during setup?

A: Yes. Responses can be triggered at any time they meet their specified prerequisite, including during setup.

(2.07) Q: Do the Orc Guards generated by the effects of the Tower Gate [CORE 107] location card and the Out of the Dungeons [CORE 125] quest card have the Orc Trait?

A: No. Face down cards do not have traits unless the trait is gained through a card effect.

(2.08) Q: When should Feint [CORE 34/DoG 22/RoR 22] be played?

A: This card should be played any time before resolving step 1 of the target enemy’s attack during the combat phase. (Once the act of resolving an enemy’s attack begins, it is too late to prevent it from attacking with Feint.)

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(2.09) Q: In what order is players’ optional engagement handled?

A: The first player has the first opportunity to optionally engage an enemy, or pass. After that, each player, moving clockwise, has the option to engage one enemy. Once each player has had this opportunity, this step is complete.

(2.10) Q: What happens to Banks of the Anduin [CORE 113] if it is drawn as a Shadow card?

A: It will be discarded from play at the end of the combat phase, like other Shadow cards. When a card is drawn as a Shadow card, only its Shadow text is considered to be active.

(2.11) Q: If Wolf Rider [CORE 81] is drawn as a Shadow card, when is it returned to the top of the encounter deck?

A: “After combat” refers to the end of the combat phase, when Shadow cards normally leave play.

(2.12) Q: If I cancel the Shadow effect on a card dealt to the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur [CORE 102], is the effect still considered to have resolved, making me discard a character?

A: No. Resolving an effect means that the effect triggered and resolved to the fullest extent possible. Canceling the effect will prevent the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur’s ability from triggering, just as if the card had no Shadow effect to begin with.

(2.13) Q: Does a player with the Dungeon Torch [CORE 109] raise his threat by 2 or 3 during the refresh phase?

A: Dungeon Torch’s effect does not replace the regular 1 threat raise, but adds to it. So the player with the Dungeon Torch raises his threat by 3.

(2.14) Q: If Legolas has a Blade of Gondolin [CORE 39] and destroys an enemy, can he trigger his Response, finish off a quest card, and still place progress tokens on the next quest with the Blade of Gondolin’s Response?

A: Yes. Quest cards are immediately replaced as soon as players place enough progress on them, and this replacement does not interrupt the current round sequence. If the current quest card only needs 1 progress on it, then a player could also trigger the Blade’s effect first, and then Legolas’ in order to maximize the number of progress tokens placed. (There is no carry-over progress from an effect).

(2.15) Q: How does a player resolve the situation in which a single hero has multiple copies of Caught in a Web [CORE 80] attached?

A: The player must pay for each copy of Caught in a Web before the hero can ready. Each copy of the card creates an independent condition that must be fulfilled before readying the attached hero, so if each condition is not fulfilled the hero cannot ready. End result, if a hero has two copies of Caught in a Web attached, the player will have to pay 4 resources from that hero’s resource pool in order to ready the card.

(2.16) Q: If players have placed progress tokens on a quest equal to its quest points, but a game effect prevents them from advancing, can they continue to place progress tokens on the quest?

A: Yes. There is no upper limit to how many progress tokens may be placed on a quest.

(2.17) Q: Can characters with the ranged keyword participate in an attack declared through the card Quick Strike [CORE 35]?

A: No. There is no opportunity for other characters to join a Quick Strike attack. One character is exhausted to pay for the cost of Quick Strike, and the effect is that the exhausted character is immediately declared as an attacker against the target enemy. The card’s resolution does not allow for a standard declaration step in which other characters can declare.

(2.18) Q: Wilyador [SoM 64] cannot be healed of more than 5 wounds by a single effect, so how do I resolve the “when revealed” text on Return to Rhosgobel 3B [SoM 62]?

A: Heal 5 wounds from Wilyador for each Athelas [SoM 63] objective card as its own separate action.

(2.19) Q: Can Brand son of Bain [SoM 72] trigger his Response if he participates in a ranged attack that defeats an enemy engaged with another player instead of declaring the attack himself ?

A: Yes. Declaring an attack and participating in an attack are both subsets of attacking. In both cases Brand attacks and can trigger his Response if the enemy is defeated.

(2.20) Q: If a Sacked! [SoM 48] card is placed on a hero while that hero is questing, is that hero removed from the quest?

A: No. Sacked! specifies only that the hero cannot commit to the quest, and the hero is already committed. However, the hero cannot commit to quests on future rounds while Sacked! is attached.

(2.21) Q: If Eleanor [CORE 8] is used to cancel the “when revealed” effects of a treachery card, are any surge or doomed keywords on that card also canceled?

A: No. Eleanor only cancels the “when revealed” effects of the treachery card. Any surge or doomed keywords on the card resolve before the new (replacement) card is revealed.

(2.22) Q: Is Against the Trolls [SoM 32] the final stage of Conflict at the Carrock?

A: Yes.

(2.23) Q: What happens if Wandering Took [CORE 43] changes control between players during combat after being declared as a defender?

A: As nothing removes Wandering Took from the combat or from play, it remains declared as a defender against the attack. (The “defending player” does not change, even though control of the defending character has changed.)

ALeP’s Note: See also item 1.32 of the Official FAQ.

(2.24) Q: If a player is eliminated during the staging step of the quest phase, before all encounter cards are revealed, does the elimination reduce the number of cards that should be revealed for staging?

A: The base number of cards to be revealed is determined at the beginning of the staging step, and does not change if a player is eliminated during staging.

(2.25) Q: If all of a player’s heroes (except for the captured hero) are destroyed during the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario, is that player eliminated from the game?

A: Yes, the player is eliminated, and the players (as a group) have lost.

(2.26) Q: When paying for a Creature with resources from Radagast’s [SoM 59] pool, is a resource match required?

A: No. Radagast’s ability breaks the need for a resource match if the resources are coming only from his pool. (If combining his resources with resources from a hero’s pool, the hero’s sphere must match the sphere of the Creature being played.)

(2.27) Q: If I can’t discard 3 resources from all of my heroes due to Bitter Wind [KD 56], do I have to partially fulfill the effect?

A: Yes, players should resolve as much of any “discard” effect as they are able to.

(2.28) Q: If a player does not declare any defenders against an attack, is he still considered the defending player?

A: Yes, the player an enemy is attacking is considered to be the defending player. Whether or not he declares defenders, and whether or not any other player declares defenders for him, does not change his status as the defending player for the attack.

(2.29) Q: If A Light in the Dark [CORE 52] is played mid-attack (e.g. after defender is declared), does the act of returning it to the staging area immediately end the attack because the enemy is no longer engaged with any player?

A: No. A Light in the Dark does not cancel or stop an attack that is already in the process of resolution. The only step in which the enemy needs to be engaged with the attacked player is step 1 of the Combat phase. So, in order to prevent an attack, A Light in the Dark must be played on an engaged enemy prior to choosing to resolve its attack during step 1.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 1.32 of the Official FAQ.

(2.30) Q: Can I use Son of Arnor [CORE 15] to engage The Watcher [D 72], even though The Watcher reads “…cannot be optionally engaged”?

A: Yes. The ability on Son of Arnor does not count as optionally engaging The Watcher. Optional engagement only occurs during step 1 of the Encounter phase.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 5.2 in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(2.31) Q: If Caradhras [D 15] is in my victory display when I complete stage 2 of The Redhorn Gate, will it become the active location even though it is not in play?

A: Yes. You will remove Caradhras from your victory display and put it back into play as the active location. Cards in the victory display are not removed from the game and can still be referenced by effects. If players get too far ahead of themselves via card effects, they’ll find a return journey is necessary!

(2.32) Q: If there are two copies of Pelennor Fields [TMaO 10] in the staging area and I travel to one of them, do I still have to raise my threat by 3? What if I have the opportunity to travel and travel to neither of them?

A: If a card is self-referential, it refers only to that copy of itself. So if you travel to one copy of the Pelennor Fields, the other copy will raise your threat by 3 because it only takes into account whether you traveled to that particular copy of the Pelennor Fields. So if you travel to neither copy, they both resolve and you must raise your threat by 6.

(2.33) Q: When an enemy makes an attack against me from the staging area, can I declare a defender?

A: Yes. If an enemy attacks you, you can exhaust 1 character you control to declare it as a defender against that attack, whether that enemy is engaged with you or not.

(2.34) Q: What is the difference between “adding” a card to the staging area versus “placing” a card in the staging area?

A: There is no difference between “adding” a card to the staging area versus “placing” a card in the staging area. These words are used interchangeably and mean the same thing in all instances.

(2.35) Q: Are attachments already in play discarded when Amon Lhaw [SoM 84] becomes the active location?

A: No. Attachments only check play restrictions when entering play. Attachments already in play will stay attached.

(2.36) Q: When players have separate staging areas at stage 4 of Foundations of Stone, can there be multiple copies of unique cards in play?

A: No. Players must still respect the rules for playing unique cards when they are split up. For example, if a player has Gandalf [CORE 73/DoD 10/EoL 7/DoG 11/RoR 6] in play, then no other player can play Gandalf.

(2.37) Q: How does the card Lost and Alone [D 124] work? What if the hero gets attached to a Nameless Thing (D 125] or was my last hero in play?

A: You only put the lost hero back into play if you draw the hero, whether during the resource phase or through a card effect. If the hero is discarded or attached to a card like a Nameless Thing, then treat it like any other card. In the latter situation, the value of the hero would be null, since it has no printed cost. If your last hero gets shuffled into your deck you are not eliminated from the game; heroes are not considered to be killed unless they are in your discard pile. You will continue playing until you either draw the hero, are eliminated through other means, or the game ends.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item #3.030.

(2.38) Q: When I play We Are Not Idle [D 129/DoD 23] and exhaust Bombur [OtD 5)] do I get 2 resources?

A: No. Bombur’s ability only works with cards that count the number of Dwarf characters you control. If you choose to exhaust Bombur with We Are Not Idle, you are still only exhausting 1 Dwarf character and will therefore only receive 1 resource.

(2.39) Q: When I use the ability on Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] to play a card, do I still need a resource match?

A: No. Playing a card at “no cost” is different from playing a card for “0 cost.” A 0 cost card still requires a resource match, however, playing a card at “no cost” removes the need for a resource match.

(2.40) Q: If an attachment gives a permanent stat bonus, does that bonus still apply when the attachment is exhausted?

A: Yes. Exhausting an attachment does not negate any permanent bonus that attachment grants to the attached character.

(2.41) Q: If there is an active location with the text “Immune to player card effects” when Legolas [CORE 5] participates in an attack that destroys an enemy, do I place 2 progress on the active location or the quest?

A: No. When Legolas’ ability would put progress on the current quest, if there is an active location, it puts progress on that location instead. If that location is immune to player card effects, it ignores Legolas’ ability. Therefore, no progress would be placed on the active location or the current quest.

(2.42) Q: If an enemy does not attack or its attack is canceled, what happens to its shadow card(s)?

A: At the end of the combat phase, discard each unresolved shadow card in play. (Do not resolve the effects on these shadow cards)

(2.43) Q: If a location is revealed after Treacherous Fog [CORE 118] was revealed during the same quest phase, does the revealed location get +1 [Threat] from the “When Revealed” effect on Treacherous Fog?

A: Yes. The “When Revealed” effect on Treacherous Fog creates a lasting effect until the end of the phase that affects each location in the staging area. This is different from Driven by Shadow [CORE 92] which uses the language “currently in the staging area” when it is revealed and only affects enemies and locations in the staging area at the time it is revealed.

(2.44) Q: Can I use Fortune or Fate [CORE 54] to put Beorn [OHaUH 5] into play from a player’s discard pile, even though he is immune to player card effects?

A: Yes. A hero’s ability is only active while it is in play. Therefore, Beorn is not immune to player card effects (such as Fortune or Fate) while he is in the discard pile.

(2.45) Q: If there is an unattached Ranger Spikes [HoN 17/DoG 30] in the staging area when an enemy with the ambush keyword is revealed from the deck, what happens?

A: The Ranger Spikes will attach to that enemy, preventing the players from making the engagement checks for the ambush keyword.

(2.46) Q: When Oin [OtD 4] gains the [tactics] resource icon from his ability, does that count as the “printed” tactics resource icon?

A: No. The “printed” resource icon always refers to the icon that appears in the Resource Icon space as identified on page 8 in the rulebook.

(2.47) Q: If there are no characters with poison attached when Crazy Cob [OtD 29] is revealed from the encounter deck, does it still make an attack?

A: Yes. Since each character has 0 poison, the first player will choose which character Crazy Cob attacks.

(2.48) Q: If I give control of one of my heroes to another player with Desperate Alliance [OtD 10] and my other heroes are killed, am I eliminated from the game?

A: No. A player is not eliminated from the game unless each of his heroes is killed. The hero chosen by Desperate Alliance is still in play and will return to your control at the end of the phase.

(2.49) Q: If I play Expecting Mischief [OHaUH 18] and it deals enough damage to the first enemy revealed to destroy it, do I still resolve any “when revealed” or keyword effects on that enemy?

A: No. The effect on Expecting Mischief resolves the same way as the effect on Thalin [CORE 6].

(2.50) Q: Is a shadow card effect considered an encounter card effect?

A: Yes. Cards that prevent characters from canceling encounter card effects also prevent players from canceling shadow card effects.

(2.51) Q: If the effect on Dwarrowdelf Axe [KD 7] destroys an enemy, can I play Foe-hammer OHaUH 15/DoG 26]?

A: No. In order to play Foe-hammer, the attacking character must destroy the enemy. That means dealing enough damage to it with attack strength.

(2.52) Q: Can you put Fili [OHaUH 6/DoD 27] into play for free from your hand after you play Kili [OHaUH 7/DoD 26]?

A: No. For either character’s ability to work, the other character must enter play from your deck.

(2.53) Q: After False Lead [AtS 25) is revealed and its effect resolves, do the players continue staging?

A: No. The quest phase ends immediately and the players do not continue staging.

(2.54) Q: What happens if an attacking enemy is destroyed before its attack resolves?

A: When resolving an enemy attack, the defending player should check the status of the attacking enemy at the end of each step: is there still an attacking enemy? If yes, proceed to the next step. If not, end the attack.

(2.55) Q: When an enemy that has already made an attack engages a new player during the combat phase, does it make another attack?

A: Not unless it is directed to by card effect.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item #3.376, though one can read those two answers as not directly contradicting each other depending on the interpretation.

(2.56) Q: While attempting to answer a Riddle in the scenario Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim, when can players take Actions?

A: Players can take Actions after step 2, before step 3.

(2.57) Q: While making a Burgle attempt in The Lonely Mountain scenario, when can players take Actions?

A: Players can take Actions after step 2, before step 3.

(2.58) Q: Can I play an attachment on an enemy or location that is immune to player card effects?

A: No. Playing an attachment on a card is a form of targeting, and cards with “immune to player card effects” cannot be targeted by player cards.

(2.59) Q: Can I use Quick Strike [CORE 35] to declare an attack against an enemy that is immune to player card effects?

A: Yes. The effect of Quick Strike targets a character and allows that character to make an attack, therefore the chosen enemy’s immunity does not factor.

(2.60) Q: What counts as a “ranged” attack?

A: A ranged attack is an attack made by a character with the ranged keyword against an enemy engaged with another player.

(2.61) Q: Can I use A Good Harvest (AtS 10) to play a 0 cost card without a resource match?

A: No. A Good Harvest only allows you to spend resources for the named sphere, a resource match is still needed to play cards with a resource cost of 0.

(2.62) Q: If a card is attached to Nameless Thing [D 125] as part of the resolution of its Forced effect, is that card’s game text active?

A: No. Cards that are attached to Nameless Thing (or Elder Nameless Thing) as a result of triggering its Forced effect are considered attachments with no card title or game text. The only active part of the attached card is its cost.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item #3.023 and part of A#2 of item 3.030.

(2.63) Q: When an enemy makes an attack as part of its “when revealed” effect, is that enemy in the staging area?

A: No. Enemies are added to the staging after resolving their “when revealed” effects. An enemy that makes an attack as part of its “when revealed” effect, is not in the staging area or engaged with the defending player unless a card effect says it is.

(2.64) Q: When playing with the A Journey to Rhosgobel Nightmare Deck, can Shot From the Sky [AJtRNM 7] and Noxious Supplies [AJtRNM 8) attach to Wilyador [SoM 64], even though he has the text, “No attachments”?

A: Yes. The Adventure Pack insert for A Journey to Rhosgobel defines “no attachments” as meaning that “players cannot play or move attachment cards onto Wilyador.” Since players are not playing or moving these attachments (an encounter card effect is attaching them), they can be attached to Wilyador.

(2.65) Q: If I engage more than one enemy with a higher engagement cost than my threat, will the second part of Sam Gamgee’s [TBR 2/TFotR 3] ability trigger more than once, even if I cannot ready him more than once?

A: Yes. Because it does not use the word “then”, Sam’s bonus to [willpower], [attack] and [defense] is not dependent on him readying. His readying effect and his bonus to [willpower], [attack] and [defense] are two different effects that both have the trigger of engaging an enemy with a higher engagement cost than your threat.

(2.66) Q: If an enemy is put into play directly engaged with me, has that enemy “engaged” me for the purposes of Forced effects or Responses that trigger from engaging an enemy?

A: Yes. An enemy that enters play directly engaged with a player has engaged that player.

(2.67) Q: Can I use Dori [OHaUH 9/DoD 5] to prevent damage from being assigned to Beorn [OHaUH 5], even though Beorn is immune to player card effects?

A: Yes. Dori’s Response targets the damage being assigned, not the character it is being assigned to, so Beorn’s immunity does not factor.

(2.68) Q: When playing The Blood of Gondor, if a card effect such as stage 1B of The Ambush [AtS 117] or Lying in Wait [AtS 129]turns each of my hidden cards faceup, and one of those cards forces me to take another hidden card, do I have to turn that card faceup as well?

A: No. When you are instructed to turn each of your hidden cards faceup, only the hidden cards that are currently in front of you at that time are turned faceup; any hidden cards you are forced to take as part of that effect, such as from Evil Crow [AtS 122], remain facedown in front of you.

(2.69) Q: During the Setup for stage 1A of The Necromancer’s Tower [CORE 123], should each objective have one encounter card attached to it, or two?

A: One. When you reveal a Guarded objective, you must reveal the top card of the encounter deck and attach it to that objective, guarding it. The additional instruction on The Necromancer’s Tower to “… attach 1 encounter to each objective card” is there as a reminder, so that players know to attach 1 encounter card to each Guarded objective.

(2.70) Q: When an encounter card effects instructs me to search the encounter deck and discard pile for an enemy, reveal it, and add it to the staging area during a quest to which Thalin [CORE 6] is committed, does he still deal 1 damage to an enemy chosen from the discard pile?

A: Yes. Enemies revealed from the encounter deck and discard pile by quest card and encounter card effects are still considered to have been revealed by the encounter deck.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item #3.155.

(2.71) Q: If I have Light of Valinor (D 107) attached to a hero I control, can that hero commit to the quest while exhausted?

A: No. Characters must be ready and able to exhaust in order to quest, attack, or defend. Card effects that allow a character to perform any of those actions without exhausting do not allow exhausted characters to perform those actions.

(2.72) Q: When an enemy with the text “cannot leave play” has damage equal to or in excess of its hit points, what happens?

A: Nothing. The enemy cannot leave play, and therefore will continue to function as an enemy in play.

(2.73) Q: When I reveal the last card of the encounter deck, do I immediately reset the encounter deck before resolving the staging of the revealed card?

A: No. Resolve the staging of the revealed card, including any ‘When Revealed’ effects, before resetting the quest deck, if able. If you are unable to completely resolve the staging of the card because it instructs you to interact with the encounter deck in some manner, then reset the encounter deck and finish resolving the effect.

(2.74) Q: If I am engaged with The Lord of the Dead [TSoE 5] when I play Saruman [TVoI 3], do I still have to raise each player’s threat for his Doomed 3?

A: No. The moment Saruman enters play under your control, the passive effect on The Lord of the Dead causes you to treat his text box as blank, before the Doomed keyword can trigger.

(2.75) Q: If I use the Response effect on Saruman [TVoI 3] to treat an encounter card guarding an objective as out of play, does that mean I can claim that objective because it is free of encounters?

A: No. When a card is considered to be out of play, each card attached to it is also considered to be out of play. Because objectives with the Guarded keyword are attached to the enemy or location that is guarding it, if that enemy or location is considered to be out of play, the guarded objective is too.

(2.76) Q: How many keywords does The Balrog [TRD 44/TFotR 116] have?

A: One. Indestructible is the only keyword on The Balrog.

(2.77) Q: Does the Guarded keyword trigger when the encounter card it’s on is “added” to the staging area (and not “revealed”)?

A: No. In order for the Guarded keyword to trigger, the encounter card it appears on must be “revealed” from the encounter deck.

(2.78) Q: If Mines of Moria [TRD 52/TFotR 124] is in the staging area and there is an active location, where is progress placed first?

A: Progress must be placed on the Mines of Moria in the staging area before it can be placed on the active location because the game text on Mines of Moria overrides the game rules via the Golden Rule.

(2.79) Q: If there is an active location with a Response effect that triggers when it is explored and the players make enough progress to explore the location and advance to the next stage, when do the players resolve the location’s Response effect?

A: The players should advance to the next stage immediately and resolve any ‘when revealed’ effects on the next stage, then resolve the Response effect on the active location.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item #3.260.

(2.80) Q: If I attach Sword-thain [AA 149/AAHE 72] to a unique Lore ally (making that ally a hero), does the attached hero have the printed Lore icon?

A: Yes. If an ally with a printed sphere icon becomes a hero, that hero is also considered to have that printed sphere icon.

(2.81) Q: If I use Sneak Attack [CORE 23] to put a unique ally into play during the planning phase and attach Sword-thain [AA 149/AAHE 72] to that ally, is that ally returned to my hand at the end of the phase?

A: No. The ally that entered play with Sneak Attack is no longer an ally because it has Sword-thain attached, and Sneak Attack’s delayed effect no longer affects it.

(2.82) Q: Can a character with the Ranged keyword join an attack against an enemy in the staging area?

A: No. The Ranged keyword only gives characters with that keyword the ability to attack enemies engaged with another player.

(2.83) Q: If a side quest is the “current” quest, is the text on the main quest still active?

A: Yes. The text on each quest card in play is active.

(2.84) Q: If an encounter card effect with the Peril keyword causes an enemy to make an attack against me, can my friend use his character with the Sentinel keyword to defend the attack?

A: Yes. Once the enemy attack is initiated, it should follow each step of ‘resolving enemy attacks,’ and the action windows in between each step are open to all players.

(2.85) Q: Can a player’s threat be reduced below 0?

A: No. The threat dial does not allow negative values.

(2.86) Q: Can I use Proud Hunters [TH 32] to add resources to Beorn’s [OHaUH 5] resource pool even though he is immune to player card effects?

A: Yes. A hero’s resource pool is a separate game element from the hero card, so cards that target Beorn’s resource pool (and not Beorn) are not affected by his immunity to player card effects.

(2.87) Q: Can I play Elevenses [TDC 36/TDCHE 49] after resolving a quest since characters are considered to be committed to the quest until the end of the quest phase?

A: No. Elevenses says “Play only after the staging step” which means it is only playable immediately after the staging step ends.

(2.88) Q: Are there any player cards that allow me to attack an enemy in the staging area if it is immune to player card effects?

A: No. None.

The Lord of the Rings Saga Campaign Mode – Frequently Asked Questions [added 18 December 2025]

ALeP’s Note: The following FAQ items were part of The Road Darkens rules booklets and were the first official FAQs ever printed about Campaign Mode, which was only part of The Lord of the Rings Saga in the pre-revised content. Thus, they also answer some very general questions about Campaign Mode, no matter where it’s applied, and so they are relevant to many Revised products. Unfortunately, they have not been included in any revised product, so we are replicating them here on our website for ease of consultation for new players.

(2.89) Q: When playing a scenario in The Road Darkens Saga Expansion in Campaign Mode, can I use the Fellowship sphere Frodo Baggins from The Black Riders box as my Ring-bearer?

A: Yes. When setting up the game in Campaign Mode you must choose a hero from the Fellowship sphere with the Ring-bearer trait and attach The One Ring to that hero. Any hero that meets these qualifications is a legal choice.

ALeP’s Note: When this FAQ came out, the scenarios where the Fellowship hero is Aragorn were not yet created, so you can consider the above FAQ to only refer to The Lord of the Rings Saga scenarios where Frodo Baggins will be used as the Fellowship hero.

(2.90) Q: In Campaign Mode, if I used one version of a hero in a previous scenario and I wish to use a different version of that hero for the next scenario, do I incur a +1 threat penalty?

A: No. As long as the new hero shares the same title as the previous hero, there is no penalty.

(2.91) Q: When playing Campaign Mode as a group, if we wish to trade control of heroes within the group, do we incur a +1 threat penalty for each hero who traded control?

A: No. As long as no heroes were removed from the game and replaced with a different hero, the players do not incur a +1 threat penalty for trading heroes within the group.

(2.92) Q: If I began my campaign with only 2 heroes, do I incur a +1 threat penalty if I add a 3rd hero during the setup for a scenario?

A: No. As long as no heroes were removed from the game and replaced with a different hero, the players do not incur a +1 threat penalty for adding a new hero.

(2.93) Q: If I began my campaign with 3 heroes, can I choose not to use 1 or 2 of those heroes when setting up a scenario in order to lower my starting threat?

A: No. Each player must use each of his heroes as recorded in the Campaign Log when setting up a scenario in Campaign Mode.

(2.94) Q: If a hero’s name is on the list of Fallen Heroes, can I play the ally version of that hero?

A: No. When a hero’s name is added to the list of Fallen Heroes, that character is considered to be incapacitated for the duration of that campaign. Therefore, each version of that character, hero or ally, cannot be used.

(2.95) Q: If a hero is destroyed during a scenario in Campaign Mode and I choose to replay the scenario, is that hero’s name still added to the list of Fallen Heroes?

A: No. Players should only record their results in the Campaign Log after successfully defeating a scenario. Furthermore, if the players defeat the scenario but are still unhappy with the result, they may choose not to record their results and try again.

(2.96) Q: If I use the ability on Leaf-wrapped Lembas [TRD 18/TFotR 163] (“Add Leaf-wrapped Lembas to the victory display, and remove it from the campaign pool, to ready all heroes in play.”) but I lose the scenario and have to play it again, do I still remove Leaf-wrapped Lembas from the campaign pool?

A:No. While removing the boon from the campaign pool is part of the cost to trigger the Action on each of the Gift attachments (Phial of Galadriel [TRD 15/TFotR 160] , Three Golden Hairs [TRD 16/TFotR 161], Lórien Rope [TRD 17/TFotR 162], or Leaf-wrapped Lembas), that decision should not be recorded until after the scenario is defeated. Even then, if the players are unhappy with the result, they may still choose not to record their results and try again.

Rulings

This section includes all the rules answers (often called “rulings” colloquially) given over the years by the game developers when they were directly asked a rules question by a player.

Formatting:

Each item in this section showcases a sequential number, a date, and a source (see List of Sources below). Sometimes questions were asked to the developers in a back-and-forth chain, so those rulings are shown as a single item, with two dates referring to the first and last ruling of that chain.

The answer section of each ruling is presented in italics like for the official Q&A and before the A you will also find two possible abbreviations (N.F. and C.G). This shows who answered that specific question between the two main developers of the game, Nate French and Caleb Grace.

List of Sources:

• Source # 01 – CardGameDB
  • Official Nate Rule Clarifications Thread
  • LOTR LCG General Discussion Section
• Source # 02 – FFG Forums (saved by EntropicDreams)
  • Unofficial Official Rulings Thread (by Sappidus)
  • Rules Questions and Answers Section
• Source # 03 – BoardGameGeek
  • LOTR LCG Rules Section
• Source # 04 – Private exchanges of emails with Caleb Grace
• Source # 05 – COTR Discord Server
  • https://discord.gg/d2UbhVAc
• Source # 06 – French LOTR LCG Forum
  • Rules and Q&As Section
  • Q&A with Caleb Grace Thread
  • Q&A and FAQ Collection Thread

We also wanted to thank to following users for their past efforts in asking and collecting rulings:

• Sappidus for maintaining the “Unofficial Official Rulings” thread on the FFG Forums
• Grandspleen for asking many of the ruling questions on the FFG Forum
• Tragic and Zeb for maintaining the Official Nate Rule Clarification thread on CardGameDB
• kainveus for asking many of the ruling questions on the CardGame DB
• vindoq and Rouxxor for moderating the Rules Question section of the French LOTR LCG forum as well as for asking many ruling questions
• many other valiant rule warriors that have fallen into obscurity after fighting the good fight

Invalidated Rulings:

Sometimes rules clarifications, Q&A and rulings can contradict each other. In those instances, the most recent answer from the developers overrides and invalidates any previous answer on the argument. In some cases the answers might only be partially at odds, perhaps they can even be reconciled by taking a more comprehensive view. 

In any of those cases, there are ALeP’s Notes in all the relevant items and rulings clarifying and discussing the situation. Any invalidated text is shown in a red strikethrough (like this), any invalidating item or ruling is shown in green (like this), things that are only partially at odds are pointed out in orange (like this) and finally more general considerations are shown in blue (like this).

Rulings:

(3.000) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: In the Hills Of Emyn Muil scenario, treacheries can gain extra surge effect if there are no locations in play. What if I draw a treachery like Impassable Chasm [SoM 91] which has its own surge effect? Does surge stack so I have to resolve 2x surge and draw 2 more cards from the encounter deck? I suspect that this may be the case because as per FAQ, some effects like Caught in the Web [CORE 80] are stackable (and this situation looks similar to me). Can you please confirm?

(N.F.) A: Yes, If a card has multiple instances of the surge keyword, each instance should be resolved.

(3.001) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: The Impassable Bog [SoM 113] location reads “When Revealed: Add 1 token to Gollum [SoM 107] for every location in the staging area.” When this text is triggered, is the just-revealed Bog considered to be in the staging area? In other words, does the Bog count itself as a location in the staging area?

(N.F.) A: Encounter cards are revealed from the encounter deck, their When Revealed effects are resolved, and the card is then placed in the staging area. So the Bog has not yet entered the staging area when its effects resolve.

(3.002) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: Is the active location considered in the staging area?

(N.F.) A: An active location is not considered in the staging area.

(3.003) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: With the Encounter card Wargs [CORE 85] there is an effect that says “If Wargs is dealt a shadow card with no effect, return Wargs to the staging area after it attacks.” So how does Dawn Take you All [SoM 118] affect it? As the shadow card is discarded before it is revealed does this count as “no shadow effect”, or does the fact that the card is discarded before reveal mean that the entire “check to see if it attacks with a shadow card” is ignored? Basically what I am asking is if you use Dawn Take you All to discard a shadow card on a Warg’s enemy does it stay in the combat zone after it attacks?

(N.F.) A: Because Dawn Take You All discards the shadow card before it is revealed, the attempt to check whether or not that card has an effect does not trigger. (When the card would be revealed in combat, there is no card there.) 

(3.004) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: Does the effect on ally Elfhelm [SoM 100] remove a 1 threat gain from the Gollum [SoM 130] card in Return to Mirkwood? Is Gollum part of the encounter deck, as it is not ever IN the deck, or revealed from it? Elfhelm has the text “Response: After your threat is raised as the result of questing unsuccessfully, or by an encounter or quest card effect, reduce your threat by 1.”, but is Gollum a encounter card?

(N.F.) A: Objective cards are considered encounter cards, whether they actually get shuffled into the encounter deck or not.

(3.005) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: Does the Cave-Troll [KD 20] enemy from Khazad-dum that spills damage from one card to the next only do this once? Or does the dmg spill over to a new character until the damage runs out? So, can this effect go over and over until the Cave-Troll damage hits 3 cards for example?

(N.F.) A: The “overflow” damage is assigned point by point. If it kills off a character, there is still overflow from the attack that needs to be assigned.

(3.006) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: Landroval’s [SoM 53] ability, is it limited once a game per player? Or is it limited to once a game per card? As in if you run 3 cards, can you use that ability 3 times, one for each card. Also, if 2 players use Landroval, then can both players activate their Landroval cards separately? I know you can only have 1 on the table at a time, but does the “once per game” thing cover ALL players or only the player that controls the card. Lastly, we know that going into your hand doesn’t reset the “once per game” rule, but does playing the card from your discard pile also not reset the ability? Thanks as always for giving us an answer.

(N.F.) A: Those limits are player specific, each player can reach the limit. “Per game” limits are not card specific, they refer to any copy of the effect under that player’s control. If you have reached the “per game” limit, you cannot trigger that effect again, with another copy of the card in your deck, a copy of the card you gained control of from another player, or from the same card that has left play and re-entered the game.

(3.007) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: I’m curious as to how the Cave Troll’s [KD 20] splash damage is supposed to work. It seems like there are two possibilities. Let’s say after blocking there are still 3 points of damage left to be assigned. Do I need to choose a character to take as much of that damage as they can before dying (with any extra continuing to a third character), or are those 3 points of damage to be distributed among my characters as I see fit? The Cave Troll’s text reads: “For each excess point of combat damage dealt by Cave-troll (damage that is dealt beyond the remaining hit points of the character damaged by its attack) you must damage another character you control.” The official response from someone else asking about the Cave Troll was: “The ‘overflow’ damage is assigned point by point. If it kills off a character, there is still overflow from the attack that needs to be assigned.” Phrases like “for each point of damage” and “point by point” seem to me to suggest that it is the latter, that the damage is freely distributed.

(N.F.) A: You can distribute the excess damage as you see fit. Each point (as per the language on the Troll) is resolved individually.

(3.008) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: The Situation – A game with 2 players (or more). One of the players lost all his heroes and he is eliminated from the game. They died (he wasn’t eliminated for reaching 50 on the threat dial). He puts all his heroes, his hand and his cards in play in the discard pile. Can another player use the card Fortune of Fate [CORE 54] to bring back one of this player’s heroes? He is only gonna have one hero and no cards in his hand and his threat will be as it was the time he died.

(N.F.) A: Once a player is eliminated, his discard pile can no longer interact with the game. I’ll make sure to add this to the next FAQ update.

(3.009) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: When a card says “Forced: After X attacks…”, the FAQ says this should be applied at the end of step 4. The rules also say that “Players may play event cards and take actions at the end of each step”. Does the Forced effect occur after or before the player actions? In other words, is the player action window part of a step (and “before” its end) or separate and after the “end” of that step?

(N.F.) A: Since Forced effects occur “immediately, whenever their specified prerequisite occurs,” they take priority at the end of step 4. All Forced effects should resolve before players have the option to take Actions.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 4” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4.4 in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(3.010) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: When a card says “Forced: After an attack in which X attacked/defended resolves”, does that mean after or before the player action window that is allowed at the end of step 4 of an enemy attack (or the step 3 of the player attack)? In other words, when is an attack considered as “resolved”? This is very important, because if we can play before the combat is resolved, this would allow us to return Vassal of the Windlord [SoM 98] or Winged Guardian [SoM 4] using Meneldor’s Flight [SoM 76] before their Forced effect triggers. Is that possible?

(N.F.) A: The attack resolves at the conclusion of the final step, so again, Forced effects should occur before players have a chance to take actions.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set. Also this ruling has been partially invalidated by the new flow-chart of the Action Windows present during an attack that was released with the Rules Reference. You can now indeed use Meneldor’s Flight to save a Vassal of the Windlord using the action window between steps 6.4.3 and 6.4.4, before it’s discarded by its own Forced effect. Still the more general consideration that Forced effects triggering at the end of an attack are resolved before players can trigger Responses or Actions still stands true.

(3.011) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: There is a very similar question for the Quest phase: when a card says “Forced: After resolving a quest to which X was committed…”. When is a quest considered as “resolved”? Is there a player action window at the end of step 3 before the quest is considered as resolved? Similarly to the above case, this would allow Escort from Edoras [SoM 55/RoR 5] to be put back in hand using a player action like the one on Born Aloft [SoM 29] before its Forced response is played.

(N.F.) A: The quest resolves at the conclusion of its final step. Forced effects should resolve before players can take Actions.

(3.012) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: In the player attack sequence, since it is possible to play actions after calculating attack strength in step 2, what happens if an attacker is returned to the hand between step 2 and 3 (e.g. Vassal of the Windlord [SoM 98])? Is the attack strength reduced? If yes, why is attack strength calculated in step 2 and then damage applied in step 3? Why interrupt the player attack sequence that way, whereas in the case of enemy attacks, attack strength calculation and damage allocation are part of the same step?

A (N.F:) : The first line of step 3 reads, “This is done by subtracting the target enemy’s defense STR from the combined attack STR of all the attacking characters.” If an attacking character leaves play before this calculation, it will not be present to contribute to the calculation.

The main reason for breaking the initial determination into its own step is to give players a chance to take actions or play event cards if they add up their attack and realize they need to buff STR to do what they wanted to accomplish. Players who are not as familiar with these types of games might think that such cards have to be played before adding things up, and the basic rulebook was written to try and make this procedure as easy as possible for novice players.

The difference between player attacks and the game attacks is that the game plays its “buff” cards automatically (the Shadow cards), so it doesn’t need the same type of pause to add everything up and consider the result that is built in for players

(3.013) 25 January 2012 – Source #1

Q: In Conflict at the Carrock, if the players have Grimbeorn the Old [SoM 37] join them as an ally, does he follow the first player token while it’s passed around the players?

(N.F.) A: The intention of Grimbeorn is that he does not move with the first player token each round since his effect does not mention a control change.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item #3.234.

(3.014) 03 February 2012 – Source #1

Q: If a hero is discarded, is it considered dead? i.e. If Boromir [SoM 95] uses his “Action: Discard Boromir …..”, or if Glorfindel [CORE 11] heals Wilyador [SoM 64] and is discarded, or a Khazad Dum shadow effect causes a hero to be discarded, are these mighty heroes considered “dead” when it comes to scoring at the end of the game?

(N.F.) A: Any hero that was used in the game, but is not in play at the end of the game, should be considered “dead” for scoring purposes.

(3.015) 06 February 2012 – Source #1

Q: There are a number of effects that say “Search the Encounter Deck and the Discard Pile for x” Does this command imply an order.. as in search the encounter deck first, then the discard pile or does it mean you can simply choose which one you want to search in? If so, why does it not say “or” instead of “and”.

Also, as it says “and” does this mean that you gave to search in both. So the encounter deck gets shuffled no matter what? Like is the command saying “reveal the encounter deck, and look in the discard pile at the same time, and choose card X, then shuffle the encounter deck”

(N.F.) A: You are searching both the encounter deck and the discard pile, so order does not matter. If you choose to search the encounter deck first, even if you find a candidate for the search, you should continue to search the discard pile. And vice versa. Abstractly, you are searching them both at the same time – while physically you can only look through one stack of cards at a time – it’s still considered one single big search.

And yes, the encounter deck should be shuffled, even when you find your candidate in the discard pile.

(3.016) 11 February 2012 – Source #1

Q: Question about the card Valiant Sacrifice (CORE 24/DoG 25)

Event / Leadership / Cost 1

Response: After an ally card leaves play. that card’s controller draws 2 cards.

Situation 1: I have 2 Valiant Sacrifice cards in my hand. An ally of mine leaves play. Can I play both copies of Valiant Sacrifice? Also the correct order is: play the first one, I draw 2 cards and then play the second one?

Situation 2: I have 1 Valiant Sacrifice card in my hand. An ally of mine leaves play. I play the Valiant Sacrifice and one of the 2 cards is a new Valiant Sacrifice. Can I play the recently received Valiant Sacrifice immediately?

(N.F.) A: Response effects are resolved completely before the next Response can be played.

Situation 1: Play and resolve the first copy. (Draw 2 cards). Play and resolve the second copy. (Draw 2 more cards)

Situation 2: Yes, you can play the copy you just drew.

(3.017) 12 February 2012 – Source #2

Q: In Flight From Moria can you still use the Refresh Action on Abandoned Tools to put a progress token on Escape from Darkness when you have an active location or is the token diverted to the active location?

(N.F.) A: If there is an active location, the progress from Abandoned Tools should go on the active location. The only time an active location does not act as a “buffer” for the quest is if the card specifically instructs you to “bypass the active location.”

(3.018) 28 February 2012 – Source #1

Q: If I declare a Wandering Took [CORE 43] as a defender and after revealing shadow cards I use his ability to give him to a different player, does the attack then count as undefended since the Took is no longer a legal defender?

(N.F.) A: There is nothing inherent in a control change that removes a defending character from the status of “defending.” So even if the Wandering Took changes control, he is still considered to be defending the attack.

ALeP’s Note: This also became item 2.23 of the official FAQ.

(3.019) 10 May 2012 – Source #1

Q: What parts of a card remain when it is turned facedown? For example If Elladan [D 28] is the prisoner in EfDG, does Elrohir [D 1] get +2 Defense? Is a card attached facedown to Eagles of the Misty Mountains [SoM 119] still counted as a character for things like Dreadful Gap [KD 52]?

(N.F.) A: Facedown cards retain no characteristics beyond those that are defined by the effect that turns them facedown.

(3.020) 10 May 2012 – Source #1

Q: Is it possible to put progress tokens onto the A side of a quest? If yes, do the tokens remain on it when it is flipped to the B side? If yes, and if there are enough tokens on it to advance immediately / win the game immediately by flipping to B, needs a When Revealed effect on the quest card to be resolved before advancing / winning, or is it skipped?

(N.F.) A: Yes, progress can be placed on side A of a quest card; if you advance to side B they are discarded. (Most side As advance automatically, but there are some where you might need to mark progress.)

ALeP’s Note: On this matter we have also received another related ruling in 2024 (see item #3.386) which, while apparently going in the opposite direction, is possibly not at odds with this one, since Nate French’s answer was based on the Flight from Moria scenario which was the only one at the time where you could encounter such a situation. There is a decent community consensus about how, generally speaking, tokens are lost on the flip of a double-faced card only if that card has two different names on each side (like is the case for the Flight From Moria quest cards), but are retained if the card has the same name on both sides.

(3.021) 16 June 2012 – Source #6

Q: Retrying the location heavy slog that is Emyn Muil – without Northern Trackers [CORE 45]! – I was pumping up my card draw with lots of Ancient Mathom [SoM 56/RoR 15] and put one on one of the starting locations Amon Lhaw [SoM 84]. First reaction was:- What a waste! While Amon Lhaw is the active location – it was at the time – treat all attachments as blank. But then I thought that Ancient Mathom Response triggers after a location is explored, so by then it is no longer ‘active’. I hope I played this correctly.

(N.F.) A: Ancient Mathom cannot be played on Amon Lhaw while it is the active location as the Attachments text would be blank and thus preventing it from being attached. But can be played on Amon Lhaw while that location in the Staging Area, and if Amon Lhaw gets explored, even if subsequently has become the active location, the Ancient Mathom will become ‘alive’ again and cards can be drawn.

(3.022) 18 June 2012 – Source #1

Q: An enemy attacks, the shadow card is revealed, I play A Light in the Dark [CORE 52] before the attack resolution step, the enemy moves back to the staging area but how about the damage?

(N.F.) A: A Light in the Dark does not cancel or stop an attack that is already in the process of resolution. The only step in which it is mentioned the enemy needs to be engaged with the attacked player is step 1. So, in order to prevent an attack, Light in the Dark must be played on an engaged enemy prior to choosing to resolve its attack during step 1.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.4b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

ALeP’s Note: This became item 2.29 of the Official FAQ.

(3.023) 10 July 2012 – Source #2 

Q: Nameless Thing [D 125] attaches player cards to itself. Forest Snare [CORE 69] has the text “Attached enemy cannot attack.”

I can’t see any reason why a Forest Snare that is attached to Nameless Thing by the effect on NT wouldn’t thus ensnare the Nameless Thing and prevent it from attacking.

(C.G.) A: The use of the word ‘attached’ was deliberate as many other rules relate to Attachments. But note that if Forest Snare is played as an Attachment on a Nameless creature it will add its ‘cost’ to the enemy as well.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 2.62 of the official FAQ.

(3.024) 02 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: With Heavy Stroke [D 105], is the card meant to say “an attack that a Dwarf participates in ” or does it mean the damage the target Dwarf deals IN an attack? Like if you have Aragorn [CORE 1] and Dwalin [KD 1] attacking a 1 Defense Monster with 5 Health….

Is it…

Aragorn (3) + Dwalin (2) = 5 – 1(Defense ) = 4 damage + Heavy Stroke (double damage) = 8 damage Total

Or is it..

Aragorn (3) + Dwalin (2) = 5 – 1 Defence = 4 damage + Heavy Stroke (Dwalin 2 – 1 Defense = 1 damage doubled to 2 ) = 6 damage total?

Thanks in advance

(C.G.) A: The way Heavy Stroke is intended to work depends on allowing players to choose which character’s attack value is applied to the enemy’s defense value. In your example, the optimal way to play Heavy Stroke would be to apply Aragorn’s attack 3 to the enemy’s 1 Defense. So Aragorn is dealing 2 damage to the enemy and Dwalin is also dealing 2 damage, at which point you play Heavy Stroke to double Dwalin’s damage and make it 4 for a total of 6 damage dealt to the enemy.

Just to clarify it further, let’s say Aragorn and Dwalin were attacking an enemy with 4 Defense. The optimal way to play Heavy Stroke would be to apply all 3 of Aragron’s attack plus 1 of Dwalin’s to beating the enemy’s Defense, then Dwalin would deal 1 damage to the enemy that could be double with Heavy Stroke for a total of 2.

(3.025) 08 August 2012 – Source #2

Q: Durin’s Bane [D 150] “cannot leave the staging area” (by its own text). I presume this means that A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! [D 132] will not work on Durin’s Bane (since putting DB on the bottom of the encounter deck would involve it “leaving the staging area”). This seems fair enough.

However, the same reasoning suggests that Dark Pit [D 141] will not work on Durin’s Bane, as it “discards DB from play” (= leaving the staging area). This would obviously be absurd as DP appears to be the way that the scenario requires you to overcome Durin’s Bane.

(C.G.) A: Durin’s Bane cannot leave the staging area, so A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! will not send it to the bottom of the encounter deck. This does create a problem with the text on Dark Pit. That card will receive an erratum in the next FAQ to explain that its ability supersedes the game text on Durin’s Bane, making it possible for players to defeat the scenario the way it was intended. In the meantime, please play the scenario as if the last line of Dark Pit reads “This effect supersedes the game text on Durin’s Bane.”

(3.026) 28 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: What happens if Muck Adder [SoM 42] damages Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] but he cancels the damage by gaining threat instead?

(C.G.) A: In order for the Adder’s ability to discard a character to trigger, damage must actually be placed. If you use Frodo’s ability to raise threat instead of taking damage from a Muck Adder, then the Adder has not actually damaged Frodo and its ability will not trigger.

(3.027) 28 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: The card Miruvor [D 133] is an attachment that is played on a hero. I can play it on another player’s hero and that player then controls (but doesn’t own) the card. When that player triggers the Action on the card he may select 2 of the listed effects. One of the effects that can be selected reads: “put Miruvor on the top of your deck”. My question is, does that player then:

A: indeed put it on the top of his deck (the controller)

B: put it on the top of my deck (the owner)

A support for option B is that the rules (p.25) talk about control and ownership and says that “when a card leaves play, it reverts to its owner’s hand, deck or discard pile”. A support for option A is that this is covered by the golden rule and the card clearly tells the person activating the card to put it on the top of his deck which contradicts the rulebook.

(C.G.) A: When resolving Miruvor’s ability, the Golden Rule will supersede the Ownership rule. For example, if Player A attaches Miruvor to Player B’s hero and Player B chooses the option “put Miruvor on the top of your deck” then Player B player will put Miruvor on top of his deck.

(3.028) 28 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: Imagine a scenario where the defender leaves play in the action window after shadow effect resolution in step 3 and before the combat resolution in step 4. The shadow effect is +1 if defended, +3 if undefended. Does:

a) The Shadow Effect resolves in its entirety in 6.2.3, therefore the enemy’s Attack Strength (AS) is given +1 because it’s defended at the time the Shadow Effect is resolved. That new AS is what is carried over to step 4 of combat. We then determine that it’s undefended, so the new AS (i.e. the enemy’s original AS + 1) gets applied to a Hero. 

Or

b) Because defended vs undefended isn’t determined until start of Step 4, and Shadow Cards aren’t discarded until end of phase, the entire Shadow Effect stays attached with the enemy and gets resolved in Step 4, now undefended, resulting in AS+3 (ie the enemy’s original AS, and then add 3) being applied to a Hero.

Or

c) Same as b, but resulting in damage being applied to a Hero equal to AS+4 (i.e. original enemy’s AS, +1 got added to it during shadow effect resolution when it was defended, and then +3 got added in step 4 because it’s now undefended).

(N.F.) A: Item (a) is correct. The shadow effect resolves in step 3, modifying the enemy’s ATK at that time.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 3” and “step 4” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and they corresponds to step 6.4.2 and 6.4.3 respectively in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(3.029) 28 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: The Pelennor Fields [TMaO 10] location from Massing at Osgiliath says “If the players have crossed the Anduin, Pelennor Fields gains: “When faced with the option to travel, the players must either travel to Pelennor Fields or raise each player’s threat by 3.”

When we crossed the Anduin there were two Pelennor Fields in the staging area. Now when there is no active location we have the option to travel there.

2.1) If we decide not to travel to Pelennor Fields should we increase our threat by 6?

2.2) If we decide to travel to one of the Pelennor Fields should we increase our threat by 3 for the one we didn’t travel to?

(N.F.) A: If a card is self-referential, it refers only to that copy of itself. If multiple copies are in play, and you travel to one, the other would resolve. If you travel to neither, they both resolve once, for themselves.

A card that refers to other copies of itself will use language to the effect of “any copy of…” or “another copy of…” or “a card with the Title…” In the absence of such a term, if a card refers to its own title in the text it should be read as self-referential, and only self-referential.

Confirming it’s indeed 6 and 3 in the two above examples.

(3.030) 28 to 29 August 2012 – Source #1

Q 1: Let’s talk about Foundations of Stone, I have several questions:

1. If a hero is attached to a Nameless Thing [D 125] at game end, is it counted as “dead” for scoring purposes?

2. When players are separated on stage 4, does each player count as both first and last player?

3. When players are separated on stage 4, do uniqueness rules still apply? (e.g. can both players play Steward of Gondor [CORE 26], because you act as if “only the player(s) that share any given staging area are currently present in the game”?)

4. When players are separated on stage 4, presumably if one player controls Elrohir [D 1] and another controls Elladan [D 28], they lose their bonuses for the same reason?

5. If a player is eliminated while separated on stage 4, what happens to encounter cards i n his staging area/engaged with him?

6. Is a hero shuffled into a player’s deck by Lost and Alone [D 124] considered to be “dead” for scoring purposes, or for the purpose of eliminating a player if that is his last hero?

(C.G.) A1: Let’s go in order:

1. Once a hero is dead, it counts as dead for scoring unless a card effect brings it back into play as a hero card. If a hero becomes attached to a Nameless Thing, it has not been brought back into play as a hero.

2. Yes. You are considered to be the only player in the game while you are at your own separate stage 4.

3. Technically, you could make an argument that they do not apply. However, the intention of the rules was directed at resolving encounter cards and player card interaction (i.e. playing an event to heal my partner’s characters); it was not meant to circumvent the uniqueness rule. Furthermore, once players are rejoined it creates a problem with multiple copies of unique characters in play (or thematically the idea of Faramir [CORE 14] being in 2 places at once), so I would rule the uniqueness rule does still apply, and I will see about updating the FAQ to include this clarification.

4. When I update the FAQ it will probably state that while separated players ignore other player cards “except for uniqueness” meaning that Elladan and Elrohir would lose their boosts until rejoined.

5. If a player is eliminated at stage 4, that staging area is eliminated as well. The encounter cards would simply be discarded.

6. A hero shuffled back into the deck is not dead unless the effect that shuffled him in the deck says he is dead. If that was your last hero in play, however, you would be eliminated from the game at that time.

 ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 2.37 of the official FAQ.

Q 2: Let’s keep talking of Foundations of Stone:

1. When separated on stage 4 in multiplayer, as you say each player counts as first and last player. But would you still pass the first player token back and forth in the refresh phase, even though this will have no in-game effect until the players are reunited?

2. I am a little unclear about your answers to points (1) and (6) of my previous question: is a hero considered to be dead once he has been reshuffled into the deck, or not?

3. A separate question – the situation where Forest Snare [CORE 69] has been attached to a Nameless Thing as a result of the action on Nameless Thing. I can’t see any reason why the effect of Forest Snare (“Attached enemy cannot attack”) would not apply in this situation. However, this seems a little silly. I suspect that what is needed is a ruling that cards attached to Nameless Thing by its effect are treated as if they are blank for all other purposes apart from their printed cost.

(C.G.) A2:

1. You still pass the first player token. The rules specifically address this point.

2. Under the heading “Hit Points and Damage” the rulebook explains that hero cards in the discard pile are not shuffled back into the deck or returned to hand by card effects, unless they specifically target hero cards in the discard pile. So, once a hero has been killed, it is considered dead until you play a card that specifically returns that hero to play.

3. I like this question a lot because I think it’s the beauty of card games when something unintended and fortuitous like this happens. There is absolutely no reason why a Nameless Thing that attaches a Forest Snare to itself should ignore the text on that Forest Snare. In other words, if you top-deck a Forest Snare with the Nameless Thing’s text, then it cannot attack. I would laugh out loud in a game where that happened!

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 2.62 of the official FAQ.

Q 3: I think we got our wires crossed regarding point (2) of my initial question, so let’s try again:

A: a hero who has been shuffled into the deck by Lost and Alone – is he considered “dead” for scoring purposes if he is still in the deck at game end? (I think your answer is “no”)

B: a hero who has been shuffled into the deck by Lost and Alone and has then become attached to a Nameless Thing, and is still attached to a NT at game end – is he “dead” for scoring purposes? (again, I think your answer is “no”)

C: Regarding the Forest Snare situation – I understand your ruling, but doesn’t this open up a number of potential even weirder situations. For instance, if Gleowine [CORE 62] has become attached to a Nameless Thing, what rule stops me from exhausting Gleowine to draw a card? He is in play, and I still control him…

(C.G.) A3:

A & B – I think we understand each other now, those are indeed my answers.

C: The difference between Forest Snare and Gleowine is that the Forest Snare is an Attachment. When attached to a legal target, it applies its text. Because Gleowine is an Ally, you can only use his ability when he is in play, in front of you. Obviously, if a Feint [CORE 34/DoG 22/RoR 22] is attached to Nameless Thing, you can’t pay 1 and discard it to prevent the Nameless Thing from attacking you. Nor can you exhaust Gleowine to draw a card. But the Forest Snare is different: because there is no way of distinguishing a Forest Snare that you played on a Nameless Thing versus one that was top-decked by its Forced effect it has to work this way.

(3.031) 29 August 2012 – Source #1

Q: If during a game of Watcher in the Water I reveal Black Uruks [KD 54] while one of my characters has a Tentacle attachment, can I discard the Tentacle since Black Uruks doesn’t specify that I must control the attachment?

(N.F.) A: Yes, the Black Uruks can discard a Tentacle attachment.

(3.032) 17 September 2012 – Source #1

Q: In We Must Away, Ere Break of Day, what happens if I reveal Troll Purse [OHaUH 42] or Troll Key [OHaUH 43] when there are no Troll enemies in play?

(C.G.) A: If there are no Troll enemies in play when Troll Purse or Troll Key are revealed, then they are placed in the discard pile.

(3.033) 17 September 2012 – Source #1

Q: Can I use ally Dori’s [OHaUH 9/DoD 5] Response to take damage that would be assigned to hero Beorn [OHaUH 5]? Or does Beorn’s immunity prevent Dori from targeting him?

(C.G.) A: Yes, Dori can exhaust himself to take damage that would be assigned to Beorn. Dori’s Response targets the damage and not Beorn, so Beorn’s immunity to player card effects is not a factor in this event.

(3.034) 18 September 2012 – Source #2

Q: If a hero has Light of Valinor [D 107] attached (which states “Attached hero does not exhaust to commit to a quest.”), then can they commit to a quest when they are already exhausted?

Example: Glorfindel [D 101] has both Caught in a Web [CORE 80] and Light of Valinor attached to him. After exhausting in one round (for whatever reason) he does not refresh at the end of that round since he cannot pay the two resources for Caught in a Web. During the next round, will he be able to commit to a quest even though he is exhausted (provided Light of Valinor is still attached)?

(C.G.) A: That’s one of those questions that made me say “hmm” because I can follow your train of thought. However, the answer is no; a character cannot commit to a quest when exhausted.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 2.71 of the official FAQ.

(3.035) 19 September 2012 – Source #1

Q: Escort from Edoras [SoM 55/RoR 5] has the following text: “Forced: After resolving a quest to which Escort from Edoras was committed, discard Escort from Edoras from play” 

Straightforward some might say. However a few nights ago I played a 2-player nightmare game of The Hunt for Gollum. And during the last quest phase of one of the scenarios Escort from Edoras was used for questing. Quest resolves and we put enough progress on it to finish the scenario.

Now comes the matter of timing. Because the rules state that “players immediately advance to the next stage of a quest as soon as they place a number of progress tokens equal to a greater than the number of quest points the current quest card has”, these 2 effects seem to be happening close to one another (if not indeed simultaneous).

If the effects are indeed simultaneous then, according to the latest official FAQ, “the first player decides the order in which the effects resolve” and there´s no problem. However if they are not simultaneous which effect comes first?

(C.G.) A: Good questions. The quest progression isn’t really a Forced effect because it doesn’t use the term Forced. Instead, quest progression is a passive effect that is always active and just waiting for its conditions to be met. So, in the order of resolution, passive effects take precedence over Forced effects. The order is as follows:

• 1. Passive
• 2. Forced
• 3. Response

This means that the quest would resolve and the game would end before the Escort from Edoras could trigger its Forced effect.

To answer your question about Forced effects that share a trigger: yes, the first player decides the order of resolution in cases of a tie.

(3.036) 21 September 2012 – Source #1 

Q: Can I use Fortune or Fate [CORE 54] or Landroval [SoM 53] to rescue hero Beorn [OHaUH 5] after he has been destroyed and placed in the discard pile?

(C.G.) A: Both Landroval and Fortune or Fate will work to return Beorn to play because each of those effects targets the hero in the discard pile, and game text on heroes in the discard pile is not active.

(3.037) 12 December 2012 – Source #3 

Q: The Crumbling Ruin [KD 49/TDoM 38] treachery reads : “When Revealed: Each player must exhaust a character and discard the top card of his deck, if able. If the printed cost of the discarded card is equal to or higher than the remaining hit points of the exhausted character, discard the exhausted character.”

• If all your characters are exhausted, when this card comes to effect, what happens?
  • Nothing (for you).
  • Discard the top card of your deck without further consequences
    
• If you have used up your deck, when this card comes into play, what happens?
  • Nothing (for you).
  • Exhaust a character without further consequences.
  • Choose a ready character and discard him.

(N.F.) A: Since the two effects are linked by “and” rather than “then,” there is no dependency relationship between them. If you can exhaust and not discard, you exhaust; if you can discard and not exhaust, you discard. In either case, no character is discarded: first because a card with higher cost than hit points was not discarded from the deck, second because there was no character to discard in the first place.

(3.038) 17 December 2012 – Source #1

Q: The Fell Voices [D 20] treachery from The Redhorn Gate reads: “When Revealed: Return the top 2 Snow cards in the encounter discard pile to the top of the encounter deck”. In the encounter discard pile, the topmost snow card is a Snow Warg [D 27] and the next one is Avalanche! [D 24] My question is do I have to put the topmost one (i.e. Snow Warg) on the encounter deck first and then Avalanche! on its top (i.e. the next card I reveal from the encounter deck will be Avalanche!), or I can take these two cards out from the discard pile and rearrange their order to be put on the encounter deck?

(C.G.) A: Because Fell Voices does not specify the order in which you return the 2 cards to the top of the encounter deck, then the first player will decide.

(3.039) 26 December 2012 – Source #3 

Q: Hello, FAQ entry 1.23 reads “Attachments – Any card that attaches to another card is treated as an Attachment in addition to its other card types.”  It seems to be written a bit ambiguously so that it could be read two different ways

Does a card that attaches to another card get treated as an attachment even before it actually attaches to a card? Or only after it is attached to something?

For example, when is a Treasure card considered an attachment? If I use Master of the Forge [D 134] to search for an attachment, can I pull a Treasure card if one is present?

(C.G.) A: Hi, good question. Cards other than the attachment card type are only considered attachments after they are attached to something. Therefore, you cannot use Master of the Forge to search for Treasure. Nor can you use Erebor Hammersmith [CORE 59/DoD 6] to return a Treasure card from your discard pile to your hand because each of those abilities targets the attachment card type not the Treasure card type.

(3.040) 17 January 2013 – Source #2 

Q: If Elrohir [D 1] and Elladan [D 28] are separated during Stage 4 of Foundations of Stone, do they continue to receive their respective buffs? 

(C.G.) A: Because cards in one staging area cannot affect the cards in another staging area (except for uniqueness), Elladan and Elrohir do not get their bonus stats if they are in separate staging areas. 

(3.041) 19 January 2013 – Source #1 

Q: Does the extra card draw from Lore Bilbo [SoM 1] and Ori [OHaUH 4/DoD 2] count as a separate instance of drawing cards? Or does it simply increase the number of cards you draw in the resource phase? I ask, thinking of the interaction with Iron Shackles [CORE 105].

A (C.G:) : Good question. Ori and Bilbo each provide an additional card draw that comes after the regular card draw at the beginning of the resource phase. So if Iron Shackles were discarded instead of drawing a card, Bilbo and Ori would still provide 1 additional card draw.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item #3.150 and item #3.170.

(3.042) 28 January 2013 – Source #6 

Q: I am playing Into Ithilien and I am at the last quest stage, Approaching Cair Andros [HoN 71], which has a passive effect which reads: “If any player’s threat is 37 or higher, Approaching Cair Andros” gains Siege. What happens if I reveal Watcher in the Wood [HoN 51] and the threat increase brings me over 37 threat? Does Watcher in Woods gain surge since now the quest stage has Siege?

(C.G.) A: That’s a good question. When resolving the When Revealed effects on encounter cards, they are resolved on a “line-by-line” basis: you resolve the first line, then the next. In this case, you resolve the first line and raise your threat past 37 which gives the current quest the siege keyword. Then you resolve the next line, which checks for the siege keyword. Because it has the keyword, the treachery gains surge.

(3.043) 30 January 2013 – Source #1

Q: If a shadow card is discarded (using Rider of the Mark’s [SoM 33] ability for example) after it is revealed but before its effect influences the game, does the Shadow effect still occur?

For example, suppose an attacking enemy is dealt Dol Guldur Orcs [CORE 89] as a shadow card. Then after the shadow card is revealed but before the attacker deals combat damage, Rider of the Mark is used to discard the shadow card. Does the attacker still get the +Attack bonus from Dol Guldur orcs?

If the attacker does get the +Attack bonus in the previous example, are there any shadow effects (to your immediate knowledge) that could be canceled by Rider of the Mark after the shadow card is revealed? (The original question specifically was if Chieftain of the Pit’s [KD 30] shadow ability could be canceled.)

(C.G.) A: If a shadow card is discarded by card effect, then the players do not resolve its shadow effect.

However, there is no action window for Rider of the Mark to be used after a shadow card is revealed during combat. Step 3 of Resolving Enemy Attacks (when shadow cards are revealed) must be completely resolved before the players can take Actions.

To take advantage of the Rider of the Mark’s ability, you need to trigger it before a shadow card is revealed.

(3.044) 08 February 2013 – Source #6

Q: If Bombur [OtD 5] is one of my heroes:

• Will Erebor Battle Master [D 79], get +2 [attack] from Bombur alone?
• Will We are Not Idle [D 129/DoD 23], give me 2 resources if I exhaust Bombur?

(C.G.) A: Bombur’s ability only takes effect when counting the number of Dwarf characters you control. Since the Battle Master gets +1 ATK for each Dwarf character you control, he will get +2 just from Bombur. However, “We Are Not Idle” gives you resources based on the number of Dwarf characters you exhaust. If you only exhaust Bombur, you have only exhausted 1 Dwarf character.

ALeP’s Note: Note that Erebor Battle Master received an errata and now it only counts other Dwarf allies for its ability.

(3.045) 08 February 2013 – Source #6

Q: I spend 1 resource for Blood of Numenor (HoN 13) and my hero still has 2 resources. The attached hero gets +2 [defense]. If by any way this hero gains more resources, does he gain more [defense] as well?

(C.G.) A: Blood of Numenor is a triggered ability (not a permanent effect), so it only counts the number of resources in the attached hero’s resource pool at the time you trigger it. Therefore, if you have 3 resources and spend 1 to trigger it, the attached hero will get +2 [defense] until the end of the phase. If you add 2 more resources to the attached hero’s pool after that, he still only has +2 [defense].

(3.046) 08 February 2013 – Source #6

Q: I have a couple of questions about Collateral Damage [HoN 24].

1. When exactly do we shuffle back the encounter deck if it is empty? If the encounter deck has only 2 cards left (2x Collateral Damage). I reveal the first Collateral Damage. I have to discard 2 cards, but there is only one left. When do I shuffle back the encounter deck?

2. When do I discard the Collateral Damage I’m resolving? Directly after the last effect is resolved? First thing after I read the card and before I resolve the first effect?

(C.G.) A: The rules for the Quest phase under step 2: Staging say: “If the encounter deck is ever empty during the quest phase, the encounter discard pile is shuffled and reset back into the encounter deck.” So, you would discard the top card, shuffle the encounter deck discard pile back into the encounter deck, and continue discarding. Collateral Damage (or any treachery card) is not discarded until after its effects have been resolved.

(3.047) 08 February 2013 – Source #6

Q: Driven by Shadow [CORE 92] says it only targets the location and enemies currently in the Staging Area. Does Treacherous Fog [CORE 118] work the same way? As I read it, it only applies to the location currently in the Staging Area, then is discarded and if other locations come in the Staging Area, they are not affected by Treacherous Fog effect?

(C.G.) A: Treacherous Fog does work differently from Driven by Shadow because it creates a constant effect that lasts until the end of the phase. If a location is revealed after Treacherous Fog, it will receive the +1 [threat] strength bonus. When we played this scenario, we would often leave Treacherous Fog in the staging area until the end of the phase as a reminder (unless we needed to see it in the discard pile for another effect).

(3.048) 14 February 2013 – Source #6

Q: In the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario, Bert’s [OHaUH 33] card reads: “Players cannot play attachments on Troll enemies.”

The card Ranger Spikes [HoN 17/DoG 30] reads: “Play Ranger Spikes into the staging area unattached. If unattached, attach Ranger Spikes to the next eligible enemy that enters the staging area.”

Are the Troll enemies eligible targets when they enter the staging area on stage 2B? The card is never played on a Troll, it is played into the staging area. It is simply attached to them  — and there is no prohibition on a Troll having attachments, as far as I can tell. Only a play restriction.

(C.G.) A: You are correct. The Ranger Spikes are played into the staging area and not on the trolls. Therefore, Bert’s game text “Players cannot play attachments on Troll enemies” does not apply. 

(3.049) 01 March 2013 – Source #2

Q: Is the attack provided by Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28] considered a normal attack or is it a “ranged attack” ?

In other words: does HUTB played on Legolas [CORE 5] with a Rivendell Bow [D 57] attached result in a +2 ranged attack against an enemy in the staging area ?

(N.F.) A: As the card is currently worded, Hands Upon the Bow grants a normal attack and not a ranged attack.

(3.050) 07 March 2013 – Source #1

Q: Are shadow effects considered to be encounter card effects? I ask in particular wondering if Crebain [D 51] in Road to Rivendell will prevent me from canceling shadow effects if I leave it in the staging area.

(C.G.) A: Great question. The answer is: Yes, shadow effects are card effects on encounter cards. Therefore, they are considered encounter card effects. That means while Crebain is in the staging area, you cannot cancel shadow card effects.

(3.051) 12 March 2013 – Source #6 

Q: If I attach Ancient Mathom [SoM 56/RoR 15] to a location with victory points will it still trigger even if the location goes to the victory display instead of the discard pile? And what about if I attach Ancient Mathom to Amom Lhaw [SoM 84]? Is Ancient Mathom still blank when Amon Lhaw is added to the victory display?

(C.G.) A: Ancient Mathom would’ve been better worded as “Response: After attached location leaves play as an explored location, the first player draws 3 cards.” That is how its effect works. The term “explored” as it is used in the current wording is essentially short-hand for the above language. For Ancient Mathom to trigger its ability the location it was attached to must first leave play, either by being discarded or added to the victory display. 

Discarding a location (or adding it to the victory display) when it has progress equal to its quest points is not separate from exploring that location, it is the very definition of exploring a location. Therefore, when Ancient Mathom is attached to the active location Amon Lhaw, it’s ability will still work after Amon Lhaw leaves play as an explored location.

(3.052) 14 March 2013 – Source #2

Q: My question is about the ally cards Bifur [OtD 7] and Glóin [OtD 6/DoD 11]. If you control 4 dwarves, then play Bifur or Glóin as your 5th Dwarf character, can you then trigger their Response? What is the sequence of events here? That is, I imagine that you cannot trigger their Response in this situation, but when does their Response text become active and when does the opportunity to trigger it expire?

(C.G.) A: Bifur and Gloin count towards the number of Dwarf characters you control when triggering their Response abilities because they have to enter play before they can trigger. As soon as they enter play, you control them.

(3.053) 07 April 2013 – Source #3

Q: Until now, I’ve thought that Fili [OHaUH 6/DoD 27] and Kili’s [OHaUH 7/DoD 26] combo could only be played if the one being searched for was in the deck. In other words, if I play Fili but my only copy of Kili is already in my hand rather than in my deck, I don’t get to bring Kili into play for free.

After looking at the cards again, though, I realized that the connecting word in Fili and Kili’s text is “and”, not “then”: Fili’s text is “Search your deck for Kili and put him into play under your control.” So if my only copy of Kili is in my hand, I search my deck for him (he’s not there), then I put him into play from my hand. Then I shuffle my deck (not optional, since the connecting word is “then”).

(C.G.) A: In order to put Fili into play for free with Kili’s ability, Fili must be in your deck. You cannot put Fili into play for free from your hand when you play Kili (or vice versa).

ALeP’s Note: See also item 2.52.

(3.054) 09 April 2013 – Source #6

Q: How do effects that last “until end the phase, until end the round” work when they are revealed during Setup?

(C.G.) A: Setup is not part of any phase or round, so those kinds of effects don’t trigger.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by items 3.176 and 1.19.

(3.055) 10 April 2013 – Source #6

Q: We are playing the Flies and Spiders scenario from The Hobbit Saga and we have a few questions:

• #1 Can we use the resources of unconscious heroes? Can we heal an unconscious character? Can we assign damage from undefended attacks to an unconscious hero? 
• #2: When we rescue an unconscious character does it come back to the ready/exhausted state it was in before becoming unconscious or does it always come back ready?
•  #3: Can we use unconscious characters to trigger effects that require to exhaust a character, be it their own effect, like Beravor [CORE 12], or other card effects, like We Are not Idle [D 129/D?

(C.G.) A:

• #1 The limitations of being unconscious are spelled out on each quest card of the Flies and Spiders scenario. There are no unlisted limitations.
• #2: The rules make no distinction if a character was ready or exhausted before it was made unconscious: when you ready an unconscious character, they are placed in the ‘ready’ position. You are correct that “rotate 180 degrees” was another way of saying “put the card head down.” That probably would have been a better way to say it.
• #3: You cannot exhaust unconscious characters because to exhaust a character it first has to be in the ‘ready’ position. 

(3.056) 25 April 2013 – Source #3 

Q: In the Shadow and Flame scenario Durin’s Bane [D 150] has the Indestructible keyword, which means that it’s not destroyed when it has damage equal to its hit points. But it also has the Regenerate keyword meaning that it heals at the beginning of each Refresh Phase. My question is if we can place more than 27 damage tokens on Durin’s Bane, meaning that even after Regenerate triggers it has 0 hit points remaining when considering Dark Pit’s [D 141] effect or if it basically will always have at least 3 hit points remaining.

(C.G) A: You can indeed place more than 27 damage on Durin’s Bane.

(3.057) 28 April 2013 – Source #6

Q: We are playing The Dead Marshes scenario and the last quest stage The Capture [SoM 106] reads: “Forced: After this stage is defeated, the first player chooses a player. That player must pass an Escape test, dealing 1 card from the encounter deck for each resource token on Gollum, to capture him. If Gollum is not captured at this time, reset the quest deck to stage 1B”. 

If Gollum [SoM 107] is not in play when this stage is defeated, the Escape test must still be taken, but Gollum won’t be captured and the quest deck will be reset, correct?

(N.F.) A: Correct.

(3.058) 03 May 2013 – Source #1

Q: If I commit both Aragorn [CORE 1] and Theodred [CORE 2] to a quest, can I use Theodred’s response to give 1 resource to Aragorn and then use that resource to ready him using his response?

(C.G.) A: Yes. When you have multiple Responses with the same trigger (“After XXXX commits to a quest…”), you can decide the order in which you want to resolve each Response. Since Aragorn and Theodred’s ability share the same trigger, you can use Theodred’s first and give the resource to Aragorn, allowing him to use his ability.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 2.01.

(3.059) 07 May 2013 – Source #2

Q: Can I take a resource from Beorn (OHaUH 5] with Errand-rider [HoN 3/DoG 9] and give it to another hero?

(C.G.) A: A hero’s resource pool belongs to but is separate from the hero. Beorn’s immunity to player card effects does not extend to his resource pool. So it is possible to use the Errand-rider to move resources to or from Beorn’s resource pool.

(3.060) 09 May 2013 – Source #6

Q: Let’s say I reveal a Warg Lair [KD 59] and I attach my Thror’s Key [OtD 16] (which was already in play) to it? Do I still resolve the Warg Lair When Revealed effect? Also when I explore a Warg Lair with Thror’s Key attached, do I draw a card? In a previous ruling (see item 3.021) Nate French said that if you attach Ancient Mathom [SoM 56/RoR 15] to Amon Lhaw [SoM 84], the Ancient Mathom still triggers after the location is explored.

(C.G.) A: Thror’s Key will not prevent a When Revealed effect from resolving, since it attaches to a location only after that location enters play by being added to the staging area. Thror’s Key works differently from Ancient Mathom. Thror’s Key creates a constant effect that doesn’t end until after the attached location is discarded whereas Ancient Mathom has a Response effect that triggers after the attached location leaves play. If you attached Thror’s Key to Warg Lair, its only effect would be to prevent you from drawing a card when Warg Lair left play.

(3.061) 13 May 2013 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing the We Must Away Ere Break of Day scenario, finding the treasures can be quite hard and frustrating, especially since actually seeing Troll Key or Troll Purse at the right moment is a matter of luck. More to the point, what happens to Troll Key [OHaUH 43] and Troll Purse [OHaUH 42] if they are dealt as shadow cards to an enemy? Are they added to the staging area when they are discarded (at the end of the combat phase or when we kill the enemy)?

(C.G.) A: Anytime the Troll Key or Troll Purse would be discarded (whether as shadow cards or by questing successfully at stage 2) they are added to the staging area. After they are added to the staging area, you check if there is a Troll enemy in play to attach them to. They were worded this way so players would have a better chance at discovering the treasure and avoid the frustration you described.

ALeP’s Note: To better capture the intent of the Troll Purse/Key they could probably be better worded as “If Troll Key/Purse enters the discard pile, add it to the staging area.”

(3.062) 18 May 2013 – Source #2 

Q: If I use Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] and the top card of my deck is one with a printed cost of X, like Gandalf’s Search [CORE 67] or Men of the West [AtS 83], what is the actual value of X when the card resolves?

(C.G.) A: I’m afraid in the situation you just described, the value of X is always 0. So you could play Gandalf’s Search for 0 cards, or Men of the West to get 0 Outlands characters back in your hand, etc. If that’s not already in the FAQ, then it should be.

(3.063) 28 May 2013 – Source #6 

Q: When playing The Steward’s Fear can I use Thror’s Key [OtD 16] to blank the Underworld X keyword on a location that I reveal? And if I can’t blank the part of the effect that places the cards from the Underworld deck underneath the location does the Key at least allow me to avoid revealing the cards underneath the location when it’s explored?

(C.G.) A: The Underworld X keyword is triggered “when a location with the underworld keyword enters play…” whereas Thror’s Key triggers “after a location enters play…” Therefore, the Underworld keyword will trigger first, placing X cards beneath the location. The rules for the scenario explain that when that location leaves play “any facedown cards stacked underneath that location are revealed one at a time…” That is a game rule (not location text) so Thror’s Key will have no effect on that.

(3.064) 28 May 2013 – Source #6

Q: When playing the A Journey to Rhosgobel scenario, does the Athelas [SoM 63] put in play by exploring Forest Grove [SoM 66] triggers its Guarded keyword?

(C.G.) A: Because the Athelas is not revealed when you trigger the Response of Forest Grove, you place an unguarded Athelas in the staging area.

(3.065) 30 May 2013 – Source #6

Q: If I play Song of Wisdom [SoM 34] on Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] and then play Good Meal on him, can I use Good Meal [D 10] to discount by 2 Wealth of Lorien [CORE 64]? More generally speaking if an hero gains a sphere icon does he belong to that sphere too?

(C.G.) A: That’s a good question. Since the resource icon indicates which sphere a hero belongs to, if a hero gains an additional resource icon from a card effect, then the hero will belong to that sphere as well. That will allow you to combo cards like Good Meal with the song cards.

(3.066) 04 June 2013 – Source #3 

Q: Hi, the other day we were playing the Along the Anduin scenario when the Wolf Rider [CORE 81] appeared as a shadow. My friend wanted to Feint [CORE 34/DoG 22/RoR 22] it, but after some discussion we agreed that there was no time for that because the Wolf Rider was already attacking.

But after the game I kept thinking and re-read both cards. Now I see another reason for not being able to play Feint on him. He never engages you. He attacks you as a shadow card. So that is another reason why we could not play Feint.

But then, if he is never engaged with me, I cannot attack him when it is my time to attack.

(C.G.) A: What a fun question. I checked with Nate to make sure I understood his original intent with Wolf Rider, and it plays exactly as it reads. Wolf Rider is still technically a shadow card when it makes an attack. It is only treated as an enemy card while resolving its attack, but it is neither engaged with the player or in the staging area.

In terms of theme, it’s an unexpected hit-and-run wherein the Wolf Rider leaps out of the shadows to attack and then disappears again.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 3.160, 3.230 and 3.237 for more details.

(3.067) 07 June 2013 – Source #6

Q: A couple of questions about cards with “limit once per round” abilities:

• #1: I use Erestor [D 77] Action this round. He dies and I bring him back into play. Can I use its ability again? I use Sneak Attack [CORE 23] to put Erestor in play during the Quest Phase. I use its Action. I use another Sneak Attack to put Erestor once again in play during the combat phase. May I use its Action again ? I quest with Beorn [CORE], then I use its Action to send it back to my deck. I use Timely Aid [D 3] to bring back Beorn in play (the same or another copy…). May I use its Action again ?
• #2: I would like you to confirm that 2 copies of Protector of Lorien [CORE 70] allows to discard up to 6 cards (3 each)    

(C.G.) A: Here are your answers:

• #1: If a card with a “limit once per round” ability leaves play after triggering its effect and is returned to play during the same round you can trigger its ability again. So, the answer to your first three examples is “yes.”    
• #2: Each Protector of Lorien has its own limit 3 times per phase. So with 2 in play, it is possible to discard six cards for a total of +6 [willpower] or +6 [defense].    

(3.068) 07 June 2013 – Source #6

Q: I have a couple of questions about discarding multiple cards at once

• #1: When I have to discard multiple cards due to a card effect is this done in a specific order? Or can the player who discards those cards choose the order they are discarded in? This can be relevant for things like Shadow of the Past [SoM 125] or Erebor Hammersmith [CORE 59/DoD 6].
• #2: In which order do we discard shadow cards at the end of the combat phase?

(C.G.) A: Here are your answers:

• #1: Most effects that discard cards from the top of the encounter deck say something like “Discard cards from the top of the encounter deck until…” When resolving an effect like that, each card is discarded one at a time so that the order is fixed. However, if the players are given a choice to discard a certain number of player cards or encounter cards all at once, then the player who is discarding will get to decide. For example, if an encounter card instructed me to discard 3 cards from my hand, I would choose the order I place them in the discard pile.
• #2: If an enemy with a shadow card leaves play before the end of the phase, then the shadow card dealt to that enemy will be discarded with it. Other than that, since shadow cards are all discarded at the end of the combat phase the first player will decide the order that they are discarded in.

(3.069) 12 June 2013 – Source #6

Q: When playing the Flies and Spider scenario and the Venom keyword on an enemy triggers while I have no cards in my deck, what happens?

(C.G.) A: If you run out of cards in your deck when the Venom keyword triggers, then there are no cards to attach as poison and nothing happens.

(3.070) 14 June 2013 – Source #2

Q: If a hero is in your deck due to Lost and Alone [D 124] and you use King Under the Mountain [OtD 18/DoD 16] and I end up finding that hero, can you put the hero into play? 

Here’s also a relevant FAQ text:

“Q: How does the card Lost and Alone (D 124) work? What if the hero gets attached to a Nameless Thing (DD 125) or was my last hero in play?

A: You only put the lost hero back into play if you draw the hero, whether during the resource phase or through a card effect. If the hero is discarded or attached to a card like a Nameless Thing, then treat it like any other card. In the latter situation, the value of the hero would be null, since it has no printed cost. If your last hero gets shuffled into your deck you are not eliminated from the game; heroes are not considered to be killed unless they are in your discard pile. You will continue playing until you either draw the hero, are eliminated through other means, or the game ends.“

(C.G.) A: I believe the spirit of the effect is that when you are able to take your hero into your hand from your deck, then you get to put it back into play. Therefore, I would rule that if you took your hero into hand via use of King Under the Mountain, you should be able to put it into play.

However, if you had two heroes in your deck and found both of them with the same use of King Under the Mountain, then you’d have to choose one to put into play and the other to be discarded.

I’m afraid those are the kinds of hard decisions that a king of dwarves must make…

(3.071) 09 July 2013 – Source #1

Q: About Escape Tests in The Dead Marshes scenario, is there the opportunity to trigger Actions during the resolution of an Escape Test, after the escape cards have been dealt, but before the players willpower is calculated? As in a similar window to the one in the quest phase after the staging step, but before quest tokens are placed.

(C.G.) A: No, there is no action window at that time. The only action window during an Escape Test is after committing characters to the test, but before dealing cards from the encounter deck.

(3.072) 18 August 2013 – Source #2

Q: If you use Small Target [AtS 62] and it succeeds, is the enemy still considered to be “attacking you?” Would A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! [D 132] be a legal play after successfully using Small Target?

Small Target:

Response: After a Hobbit hero you control exhausts to defend an attack, choose another enemy engaged with you and reveal the attacking enemy’s shadow card. If that shadow card has no shadow effect, resolve this enemy’s attack against the chosen enemy. If that shadow card has a shadow effect, resolve this attack as normal.

A Elbereth! Gilthoniel!:

Response: After an enemy attacks you, put that enemy on the bottom of the encounter deck. If your threat is lower than that enemy’s engagement cost, set your threat equal to the engagement cost of that enemy.

(C.G.) A: If you play Small Target and the shadow card has no shadow effect, then the attacking enemy’s attack is resolved against a different enemy engaged with you. In that case, you are no longer the target of the attack and the enemy would no longer be attacking you. Therefore, it would not be a legal target for A Elbereth! Gilthoniel!

(3.073) 21 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: The Sewers [AtS 18] location in The Steward’s Fear has the keyword Underworld 1, so when it enters play you put 1 card underneath it. It also has a When Revealed effect that reads “place 1 card underneath the active location, if able”. Which comes first?

(C.G.) A: The When Revealed effect comes first.

(3.074) 21 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: The wording of Silvan Tracker [SoM 102/EoL 14] is a bit confusing to me, does this mean that if you have a silvan tracker in play, ALL Silvan characters heal 1 damage when they ready? Or is it just one damage per Silvan Tracker?

(C.G.) A: You can trigger the Silvan Tracker’s ability for each Silvan character that readies during the Refresh Phase. If 8 Silvan characters ready at the same time, you will trigger the Response 8 times and resolve them one by one.

(3.075) 21 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: In the latest FAQ it is said that you are allowed to use player card effects on cards which are immune to player card effects as long as they are not in play (f.e. fetching Beorn [OHaUH 5] out of the discard pile by using a card effect).

So i was wondering if it would be allowed to play a card like Ithilien Tracker (Action: Exhaust Ithilien Tracker [AtS 15] to lower the [Threat] of the next enemy added to the staging area to 0 until the end of the phase) in The Battle of Lake-town scenario to reduce the threat of Smaug [TBoLT 4-5-6] if I choose to place it in the staging area. At least in the first round the card effect happens before Smaug is in play (he will be drawn from the Smaug-Pile) so he will not be immune to it… and if this is correct what about the next round when you exchange him with another Smaug card… ?

(C.G.) A: Good question. Unfortunately, the Ithilien Tracker’s ability will not work on Smaug because it only works on an enemy “added to the staging area.” By the time Smaug is added to the staging area, it has entered play and its immunity is active.

(3.076) 22 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: I am playing the Encounter at Amon Dîn scenario. When a villager is discarded, Lord Alcaron’s [AtS 70] ability retrieves the discarded villager (resource token) and places it on a location. Since this response occurs “after a villager token is discarded” does this mean the Dead Villagers [AtS 69] text still triggers and a damage token is still placed on it?

(C.G.) A: The word “instead” in Lord Alcaron’s ability indicates that it is a replacement effect. So if his ability is used to place a just discarded villager token on a location, then it hasn’t actually been discarded because it has been placed on a location instead. That means if you use Alcaron to prevent a villager token from being discarded by a just revealed Orc Ravager [AtS 73], the Orc Ravager would gain surge.

(3.077) 22 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: I have the new Gandalf [OHaUH 10] in play, which has the card text “Forced: At the end of the refresh phase, discard Gandalf from play…”, who becomes unconscious. Does his Forced effect still trigger at the end of the refresh phase?

(C.G.) A: Good question. Gandalf’s Forced effect is a triggered ability, so if he is made unconscious his Forced effect will not trigger and he will not be discarded at the end of the refresh phase.

(3.078) 22 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: If while resolving a first copy of Collateral Damage [HoN 24] I discard another copy of Collateral Damage from the encounter deck with the initial 2 discarded cards, does that mean I have to discard 2 more for the copy just discarded? Or does the “Discard an additional 2 cards from the encounter deck for each copy of Collateral Damage in the discard pile” effect happen immediately, at the same time as the initial 2 discarded cards, negating any other Collateral Damage discarded from having any effect?

(C.G.) A: When Revealed effects are resolved on a sentence-by-sentence basis. When Collateral Damage is revealed, you discard the top 2 cards of your deck first. Then you discard 2 additional cards for each copy of Collateral Damage in the discard pile. Lastly you count the number of locations just discarded and raise your threat by the appropriate amount. If a copy of Collateral Damage is discarded by the first sentence, then you would count that copy when resolving the second sentence.

(3.079) 22 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: Does Expecting Mischief [OHaUH 18] trigger before or after an encounter card’s When Revealed effect? Also, does it trigger before keywords like “surge” or “doomed” like Thalin does (I assume not based on the different language)?

(C.G.) A: Expecting Mischief effect is applied BEFORE the encounter card is actually revealed so it triggers before keywords and “when revealed” effects. If the enemy is destroyed by the damage, those effects never trigger.

(3.080) 22 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: Feint [CORE 34/DoG 22/RoR 22] and Thicket of Spears [CORE 36] will stop an enemy or multiple enemies from attacking “this phase.” Does this mean that these events are not resolved and are not discarded until the end of the combat phase?

The reason this is important is it will determine if hero Hama [D 76] can attack and get a just played Feint or Thicket of Spears card back from the discard that same phase.

(C.G.) A: Unless an event card says otherwise, it should be discarded as soon as it is played. That would allow Háma to retrieve a Feint just used to prevent an enemy from attacking.

(3.081) 24 August 2013 – Source #6

Q: If I play To Me! O My Kinsfolk! [OtD 12] in the combat phase to put an Erebor Hammersmith [CORE 59/DoD 6] in play from my discard pile and I make the Hammersmith defend an enemy attack that destroys it and sends it to the discard pile again, will the lasting effect of To Me! O My Kinsfolk! place the Erebor Hammersmith at the bottom of my deck at the end of the combat phase? I ask this also because To Me! O My Kinsfolk! doesn’t use the same “if that ally is still in play” wording of Sneak Attack [CORE 23].

(C.G.) A: The lasting effect created by To Me! O My Kinsfolk! only applies if the character is still in play at the end of the phase. After a card leaves play, it can no longer be targeted by effects unless those effects specifically target a card in an out of play state. The extra text on Sneak Attack was only to help players understand how it works, but it’s the same for both cards.

(3.082) 28 August 2013 – Source #3

Q: I have a hero with Steward of Gondor [CORE 26/DoG 18] attached, thus giving that hero the Gondor trait. Then during the combat phase I play the event card For Gondor! [CORE 22] to give all Gondor characters +1 [defense] for the phase. Then, I defend an enemy with the hero that has Steward of Gondor and I am hit by a Shadow Effect that makes me discard an attachment that turns out to be Steward of Gondor.

The question is, does that Hero still get the +1 [defense] from the For Gondor! event I played earlier? He has lost the Gondor trait but that event has already been resolved a while ago.

There is a section in the FAQ (1.43) about the game state constantly checking and updating modifiers, and that is what is causing the confusion.

(C.G.) A:  Effects like For Gondor! create a lasting effect for a specified amount of time, in this case “until the end of the phase.” This would be the type of modifier that you need to check when something changes the game state during that time.

In this case, you need to recalculate when you resolve the attack. At that time, if your hero lost the Gondor trait because Steward of Gondor was discarded by a shadow card, then he would no longer receive the +1 [defense] bonus.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 1.55.

(3.083) 29 August 2013 – Source #3

Q: If I use Risk Some Light [D 136] when there are only 1-2 cards in the encounter deck, do I reshuffle the encounter discard pile so that I can see 3 cards?

Or is the encounter deck not considered empty when I look at those 1-2 cards?

(C.G.) A: The encounter discard pile is only shuffled back into the encounter deck when the encounter deck is empty during the quest phase. Risk Some Light does not actually remove the encounter cards you are looking at from the encounter deck, therefore you would not shuffle the encounter discard pile back into the encounter deck if there were less than 3 cards to look at. Even if you played Risk Some Light during the quest phase, you would only look at the top 1 or 2 cards of the encounter deck.

(3.084) 29 August 2013 – Source #1

Q: When an enemy gets Ithilien Pit [AtS 64] attached to it, does that mean anybody can attack that enemy immediately, or do you have to wait until the combat phase?

(C.G.) A: You do indeed have to wait until the combat phase. Each player will then have the chance to declare his own attacks against the enemy with Ithilien Pit during his own attack windows.

(3.085) 04 September 2013 – Source #1

Q: I travel to Forest Gate [CORE 100/TDoM 12] which reads “Response: After you travel to Forest Gate, the first player may draw 2 cards”. So I draw two cards, one of which is Strength of Will [CORE 47] which reads “Response: After you travel to a location, exhaust a Spirit character to place 2 progress tokens on that location.”

Can I play the Strength of Will I just draw to place 2 progress tokens on the Forest Gate I just traveled to? Is the “After you travel” trigger still available after I drew the cards?

(C.G.) A: You can play the Strength of Will that you drew with the Forest Gate. When multiple Response effects share the same trigger, you can decide which order to trigger them in. So in this example, you can choose to trigger the Forest Gate first to draw 2 cards. One of those cards (Strength of Will) also happens to have a Response effect that can be triggered at that time, so you choose to play that next.

Any Response effect that has a trigger needs to be played immediately after its trigger. (It’s because you can only play 1 effect at a time that the players get to choose which order to resolve multiple Response effects with the same trigger.) Once the game advances (a player triggers an Action, a new phase begins, etc) the opportunity to play a Response is done.

(3.086) 10 September 2013 – Source #1

Q: In a 3 player game, during the staging step, the Encounter Deck reveals (in this order) …

• 1. Location
• 2. Enemy
• 3. Treachery

I have Strider’s Path [SoM 9] in my hand. Which of the following is true:

• A. I must play Strider’s Path on the location immediately after it is revealed (i.e. between Encounter Cards #1 and #2).
• B. I can play Strider’s Path on the location after all three encounter cards are revealed (i.e. response window for Encounter Card #1 is still active).

(C.G.) A: Because the Response on Strider’s Path reads “After a location is revealed from the encounter deck…” you would have to play it after the location you want to travel to is revealed. If you wait until another card is revealed, then you have missed the opportunity to trigger the Response.

So in your example, you would need to play it after encounter card #1 and before #2. If you waited until after #3, then you would be responding to a treachery card just revealed, which is not a legal target for Strider’s Path.

(3.087) 10 September 2013 – Source #3

Q: Can I use Fresh Tracks [D 78], which reads “Response: After an enemy is added to the staging area, deal 1 damage to that enemy. Players ignore that enemy while making engagement checks this round.” to kill a 1 HP enemy like Eastern Crows [CORE 115] before it triggers any of its When Revealed or surge effects?

While playing the Road to Rivendell scenario, would Fresh Tracks be able to prevent an enemy like Wild Bear [D 52] from making engagement checks against me due to the Ambush keyword?

(C.G.) A: You cannot play Fresh Tracks to cancel any effects on an enemy just revealed from the encounter deck because the event doesn’t trigger until after that enemy is added to the staging area.

To address your examples:

• Eastern Crows will already have been revealed & triggered surge before it is added to the staging area.
• Wild Bear will trigger it’s Ambush keyword “when it enters play” whereas Fresh Tracks can only be triggered “after an enemy is added to the staging area” so the Fresh Tracks cannot prevent the Wild Bear from making the engagement check because the “when” effect must be triggered before the “after” effect.

(3.088) 19 September 2013 – Source #3

Q: Some of us found out that we played the Archery keyword differently, so here are a few questions about it

1. The first question that we raised is: can a character have more damage than hit points? It was said that enemies can in regard to Durin’s Bane [D 150], and it is said that we can place more than enough progress on a quest card, but we have no specific rules on character damage and location.
2. The second question is what leads to the first…but presenting them is this order is more logical for me : Can we deal more Archery damage on a character than it has hit points? Archery says to deal the damage among our characters. I was surprised that some players deal all of the damage on a single 1 hit point ally to get rid of all the archery damage. We found nothing in the rule saying they can’t.
3. The third question was the original one posted on our forum : if there are two Silvan Refugee [AtS 37/EoL 13] with the text: “Forced: After a character leaves play, discard Silvan Refugee from play.”, can we assign 1 archery damage to both? Archery is a keyword, some I would treat it like a passive, and we have to add all archery value before dealing them. I therefore assumed it was done in one go, not leaving any time for the character to leave the game (I would trigger “damaged” response but not “destroyed” nor “leave the game”).

(C.G.) A: Damage from the Archery keyword cannot be over-assigned to characters you control. It must be divided among characters you control until either there is no damage left to assign or no characters left to assign it to.

The damage is applied simultaneously, so you can assign damage to more than 1 Silvan Refugee because their Forced effect will not trigger until after all the damage has been assigned.

(3.089) 19 September 2013 – Source #1

Q: I have a question concerning Aragorn [D 53] and Desperate Alliance [OtD 10].

I know that there was a previous ruling about Landroval that said that in a multiplayer game each player could trigger Landroval’s resurrect ability (“once per game”). Does this same philosophy work with Lore Aragorn’s threat reset ability? If I pass him to another player during the Refresh Phase using Desperate Alliance, can that player use Lore Aragorn’s  threat reset ability as that player’s “once per game” limitation, and then I can use Lore Aragorn’s threat reset ability with my own “once per game” limitation?

(C.G.) A: Good question. The rule about “once per game” ability on Landroval applies to all player cards. The “once per game” ability on Aragorn applies to the player, not to the card. So, if another player gains control of Aragorn, that player may trigger his ability as well.

ALeP’s Note: This also became item 1.51.

(3.090) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: When playing The Battle of the Five Armies scenario I am not sure how to use the Action on the Misty Mountain Eagle objective [OtD 52]. Do I need to first spend 2 Baggins resources to take control of it and later on spend 2 more Baggins resources to discard it and a non-unique enemy in the staging area?

(C.G.) A: The cost of the Action on the Misty Mountain Eagle objective is to spend 2 Baggins resources. The effect is either taking control of it or discarding it and a non-unique enemy in the staging area.

(3.091) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: Let’s say we are playing in multiplayer and I use my Sentinel character, for example Beregond [HoN 1/DoG 27] with Gondorian Shield [AtS 6/DoG 16] to defend an attack made against another player. I reveal Driven by Shadow [CORE 92]. Do I have to discard the Gondorian Shield on my Beregond even if I am not the defending player?

(C.G.) A: Yes. Shadow effects typically target the defending player (the player the enemy is attacking), but the first line of this effect targets the defending character. So if I used Sentinel to defend for you, I would have to discard an attachment from my character.

(3.092) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: How do Eagles of the Misty Mountains [SoM 119] interact with the Venom keyword in Flies and Spiders? Do the poison attachments, since they are facedown cards attached to an Eagles of the Misty Mountains, boost its [attack] and [defense]?

(C.G.) A: Yes. The Eagles of the Misty Mountains do not like being poisoned: it makes them angry (just before they pass out).

(3.093) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: I am playing The Long Dark scenario and I have revealed Stage 2B, Continuing Eastward [D 87]. If I am successful in my Locate Test do I still need to trigger all Lost effects in play due to the last phrase of the When Revealed effect?

(C.G.) A: You should only resolve the “then” effect if you trigger the “if” effect on Continuing Eastward.

(3.094) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: When playing The Druadan Forest scenario I reveal Stars in the Sky [AtS 54]. Which do I resolve first, Prowl 2 or the When Revealed effect? I ask because for keywords like surge you resolve the keyword after the When Revealed effect.

(C.G.) A: FAQ item 1.37 addresses the order of resolution for effects. Passive abilities (such as keywords) come first. Surge is a special case because the rules for the keyword indicate that the extra card should be revealed after the card with surge. With regard to Star in Sky, the players would first resolve the Prowl 2 and then resolve the When Revealed effect.

(3.095) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: When I engage Orc Arsonist [AtS 63] does it deal a shadow card also to itself? Or does it deal a shadow card only to other enemies engaged with me (if any)?

(C.G.) A: Yes, Orc Arsonist will give itself a shadow card when it engages a player.

(3.096) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: I have a question about some in-depth timing for “at the end of the round” effects. Let’s say I have played ally Saruman [TVoI 3] and choose a Cave Entrance [OHaUH 41] to be considered out of play. I also have a Silvan Refugee [AtS 37/EoL 13] in play. When we get to the end of the round what exactly happens and in what order?

(C.G.) A: At the end of the round, you discard Saruman due to its passive effect. That immediately triggers the Forced effect on Silvan Refugee, discarding it from play. Now it is still the end of the round and Cave Entrance is considered to be in play again, so you would need to trigger its Forced effect too, before beginning the next round.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by A#7 of item 3.232 and by item 1.58.

(3.097) 24 September 2013 – Source #6

Q: How does Cave Torch [KD 41/TDoM 29] work exactly? Do I place the 3 progress first and reveal the encounter card after? Or is the Forced effect a cost so it must be resolved before placing the 3 progress? And let’s say I am trying to place the 3 progress from the Cave Torch on Twisting Passage, does the Forced effect of Twisting Passage trigger after the Forced effect of Cave Torch? Or do those two Forced share the same timing so the first player chooses the order they resolve in? 

(C.G.) A: The Forced effect of Cave Torch is not a cost. It is a Forced response to triggering its effect. A cost always comes before the effect. In this case, when you exhaust the Cave Torch, the resolution of that effect is to put 3 progress tokens on Twisting Passage. Then, you will resolve the Forced effect on Cave Torch. But the Forced effect on Twisting Passage interrupts the resolution of that effect by forcing you to make a locate test. There is no choice for the first player to make because the timing of Twisting Passage (before placing progress…) triggers before Cave Torch (after Cave Torch exhausts…).

(3.098) 26 September 2013 – Source #1

Q: Can I use A Good Harvest [AtS 10], which reads “Action: Name a sphere. Until the end of the phase, you can spend resources of any sphere when paying for cards that belong to the named sphere.”) to pay for 0 cost cards that DO NOT match any of your heroes’ spheres?

(C.G.) A: A Good Harvest does not allow players to play 0 cost cards without a resource match. Since you are not using any resources to pay for the card, the ability of A Good Harvest does not apply and you still need a resource match.

(3.099) 25 September 2013 – Source #1

Q: The rules for the Assault on Osgiliath scenario say that “Locations under any player´s control are still in play. Their game text is active and they can be affected by card effects”

Does this mean we can still place progress tokens on those locations with effects like Asfaloth [D 110] and the like? If so, what happens if we place enough progress on them to equal their progress value? Would the tokens get discarded or would the location go straight back to player control if it is returned to the staging area?

Are we supposed to still be able to use the actions of player-controlled locations, like Ruined Tower´s[AtS 103] ability to travel to it? This might be a good approach (if valid) in situations where having too many controlled locations would outright mean the death of heroes or the like.

(C.G.) A: You can still place progress on Osgiliath locations you control. However, when you lose control of an Osgiliath location, the rules say you must discard all progress from it before returning it to the staging area. If you did place progress on a location you control equal to its quest points, then the first player would take control of the location instead of it being discarded. The rules also say to discard all progress from it at that point.

I like your idea of traveling to a location you already control. That is a cool idea, and the rules for the scenario do allow it. You would lose control of the location when it leaves your play area, but I think that was your point.

(3.100) 07 November 2013 – Source #1

Q: I was playing a game of Journey Down the Anduin, and Aragorn [CORE 1] was defending against the Hill Troll [COE 82] with a copy of Blood of Numenor [HoN 13] on him (as well as a Steward of Gondor [CORE 26/DoG 18]). The Hill Troll got a shadow effect that said that it got +2 [attack]. Aragorn had 3 damage already, and when I triggered Blood of Numenor he had 4 resources left in his resource pool, giving him 6 [defense] against the Troll 8 Attack. So, he would have died. But I had a copy of For Gondor! [CORE 22] in my hand. Could I spend 2 out of the 4 resources on Aragorn to play For Gondor!, therefore giving Aragorn +1 [defense], which is all he needs to survive? Or, does he lose 2 [defense] from Blood of Numenor by spending those 2 resources?

I guess my question is this: Does Blood of Numenor’s effect happen immediately, counting all the resources that the attached hero has in his resource pool in that moment and providing the extra [defense] based on that number, or can its effect be changed if you spend some of the resources that were there when the ability was triggered?

(C.G.) A: Blood of Numenor is a triggered effect that lasts until the end of the phase. The additional [defense] it provides is based on the number of resources in the attached hero’s resource pool at the time it is triggered. So, if Aragorn had 5 resources in his pool when you triggered Blood of Numenor, he would get +4 [defense] until the end of the phase. If you paid 2 more resources from his pool to play For Gondor! after that, he would still have +4 [defense] from Blood of Numenor.

(3.101) 07 November 2013 – Source #1

Q: There are several encounter card effects which use the term “if able” together with a condition that references multiple cards. For example:

• Orc Raiders [D 50] from the Road to Rivendell scenario reads “Forced: After Orc Raiders engages a player, that player discards 2 attachments he controls, if able.”
• Cave Spider [D 97] from The Lost Dark scenario reads “When Revealed: The first player draws 1 card. Then, that player must choose and discard 4 cards from his hand, if able.”
• Abandoned Mine [D 89] from The Lost Dark scenario reads “Lost: Return the top 2 Goblin enemies in the encounter discard pile to the staging area, if able.”

If fewer cards which meet these conditions are available, then is the effect still resolved?

(C.G.) A: In The Lord of the Ring LCG, when an encounter card effect uses the language “if able” it means that if you are not able to completely fulfill its effect then you should ignore it. For example, if an encounter card effect says “When Revealed: Return the topmost enemy in the encounter deck discard pile to the staging area, if able.” and there are no enemies in the discard pile, then the effect does nothing.

In the examples you mentioned:

• If you only have 1 attachment in play, then you are not able to discard 2 and you should ignore the Orc Raider’s effect.
• If you only have 3 or fewer cards in your hand, then you are not able to discard 4 cards and you should ignore the Cave Spider’s effect.
• If there is only 1 or fewer Goblin enemies in the encounter discard pile, then you cannot return 2 to the staging area and you should ignore the Lost effect of Abandoned Mine.

(3.102) 25 November 2013 – Source #2

Q: So Morgul Bodyguard [AtS 148] from the Morgul Vale scenario has a shadow effect that reads: “Attacking enemy engages the next player and makes an immediate attack, if able.”

This is different from other shadow effects which begin with “after this enemy attacks…”

I believe it’s already clear that if you’re playing solo, there’s no “next” player so this would not have any effect.

The question I have is: does this interrupt his current attack so that it would not complete or deal damage to the defending character?

also: If there are other shadow cards in combination with this one, do their effects still trigger (ie “raise your threat by X”) before he moves to the next player and starts a new attack (which would receive a new shadow card)?

(C.G.) A: Great question. If there is no other player for the enemy to attack, then it is not able. In that case, the shadow effect is ignored and the attack resolves as normal. If there was another player, this shadow effect would end the current attack and immediately begin a new attack. Since you reveal shadow cards one at a time, if there are unrevealed shadow cards on the attacking enemy when this effect triggers, they would be discarded when this enemy makes a new attack and is dealt a new shadow card.

(3.103) 26 November 2013 – Source #2

Q: While playing The Morgul Vale scenario and facing the Nazgûl of Minas Morgul [AtS 153], can I use Infighting [SoM 58] to move 5 damage to him from a different enemy and kill him immediately? Or is that damage still considered to be “dealt”? And what would happen if I use Infighting on a Captain enemy while a Morgul Bodyguard [AtS 148] is in play?

(C.G) A: Any time you would place damage on an enemy, that damage is “dealt” to that enemy. So even if you “move” damage to the Nazgûl of Minas Morgul using Infighting, that damage is still “dealt” for the purposes of resolving the Nazgûl’s ability (which reduces it to 1). Furthermore, if a Morgul Bodyguard is in play, damage that would be moved to a Captain enemy would have to be placed on a Bodyguard instead.

(3.104) 09 December 2013 – Source #2

Q: Can I still use King Under the Mountain’s [OtD 18/DoD 16] Action while Enchanted Stream [CORE 95] is the active location, considering King Under the Mountain uses the wording “add 1 to your hand” rather than “draw 1 card”?

(N.F.) A: Yes. You are not “drawing” a card with King Under the Mountain, so the text on Enchanted Stream does not prevent you from adding that card to your hand.

(3.105) 09 December 2013 – Source #6 

Q: In The Drúadan Forest scenario, to overcome the last stage, can we use direct damage effect (like ally Gandalf [CORE 73/EoL 7/DoG 11/RoR 6]) to damage and kill Drû-buri-Drû [AtS 45], instead of attacking him with [willpower] to place progress tokens on him? His text preventing us from winning is only active while he is in play, so if we send him to the discard pile we should still be able to win.

(C.G.) A: That is technically correct, though a bit against the spirit of the scenario. The goal of the final stage is to convince the Woses that you are not their enemies. If you were to kill their leader in order to escape their forest, then you might have defeated the scenario but you would have missed the point.

(3.106) 09 December 2013 – Source #6

Q: If I reveal The Nine Are Abroad [TBR 67/TFotR 80] while Core Set Gandalf [CORE 73/EoL 7/DoG 11/RoR 6] is in play, does the text box blanking of The Nine Are Abroad allow me to not discard Gandalf at the end of the round?

(C.G.) A: The Nine are Abroad reads “until the end of the round”, at which time its effect expires. At that time Gandalf’s effect will require him to be discarded.

(3.107) 10 December 2013 – Source #3

Q: I have a few questions about the prisoner in the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario. If at the start of the game I control 3 Spirit heroes and then one of them is made the “prisoner” is it still considered when calculating the cost of a Map of Earnil [AtS 87] I want to play? And if the “prisoner” is Spirit Glorfindel [D 101] who is my only Noldor character, can I still play Elrond’s Counsel [D 59/EoL 21]?

(C.G.) A: The two most important things about “the prisoner” are: 

• That hero is turned facedown, 
• That hero “cannot be used.” 

Together, this means the “prisoner” cannot be counted when calculating the cost of cards like Earnil’s Map or used to play a card like Elrond’s Counsel. It also does not give the Pelargir Shipwright [AtS 86] a +1 [willpower] boost.

On the other hand, because you don’t count the prisoner’s sphere while it is facedown, you can play Strength of Arms [AtS 34] if all your other heroes have the printed [leadership] sphere.

ALeP’s Note: See also items 3.019 and 3.212.

(3.108) 07 January 2014 – Source #2

Q #1: We are at Stage 1 of the Blood of Gondor scenario, at the beginning of the combat phase and a player decides to turn each of his hidden cards face up.

#1 The hidden cards are turned face up one at a time. The first card is an Evil Crow [AtS 122] which immediately engages the player and instructs the player to take 1 hidden card. Will this second card also be turned face up during the current beginning of the combat phase or will it remain hidden for now?

I ask because the cards are turned face up one at a time and technically we are still at the beginning of the combat phase. So the decision would still affect the newly received hidden card, but I am not sure if this was the designer’s intention.

#2 The first hidden card turned up is an enemy. Does he receive a shadow card? Shadow cards are also dealt at the beginning of the combat face. But what happens first? The turning of hidden cards faced up or the dealing of shadow cards? If two things happen at the same time, the current first player decides the order. Can I choose to first deal the shadow cards and then turn face up the hidden cards? Or am I misinterpreting something here?

(C.G.) A #1:

#1 The new hidden card remains hidden and is not turned face up at that time.

#2 When two effects try to resolve at the same time, the first player decides which order to resolve them in. You may choose to deal shadow cards before turning hidden cards faceup.

Q #2 (21 January 2014):

As a follow up to my previous question, according to your answer to the second question: “when two effects resolve at the same time, the first player decides which order to resolve them in.” (which I already knew from the F.A.Q.), the first player can avoid the dealing of shadow cards to the newly turned faced up enemy hidden cards because:

a) turning face up the hidden cards happens at the beginning of combat
b) dealing shadow cards to the engaged enemies happens at the beginning of combat.
c) The first player can decide to first deal a shadow card to each enemy engaged with a player and then turn face up the hidden cards.

The above procedure will lead to enemies originating from turned faced up hidden cards, with no shadow card on them.

By your answer I get that the above scenario is legal according to the rules of the game. If this is the case then the scenario becomes much easier and I must inform you that anyone I know from the forums or real life has no idea that this is a legal procedure. They (We) all deal shadow cards to the turned faced up hidden cards that are enemies.

A#2 (C.G.): Your timing summary is correct. You may choose to deal shadow cards before turning hidden cards faceup.

ALeP’s Note: Answer #1 also became item 2.68.

(3.109) 03 February 2014 – Source #3

Q: I was trying out a new deck tonight and ran into a puzzler of a rules question. I was playing the A Shadow of the Past scenario and I was using Spirit Pippin [AtS 56]. If I fail a Hide test and there is a Black Rider [TBR 39/TFotR 39] in the staging area, when it engages me via the passive effect on the quest card, can I send it back to the staging area using Pippin’s effect before it has a chance to attack using its Forced effect? I know Forced effects trigger before Response effects, but in this case, the Forced and Response effects are not triggered by the same condition. So, does my response to the quest card’s passive effect trigger before the Black Rider’s Forced effect is triggered by my failing the Hide test?

(C.G.) A: The Forced effect on the Rider is triggered by failing a Hide test, which happens before it engages you, so that has to be resolved before anything else. The Rider will engage you (passive) and attack (Forced) and there is no opportunity to trigger Pippin’s Response between those two things. After the attack resolves would be your first opportunity to trigger Pippin’s ability to return the Rider to the staging area, which you could do at that time. That can still be helpful since it will prevent the Rider from attacking during the combat phase, but there really is no way to stop a Rider from attacking when you fail a Hide test.

(3.110) 10 February 2014 – Source #1

Q [paraphrased]: We know that if Thalin [CORE 6] destroys an Eastern Crows [CORE 115], surge does not trigger, but is it shuffled back into the encounter due to its own Forced effect in that case? And what happens if the Crow was the last card in the encounter deck when it’s revealed? Is the discard pile reshuffled back before or after we shuffle back the Crow?

A: If Thalin destroys Eastern Crows after it is revealed from the encounter deck, it will trigger its Forced effect and get shuffled back into the encounter deck. If it was the last card in the encounter deck, then it will be placed back as the only card in the encounter deck.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.164, but later made valid again by item 3.368.

(3.111) 25 February 2014 – Source #6

Q: When playing the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario, if I am at the last quest stage and I play ally Saruman [TVoI 3] to consider the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur out of play, can I immediately win when I place enough progress on the quest stage?

(C.G.) A: Saruman’s ability is very powerful. You can use his effect to remove the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur from play long enough to escape Out of the Dungeons [CORE 125].

(3.112) 25 February 2014 – Source #6

Q: Are shadow cards dealt to enemies immune to player card effects also immune to player card effects? Or can I use cards like Dawn Take You [SoM 118] all to discard a shadow card dealt to an immune to player card effects enemy like Smaug [OtD 41] in The Lonely Mountain scenario?

(N.F.) A: Shadow cards are separate from the enemies that they are dealt to. So a player may use Dawn Take You All to discard a shadow card from an enemy that is immune to player card effects.

(3.113) 28 February 2014 – Source #2

Q: If I play Forth Eorlingas! [AtS 138/RoR 23] who can participate in those attacks? Can each Rohan hero participate in each attack declared by each other Rohan hero? Can other characters interact with those attacks, maybe through the Ranged keyword?

(C.G.) A: Forth Eorlingas! only allows Rohan heroes to attack enemies in the staging area. Non-Rohan characters cannot participate in these attacks, but you may declare any number of Rohan heroes you control as attackers against a single enemy in the staging area. Your friends cannot commit their Rohan heroes to your attack because it’s not their attack window. The Ranged keyword does not work during these attacks because the rules for Ranged only apply to enemies engaged with a player.

Hope you enjoy riding down your enemies with the new Rohan player cards!

(3.114) 03 March 2014 – Source #5

Q:

#1 There are treacheries in The Fords of Isen scenario that “attach to the current quest”. Does this mean “attach to the current quest card/stage”, so that they will be discarded if you progress to another stage? Or do they stay in play for the whole game?

#2: Searching for Mugash [TVoI 63], that is to say Stage 2B of the To Catch an Orc scenario reads: “Response: After questing successfully, cancel all progress that would be placed on this stage. Then, place 1 time counter on this stage. Or, if Mugash is in play, advance to stage 3.”

My interpretation of the “Then” clause is that, if you have quested successfully but you are not going to place any progress on the stage (because of an active location), therefore the “Then” clause will fail because no progress has been canceled.

(C.G.) A:

#1: Treacheries that attach to the current quest are discarded when the stage they are attached to leaves play.

A#2: You are correct about stage 2B, the “Then” clause is conditional on canceling progress that would be placed “on this stage.” Therefore, the players must place at least 1 progress onto the quest in order to cancel that progress and add 1 time counter. This wording was deliberate to make the choice of whether or not to travel to a location, and which location to travel to, a tense decision. If you quest successfully, but all of your progress is absorbed by the active location, then you will not be able to add a time counter to the quest.

(3.115) 07 April 2014 – Source #6

Q: If I play Good Meal [D 10] on a Tactics Hobbit like Merry [TBR 3/TFotR 4], can I use it to play Thicket of Spears [CORE 36] even if Merry is my only Tactics hero?

(C.G.) A: Because Thicket of Spears reads “You must use resources from 3 different heroes’ pools to pay for this card” there is no way to get around that. Lowering the cost from 3 to 1 or even 0 would not change that additional price that you must pay. Therefore, it would be pointless to use Good Meal with Thicket of Spears. It is not possible to lower the price of Thicket of Spears or any other card that uses this language. You cannot “spend 0” therefore you must spend at least 1 resource from 3 different heroes’ resource pools. That means that you will always need to spend at least 3 resources total to play Thicket of Spears.

(3.116) 17 April 2014 – Source #6

Q: Can I use the Minas Tirith Lampwright [AtS 61] only when I reveal a card with the printed surge keyword? Or can I use it also against cards that gain surge (due to another card or their own effects)?

(C.G.) A: If an encounter card gains surge, you can use the Minas Tirith Lampwright’s ability.

(3.117) 14 May 2014 – Source #2

Q: Dunland Raider [TVoI 44] reads: “Forced: After Dunland Raider engages a player, that player must deal X damage divided among characters he controls, where X is the number of cards in his hand.”

Compare this to Dunlending Attack [TVoI 60], Stage 2B of The Fords of Isen scenario, which reads:

“Time 2. Forced: After the last time counter is removed from this stage, each player assigns X damage among characters he controls where X is the number of cards in his hand.”

So here’s a doozy for you: is there a difference between “must deal X damage divided among…” and “assigns X damage among”?

(C.G.) A: Glad to hear you’re enjoying The Voice of Isengard expansion! Stage 2B and Dunland Raider have the same effect but with different wording.

(3.118) 20 May 2014 – Source #6

Q: How does Good Meal [D 10] interact with cards with X cost like Gandalf’s Search [CORE 67]? Can I apply the discount after deciding what value X will be?

(C.G.) A: When playing a card with X cost, discounts are applied after determining the cost. So in this case you could use Good Meal to lower the cost by 2, play Gandalf’s Search and declare X is equal to 2, and then reduce it’s cost to 0.

(3.119) 10 June 2014 – Source #1

Q: I have several questions

#1 I’m confused about the effect of the term “if able”. An official response [see item 3.101] said: “……if you are not able to completely fulfill its effect then you should ignore it. ” However, another official response [see item 3.037] said: “If you can exhaust and not discard, you exhaust…… ” There’s a contradiction. Since I can’t exhaust that means I can’t fulfill its effect. And I think I should ignore the card effect.

#2 What’s the meaning of “ignore”? If I ignore a card effect with a term like “if able”,does it resolve successfully?E.G. Fatigue [D 93] assumes a player has already exhausted all his characters before Fatigue takes effect. What happens? I think I should ignore all the effects of Fatigue. Am I right ?

#3 What’s the difference between “all” and “each”?

(C.G.) A: Good questions. I’ll answer them in order:

#1 When you find what appear to be contradictory rulings, you should use the most current ruling. In the case of effects that use the phrase ‘if able’ you should only resolve the effect if you are able to fully resolve it. If you cannot, then you ignore the effect.

#2 Ignoring an effect means you proceed with the game as if the effect was resolved (without actually resolving it). Using the example of Fatigue, the first line of its When Revealed effect reads: “Each player must exhaust 1 character he controls, if able.” If you are not able to exhaust a character, you simply proceed with the game as if the effect was resolved. That brings you to the second line, “Then, if any player controls no unexhausted characters, Fatigue gains surge.” Because you are proceeding as if the first line was resolved, the ’then’ clause on the second line will trigger, and if any player controls no unexhausted character, Fatigue will surge.

#3 The difference between ‘all’ and ‘each’ is very significant because ‘all’ can include 0 whereas ‘each’ requires there to be at least 1 target. For example, with a When Revealed effect that read: “All engaged enemies make an immediate attack. Then, each player discards the top card of his deck.” The second effect will always trigger, even if there are no enemies in play. But, if that effect read: “Each engaged enemy makes an immediate attack. Then, each player discards the top card of his deck.” The second effect will only trigger if at least 1 enemy made an attack.

(3.120) 10 June 2014 – Source #2

Q: According to the latest FAQ, when a player is presented with a choice between two effects, but only one of those two effects can be fully resolved, the player must choose the effect that can be fully resolved. So how does this work with Followed by Night [D 47] in a situation when no enemies are engaged with the player? Can we choose the second option?

(C.G.) A: When resolving any When Revealed effect that gives you a choice between two effects, you must choose an effect that you can fully resolve. Followed by Night is an odd example because you can always resolve either effect. That’s because it targets either ‘all allies’ or ‘all enemies’ and the word ‘all’ can include 0.

Good question. Please don’t hesitate to write again if you have more.

(3.121) 12 June 2014 – Source #2

Q: Can I use Dunhere [CORE 9] to attack an enemy in the staging area with the “immune to player card effects” text? Dunhere ability is a passive effect always active and it’s not directly targeting the immune enemy.

(C.G.) A: Attacking an enemy in the staging area is not part of a normal rules framework because the rules of the game only allow you to attack enemies engaged with you. Dunhere’s ability, like Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28], will not work on an enemy that is immune to player card effects because it is targeting the enemy in order to do something outside the normal rules.

(3.122) 27 June 2014 – Source #1

Q #1: The effect of Protector of Lorien [CORE 70] has a limit of 3 times per phase. And Landroval’s [SoM 53] ability has a limit of once per game. Could you tell me how these limits count? For Landroval’s ability, does it mean once per game per player OR once per game for all players? If I use Landroval’s ability, then afterwards can my partner play his Landroval and trigger his Landroval’s ability?

And how about the effect of Protector of Lorien? Does “limit 3 times per phase “means 3 times per phase per Protector of Lorien or 3 times per phase for all cards in play and all players?

(C.G.) A #1: Great question. Limits are per player. If you use Landroval’s once per game ability, you cannot use that ability again for the rest of the game, but your partner could still play Landroval and use his effect. If both you and your friend have Protector of Lorien attached to a hero you control, both of you can discard up to 3 cards from your hand to take advantage of its effect. If you had 2 copies of Protector of Lorien in play, you could trigger both of them up to 3 times per phase.

Q #2: One more question about the phrase “once per round/phase”: if a character with once per round/phase ability is discarded from play and then played from the discard pile, could the limit be reset?

A) I have used Beravor’s [CORe 12] Action during the quest phase and she is dealt 4 damage during the combat phase. Then I play a Fortune or Fate [ CORE 54] to put her back into play from my discard pile. Could I trigger her Action once more (in this round)?

B) I have triggered the Action of a Rider of the Mark [D 33] and it is destroyed later , then I use a Stand and Fight [CORE 51] to put the Rider back into play. Is the Rider’s limit reset? Could I trigger its Action again?

If the first answer is no and second is yes, could you tell me why the limit of a Hero couldn’t be reset and the Rider’s can. Is it because Beravor is a unique character and the Rider isn’t?

Another question, if I trigger the Rider of the Mark ‘s Action, could my partner trigger the same Rider’s ability in the same round?

(C.G.) A#2 : I’m glad you wrote back because I’m afraid I over-spoke in my previous answer with regard to limitations: In my last message I said that limitations are per player. What I should have said was that “once per game” limitations are per player, such as Landroval’s or Lore Aragorn’s. The rest of the limitations read as they are printed on the card.

For example, Rider of the Mark: you can use its Action to give your partner control of, but your partner cannot use that ability again that round because it is limited to once per round. However, if that ally left play and you used Stand and Fight to bring it back, it is essentially a new ally. That new ally hasn’t triggered its ability yet, so you could use its Action if you wanted to. The same is true for Beravor: if you used her once per round effect to draw 2 cards during the planning phase and later that round she was destroyed during the combat phase, you could use Fortune of Fate to bring her back that round and trigger her Action again because it is essentially a new Beravor.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 1.51.

(3.123) 02 July 2014 – Source #2

Q: Hills of Dunland [TRM 20], a new location from The Dunland Trap scenario, reads:

While Hills of Dunland is in the staging area, it gains: “Forced: After a player draws any number of cards, discard the top card of the encounter deck. If the discarded card is a Dunland enemy, put it into play engaged with that player. This ability does not stack with other copies of Hills of Dunland.”

Travel: Each player draws a card to travel here.

The question arose while playing is does its Forced effect trigger when you travel there? Is this location considered to still be in the staging area, or is it “in between” the staging area and the active location? The way we played it was that it was still in the staging area when you draw a card from its travel effect, so each player had to discard the top of the encounter deck. This seems to be what was intended.

(C.G.) A: When a location has a Travel cost, the players must pay that cost before they can travel to that location. So, Hills of Dunland is in the staging area when you trigger its Travel effect, which means you will also trigger its Forced effect when you do.

Hope you’re enjoying The Dunland Trap!

(3.124) 03 July 2014 – Source #3

Q: I have a couple of progress tokens on Stage 1A of the A Shadow of the Past scenario (where only one is needed to defeat the stage), but I’ve previously moved the Bag End location [TBR 31/TFotR 31] from active to staging with some card effects. If Bag End leaves play due to having enough progress tokens on it, what happens first: stage advancement or the Response on Bag End? I think that stage advancement should go first (I take it as a passive effect), so I have to reveal a Black Rider [TBR 39/TFotR 39], make the Hide test, maybe be attacked by the BR and only after that draw those cards?

(C.G.) A: Good question. In the situation you described, you would advance first since that happens immediately. That would cause you to resolve the When Revealed effect on stage 2, and the resulting Hide test, before triggering the Response on Bag End. 

(3.125) 07 July 2014 – Source #6

Q: When I am faced with an “either” choice that does not use the word “must” can I choose one of the options which cannot be fulfilled? For example let’s say I reveal Turned Around [TVoI 52] when there is no active location, can I choose the second option?

(C.G.) A: Any time there is an “either / or” decision, you must choose an effect that you can fully resolve. The word “must” is really superfluous because players must resolve the effects of every When Revealed effect. So, when resolving Turned Around, if there is no active location, you would have to remove 1 time counter instead.

(3.126) 11 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: When I use a card effect to engage an enemy, for example The Hammer-stroke [AtS 111], am I optionally engaging that enemy? I ask, thinking of effects like those of Zealous Traitor [HoN 42] or Umbar Assassin [HoN 44] in The Steward’s Fear scenario.

(C.G.) A: The only way to “optionally engage” an enemy is during the encounter phase as described in the rules. Any other method of engagement (even player card effects such as The Hammer-stroke) is not optionally engaging an enemy. So, if you engage an enemy like Zealous Traitor with The Hammer-stroke, you have not “optionally engaged” that enemy, and you must deal 2 damage instead of 1 to each ally you control.

(3.127) 11 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: Let’s say I play Hunter of Lamedon [HoN 14] and I trigger its Response, the card I reveal is Hidden Cache [AtS 143/DoD 21]. Since it’s not an Outlands card I will need to discard it. Can I trigger the Hidden Cache Response? Or since I revealed it before discarding it it’s no longer the top card of my deck?

(C.G.) A: If you discard Hidden Cache from the top of your deck with Hunter of Lamedon, you can trigger Hidden Cache’s Response effect to gain 2 resources.

(3.128) 12 August 2014 – Source #3

Q: What happens if Dreadful Gap [KD 52] is revealed while East-gate [KD 16] is the active location? The explanation of “immune to card effects” doesn’t clarify if the When Revealed of Dreadful Gap fails completely (leaving it in the staging area) or if we end up with both Dreadful Gap and East-gate as two locations active simultaneously. 

(C.G.) A: If Dreadful Gap is revealed while East-gate is the active location, the first line of Dreadful Gap’s When Revealed effect will make it the active location, but East-gate’s immunity will prevent the second line of Dreadful Gap’s When Revealed effect from resolving. So, yes, you will end up with two active locations.

(3.129) 13 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: When I play ally Saruman [TVoI 3] and I choose a location or enemy to be “considered to be out of play” does that encounter card actually leaves play (and then enters play again when Saruman leaves play)? Can I travel to a location “considered to be out of play” or engage an enemy “considered to be out of play”? What happens to cards attached to those locations or enemies? Are they discarded? I am more specifically interested in what happens to guarded objectives and such.

(C.G.) A: Saruman’s ability causes the chosen enemy or location to be “considered to be out of play.” It does not actually leave play, and therefore does not re-enter play. It simply no longer contributes its threat and effects to the game state. In the case of a location, you cannot travel to that location or place progress on it because it is not a legal target while it is considered to be out of play. In the case of an enemy, it does not make engagement checks and cannot be engaged or make attacks. Any cards attached to the target location or enemy remain attached (because it has not actually left play) but they would also be considered to be out of play because the card they are attached to is considered out of play. The same is true for guarded objectives: they remain attached to the enemy/location and are considered to be out of play as well.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 2.75.

(3.130) 14 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: When playing The Blood of Gondor scenario, when I turn face-up an hidden card is it considered to be revealed? If I turn face-up an hidden card with the effect of the objective-ally Faramir [AtS 132] does the enemy engage me before I deal the damage from Faramir?

(C.G.) A: In The Blood of Gondor, enemies that are turned face-up are not “revealed.” If a player uses the Faramir objective-ally to turn a hidden card face-up and it turns out to be an enemy, Faramir will deal 3 damage to that enemy before it is considered to be engaged. If the enemy is destroyed by that effect, then it never actually engages.

(3.131) 14 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: If I put ally Spirit Bofur’s [D 6] in play with its own Quest Action AFTER the quest resolution step, does it stay in play even if I quested successfully? The timing when I determine if I quest successfully or not has already passed.

(C.G.) A: In the event that you use Bofur’s effect to put him into play after resolving the quest, the second line of Bofur’s text would return him to your hand because you have still quested successfully that phase.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 3.211.

(3.132) 14 August 2014 – Source #6

Q: When I am asked to assign X damage among characters I control, can I assign all of that damage to Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] (and then turn it into threat) even if X is greater than its remaining hit points?

(C.G.) A: When you are instructed to assign damage among a group of characters you control, you must assign that damage to available hit points until there is no more damage left to assign or no more available hit points. You cannot over assign that damage to just 1 of the available targets. So, you cannot assign more hits to Frodo than he has available hit points.

(3.133) 03 September 2014 – Source #6

Q: I am not sure I am understanding correctly how It Likes Riddles? [OHaUH 81] from the Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim scenario works. Am I basically forced to always resolve at least a riddle?

(C.G.) A: The When Revealed effect of It Likes Riddles? is resolved if you choose to resolve the card normally instead of answering the riddle. In essence, that card gives you a choice. You can select to speed up the riddle game and, in turn, advance to Stage 3 faster.

Your options:

A) Answer the riddle. In this case, ignore the When revealed effect. Outcome of the riddle:

• no match: Gollum attacks
• one match: 1 resource token on stage 2
• two matches: 2 resource tokens on stage 2

B) Resolve the When Revealed effect. Outcome of the riddle:

• no match: Gollum attacks
• one match: 1 resource token on stage 2 and discard cards from the encounter deck until another card with a riddle is discarded. Then, answer that second riddle.
• two matches: 2 resource tokens on stage 2 and discard cards from the encounter deck until another card with a riddle is discarded. Then, answer that second riddle.

Hope you are enjoying Over Hill and Under Hill!

(3.134) 03 September 2014 – Source #6

Q: Hi, I have a couple of questions about the Record attachments:

#1: Let’s say I have a Will of the West [CORE 49] in my discard pile, what is the correct timing of resolution if I want to play that Will of the West with a Map of Earnil [AtS 87]? Does Will of the West end up on the bottom of my deck?

#2: If I have Tome of Atanatar [AtS 109] attached to one of my heroes and a copy of Second Breakfast [SoM 27] in my discard pile, can I discard the Tome to play Second Breakfast, which will then retrieve the just discarded Tome and place itself on the bottom of my deck?

#3: If I discard Good Meal [D 10] can I reduce the cost of an event that I will play from the discard pile with a Record attachment (provided that the event matches my hero’s sphere), for example A Second Breakfast (with which I will then retrieve Good Meal)?

(C.G.) A: Here we go:

#1 The timing with the Map of Earnil and Will of the West works as follows:

• Discard Map of Earnil to play Will of the West.
• Shuffle your discard pile into your deck.
• Place Will of the West on the bottom of your deck.    

ALeP’s Note: This ruling was given before version 1.7 of the official FAQ (that introduced an errata to Will of the West, which now removes itself from the game after being resolved) but it is not directly invalidated.

#2 With regard to Second Breakfast, you could use Tome of Atanatar to play Second Breakfast from your discard pile and then retrieve the just discarded Tome with the Second Breakfast.

#3 You can reduce the cost to play Second Breakfast by using A Good Meal the way you described.

(3.135) 13 September 2014 – Source #2

Q: Can you use card effects like Quick Strike [CORE 35] or Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28] to attack enemies in the same phase after you play Hobbit-sense [AtS 65]? How about the limitations on attacks introduced by FAQ item 1.11?

(C.G.) A: FAQ item 1.11 was meant to clarify that the game only grants each player 1 attack against each enemy even when using Ranged. That was because the way the core rules were written the restriction only applied to enemies engaged with you. Entry 1.11 should NOT be interpreted as limiting all additional methods of declaring attacks, such as Quick Strike, Hands Upon the Bow, Great Yew Bow [OtD 14] or Haldir [TRM 56/EoL 3]. Those methods are card effects that generate attacks and are thus exempt from the rule that limits the number of attacks granted by the core game rules and FAQ.

That leads us into your first question: Hobbit-sense prevents enemies engaged with you from making attacks granted by the Resolve Enemy Attacks step of the combat phase, and it prevents you from making attacks granted by the Attacking Enemies step. It does not prevent you from using those other card effects I mentioned. Those cards generate attacks but they do not technically “declare attacks” as described in the rules because they skip the declaration of attack and step 1 of Attacking Enemies by having you choose an enemy target and telling you which character to exhaust.

ALeP’s Note: It’s worth noting that the “step 1” this item refers to is based on the first Core Set flowchart and it corresponds to step 6.8b in the updated flowchart present in the Rules Reference or in the Revised Core Set.

(3.136) 13 September 2014 – Source #3

Q: Strider’s Path [SoM 9] reads; “Response: After a location is revealed from the encounter deck, immediately travel to that location without resolving its Travel effect. If another location is currently active, return it to the staging area.”

If a location with a passive or When Revealed effect is revealed from the encounter deck and I want to use Strider’s Path on it, do I trigger the passive or When Revealed effect before or after triggering the response of Strider’s path?

This question came up when facing Haunted Valley [TSoE 21] from The Stone of Erech scenario, which reads

“While this location is in the staging area, all ready heroes lose all [lore], [leadership], [spirit], and [tactics] icons. Planning Action: Exhaust a hero. Any player may trigger this action.”

(C.G.) A: Since Strider’s Path can only be triggered “after a location is revealed,” you must wait until after a location is placed in the staging area to trigger its effect. Unfortunately, that means that Haunted Valley’s effect will be active and you will not be able to play Strider’s Path because it requires a Lore icon that your heroes no longer have.

Hope you’re enjoying The Stone of Erech!

(3.137) 19 September 2014 – Source #6

Q: When I combine two different cost reduction effects, if one of those has a “to a minimum of 1” stipulation does it also apply to the other effect? For example, say I want to play Naith Guide [TRM 2/EoL 11] and I have O Lórien! [TRM 58/EoL 17] and I trigger Gríma [TVoI 2], how much do I spend? 1 or 0 resources?

(C.G.) A: An effect that reduces the cost of a card to a minimum of 1 when used in combination with another cost reducing effect still cannot reduce the cost of the target card to less than 1. So, if you used Gríma in combination with O Lórien! to play a Naith Guide, you would still need to pay 1 leadership resource. If you want to reduce the cost of a card to 0, then you cannot use a card that says “to a minimum of 1.”

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.199.

(3.138) 29 September 2014 – Source #1 

Q: I have a question regarding encounter cards in the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario (Core Set) that are revealed during Setup, and which affect an hero that subsequently will be selected as the “prisoner” in the scenario.

Stage 1A Setup text instructs the player to “attach 1 encounter to each objective card.” Let us say that one of the cards revealed by the encounter deck to fulfill the guarded keyword on one of the objective cards is the treachery card Caught in a Web [CORE 80/TDoM 18] which when it’s revealed must be attached to one of the heroes controlled by the player with the highest threat level.

We then proceed to Stage 1B after all encounter cards have been revealed and attached to the objectives in the staging area, or have otherwise been resolved (e.g., treacheries). For illustrative purposes, let us say that Caught in a Web is attached to Legolas [CORE 5] during Stage 1A. Stage 1B reads: “When revealed: Randomly select 1 hero card (among all the heroes controlled by the players) and turn it face down. This hero is now considered a “prisoner,” cannot be used, cannot be damaged, and does not collect resources, until it is “rescued” (as instructed by card effects) later in this quest.”

If Legolas is randomly selected as the prisoner and turned face down in stage 1B, does the Caught in a Web attachment that was attached to him in Stage 1A remain attached to him when rescued (Stage 2B), or does it get sent to the discard pile immediately after the hero is picked as prisoner during 1B? I understand that nothing can be attached to the hero AFTER they have been selected as the prisoner (since the hero “cannot be used”), until they have been rescued, but what happens to attachments from the encounter deck attached to the hero BEFORE he/she becomes prisoner?

The same general question would apply to the When Revealed effect of the King Spider [CORE 74] (“exhaust a character”), if applied to a hero during Setup, when that hero is subsequently selected as the prisoner in 1B. When rescued in 2B, would the hero/prisoner be flipped up and immediately exhausted (in addition to suffering 1 damage) as a result of the King Spider’s When Revealed effect during Setup or would the King Spider’s When Revealed effect in 1A be ignored when the hero/prisoner is rescued in 2B?

(C.G.) Q: Great questions!

First, if a hero is Caught in a Web and then chosen to be the prisoner, Caught in a Web will stay attached to that hero even while it is facedown. That means when you rescue that hero, it will still have the encounter card attached to it.

If a hero is exhausted before being chosen as the prisoner, it will still ready during the Refresh Phase since the rules say to “ready each card in play.”

Ultimately, what that implies is that any encounter deck effects that occur during Setup, before the captive is selected, will remain in effect on the prisoner when the prisoner is liberated, unless the effect would have had no ongoing effect beyond the Refresh Phase. Thus, if during Setup a hero was exhausted due to the King Spider’s When Revealedeffect, and the next card drawn during Setup was the treachery The Necromancer’s Reach [CORE 93] (which causes 1 damage to each exhausted character), then if the exhausted character were selected as the prisoner during stage 1B of the scenario, then the hero/captive would also have an additional point of damage assigned to them when rescued during Stage 2B of the scenario.

(3.139) 29 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When revealing cards from the encounter deck to attach to the objective cards during Setup (1A) in the Escape from Dol Guldur Scenario (Core set), if a card with the surge keyword (e.g., Endless Caverns [CORE 106]) is attached to the first or second objective card during Setup, does the card that is revealed to fulfill the requirements of the surge keyword then become attached to the next objective card? Or is it added to the staging area without being attached to one of the objective cards, and other cards are then revealed from the encounter deck to attach to the remaining objective cards?

(C.G.) A: Only the first card revealed for the guarded keyword is attached to that card. If the revealed card has the surge keyword, then the next card revealed will be added in the staging area (or resolved & placed in the discard pile if it’s a treachery).

(3.140) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: In the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario, when Gandalf’s Map [CORE 108] is guarded by an enemy and I play ally Saruman [TVoI 3] to consider that enemy out of play, what will happen to the Map? And when at the end of the round that enemy is once again considered to be in play, what will happen to the Map if I haven’t claimed it?

(C.G.) A：Good question. Since Saruman’s effect doesn’t actually remove the enemy / location guarding Gandalf’s Map from play (it only causes it to be considered to be out of play), when Saruman leaves play the enemy / location will go back to guard Gandalf’s Map. However, if you claimed the objective before Saruman leaves play, then the enemy / location will not be guarding it anymore when it ‘returns’ to play.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 2.75.

(3.141) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: If I use Stand Together [CORE 38] to exhaust 1 hero and 1 ally to defend, and the shadow text is “if the defender is an ally, discard it” do I need to discard the ally?

(C.G.) A: Yes, when resolving effects you do as much as you can. In this instance, one of your defenders is an ally, so you would discard it. Now, if both of your defenders were allies, you would still only discard one of them because the shadow effect is only targeting “an ally”.

(3.142) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: Can Thalin’s [CORE 6] ability deal damage to enemies revealed from the Underworld deck in The Steward’s Fear scenario?

(C.G.) A: Thalin’s ability only affects enemies revealed from the encounter deck, so it will not affect enemies revealed from the Underworld deck.

(3.143) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: I am playing The Siege of Cair Andros scenario and I reveal The Power of Mordor [HoN 61] say in the first round, which makes The Citadel/The Approach/The Banks [HoN 33/34/35] to all be shuffled into the encounter deck, then should I immediately go to Stage 2 or should I reveal the cards from The Power of Mordor first?

(C.G.) A: You should fully resolve The Power of Mordor before determining whether or not you have to advance to stage 2. If none of the unique locations are put back into play, then you should advance to stage 2. If at least one of the unique locations is put back into play, then you will continue on at stage 1.

(3.144) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When there is no location in play, can I play Ride to Ruin [SoM 78] to discard my Rohan ally?

(C.G.) A: No, you cannot play a card if there is no valid target for its effect.

(3.145) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q #1: When I use Stand Together [CORE 38], can I declare hero Beorn [OHaUH 5] and other characters to defend an enemy together?

(C.G.) A: No. Since Beorn is immune to player card effects, you cannot declare him as a defender through a card effect.

Q #2: After Tactics Gimli [CORE 4] has been destroyed, I play Grave Cairn to add his [attack] to another hero’s [attack]. How much [attack] boost will that hero get (Gimli had no attachment)?

(C.G.) A: When you use Grave Cairn, you are targeting a character who has just left play. When a character leaves play, all tokens on that character are immediately returned to the token bank and all attachments on that character are immediately placed in the discard pile. Furthermore, the game text on dead heroes and allies in the discard pile is not active, so when you play Grave Cairn, the only attack value that you add is the target character’s printed attack strength.

(3.146) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When playing the Journey Down the Anduin scenario in nightmare mode (in 2 players) last night, I found a question. The encounter deck only has 1 Eastern Crows and I commit Thalin [CORE 6] to the quest, does that mean no cards will come out this round? And if there is no enemy in play, does that mean that the next round too, no cards will come out?

(C.G.) A: Thalin’s ability actually prevents the Eastern Crows from entering play by dealing its 1 damage “as it is revealed” – that means the Crow Forced effect will not trigger because it isn’t active yet. So you will not shuffle it back into the encounter deck by itself. Instead, the nightmare card instructs the players to shuffle the encounter discard pile back into the encounter deck any time it is empty. So you will shuffle the entire encounter discard pile back into the deck instead of just the Eastern Crows.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidated for a while item 3.110 but was later counteracted by item 3.368.

(3.147) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When Dáin Ironfoot [SoM 116/DoD 1] is ready, he has 2 [willpower]. Can he defend attacks made by The Witch-King [TBR 68/TFotR 167] in the A Knife in the Dark scenario?

(C.G.) A: No. The rules state that “a character must exhaust to be declared as a defender.” Once Dáin Ironfoot is exhausted he has only 1 willpower and therefore cannot be declared as a defender against The Witch-king.

(3.148) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When Striking Tentacle [D 75] attacks , when need I discard the card? Before I declare a defender or after? Same for Thrashing Tentacle [D 74], when do I discard the card ? Before I can use cards to add attack power or after?

(C.G.) A: The Forced effect on Striking Tentacle triggers immediately after it is declared as an attacker and before defenders are declared.

Thrashing Tentacle Forced effect must be resolved immediately after you declare attackers against it. You can take Actions after resolving that Forced effect, but before the attack resolves.

(3.149) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: In The Morgul Vale scenario, after Murzag [AtS 151] attacks and a new enemy engages me due to Murzag’s Forced effect, should I deal a shadow card to the new enemy when it attacks me?

(C.G.) A: If Murzag’s effect puts an enemy into play engaged with you during the Resolve Enemy Attacks portion of the combat phase, that enemy will attack you, but it will not be dealt a shadow card. Enemies are dealt shadow cards at the beginning of the combat phase, when they make an additional attack, or when they attack outside of the combat phase. But if an enemy engages you during the Resolve Enemy Attacks portion of the combat phase, it is not dealt a shadow card.

(3.150) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: Is Lore Bilbo’s [SoM 1] ability considered drawing 2 cards at one time or 1 card two times?

(C.G.) A: Since Bilbo says the first player “draws 1 additional card” it means that it is part of the same draw action, but instead of drawing just 1 card you draw 2.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.041.

(3.151) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: In the Flight from Moria scenario, the quest card Hasty Council [D 74] reads: “Reveal the top 2 cards of the quest deck. Choose 1 to become the active quest (flipped to side 2B) and put the other on the bottom of the quest deck”. When doing this, should I look at both 2B sides and then choose one or randomly choose and flip one ?

(C.G.) A: When you “reveal” cards from a deck, you do look at the “hidden” side that was facedown in the deck. So you do look at side 2B of each of the revealed cards before making your choice.

(3.152) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: If I use several characters to make an attack towards one enemy, and only one Dwarf character takes part in this attack, can I use Heavy Stroke [D 105] and what will happen?

(C.G.) A: You will decide how the damage is applied in that situation. For example, I attack a 5 [defense] enemy with Aragorn [CORE 1] which has 3 [attack], Legolas [CORE 5] which has 3 [attack], and Gimli [CORE 4] which has 2 [attack]. To get the most effective use of Heavy Stroke, I assign Aragorn’s and Legolas’ attack strength first in order to beat the enemy’s [defense] by 1. I apply Gimli’s last so that none of his [attack] strength is absorbed by the enemy’s [defense] and he is dealing 2 damage, for a total of 3 damage. Then, I play Heavy Stroke to double Gimli’s damage to 4 for a total of 5 damage dealt to the enemy.

(3.153) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: When the combat phase ends and I have an exhausted hero attached with Watchful Eyes [KD 62/TDoM 40], then I reveal a new Watchful Eyes and attach it to another exhausted hero, shall I reveal 1 additional card because of the new Watchful Eyes’s effect? or it would not trigger in this round?

(C.G.) A: The second Watchful Eyes would trigger as well in that situation and you would need to reveal an additional encounter card.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by A#7 of item 3.232 and by item 1.58.

(3.154) 30 September 2014 – Source #1

Q: Here is a question:

Black Uruks [KD 54] reads: “When revealed: The first player must choose and discard an attachment from a questing character, if able.”

Driven by Shadow [CORE 92] reads “Shadow: Choose and discard 1 attachment from the defending character. (If this attack is undefended, discard all attachments you control)”

Cavern Guardian [CORE 103] reads “Shadow: Choose and discard 1 attachment you control.”

So I wonder, Cavern Guardian’s Shadow effect can’t help players to discard Caught in a Web [CORE 80/TDoM 18], because a player doesn’t control Caught in a Web. But Driven by Shadow doesn’t mention “you control” until the undefended situation. So maybe it still can’t help players to discard Caught in a Web. But Black Uruks doesn’t mention “you control” at all so can I use Black Uruk’s effect to discard a Freezing Cold [D 23]?

(C.G.) A: Because the Shadow effect of Driven by Shadow and the When Revealed effect of Black Uruk don’t specify “player card” or “you control” you can indeed use them to discard an encounter card attachment.

(3.155) 02 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: Many cards and rules use the term “revealed from the Encounter deck”. Does this only apply when a card is drawn and revealed from the top of the Encounter deck? Or does it also apply when something comes from searching through the Encounter deck and/or discard pile?

For example, I am playing The Stone of Erech scenario and stage 3A When Revealed makes me search the encounter deck or discard pile for an Oathbreaker enemy and reveal it. I have Thalin [CORE 6] committed to the quest. Does Thalin damage the Oathbreaker enemy I reveal and add to the staging area?

(C.G.) A: Thalin’s ability only deals damage to enemies “revealed by the encounter deck” – that is referring to the rules for the staging step where it says: “After each player has had the opportunity to commit characters to the quest, the encounter deck reveals one card per player.” Any other card effect that causes you to reveal an enemy is not the encounter deck revealing an enemy but that card’s effect. So, an effect that instructs you to search for an enemy, reveal it, and add it to the staging area will not trigger Thalin’s ability.

ALeP’s Note: This was quickly invalidated by item 3.156 and 2.70.

(3.156) 04 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: Your recent answer about Thalin [CORE 6] and cards revealed by the encounter deck (see the ruling above) led to a lot of discussion and I thought I would ask some follow up questions to try to better under the scope, particularly for cases where the player has no control over the selection of the card being revealed.

For all of these questions, suppose that Thalin has been committed to a quest and no effect has removed him from the quest.

#1 If an encounter card is revealed with the surge keyword, then by the core rules we are told to “reveal 1 additional card from the encounter deck”. If this additional card is an enemy, does Thalin’s ability apply?

#2 What if an encounter card has an effect that states “Reveal a card from the encounter deck” (for instance, Massing at Night [CORE 112]). Would Thalin’s ability apply to any enemies that were revealed in this manner?

#3 What if a quest stage is completed (during the quest phase, so heroes are still committed to the quest) and the next stage states to reveal one or more cards from the encounter deck (for example Ambush on the Shore [CORE 128], stage 3B of the Journey Along the Anduin scenario). Would Thalin’s ability apply to any enemies that were revealed?

(C.G.) A: Thanks for following up with me. My ruling with regard to Thalin was based on the use of the language “by the encounter deck” as opposed to the more prevalent phrase “from the encounter deck.” A strict reading of the core rules makes it seem the encounter deck only reveals 1 card per player during the staging step. However, after reviewing other player card effects that use the language “by” and “from” the encounter deck, it seems clear to me that both words were used to mean the same thing from the beginning of the game.

Therefore, I am changing my answer to the question that sparked the debate to say that Thalin’s ability will trigger against each enemy revealed “by” or “from” the encounter deck while he is committed to the quest. This includes enemies that are revealed by a surge effect or through card effects that instruct you to search “the encounter deck and discard pile” for that enemy. Essentially, the phrases “by the encounter deck” and “from the encounter deck” should be taken to mean any card that originated from the encounter deck or discard pile.

Some exceptions to this rule would be:

– Enemies that were previously set aside and revealed during the quest phase

– Enemies that are revealed from some other deck (i.e. the Underworld deck in The Steward’s Fear)

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.155.

(3.157) 13 October 2014 – Source #1

Q: In the A Journey in the Dark scenario, at the end of the quest phase, you remove 1 damage token from Doom, Doom, Doom [TRD 43/TFotR 115] per its Forced effect. Then, if there are 0 damage tokens left, you put The Balrog [TRD 44/TFotR 116] into play.

The second Forced effect on Doom, Doom, Doom says that, if The Balrog is in play at the end of the quest phase, it will attack the first player. Here’s the card:

Does this mean that The Balrog will attack immediately after he comes into play (if he comes into play at the end of the quest phase)? Or has the trigger for that second Forced effect passed, having occurred when The Balrog was not yet in play, and he will make his first attack during combat phase?

(C.G.) A: Encounter card effects should always be resolved in reading order – from top to bottom. Therefore, you must resolve the first Forced effect on Doom, Doom, Doom (if able) before resolving the second Forced effect. That means that The Balrog will make an attack during the same quest phase that it is added to the staging area.

I hope you’re enjoying The Road Darkens!

(3.158) 14 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: The Great Bridge [TRD 50/TFotR 122] reads: “Response: When The Great Bridge is explored, discard a hero from play to deal X damage to The Balrog [TRD 44/TFotR 116]. X is that hero’s threat cost. Then, The Balrog loses all keywords for the remainder of the game. Any player may trigger this response.”

Does losing all keywords mean the Balrog loses the text, “The Balrog and shadow cards dealt to The Balrog are immune to player card effects.”

I ask because while this is not a keyword, it is in the “keyword” section of the card, and there is a space between this and the rest of the Balrog’s text.

(C.G.) A: The only keyword the Balrog has is Indestructible, so that’s all he loses after the Response on the Bridge is triggered. Phrases like “Immune to player card effects” and “cannot have attachments” are game text – not keywords. It’s actually easy to identify keywords because they’re always called out in the rules as being keywords. I believe the confusion here is because I made it plural on the Balrog. That was me trying to leave future design space open for future nightmare mode.

ALeP’s Note: This was also confirmed by item 2.76.

(3.159) 02 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: The Escape from Darkness [KD 76] quest card in the Flight from Moria scenario reads: “Abandoned Tools gains: “Refresh Action: Exhaust attached hero to put a progress token on Escape from Darkness.”

It specifically says to place them on Escape from Darkness, it doesn’t say to place them on the “current quest” like with Legolas’s ability.

So if there is an active location and you use Abandoned Tools [KD 29] does the token go on the active location? (I do not have the nightmare packs yet, this is the original scenario if that matters)

(C.G.) A: The progress placed on Escape from Darkness by Abandoned Tools bypasses the active location.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidated for a while item 3.017 but was later counteracted by item 3.163.

(3.160) 24 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: In the past we got a rules answer about Wolf Rider [CORE 81] (see item 3.066), in which it was stated that the Rider is still technically a shadow card, while resolving his shadow effect and his thereby initiated attack. Does that mean, if I manage to kill the enemy Wolf Rider is a shadow card of, the Rider too would be discarded immediately even during his shadow effect attack (as you get action windows during it like a normal attack)? Or if that doesn’t stop his shadow effect attack, would he be discarded after it, because his “host” isn’t there anymore?

Basically the question is: does Wolf Rider become his own entity, when he gets revealed as a shadow card or is he still tied to his “host”, thus getting immediately discarded if he leaves play (during and/or after his shadow effect attack)?

Also, when do you resolve Wolf Rider’s shadow effect attack? Immediately when he gets revealed as a shadow card, do you finish the “host” attack first or can you choose when to resolve Wolf Rider’s attack?

(C.G.) A: When Wolf Rider is revealed as a shadow card, you have the opportunity to use an effect such as Hasty Stroke [CORE 48] to cancel it before it resolves. If you cannot prevent its effect from resolving, then it will interrupt the current attack to make its attack. At that point, Wolf Rider becomes an enemy for the purpose of resolving its attack (since shadow cards have no attack strength, hit points, etc). So, if you discard the enemy that Wolf Rider was dealt to as a shadow card at that time, the Wolf Rider will still resolve its attack.

ALeP’s Note: See also items 3.066, 3.230 and 3.237 for more details.

(3.161) 28 October 2014 – Source #3

Q: There is a bit of debate regarding the “When X is discarded/leaves play” effect for Encounter cards such as Banks of Anduin [CORE 113] and the Troll Purse [OHaUH 42]/Troll Key [OHaUH 43] objectives. All these cards have an effect that says “If X is discarded/leaves play, return it to…”, but no shadow effect. So if they are used as shadow cards, what happens when they are discarded at the end of combat? There seems to be a contradictory ruling, because the FAQ says that Banks are not returned to the Encounter deck, since the “non-shadow” text is ignored. On the other hand, it was previously ruled that the Troll Key/Purse cards were returned in play when discarded as shadow cards. So there the non-shadow text applies. Isn’t that contradictory? Or am I misinterpreting something?

(C.G.) A: Banks of the Anduin and Troll Key have similar but different effects:

Banks of Anduin says to return it to the top of the encounter deck instead of discarding it “if Banks of the Anduin leaves play” – which means it had to be in play first. If it was dealt as a shadow card, then it was not in play and its effect was not active.

The Troll Key (and Purse) only triggers after being discarded – it does not need to have been in play first. It is the act of discarding the Key & Purse that triggers their ability. It does not matter where they were discarded from.

ALeP’s Note: To better capture the intent of the Troll Purse/Key they would probably be better worded as “If Troll Key/Purse enters the discard pile, add it to the staging area.”

(3.162) 28 October 2014 – Source #6

Q: I have a few questions about the passive effect of hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7] that allows me to play with the top card of my deck faceup:

#1 When I draw my starting hand, am I able to see the top card of my deck before I take my mulligan?

#2Let’s say I have 2 copies of Expert Treasure-hunter [OtD 17] in play. After I resolve the first copy do I turn faceup the new top card of my deck before triggering the second copy?

#3 Let’s say I play Daeron’s Runes [D 108/EoL 20] from the top of my deck, can I see the new top card of my deck before I discard the card to Daeron’s Runes?

(C.G.) A: Here are your answers:

#1 As soon as you draw your starting hand, you will turn the top card of your deck face up, so you will see it before you decide to mulligan.

#2 Each copy of Expert Treasure Hunter is triggered and resolved separately, so Gandalf will allow you to see the top card each time you trigger it.

#3 No. You must resolve playing the top card of your deck before you turn the next one face up.

(3.163) 04 November 2014 – Source #3

Q: Hello, I know you have answered this before, but I posted your recent answer (see item 3.159) on BGG and it is generating a lot of chat…

I was wondering if you could go into detail about that answer, especially referring to FAQ item 1.27 as well as the old Nate ruling (see item 3.017) about Abandoned Tools [KD 29] so we can understand what is going on?

“(1.27) Bypass the active location

The only time an active location does not act as a buffer for progress to be placed on a quest is when card text specifically instructs the players to “bypass the active location”.

Thanks

(C.G.) A: Hi, Thanks for following up with me.

As it turns out, this question was asked & answered so long ago that I forgot all about it. In his original ruling, Nate clarified that the active location would still act as a buffer to the quest when triggering this effect.

I had no intention of reversing his ruling, nor did I mean to create any confusion among players who remembered it. Therefore, I am reversing my previous answer to uphold Nate’s original decision.

The active location will intercept progress made by Abandoned Tools. Additionally, the active location will still intercept any progress made by any effect that does not specifically “bypass the active location.”

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.159 and makes item 3.017 valid again.

(3.164) 04 November 2014 – Source #2

Q: I’m playing through The Lonely Mountain scenario. Is the intention of Secret Entrance [OtD 45] to add a card to the staging area or simply to see the top card of the encounter deck? Thanks!

(C.G.) A: Secret Entrance should read: “Look at the top card of the encounter deck. If the looked at card…” There is no need to actually reveal and resolve the top card of the encounter deck when traveling to the Secret Entrance. Thanks for asking.

ALeP’s Note: This was later made into an official errata to the card.

(3.165) 11 November 2014 – Source #2

Q: Spirit Pippin [AtS 56] has the following text

If each hero you control has the Hobbit trait, Pippin gains: ‘Response: After an enemy engages you, raise your threat by 3 to return it to the staging area. Until the end of the round, that enemy cannot engage you.'”

But how about when an enemy engages you directly from the encounter deck or discard pile (like Chance Encounter [KD 45] or Long Groping Arm [FotBD 15])? Since Pippin’s ability says “return” it to the staging area, I’m guessing you cannot do this (how can you return an enemy to the staging area if it was never there in the first place?).

(C.G.) A: An effect that returns an enemy to the staging area will work on an enemy that engaged you from some other place (the encounter deck, discard pile, out of play, etc).

Kudos for playing an all Hobbit deck with spirit Pippin!

(3.166) 12 November 2014 – Source #1

Q: In the Flight from Moria scenario there is a quest card called Hasty Council [KD 74] that reads…

“When Revealed: Shuffle all copies of A Foe Beyond from the encounter discard pile back into the encounter deck. Reveal the top 2 cards of the quest deck. Choose 1 to become the active quest (flipped to side 2B) and put the other on the bottom of the quest deck. Then, add Hasty Council to your victory display.”

The text says “REVEAL the top 2 cards”… does this mean the When Revealed effects of each quest card trigger at this time (the 2B side).

(C.G.) A: When resolving the effect on Hasty Council, you only resolve the When Revealed effects on the quest stage that you choose to become the active quest. The other quest stage is placed on the bottom of the quest deck without resolving its effects. 

(3.167) 13 November 2014 – Source #1

Q: Can I use Vilya’s [D 137/EoL 30] Action when I am also using hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7]?

(C.G.) A: Yes, you can use Vilya’s Action when playing with hero Gandalf. It’s a very effective combo.

(3.168) 14 November 2014 – Source #3

Q: Hero Galadriel [TRM 112/EoL 2] gives to newly played allies “…do not exhaust to commit to the quest…”. Now let’s consider an ally that enters play exhausted (like an Ent), or one that enters play and then you exhaust for some ability. Can you then commit those allies to the quest?

At first glance I used to think “why not”. I believe I’ve read that it is not the case – if exhausted, it cannot commit to the quest. This also applies to the use of the Light of Valinor [D 107] card.

So, are they allowed to commit if they were exhausted already prior to declaring them to the ques or not?

(C.G.) A: If a card allows you to quest / attack / defend without exhausting, it is still necessary for the character to be ready in order to perform any of those actions.

ALeP’s Note: This became item 2.71.

(3.169) 15 November 2014 – Source #3

Q: This question concerns quest cards that have a condition of exploring a certain location. The only examples relevant to my question that I’m aware of are Stage 1 from The Stone of Erech scenario and Stage 2 from the Fog on the Barrow-downs scenario.

Let’s assume that the required location is the active location, and the current quest has progress tokens on it equal to or greater than the amount required to complete it.

When calculating progress during the quest phase, if there is more than enough progress to clear the location what happens to the remaining progress? In particular, does the immediate clearing of the location and quest happen such that the remaining progress is placed on the subsequent quest card?

Many thanks!

(C.G.) A: Whenever you advance to a new stage during the quest phase, any excess progress (progress made beyond the remaining quest points on the quest) is lost.

(3.170) 19 November 2014 – Source #1

Q: Here are a few questions:

#1 At the beginning of the resource phase, I have Iron Shackles [CORE 105] attached to my deck and one of my heroes is Lore Bilbo [SoM 1]. What will happen? Should I discard the Iron Shackles and draw no card or discard the Iron Shackles and draw 1 card?It’s a solo game and I am the only player.

#2 Ally Saruman [TVoI 3] enters play and resolves his effect, to choose a location/enemy and consider the chosen location/enemy as out of play. If any card like Path of Need [D 103/DoG 34] is already attached to the chosen location/enemy, should I discard the attaching card or leave it in the stage area?

#3 During the quest phase, I have enough willpower to place enough progress to both explore the active location and defeat the current quest card. There is an Ancient Mathom [SoM 56/RoR 15] attached to the active location, what happens?

1. resolve the effect of Ancient Mathom first, first player draw three cards;
2. advance to the next stage and resolve any When Revealed effect, then resolve the effect of Ancient Mathom.

(C.G.) A: Here are your answers:

#1 Since Bilbo allows you to draw “an additional” card during the resource phase, you draw 2 cards in the same action. That means Iron Shackles will prevent you from drawing both because it says “The next time a player would draw 1 or more cards…”

#2 Saruman does not actually remove the chosen enemy / location from play. Instead, he causes it to be considered as if it is out of play. That means it does not contribute its threat strength, game text, etc. However, attachments and tokens on that card are also considered to be out of play (because the card they are attached to is) but they remain on that card.

#3 Advance to the next quest stage, resolve any passive, Forced or When Revealed effects on it, and only then resolve the Response effect on Ancient Mathom.

ALeP’s Note: A#1 of this item invalidates item 3.041. A#3 of this item is at odds with item 3.260.

(3.171) 23 December 2014 – Source #3

Q: Can you use Desperate Alliance [OtD 10] on characters like any Ring-bearer Frodo, Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit boxes [OHaUH 1/OtD 1], Gildor Inglorion objective-ally [TBR 77/TFotR 45] or Arwen objective-ally [D 14/D 41], who have a permanent effect stating that the first player gains control over them?

(C.G.) A: The passive effect on those cards will still be active. If a player uses Desperate Alliance to give control of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit scenarios to another player, he will immediately return under the first player’s control.

(3.172) 29 December 2014 – Source #2

Q: I have recently bought The Hobbit Under Hill and Over Hill Saga Expansion. With that comes Dori [OHaUH 9/DoD 5] which reads: “Response: After a hero is assigned any amount of damage, exhaust Dori to place that damage on Dori instead”.

Question is simple: can I still trigger hero Gloin’s [CORE 3] Response when I use Dori? I think yes, because it says ‘when a hero IS assigned’ so it is already ‘suffered’.

(C.G.) A: You cannot trigger Gloin’s ability unless you actually place the damage tokens on him. Dori’s ability intercepts the damage before it is placed on the hero.

I hope you’re enjoying The Hobbit saga expansion!

(3.173) 30 December 2014 – Source #6

Q: How does the committing of characters work exactly in multiplayer when considering a Response to having committed a specific character to the quest? Do all players have to commit their characters before the first player can trigger the Responses on his characters? Is there a specific order in which they will resolve those Responses? For example let’s say Player 1 (who is the first player) controls Aragorn [CORE 1] and Player 2 controls Theodred [CORE 2], can Theodred give a resource to Aragorn in time for Aragorn to spend it on its Response?

(C.G.) A: The rulebook says “Players commit characters to the quest as a team, starting with the first player, and then proceeding clockwise around the table.” That means that players commit their characters to the quest one at a time in turn order. Player 1 must resolve committing characters to the quest before player 2 has the opportunity to commit his characters. If player 1 wants to use Aragorn’s Response effect, then it must be activated immediately after he commits to the quest. This will be resolved before player 2 has had the option to commit characters to the quest.

(3.174) 15 January 2015 – Source #6

Q: Let’s say I have two enemies engaged with me and I control a ready Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] with a Silver Lamp [TVoI 9] attached to him. Enemy A has 2 shadow cards, the first shadow card has no shadow effect and the second one makes me discard my defender, while Enemy B has a shadow card that gives it +2 [attack]. If I defend with Frodo against Enemy A and play Small Target [AtS 62] choosing to reveal the first shadow card, does the second shadow card on Enemy A resolves against Enemy B so I can avoid discarding Frodo?

(C.G.) A: You must resolve each shadow card dealt to the attacking enemy for that attack. In the situation you described, Frodo will still be discarded, but the attack will be resolved against Enemy B.

(3.175) 19 January 2015 – Source #6

Q: Do objectives that are also allies (like Arwen [D 14] in the Redhorn Gate scenario, Alcaron [AtS 70] in the Encounter at Amon Dîn or Nalir [TRM 68] in the Trouble in Tharbad scenario) enter play during Setup? Does hero Galadriel’s [TRM 112/EoL 2] effect of not exhausting to quest apply to them during the first round of the game? Is “take control of [it]” not considered the same as “put [it] into play”?

(C.G.) A: “Objective-ally” is the correct card type for an objective that is an ally. This term was not part of the original game but evolved out of necessity. Objective-allies function the same as allies in almost every way, except that they come from the encounter deck and not a player deck. Because they are allies, Galadriel’s effect does work on them the round they enter play. That means if you control Galadriel and you take control of Nalir during Setup, Nalir will not exhaust to quest during the first round. There really isn’t a difference between “put into play” and “takes control of” in this situation because in both instances the corresponding ally has entered play.

(3.176) 28 January 2015 – Source #2

Q: If I am playing The Blood of Gondor scenario and I have Galadriel [TRM 112/EoL 2] as one of my heroes, does her effect that allows an ally to not exhaust to quest in the same round it enters play applies to Faramir [AtS 132] and Lord Alcaron [AtS 133] too? 

More generally speaking, is Setup considered to be part of the first round for effects that last “until the end of the round?

(C.G.) A: Galadriel’s ability does apply to objective-allies that enter play during Setup (as long as they are not immune to player card effects).

Effects triggered during Setup resolve as normal. When you trigger an effect during Setup that lasts “until the end of the round” it will last until the end of the first round. If you trigger an effect that lasts until “the end of the phase” during Setup, it will last until the end of the first resource phase.

ALeP’s Note: The second part of this ruling partially became item 1.19, but here is given as a more general take.

(3.177) 28 January 2015 – Source #5

Q: I have thought of a question: in the planning phase can you return to play cards if the player before your turn plays Follow Me! [TRM 85].

This is the example:

• 1st player plays allies and attachments
• 2nd player plays allies and attachments
• 3rd player plays allies and attachments
• 4th player plays allies and attachments

During the special Action Window of the 4th player, the 2nd player plays Follow Me!

Can the 2nd player play once again allies and attachments? And what about the 3rd and 4th player?

(C.G.) A: The planning phase ends after the last player has played his turn and all players pass on taking further planning actions. If a player (other than the current first player) plays Follow Me! during the planning phase, then the last player position changes and play will continue normally until that player has played his turn. That would allow players to have extra turns during the planning phase.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.238.

(3.178) 12 February 2015 – Source #3

Q: This may sound like a silly question, but if you draw the last encounter card and it instructs you to reshuffle the encounter deck…was the encounter deck “empty” or not?

This was important to me during the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario because I didn’t have the treasures yet and I was down to one encounter card left. If that was a “reshuffle” card, would I have stayed in quest stage 2?

(C.G.) A: When playing the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario and you are at stage 2, when you reveal the last card of the encounter deck, you should immediately resolve the Forced effect on that stage and advance to stage 3.

I hope you’re enjoying The Hobbit Saga Expansion!

(3.179) 27 February 2015 – Source #2

Q: If you exchange Poisoned Counsels [TToS 21/TTTo 66]with a card from your hand, say by using Wizard Pipe [TRD 9/TFotR 23], do you need to discard your hand? 

(C.G.) A: Poisoned Counsels only trigger when you draw it into your hand. If you add it to your hand, or exchange it with another card in your hand, through card effects such as Wizard Pipe, then you do not trigger its effect.

(3.180) 27 February 2015 – Source #5

Q: Is damage “moved” to an enemy considered to be dealt? For example let’s imagine I want to use Infighting [SoM 58] to move 4 damage towards an enemy with Toughness 1? Will I place 4 or 3 damage tokens on it?

(C.G.) A: Damage moved from one enemy to another with Infighting is still “assigned” and “dealt” to the recipient. Any time an enemy ends up with more damage tokens than it had before, it has been assigned and dealt damage. If the target recipient of Infighting has the Toughness X keyword, it would cancel the first X damage assigned to.

(3.181) 24 March 2015 – Source #3 

Q:  Hi, I just wanted to advise you about a game issue that you may or may not be aware of regarding the Fog on the Barrow-downs scenario.

To complete stage 3B and win the game, there can be no Great Barrow [FotBD 7] cards in play, otherwise progress cannot be made.

The only way to remove a Great Barrow from play is for a player to successfully complete stage 4B, which they can only face when a Great Barrow enters play.

If the player facing stage 4B is knocked out of the game, then that stage is removed (and presumably any enemies they were facing are returned to the still in-play staging area of 3B), however the Great Barrow that originally entered play and is still in the 3B staging area will remain there, and there is now no way of ever removing it, making it impossible for the remaining players to complete the objective.

Might I suggest a rewording to Trapped Inside a Barrow [FotBD 4] so that it read:

Forced: After this stage is defeated, or if there are no players left at this stage, advance to stage 3B at the beginning of the travel phase (combining staging areas with stage 3B) and place 1 progress on a Great Barrow at that stage.

Just for reference here is the relevant cards text:

Lost in the Fog [FotBD 3] reads:

Side A

When Revealed: The first player adds Standing Stones to the staging area. Each other player reveals 1 encounter card. Shuffle the encounter discard pile and each copy of Great Barrow into the encounter deck.

Side B

Progress cannot be placed here while Great Barrow is in play.

Forced: After a player is eliminated (at any stage), raise the threat of each player at this stage by 10.

The players cannot defeat this stage unless each player in the game is at this stage and Standing Stones is in the victory display. If the players defeat this stage, they win the game.

Great Barrow [FotBD 7] reads:

Immune to player card effects. The players cannot travel here.

Forced: After Great Barrow enters the staging area, remove each character you control from the quest and create your own staging area. Then, advance to a separate stage 4A by yourself.

Trapped Inside a Barrow [FotBD 7] reads:

Side A

When Revealed: End your quest phase (do not resolve the quest). Discard cards from the encounter deck until a Wight enemy is discarded. Add the discarded Wight enemy to the staging area. Discard all but X allies you control where X is the number of enemies engaged with you.

Side B

Forced: When a location is revealed at this stage, cancel its effects and discard it. Then, raise your threat by that card’s [threat] (including modifiers).

Forced: After this stage is defeated, advance to stage 3B at the beginning of the travel phase (combining staging areas with stage 3B) and place 1 progress on a Great Barrow at that stage.

(C.G.) A: Thanks for your email. This issue is on my list for the next FAQ update. 1 copy of Great Barrow should be added to the victory display from play when 1 copy of stage 4B leaves play (whether from being defeated or the player at that stage being eliminated).

(3.182) 14 April 2015 – Source #1 

Q: I am playing the Peril in Pelargir scenario. Is it possible to discard Local Trouble [HoN 41], a treachery card that counts as Condition attachment, with the shadow effect of the enemy Pickpocket [HoN 37]? What does “his attachments” stand for? Is it the same as “attachment he controls” or not? Can Pickpocket’s shadow effect discard an attached Alcaron’s Scroll?

(C.G.) A #1: The text “one of his attachments” should be interpreted to mean “an attachment he controls.” Since the defending player does not control Local Trouble or Alcaron’s Scoll, they are both invalid targets for this shadow effect.

(C.G.) A#2: I have to amend my previous answer to your question after reviewing the FAQ. Item 1.07 Control of Objective Cards specifies: “When a player claims an objective card, he gains control of that card unless otherwise directed by card a effect.” So, it is not possible to discard Local Trouble by the shadow effect of Pickpocket, but you could choose Alcaron’s Scroll if it was attached to a hero you controlled.

Sorry for the confusion.

(3.183) 22 April 2015 – Source #5 

Q: I was wondering specifically what would happen if Legolas [CORE 5] (combined with Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28] for example) or Ravens of the Mountain [OtD 11] were used to clear a side quest during the quest phase. Would the main quest card become the active quest, or would there be no active quest on which to place progress as a result of questing?

(C.G.) A: The rules for side quests state that if you choose a side quest to be the active quest, it remains the active quest until the end of the quest phase, and any excess progress made after defeating a side quest is discarded. So, if you defeated a side quest before resolving the quest, all the progress you made from questing successfully would be discarded. This is important to the identity of side quests: You must dedicate at least 1 entire quest phase to defeat a side quest. During the phase that your heroes are adventuring on a side quest, they cannot make any progress on the main quest.

(3.184) 01 May 2015 – Source #1

Q: Devilry of Saruman [TToS 43/TTTo 63] reads: “When Revealed: Place 3 progress on the current quest (bypassing any active location). Until the end of the round, treat each character’s text box as blank (except for Traits).” (not “printed text box”)

Shadow of Fear [TRD 85/TFotR 132] reads: “When Revealed: Treat the printed text box of each character in play as blank (except for Traits) until the end of the round.” (“printed” text box)

My question is: how about cards that grant keyword abilities, such as ranged (Dunedain Cache [SoM 97]) and sentinel (Arwen [D 58])? Do these get “blanked” out by treacheries like the ones above?

(C.G.) A: Both Shadow of Fear and Devilry of Saruman work the same way. ‘Printed text box’ is the most accurate term, but sometimes it is shortened to ‘text box’ for space. If a card effect grants a character ranged, sentinel, or some other ability, it will not be canceled by either of those two treacheries.

(3.185) 09 May 2015 – Source #5

Q: I want to be sure, if I control only ready Istari characters I can’t play Flame Of Anor [TRD 7/TFotR 24], right? 

(C.G.) A: That is correct.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.252.

(3.186) 19 May 2015 – Source #2 

Q: In The Uruk-hai scenario the “captives” are not under any player control, but do they still generate a resource each resource phase?

(C.G.) A: The captive heroes do not generate resources. 

(3.187) 02 June 2015 – Source #3 

Q: We’re planning on tackling The Three Trials scenario tonight. Depending on how fast you get back to me, I’ll take out this silliness, but I wonder.

When the Trial of Perseverance [TTT 37] is revealed, and the Barrow is added to the staging area, can we play Short Cut [D 60] to shuffle that location into the deck? What would happen to the Key? My hope is that the key simply gets added to the staging area unattached, and we can claim it through our wonderful perseverance.

My worry is that the scenario breaks and the key doesn’t get added anywhere. What are your thoughts?

(C.G.) A: What a fun question. You can play Short Cut to shuffle the Barrow location into the deck, but you would have to play the Response effect immediately after its triggered condition is met. In this case, at the end of the first sentence of the When Revealed effect. That means you would shuffle the Barrow location into the encounter deck before the Key is attached. If you did that, the key would never enter play because it doesn’t have a Barrow location to attach to. And because the Key never enters play, you can never advance from that stage.

That being the case, I would not recommend using Short Cut in this instance.

(3.188) 09 June 2015 – Source #3

Q: Warden of Arnor [TRM 31] reads: “While attached character is committed to the quest, place 1 progress on the first location revealed by the encounter deck each round.”

I was recently playing the Trouble in Tharbad scenario and I want to make sure of the timing of the placement of the progress token from Warden of Arnor.

#1 Tharbad Hideout [TRM 75] has 1 quest point and surge. If Warden of Arnor places a progress token on Tharbad Hideout (and therefore explores and discards Tharbad Hideout) do I still resolve the surge keyword?

#2 Streets of Tharbad [TRM 74] has 1 quest point and the text, “Progress cannot be placed on Streets of Tharbad while it is in the staging area.” If Streets of Tharbad is the first location revealed, does Warden of Arnor place 1 progress token on Streets of Tharbad before it would be added to the staging area?

(C.G.) A: The wording of Warden of Arnor mirrors the wording used for Thalin [CORE 6] or Expecting Mischief [OHaUH 18]. Both cards create a lasting passive effect that will resolve at the first opportunity. The resolution of that passive effect comes before any ‘when revealed’ or keyword effects.

So, to answer your questions:

#1 No, you would not resolve the surge keyword on Tharbad Hideout because it would be explored instantly as it is revealed.

#2 Yes, you would place 1 progress on Streets of Tharbad as it is revealed, before it is placed in the staging area.

(3.189) 18 June 2015 – Source #3

Q: A few questions about the event Desperate Alliance [OtD 10] (from here on out DA). This card has a limitation of once per phase, and by FAQ 1.51, this seems to apply only to the copy of the card and not the player.

a) So if I have multiple DA in my hand can I give away multiple heroes?

b) Can more than one player play a separate copy of DA in a phase?

c) If I get back DA from the discard with Dwarven Tomb can I play it again or is it still the same card?

d) If I play Will of the West and happen to draw DA again in the same phase, can I play it? I cannot be sure if it’s the same card unless it’s my only copy.

(C.G.) A: The “limit once per phase” on Desperate Alliance should be treated as “limit 1 Desperate Alliance per phase.” That limit is for all players so that only 1 copy of the event can be played by a player group in a phase.

ALeP’s Note: Based on this ruling we put forth a new wording for Desperate Alliance and Heavy Stroke in the Confirmed Errors section of this page.

(3.190) 10-11 August 2015 – Source #2

Q#1: Hi, a question about the “captive” in the Breaking of the Fellowship and The Uruk-hai scenarios. If you finish Breaking of the Fellowship and the only heroes you control are Aragorn [CORE 1] and the Ring-bearer (say, in a secrecy Aragorn-only deck, or if your other heroes have died), who becomes the captive? And how do you set up the next game of The Uruk-hai? Thank you very much for your help!

(C.G.) A#1: If your only remaining heroes are Aragorn and the Ring-bearer, then you would not choose a captive at the end of Breaking of the Fellowship because you have no legal choice. When setting up The Uruk-hai, follow the instructions and choose a captive from your available heroes. Since you have no previous captive, you ignore the parenthetical.

Q#2: Hi, This is a follow-up to a rules question I sent yesterday about choosing a captive after finishing Breaking of the Fellowship in campaign mode. What happens if Gríma [TVoI 2] is the only legal target for becoming the captive when you finish the game, considering that the Treason of Saruman rules insert states: “When playing the scenarios in The Treason of Saruman, the players cannot use any ally or hero card with the title ‘Saruman’ or ‘Gríma.'”? Thanks again!

A#2 There are 3 ways you can go about dealing with this situation:

#1 – Gríma is the captive and you’re not really ‘using’ him because he’s not under your control for the entire scenario.

#2 – You chose Gríma as the captive at the end of Breaking but you can’t use him in Treason, so you swap him for a different captive.

#3 – Don’t choose Gríma as the captive at the end of Breaking.

Answer #1 is stretching the definition of ‘using’ a little because I genuinely think it would be hilarious for the heroes to pursue a captive Gríma only to discover his true allegiance after a long foot chase. If you want to use the strictest interpretation, then I would go with answer #2 or #3.

(3.191) 12 October 2015 – Source #3

Q: I came across a strange scenario in one of my games yesterday, and wasn’t sure how to resolve it:

Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] has 1 damage token on him. He has Song of Mocking [SoM 99] attached, which was exhausted to redirect damage from another hero (let’s say Boromir [SoM 95], in this case). Hummerhorns [CORE 75] is revealed as a shadow card, dealing 1 damage to each character.

The question is, does Frodo survive? The answer seems to depend on how the timing works when assigning damage to multiple characters from a single effect:

Interpretation 1: All characters are simultaneously damaged by Hummerhorns’ effect. Song of Mocking sets up a lasting effect that continuously affects how damage is assigned throughout the phase. So, there is no “timing” — Boromir gets assigned 0 damage, and Frodo gets assigned 2. Frodo triggers his Response and raises the defending player’s threat by 2 instead of taking damage, thus surviving.

Interpretation 2: Each character being damaged is a separate occurrence that needs to be resolved in sequence (presumably in the order of the first player’s choosing). So, for example, Boromir is first assigned 1 damage, which then gets reassigned to Frodo. Frodo triggers his Response and the player’s threat is increased by 1 instead of taking any damage. Next, Frodo is assigned 1 damage directly from Hummerhorns. Frodo can no longer use his ability, since it is limited to once per phase. Frodo takes 1 damage and is thus destroyed. In this case, the outcome will be the same regardless of the order chosen.

Which interpretation is correct? I looked closely over the rules and FAQ, but can’t really find any guidance on how to resolve this. Usually, the interpretation that results in the worst outcome for the player(s) tends to be the correct one (the Silver Rule), but I feel like #2 requires more ungrounded assumptions. Thoughts?

(C.G.) A: In the situation you described, Frodo will end up dead no matter what. Here is a breakdown of what would happen:

• Hummerhorns shadow is revealed
• Frodo takes 1 damage from the shadow
• Frodo takes 1 additional damage that would’ve been dealt to Boromir

Frodo can use his ability to prevent one of those instances of damage from being dealt, but he can’t prevent both. Since Frodo already has 1 damage on him in your scenario, he will die either way.

(3.192) 17 October 2015 – Source #5

Q: Hi, Recently there have been a couple of [lore] events that cancel cards, and they have some differences in wording compared to other cards. I’m adding the emphasis below: 

The Door is Closed [AA 92/AAHE 67] reads: “After an encounter card is revealed from the encounter deck, cancel ITS EFFECTS…” 

Quick Ears [AA 123/AAHE 66] reads: “Exhaust a Dúnedain or Ranger hero to CANCEL AN ENEMY CARD JUST REVEALED from the encounter deck…” 

What gets canceled with these? Quick Ears has you cancel the “enemy card.” If you play Quick Ears, can you still trigger the Response on Wingfoot [TRM 92/EoL 18] (which requires an enemy to have been revealed, if you chose enemy)? Same question for The Door is Closed. This might interact with a previous ruling about canceling damage that was “just dealt” (previously ruled that if damage is canceled you can’t trigger a response that keys off of damage being dealt). 

How about in a case like this: in The Battle of Carn Dûm scenario, Thaurdir [AA 127/AACE 129] has some nasty effects if a Sorcery treachery card is revealed. If you use The Door is Closed, will they still occur? Or if you have a Goblin Archer [KD 32] in the staging area (deal 1 damage when an enemy is revealed), but you use Quick Ears? Sorry for the many examples, but thank you very much for your help!

(C.G.) A: When a player card, such as The Door is Closed or Quick Ears, cancels an encounter card, play should proceed as if the canceled card were never revealed. That means if you cancel a Sorcery card with The Door is Closed, Thaurdir’s ability will not trigger. It also means that if you cancel an enemy card with Quick Ears, Wingfoot cannot trigger off of that enemy.

(3.193) 19 November 2015 – Source #3

Q [paraphrased]: If I have ally Beorn [CORE 31] in play and I trigger his effect, but in that same phase I also play Rallying Cry [AA 3/AAHE 20], where does Beorn end up? In my hand or in my deck?

(C.G.) A: The word “instead” implies that the effect is a replacement effect: “instead of doing X do Y”. If you were not going to do X, then you don’t do Y. So, if you were not going to place Beorn in the discard pile, then you would not return him to your hand instead.

(3.194) 04 December 2015 – Source #2

Q: If a location like Wall of Trees [TOF 15] or Mines of Moria [TRD 52/TFotR 124] has the text “Progress must be placed on (this location) before it can be placed on the current quest”, does progress get placed on those locations before or after being placed on the active location?

(C.G.) A: I am afraid that we have ruled the opposite in the past. I believe Nate and I had a conversation about these types of effects and the end result was that progress must be placed on Wall of Trees before it is placed on the active location. The reason is you only put progress on the active location when you would put it on the quest, but Wall of Trees says you must put the progress there first, so it never has the opportunity to go on the quest (or active location) until Wall of Trees is explored.

ALeP’s Note: This also became item 2.78.

(3.195) 07 January 2016 – Source #5

Q: If Heavy Curse [TLR 66/AACE 27] is in play, do you have to pay an extra resource if in your discard pile there is a single copy of the event you are trying to play with a Record attachment like Tome of Atanatar [AtS 109]?

(C.G.)A: To play an event, you must first pay its cost. Tome of Atanatar allows you to play an event in your discard pile “as if it were in your hand” but it is not actually in your hand. It is still in the discard pile at the time you must pay its cost, so Heavy Curse would increase its cost.

(3.196) 22 January 2016 – Source #5

Q: Greetings! With regards to the Peril keyword and the treachery card Fierce Southrons [TLoS 119/TTTo 119] – if the option is chosen where “each enemy in the staging area makes an immediate attack against you”, can your teammates use their sentinel characters to block for you? The rule for Peril is: “When a player reveals an encounter card with the Peril keyword, he must resolve the staging of that card on his own without conferring with the other players. The other players cannot take any actions or trigger any responses during the resolution of that card’s staging.” 

Thanks!

(C.G.) A: The Peril keyword prevents other players from interrupting the staging of Fierce Southrons, but once the attack has been initiated the staging is done. When an enemy makes an attack outside of the combat phase, you observe all the steps of ‘resolving enemy attacks’ and the action windows between each step. So, it is possible for another player to declare a sentinel character as the defender and to take actions in-between those steps.

(3.197) 24 January 2016 – Source #5

Q: Let’s say I have 2 copies of Elwing’s Flight [TGH13/TDCCHE 50] in my discard pile while I play a 3^rd copy. I control 3 questing characters but 1 of them (let’s say Glorfindel [D 101] with Light of Valinor [D 107] attached) is not exhausted. What happens? Only the 2 exhausted characters get the +1 [willpower]?

(C.G.) A: If there are 2 copies of Elwing’s Flight in your discard pile when you play Elwing’s Flight from your hand, it allows you to choose up to 3 questing characters to ready and get +1 willpower. If you only have 3 questing characters but only 1 of them is exhausted, you could resolve Elwing’s Flight in a number of ways:

#1 You could choose all 3 characters to get +1 willpower and ready the 1 exhausted character.

#2 You could choose to ready the exhausted character and give that character +3 willpower.

#3 You could choose not to ready the exhausted character and divide the willpower boost among the other 2 characters.

The way this card is worded makes it possible to receive the +1 willpower without being readied by its effect.

(3.198) 25 January 2016 – Source #5

Q: If Elf-stone [TBR 16/] is attached to active location and The Long Defeat [A 122 to current quest, and players explore all (active location and quest, advancing to the next quest card), what happens? What is first? Can you draw 2 cards by Long Defeat and afterwards put into play one of them (if it is ally)?

(C.G.) A: If the active location is explored and at the same time the players make enough progress to defeat the current quest, the rules require that the players immediately advance to the next stage. This rule puts priority on resolving effects tied to the current quest before resolving effects tied to the active location. As a result, players must resolve any effects that trigger from defeating the quest before resolving any effects that trigger from exploring the active location. Therefore, The Long Defeat must be resolved before Elf-stone can be resolved.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.260.

(3.199) 11 February 2016 – Source #5

Q: Hi Caleb, question for you about stacking cost reduction effects.

Gríma [TVoI 2], Damrod [TLoS 3/TTTo 4], Théoden [TToS 2/TTTo 2], Heir of Valandil [TLR 10/AAHE 14], Good Meal [D 10], and Beregond [HoN 1/DoG 27] can reduce costs to play cards down to 0.

Master of Lore [HoN 16],O Lórien! [TRM 58/EoL 17], and To the Sea, To the Sea! [TGH 14/TDCHE 47] can reduce costs to play cards down to 1.

Secrecy, Guthlaf [AtS 110/RoR 7], Dwalin [OtD 8], Citadel Custodian [HoN 4/DoG 6], Take No Notice [TBR 11/TFotR 21, In the Shadows [TLoS 12/TTTo 24], and the Record attachments have built-in cost reduction effects.

When I am combining two or more of the above effects, can I choose the order in which they are applied? Here are some distinct examples:

#1 I discard 4 cards to lower the cost of Gildor Inglorion [SoM 79] using To the Sea, then trigger Gríma to reduce his cost to 0.

#2 Exhaust Master of Lore and name “Event”, reducing the cost of Out of the Wild [D 36] by 1, then if I am in Secrecy it becomes cost 0.

#3 Exhaust Master of Lore and name “Attachment”, then playing Ranger Spikes [HoN 17/DoG 30] for free with Damrod.

#4 Exhaust Master of Lore and name “Attachment”, reducing the cost of Scroll of Isildur [AtS 142] by 1. Then, If I have 3 heroes with a printed [lore] icon, it becomes free.

(C.G.) A: You can choose the order in which you apply cost reduction effects, so you can reduce a card’s cost to a minimum of 1 with one effect and then reduce it down to 0 with another effect. Each of your examples look to be correct in that regard.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.137. See also item 3.228.

(3.200) 10 March 2016 – Source #5

Q: A few questions about Vilya [D 137/EoL 30]:

1. Can Vilya be used to play an event, like Galadhrim’s Greeting [CORE 46], if you do not have access to the spirit sphere (a match is required for 0 cost cards, but Vilya says ” no cost” so I’m wondering if that is a key difference)?
2. Does Vilya ignore the “additional costs” of cards like Skyward Volley [TGH 4/TDCHE 38]?
3. Does Vilya ignore payment restrictions of cards like Thicket of Spears [CORE 36]?
4. Does Vilya ignore requirements to be able to play a card like Ent Draught [TToS 9/TTTo 22] (since you can “put into play” the card instead of “playing” it)?
5. Does Vilya ignore costs on cards that have a built-in cost in the form “cost to effect” phrase like Quick Strike [CORE 35]? If so, how does Quick Strike work if you have not exhausted a character?

(C.G.) A: Let’s go in order:

1. Yes. There is actually an FAQ entry for Vilya in the Q&A section that basically says playing a card at “no cost” does not require a resource match.
2. Yes. “At no cost” encompasses the additional cost because it is described as a “cost.”
3. Yes. Since you are playing Thicket of Spears at no cost, there is no need to pay for it, and therefore no need to spend resources from 3 different heroes’ pools.
4. Yes. The play restriction on Ent Draught is irrelevant because you are putting it into play, not playing it.
5. No. Vilya allows you to ignore resource match and printed cost with its ability (and anything that is described as “an additional cost”), but it does not allow you to trigger effects without paying their ‘cost’ because these ‘costs’ are not what Vilya refers to. The term ‘cost’ as used in the expression “cost to effect” is not a formal cost, like the kind that Vilya can ignore; they are an informal ‘cost.’ We only call them costs to help players understand that you must do whatever that thing is in order to receive the benefit of the effect. You can think of the difference between ‘costs’ here like big “C” costs and little ‘c’ costs, similar to big ‘A’ Actions and little ‘a’ actions in the game.

(3.201) 11 March 2016 – Source #5

Q: Can I use Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] to play events like Strength of Arms [AtS 34] and Ranger Summons [TLR 7/AAHE 21] even if I don’t meet the requirements?

(C.G.) A: Since Vilya counts as playing those events (you aren’t putting them into play), you still need to meet the requirements. It only lets you cheat into play attachments and allies (if there are any requirements) because you are putting them into play.

(3.202) 15 March 2016 – Source #1

Q: I am playing The Battle of Carn Dûm scenario. Thaurdir [AA 127/AACE 129] has 2 Shadow Cards. I reveal a treachery card with the Sorcery trait and the surge keyword. Which happens first? Thaurdir’s Forced effect or the surge keyword?

(C.G.) A: The sequence would be:

• When Revealed effects
• Thaurdir effects (shadow card, flip, attack)
• Reveal the surge card

(3.203) 21 March 2016 – Source #5

Q: Let’s say I have Grappling Hook [TGH 5/TDCHE 31] attached to Boromir [SoM 95], and I commit him to the quest regularly. Thus, he’s contributing 1 WP. Then, in the action window after staging, I ready Boromir with his Action, then try to use Grappling Hook. Which of the following occurs?

#1 Boromir contributes 3 WP (total) because that’s his attack value. (I assume this is the correct answer.)

#2 Boromir contributes 4 WP because he contributes 3 WP from Grappling Hook and the 1 WP he was already committing through the normal framework.

#3 I’m not allowed to use Grappling Hook because characters can’t commit to the quest twice.

#4 Something else I didn’t think of.

(C.G.) A: Characters who are committed to the quest cannot be committed to the quest again because they are already committed to the quest. You cannot use Grappling Hook to commit Boromir to the quest if he is already committed to the quest. 

(3.204) 23 April 2016 – Source #5

Q: If you exhaust Elrond [D 128/EoL 31] and Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] and reveal an ally on the top of your deck can you : 

• put him into play at no cost, 
• play him at no cost, 
• choose to play him at no cost or put him into play?

(C.G.) A: When you use Vilya’s ability and the top card of your deck is an ally or attachment, you put it into play. The added language about “play at no cost” is there for when the top card of your deck is an event, because you don’t put events into play.

(3.205) 27 May 2016 – Source #2

Q: Is the player’s out-of-play deck in the Catching an Orc scenario still considered to be a normal player deck? Can I use Hidden Cache’s [AtS 143/DoD 21] Response when I discard cards from out of play deck via Search effects?

(C.G.) A: No, your out-of-play deck is not the same as your deck, so Hidden Cache cannot be triggered because its trigger condition is not met when discarded from your out-of-play deck.

I hope you’re enjoying The Voice of Isengard!

(3.206) 27 May 2016 – Source #5

Q: This is a silly semantic question, but Lembas [TRM 64/EoL 15] reads: “Action: Discard Lembas to ready attached hero and heal 3 damage from it.” I think I won’t be alone in saying that I’ve used it to heal 2, 1, or even 0 damage, just for the hero readying. But is this technically allowed? How about triggering an Ered Nimras Prospector [AtS 141/DoD 9] when I have only 2 cards left in my deck? Can I still choose and shuffle back in my deck 1 card from the discard pile?

(C.G.) A: In general, you do as much as you can. For example, if you have only 2 damage on Treebeard [TToS 3/TTTo 3] when you use Lembas to heal him, you would heal those 2 damage. With regard to Ered Nimras Prospector, you could trigger his ability to discard the top 2 cards of your deck, but you could not trigger his ‘then’ effect because the word ‘then’ means you can only do the following if everything preceding it was fully resolved. In this case you have not fully resolved his ability because you only discarded 2 cards. 

(3.207) 01 June 2016 – Source #5

Q: If Sailor of Lune’s [TGH 12/TDCHE 42] ability is currently active due to the top card of your discard pile being an event, can she be the target of the following effects while committed to the quest? How does Sailor of Lune interact with these specific cards?

• Dol Guldur Orcs [CORE 89]
• Low on Provisions [TVoI 56] (just says “assigns”)
• Dunland Raider [TVoI 44] (says “must deal”)
• Goblin Taskmaster [D 49] (says “deals”, but does not say “must deal”)
• If Take Cover! [TVoI 55] is revealed while Sailor of Lune cannot be damaged and is exhausted, must you choose the second option on Take Cover!?

(C.G.) A: The word ‘cannot’ is an absolute, so you cannot choose to assign or deal damage to Sailor of Lune while the top card of your discard pile is an event. About a couple of these cards:

• Take Cover! – This card does not specifically target the Sailor of Lune but rather ‘each exhausted character’ and as a result you can choose the first option and the Sailor of Lune’s ability will prevent the damage.
• Dol Guldur Orcs – This enemy’s When Revealed effect first asks you to target a character committed to the quest, so Sailor of Lune can be a valid target if it is questing. Then, it attempts to deal 2 damage to that character. Sailor of Lune’s ability will prevent the damage.

(3.208) 25 June 2016 – Source #2

Q: Spirit Prince Imrahil [TFotW 5/TRotK 19] is an ally with the conditional passive text: “While there is a hero card in your discard pile, Prince Imrahil loses the ally card type and gains the hero card type.”

Caldara [AtS 107] reads: “Action: Discard Caldara to put 1 [spirit] ally from your discard pile into play for each other hero you control with a printed [spirit] resource icon.

How do these two interact in the scenario where my 3 starting heroes all have the printed spirit icon, one is Caldara, the Prince Imrahil ally is in play and is still an ally. Then, I trigger Caldara’s ability. How many allies do I get out of the discard pile? 

(C.G.) A: Prince Imrahil’s text is a passive effect that is constantly checking the game state to see if there is a hero in your discard pile, so the instant that Caldara is placed in your discard pile he becomes a hero. As for Caldara, the cost to trigger her Action is to place her in the discard pile, and you cannot trigger an effect without paying the cost first. So, you must discard Caldara before you can resolve the rest of her effect. That means Imrahil is a hero at the time that you calculate how many allies you put into play, which means you can get up to 3 allies into play with Caldara’s effect (or even 4 if you make a unique spirit ally a hero with Sword-thain [AA 149/AA 72] first).

(3.209) 30 June 2016 – Source #2

Q: I have a question about Vanish from Sight [TDC 11/TDCHE 75] and A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! [D 132]. Let’s say my threat is 45, I only have 2 heroes, and I play Vanish from Sight in the combat phase, so my threat is now treated as 20. Then I play A Elbereth! Gilthoniel! on an enemy attacking me that has an engagement cost of 25. Would I then move my threat dial down to 25 to match the enemy?

(C.G.) A: Great question. You would indeed set your threat to 25 in the situation you describe.

(3.210) 05 July 2016 – Source #5

Q: How is Déorwine’s [TDC 60/TDCHE 25] Action meant to work? Should we spend the resource before the shadow card is revealed? Or is Déorwine able to cancel a shadow effect after it resolves? Or maybe it can cancel only those shadow effects that create lasting effects?

(C.G.) A: I believe Déorwine’s Action should be a Response to allow his ability to work as intended. His effect is meant to cancel the shadow effect after it is revealed and before it resolves in a similar fashion to Hasty Stroke [CORE 48].

ALeP’ Note: This has been made official by Déorwine’s erratum in The Dream-chaser Hero Expansion.

(3.211) 07 July 2016 – Source #5

Q: If I put ally Spirit Bofur [D 6] in play in the Action Window after quest resolution, since it was already determined if we quested successfully or not, does he still come back to my hand at the end of the quest phase?

(C.G.) A: You can put Bofur in play in the Action Window after quest resolution, but you cannot, in fact, permanently cheat Bofur onto the board this way if you quested successfully in that same phase. The “if you quest successfully this phase” of Bofur’s effect can be considered as reading “if you quest/quested successfully this phase”.

(3.212) 07 July 2016 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Is the “prisoner” hero in the Escape from Dol Guldur scenario still “in play” for card effects? How about for uniqueness?

(C.G.) A: I’ve gotten this question a few times. The “prisoner” hero is definitely still in play. That becomes more important in nightmare mode. In normal play, the two most important things about “the prisoner” are: 1. that hero is turned facedown, and 2. that hero “cannot be used.” Together, this means the “prisoner” cannot contribute its card type, sphere, stats, traits, keywords, abilities, anything other than its uniqueness (i.e. I cannot play an ally version of the “prisoner” hero). So, no additional card draw for Mithrandir’s Advice [AtS 9] and does not count toward the number of Dwarf characters you control, etc. You could not attach anything to that hero either, because that would be using its hero card type.

Hope you’re enjoying the scenario. It’s definitely a challenging one.

ALeP’s Note: See also items 3.019 and 3.107.

(3.213) 11 July 2016 – Source #5

Q: I have a quick question about the A Shadow of the Past scenario. When I advance between quest stages I am instructed to reveal a Black Rider [TBR 39/TFotR 39] and then add it to the staging area. Revealing a Black Rider triggers a Hide test. If I fail the Hide test does the Rider I just drew engage and then attack as per the quest effect?

The quest cards all read: “When a player fails a Hide test, each Nazgûl enemy in the staging area engages that player’ but it seems that the Rider I just fetched is still in the When Revealed limbo world and not actually in the staging area yet. Is he not a threat? If so, is this also true for pulling a Black Rider in staging too? Apologies if this question has been answered before

(C.G.) A: Your interpretation of the timing is correct. Unfortunately, that’s not how the scenario is intended to work. When a Black Rider is revealed and you fail its Hide 2 test, it is meant to engage you and attack. I think everyone involved in developing this scenario understood this intent so intuitively that no one bothered to scrutinize the timing as closely as you have.

As a result, it will probably be necessary to errata each quest stage to change the phrase “each Nazgûl enemy in the staging area” to something like “each unengaged Nazgûl enemy in play.” In the meantime, you can choose to play it as written or as intended. Either way, I hope you’re enjoying The Black Riders!

ALeP’s Note: Based on this ruling we proposed a new wording for the quest cards of the A Shadow of the Past scenario in the Partially Official Errata section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.214) 26 July 2016 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Why is Quick Strike [CORE 35] able to attack enemies with “immune to player card effects” text? Why does it work differently than Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28] and Forth Eorlingas [AtS 138/RoR 23]?

(C.G.) A: Basically, Quick Strike only works because it allows you to attack an enemy that you could typically attack. It just changes the time at which that attack takes place. The reason that effects like Hands Upon the Bow and Forth Eorlingas! do not work against enemies that are immune to player card effects is because you can’t typically attack an enemy in the staging area.

(3.215) 01 August 2016 – Source #2

Q: A couple of questions about hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7] and playing events from the top of the deck:

#1 If I use Gandalf ‘s ability to play Mithrandir’s Advice [AtS 9] off the top of my deck, do I get to consider Gandalf to have a printed [lore] icon when resolving the action on the card? In other words, when does the phrase “when playing a card this way” stop working? Is it when I’ve finished paying the cost of the card, or is it when I finish resolving the text on the card?

#2 If Gandalf ‘s icons persist until I’ve finished resolving the text on the card, does this mean a card like Quick Strike [CORE 35] can provide a unique “nested” action window where Gandalf ‘s resources can be spent on sphere-specific action cards played from the hand

(C.G.) Q: Here you go: 

#1 Gandalf ’s added icons disappear after you have fully resolved playing the top card of your deck. So, when you play Mithrandir’s Advice, Gandalf is considered to have the printed lore icon.

#2 Quick Strike’s ability resolves immediately, granting you an attack. Quick Strike’s ability is not considered to be active throughout the entirety of the attack, so Gandalf would not have the [tactics] icon for more the instant it takes to play the event.

(3.216) 16 August 2016 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Does the passive effect of ally Halbarad [TFotW 6/TRotK 8] to increase an enemy engagement cost apply “in time” to an enemy that you just engaged so that it can help trigger a Response like those of hero Sam [TBR 2/TFotR 3] and Lore Pippin [TBR 4/TFotR 6]?

(C.G.) A: Yes it does.

(3.217) 25 August 2016 – Source #3

Q: During setup, is quest card 1A considered to be the current quest? Do treacheries that “attach to current quest” get attached to 1A or are they ignored?

(C.G.) A: If a treachery is attached to the current quest during setup it will be attached to stage 1A and remain attached when it flips to stage 1B.

(3.218) 06 September 2016 – Source #2

Q: The Setup text for The Battle of the Pelennor Fields scenario has you make a Pelennor Field [TFotW 47/TRotK 72] the active location (4 quest points with no text that is relevant for this question).

Then side 1B of the quest card The Garrison of Gondor [TFotW 73/TRotK 62] reads: 

“Skip the quest phase and combat phase.

Forced: At the end of the planning phase, place 1 progress here.”

The quest card has 2 quest points. Clearly you’re intended to progress to stage 2 at the end of the 2nd planning phase. But the way it is worded, shouldn’t Pelennor Fields act as a buffer for the quest, meaning you actually get 5 rounds of setup before you have to advance? See item 3.017 and 3.163 about Abandoned Tools [KD 29] in the Flight from Moria scenario, where it basically says that for these kinds of effects to put progress directly on the quest they need to specify “bypassing the active location”.

With no text to “bypass the active location,” the progress should actually go on the active location first, shouldn’t it? Does TBotPF’s first stage need an errata?

(C.G.) A: Stage 1B, The Garrison of Gondor, gives the players 1 free round before forcing you to advance. In general, if a quest card instructs you to put progress directly on to it, that bypasses any active location. The active location only serves as a buffer to player card effects and progress made from questing successfully.

Hope you’re enjoying The Flame of the West saga expansion!

ALeP’s Note: This ruling is at odds with many other items like 1.27, 2.02, 3.017 and 3.163, but at least it clarifies the designer’s intent for that scenario. It might be easier to consider the Forced effect of The Garrison of Gondor as saying “(bypassing the active location)”.

(3.219) 07 September 2016 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: What happens if I play Strider’s Path [SoM 9] on a location just revealed from the encounter deck while there is an “immune to player card effects” active location? Will I end up with two active locations or I am unable to play Strider’s Path?

(C.G.) A: If you play Strider’s Path to travel to a location while there is an active location that is immune to player card effects, you will end up with two active locations because the active location’s immunity will prevent it from being returned to the staging area by the second part of the event’s effect. Item 1.34 in the FAQ says: “If a card effect causes two locations to be active at the same time, they are both considered to be the active location.”

(3.220) 12 September 2016 – Source #5

Q: If the first player finishes defending against the enemies engaged with him and then uses Westfold Outrider [TVoI 6/RoR 14] to engage one of the second player’s enemies, that enemy still attacks, correct? The fact that it’s still the “resolve enemy attacks” step takes precedence over the fact that the first player was done with his portion of the step?

(C.G.) A: Westfold Outrider’s ability can be used to prevent an enemy from attacking if used correctly. After the first player resolves each of his engaged enemy’s attacks and play passes to the next player, the first player can then discard a Westfold Outrider to engage an enemy engaged with another player. That enemy will not attack because the first player has already resolved his enemies attacks and the game has advanced to the next player’s attacks.

(3.221) 19 September 2016 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing The Thing in the Depths scenario and I am at Stage 1B with Helm of the Stormcaller [TDC 42/TDCCE 56] as the active location, if I quest successfully and make enough progress to both explore Helm of the Stormcaller and still have some progress left to place on Stage 1B am I able to do so? Or the text on Stage 1B prevents me from placing progress even in the round I explore the Helm?

(C.G.) A: The way the core rules describe placing progress from questing successfully is: “Note that if there is an active location, progress tokens are placed on that location until it is explored, and the remainder are then placed on the current quest.” Once Helm of the Stormcaller leaves play, you are no longer prevented from placing the remaining progress on stage 1B.

ALeP’s Note: See also item 3.260.

(3.222) 06 October 2016 – Source #1

Q: Hello! What happens with multiple Trap cards in the staging area and multiple enemies entering there at the same time? Like the Troll enemies in the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario or in the Conflict at the Carrock scenario. Can I choose which enemy gets which trap? Or one enemy gets all traps? 

(C.G.) A: Whenever several effects resolve simultaneously, it is up to the first player to decide how they resolve. If you have multiple traps in the staging area when you advance to stage 2 of Conflict at the Carrock and add 4 Troll enemies to the staging area, the first player will decide which enemy to attach each trap to because they are all valid targets.

Note that if there were multiple Traps in the staging area when just 1 enemy was added to the staging area, then each trap would be attached to that enemy.

(3.223) 18 October 2016 – Source #5

Q: During setup of the A Storm on Cobas Haven scenario I chose Sea-Ward Tower [TDC 134/TDCCE 113] as my setup objective, then drew a second objective, more specifically Tower of the Heron [TDC 137/TDCCE 116], placed it in the staging area, then I revealed The Raiders’ Assault [TDC 133/TDCCE 112], which I satisfied by attaching Scouting Ship [TGH 22/TDCCE 7] to Tower of the Heron. 

But what to do now: it seems that the rules still require another encounter card to guard Tower of the Heron, but that would place two guards on it. While the rules pertaining to the guarded keyword seem to allow for multiple guards, there is no guidance on how to resolve them (in this case, two ship enemies with different engagement costs).

(C.G.) A: Tower of the Heron is not a legal target for The Raiders’ Assault in this situation, because although its guard was not yet assigned, it is not considered “unguarded”.

(3.224) 21 October 2016 – Source #1

Q: Can I use the ranged keyword and Unexpected Courage [CORE 57] (or other readying effects) to have an attacker of mine participate in two separate attacks against the same enemy, if that enemy is engaged with another player?

Consider this situation:

Player #1: Hero #1 (with ranged and UC)

Player #2: Hero #2 and Enemy A (engaged with Player #2)

Specifically, is the following legal:

• When Player #1 is the active attacker, Player #1 declares an attack against Enemy A exhausting Hero #1, then uses UC to ready Hero #1. 
• When Player #2 is the active attacker, Player #2 declares an attack against Enemy A, exhausting Hero #2, and Player #1 has Hero #1 also exhausts to participate in that attack.

(C.G.) A: It is indeed legal for a ranged character to participate in two separate attacks against the same enemy, so long as different players declare those attacks. Your example is correct.

(3.225) 24 November 2016 – Source #3

Q: If I have 7 cards in my hand during setup (say via a boon in campaign mode) and I choose to take a mulligan, do I only redraw 6 cards? The rules seem to say “shuffle those 6 cards into your deck and redraw 6,” but I actually have 7 cards to shuffle in.

The rules on boons with the Setup keyword are clear: they are definitely in your hand before you choose to mulligan. The question for me is whether I get 6 cards back or 7. Thanks!

(C.G.) A: The rules do say “these 6 cards” Since it does specify “these 6” as opposed to every card in your hand, I’m happy to say that you would keep any boon cards that start in your hand if you take a mulligan.

(3.226) 29 November 2016 – Source #2

Q: I am playing The City of Corsairs scenario. Fate of the Dream-chaser [TDC 148/TDCCE 118], that is to say quest card 2, reads:

Side A

“When Revealed: Each player assigns damage among non-Ship characters he controls equal to the total damage on each Ship objective he controls. Discard all Ship enemies, Ship objective and Ocean locations in play.”

Side B

“When Revealed: Shuffle the Corsair deck and Corsair discard pile into the second encounter deck. Search the encounter deck and discard pile for each copy of Battle-hardened and each copy of Watch Tower, shuffle them into the second encounter deck. Set the current encounter deck and discard pile aside, inactive. The second encounter deck becomes the active encounter deck. Advance to stage 3.”

What happens to shadow cards if you advance while they are in play? Could easily happen while dealt to a Corsair enemy and you advance in the combat phase after destroying the Stormcaller [TDC 151/TDCCE 121].

• Nothing, they remain in play. At the end of the phase they will be discarded as per usual. This means they will end up in the new encounter deck. This opens up the possibility for a Ship enemy or an Ocean location to become part of the new encounter deck.
• They should be discarded. Nothing tells you to do this, but that seems to be the intent, because you shouldn’t end up with a Ship or Ocean once on stage 3. This means you will end up with a Corsair enemy or two or three who has no shadow card this round.
• Resolve the shadow effect, but once the card is discarded, put it with the inactive encounter deck (because again, it does not seem to be intended that you have Ships/Ocean at this point). This is actually how I played it.

(C.G.) A: Great question. Somehow this never came up in play-testing, so it never occurred to us that stage 2A should also force you to discard each shadow card in play. As a result, stage 2A will likely need an errata to read: “Discard all Ship enemies, Ship objectives, Ocean locations and shadow cards in play.”

I hope you’re enjoying the scenario!

ALeP’s Note: Based on this ruling we proposed a new wording for this quest card in the Partially Official Errata section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.227) 29 November 2016 – Source #3

Q: If a hero with Grievous Wound [TRD 88/TFotR 135] uses Athelas [TLR 11/AAHE 59] on itself while 1 HP away from death, does it:

• Die
• End up with 0 damage
• End up with 1 damage

For reference:

Grievous Wound reads: 

Condition

Forced: After attached hero exhausts, deal one damage to it.

Athelas reads:

Action: Discard Athelas and exhaust attached character to heal all damage on a character. You may discard a Condition attachment from that character.

(C.G.) A: In The Lord of the Rings LCG we resolve effects sentence by sentence. We don’t interrupt a sentence to resolve a different effect, but effects can interrupt at the end of the sentence. So what would happen is: you exhaust and heal all damage at once, then you resolve the Forced effect on Grievous Wound for 1 damage. After that, you could discard a Condition attachment from play.

ALeP’s Note: This is at odds with item 3.322.

(3.228) 10 February 2017 – Source #5

Q: Was I correct in assuming that you could stack Hirgon’s [TH 55/RoR 2] ability with Theoden’s [TToS 2/TTTo 2] to play a 2 cost [Tactics] Rohan ally for free? (By applying the Hirgon’s minimum 1 ability first, followed by Theoden’s passive minimum 0 ability)?”

(C.G.) A: When you play an ally with Hirgon’s ability, his reduction has to be applied first because it is part of his effect. That works out nicely for Theoden since his reduction (to a minimum of 0) is then applied after.

(3.229) 04 April 2017 – Source #3

Q: I was playing The Steward’s Fear scenario tonight as I’m trying to go back through all the scenarios giving them a once over with some newer decks. It was almost like playing blind again since it has been so long.

That aside, the main question is how does Cirdan [TGH 1/TDCHE 5] work with Local Trouble [HoN 41]?

The card states every time attached hero triggers an ability, I increase my threat by 1 

Does this trigger off of Cirdan’s Forced effect too?

(C.G.) A: The card anatomy on page 8 of the core rules describes Game Text as: “The special abilities unique to this particular card.” There is no distinction made between ‘benefits’ and ‘drawbacks’ – all of a character’s game text constitutes its ability, both good and bad. Any bold trigger (such as Action, Response or Forced) is a triggered ability, so if Local Trouble is attached to Cirdan when his Forced effect triggers, you must raise your threat by 1.

(3.230) 07 April 2017 – Source #3

Q: After its attack, does Wolf Rider [CORE 81] return to its state of (resolved) shadow card to the original attacking enemy?

This is important because if the original enemy is subsequently defeated then both it and the Wolf Rider shadow card should be immediately placed on the discard pile (Rules p.20) and the Wolf Rider would not be a shadow card in play “after combat” able to leave play with the other shadow cards (FAQ p.9) and therefore not be placed back on top of the encounter deck.

(C.G.) A: When the Shadow effect of Wolf Rider triggers, it causes Wolf Rider to enter play as an enemy. At that point it ceases to be a shadow card, so it is no longer bound to the enemy that it was originally dealt to and destroying that enemy will have no effect on Wolf Rider.

ALeP’s Note: See also items 3.066, 3.160 and 3.237 for more details.

(3.231) 26 April 2017 – Source #2

Q: All the following questions and answers are related to The Dead Marshes scenario and the Gollum objective [SoM 107] present in that scenario.

#1 : If I use Sneak Attack [CORE 23] to put Gandalf [CORE 73/DoD 10/EoL 7/DoG 11/RoR 6] in play during the Quest Phase, at the end of the Quest Phase can he participate in the Escape Test you have to take due to the Forced of Gollum before returning to my hand?

#2: If I discard 1 card to give Éowyn [CORE 7] +1 [willpower], does the boost apply to the Escape Test you have to take due to the Forced effect of Gollum at the end of the Quest Phase? 

#3: What happens if you trigger Eowyn’s or Faramir’s [CORE 14/DoG 10] Action during the action window provided by the Escape Test you have to take due to the Forced of Gollum at the end of the Quest Phase?

(C.G.) A: Here are you answers:

#1: Sneak Attack creates a passive effect that forces you to return Gandalf to your hand at the end of the phase. Passive effects in LotR LCG are always checking the game state to see if they trigger and resolve instantly when they do. If a passive effect and a Forced effect like Gollum’s share the same trigger (in this case ‘the end of the quest phase’), the passive effect must be resolved first before the Forced effect has the opportunity to resolve. I’m afraid that means Gandalf will be returned to your hand before you resolve the Escape test.

#2: Great question! Eowyn’s ability creates a lasting effect that lasts until the end of the quest phase. This type of effect ends immediately when its timer is reached. The Forced effect on Gollum that triggers the Escape test therefore triggers immediately after Eowyn’s ability has switched off, meaning she loses her +1 [willpower] bonus just before you make the test.

The rules for the Escape test say that players may take actions after committing characters to the test, so you can trigger Eowyn’s Action after committing her to the test, but only if you haven’t already triggered her ability that round because of its limit.

#3: The [willpower] boost will last until the end of the following phase, in this case the Travel phase.

I hope you’re enjoying the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle!

(3.232) 03-07 May 2017 – Source #2

ALeP’s Note: This was a back and forth of several questions, but due to the high number of questions those are presented each associated with its own answer. All answers are from Caleb Grace.

Q#1: What phase are the players in, if any, during the escape test action window provided by Gollum’s [SoM 107] Forced effect in The Dead Marshes scenario?

A#1: The players are in the very last step of the quest phase when they resolve “at the end of the quest phase” effects such as Gollum’s escape test. So, any effects that last until “the end of the phase” will have expired, but if the encounter deck were to run out of cards, it would automatically be reset because the players are still in the quest phase.

Q#2: Assuming a player has an effect that is limited to “once per phase” would the player be allowed to trigger this ability during the action window provided by Gollum’s Escape test and then also trigger it during the Travel phase, potentially stacking the effects that would both subsequently expire at the end of the Travel phase?

A#2: Any lasting effect triggered during the Escape test that expires at ‘the end of the phase’ will expire at the end of the Travel phase.

Q#3: Also, does this ruling also apply to “Until the end of the round effects” and “At the end of the round effects”? In The Battle of Carn Dûm scenario, for example, it is possible for Thaurdir [AA 127/AACE 129] to attack you as a result of flipping. This flip is triggered by the Forced effect on the quest card that triggers “At the end of the round”. This attack provides the players with an opportunity to trigger actions during the attack steps. So, if a player triggered an action that “lasts until the end of the round” during an attack made “At the end of the round” would it persist through the entire next round? If so, my first question also applies here. Could you stack multiple limited “once per round” “until the end of the round” effects?

A#3: No formal answer was given, but see answer to question 4.

Q#4: Would ally Beorn [CORE 31] be shuffled back into your deck if you used his Action during such an action window, since Beorn specifically says ” At the end of the phase in which you trigger this effect, shuffle Beorn back into your deck.”, I assume he would stay in play and wouldn’t even shuffle back in at the end of the Travel phase (in the example with Gollum).

A#4: The Escape Test and the action window it creates temporarily suspend the ‘end of the phase’ – they have to, otherwise every other ‘end of phase’ effect would trigger in the middle of the Escape Test. Because of this, you can trigger effects such as Beorn’s if you wanted to, but he would be shuffled back into your deck at the end of the Travel phase.

Q#5: When you are resolving “At the end of the round” effects, are you considered to be in any phase? If so, what phase?

A#5: The ‘the beginning of the round’ and ‘the end of the round’ can be thought of as bookends to the entire round. The beginning of the round is the moment just before the resource phase begins, and the end of the round is the moment immediately after the refresh phase ends. They are not a part of any phase and there are no normal action windows or opportunities for players to take actions during those times.

Q#6a: What happens if you trigger Beorn’s ability during an action window provided by an attack “At the end of the round” or “At the beginning of a round” since neither is a “phase” and Beorn’s ability specifically says “At the end of the phase in which you trigger this effect…”

Q6b: If Beorn stays in play, can you trigger his ability a second time in the Resource Phase of the round and have +10 attack from both triggers of his ability?

Q6c: What happens, for that matter, if you trigger any “until the end of the phase” or “At the end of the phase” effect during an action window provided by an “end of the round” or “beginning of the round” attack since you are not actually in a phase?

A#6a: If you trigger Beorn’s ability during an action window triggered by an attack at the end / beginning of a round, Beorn would be shuffled into your deck at the end of the next phase (the resource phase).

A#6b: Beorn’s ability is limit once per round, so you could not trigger at the beginning of the round and again during the resource phase. Although, if you triggered it at the end of the previous round, then you could trigger it again during the resource phase.

A#6c: The effect will last until the end of the next phase (the resource phase).

Q#7: With respect to Full Sail Ahead [TDC 16/TDCCE 36] and the Weather Turns Foul [TDC 17/TDCCE 37] quest cards in the Flight of the Stormcaller scenario, what, if anything, prevents the players from being Forced to place progress on Full Sail Ahead at the end of the round, immediately advance, and then have to also place progress on the Weather Turns Foul?

A#7: The Forced effect on The Weather Turns Foul will not trigger in this case because it was not in play when its timing trigger would have triggered. You should only resolve Forced effects that are in play and active at the time of their trigger.

Q#8a: You said that Eowyn’s [CORE 7] ability would end right before Gollum’s Forced effect started if you had chosen to trigger it during the quest phase. Is this still true?

Q#8b: If this is still true is it fair to say that if any “at the end of phase” or “until the end of the phase” effects are activated within that “suspension timing” you mentioned, that once the players resume play, they will start resolving all remaining effects (those that still needed to be resolved before the suspension and those that were started within it) in Passive > Forced > Response order?

A#8a: Yes. Effects that share a timer are still resolved Passive > Forced > When Revealed > Response.

A#8b: Yes. Once the test (and action window) that interrupted the end of the phase is concluded, the end of phase continues to resolve in the same Passive > Forced order.

Q#9: What happens if an action window is provided by an end of phase effect (like in the example with Gollum’s Forced Escape test) and during that “suspension timing” a new encounter card is revealed that happens to have an “end of phase” effect? Will it also be immediately resolved once you continue playing?

A#9: Yes. If a When Revealed effect triggers an ‘until the end of the phase’ effect during an action window that opens during an “end of the phase” step (such as an Escape Test), its effects will be in effect from there on until the end of the next phase.

Q#10a: Would Beorn ally’s effect be considered a lasting effect AND a passive effect or just a passive effect (assume you trigger his action during the Eowyn / Gollum Escape Test example). Specifically, the part that says “At the end of the phase in which you trigger this effect…”

Q#10b: To my knowledge, “lasting effects” are a subset of passive effects and are typically structured with the following wording: “Until the end of the phase, X”. Is this correct?

A#11a: Beorn’s Action creates a lasting effect.

A#11b: Lasting effects are a subset of passive effects. They function the same except that lasting effects start and stop whereas most passive effects are always on.

Q#11: If you use Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] to put Dwarven Sellsword [TDC 83/TDCHE 10] into play during an attack made by Thaurdir flipping “at the end of the round” in The Battle of Carn Dûm scenario, I assume based on the Forced effect ruling you would not have to trigger the Forced effect on Dwarven Sellsword that round since it was not in play at the time its specified trigger was met. Is this correct?

A#11: This is correct. The Dwarven Sellsword’s Forced effect will only trigger if it was in play when the ‘end of round’ happened. 

(3.233) 05 May 2017 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: In which order do we resolve effects that trigger “at the end of the refresh phase” and effects that trigger “at the end of the round” Do they share the same timing? How about “beginning of the round” and “beginning of the resource phase”, are they the same thing?

(C.G.) A: The end of the round comes after the end of the refresh phase. Everything that triggers at the end of the refresh phase triggers before the end of the round. The end of the round and the beginning of the round can be thought of like bookends to the game round and each phase therein.

(3.234) 27 May 2017 – Source #3

Q: Does the Grimbeorn the Old objective [SoM 37] stay with the player who has received him until the end of the game or does he move along with the first player marker?

(C.G.) A: The bit about 8 or more resources is a passive effect, so it is always active. That means when the first player changes, Grimbeorn the Old will change control and follow the first player token.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.013.

(3.235) 01 June 2017 – Source #5

Q: Let’s say I trigger Mirror of Galadriel [TRM 117], which reads: “Action: Exhaust Mirror of Galadriel to search the top 10 cards of your deck for a card and add it to your hand. Shuffle the rest back into your deck. Then, discard a random card from your hand.” when there are less than 10 cards in my deck? Can I use the Mirror in that situation ? And if I can, do I need to discard a random card from my hand then?

And what about playing Daeron’s Runes [D 108/EoL 20] which reads: “Action: Draw 2 cards. Then, discard 1 card from your hand.” when there is only 1 card left in my deck? Can I use Daeron’s Runes in that situation? And should I discard the card?

(C.G.) A: You can still search your deck if there are less than 10 cards. The rule there is to do as much as you can. You still have to discard a card from your hand due to Galadriel’s Mirror effect, since the ‘then’ portion of the effect is based on having added a card to your hand.

You do as much as you can with Daeron’s Runes too, draw the last card of your deck, then discard 1 card from your hand. 

(3.236) 12 June 2017 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If one of my heroes is Hirgon [TH 55/RoR 2], I have quested successfully and I have in my hand a 1 cost Tactics ally, can I still play that ally with Hirgon’s Response? Or since I can’t discount it I cant’ play it? How about a 0 cost ally like Dunedain Hunter [TLR 4/AAHE 27]?

(C.G.) A: You can still play a 1 or 0 cost ally with Hirgon’s ability and it will keep its original cost since it can’t be reduced.

(3.237) 28 June 2017 – Source #3

Q: Hello, I do not fully understand the Wolf Rider [CORE 81] shadow card. I understand that once it appears, I add a shadow card to it and resolve its attack first – thus making it considered to be an “enemy” since shadow cards cannot attack – before resolving the “host” card it is attached to. Then, declare a defender if I want, thus allowing me to use Swift Strike [CORE 37], if available, to kill it or to use Sneak Attack [CORE 23] and Gandalf [CORE 73/DoD 10/EoL 7/DoG 11/RoR 6] to damage it for four points (correct? Are there any other cards that can work in this manner?) thus killing it with Gandalf’s ability, but I cannot use Quick Strike [CORE 35] because the Wolf Rider is not engaged with me (right?). After Wolf Rider and its host resolves its attacks, can Wolf Rider be attacked with my characters, or does Wolf Rider resort back to being a non-targeted shadow card the moment it finishes its attacks? Thank you so much.

(C.G.) A: Wolf Rider’s shadow effect is very unique. It causes Wolf Rider to attack you, but Wolf Rider itself never actually engages you (nor does it enter the staging area). Because it is not engaged with you, you cannot attack after resolving enemy attacks. However, you can use the card effects you mentioned to destroy it during an action window in its attack. But if you do not destroy it with a card effect during its attack, then it does return to shadow card status and must be placed on top of the encounter deck at the end of the phase.

ALeP’s Note: See also items 3.066, 3.160 and 3.230 for more details.

(3.238) 05 July 2017 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Let’s say we are in the planning phase in a multiplayer game and I have finished playing my allies and attachments. The next player plays Gléowine [CORE 62] and uses it on me, making me draw an ally I really want to play. If I play  Follow Me! [TRM 85] and I become the first player, do I have another opportunity to play allies and attachments? 

(C.G.) A: In the planning phase, each player has a single opportunity to play allies and attachments, starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise. Once each player has had the opportunity to play and passed, the planning phase ends.

If someone plays Follow Me! it does not grant extra opportunities to play allies and attachments. Play continues to proceed clockwise until each player has had their opportunity. If you take control of the first player token after you had your opportunity to play cards, play will automatically proceed through player order until it reaches a player who has not passed. Once all players have had their opportunity and passed, the phase ends.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.177.

(3.239) 18 August 2017 – Source #3

Q: At which precise moment of setup do you resolve Setup abilities on hero cards like Tactics Eowyn [TFotW 2/TRotK 5], Leadership Denethor [TDC 1/TDCHE 1] or Thurindir [TH 28]?

(C.G.) A: The Setup abilities on heroes should be triggered when they enter play during step 2 of Setup, “Place Heroes and Set Initial Threat Levels.”

ALeP’s Note: This was first invalidated by item 3.347 and parts of item 3.348 but was then made valid again by item 3.354. See also our Reworked Setup pages for a revised approach to the Setup process (in which heroes’ Setup effects trigger at step 3.4).

(3.240) 07 September 2017 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When there is an effect that says “your threat cannot be reduced [by more than X]” does the limitation apply also to an effect that lowers or sets your threat to a lower number? For example say I play Pillars of the Kings while I control Saruman hero and I am at 46 threat. Will my threat go down to 40 or 45?

(C.G.) A: In every case where card text says that your threat “cannot be reduced” it means that the actual value on your threat dial cannot go down. This is important because there are several ‘threat reduction’ effects in the game that do not use the word reduce. For example, Elrond’s Counsel [D 59/EoL 21] says “lower your threat by 3” but I think players understand that if I cannot reduce my threat, then I cannot use Elrond’s Counsel to lower it either. Similarly, if I cannot reduce my threat then I cannot ‘set’ my threat to a value that is lower than my current one because I would have to reduce it in order to do that. In your example with Pillars of the Kings and Saruman you will reduce your threat to 45.

(3.241) 15 September 2017 – Source #3

Q: How do you resolve a Forced effect that triggers when you are resolving another Forced effect but haven’t yet finished?

• Do you keep resolving the first one and then resolve the second one?
• Do you start resolving the second one and then continue with the first one?
• Do you start resolving the second but ignore the rest of the first one?

This problem came when playing The Burglar’s Turn [OtD 72] that is to say quest stage 2B of The Lonely Mountain scenario, with Smaug the Golden [OtD 40] in play with 5 progress tokens on it. If you quest successfully the Forced effect on the quest triggers, you put the 6th token on Smaug and then Smaug’s Forced effect triggers. So would I still get to do the burgle attempt? Or would I just immediately advance to stage 4A?

(C.G.) A: When you resolve the Forced effect on stage 2B, you resolve it sentence by sentence. The first sentence instructs you to place 1 progress on Smaug. If that is the 6th progress on Smaug, then Smaug’s Forced effect kicks in and redirects you to stage 4A, removing stage 2B from play. Since stage 2B’s text is no longer active, you do not resolve the next sentence on it. Instead, you must resolve the When Revealed effect on stage 4A.

Therefore, when you place the 6th progress on Smaug at stage 2B, you do not make a burgle attempt, instead you advance to stage 4A. You must defeat stage 4B in order to return to stage 2B.

I hope you’re enjoying The Lonely Mountain!

(3.242) 28 September 2017 – Source #2

Q: How does Ramshackle Manor [MatPP 16] from the Murder at the Prancing Pony scenario work with Favor of the Valar [AA 124/AAHE 71]?

(C.G.) A: Any effect that causes the value of your threat dial to go down is reducing your threat. Ramshackle Manor prevents your threat dial from being decreased by more than 1 each round. So if Ramshackle Manor is in play when Favor of the Valar triggers, you cannot reduce your threat by more than 1. If your threat is still 50 or higher after the effect resolves, then you will still be eliminated.

Hope you’re enjoying Murder at the Prancing Pony!

(3.243) 02 October 2017 – Source #5

Q: Many location cards have a requirement like “Travel: the player must [do something] to travel here” (for example Stock Road [TBR 37/TFotR 37] in the A Shadow of the Past scenario). Does this requirement have to be resolved before actually traveling to the location (meaning the location is still in the staging area while resolving this requirement), or after the location has been declared as the active location (and so is no more in the staging area) ?”

(C.G.) A: Yes, a Travel cost is something that must be paid before the location leaves the staging area. If you cannot pay that cost, then you cannot make that location the active location.

(3.244) 21 October 2017 – Source #2

Q: Since characters are considered to be questing until the end of the quest phase, can I use Elevenses [TDC 36/TDCHE 49] to ready my questing Hobbit characters after the quest resolves? In effect, allowing my Hobbits to quest successfully and then readying them afterward?

• Commit Hobbits to the quest
• Staging step
• Quest resolves (success or fail)
• Play Elevenses to ready questing Hobbit characters
• Quest Phase ends

Is this correct?

(C.G.) A: In order to play Elevenses, you must play it immediately after the staging step ends. You cannot wait until resolving the quest to play the card. 

(3.245) 15 November 2017 – Source #2

Q: Bolg [OtD 53] reads: “The first Goblin revealed each round gains surge.”

The Door is Closed! [AA 92/AAHE 67] reads: “Response: After an encounter card is revealed from the encounter deck, cancel its effects and discard it if there is a card with the same title in the victory display.”

If I cancel the effects of the first Goblin revealed during the round with The Door is Closed!, does it still count as the first enemy revealed that round? Or was it never revealed, and the next Goblin I reveal will gain surge?

Quick Ears [AA 123/AAHE 66] reads: “Response: Exhaust a Dúnedain or Ranger hero to cancel an enemy card just revealed from the encounter deck. Then, shuffle it back into the encounter deck and reveal an additional encounter card.”

Is the situation any different for Quick Ears, where I cancel the entire card, not just its effects?

(C.G.) A: If you cancel the first Goblin revealed in a round with The Door is Closed or Quick Ears, no enemy has been revealed. Canceling that card also cancels the surge granted to it by Bolg’s ability. If you reveal another Goblin enemy after the first one that same round, it will gain surge because it will be the first Goblin revealed that round.

I hope you’re enjoying The Battle of Five Armies!

(3.246) 29 November 2017 – Source #2

Q: What happens if a player is eliminated (either by threat or by having all his heroes in the discard pile) in scenarios with separate staging areas, like in  the Escape from Mount Gram scenario (during quest 2B, before joining any player)? Where do the encounter cards from that player go?

(C.G.) A: If a player is eliminated while at his own stage, each encounter card at that stage is discarded and the stage is removed from the game.

(3.247) 04 December 2017 – Source #3

Q: We are playing the A Journey to Rhosgobel scenario in 2 players and during the staging step the first card we reveal is an Athelas [SoM 63]. To resolve the guarded keyword on that Athelas we reveal another card. I know that this other card (enemy, location or treachery) does not count in “a card per player”.

But that other card was another Athelas. We added in the staging area and revealed two cards to resolve the guarded keyword on both of them.

Does this second Athelas count as “a card per player” revealed by the second player, since it was not attached to the first?

(C.G.) A: The two Athelas and the cards revealed to guard them both resulted from the first player’s reveal, so you still need to reveal a card for the second player.

(3.248) 05 December 2017 – Source #5

Q: The Treachery Card “New Devilry” [KD 26] from the Flight from Moria scenario says, “If the players are not on stage 1, shuffle the current quest card into the quest deck, then reveal a new quest card.” Does revealing the next quest card mean that side 2A is revealed, or does revealing it mean that it should be flipped to side 2B? This is important since the scenario instructions state that quest cards should not be flipped until the beginning of the staging step.

(C.G.) A: When you resolve New Devilry, you should reveal the 2B side of the quest card.

ALeP’s Note: This was invalidated by item 3.303.

(3.249) 04 January 2018 – Source #3

Q: I am playing the Return to Mirkwood scenario and the active location is Dry Watercourse [SoM 132], which reads: “While Dry Watercourse is the active location, all treachery card effects that target the player guarding Gollum [SoM 130] also target each other player”

In the Combat Phase we reveal as a Shadow Card the Gollum’s Anguish [SoM 135] treachery, which reads: “Shadow: Raise the threat of the player guarding Gollum by 4″

My question: In this situation, is the Shadow Card considered as part of the Treachery? Should all players raise the threat by 4?

(C.G.) A: A shadow effect is only a shadow effect regardless of what card type it appears on, so only the player guarding Gollum will have to raise his threat by 4 when the shadow is resolved.

(3.250) 04-05 February 2018 – Source #5

Since in this case we had an immediate back and forth on a ruling, we put this together in a single item, with A#3 as the final and official stance.

Q#1: Can I play Behind Strong Walls [HoN 8/DoG 21] on a Gondor character who is defending an attack even if that character is ready (maybe thanks to a previously played Hour of Wrath [AA 144/AAHe 37])?

(C.G.) A#1: Hi Jan, You cannot play an event if it has no legal target. In this case, the legal target must be an exhausted defending Gondor character. Otherwise you cannot ready it. The second part of the effect depends on the first part being resolved because it begins with ‘that character’ and that refers to the character who was readied. 

Q#2: Thanks for your previous answer, but I am not sure what the difference is between Behind Strong Walls and a card like Elwing’s Flight [TGH 13/TDCHE 50]. In past you ruled that Elwing’s Flight can boost a ready questing character (see item 3.197)

(C.G.) A#2: Hi Jan, The difference between Elwing’s Flight and Behind Strong Walls is that the ready effect and stat boost are part of the same effect in Elwing’s Flight whereas they are two separate effects on Behind Strong Walls. In order to have a legal target for Elwing’s Flight, you only need a questing character to receive the +1 WP, whereas the way Behind Strong Walls is worded requires that you need an exhausted Gondor defender.

(C.G.) A#3: Hi Jan, we had a long discussion in the department about your rules question. The long and short of it is that I was basing my ruling off the idea that Behind Strong Walls is targeting an exhausted Gondor defender, but the other guys in the department pointed out that “ready” is the effect and “defending Gondor character” is the target. Basically, it’s written backwards from how I typically write my effects, so I was having a hard time seeing it that way. In any case, I need to revise my previous ruling about Behind Strong Walls. The answer is: “Yes, you can play Behind Strong Walls to give a ready Gondor defender +1 [defense] because its only targeting requirement is that the defending character has the Gondor trait.” Sorry for the confusion. 

(3.251) 05 February 2018 – Source #5

Q: If you want to play Heirs of Earendil [TH 115] on Dreadful Gap [KD 52], do you have to raise your threat by 0, or by the number of characters in play?

(C.G.) A: You will have to raise your threat by 0.

(3.252) 07 February 2018 – Source #5

Q: Speaking of your reversal of rulings about Behind Strong Walls (see item 3.250), you said that the intention of that card is to be able to give a [defense] boost even to a ready defending Gondor character. This would also mean that you can use Flame of Anor [TRD 7/TFotR 24] on Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7] even if he is not ready? That has previously been ruled illegal (see item 3.185), is it maybe because readying an exhausted Istari character is part of an additional cost for that card?

(C.G.) A: A good number of the rules questions that I get have to do with the intention of a card vs its actual language. I agree with you that the intention of BSW is that you ready the defending character, that is why my initial answer was that the defending character must be exhausted to be a legal target. However, as I examined the language closer with my coworkers, it became clear that the language on the card does not target an ‘exhausted’ defending Gondor character – just a defending Gondor character. Therefore, it is not a requirement that they be exhausted.

It’s not a surprise to me that I made a past ruling for Flame of Anor that conflicts with my current BSW ruling because it was only after the recent conversation I mentioned that I realized these events do not explicitly target exhausted characters. So I must reverse my FoA ruling as well to say that you can play it on a ready Istari character.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.185.

(3.253) 07 February 2018 – Source #5

Q: Just to be sure we have understood correctly the intent behind your recent clarifications about Behind Strong Walls and Flame of Anor, can we target a ready character with a card effect whose only effect is to ready the character itself? Or the fact that the card effect will not affect the board state in any way prevents it from being triggered at all? For example, can I trigger Tactics Boromir’s [SoM 95] Action in every phase, even if he is ready, to simply increase my threat by paying his ability’s cost?

(C.G.) A: My ruling regarding Behind Strong Walls and Flame of Anor was not to say that you can ready a character who is already ready. The ruling I gave was that neither of those cards explicitly target an exhausted character. Both of those cards have additional effects that can be resolved even if the target character is not exhausted. BSW gives +1 [defense] and Flame of Anor gives an attack boost. Therefore, both cards have the potential to affect the board even if the target character is not readied.

If a card’s only effect is to ready a character, then you cannot play it on a ready character because it will not affect the board. So if Boromir is ready, you cannot raise your threat by 1 to ready him because it has no effect. Similarly, you cannot play Ever Vigilant [CORE 20] to ready an ally who is ready because again it has no effect.

(3.254) 12 February 2018 – Source #1

Q: Speaking of the Spirit ally version of Prince Imrahil [TFotW 5/TRotK 19], if he goes back to being an ally, what happens to any resources he may have accumulated?

(C.G.) A: Allies do not have resource pools, so if Prince Imrahil reverts from a hero to an ally his resource pool would cease to exist and any resources that were in his pool would be returned to the token bank. Treebeard [TRM 146] and Radagast [SoM 59] work differently from Prince Imrahil because their abilities create resource pools for them.

(3.255) 26 February 2018 – Source #5

Q: In the Tower of Cirith Ungol scenario, locations can’t leave the staging area, I assume even if they get enough progress tokens on them. That can create an interesting situation. If you get enough progress tokens on a location to match its quest points, is the location still considered “explored” and can therefore trigger player cards such as Idraen [TRM 25] and others? I assume so, based on the rule book wording. In that case, what then happens if progress is removed from such an explored location (via Ravenhill Scout [D 8])? Does that location still immediately leave play when the scenario condition allows locations to leave the staging area because that location was once flagged as “explored”? If not, or even before that happens, what if progress is again added back onto the location? Is it again considered “explored” and can again trigger Idraen and other player cards?

(C.G.) A: Great question. I’m actually surprised that this has not come up before. I think everyone has assumed that if a location cannot leave play, then it cannot be explored. Though you are correct that the rules don’t explicitly state that anywhere so it does leave some ambiguity. It would create a lot of problems if a location could be explored without actually leaving play, however. So everyone has pretty much assumed correctly: The act of exploring a location also includes that location leaving play. If a location cannot leave play, then it cannot be explored.

(3.256) 28 February 2018 – Source #2

Q: Hi. I’m revisiting The Ruins of Belegost scenario (I obviously hate my heroes), and have hit the following situation in a 2-player (more like 2 decks) game:

Lurker of the Depths [TRoB 16] reads: “Cannot have attachments. Lurker of the Depths cannot be engaged or take more than 4 damage each round. While Lurker of the Depths is in the staging area, it is considered to be engaged with each player.”

The Lurker attacks the first player in the combat phase. It gets a shadow effect from Orc of Ered Luin [TRoB 19], which reads: “Shadow: After this attack, attacking enemy engages the next player, then makes an immediate attack”.

If Lurker cannot be engaged, can it engage? Do I leave Lurker in the staging area, but give it an extra attack against player 2? Do I move Lurker from staging to player 2’s area? Do I ignore the shadow, as engagement is normally mutual (so I’d assume engagement bars are too)?

(C.G.) A: The Lurker cannot leave the staging area, which means you cannot fulfill the first part of the shadow card “engages the next.” That means the second part of the shadow effect cannot trigger because it is prefaced with the word “then” – “then makes an immediate attack.” When we use the word “then” it means that whatever follows it will not resolve unless everything that preceded it was fully resolved. So, in the situation you describe the shadow effect will fizzle because the Lurker cannot leave the staging area.

Hope you’re enjoying The Ruins of Belegost!

(3.257) 27 April 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing the A Storm on Cobas Haven scenario what happens if I reveal an Heavy Cruiser [TDC 127/TDCCE 106] due to the guarded keyword on a Dol Amroth objective? Do I need to fetch a second Dol Amroth objective and attach it to the Heavy Cruiser?

(C.G.) A: If you reveal the Heavy Cruiser while resolving the guarded keyword, the Cruiser will still resolve its When Revealed effect. This will result in the Heavy Cruiser guarding two objectives at once. That means if you defeat the Heavy Cruiser, you will unlock both of those objectives at the same time.

(3.258) 14 June 2018 – Source #2

Q: If I use Bartering [TWoR 15/EMHE 64] on a Scroll of Isildur [AtS 142], and I control 3 [lore] heroes, is the cost of the next attachment played this phase reduced by 4, or by 1?

(C.G.) A: The cost of the Scroll is 4. You reduce the cost to play it by 1 for each [lore] hero you control, but you don’t actually reduce its cost while it’s in play.

(3.259) 19 June 2018 – Source #2

Q: Fundamentally this is a question about what happens when multiple effects have almost the same timing trigger, but resolving one makes the source of the other effect exit play…

In The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat scenario, I have already 10 progress on stage 1B but a single guarded ally still in play. Then I rescue that ally. My understanding is that the constant effect of quest advancement MUST occur before the Forced effect of stage 1B. Does this mean:

• The Forced effect does not occur because its source is gone before it can trigger
• The Forced effect was queued up to fire because its trigger condition was met, and so it still does happen (after quest advancement).

(C.G.) A: You are correct that constant effects resolve immediately when their condition is met, and this takes priority over Forced effects. So if you already have the requisite progress needed to advance and the only thing holding you back is the one remaining captive, then you will advance immediately as soon as that last captive is rescued. As a result, the Forced effect on 1B will no longer be in play to trigger.

(3.260) 19 June 2018 – Source #2

Q: We are at stage 1B of The Dungeons of Cirith Gurath scenario with already over 10 progress tokens on it. This stage cannot be defeated while guarded objectives are in play and has the following effect:

Forced: After any number of characters are rescued, reveal an encounter card.

Seems very straightforward.

So, we are in the quest phase and our current quest was a side quest. The active location was a Dungeon Cell [TH 125] with the last guarded objective attached.

We managed to quest successfully and explore the active location and defeat the side quest. Now the question .. how do we resolve things?

Here is how we done it:

a) the active location (dungeon cell) leaves play, because it is explored
b) we defeat the side quest (which has a Response effect)
c) we rescue the character from the prison cell
d) we defeat 1B because we have no guarded objective left
e) we do whatever 2A says and flip to 2B
f) we resolve the Response effect from the defeated side quest
g) we reveal an encounter card because of 1B Forced effect, which was in play, when the active location was explored

Is this order correct?

(C.G.) A: In the past I have ruled that progress is placed simultaneously on the active location and quest, but I am reversing that ruling because it was counter-intuitive and created a lot of questions. So from now on, the active location must be fully explored before placing any progress on the current quest. That means you will resolve any effects that trigger as a result of the active location being explored before placing any progress on the quest.

In your situation, that would mean:

1. You explore the location and take control of the prisoner
2. You immediately advance to stage 2A and resolve its When Revealed effect
3. You finish placing progress onto your side quest
4. You add the side quest to the victory display, if completed.
5. You discard the explored location.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates items 2.79 and 3.198. It can also be seen as partially at odds with items 3.170 and 3.291.

(3.261) 20 June 2018 – Source #2

Q: A question regarding The Lonely Mountain scenario from The Hobbit: On the Doorstep. I am a bit unsure on how to play the following: At stage 2, I quested successfully (as per FAQ 1.24, determined before placing progress), with 5 progress already on Smaug the Golden [OtD 40]. The Forced effect on stage 2B adds a progress to Smaug the Golden (making it 6 progress) – the Forced effect on Smaug advances me to stage 4A. I have yet to place any progress tokens. Can I place them on the active location (which was in place during the questing?). If I quest well enough, can I also place any remainder on stage 4B, even though it wasn’t the stage I originally quested against?

(C.G.) A: The answer is that after you advance to a new stage, any remaining progress is canceled. This comes from page 22 of the original core rules: “Additional progress tokens earned against the quest do not carry over to the next stage.” I understand why this isn’t obvious because the core rules definitely did not account for the unique mechanics of The Lonely Mountain, but the scenario was built around this idea. If you could defeat stage 4B immediately after advancing to that stage, it would negate the entire purpose for that stage existing in the adventure. 

I hope you’re enjoying The Hobbit saga expansions! 

(3.262) 18 July 2018 – Source #2

Q: Are objective-locations able fulfill the Guarded (location) keyword?

(C.G.) A: No, objective-locations do not count as locations when fulfilling the Guarded (location) keyword.

(3.263) 30 July 2018 – Source #5

Q#1: If I reveal a copy of Collateral Damage [HoN 24] when I have only 2 cards left in the encounter deck and 3 more copies of Collateral Damage in the discard pile, what happens? Do I reshuffle my deck immediately after discarding the 2 cards from the encounter deck?

If I reveal Biting Wind [TLR 52/AACE 12] when I have 5 characters committed to the quest and I control Spirit Frodo [SoM 25] can I assign all 5 damage to Frodo (and raise my threat by 5)?

(C.G.) A#1: The rules for the game say that you must shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck as soon as it is empty. So if you’re still resolving the first sentence of Collateral Damage’s effect when the encounter deck runs out, then you will reshuffle the encounter deck before resolving the second sentence of the treachery’s effect.

When you are instructed to assign damage by an effect like Biting Wind, you cannot assign damage to a character beyond its available hit points. So you can assign up to 2 damage to Frodo, assuming he only has his printed hit points available.

Q#2: A quick follow up question. Am I right in assuming that, if there are 3 cards remaining in the encounter deck when the last copy of Collateral Damage is revealed, the sequences goes like this:

Discard 2 cards for the first sentence in the effect. 1 card remains in the encounter deck. Discard 2 cards (shuffling in between) for the first copy of Collateral Damage in the discard pile. Now, the discard pile has been shuffled into the encounter deck, and there are no remaining copies of Collateral Damage there, so I stop discarding.

Or, instead, should I discard 2 cards for the first sentence, and then since there are more 3 copies in the discard pile at that moment discard 6 more cards (1 from the encounter deck, shuffle the discard pile back in, and then discard 5 more), even though there ceased to be copies of Collateral Damage in the discard pile halfway through resolving the second sentence of the effect?

(C.G.) A#2: After you resolve the first sentence of Collateral Damage’s ‘when revealed’ effect, then the second sentence has you check for each copy of Collateral Damage in the discard pile. At this point it does not matter if you reshuffle the encounter deck because you will still discard the same number of cards anyway. That number would be 6 if the remaining 3 copies of Collateral Damage are in the discard pile.

Glad you’re enjoying the game!

(3.264) 08 August 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If I add some cards to my starting hand during setup, for example the side quest fetched by Thurindir [TH 28], and then I decide to take a mulligan, do I also reshuffle the additional card(s)? And if so are they counted for the number of cards I will draw with the mulligan

(C.G:) A: The mulligan rules for LotR specifically target the six cards you draw at the start of the game. If an ability, such as Thurindir’s, gives you an extra card during setup, that card is not affected by a mulligan.

(3.265) 09 August 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: How do side quests work when playing the Helm’s Deep scenario, more specifically how do they interact with the Defense keyword? It seems they are quite the good way to “cheat” against this scenario.

(C.G.) A: When we started developing side quests shortly after that scenario, we realized it would create an interesting game state. There was some talk of forbidding side quests in that scenario, but we ultimately decided against it.

Instead, we made sure that the rules for the Defense keyword address it in their own way. So, to answer your questions:

• Yes, you can play side quests
• The main quest text is still active
• The Defense keyword is NOT active while a side quest is the current quest

That means, if you choose a side quest to be the active quest and you quest unsuccessfully, then you must raise your threat by the difference.

(3.266) 29 August 2018 – Source #5

Q: If I reveal Local Trouble [HoN 41] and the hero in play with the highest threat cost is Beorn [OHaUH 5], what happens?

(C.G.) A: Because Beorn cannot have attachments, he is not a legal target for Local Trouble so you will have to choose a different hero to attach it to. For example,if your heroes are Beorn, Théoden [AtS 134], Háma [D 76] and Local Trouble is revealed, you would have to attach it to Théoden. If another Local Trouble is revealed, then you would have to attach it to Háma.

(3.267) 12 September 2018 – Source #5

Q: There was an interesting point brought up in a rules discussion recently that has caused some confusion. According to the Rules Reference (Combat Phase – 6.4a): “The active player (starting with the first player) chooses an eligible enemy that he or she is engaged with to resolve its attack. An eligible enemy is one that has not yet attacked this round and is still able to attack.” The RR indicates that an enemy can only attack once during the combat phase, as eligibility is lost after it attacks for the first time. The question relates to enemies that “are considered to be engaged with each player”, but do not specify who they attack during combat, for example the Cold-Drake [EM 11/EMCE 39] during Stage 2B of The Withered Heath scenario. 

Does the Cold-Drake attack each player during combat or only the first player? In other words, is an ‘eligible enemy’ one that has not yet attacked *this round* or is it one that has not yet attacked *the active player this round*? We also wanted to bring up an evergreen discussion that goes on around how to deal shadow cards to enemies “considered to be engaged with each player and attack each player in the combat phase”. Let’s say there are two players, player A is first player and has an enemy with 10 engagement cost (E1), player B has a an enemy with 10 engagement cost (E2), and there is an enemy in the staging area that is considered to be engaged and attacks both players with 50 engagement cost (E3). At the beginning of combat, how are shadow cards dealt? Do you lay out all shadows for player A and player B (order is E3, E1, E3, E2) – in this case E3 would have two shadows and we flip one for player A and the other for player B? Or does E3 only get one shadow initially and when it goes to attack player B you deal it that shadow card (order is E3, E1, E2, E3)? Thanks! 

(C.G.) A: If an enemy is considered to be engaged with each player, it will make an attack against each player during their ‘resolve enemy attacks’ step. In that regard, the rules reference should probably be updated to say “has not yet attacked the active player” in order to make that more clear. I will make a note to do that with the next FAQ update.

As for shadow cards, an enemy that is considered to be engaged with each player should be dealt a new shadow card each time that it attacks. I will make a note to clarify that with the next FAQ update as well.

(3.268) 16 October 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing The Black Serpent scenario, if I am at Stage 3B and I previously placed 6 progress tokens on it, I am able to engage and damage The Black Serpent enemy [TH 94]. If I am unable to kill it straight away and later on a card effect removes some progress tokens from Stage 3B bringing it below 6 tokens what happens? Do The Black Serpent go back to the staging area and “heals” off all the damage?

(C.G.) A: The Black Serpent will immediately return to the staging area if there are less than 6 progress tokens on stage 3B. He will keep any damage that is already on him because “cannot take damage” only prevents damage from being placed. It does not count damage that is already on him.”

(3.269) 17 October 2018 – Source #5

Q: If it’s my turn to play allies and attachments in the planning phase, and I play Quick Strike [CORE 35], can I play attachments and allies during the action windows in the attack framework steps?

(C.G.) A [paraphrased]: No, you can’t.

(3.270) 03 November 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If I play ally Quickbeam [TToS 6/TTTo 20] when Cold from Angmar [TLR 54/AACE 14] is attached to the current quest, can I damage Quickbeam to ready it? Or does the blanking of Cold from Angmar come into play in between the damage and the ready?

(C.G.) A: If a character’s ability is part of the same sentence as the trigger, such as Quickbeam’s, then you should resolve the ability before treating that character’s text box as blank.

(3.271) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: What happens when I use a Map of Earnil [AtS 87] to play from the discard pile an event that checks how many copies of itself are in the discard pile, like Elwing’s Flight [TGH13/TDCCHE 50]?

(C.G.) A: When you play an event from your discard pile with Map of Earnil, the event leaves your discard pile and resolves its effect, then you place it back in the discard pile. So, if there are 2 copies of Elwing’s Flight in your discard pile when you choose to play one with Map of Earnil, there will only be one copy in the discard pile when you resolve its effect.

(3.272) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: How does Thror’s Key [OtD 16] work in the Temple of the Deceived scenario? Can I attach it to a location adjacent to the one I just traveled to since it’s now considered in the staging area?

(C.G.) A: When you travel to a location in Temple of the Deceived, the locations adjacent to the active location are considered to be in the staging area, but they are not “added” to the staging area. It’s the same as when an enemy in the staging area is “considered to be engaged” with you but it has not actually engaged you. So, I’m afraid Thror’s Key will not help you in Temple of the Deceived.

(3.273) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: A blast from the past this time and I’m sure you’ve gotten this question quite a few times. Wargs [CORE 85] have the text “Forced: “If Wargs is dealt a shadow card with no effect, return Wargs to the staging area after it attacks.”

#1 Does “a shadow card with no effect” merely refer to the existence of text that says “Shadow: ___” on the card, or does it refer to the possibility of the effect changing the game state? For example in the Conflict at the Carrock scenario, Wargs could get Roasted Slowly [SoM 49] as a shadow card, whose shadow effect is “Shadow: If the attacking enemy is a Troll, remove 2 damage tokens from it.” Does this count as a shadow card WITH an effect, thus keeping the Wargs engaged?

#2 Barring considerations such as #1, if you cancel the shadow card’s effect with Hasty Stroke [CORE 48] or similar effects, do the Wargs return to the staging area?

#3 If you discard the shadow card before it ever resolves, and it turns out that shadow card had no shadow effect, do the Wargs return to the staging area?

(C.G.) A: I love the old questions! Because I know how to answer them 😉

#1 A shadow effect is (and must be) denoted by the “Shadow:” text and bar graphic.

#2 If you cancel a shadow effect, the Wargs was still dealt a shadow card with an effect.

#3 If you discard the shadow card from the Wargs before it attacks, then it never has the opportunity to trigger its effect.

(3.274) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: When resolving A Very Good Tale [OHaUH 14/DoD 20] can I choose the order in which I will place the cards in the discard pile?

(C.G.) A: The first part of A Very Good Tale instructs you to shuffle your deck and discard the top 5 cards. You cannot alter the order that those cards are discarded in.

(3.275) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: What happens to the other player(s) when a player who is in control of an objective-ally with text that says “If [this ally] leaves play, the players lose the game.” is eliminated due to threat?

(C.G.) A: If a player is eliminated while in control of something like The One Ring [TBR 85/TFotR 166] or an objective-ally with game text that will cause the players to lose if it leaves play, then the players will lose the game because all of the cards under that player’s control are immediately removed from the game when he is eliminated.

(3.276) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: A question about stacking Doomed. Say you’re playing The Massing at Osgiliath scenario and haven’t crossed the Anduin. You’re sitting at 30 threat with a ready Elfhelm ally [SoM 100] out. During the staging step, you flip two consecutive copies of Massing at Osgiliath [TMaO 14], then an arbitrary enemy. The 2nd copy of Massing has gained Doomed 1 [threat now 31], at which point Elfhelm says “Nope!” [30]. So far, so good. How about that last enemy? Either: The enemy has gained a total of Doomed 2; that hits [32], and Elfhelm triggers [31]. Or: The enemy has gained “Doomed 1, Doomed 1”; the first Doomed hits [31], and Elfhelm triggers [30]; then the second Doomed hits [31], and Elfhelm triggers [30]. Different outcomes. Which one actually happens?

(C.G.) A: If a card gains two instances of Doomed, then it has Doomed 2. In the situation you described, the enemy revealed would have Doomed 2 forcing you to raise your threat by 2, then Elfhelm would reduce it by 1.

(3.277) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: Haradrim Elite [HoN 53] reads: “Forced: When Haradrim Elite enters play, it makes an immediate attack from the staging area against the first player.” What if you pull one of these guys with a Dúnedain Hunter [TLR 4/AAHE 27] or the new Wait No Longer [TH 5/RoR 26]? Is he engaged with you when he makes his attack against the 1st player? Or in the staging area? Both? Does he make his attack at all?

(C.G.) A: Haradrim Elite was written to explain its effect at a time before Dúnedain Hunter existed. Around the time that Heirs of Númenor was released, the design team was receiving questions about enemies that made immediate attacks as part of their When Revealed effects. Players wanted to know: “Does this mean it engages me?” The answer was always: “No, not unless its text says it engages you first.” But the questions kept coming, so the Haradrim Elite received an extra bit of text to clarify that it attacked “from the staging area.”

Unfortunately, that bit of clarification complicated how it interacts with the player cards you mentioned, but it’s really not that bad: the enemy will still make an attack, since it has entered play. It is still engaged with you, since nothing explicitly says to move it anywhere else, but its attack will be considered to come from the staging area.

The last part is similar to an enemy that is in the staging area but is considered to be engaged with a player. For the duration of the attack, the Haradrim Elite is still engaged with you, but considered to be in the staging area. That may or may not make a difference depending on what card effects are active, but that’s how it will resolve.

(3.278) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: Can I use Good Meal [D 10] to reduce the cost of a card with X in its cost, like Stand and Fight [CORE 51]? 

(C.G.) A: Yes, you can use Good Meal to reduce the cost to play Stand and Fight by 2.

(3.279) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: Can you trigger the Erebor Guard’s [TSoH 4/DoD 29] Response (lowering his cost) if you’re playing him off the top of your deck with hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7]? The possible issue is that, even if considered part of your hand, the Erebor Guard is still the top card of the deck, so does triggering his Response discard himself but still work? Does it discard the two cards below him? Can you not trigger it at all? If you CAN trigger it, when do you decide on whether you even want to trigger the Response? Gandalf’s passive ability “instantly” turns the top card of your deck faceup, so perhaps I would use that information to decide whether I want to use the Response or not, if the timing allowed for that.

(C.G.) A: Gandalf’s ability lets you play the top card of your deck “as if it was in your hand.” When you play a card from your hand, you place it in front of you and pay its cost before resolving the card. For the instant it takes you to play a card, it is not in your hand or in play – it is being played.

So, when you play Erebor Guard, you place it in front of you, pay its cost, and resolve playing the card. Therefore, it is not the top card of your deck when you play it and it cannot be discarded by its own effect.

You would, however, immediately turn the top card of your deck faceup as you are playing Erebor Guard with Gandalf’s ability, and that would allow you to decide whether or not you want to resolve the Guard’s Response effect.

(3.280) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: Can I use Black Riders’ Frodo [TBR 1/TFotR 1] to cancel The Ring Draws Them [TBR 79/TFotR 47]?

(C.G.) A: Exhausting The One Ring [TBR 85/TFotR 166] and spending 1 [fellowship] resource is the cost you have to pay in order to trigger Frodo’s cancel ability. That means The One Ring is exhausted when you resolve Frodo’s ability. Therefore, you cannot use Frodo to cancel The Ring Draws Them.

(3.281) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: If I reveal In Need of Rest [TVoI 58] at a time when no heroes are committed to the quest, does the treachery whiff entirely? Or did I still have to attach it to a hero (of my choice)? The “that hero” of the phrasing gives me pause: does it refer to a hero that’s been removed from the quest by the first clause of the effect, or to simply “a hero” (with the first clause whiffing but the second clause still able to fire)?

(C.G.) A: If there is no questing hero, then In Need of Rest will indeed fizzle because there is no eligible target.

(3.282) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: Can I exhaust hero Beorn [OHaUH 5] to play a card like Common Cause [CORE 21] and ready another hero?

(C.G.) A: No, you cannot exhaust hero Beorn to pay for player card effects because choosing him to be exhausted is a form of targeting him, and his immunity prevents him from being targeted by player card effects.

(3.283) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: What happens if I discard a Guarded (X) card, say Durin’s Axe [TVoM 6], with Well-equipped [AtS 116]? Can I attach it directly to a Dwarf hero?

(C.G.) A: You cannot “cheat” guarded (X) attachments. The guarded (x) keyword triggers after the card enters play; so no matter what you do, you will have to attach it to an enemy or location. In the case of Well-equipped, a guarded (x) card would attach to the Dwarf for a hot second before forcing you to mill for an enemy or location and attach it to that encounter card.

(3.284) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: If you use a Scroll of Isildur [AtS 142] to play Rumour from the Earth [SoM 124] and return the Rumour to your hand, does the Scroll’s bottoming ability still apply? i.e., does that ability still have “access” to the hand (a different out-of-play area than the one explicitly referred to on the card, the discard pile)? This is all assuming you can even return the Rumour to your hand despite it not having originated from there, but I assume this is doable; otherwise, the Silvan bounce effects would be greatly neutered by the fact that The Tree People [TRM 9/EoL 24] puts Silvans on the board who have never been in your hand.

(C.G.) A: The passive effect created by Scroll of Isildur does not resolve until after you finish resolving the effect of the event you chose to play. That means if you chose to play Rumor from the Earth and pay 1 [lore] resource to return it to your hand, you would then have to place it on the bottom of your deck.

(3.285) 05 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: When triggering Hirgon’s [TH 55/RoR 2] or Thranduil’s [EM 56/EMHE 2] abilities to play an ally outside the planning phase, can I play with them an ally from the top of my deck if I also control hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7]?

(C.G.) A: Gandalf’s ability does not combo with Hirgon or Thranduil because they only target allies in your hand. Gandalf’s ability only makes the top card of your deck count as if it were in your hand at the time that you play it. That means it only works when you would normally play that card. To play an ally with Gandalf’s ability requires you to play it during the planning phase.

(3.286) 06 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: What happens if I bring the guarded (X) version of Sting [EM 117/EMHE 33] to a scenario with no enemies in the deck (like The Battle of Lake-Town), or very few enemies that are all already in play (The Lonely Mountain, We Must Away Ere Break of Day)? Sting needs an enemy to fulfill its guarded (X) keyword. 

(C.G.) A: In most cases, when you are instructed to discard cards from the encounter deck until you discard the appropriate card, you will reshuffle and continue discarding until you find that card. If you go through the entire deck, and there is no viable target in the deck at all, then you resolve the card to the best of your ability. In the case of Sting, you would immediately take control of it.

(3.287) 14 December 2018 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Dori [AA 54/AAHE 4] is a really fun hero to use especially with Dwarven Shield [TSoH 10], but I have a couple of questions:

A) If Dori with Dwarven Shield is damaged by a shadow effect that says something like “deal 1 damage to the defending character” but the enemy has not enough attack strength to deal damage resolving the attack, can I still trigger Dwarven Shield on the shadow damage to gain a resource?

B) If I have attached Dwarven Shield and Vigilant Guard [TDC 113/TDCHE 33] to Dori (maybe by attaching Mighty Warrior [TH 31] to Dori before) and I trigger Vigilant Guard on the damage that another hero would take, can I trigger the Dwarven Shield on Dori to gain a resource?

(C.G.) A: Glad you’re enjoying Dori and Dwarven Shield. There’s a couple of under-appreciated cards.

To answer your questions:

A) No. In order to trigger Dwarven Shield’s effect, the damage must come from the enemy attack (i.e. damage dealt from the enemy’s attack strength).

B) No. When you use Vigilant Guard to redirect damage from an attack, the damage is coming from the attachment’s effect and not the attack.

I hope you’re enjoying the new cycle!

(3.288) 27 December 2018 – Source #2

Q: So, Wild Stallion [EM 33/EMHE 44] is a very cool card. Its new mechanic has brought up a couple of questions:

#1 Once you have attached it to an ally, does it retain its Planning Action to enable it to attach to another ally in the future? Or does it lose all of its original abilities, totally replaced by the “Counts as” text?

#2 If the ally riding a Stallion leaves play, would Spirit Bard [TWoR 2/EMHE 5] be able to return the Stallion to its owner’s hand? Or does it lose the attachment type before that can happen?

(C.G.) A:

#1 Its Planning Action is only active while it is an ally. Once you attach it to an ally, then it becomes an attachment and only its attachment text is active.

#2 Wild Stallion can be returned to your hand with Bard’s ability because it counts as an attachment at the time you check for his Response.

(3.289) 02 January 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Is there some limit to the ability of Tactics Bilbo Baggins [EM 112/EMHE 3]? If, after committing him to the quest in the usual way, I am able to remove him from the quest and then commit him again (say with Elevenses [TDC 36/TDCHE 49] and Hobbit Pony [AA7/AAHE 45]), can I trigger his Response again? And if so does the damage resolve twice?

(C.G.) A: There is no limit on Bilbo’s ability. You can trigger his Response as many times as you can find ways to remove him from the quest and re-commit him. You can choose the same enemy or different enemies each time. Damage for questing successfully will be applied for each instance.

(3.290) 10 January 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If while playing the Saga scenario I reveal an encounter card with Peril that requires me to make an Hide test or triggers an attack from an enemy, can other players help me during the test or the attack say with a Sentinel character or by boosting my characters’ Willpower? Or do the Peril limitations apply until the end of the test or attack?

(C.G.) A: Once the attack or Hide test has been initiated by a Peril effect, that effect has resolved. The resolution of the attack or the Hide test is its own thing at that point, and players are free to use teamwork during the open action windows.

(3.291) 16 January 2019 – Source #2

Q: AFAIK your most recent major ruling on progress placement during quest resolution is the following: “So from now on, the active location must be fully explored before placing any progress on the current quest. That means you will resolve any effects that trigger as a result of the active location being explored before placing any progress on the quest.”

What if the current quest changes as a result of exploring the active location? e.g., Quest 1B of The Withered Heath scenario has 6 progress, no Dragon Sign [EM 12/EMCE 40] in the victory display but the active location is guarding a Dragon Sign. I successfully quest with a margin of 1 progress above what it takes to explore the active location. If I’m reading it right, your ruling above indicates that I should place the progress that explores the active location—leaving 1 pending—which frees up the Dragon Sign, which goes to the victory display as a constant effect, which lets the constant effect of quest 1B fire, which advances the current quest to quest card 2. I still have 1 progress pending.

Do I place it on quest 2B? Or was it “assigned” to quest 1B, which is no longer around, therefore losing me that progress? Thanks!

(C.G.) A: Progress is still placed on the active location and the quest simultaneously. What I addressed in my ruling was the order of resolution from that point. In the past, I interpreted the rules very strictly as written by insisting that if there was enough progress on the quest to advance that players should do that before resolving anything to do with exploring the active location. That proved to be very counter-intuitive, so I reversed my ruling to say that players should first resolve any consequences of exploring the active location, and then resolve the progress on the quest.

However, since the progress is still placed simultaneously, if exploring the active location should cause you to advance to the next stage, any progress you had placed on the previous stage will be lost.

ALeP’s Note: See item 3.260.

(3.292) 22 January 2019 – Source #5

Q: Speaking of the Lost in the Wild treachery [TWoR 26/EMCE 141], what happens if you try to:

1. Put it into your deck with ally Gildor [SoM 79]? Can a card with an encounter card back enter your deck?
2. Use Message from Elrond [TRM 32] to send it to another player? Does Lost in the Wild trigger after it has changed hands? For whom? I am thinking of Rider of the Mark here. And at the end of the round, if it’s still in hand, is it shuffled into the encounter deck?

Thanks!

(C.G.) A: There are currently no rules that prevent you from putting Lost in the Wild into your player deck via Gildor’s ability, or putting it in another player’s hand or deck [sic?] via Message from Elrond. If you did move Lost in the Wild into another player’s hand with Message from Elrond, it would not trigger because it reads “After you play a card…” and it would not be in your hand at that time. It wouldn’t trigger in your teammates hand at that time either because they have not played a card yet.

(3.293) 19 February 2019 – Source #2 

Q: If I am playing true solo, and Lightless Grotto [TWoR 63/EMCE 162] is the active location with only 1 progress needed to explore it, what happens if I commit to the quest a character holding a Map of Rhovanion [TWoR 10/EMHE 61]? Does the Forced on the Grotto trigger before the Response on the Map? Or are the timing triggers (worded subtly differently) not truly simultaneous?

(C.G.) A: Forced effects always resolve before Response effects when they share the same trigger. Since both the Grotto and the Map trigger “after” you commit characters to the quest, you must resolve the Forced effect on the Grotto first.

(3.294) 20 February 2019 – Source #2

Q: If a Keys of Orthanc [TVoI 10] is granted Doomed 1 via Gríma [TVoI 2] could it trigger off itself?

(C.G.) A: No. The Keys of Orthanc must be in play at the time you play a doomed card in order to trigger its effect.

ALeP’s Note: It is somewhat difficult to square this ruling with item 2.74.

(3.295) 23 February 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Let’s say I just played ally Legolas [TToS 5/TTTo 11] with Celeborn [TRM 1/EoL 1] in play, so that Legolas gets its stats boosts. I then play Sword-Thain [AA 149/AAHE 72] on Legolas. Does he retain the stats boost from Celeborn?

(C.G.) A: A Silvan ally doesn’t retain his Celeborn bonuses when it becomes a hero.

ALeP’s Note: There was quite some back and forth with Caleb Grace on this that we are unable to properly reproduce in full, but this is the final answer he gave.

(3.296) 01 March 2019 – Source #2 

Q: When discarding multiple cards from your deck due to a player card effect like A Very Good Tale [OHaUH 14/DoD 20] or Soldier of Erebor [EM 85/EMHE 13], we are instructed to put the cards in the discard pile in the order they are discarded. Based on the Rules Reference guide, this would indicate that the cards are not discarded simultaneously, because cards discarded simultaneously are put into the discard pile in the order a player chooses. This leads to my question.

When using Dwarf Pipe [TH 7/DoD 30] to place a card that I have just discarded from my deck on the bottom of my deck, do I have to make that choice at the moment I discard the card? For example, if I discard 5 cards with A Very Good Tale, do I have to discard the cards one at a time, making the choice whether or not to exhaust the Dwarf Pipe with each card? Or can I discard all 5 cards for A Very Good Tale as a single instance, and then exhaust the Dwarf Pipe to choose one of the cards I just discarded and place it on the bottom of the deck? Thank you for the tireless work you put in on behalf of this amazing game!

(C.G.) A: I would say the correct time to trigger the Response on Dwarf Pipe is immediately after you discard an individual card that you want to put on the bottom of your deck. This is based on the fact that when you discard Hidden Cache [AtS 143/DoD 21] or Ered Luin Miner [TDC 66/DoD 8/TDCHE 69] from the top of your deck, you immediately trigger the Response effect before continuing to discard cards.

(3.297) 05 March 2019 – Source #2

Q: If an enemy with Followed [TH 139] attached changes play area, from being engaged with you to being engaged with one of your fellow players, does Followed keep on working, or not? As far as I understand, the owning player retains control of traps he played no matter where they travel around the table (thus the wording of Ambush [TLoS 9/TTTo 21], to skirt around this), so this is really a question about who the “you” on Followed refers to. Thanks!

(C.G.) A: Control of Followed does not change when the attached enemy disengages you. The “you” on the card refers to the attachment’s controller. So if the attached enemy engages another player or returns to the staging area, you cannot trigger the effect anymore because it is not engaged with you.

(3.298) 09 March 2019 – Source #4

Q: If I declare a character with Round Shield [EM 118/EMHE 31] attached as a defender and I have in hand an Hasty Stroke [CORE 48] I could play, what can I trigger if I reveal a shadow effect? Only the Hasty Stroke? Only the Round Shield? Both?

(C.G.) A: Round Shield only checks if a shadow effect was triggered, not if it was resolved. So you can first cancel the shadow effect with Hasty Stroke and afterwards still gain the +2 [defense] from Round Shield.

(3.299) 09 March 2019 – Source #4

Q [paraphrased]: It’s clearly established that Quick Strike [CORE 35] works against “immune to player card effects” because it simply changes the timing of initiation of an attack (without directly targeting the enemy). I think then that you could also use Oath of Eorl [TH 85/RoR 24] for a similar effect, allowing you to attack an immune enemy, but this time with multiple characters.

(C.G.) A: That is correct, Oath of Eorl also allows you to switch the normal timing of an attack, so it works on immune enemies that are engaged with you. And since you are declaring attack following the Player Attacks Step rules, you can declare attackers as normal.

(3.300) 09 March 2019 – Source #4

Q: According to item 1.26 of the official FAQ we know that for a switch to occur items must exist on both sides of the switch. Does this apply to Wizard Pipe [TRD 9/TFotR 23] too? Does the word “exchange” work differently than “switch”?

(C.G.) A: Yeah, “exchange” is a synonym of “switch”.

(3.301) 09 March 2019 – Source #4

Q: The new Grimbeorn the Old hero [EM 1/EMHE 4] is very cool and his Response seems amazing. I am just not completely sure about the timing it triggers, especially in regard to shadow cards that move the enemy in another play area or trigger an additional attack. For example, say we are playing in 2P,  I have Tactics Aragorn [TLR 1/AAHE 3] and Grimbeorn the Old and I am defending against a Black Rider [TBR 39/TFotR 39] in the A Shadow of the Past scenario. The Black Rider gets Pathless Country [TBR 72/TFotR 171] as a shadow card. Does Grimbeorn “counterattack” triggers before it moves to engage the other player (so I still apply Tactics Aragorn [defense] reduction)? Do I resolve the counterattack before or after the additional attack?

(C.G.) A: In the situation you are describing the Black Rider will move to the other player’s play area before you can counterattack, but you will resolve Grimbeorn’s counterattack before the Black Rider additional attack.

(3.302) 15 March 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If I have Lost in the Wild [TWoR 26/EMCE 141] in my hand, as well as Sneak Attack [CORE 23] and an ally I want to put into play, am I able to finish resolving Sneak Attack (so putting the ally in play) before I discard my hand to Lost in the Wild? Or do I discard my hand as soon as I start playing Sneak Attack, so before I am able to put the ally into play?

(C.G.) A: You’d resolve all of the text on Sneak Attack before discarding your hand, so the ally would enter play.

(3.303) 17 March 2019 – Source #5

Q: While playing the Flight from Moria scenario I reveal New Devilry [KD 26] while at Stage 2. For the purposes of the quest deck, is flipping a part of revealing a quest card or these are separate effects?

(C.G.) A: The rules for “Flight from Moria” in the Khazad-dum rules insert say: “Quest cards are not flipped to side B immediately when revealed. Rather, the current quest card is revealed only at the beginning of the staging step of the quest phase. The only exception to this are card effects that reveal and flip a new quest card, such as on Hasty Council [KD 74].”

This makes it pretty clear that unless the card effect tells you to flip the quest in addition to revealing it, then you should not flip it. So it looks like I answered incorrectly in the past because I forgot this specific rule. Since New Devilry does not tell you to flip the quest, then you should not flip the quest to side B per the rules insert.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.248.

(3.304) 26 March 2019 – Source #2

Q: Suppose I have two copies of Song of Mocking [SoM 99] out: one on, say, Aragorn [CORE 1] and one on Beregond [HoN 1/DoG 27]. I trigger both of the Songs, each one targeting the other hero. What happens when Aragorn takes damage? Does the most recently-triggered Song take priority? Or do I get the choice of where to put the damage?

(C.G.) A: The way Song of Mocking is worded, it redirects damage that is assigned before it is applied. Once it is applied, it does not move. So if you have Aragorn use Song of Mocking to redirect damage to him from Beregond (and vice versa), any time Beregond would take damage from a source other than Song of Mocking it would be applied to Aragorn. And any time Aragorn would take damage from a source other than Song of Mocking, it would be applied to Beregond.

(3.305) 02 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: Can I use Gildor’s Counsel [SoM 80] in a 1-player game to effectively cancel a surge effect? I realize I’d still have to stage at least one card, as per minimum. How about Stage 2B of Journey Along the Anduin?

(C.G.) A: The only instance where Gildor’s Counsel would be helpful in a single player game is when there is a quest stage or some other effect that says some variation of “Reveal an additional encounter card during the quest phase.” In that rare instance, Gildor’s Counsel would prevent you from having to reveal that additional card. But it will not prevent the surge keyword from triggering and being resolved.

(3.306) 09 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: In the Mount Gundabad scenario, the instructions on the quest cards tell the player to flip from side 2A to side to 2B at the beginning of the quest phase. However, the rules insert says to do that at the beginning of the staging step, under the ‘creating the quest deck’ section (which parallels what players did in the Flight from Moria scenario). Which is correct? Thank you!

(C.G.) A: The cards are correct. You should flip the quest cards over at the beginning of the quest phase.

ALeP’s Note: This was fixed in subsequent printings of the scenario, see the Official Reprints section of this page.

(3.307) 09 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: The quest card Dagnir’s Wrath [EM 139/EMCE 105e] in the Mount Gundabad scenario reads: “Forced: After characters are committed to the quest, Dagnir makes an immediate attack against each player with 6 or more characters.” Importantly, the phrase “in turn order”, which often is present in such effects, is not present on this card. Must these attacks occur in player turn order anyway, as in is “turn order” always implied in such cases?

(C.G.) A: I think it was reasonable for you to assume the “in turn order” was implied, but this is actually a case of “the first player decides.” As the core rules state, when there is more than 1 effect that would resolve at the same time, the first player decides the order they are resolved in. So if more than 1 player is going to be attacked as a result of the Forced effect, the first player will decide the order in which those attacks resolve.

(3.308) 16 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: There are two copies of Ravenous Spider [TWoR 35/EMCE 23] engaged with other players. I, with my low-threat deck, control an exhausted Sam. During the encounter phase, I play The Hammer-stroke [AtS 22], simultaneously engaging those two Spiders. Now, there are two Forced effects and two occurrences of Sam’s Response that all share the same trigger condition. How does this end up playing out? Will I be able to get two defenses out of Sam? Just one defense, with doubly-boosted stats?

(C.G.) A: The Spiders and Sam share the same trigger condition, but Forced effects always resolve before Response effects. So they do not all trigger at the exact same time. Here’s what will happen when you use The Hammer-stroke to engage two copies of Ravenous Spider at the same time:

1. Both Spiders will trigger their Forced effects causing them to initiate an attack.
2. The first player will decide which attack to resolve first.
3. Immediately after the first Spider is dealt a Shadow card, Sam will ready and get his stats boost as this is the first opportunity for his Response to trigger. He will get the stats boost twice because you engaged 2 enemies with an engagement cost higher than your threat, but he cannot ready more than once at the same time, so the second ready is redundant.

In the end, Sam’s ability will only allow you to get 1 defense from him, but with his stats boosted twice.

(3.309) 16 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: If someone else puts a Curious Brandybuck [AA6/AAHE 40] into play under my control using its Response, then that player is eliminated. What happens when the active location is explored at some future time? Does the Curious Brandybuck get removed from the game, or do I keep him? 

(C.G.) A: In the situation you described, the Curious Brandybuck would be removed from the game after you explored the location.

(3.310) 16 April 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: If I have an Eagles of the Misty Mountains [SoM 119] in play with 3 facedown attachments and there is Bard son of Brand [TWoR 2/EMHE 5] in play, am I able to return those facedown attachments to my hand when the Eagles of the Misty Mountains leaves play?

(C.G.) A: The Eagle characters attached facedown to Eagles of the Misty Mountains are identified as attachments, so Bard’s Response effect would allow you to return them to your hand when the Eagles of the Misty Mountains leaves play.

(3.311) 27 April 2019 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing The Withered Heath scenario, if I travel to Creature Den [EM 18/EMCE 46] and attach Dragon Sign [EM 12/EMCE 40] to it, do I also need to resolve the Guarded (enemy) keyword of Dragon Sign? And if so, does the Dragon Sign move from Creature Den to the enemy? Or is the enemy you fetch to travel to Creature Den already sort of counting as an enemy “guarding” the objective?

(C.G.) A: When you travel to Creature Den and attach a Dragon Sign to it, you do not resolve its ‘guarded (enemy)’ keyword.

(3.312) 28 April 2019 – Source #2

Q: Orcrist [EM 58/EMHE 17] and Glamdring [EM 29/EMHE 59] have the text “After attached hero destroys an enemy, …”. This is different in wording to all previous similar cards, which either say “After attached hero attacks and destroys an enemy…” or “After attached hero participates in an attack that destroys an enemy…”. 

Does this mean that heroes with the ability to deal non-combat damage – like Tactics Bilbo Baggins [EM 112/EMHE 3] or Argalad [TDC 82/TDCHE 7], for example – could trigger the Response on Orcrist and Glamdring if they destroyed an enemy through that non-combat damage?

(C.G.) A: For the attached hero to destroy an enemy, it must attack and destroy that enemy. We just shortened the language to make it fit the card.

(3.313) 04 May 2019 – Source #2

Q: The Forked Passage location [TWoR 55/EMCE 153] has a Response you can trigger before resolving the Deep keyword. Among other things, this Response adds the card to the victory display. If you do this, are you supposed to still resolve the Deep keyword anyway? Or does the Deep keyword trigger only if you decline to use the Response? Thanks!

(C.G.) A: The Response on Forked Passage allows you to choose which of the top 2 cards of the Caves deck you will get after you travel to Forked Passage. The Deep keyword will resolve whether you trigger this effect or not.

(3.314) 04 May 2019 – Source #2

Q: You said in a previous ruling about using Hirgon [TH 55/RoR 2] and Thranduil [EM 56/EMHE 2] with hero Gandalf [TRD 2/TFotR 7], that Gandalf only makes the top card count as if it were in your hand “at the time you play it”. What about immediately after? That is, if using him to play a card off the top of your deck with an “after you play [this] from your hand” ability (say West Road Traveller SoM 121/RoR 10] can you trigger the ability?

(C.G.) A: Yes, you can trigger the Response on West Road Traveller and other similarly worded effects when you play them from the top of your deck with Gandalf because you are playing them as if they were in your hand.

Gandalf’s ability does not add the top card of your deck to your hand, which is why it does not work with cards that specifically target a card in your hand. But he does allow you to play that card as if it was in your hand, which will combo with the cards you mention.

(3.315) 04 May 2019 – Source #5

Q: I might be totally off-base with this, but I’m going to wonder until I get it confirmed, so I will ask. In the Mount Gundabad scenario, are the Throat of the Mountain [EM 124/EMCE 109] and Dagnir’s Hoard [EM 123/EMCE 108] actually supposed to be in the encounter deck or should they be in the Caves deck? It’s just because between the interesting effects on them, victory 1, the threat being equal to quest points and the fact they’re the only locations in the pack without the Deep keyword, they match up to all the same elements on the other cards which are in the Caves deck. And since I know there was at least one mistake in the rulesheet (the discrepancy on when to flip the quest cards) I wondered if this was another such situation.

(C.G.) A: You are absolutely right: Throat of the Mountain and Dagnir’s Hoard are supposed to be part of the Caves deck. I’m so bummed that I didn’t remember to include that in the rules! I’m sorry for the confusion. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will include the correct rules in the next FAQ and make sure that reprints have the correct text.

ALeP’s Note: This was fixed in the following printings of this scenario, see the Official Reprints section of this page.

(3.316) 05 May 2019 – Source #5

Q: My question today is about the attachment Vigilant Guard [TDC 113/TDCHE 33], which says that “when another character would be assigned any amount of damage, place 1 of that damage on attached character instead.” Can damage that has been intercepted via Vigilant Guard be canceled with Raven-Winged Helm [AA 5/AAHE 32], an Honour Guard [AA 5/AAHE 29], Gondorian Discipline [AtS 60], or the new guarded attachment Mithril Shirt [EM 152/EMHE  48]? In addition, can Vigilant Guard be used to intercept damage that would be assigned via archery or other direct damage effects?

(C.G.) A: Yes to all those things.

(3.317) 09 May 2019 – Source #2

This ruling was obtained during an exchange between the Cardboard of the Rings hosts and Caleb. It was discussed during their podcast, more specifically around the 35:40 mark of episode 132:

Q (paraphrased): We were wondering what abilities can the players trigger during an enemy attack made at the end of a phase. Can effects that last “until the end of the phase” be triggered during the end of phase? If so, do they last until the end of the following phase? And what about effects previously triggered that lasted “until the end of the phase, are those still active? Is there a “beginning” of the end of a phase and an “end” of the end of a phase?

(C.G.) A (paraphrased): The ‘phase ends’ box is when the phase ends. There is no ‘beginning of the end’ or ‘end of the end’ – it’s a single point in time. You cannot trigger any effects that last until ‘the end of the phase’ during an attack that was initiated at the end of the phase and any previously triggered effects that lasted”(until the end of the phase” have expired. You could still trigger effects that last ‘for this attack”. 

If an effect lasts “until the end of the phase” then you must be in a phase in order to trigger that effect. This is consistent with A Game of Thrones where certain effects last “until the end of the challenge.” In that game, if a character is not in a challenge, then he cannot be the target of an effect that lasts until the end of a challenge. Similarly, if you are not in a phase, then you cannot trigger an effect that lasts until the end of a phase.

This may reverse one or two previous rulings I have made about triggering effects outside of a phase, but it is the simplest answer and it helps to avoid other strange interactions.

(3.318) 11 June 2019 – Source #2

Q: Assume that I have a Warrior character equipped with the attachment Vigilant Guard [TDC 113/TDCHE 33] as well as the Mithril Shirt [EM 152/EMHE  48]. If I reveal Necromancer’s Reach [CORE 93], which deals one damage to each exhausted character, may I choose to trigger the response on Vigilant Guard every time an exhausted character would take damage, and then reduce each of those instances of 1 damage by one with the Mithril Shirt, thereby doing no damage at all.

If I can do this, can I also do the same thing with archery damage, thus negating all of the damage as long as there are enough characters in play that I can assign only one damage per character?

(C.G.) A: The way Vigilant Guard and Mithril Shirt currently work, you can negate a ridiculous amount of damage. I think everyone forgot about Vigilant Guard during play-testing, including me. I expect this combo will take a hit when the next FAQ finally gets posted. It’s likely that Vigilant Guard will receive a limit of some sort that makes it impossible to redirect damage more than once per phase.

ALeP’s Note: This combo ended up not being fixed in The Dream-chaser Hero Expansion and Ered Mithrin Hero Expansion, so we proposed a fix in the Free to Choose List section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.319) 11 June 2019 – Source #2

Q: The campaign resolution for the Black Gate Open scenario says that if the first player controls Gwaihir [TMoF 41/TRotK 127] at the end of the game, the players add the boon to the campaign pool. Does this mean that if the game ends with the player controlling Gwaihir as second player, the players do not add the boon to the campaign pool? And if so, was this an intended interaction? Because it seems odd that whether or not you get the boon depends not only on whether or not you reveal it, and not only on whether you can keep it in play until the end, but also on the random chance of whether or not you end the game with Gwaihir controlled by the ‘correct’ player.

(C.G): A: It was our intention that if Gwaihir was in play at the end of the game, the players would earn that boon. I think the original version of that Gwaihir had the language “the first player gains control of Gwaihir” so that if he was in play at the end of the game, the first player would always control him.

ALeP’s Note: Based on this ruling we proposed a new wording for The Black Gate Opens Campaign Card in the Partially Official Errata section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.320) 19 June 2019 – Source #2

Q: Does Leadership hero Frodo’s [ASitE 2] second sentence depend on you paying the resource to trigger the first part of his effect?

(C.G.) A: The threat reduction is part of his Response effect. So if you do not trigger the whole Response effect by paying the resource, then you will not lower your threat for questing successfully.

(3.321) 09 July 2019 – Source #2

Q: When is a quest considered “defeated” for the purposes of a card like The Road Goes Ever On [TSoH 12]? Is a quest card considered ‘defeated’ if no progress tokens are involved in advancing to the next stage of the quest, but you advance via an effect printed on the quest card instead? Examples of this include a moment when there are no enemies in play during stage 2B of the Into the Pit scenario as well as all of the quest cards of The Fate of Wilderland scenario.

(C.G.) A: A quest card is defeated when it has progress tokens equal or greater than its quest points. If a quest card has game text that says “this stage cannot be defeated unless…” then that stage is defeated when it has no progress remaining and that condition is met.

If a quest card instructs the players to advance without making progress equal to its quest points, then that stage was not defeated.

(3.322) 09 July 2019 – Source #2

Q: I have a question regarding the new spoiled Lore ally Faramir [ASitE 5]: if there’s a Trap unattached in my play area (for example Followed [TH 139] or Outmatched [EM 62/EMHE 30]) and during the Planning Phase I play Faramir, engage an enemy with his effect and deal damage to that enemy, do I deal 4 (because in the process of engagement you attach that trap) or just 2?

Reading the Faramir card it says ‘Engage that enemy AND deal 2 damage…’ instead of ‘Engage that enemy, THEN deal 2 damage…’ Not sure if there’s a chance to attach a trap if the wording is ‘A and B’ instead of ‘A, then B’.

(C.G.) A: Both Followed and Outmatched create constant abilities while unattached in your play area. Constant abilities must be resolved instantly when their triggering condition is met, which means that they would be attached to the enemy the instant you engaged it. That means they will attach to the enemy at the same time that the damage is applied. Whenever two effects would resolve at the same time, the first player decides which one to resolve first. So it is up to you if you want to do 2 damage or 4.

ALeP’s Note: This is at odds with item 3.227.

(3.323) 09 July 2019 – Source #2

Q: Let’s say I have a Winged Guardian [SoM 4] in play and a copy of Meneldor’s Flight [SoM 76]/Flight of the Eagles [EM 32/EMHE 35] in hand. Presuming the Guardian doesn’t take damage from the attack can I use the action window between steps 6.4.3 (“determine combat damage”) and 6.4.4 (“enemy attack ends”) of the combat phase to return the Guardian in my hand, still consider the attack defended (since damage was already determined) and save it from its own Forced effect (which should come into play after step 6.4.4)?

(C.G.) A: Nate’s previous ruling pre-dates the expanded timing chart included in the online rules reference, so it’s fair to say that it is outdated. There is an action window after damage is applied and before the attack ends, so it is possible for you to return the Winged Guardian to your hand with either event you mentioned at that time to avoid losing it to its Forced effect.

(3.324) 10 July 2019 – Source #5

Q: So here are a few questions:

#1: The Custom Scenario kits hold different back artworks. Can we still use the Encounter-keyworded player cards when playing those scenarios? Or is it intended, as to not allow alteration of custom scenarios?

#2: Do Strider [TDC 91/TDCHE 73] and other “if you control 2 heroes” cards like Vanish From Sight [TDC 11/TDCHE 75] ignore Baggins/Fellowship heroes? Because those cards can sadly seldom be used in the Saga Expansions (or well, yes, multiplayer, when the Saga hero changes of player) whereas some decks can be built around those cards. The issue is even worse on solo, of course.

#3: When playing The Hobbit Saga expansion (which include treasures) or LOTR Saga expansion campaign mode (which includes boons), can the players include Guarded X player cards holding the same title as the treasure/boons they are supposed to find/earn later in the narrative? If both are allowed (special card type and standard player cards), the only restriction is “3 cards per title”, yes?

#4: Can contracts be used in Saga Expansions?

(C.G.) A: Let’s go in order:

#1: The custom scenario kits have different card backs because we wanted an easy way for players to keep the new versions of encounter cards separate from the old versions. There is no rule that prohibits you from using cards with the encounter keyword while playing a custom scenario. If you are playing in a tournament, you should sleeve your cards and be sure to bring a few extra for player cards with the encounter keyword.

#2: A Saga hero (like Baggins sphere Bilbo or Fellowship Frodo) is still a hero. So if you control 2 heroes and a Saga hero, then you control 3 heroes.

#3: There is no rule prohibiting you from including both the treasure / boon card plus its guarded player card version in your deck. You are still limited to 3x any card by title.

#4: Yes!

(3.325) 27 August 2019 – Source #2

Q: The rules state that every player may set up to 3 cards aside, which can potentially be added to the encounter deck: Ranger of the North [TLR 15/AAHE 22], Wind from the Sea [TH 144], Eagle of the North [EM 35/EMHE 69] and Tom Bombadil [TVoM 10]. Now only Ranger Summons [TLR 7/AAHE 21] asks for “1 of your set aside” Rangers, the other events only ask for “a set aside” card. Does this mean I can use cards in my deck, which target the set aside cards of other players, or may everyone only use his own set aside cards?

(C.G.) A: You may target your teammates set-aside cards, except in the case of Ranger Summons.

(3.326) 27 August 2019 – Source #2

Q: Question about archery and Loyal Hound [EM 148/EMHE 57]: when assigning archery damage how does Loyal Hound interact with it, more specifically:

1. Can I assign 1 archery damage to Loyal Hound and then discard it to prevent 2 archery damage on a hero?
2. Can I assign 2 archery damage to Loyal Hound and discard it before it dies to prevent 2 archery damage on a hero?
3. Can I assign 1 more archery damage to a hero than his/her HP, to then prevent it with Loyal Hound and bring back to less damage than HP, keeping the hero alive?

(C.G.) A: You cannot over-assign archery damage. You can only ever assign archery damage to a character equal to its remaining hit points. In the case of the Loyal Hound, you assign the archery damage before resolving it. Once it is assigned, you can use the Hound’s Response to discard it and cancel 2 damage that would be dealt to your hero. So if you assign 2 to the Hound and 2 to your hero, the Loyal Hound can essentially absorb 4 archery damage.

(3.327) 27 August 2019 – Source #5

Q: Hi Caleb, If I play the new Lore ally Faramir [ASitE 5] and target an Easterling Outrider [ASitE 13] in the staging area, does it trigger the enemy’s Forced effect before he’s killed by Faramir’s Response? If I choose the attack, is the enemy killed by Faramir’s response before I have to defend?

(C.G.) A: Easterling Outrider’s Forced effect will trigger regardless of how it is engaged. However, if you choose for it to attack you, it will take damage from Faramir’s ability before the attack is resolved. Then the attack will be canceled because the Outrider will be dead.

(3.328) 28 September 2019 – Source #2

Q: It’s the Planning phase. I Sneak Attack [CORE 23] a Silvan ally into play, then I play Host of Galadhrim [TVoM 36/EoL 23]. Does the delayed effect on Sneak Attack still “see” that same ally and thus return it to my hand at the end of the phase? Or did the process of resolving Host of Galadhrim make the game “lose track” of that ally (it left play briefly), thus letting it stick around having been played by Host of Galadhrim? Thanks!

(C.G.) A: Sneak Attack says “if that ally is still in play” so I would say that if the ally is still in play at the end of the phase, it should be returned to your hand regardless of what happened to it during the phase.

(3.329) 28 September 2019 – Source #2

Q: If the Guarded (X) versions of Glamdring [EM 29/EMHE 59] or Orcrist [EM 58/EMHE 17]  are guarded by an enemy, and I kill the enemy and immediately attach that card to a hero that participated in the attack, is their Response immediately triggerable?

(C.G.) A: No, Glamdring/Orcrist must be already attached when you resolve the attack in order to trigger its ability.

(3.330) 14 November 2019 – Source #5

Q: Can I use The Master Ring [ASitE 9] to cancel a card like Sacked! [SoM 48]? I assume so because you’re canceling the whole card and not directly the un-cancellable When Revealed effect.

(C.G.) A: The text “cannot be canceled” is absolute. There is nothing in the game that lets you dodge that effect.

ALeP’s Note: This is at odds with other rulings about “whole card card cancel” effects, like The Door is Closed and Black Riders Frodo. It might be reconciled with those, if we make it so the “cannot be canceled” effect of Sacked! and other similar cards is considered not as part of a When Revealed effect, but as a constant ability like “immune to player card effects”.

(3.331) 24 November 2019 – Source #2

Q: What cards are actually considered to be part of “my collection” for the purposes of The Burglar’s Turn [TVoM 24]? Can I include boons, treasures and so forth in my Loot deck?

(C.G.) A: “Your collection” means cards that you could normally include in your deck. Boons, treasures, and encounter cards are not considered part of your collection because they all have specific rules about when and how they can be used. 

ALeP’s Note: This ruling came out before there were any cards looking for encounter cards in your collection, so its wording is a bit in contrast with things like Stalking Goblin [TDoM 41].

(3.332) 25 November 2019 – Source #2

Q: Regarding The Burglar’s Turn [TVoM 24] contract: it says that if the attachment has the guarded keyword when you attach it to the active location, you ignore it. But when the active is explored it says to “you may put each guarded attachment on that location into play at no cost”. Would you then trigger the guarded keyword on a guarded player card?

Regarding The Grey Wanderer [TVoM 74] contract: if you start the game by choosing a guarded attachment as your one attachment, what happens? My understanding is that during the Setup of the player cards, there is not yet an encounter deck with which to trigger the guarded keyword.

(C.G.) A: The Burglar’s Turn bypasses the guarded keyword altogether. Once you explore that location, you can attach the guarded attachment to an eligible character.

The Grey Wanderer has a Setup ability. This should be resolved after you do the Setup on the quest. There will always be an encounter deck at that point.

With regard to Grey Wanderer, note that you could end up with the card you want in your opening hand.

ALeP’s Note: The second paragraph of this ruling was invalidated by item 3.354.

(3.333) 25 November 2019 – Source #2

Q: What happens if  Sméagol [ASitE 72] is your last hero, and Stinker [ASitE 71] flips him to Gollum [ASitE 73]? Are you immediately eliminated?

(C.G.) A: If Sméagol is your last hero, and Stinker flips him to Gollum, you are not eliminated. Any damage that would be dealt from undefended attacks [framework step 6.4.3] while you’re in this state evaporates into the ether.

(3.334) 27 November 2019 – Source #2

Q: I have a couple of questions on The Burglar’s Turn [TVoM 24] contract:

1. What happens when the Loot card you are about to put on a location is a unique item already in play? Do you place it out of play and draw a new Loot card for the location? Or do you place it out of play and the location gets no Loot card?
2. The second part of the contract says “When the active location is explored, you may put each guarded attachment on that location into play at no cost, or add it to your hand.” What happens if you attach an item to a location by traveling there, but then the location is pushed back into the staging area by a card effect such as Strider’s Path [SoM 9] and is explored in the staging area? Do you still get to put the guarded attachment into play per the usual Guarded Objective rules and merely do not have the option of adding it to your hand, or is it placed entirely out of play?

(C.G.) A: Here you go:

1. The rules for unique cards will prevent the loot card from entering play. That will unfortunately cause the effect to whiff that turn.
2. Exploring a location with a loot card from the staging area will result in its attachments being discarded. The guarded keyword on attachments put into play by The Burglar’s Turn is ignored.

(3.335) 04 December 2019 – Source #2

Q: You had a great interview on Card Talk the other day. Thanks for that!

In it, you are asked about Spirit hero Dáin Ironfoot [EM 84/EMHE 6] and “at the end of the phase” attacks. You gave an answer that was quite clear, except the audio cut out a little at the end. So just to clarify:

Dáin defends during the Combat Phase, using his Action 3 times. Then, an attack occurs at the end of the Combat Phase. Can he use his Action again or has he already exhausted his “limit 3 times per phase”? Can he trigger his Action since the attack is not happening in a phase?

(C.G.) A: If Dáin is ready somehow at the end of the Combat Phase and defends against this new attack, he can trigger his Action up to 3 times more, even if the attack it’s not happening inside a phase since his bonus applies “for this attack”. The “limit 3 times per phase” will apply towards the NEXT phase (in this case, the Refresh phase).

(3.336) 17 December 2019 – Source #2

Q: The FAQ states: “When resolving an enemy attack, the defending player should check the status of the attacking enemy at the end of each step: is there still an attacking enemy? … If not, end the attack.” What does this mean for card effects that trigger “after [a character] defends”? For example, let’s say that Spirit Beregond [TFotW 3/TRotK 7] has a Spear of the Citadel [HoM 9], and he is declared as a defender against an enemy attack. The Spear damage kills the enemy. Can Beregond lower my threat by 1? Similarly for any hero that has a Spear and Armored Destrier attached.

(C.G.) A: An attack was initiated, and Beregond was declared a defender, so Beregond has defended an attack regardless of whether or not all the steps of that attack were fully resolved. That means you would still be able to resolve his Response effect.

(3.337) 07 January 2020 – Source #2

Q: If I play Host of Galadhrim [TVoM 36/EoL 23] and with its effect I return to my hand and then play a Galadhrim Weaver [AA 89/AAHE 42], can I shuffle back in my deck the Host of Galadhrim that I just played?

(C.G.) A: Host does not enter your discard pile until you fully resolve its effect. That means it will “float” until you have put all your Silvan allies back into play and resolved their ‘enters play’ effects . 

(3.338) 16 January 2020 – Source #5

Q: I have Ered Luin Miner [TDC 66/DoD 8/TDCHE 69] on top of my deck, I am questing successfully and declare ally for my Expert Treasure-hunter [OtD 17]. What happens to the Ered Luin Miner? Does he go to my hand as ETH says or can i mid-interrupt ETH and trigger Ered Luin Miner to put him into play

(C.G.) A: Ered Luin Miner’s ability must be triggered immediately after he is discarded when you resolve the first line of Expert Treasure Hunter. This will cause the Miner to enter play. However, then you must resolve the next line of Expert Treasure Hunter, which will return him to your hand. It’s a strange interaction for sure.

(3.339) 07 February 2020 – Source #2

Q: You recently shared a ruling (see item 3.337) with a community member about Host of Galadhrim and a Galadhrim Weaver, stating that the event would still be floating outside the discard pile at the time that the Weaver’s Response could be triggered.

I just want to clarify this, as the Weaver has an “after [name] enters play” Response—we should consider events as still resolving until all triggered effects due to things the event may have incited (even “after”s) have completely resolved as well?

Related: is it also the case that Sneak Attack [CORE 23] and The Tree People [TRM 9/EoL 24] are still outside the discard pile at the time the Weaver triggers (if a Weaver is the relevant ally put into play)?

(C.G.) A: Yes, the rule for playing an event is that you wait until its effect is fully resolved before placing it in the discard pile.

(3.340) 15 February 2020 – Source #2 

Q: Ally Galadriel [TRD 3/TFotR 9] puts an attachment into play, as opposed to playing it. Vilya [D 137/EoL 30] also can do this. Can this attachment be put on another player’s character?

Of course, the rules for attachment cards specifically say you can ” play ” them on other players’ characters. But the Rules Reference section about Ownership and Control states “By default, cards enter play under their owner’s control”. 

I wasn’t sure if that was intended to still apply with Galadriel/Vilya.

(C.G.) A: If you put an attachment into play with Galadriel’s ability you can still attach that attachment to any legal target. For example, if it says “attach to a hero” that can be any hero in the game, regardless of who controls that hero.

(3.341) 15 February 2020 – Source #2

Q: Lots of people are excited about hero Saruman [TVoM 54] and Saruman’s Staff [TVoM 63], such a great design! A question his Staff brings up: suppose you use it to reduce the Doomed value of the next event by 2. Then you want to use the Response on a Steward of Orthanc [TH 37] to give an otherwise vanilla event Doomed 1. This would end up being Doomed 0 because of the Staff’s lasting effect. Do you still get to draw a card from that Steward of Orthanc?

The hesitation comes from wondering whether we really paid the price of “give it Doomed 1” or not. Thanks in advance!

(C.G.) A: You can combo Steward of Orthanc with Saruman’s Staff. It works like this:

1. Trigger Saruman’s Staff (-2 doomed)
2. Play an event
3. Give it Doomed 1 with Steward of Orthanc (+1 doomed)
4. You end up drawing a card without raising your threat because you reduced the doomed value to 0.

(3.342) 16 February 2020 – Source #5

Q: If an enemy enters play or engages me mid-combat, after shadow cards are dealt, do they get shadow cards?

(C.G.) A: If an enemy engages you during the “resolving enemy attacks” portion of the combat phase, it will make an attack. However, it will not be dealt a shadow card since it was not engaged with you at the beginning of the combat phase when shadow cards were dealt.

(3.343) 20 February 2020 – Source #5

Q: How does the victory display interact with locations and the quest cards in the Wrath and Ruin scenario? If I have a location (let’s say Seedy Tavern [ASitE 47]) which when explored should go to the victory display does it go there or do I take control of it instead? 

(C.G.) A: The quest card effect will force you to take control of Seedy Tavern instead of placing it in the victory display. 

(3.344) 25 February 2020 – Source #2

Q: If an effect raises my threat “by 1 for each XXXX” does the threat raise happen as many separated 1 threat raises or as a single large threat increase? Say I reveal Pursued by Shadow [CORE 117] while I have 5 characters not committed to the quest, do I raise my threat by 1 five times or do I raise my threat by 5? This can be especially relevant with Spirit ally Elfhelm’s [SoM 100] ability.

(C.G.) A: When an effect raises your threat by 1 “for each X” you should calculate the total and then raise your threat all at once. So if you have 5 characters not committed to the quest when Pursued by Shadow is revealed, you would raise your threat by 5 all at once, not by 1 five times. That means Elfhelm’s ability would cause you to raise your threat by 4 instead of 5.

ALeP’s Note: This ruling is probably from 2018, but this is the first recorded instance.

(3.345) 28 February 2020 – Source #2

Q: If there is a Great Barrow [FotBD 7] in the Victory Display can I use The Door is Closed! [AA 92/AAHE 67] to cancel another one that is being revealed? Or is the “immune to player card effects” text already active?

(C.G.) A: You cannot cancel a Great Barrow with The Door is Closed! because the “immune to player card effects” is active immediately, which prevents you from targeting Great Barrow with the event.

ALeP’s Note: This ruling is probably from 2018, but this is the first recorded instance.

(3.346) 02 March 2020 – Source #2

Q: Speaking of enemies that are “considered to be engaged with each player” how do their attacks in the combat phase work? Are they considered eligible enemies according to the Rules Reference definition of “An eligible enemy is one that has not yet attacked this round and is still able to attack.”? How are shadow cards dealt to them? Do I deal such an enemy a shadow card at the beginning of the Combat Phase for each player they will attack later on? Or do I deal such an enemy a shadow card each time it attacks?

A: If an enemy is considered to be engaged with each player, it will make an attack against each player during their ‘resolve enemy attacks’ step. In that regard, the rules reference should probably be updated to say “has not yet attacked the active player” in order to make that more clear.

As for shadow cards, an enemy that is considered to be engaged with each player should be dealt a new shadow card each time that it attacks. I will make a note to clarify that with the next FAQ update as well.

ALeP’s Note: This ruling is probably from 2019, but this is the first recorded instance.

(3.347) 02 March 2020 – Source #4

Q: When do contracts Setup effects trigger exactly inside the various steps of Setup? When you put the contract in play alongside your heroes? After you draw your starting hand? This can be especially relevant for Messenger of the King [TVoM 134] (where you can draw your intended unique ally in your starting hand) or for The Grey Wanderer [TVoM 74] if you plan to choose a Guarded (X) card as your Setup attachment.

(C.G.) A: Player card Setup effects are resolved during step 7 of the game Setup instructions. You should resolve player card Setup abilities after resolving the Setup instructions for the scenario. That does mean it is possible that you could draw your only copy of a card before that, so it is good to include multiple copies or have a back up plan. It also means that Guarded (X) cards will pull cards from the encounter deck.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidated for a while item 3.239 but was later counteracted by item 3.354.

(3.348) 03 March 2020 – Source #2

Q: Here are a couple of questions:

#1: Several Stage 2B cards of Mount Gundabad read “After characters are committed to the quest……“. Should this be triggered “After a player commits characters to the quest……” or “After all the players commit characters to the quest……” ?

#2: There are several Setup abilities in the game now. Contract cards like Messenger of the King [TVoM 134] and The Grey Wanderer [TVoM 74], other player cards like Thurindir [TH 28] and The One Ring [ASitE 1] as well as quest cards. But when did these effects trigger? Before the players draw their opening hands, or after ?

Some cards, like Gandalf’s Delay [TBR 78/TFotR 46] should definitely be triggered before players draw their hands and mulligan, but how about Thurindir? Should he search for the side quest , and draw the other 5 cards? If so, how do you take a mulligan?

#3: If the Setup effect triggers after the players draw their hands and a player gets the ally or attachment they wanted to use for Messenger of the King or The Grey Wanderer in their opening hand, does that mean they have to prepare a Plan B?

(C.G.) A: Let’s go in order:

#1: “After characters are committed to the quest” is the same as “after all the players have committed characters to the quest.”

#2: Setup abilities should be resolved during step 7 of the Setup rules for the game: “Follow Scenario Setup Instruction.” Resolve the scenario Setup instructions first, and then resolve any player card Setup instructions. The only exception to this is Gandalf’s Delay. That card doesn’t actually work as intended as written, but we have never issued errata because players seem to have intuited how it was meant to work and resolved it on their own. It does however create confusion with regard to other Setup abilities as you pointed out, but if you understand that Gandalf’s Delay is the exception and not the rule, the rest of the Setup effects work as intended.

A3: It is possible to draw the card you want to search for in your opening hand with Messenger of the King and The Grey Wanderer. In those cases it is prudent to have a backup plan.

ALeP’s Note: A#2 and A#3 of this ruling invalidated for a while item 3.239 but were later counteracted by item 3.354.

(3.349) 03 March 2020 – Source #4

Q: How does hero Sméagol [ASitE 72] interact with effects which would shuffle it in the player’s deck (or a subset of it) like Lost and Alone [D 124] from the Foundations of Stone scenario or a scenario Setup like the one from Escape from Mount Gram? 

(C.G.) A: In that unlikely event, you would have to shuffle a double-sided card into your deck.

(3.350) 24 March 2020 – Source #4

Q: How do two different Forced effects with the same trigger interact when one of them causes an immediate attack?

Actual game example from the A Shadow of the Past scenario (let’s say we have no cancellation available):

The treachery Have you Seen Baggins? [TBR 43/TFotR 43] (which attaches as a Condition to Hero A, which is ready) surges into a Black Rider [TBR 39/TFotR 39]. I fail the Hide Test triggered by the Black Rider (but Hero A is still ready). The constant effect of the quest has the Rider engage me, then both the Condition and the Black Rider Forced effects are triggered. 

From previous rulings we can choose the order to resolve them, but when does the second one come into play? Can we choose for the Black Rider attack first, defend with Hero A and get it destroyed to “avoid” the Condition Forced effect? Or as soon as we have an action window in the immediate attack the Condition Forced effect resolves? Or some other situation?

Thanks as always for the answers.

(C.G.) A: You can choose which Forced effect to trigger first, but they must both be resolved as soon as possible. So if you chose to resolve the immediate attack first, you would also have to resolve Have You Seen Baggins? as soon as that attack was initiated. You could not wait until the attack was over, sorry.

(3.351) 29 March 2020 – Source #2

Q: Ally Gamling [TLoS 7/TTTo 14] reads “Response: After a Rohan ally you control is discarded from play, exhaust Gamling to return that ally to your hand.” My question is if a non-Rohan ally has gained the Rohan trait via Nor am I a Stranger [SoM 31], and gets discarded from play, can they be returned to your hand with Gamling?

(C.G.)A: No, you cannot. When a character leaves play, you immediately discard all attachments from it. After the ally in question has left play, it no longer has the Rohan trait; therefore it is no longer a valid target for Gamling.

(3.352) 07 April 2020 – Source #4

Q: When playing the Challenge of the Wainriders scenario, when The Wainriders objective [TVoM 64] advances in the circuit, do you discard the damage tokens from the quest stage it left? Or do they stay on? 

Cause for the progress tokens for the players it’s clearly pointed out to discard them, but not so for the damage tokens for the enemies (and if you do not discard them they would fly through the second loop around the circuit).

(C.G.) A: I swore we addressed that in the rules, but it’s been a long time since I looked at them. In any case, you remove damage tokens from a defeated stage just like you remove progress. The Wainriders do not automatically complete their second loop.

I hope you’re enjoying our chariot-race scenario!

(3.353) 14 April 2020 – Source #4

Q: How does Messenger of the King [TVoM 134] interact with heroes like Folco [TH 109] or Mirlonde [AtS 32]? And how does it interact with Lore Aragorn [D 53]?

(C.G.) A: Mirlonde’s and Folco’s abilities do not interact with Messenger of the King at all because the ally does not have its own threat cost. Instead, it is the contract that instructs you to raise your starting threat by the sum of that ally’s stats.

The Messenger of the King modifies your starting threat, so Lore Aragorn’s ability will reset to the modified value.

(3.354) 18-19 April 2020 – Source #4

Q: I have some more questions about your latest Setup ruling [see item 3.348]:

#1 – How does that ruling interact with boons from the Saga? Does a player basically risk to draw some of their boons in the starting hand and see it reduced in size since the all “go fetch them from the deck” part is moved after drawing the starting hand/mulligan?

#2 – How about The One Ring objective [TBR 85/TFotR 166] from the Saga? It is attached to a hero with a Setup effect (so in Step 7 by your recent ruling) but then how can you have 4 heroes since it’s The One Ring that lets you have a 4th one and the heroes selection occurs in Step 2?

The booklet from the A Shadow of the East deluxe says that you have to fetch The One Ring and attach it right after you place heroes, is it an exception to the ruling?

#3 – More generally speaking, was this whole overhaul of the Setup timing really worth it? Me and a lot of other players cannot see the rationale behind it and find it counterintuitive and source of lots of issues? Was it to avoid having The Grey Wanderer [TVoM 74] pull Guarded (X) attachments that might fish out stuff from the encounter deck they shouldn’t?

Thanks as always for the patience.

(C.G.) A#1: I think the issue is a result of my bad memory. I did not realize that I was contradicting the rules from the Saga expansions, nor was that my intent. I should have double-checked the rules before answering the question, but I believe I was in a hurry. So I answered the question thinking I knew the answer, and it seems I was wrong.

If the description for the Setup keyword in the rulebook says to resolve them immediately after choosing your heroes, then that is how it should be resolved. That works with contracts because they are put into play alongside your heroes at the start of the game.

It does bring me back to the question of how to resolve The Grey Wanderer and 1 cost Guarded attachments, but I don’t want to reverse my ruling on that now because I don’t have access to those rules at home.  I only know that the contract was not intended to let players get free Guarded attachments.

Q#2: So basically we can go back to playing Setup effects at Step 2 like before your latest rulings?

The One Ring will pull a Master card before drawing the starting hand, same thing with Messenger of King and the unique ally and so forth?

And if a Grey Wanderer Guarded card gets out of the encounter deck an enemy/location which you have to set aside during Step 7 of Setup what happens then? Let’s say we are playing the Encounter at Amon Dîn and with our Grey Wanderer contract we put in play Durin’s Axe [TVoM 6] in Step 2 which brings out of the encounter deck Ghulat [AtS 71]. In Step 7 the quest card Setup effects instructs us to “set Ghulat aside, out of play”. Is the Axe put aside with Ghulat? Or is it now free of encounter cards?

(C.G.) A#2: To your first question: I never meant to override the rules in the Saga expansions, so yes. Players should resolve player card Setup effects at the time specified in the related rules inserts.

For your second question I don’t know if the rules actually cover this type of corner case in detail. If I were playing, I would set the Axe aside with Ghulat.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.347 and parts of item 3.332 and 3.348 and makes item 3.239 valid again. See also our Reworked Setup pages for a revised approach to the Setup process (in which heroes’ Setup effects trigger at step 3.4).

(3.355) 12 May April 2020 – Source #5

Q: If we play Dunedain Pathfinder [TH 33] during round 1 of the Helm’s Deep scenario (or use some other tricks to get a location in play), travel to it, and then advance to stage 2A, what do we do with the previous active location?

(C.G.) A: That’s a great question. Dunedain Pathfinder did not exist at the time Helm’s Deep was created, so this particular interaction was not accounted for. I would just return the previously active location to the staging area when you advance to stage 2.

(3.356) 28 May 2020 – Source #2

Q: In the Under the Ash Mountains scenario there is a player elimination condition that, according to the rules sheet, seems to be intended to be checked only at the end of the round. But the quest cards phrase it in a way that could be interpreted as: if the condition is satisfied at any time, the relevant player is eliminated.

(C.G.) A: The text “If a player has no cards left in his deck, he is eliminated from the game” is part of the Forced effect that only triggers at the end of the round. It is not a separate passive effect. Only that part is in bold font because we traditionally put our game loss conditions in bold font.

Sorry for the confusion. Hope you enjoy the scenario!

(3.357) 02 June 2020 – Source #5

Q: In Campaign mode, if I have earned a burden with the player card back, when is it added to my deck? Can I draw something like The Searching Eye [TLoS 15/TTTo 105] in my starting hand? And if so can I mulligan it?

(C.G.) A: Burden cards with both encounter and player card backs are considered part of the encounter deck and do not get shuffled in their respective decks until you build the encounter deck (which comes after building your player deck and choosing your heroes). So it is not possible to draw a burden card with a player back into your opening hand.

ALeP’s Note: The encounter deck is actually already existing by the time you draw your starting hand (though the Setup text of the scenario has not been triggered yet), but the intent of this ruling still comes out quite clearly.

(3.358) 24 July 2020 – Source #2

Q: Tombs of Carn Dûm [AA 159/AACE 150] reads: “Travel: Deal 1 shadow card to each Undead enemy in play to travel here.” Must there be an Undead enemy in play for the group to be able to travel to this location?

(C.G.) A: Yes, you need at least 1 Undead enemy in play to travel to Tombs of Carn Dûm.

(3.359) 10 August 2020 – Source #2

Q: Can you use resources from ally Treebeard [TRM 146] or ally Radagast [SoM 59] to pay to prevent ally Wilyador’s [TVoM 117] Forced discard?

(C.G.) A: Yes, you can. Wilyador’s effect does not specify a type of resource or that it must be from a hero, so you could spend a resource from Radagast or Treebeard.

(3.360) 10 August 2020 – Source #2

Q: Can you declare an attack against an enemy with 0 characters you control?

This can matter if all of your characters are exhausted, and your partner has a Ranged character with readying: the answer to the question determines whether an enemy you have engaged can be attacked once or twice by said Ranged character.

(C.G.) A: No, you cannot declare an attack without an attacker. Assigning an attacker and declaring an attack are intertwined.

(3.361) 17 November 2020 – Source #2

Q: In a Bond of Friendship [TVoM 147] deck, if Bombur [OtD 5] is one of the heroes and you start off with five Dwarves, can Óin [OtD 4] count as the Tactics hero?

(C.G.) A: No you cannot. You put your heroes into play all at once before the game begins, so you cannot take card abilities into account when choosing them.

(3.362) 30 November 2020 – Source #2

Q: The trigger condition for Foe-hammer [OHaUH 15/DoG 26] reads: “After a hero you control attacks and destroys an enemy…”. We know that such a hero can be attacking along with other characters and still be eligible for this effect, (see item 2.19). What if you have two copies of Foe-hammer in hand, two different heroes (each with a single Weapon), and they team up to attack and destroy an enemy? Can you use both Foe-hammers, one on each hero/Weapon? Or is only one of them actually responsible for the “destroys an enemy” part of the trigger condition?

(C.G.) A: Each hero with a Weapon attachment that participated in the attack can trigger Foe-hammer.

(3.363) 10 December 2020 – Source #2

Q: The text of quest card 1A of the Wrath and Ruin scenario doesn’t make it clear whether the Makeshift Fortification [TVoM 17] made active can be from the initially chosen set of locations in the staging area, or not.

(C.G.) A: The Makeshift Fortification comes from the encounter deck. In a 4 players game there should be 4 non-unique locations in the staging area after Setup. Sorry that wasn’t more clear. I can see it now that it’s been pointed out.

(3.364) 04 January 2021 – Source #5

Q: A trigger tied to an enemy being added to the staging area only occurs when it first enters play? Or does it also trigger when sent back to the staging area, such as via Guardian of Ithilien [TDC 144/TDCHE 54] or Fastred [TH 81/RoR 27]?

(C.G.) A: When an enemy is ‘returned’ to the staging area, it is not ‘added.’ Enemies are added to the staging area after they are revealed by the encounter deck, or put into play by an effect. Essentially, for an enemy to be ‘added’ to the staging area, it has to originate from some out-of-play state.

(3.365) 30 January 2021 – Source #5

Q: In the Flies and Spiders scenario, poisoned characters become unconscious. Part of which being that “unconscious characters cannot defend.” If a shadow effect makes an already defending character unconscious, does the attack become undefended?

(C.G.) A: I’m afraid that if your defender becomes unconscious before the attack resolves, then the attack is considered undefended.

(3.366) 14 March 2021 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: What happens if The Burglar’s Turn [TVoM 24] tries to put into play attached to the active location a unique attachment a copy of which is already in play (maybe played normally by another player)? Is that attachment discarded (or shuffled back into the Loot deck) and another one drawn instead?

(C.G.) A [paraphrased]: If the Burglar’s Turn loot deck attempts to attach to the active location a unique card already in play then the contract whiffs, the loot is discarded without effect, no replacement loot is drawn and the active location just won’t have any loot.

(3.367) 21 April 2021 – Source #5

Q: When you use Helm of Secrecy [TVoM 90/DoG 33] on an exhausted hero, does the new hero that you “swap” with the old one enter play exhausted or ready?

(C.G.) A: The hero you swap in is trading places with the hero you swap out, so the new hero will have the same ready/exhausted status as the one that it swapped with. 

(3.368) 08 June 2021 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Can we go back once more to the whole concept of Thalin [CORE 6] and Surge enemies? When exactly is Thalin damage dealt during the staging of a card? Before the whole card text is active? Also would the Forced effect of an Eastern Crows [CORE 115] still trigger if it’s destroyed by Thalin? 

(C.G.) A: An encounter card is in play and its text is active the moment it is revealed in step 1.

The issue of Thalin and the Surge keyword has everything to do with how Surge is described in the rules and not so much about Thalin. Surge is unique among keywords because it does not resolve until after the card it appears on is done being revealed. From the rules: “Resolve the surge keyword immediately after resolving any When Revealed effects on the card.” This places the resolution of the surge keyword pretty far down on the order of resolution.

• First, you resolve constant effects, such as “Immune to player card effects” and keywords (besides surge).
• Second, you resolve Forced effects.
• Third, you resolve When Revealed effects.

After the third step is when you would resolve the surge keyword because of how it is defined. However, Thalin’s ability creates a constant effect that resolves after the first step. If the damage is sufficient to destroy the enemy with the surge keyword, then that keyword is no longer in play by the time it would be resolved, so it never resolves. 

Note that the Forced effect on Eastern Crows will still cause it to be shuffled back into the encounter deck after Thalin destroys it.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 3.164 and makes item 3.110 valid again.

(3.369) 26 June 2021 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: When playing the Celebrimbor’s Secret scenario which triggers first at the end of the Refresh Phase, the Time X keyword or the Forced effect on The Orcs’ Search [TRM 125]?

(C.G.) A: The Time X keyword is a constant ability, so it will trigger before the Forced ability on The Orcs’ Search.

(3.370) 29 September 2021 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Can we use Tactics Beregond’s [HoN 1/DoG 1] discount when we play a Guarded (X) Weapon or Armor, before resolving the Guarded (X) keyword on that card?

A [paraphrased]: When you play a Guarded (X) player card from your hand, the rule states you put it into the staging area, you’re not actually attaching it to one of your characters. So no Tactics Beregond will not reduce its cost.

(3.371) 25 February 2022 – Source #3

Q: I have a question regarding hero Grimbeorn the Old [EM 1/EMHE 4]. Can you trigger his effect against enemies that are “Immune to player card effects”? His text box does not include the words “target” or “choose” which usually exclude immune enemy targets. Is his attack akin to Quick Strike [CORE 35], where a special action window opens? Obviously I assume his -2 [defense] would not apply, but I was wondering if the attack could go off at all. thanks!

(C.G.) A: Sadly, you cannot use Grimbeorn’s ability against an enemy that is immune to player card effects.

(3.372) 05 May 2022 – Source #4

Q: Sorry to bother you, but me and a few friends have got a couple of questions about the Revised Core Set Campaign:

1. Lingering Venom [CORE 137]: since the first option instructs you to “exhaust each damaged character” if a player already has some exhausted damaged characters he cannot fulfill completely that first option so he is forced to choose the second one. Is this correct?
2. If playing The Dark of Mirkwood scenarios as Part 4 and 5 of the Paths of Mirkwood Campaign what happens to Mendor [CORE 135]? The resolution of the Escape from Dol Guldur Campaign Card refers to the “next Campaign”, but if we play The Dark of Mirkwood as a continuation of the Core Set it is still the same campaign. In that case there is no instruction on what to do with Mendor on the Campaign Cards so one should assume that he is shuffled into the encounter deck and then you wait to see him revealed to take control of him? Or is the intent that he should start in play also in The Oath and The Caves of Nibid-Dum?

(C.G.) A: Hi,

1. I believe you are correct.
2. I would start with Mendor in play for The Oath and Caves of Nibin-dum.

(3.373) 27 May 2022 – Source #4

Q: A very quick rule question. In the Attack on Dol Guldur scenario, when you reach Stage 2 and you have not placed 30 progress on the Power of Lórien (AoDG 8) objective you are instructed to discard it. This means that it goes into the encounter discard pile and becomes later on basically a blank card reveal (which will then stay forever in the staging area). Is this correct? I think I have always previously removed the objective from play if I failed placing the 30 progress, but the wording seems to support the above interpretation. 

(C.G:) A: Yes, I believe you have it correct: If the card tells you to discard it, then it goes into the encounter discard pile. That means it is possible that it will be revealed later and essentially provide you with a free reveal.

(3.374) 10 June 2022 – Source #5

Q: What exactly happens when you play Helm of Secrecy [TVoM 90/DoG 33] on a hero with Thorongil [TVoM 146] attached? Is Thorongil a “valid attachment” to be moved and so can you end up with a Spirit Éowyn [CORE 7] with a Tactics Éowyn [TFotW 2/TRotK 5] and a Lore Aragorn [D 53] attached to her?

(C.G.) A: Thorongil does not count as an “eligible attachment” because it is connected to a hero who would no longer be a different version of that hero when replaced by Helm of Secrecy. Therefore, it must be discarded when you play Helm of Secrecy.

(3.375) 06 June 2023 – Source #6

Q [paraphrased]: In light of your ruling (see item 3.359) about how we can use the resources from ally Radagast [SoM 59] and ally Treebeard [TRM 146] to pay for ally Wilyador’s [TVoM 117] upkeep cost, I was wondering, can we use all sorts of resources on player cards to do so? How about those on Keeping Count [D 5]?

(C.G.) A: You cannot pay Wilyador’s upkeep with resources on Keeping Count. To pay a card’s cost / upkeep you must spend resources from a hero’s resource pool. Treebeard and Radagast are the exceptions because their text allows them to pay for certain things.

(3.376) 25 July 2023 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: Is there a limit to the number of attacks an enemy can make due to the framework of the game? The Rules Reference states that “an eligible enemy is one that has not yet attacked this round and is still able to attack”, but what happens with an enemy that was engaged with Player A, attacks Player A during the “enemy attacks resolution” step of Player A and is then moved by a shadow effect to be engaged with Player B? Will that enemy attack Player B during the “enemy attacks” step of Player B or is he no longer an “eligible enemy” for attacks made due to the framework of the game?

(C.G.) A: Enemies are not limited in the number of attacks they can make. So if an enemy attacks the first player and subsequently engages the second player (before that player resolves their enemy attacks), that enemy will attack again.

ALeP’s Note: This invalidates item 2.55, though one can read those two answers as not directly contradicting each other depending on the interpretation.

(3.377) 31 July 2023 – Source #5

Q [paraphrased]: The version of the Helm of the Stormcaller location present in The Dream-chaser Campaign Expansion [TDCCE 56] is quite different from the one present in The Thing in the Depths Adventure Pack [TDC 42]. Was it an intended errata? Which version should be considered correct?

(C.G.) A: Sorry for the delay in my reply. I had to talk to a few people to figure out what happened. Long story short: The new version of the Helm of the Stormcaller location is a mistake, and players should reference the original version when playing the scenario.

The correct version should eventually be posted on our LotR LCG support page as well under ‘player resources’.

Thanks for reaching out. Hope you’re enjoying the game!

ALeP’s Note: We added this erratum of Helm of the Stormcaller to the Confirmed Errors section of this page, while we wait for it to be official reprinted in the correct form.

(3.378) 24 August 2023 – Source #4

Q: I wanted to confirm something about ally Ghân-buri-Ghân [TFotW 7/TRotK 22]. His [willpower] is set to be at all times equal to the [threat] of the active location. But what happens when the active location is “immune to player card effects”? Ghân-buri-Ghân is not targeting or choosing the location, so his [willpower] should still be set equal to the location’s [threat]. Or is there something else we are missing?

(C.G.) A: Good question! I’ve always played that Ghân-buri-Ghân gets the willpower bonus even if the active location is immune to player card effects, because his ability isn’t trying to affect the location in any way. It’s merely referencing it rather than targeting it.

(3.379) 07-11 September 2023 – Source #4

Q#1: The objective-ally version of Iârion [TLR 16/AACE 1] lacks the unique symbol, but we think it’s meant to have it. This is not particularly relevant, but it can matter for say Leadership Frodo’s [ASitE 2] Response. We basically just want a semi-official confirmation…

(C.G.) A#1: Your question is easy to answer: Iarion should be unique. I will notify production that he is missing the icon so hopefully that will be fixed in the next printing. Sorry about that!

Q#2: Since we are on this topic I will also ask if the Nazgul of Dol Guldur [CORE 102] and Chieftain Ufthak [CORE 90] should also have the unique symbol (they kinda seem like they do). But I understand how those are much older cards, so maybe there is a difference there.

(C.G.) A#2: As for the Core Set villains, it looks like they were never made unique outside of the custom scenario kits. It’s kind of amazing that we didn’t think to update that when we repackaged the core set, but there were so many other details to consider at that time. I’d say it makes sense to treat them as unique if you want to, but technically they are not.

Q#3: I will pester you with some more rules questions about the Angmar Awakened Campaign while I am at it:

1) I am not sure how Iârion’s Pendant [AACE 157] is meant to work if I choose it as boon in the Resolution of the Deadman’s Dike scenario? Does it get attached in Setup? To an hero? And if it’s a card that ends up in my deck, who I attach it to when I play it?

2) The Weather Hills Campaign Card [AACE 159] says to add Mysterious Omens [AACE 160] to the Campaign Log but I think it’s meant to be the Campaign Pool.

3) Speaking of Mysterious Omens it doesn’t explicitly say to add the chosen cards to the Campaign Pool but I guess that’s the intent, correct?

4) The Battle of Carn Dum Campaign Card [AACE 188] says to note the damage on each hero, I guess we note this in the Campaign Log?

(C.G.) A#3: I wasn’t involved in the campaign design for any of the repackaged content, but I will answer as best I can.

1) It seems clear that Iârion’s Pendant is added to your deck after it is earned, but the card itself doesn’t clarify who it can attach to. Because it’s ability uses the word ‘character’ I think it’s safe to say you can attach it to any character.

2) Yes, it should say ‘Campaign Pool.’

3) Yes, the campaign card should have reinforced this: When you defeat Mysterious Omens you earn those boons and add them to the Campaign Pool.

4) Yes, it should be noted in the Campaign Log.

(3.380) 25 October 2023 – Source #4

Q: We noticed that from The Fellowship of the Rings Saga Expansion onward the wording “immediate attack” has disappeared from the cards, now only the wording “make an attack”. is used. How does this work in relation to shadow cards and FAQ item 1.28? Is there an implicit norm now that any attack made due to a card ability will by default get a shadow (unless explicitly said otherwise)? 

(C.G.) A: A card ability that causes an enemy to attack should always be resolved immediately after it is triggered (unless the ability specifies otherwise). The use of the word “immediate” in these instances felt redundant, so we cut it to save space. Yes, you should always deal an enemy a new shadow card (and discard any previous shadow cards) each time an enemy attacks due to a card ability.

(3.381) 25 October 2023 – Source #4

Q: How is the Helm! Helm! event [TToS 12/TTTo 18] meant to work? It should be played “only after the resolving enemy attacks step is complete” and past rulings about this kind of effect (see item 2.87) require for this kind of cards to be played immediately after the required timing. But in the Combat Phase structure there is not an Action Window immediately after the resolving enemy attacks step is complete, the first useful action would be the first one in the first attack declared by the players. Maybe this card was better meant as a Response? 

(C.G.) A: I did not realize that the action window between enemy attacks and players attacks had vanished with the updated rules reference. My guess is that was an oversight and I would play as if it is still there.

ALeP’s Note: We created a fix for the Combat Phase flowchart based on this ruling that is included in the Partially Official Errata section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.382) 28 May 2024 – Source #5

Q: Hello, I have a question for The Breaking of the Fellowship scenario. When the players split up between different Scene 3A each with its own staging area, what happens to player cards that were previously in the single common staging area, for example a Trap such as Ranger Spikes [HoN 17/DoG 30]? Does it follow its owner in the new staging area? Does it remain in the old staging area now totally useless? Is it discarded?

(C.G.) A: Any unattached Trap cards in the staging area will follow their owner to their new staging area.

(3.383) 28 May 2024 – Source #5

Q: I wanted to ask for some clarifications about the Ship enemies from The Dream-chaser cycle and more specifically how they work in the A Storm on Cobas Haven scenario. In that scenario there are several Dol Amroth objectives with the Guarded keyword. It seems the intent is for those objectives to be able to attach to Ship enemies (like Corsair Warship [TGH 58/TDCCE 151] or Siege Ship [TDC 126/TDCCE 105]), but the “cannot have attachments” text some of those Ship enemies seems to stop this. Are the objectives meant to attach only to locations? Is the limitation meant to be “cannot have player card attachments”? Or something else? A similar situation presents for the When Revealed effect of Stage 2B Battle in the Bay [TDC 121/TDCCE 100].

(C.G.) A:  With regard to the guarded cards in A Storm on Cobas Haven, it’s been so long since  that scenario was designed I think the “guarded cards count as attachments” rule might have been made after. In any case, I believe the intention is clear that they should be guarded by the Ship enemies in the scenario.

ALeP’s Note: Based on this ruling we proposed a wording fix for the Ship enemies of this scenario in the Partially Official Errata section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.384) 21 May 2024 – Source #5

Q (paraphrased): In the new Ered Mithrin Hero Expansion we noticed a change in the wording of both hero Radagast [EM 145/EMHE 8] and the Reforged [EM 153/EMHE 52] event. What caused this changes? Were they intended?

(C.G.) A: It’s been a long time since I talked about LotR LCG with anyone at work, but I do remember conversations about errata at the time they were building the repackaged content. We all agreed that Radagast and Reforged would both benefit from errata to help their abilities work as originally intended. It’s exciting to think that players are still discovering the game this many years later!

(3.385) 28 May 2024 – Source #5

Q: The FAQ makes a distinction between “discard” and “placing in the discard pile”. The former is related to card effects specifically. The FAQ says “cards are only discarded when a card effect instructs a player to discard a card”. Despite sometimes using loose semantics throughout the FAQ and Rules Reference, because understandably it’s easier to just describe cards placed in the discard pile as “discarded”, it’s clear that there is a distinction between “discard” and “place in the discard pile” when considering the term “discard” as an actual game mechanic.

Consider shadow cards that move to the discard pile in the following (and similar) cases:

-In the framework step at the end of the combat phase

-After an immediate attack by an enemy outside of the normal combat framework

-After an additional attack is triggered and a prior resolved shadow card moves to the discard pile

-After it’s corresponding enemy is destroyed

Are these shadow cards in these cases “discarded” or “placed in the discard pile”?

(C.G.) A: I believe that shadow cards are “placed in the discard pile” in each of the instances that you listed.

ALeP’s Note: This reinforces the concept that to better capture the intent of cards like Troll Purse/Key they would probably be better worded as “If XXX enters the discard pile, add it to the staging area.”

(3.386) 14 July 2024 – Source #4

Q: We are tackling the Ered Mithrin Campaign and we are heading off to the final showdown with Dagnir in Mount Gundabad and we have a question.

Let’s say we bypassed a quest card at the end of the combat phase and so in the Planning Phase of the following round we have a stage 2A as the current main quest (due to the text on the quest cards in that scenario that stops you from flipping a current main quest from Side A to Side B until the beginning of the quest phase). We play Hands Upon the Bow [D 131/EoL 28] with Tactics Legolas [CORE 5] and kill an enemy (and there is no active location). Do we place Legolas 2 progress on the current Stage 2A? And if so, do the tokens remain there when it’s flipped to Side B at the beginning of the quest phase.

(C.G.) A: That’s a great question. I don’t think there’s a clear answer outlined in the rules, so here’s what I would say:

When you defeat the enemy and trigger Legolas ability, you place 2 progress on the stage 2A. However, when you advance to side B it is a new quest with a new name, so the progress on the previous quest is lost.

I think if side A and side B were the same quest (had the same name), then you could keep the progress you made. But here the two different sides are two different quests, so your progress on side A is lost when you advance to side B.

Hope that makes sense!

ALeP’s Note: This ruling supersedes (but probably is not in direct contrast with) item 3.020.

(3.387) 02 October 2024 – Source #4

Q: We are tackling the Ered Mithrin Campaign and we just stumbled upon a very strange situation regarding “your card”, that is to say Thalion [EM 65/EMHE 70] and the treachery Afraid of the Dark [TWoR 48/EMCE 156]. 

Let’s say we have 3 side quests in the VD (so Thalion is a hero) and we commit Thalion to the quest. We reveal Afraid of the Dark and decide to attach it to Thalion. What would happen?

This seems to create an infinite loop of Thalion losing his text box, becoming an ally again, so Afraid of the Dark does not affect him anymore so his text box it’s no longer blanked and he becomes an hero again, but then Afraid of the Dark affects him again and his text box got blanked etc.

(C.G.) A: I think your situation is pretty funny and because it’s such a unique situation there isn’t a perfect answer. In the past, we might have issued errata to Afraid of the Dark to say “attach to a character with the printed hero card type” to avoid this interaction, but those days are long gone.

Instead, I would say use the ‘grim rule’ and apply the most difficult solution: Just treat Thalion’s [willpower] as 0 and his text box as blank while Afraid of the Dark is attached. It’s not a perfect answer, but it will allow you to play within the rules provided by the game.

(3.388) 26 November 2024 – Source #4

Q: If an enemy gets multiple shadow cards (say Dol Guldur Beastmaster [CORE 91]) we are supposed to flip and resolve them one at a time, correct? And if so in which order should we do it? From the last dealt to the first dealt? From the first dealt to the last dealt? Is it up to the first player?

(C.G.) A: Yeah you flip and resolve the shadow cards one at a time. I don’t believe there is a clear cut rule about the order in which you flip multiple shadow cards, so you can default to “the first player decides”.

(3.389) 07 December 2024 – Source #4 (the actual ruling is from 18 July 2019)

Q: If I have a location/enemy which “cannot leave the staging area” does that mean it cannot be explored/destroyed even if it has enough progress/damage on it?

And if that’s true how do you win The Battle of Carn Dûm scenario since the quest card for the second stage only has Thaurdir [AA 127/AACE 129] lose Indestructible?

(C.G.) A: Cards that ‘cannot leave the staging area’ do not leave play even when they have enough progress / damage to explore / destroy them.

Thaurdir is ‘considered to be engaged with each player’ at stage 2B, so you can fight him while he is in the staging area. When he loses the indestructible keyword, he will be destroyed as soon as he has damage equal to his hit points.

ALeP’s Note: This ruling still does not explain how you can win the scenario when you destroy Thaurdir, since the “cannot leave the staging area” text is still active. That’s why we proposed a new wording for Thaurdir and some other locations and enemies in the Community Consensus section of our Community Errata and Free to Choose List page.

(3.390) 29 July 2025 – Source #5 (the actual ruling is from 22 March 2023)

Q (paraphrased): We have a couple of questions about The Oath scenario from The Dark of Mirkwood pack, in particular about Obsidian Arrows [TDoM 26] and the Campaign Card of the scenario [TDoM 50]. Who is the “you” on Obsidian Arrows referencing to? Should the Response on the The Oath Campaign Card actually be a Forced effect?

(C.G.) A: You gave me a bit of déjà vu as these questions came up earlier during our translation process. That is why you see other languages say “first player” instead of “you” on Obsidian Arrows. Indeed, that is what should have been written in the first place, but I’m afraid I’ve been working on Marvel Champions so long now that I wrote ‘you’ out of habit and no one noticed.

As for The Oath’s campaign card, it should indeed be Forced instead of Response or players will never feel that mounting pressure that the effect is meant to create. Not sure how that one slipped through, but I hope that players will understand.

(3.391) 29 July 2025 – Source #4 (the actual ruling is from 27 May 2021)

Q: We just discovered that in the new printing of the Under the Ash Mountains scenario the event Helm of Secrecy [TVoM 90/DoG 33] no longer has the “moving…damage tokens to the hero from your collection” clause. Is this the intended correct version, so Helm of Secrecy is meant to bring in a fully healed hero?

(C.G.) A: Yes, the intent for Helm of Secrecy is to bring out from your collection a fresh hero, with no damage tokens on it.

(3.392) 29 July 2025 – Source #4 (the actual ruling is from 20 February 2025)

Q (paraphrased): While playing The Old Forest scenario, if I have played an ally during the planning phase and I reveal Oppressive Forest [TOF 16] can I still play an event during that round or is the “no more than 1 card each round” limit retroactive?

(C.G.) A: If you’ve already played cards, then you cannot play any more that round.

(3.393) 29 July 2025 – Source #4 (the actual ruling is from 08 June 2015)

Q (paraphrased): When playing Flies and Spiders, what happens if I defend an enemy with Venom with a character that takes enough damage from the attack to be destroyed? Does the character also gets a poison in addition to the damage? And what happens if the poison is enough to make the character unconscious?

(C.G.) A: When a character has damage equal or greater to its hit points, it is immediately destroyed. The character will be placed in the discard pile before you have to resolve the Venom keyword, so you would not deal a poison card.

(3.394) 29 July 2025 – Source #4 (the actual ruling is from 30 October 2015)

Q (paraphrased): What happens if I play None Return [AA 62/AAHE 65] after destroying Eastern Crows [CORE 115]? Will it be added to the victory display and not be shuffled in the encounter deck? Or will it be shuffled back in the encounter deck and be unable to be added to the victory display?

(C.G.) A: If you play None Return after destroying Eastern Crows, here’s what happens:

1. Trigger the Forced effect on Eastern Crows and shuffle it into the encounter deck
2. Trigger the Response on None Return, search the encounter deck for Eastern Crows and add it to the victory display
3. Shuffle the encounter deck

In reality, if you know that you are going to add Eastern Crows to the victory display, you should not have to shuffle it into the encounter deck first and then go find it. You can just place it in the victory display and save the hassle. If you take that short cut, be sure that you still shuffle the encounter deck since that can still have an effect on the game.