The eighth deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

The power of Mordor stretches across Middle-earth, darkening the hearts of all who fall under its shadow and threatening the peaceful lands beyond its borders. Only the bravest warriors can stand against the spread of evil when a band of desperate Dorwinions come to ask for aid. Your team of heroes will embark on a dangerous journey into darkness that takes you down the River Running to the capital city of Dorwinion, and further into the Hills of Rhûn. There is no telling what horrors await you just beyond the borders of Mordor.

Journey to the East
As the start of the Vengeance of the Mordor cycle, A Shadow in the East takes you to the lands of Rhûn that rest in the shadow of Sauron’s domain. Here, you must embark on a new quest through three original scenarios built from 156 cards, including two heroes, ten quest cards, 29 player cards, and 115 encounter cards that pit you against the forces of Mordor and the corrupted souls who long for the dark days of Sauron’s rule to return.

To begin your adventures in this deluxe expansion, The River Running quest has you traveling along the titular river on your way to Dorwinion, where a great darkness has befallen this fair country. You have been tasked with investigating a string of disappearances, but before you can even begin your mission, you are attacked by raiders in the night. They set fire to your boat, trapping you on the east side of the river. Now, you must outrun the likes of the Easterling Outrider (A Shadow in the East, 13) and other deadly pursuers as you flee on foot.

If you survive long enough to reach the capital, Danger in Dorwinion takes you to a troubled city where a hidden evil lurks in the shadows. Fear grips the heart of the city as the disappearances weigh heavily on the hearts of its citizens, but few will speak of it. Those who do often go missing themselves. Some say that a cult has taken root in the city and they are behind the abductions. You must proceed with caution, lest your investigation attract unwanted attention and deny you any chance to rescue the missing.

Finally, in The Temple of Doom quest, the clues uncovered in your search lead you into the Hills of Rhûn, where the remains of an ancient temple built to honor Sauron taints the landscape. Within its walls rest terrible reminders of the horror that awaits the realm if you should ever fail in your vigilance. And somewhere in the twisting tunnels, the missing captives are held by an evil force you would rather leave forgotten... but innocent lives are at stake.

The Ring-bearer
While some have suspected that shadows have been gathering in Mordor for some time, the question remains: why would their forces choose to stir now? A Shadow in the East includes a single copy of The One Ring (A Shadow in the East, 1). No longer an objective, you may bestow this attachment on any hero able to hold it. The dark power of the Ring reduces your threat elimination level by five, which may encourage you to give it to virtuous warriors like Aragorn (The Watcher in the Water, 53) or Éowyn (The Flame of the West, 2), who offer some abilities that can help to counter this effect.

While The One Ring was once nothing more than a terrible burden, A Shadow in the East gives you the chance to tempt fate and draw upon its powers by using new Master cards. The moment that The One Ring comes into play, you may search your deck and add one of these cards to your hand, ensuring that you can bend the ring to your will, even if only for a short time. For example, The Master Ring (A Shadow in the East, 9) allows the Ring-bearer to exhaust The One Ring and raise your threat in order to cancel and discard an encounter card that you cannot bear to face at this time. Such powers can only be used by those who control The One Ring, and they come with a heavy price—if The One Ring leaves play for any reason, you lose the game. You must protect your Ring-bearer at all costs!

Of all the heroes you may add to your Fellowship, there is only one who has borne The One Ring before and truly understands its power. But do you dare to trust them? A Shadow in the East introduces a new, wholly unique, double-sided hero and enemy in the form of Sméagol (A Shadow in the East, 72). While you may have encountered Gollum as an enemy in the past, this is Sméagol’s first appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, and his first chance at redemption. In order to remain free of the pull of The One Ring, Sméagol cannot have attachments, but he can still prove an invaluable guide for your party, letting you draw a card when you travel to a location if you're willing to raise your threat.

But the corruption of The One Ring is hard to deny. Should you select Sméagol as your hero, you must shuffle two copies of Stinker (A Shadow in the East, 71) into the encounter deck. If either copy of this card is revealed, the hero Sméagol flips and becomes Gollum (A Shadow in the East, 73), turning on the first player and engaging them in combat. He will continue to fight your heroes until he is defeated, at which point he flips back to Sméagol and returns to his master’s control, exhausted. As the pitiable creature struggles with his internal conflict, can you hold the crimes of one corrupted aspect against the other?

The Fateful Step
It has all led to this. The shadow of Mordor approaches in the East and Middle-earth’s bravest heroes must rise to meet it. If you should fail, Rhûn will fall and soon, all of Middle-earth will follow. Are you ready for the challenge? Gather your Fellowship and stand united against the darkness!

“Together we sought for Gollum down the whole length of Wilderland, without hope, and without success.”
- Gandalf, Fellowship of the Ring

The elusive creature known as Gollum is hiding somewhere in the Anduin Valley. It is up to you to find him and discover what dark designs lay in wait for him...

The Hunt for Gollum is the first Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood expansion cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Gollum has carelessly left a trail of clues in his wake, and Gandalf has commanded you and your companions to follow them and discover where the creature has disappeared to. But be careful, false leads could guide your party in circles, forcing you to begin your hunt anew.

Adventure Packs for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game provide many new options for players. Not only do they expand your available card pool, but they also introduce new quests to challenge your fellowship. These fixed 60 card decks include a new Hero, three copies of nine unique player cards, and the Encounter and Quest cards devoted to the included scenario.

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a unique LCG that can be played solo or cooperatively, so gather your fellowship and begin the adventure!

• First Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood expansion cycle
• Adventure Packs feature an all new scenario for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, the first ever solo or cooperative LCG
• Contains 60 never-before-seen cards
• Requires The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Core Set to play

Conflict at the Carrock is the second Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Hot on the trail of Gollum, the heroes venture down the banks of the Anduin, only to hear whispers of a new threat looming.

Conflict at the Carrock contains 60 fixed cards from the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle, continuing the heroes’ quest to find and apprehend the creature Gollum. A new hero joins the quest, along with three copies of nine new player cards from all four spheres, a new deck of Encounter cards, and the Conflict at the Carrock Quest cards.

A variety of new player cards offer exciting deck-building options, featuring new and familiar faces. Frodo Baggins is beginning to feel restless in the Shire while the Beorning Beekeepers offer their assistance to anyone willing to help drive the troublesome Trolls away. A Long-beard Mapmaker discovers a hidden Dúnedain Warning that just might help the heroes avoid defeat.

• Based on the wildly popular Lord of the Rings fantasy series
• Second Adventure Pack for Shadows of Mirkwood cycle
• Contains 60 never-before-seen cards (consisting of player and encounter cards)
• Includes a brand new scenario
• Not a complete game. Requires a copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Core Set to play

Having lost Gollum’s trail at the Carrock, then embarked on a mission of mercy to Rhosgobel, the heroes now come to the hills of Emyn Muil, where they have only one objective: to find Gollum.

The Hills of Emyn Muil is the fourth Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle of expansions for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game! The hunt for Gollum continues in this exciting expansion, which includes a Quest card and its related Encounters, as well as new Hero, Attachment, and Ally cards. This engaging Adventure Pack contains the first ever singlecard quest, in which players must gather victory points by exploring a wide range of dangerous locations.

With 60 new cards for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Hills of Emyn Muil will augment existing decks while providing players with entirely new challenges for their heroes. Can you scour Emyn Muil and determine Gollum’s whereabouts before it’s too late?

• Fourth Adventure Pack for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
• The hunt for Gollum continues in this expansion
• Includes first ever single-card quest
• Players must explore dangerous locations
• New Hero, Attachment, and Ally cards

On either side and in front wide fens and mires now lay, stretching away southward and eastward into the dim half-light. Mists curled and smoked from dark and noisome pools. The reek of them hung stifling in the still air.
–The Two Towers

After scouring the Emyn Muil for signs of Gollum, the heroes of Middle-earth followed his trail south. Now Gollum takes desperate risks to elude the heroes in a realm of treacherous fens and mires.

The fifth Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game! The hunt for Gollum draws to a close... unless he finds his way to escape once and for all.

The Dead Marshes introduces a Quest featuring the new Escape mechanic that allows players to experience how slippery Gollum can be! Additionally, players will find more Treachery, Attachment, and Ally cards, as well as a new Hero whose text evokes one of the most dramatic scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Keeping Hold of Gollum
While previous expansions forced heroes to gather clues, engage in a fearsome melee, heal a wounded eagle, and scour multiple locations to relocate Gollum’s trail, The Dead Marshes finds Gollum within the heroes’ sight. However, the heroes will learn that finding Gollum and getting their hands on him are two entirely separate matters.

The Dead Marshes expansion features the new Escape mechanic, a unique element to this scenario. Each turn, as the heroes commit to the Quest, chasing Gollum through the mire, Gollum’s Escape checks pose them an additional challenge.

Once the heroes get their hands on Gollum, they’ll have to keep hold of him to complete their Quest–a task easier said than done. The heroes may need to corner Gollum more than once before they finally capture him for good, but they have to be wary. The Dead Marshes are home to drakes and other terrifying creatures. Meanwhile, Sauron’s influence grows as the heroes travel nearer Mordor.

With 60 new cards for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Dead Marshes enhances existing decks and introduces a wholly fresh Quest experience.

Gollum began to scream, a thin, tearing sound, very horrible to hear. He writhed, and tried to get his mouth to his ankle and bite the rope. He kept on screaming.
–The Two Towers

After a long and difficult hunt, the heroes of Middle-earth have captured Gollum and now escort their prisoner back to King Thranduil’s palace in Mirkwood. There, Gandalf the Grey hopes to interrogate the wretched creature for the information he suspects may keep the One Ring out of the Dark Lord’s clutches. But the journey back won’t be easy!

The sixth and conclusive Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle, Return to Mirkwood puts your heroes in the difficult position of escorting Gollum through some of the darkest and most dangerous locations of Mirkwood forest. New predators stalk through the forest, drawn by Gollum’s tantrums.

Return to Mirkwood expands the card pool for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game with 60 new cards, including a challenging new Quest, a new hero, and three copies each of new attachments, allies, and events.

• Concludes the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle
• Heroes must escort Gollum through the perils of Mirkwood
• Features the new, scenario-specific Gollum creature
• New Hero, Attachment, and Ally cards

The Fellowship is broken. Of the Nine Walkers that set forth from Rivendell, two have fallen, two have been captured, and two have disappeared, including Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, on whom rest all the hopes of Middle-earth. Still, three remain, three who draw breath and can still draw arms. Led by Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the rightful heir of Gondor, they must do what good they can, even if they must do it without hope...

The Treason of Saruman is the third The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Its 165 new cards introduce three new scenarios drawn straight from the pages of the first half of The Two Towers.

Join Aragorn (The Treason of Saruman, 1) and the Three Hunters as they pursue a pack of Uruk-hai across the plains. Take up arms against the forces of Isengard at the defense of Helm’s Deep. Steel your will against Saruman and his wizardry as you join the march on Orthanc. Throughout your trials, you’ll visit iconic locations, confront infamous villains, and enjoy game experiences shaped by innovative new mechanics that bring you as close as you can get to the drama of the classic fantasy epic without finding your name in its pages.

Of course, as a The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansion, The Treason of Saruman also comes with new boons and burdens that allow you to connect its scenarios with those of other The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions. Woven together in Campaign Mode, the scenarios from The Treason of Saruman serve as chapters seven through nine in an epic narrative that recounts the fantastic journey of The One Ring from the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom.

The Three Hunters
Because the events of The Treason of Saruman follow those from the first half of The Two Towers, its scenarios and player cards alike turn our attention away from Frodo Baggins and The One Ring toward the Three Hunters and their journeys across the plains of Rohan and, ultimately, to the walls of Orthanc.

As with its scenarios, all the heroes and player cards in The Treason of Saruman are inspired directly from the first half of The Two Towers. Among them, we find new versions of each of the Three Hunters, along with a Fellowship sphere event, The Three Hunters (The Treason of Saruman, 13), that provides you with a number of potent and thematic benefits as you pursue your captive companions across the boundless plains:

* “Play only if you control [Fellowship sphere] Aragorn.
* “Quest Action: Choose 3 heroes committed to the quest. Ready those heroes. Until the end of the round, each of the chosen heroes gets +1 Willpower, +1 Attack Strength, and +1 Defense Strength.”

Of course, throughout the expansion’s scenarios, your heroes are led by no one less than Aragorn son of Arathorn, the heir of Isildur and rightful king of Gondor. The pivotal character from the first half of The Two Towers, Aragorn passes along with the first player and must survive in order for you to overcome the forces of Mordor and of Isengard. However, as integral as he is to your success, Aragorn is not one to cower from battle. He is a powerful Dúnedain and Ranger, fully capable of holding his own in battle, even as he inspires others.

As you play, then, you’ll have to decide how much you’ll risk making use of Aragorn’s talents in order to press through the dangers that assail you. Equipped with the Andúril boon from The Road Darkens (The Road Darkens, 14), Aragorn makes an excellent defender, but whenever he defends, one nasty Shadow effect can spell disaster. You risk everything. But as the Dark Lord’s power grows in Mordor and Saruman reveals his treachery in Isengard, everything is already at stake...

The White Hand
Though he doesn’t make a personal appearance until the expansion’s third scenario, Saruman’s influence underscores each and every encounter in The Treason of Saruman. His Uruk-hai are tough and brutal warriors, he has manipulated the wild men of Dunland toward new heights of fervor and hatred, and he has blanketed the lands within Isengard with powerful enchantments.

Saruman’s hand guides each of the three scenarios in The Treason of Saruman, and together they present a vivid picture of just how devious and varied an Istari’s machinations can be. Meanwhile, each presents a new, scenario-specific mechanic that ensures it offers a unique and thematic experience, unlike anything that has come before it.

* In The Uruk-hai, the expansion’s first scenario, you and your friends chase the band of Uruk-hai that is marching your captive friends across the plains of Rohan; as you race to place progress on the scenario’s quest stages, the Uruk-hai push forward to raise the scenario’s “pursuit” value. If the pursuit value ever reaches thirty, the Uruk-hai have successfully taken their prisoners to Isengard, and you lose the scenario.
* In Helm’s Deep, your heroes and the encounter deck exchange roles! While your heroes join the defense of Helm’s Deep, the scenario’s enemies and its treachery cards lay siege to the quest and any active location.
* Finally, in The Road to Isengard, your heroes march against Saruman himself (The Treason of Saruman, 47), but he’ll test their resolve at every turn. His realm is protected by powerful spells, and his voice can bend the mind. Accordingly, The Road to Isengard adds a third loss condition. Not only do you lose if your threat level reaches fifty or all your heroes are eliminated; you also lose if your hand is reduced to zero cards. And, of course, Saruman has prepared plenty of evil spells to punish those who draw cards and resist his lures.

Of course, as potent as Saruman’s voice may be as you play through The Road to Isengard on its own, the doubts and confusion it can sow in your heroes’ hearts may have even more haunting repercussions in Campaign Mode. Given form as one of the expansion’s five burdens, Saruman’s Voice (The Treason of Saruman, 68) can significantly undercut your long-term efforts by attaching to one of your heroes and slowly eating away at your ability to play more cards:

“Forced: When attached hero commits to the quest, is declared as an attacker or defender, or triggers its ability, its controller must discard 1 card from his hand.”

Gird Yourselves for the Tasks That Lie Ahead
With or without hope, Middle-earth’s heroes must fight against the forces of evil. Frodo Baggins is lost, as is The One Ring, but your heroes still have the chance to save those who were captured. In The Treason of Saruman, your pursuit of your captured friends will lead you across the fields of Rohan and into some of the greatest battles and foulest treachery of the whole The Lord of the Rings fantasy epic.

Race headlong into some of the greatest scenes from the first half of The Two Towers. With its three scenarios, three new heroes, five new burdens, and thirty-nine player cards, including six new boons, The Treason of Saruman gives life to the classic tale in a way that you’ve never seen before.

Steel yourself for the tasks that lie ahead. No blow you’ve yet suffered has been so terrible as the treason of Saruman!

• The third The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
• Features a new Fellowship-sphere Aragorn, two additional heroes, and thirty-nine player cards
• Introduces three scenarios that allow you to participate directly in key events drawn straight from the pages of The Two Towers
• Campaign Mode allows you to enjoy an epic narrative that weaves the expansion’s scenarios together with those of other The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions
• Six new boons and five new burdens ensure your every decision has meaningful consequences

A new deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

As the shadow of Mordor extends its reach, ever more people are torn from their homes and left without safety or refuge. When you are met with one such band of wanderers, you find yourself honor-bound to deliver them to a new setting where they may finally find peace. But the road is treacherous and fraught with dangers. Will you be able to keep them safe? Who knows what you may encounter over the Edge of the Wild?

A Noble Mission
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game that transports players into the world originally penned by J.R.R Tolkien, where they will embody some of the realm’s most powerful heroes and explore Middle-earth like never before. With various difficulty levels to embrace both new and experienced players, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game allows you to embark on an engaging adventure that is truly your own.

In The Wilds of Rhovanion deluxe expansion, you take the first steps in another new adventure, stretching forwards through a cycle of upcoming Adventure Packs. On this adventure, you accompany a group of refugees seeking asylum in the Wilderlands. This expansion explores the vast untamed country of Rhovanion in three original scenarios that take you from the Vales of Anduin, through Mirkwood Forest, and into the Iron Hills. With an expansive 156 cards—including two hero cards, thirteen quest cards, 39 player cards, and 102 encounter cards—The Wilds of Rhovanion introduces new ways to expand your quests and help you master the art of trade, as perfected by the merchants of Dale.

A Perilous Journey
Your adventures begin in "Journey up the Anduin." Here, your small band of adventurers make their way up the mighty Anduin river, bringing with them the remnants of Haradim tribe whose village was destroyed when they defied Mordor, as chronicled in the Haradrim cycle. While both the Steward of Gondor and the King of Rohan have denied them refuge, they were granted safe passage north. Now, they make their way towards Dale, but the journey is long and winter is nigh. To make matters worse, Warg-riders and Mountain Trolls have been spotted along the journey. This land is no longer safe.

As you progress forward, "Lost in Mirkwood" draws you deep into the cursed forest, where only the brave, the desperate, and the foolhardy will tread. The Forest Road is the heroes’ only path through Mirkwood, but it is a perilous crossing. To the south, the fortress of Dol Guldur has again become a place of evil and its influence can be felt throughout the darkening forest, while to the north, sinister spiders and their many traps await. When faced with the Vastness of Mirkwood (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 37), you may feel the icy breath of fear upon your neck as the threat of each non-objective location increases. Once within the depths of the forest, you may be confronted by Ravenous Spiders (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 35) who strike without warning. To wander off the trail could mean to be lost forever.

If you manage to escape the grasp of Mordor and reach your destination, new challenges await you in "The King’s Quest." King Brand is sympathetic to the plight of the Haradrim, but cautious for the safety of his own people. However, the king has a task that may offer you a chance to prove your loyalty. Villages are being ransacked on the borders of his realm and with his forces already stretched thin, it is up to you to explore the caverns of the Iron Hills and discover the cause of this destruction. In this quest, you will explore Middle-earth’s Deep underground. Locations with the Deep keyword draw you into the caves of the Iron Hills, forcing you into the darkness whether you are prepared for the dangers that await you there or not. Exploring these caverns and dealing with the threat may gain the king’s favor for those you swore to protect, but it could easily cost you your life.

Masterful Merchants
In addition to the three new adventures, The Wilds of Rhovanion also introduces an assortment of new player cards. In the time since the dragon Smaug’s defeat, Dale has become a prosperous trade hub. You will see this reflected in the many cards found in The Wilds of Rhovanion that focus on your ability to utilize Item attachments. In the streets of the city itself, Traffic From Dale (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 12) offers the city’s residents additional resources equal to the number of attachments they possess. Meanwhile, you can call upon the aid of a Long Lake Trader (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 6) to help move the merchandise, exhausting this ally to move an Item attachment from one of your characters to another.

But perhaps the strongest of Dale are the noblemen of the city who draw their power from those they lead. Descendant of the famed bowman who slew Smaug, Bard Son of Brand (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 2) is a man of Dale, and trade runs in his blood. When the city prospers, so does he. While playing an Item attachment, Bard Son of Brand is considered to have Leadership, Lore, and Tactics spheres. Additionally, once per phase, Bard lends you the ability to return each of a character’s attachments to your hand when they leave play—keeping them from being discarded and allowing you to reuse them again and again.

Beyond the trade skills and tactics that you can learn from the residents of Dale, the exotic merchandise they deal in also has great value in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. In The Wilds of Rhovanion, certain Items such as the Necklace of Girion (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 11), bear a new version of the Guarded keyword. When a card with the Guarded (enemy) or Guarded (location) keyword enters play, you will discard cards from the encounter deck until a card of the indicated type is discarded. Then, you add that card to the staging area and attach the Guarded card to it as a guarded objective.

For example, if during the planning phase you play Necklace of Girion, which has the Guarded (enemy or location) keyword, you will discard cards from the encounter deck until you find an enemy or location. In this case the first card discarded is Lonely Lands (The Wilds of Rhovanion, 24). You'll then add Lonely Lands to the staging area and attach Necklace of Girion to it as a guarded objective. Once the Lonely Lands is explored, you can take control of the Necklace of Girion and attach it to a hero of your choice: in this case, Bard Son of Brand. Bard now gets +2 willpower and collects an additional resource during the resource phase. By learning from newfound allies and using these powerful implements, you will be ready to confront any dangers that lurk in the Wilderlands.

A New Adventure
Middle-earth awaits. Gather your allies, protect the Haradrim, and set out for daring adventures in The Wilds of Rhovanion!

The first Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

After traveling down the River Running to the city of Dorwinion and the cursed forgotten temples hidden in the Hills of Rhûn, you have managed to put a stop to the dark machinations of a mysterious cult and push back the shadow of evil that once hung over the city. After restoring peace to a troubled land, all that was left for you was to say your farewells to your newfound friends and return home, or so you thought. But the agents of Mordor are not easily defeated. An old enemy has returned with a vengeance and they now seek to destroy the city you worked so hard to save. Now a new cycle begins with a flash of fire and steel.

A Battle in the East
After your adventures in A Shadow in the East, Dorwinion seems to be bright and beautiful, free from the taint of evil that the mysterious cult had swept over the land. After a month of peaceful travel, your band of adventurers have made their way back to the capital city to enjoy one last night of the citizens’ hospitality before returning home. You are glad for the rest, but your thoughts cannot help but drift back to the horrors you witnessed in the shadow of Mordor, and wonder whether the evil has truly been rooted out.

Your fears are confirmed when you awake in the middle of the night to the sounds of clashing steel and cries of fear pouring in from the streets. The enemy has gotten Inside the Walls (Wrath and Ruin, 25). Thane Ulchor, a traitor to Dorwinion, has returned to the city with an army of Easterlings. His agents within the city slew the guards and opened the gate to let them in, and now the battle rages in the streets. It is up to you to defend the helpless citizens, support the city guard, and push back the invading forces before the city falls into the clutches of darkness.

Wrath and Ruin is a battle to liberate the ancient capital of Gondor from the forces of Mordor. To reflect your struggle to drive the enemy from every last corner of the city, you will be instructed at times to take control of locations when they leave play. To take control of a location, the first player removes all progress from the newly explored location and places it in front of their play area rather than discarding it. A location under any player’s control is still in play— their text is still active, and they can be affected by card effects, including the many encounter card effects that may force you to return a location you control to the staging area, such as the Contested Square (Wrath and Ruin, 35). Should you lose control, you remove all progress from the location, and if you are eliminated, every location you control is returned to the staging area as your hero is no longer able to hold the line. Will you be able to force back this evil once and for all, or will all your efforts to protect the lives of the innocent have been for naught?

A Merry Fellow
Even as you face the many dangers of the encounter deck in Wrath and Ruin, you may find that not every strange meeting in this quest is perilous. This Adventure Pack gives you and your fellowship the rare chance to brush shoulders with the enigmatic Tom Bombadil (Wrath and Ruin, 10). Tom Bombadil is an ancient being, older than the rain and the trees, but he always has a song in his heart. Now a willing Ally, when Tom Bombadil is revealed, your party may choose any player to gain control of him, ready and committed to the quest as he is always is ready to lend a helping hand to passers-by. This can add an incredible amount of versatility to your turn, giving you a bonus character with a respectable strength of three in willpower, attack, and defense. But for his many advantages, you must be ready for Tom Bombadil’s irregular nature.

The helpful but mysterious nature of Bombadil is shown by the seeming contradiction that he is a player card, but he features the new Encounter keyword. Player cards with this keyword cannot be included in any player’s deck as they have encounter card backs. Instead, when setting up a scenario, each player may set up to 3 cards with the Encounter keyword aside, out of play. They do not count towards your deck minimum and they are never played from your hand. Instead, these player cards are meant to be shuffled into the encounter deck. The One Ring and the forces of Sauron do not hold power over Tom and such things do not concern him, so he has no qualms about entering this dangerous place, but in order to align him to your cause, you must know how to summon him.

In order to shuffle a set-aside player card with the Encounter keyword into the encounter deck, a card effect must instruct you to do so. In the case of Tom, this card is Tom Bombadillo! (Wrath and Ruin, 5). This Song allows a Hobbit hero to call upon the aide of Tom Bombadil by adding the event to the victory display and shuffling a set-aside copy of Tom Bombadil into the encounter deck. However, you can only have one copy of Tom in the encounter deck at a time, and thus you cannot play Tom Bombadillo! if there is already a copy of the card in the victory display. Rather, you must wait until the end of the round where Tom Bombadil is revealed, at which time will be removed from the game along with a copy of the summoning event in the victory display. With the ancient joyful Tom at your side, you will have no cause to fear the darkness, but you must take care—his help remains a rare gift, and once gone, the battle shall be yours and yours alone.

We Shall Not Yield
The evil of Mordor has spread to infect the surrounding lands, and while there are still those who will fight for their land and to hold back the storm, they will need your help if they wish to see peace and safety return to their home. Prepare for battle and force the shadow out from the city you swore to protect!

The second Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game! This 60 card pack contains an entirely new scenario for players to continue the adventures they started in the A Shadow in the East deluxe expansion and the Wrath and Ruin Adventure Pack as well as new cards to help players deal with these challenges.

You thought your adventures in Dorwinion had come to an end. The future seemed bright after you drove the shadow of Mordor back and rescued the captives from the Temple of Sauron. But Mordor did not let such a defeat go unpunished for long. With threats of vengeance fresh on his lips, Thane Ulchor struck Dorwinion with an army of Easterlings in a devastating sneak attack. Now, he has fled to the East, just as quickly as he arrived. If you seek justice for those slain in Dorwinion, you must track him to the ends of Middle-earth.

Additionally, those who pre-order The City of Ulfast will not only get free shipping within the continental United States, they'll also receive three beautiful full-art cards featuring Lothíriel, Angbor the Fearless, and the Host of Galadhrim. Read on for more information on your adventures in The City of Ulfast!

Blending In
After the chaos he caused in Dorwinion, you have tracked Thane Ulchor out of the city and along the southern shore of the Sea of Rhûn. Rather than seeking refuge in Mordor, however, Ulchor has chosen to ride east into the city of Ulfast. But knowing your quarry's location is only the beginning of your troubles. Ulfast is a large city, and Ulchor undoubtedly has the King's support. Instead of risking an open attack, you must Try to Blend In (City of Ulfast, 51), covertly searching for Ulchor while learning everything you can about his movements since his attack on Dorwinion.

Unlike your all-out battle with Ulchor and his army in Wrath and Ruin, this Adventure Pack sees you taking a decidedly different approach. But you must be careful—Ulfast is a city of Easterlings, and they do not take kindly to intruders. You must conduct your search under the watchful eye of Ulfast's City Guard (The City of Ulfast, 37), who tirelessly patrol the streets in search of any who disturb the peace. Although the City Guard won't engage you right away, the longer your search lasts, the more likely you'll draw their attention. At the end of each round, a resource is placed on the main quest card and the City Guard's engagement cost is reduced for every resource here, forcing you to conduct your search as quickly as possible.

With the guards scrutinizing your every move, you must press your advantage whenever you can if you hope to find any trace of Ulchor. A Crowded Market (The City of Ulfast, 43), for example, could provide adequate cover for your clandestine actions, significantly raising the City Guard's engagement cost while it is the active location. But you won't find too many friendly faces in the crowd. Another enemy is adding to the staging area when you travel to the market and the guards are ever vigilant. Constantly Patrolling the Streets (The City of Ulfast, 47), their watchful gaze can prevent you from making progress in your quest.

Strength of Arms
Such a dangerous mission in a hostile city requires a party of adventurers uniquely suited to the task and The City of Ulfast provides two distinct ways for you to prepare for this challenge. If you prefer to have a large party of allies, a hero like Lothíriel (The City of Ulfast, 27) can help you make the most of them. In addition to a high willpower of her own, this Gondor hero can further aid your search by putting an ally in your hand that shares a Trait with her into play committed to the quest. If she summons a Knight of Belfalas (The City of Ulfast, 34), you can even bring another Gondor ally from your discard pile to your hand, ensuring Lothíriel can continue to use your allies to make progress in your quest!

Although your ultimate goal is to avoid the attention of the City Guard, you cannot escape their watchful gaze forever. During these times, a Warrior like Angbor the Fearless (The City of Ulfast, 28) becomes particularly useful, both mustering extra strength to fight off enemies and contributing to the quest. Similarly, having a Woodland Sentry (The City of Ulfast, 30) by your side can be an effective way of managing the enemies and locations you face as you push torward your objective. In fact, with the Host of Galadhrim (The City of Ulfast, 36) in your company, these Silvan allies become doubly effective, using their "enters play" abilities again.

Such a large group of adventurers is bound to draw the attention of Ulfast's steadfast guards, and some who enter the city may want to rely on their own skills rather than those of others. A lean hunting party of three is all it takes to hunt down Thane Ulchor, and the new Contract Forth, the Three Hunters (The City of Ulfast, 49) completely reshapes how you approach the challenges of The City of Ulfast. Although the contract prevents you from including any allies in your deck, it does allow each of your heroes to carry an additional restricted attachment, letting them prepare for the challenges that await while armed with a War Axe (The City of Ulfast, 32) or a Keen Longbow (The City of Ulfast, 31). Once they're fully equipped, (The City of Ulfast, 49) your heroes are ready to take on the rigors of any quest, gaining more willpower for every restricted attachment they carry and the ability to heal damage.

Mean Streets
You cannot let Thane Ulchor escape. While you have strength left, you will follow his trail and bring him to justice. Enter The City of Ulfast and end this threat before it spreads farther into Middle-earth!

Thane Ulchor has fled Ulfast, his trail leading directly to Mordor. Riding hard with the hope of overtaking him before he reaches the Black Land, your pursuit was aided at first by good weather and a clear trail. But fortune turned against you when you came upon a camp of Easterling Wainriders. Now at their mercy, you now have no choice but to accept a challenge unlike anything you have encountered in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game.

The third Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game! In addition to providing new allies and tools to help you overcome the hardships you face as you draw ever-nearer to Mordor, this 60-card pack picks up where you left off in The City of Ulfast with a thrilling new scenario that will challenge your group of heroes like never before.

Race for Your Life
Accustomed to roaming about the great expanse of Rhûn in nomadic wains, the Easterlings you have encountered value the freedom that only the wind in their hair and the earth rushing beneath them can provide. They may have no allegiance to Mordor, but they are no friend to the West either. Rather than turn you over to Ulchor, then, they will allow you to continue your chase if you can defeat their champion in a chariot race.

Beginning at the Wainrider Camp (Challenge of the Wainriders, 75), this Adventure Pack sees you and your party embark on a thrilling race to determine your fate. Instead of progressing through the quest deck as normal, however, this race takes a different approach entirely. When setting up Challenge of the Wainriders, the quest cards are arranged next to one another in two rows that both the Challengers (Challenge of the Wainriders, 65) and Wainriders (Challenge of the Wainriders, 64) advance around in a circuit. The first to complete two circuits wins the race.

To succeed in this challenge, you must make progress in each stage as quickly as possible. But the Wainriders are aggressive and experienced racers who are unafraid to attack even while travelling at high speed. In addition to the Wainrider Champion (Challenge of the Wainriders, 66) engaging every player while the challengers are at the same stage as the Wainriders, others, like an Aggressive Racer (Challenge of the Wainriders, 67) will pester you even if they are lagging behind.

What’s more, the Wainriders themselves may be the least of your worries. Although it begins in an open field, the track quickly leads to a sharp turn alongside the edge of a ravine and through difficult terrain. The track can become especially crowded during these stretches (Challenge of the Wainriders, 71), making it even more difficult for you to separate yourself from the pack.

The White Wizard
The Wainriders make their home on the plains of Rhûn and beating them in this race will not be easy. Fortunately, you’ll have plenty of help as you rise to their challenge, beginning with a new Lore hero. As the head of the White Order, the wizard Saruman (Challenge of the Wainriders, 54) has much to offer as your quest grows nearer to Mordor. Saruman has always desired power no matter the cost, and this continues in his first appearance as a hero in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Not only can he play events with the printed doomed keyword from any sphere, he readies after you do so.

This makes Saruman an incredibly versatile character with a wide array of powerful events at his fingertips. He could, for instance, sound the horns (Challenge of the Wainriders, 56), allowing every player to put an ally like Nori (Challenge of the Wainriders, 59) into play in time to lend his strength to an attack. Similarly, he could become Far-Sighted (Challenge of the Wainriders, 58) and gaze into the encounter deck to know what to expect in the next leg of the race.

A wizard is even more powerful with his staff, of course, and Saruman’s Staff (Challenge of the Wainriders, 63) is no exception, complementing the White Wizard’s prodigious power in every way. Saruman’s strength relies on cards with the doomed keyword and his staff gives you a chance to replenish your supply by searching the top five cards of your deck for one of these cards and adding it to your hand. Alternatively, the staff can negate the high cost of playing Doomed events, giving you more time to complete your task.

With his ability to play Doomed events from any sphere, Saruman is a powerful hero who can operate with little help from others. You can put this strategy into action by using him in conjunction with The Grey Wanderer (Challenge of the Wainriders, 74) contract. This contract restricts you to a single starting hero, but it also allows that hero to begin an adventure with an attachment in play. If your chosen hero carries The One Ring, this attachment could be a powerful Master card like Power of Command (Challenge of the Wainriders, 55) that raises the willpower of every unique character you control. Better yet, The Grey Wanderer imbues this hero with extraordinary abilities, making them a true force to be reckoned with.

Accept the Challenge
There is only one way to secure your freedom and continue the hunt for Ulchor. Do you have the skill and courage to defeat the Wainriders and prove your worth? Find out when Challenge of the Wainriders arrives in the first quarter of 2020!

The fourth Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

You have journeyed far across the lands of Rhûn in pursuit of Thane Ulchor, from the city of Ulfast all the way up to the very borders of Mordor itself. Now, the tunnels of Torech Gorgor are all that separate you from your quarry.

As your journey reaches its final stages, this 60-card pack takes you deep into a labyrinthine cave system where you’ll face dwindling supplies as well as the nameless terrors that dwell there. Do you have the will to find your way through before all hope is lost?

Lost in the Dark
There is no easy way to enter Mordor. Its borders are guarded by ruthless Orcs and following Ulchor’s path is sure to lead to your capture. Fortunately, after accepting their challenge, the Wainriders have led you to the entrance of a tunnel in the black wall of the Ash Mountains. The dark cave before you may offer a Passage into Mordor (Under the Ash Mountains, 106), but you must navigate the intersecting maze of tunnels on your own.

To make matters worse, finding your way through these twisting tunnels isn’t the only challenge you’ll face. There is little chance of finding food or water during the passage and you must move quickly to reach the other side before your supplies—and the cards in your deck—run out. To avoid starvation and elimination from the game, then, you must be more judicious than normal when triggering card-drawing abilities, instead relying on the limited resources available to you.

This task is made all the more difficult by the oppressiveness of the passages around you. Simply navigating the Tunnels of Torech Gorgor (Under the Ash Mountains, 92) is a challenge that slows your progress and drains your supplies considerably. But you’ll find more in this maze of tunnels and passages that takes a toll on your party both physically and mentally. Foul things dwell in the deep places of the world, and these Nameless Beasts (Under the Ash Mountains, 95) are sure to devour some of your supplies, making themselves stronger in the process.

What’s more, the longer you spend in the tunnels, the more suffocating they can seem. As you draw closer to Mordor, the darkness around you seeps into your very thoughts, and despair begins to take hold. A Burning Reek (Under the Ash Mountains, 104) permeates the caverns, calling your attention to your dwindling supplies. You must make haste if you are to survive this foul place.

Hope Endures
It is easy to lose hope in the dark depths of Torech Gorgor, but with a little fortitude—and some preparation—you can escape the horrors that await you. You would do well to push ahead to find your way through the tunnels as quickly as possible, and an ally like a Wandering Exile (Under the Ash Mountains, 82) can help ensure that your path is true. Similarly, nameless creatures and despair aren’t all you’ll find in the tunnels. You could also find the Stone of Elostirion (Under the Ash Mountains, 84) to guide your way.

While these tools are certainly useful, they come at the cost of removing precious cards from your deck. An ally like Odo Proudfoot (Under the Ash Mountains, 88), on the other hand, can help you locate other useful Hobbit allies such as Merry (A Shadow in the East, 3) in your deck while also shuffling the other cards from the search back into your deck.

No matter how quickly you make your way through the tunnels, you’re sure to encounter some of the fell creatures that reside there. During these times, it’s especially important to protect the hero who carries The One Ring (A Shadow in the East, 1). Bringing the supplies to keep them Well Preserved (Under the Ash Mountains, 85) can keep them going long enough to finish the quest.

The allies and equipment that you bring into Torech Gorgor can certainly help you overcome individual challenges, but your own resolve and wisdom will see you through to the end. With that in mind, you can always bring together a Council of the Wise (Under the Ash Mountains, 91) and gain additional rewards when you play an event from your hand.

With this contract in play, the high cost of additional threat to issue a Defiant Challenge (Under the Ash Mountains, 89) or make a Reckless Attack (Under the Ash Mountains, 87) can be immediately reduced, helping you plow forward. At the same time, a Leadership hero like Gildor Inglorion (Under the Ash Mountains, 81) can use the resource generated by this contract to fuel his ability, helping the entire party draw the cards they need.

To Mordor
The treacherous Thane Ulchor in nearly in your grasp, but unknown terrors wait in the dark beneath the Ash Mountains. There is no going back now. On to Mordor!

The fifth Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

After braving the treacherous Tunnels of Torech Gorgor, you have reached Mordor at last. Thane Ulchor is close to being in your grasp. As you draw near to his fortress of Dol Rhugar, however, you have come across something you did not expect: fields of prisoners being made to harvest crops and raise livestock to feed Sauron’s vast armies. You must release these captives from their Easterling masters.

Beginning after you emerge from Under the Ash Mountains, this 60-card Adventure Pack pits your party against fierce Easterling slavers in a battle for the fate of their captives. Can you free them from The Land of Sorrow?

Fight for Freedom
Though the end of your journey is near, you cannot ignore the plight of the Dark Lord’s prisoners. Already bent with hard labor, Elves, Dwarves, and men working the fields are driven even harder by the whips of stern Easterlings that move among them. Although it may imperil your quest to bring Thane Ulchor to justice, you have decided to risk everything to rescue these captives from slavery.

To do so, you must mount attacks on the Camps where the slaves are being held and defeat the mighty Wardens that guard them. More than mere guards, these enemies will do whatever it takes to maintain their power and the locations they protect only make them more difficult to fight. An assault on The Barracks (The Land of Sorrow, 121), for instance, prevents the enemy under it from taking damage the round they enter play, potentially making a Warden like Ulwarth (The Land of Sorrow, 118) a formidable foe to overcome.

Fortunately, you don’t have to face the Wardens and their minions on your own. If you can manage to explore a Camp, you’ll free one of the captives who will aid you in the fight for freedom. Liberate the Dwarf Farin (The Land of Sorrow, 126) and you gain a skilled fighter who can deal a damage to an enemy engaged with a player after he is declared as an attacker.

But defeating Ulchor’s lieutenants will not be easy, even with the help of the freed slaves. The Easterlings are advancing with a garrison to recapture them and you must lead a desperate revolt (The Land of Sorrow, 136). Only when the Wardens have been defeated will you have secured their freedom.

New Heroes
The Land of Sorrow locks you in intense combat with the most fearsome Easterling warriors you have yet encountered, and it will take all of your skill to claim victory. Thankfully, this Adventure Pack also contains several new cards that give you several options for dealing with these enemies.

A powerful Eagle like Gwaihir (The Land of Sorrow, 108) can take this challenge head-on, sweeping in to lend his prodigious attack or defense to nearly any fight. While he is limited by the fact that he does not ready during the refresh phase, Gwaihir can easily be rallied to fight for you when an Eagle ally such as an Eagle Emissary (The Land of Sorrow, 113) or even Wilyador (The Land of Sorrow, 117) enters or leaves play.

Even with the aid of powerful Eagles, your heroes are in for a difficult fight and are sure to take a good amount of damage. To keep your party in fighting shape, you could use the aid provided by a Dale Messenger (The Land of Sorrow, 111) who can heal one damage from each character a player controls that has a player card attachment. Similarly, carrying a Spare Pipe (The Land of Sorrow, 115) makes a character even more hearty and gives you a chance to add an event to your hand.

If you are truly looking for a novel way to augment your party of adventurers, though, you can always declare a non-neutral unique ally to be a Messenger of the King (The Land of Sorrow, 134). For the cost of adding that ally’s printed willpower, attack, defense, and hit points to your starting threat, this contract allows you to make them a hero in their own right, opening up a variety of new deckbuilding options.

For an additional eight starting threat, Messenger of the King allows you to use Faramir (Core Set, 14) to boost the willpower of every character controlled by a player each round. For an option with much less of an impact on your starting threat, your entire party could use Ioreth’s (A Storm on Cobas, 117) healing abilities while also beginning the game in secrecy.

Middle-earth is full of those willing to step up and fight the darkness. Who will you choose to join your party?

Called to Adventure
The all-out battle to free Thane Ulchor’s slaves will test not just your skill in battle, but also your ability to lead the revolt. Muster your party and incite rebellion in The Land of Sorrow!

The sixth Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game.

Your brave company of heroes steps into the very heart of Mordor, and danger is everywhere. You recently rescued prisoners from the slave-fields that surround the fortress, and now, under cover of darkness, you wait for the signal to attack the city and liberate the captives within. You’re certain that Thane Ulchor is also within this citadel, and the culmination of your quest that began so long ago may finally be within reach.

As the Vengeance of Mordor cycle rises to its ultimate confrontation, you’ll lay siege to a castle in this expansion’s brand-new scenario. The contest that lies before you is mighty, but fortunately for you, new friends and allies arrive to help you along the way. This pack includes a new Spirit version of Aragorn plus new player cards for every sphere, as well as a neutral attachment and a contract that blast open the number of decks you can create for any scenario.

The Heart of Villainy
Your quest to defeat Thane Ulchor has finally brought you to his stronghold in the depths of Mordor. As you begin your Assault on Dol Rhugar (The Fortress of Nurn, 159), four side quests are put into play, each offering you a different opportunity to storm the castle. You’ll have to complete at least three of these Castle side quests before you can breach the inner sanctum and face down Thane Ulchor, but it won’t be easy when the majority of your deck is taken captive and locked away within the fortress.

When the scenario starts, each player puts eight cards from the top of their deck underneath the quest deck and every side quest in play—and you won’t get them back until you can complete the side quests and begin to free the captives inside the fortress. Add that to cards like Fortress Walls (The Fortress of Nurn, 153) or Soldier of Nurn (The Fortress of Nurn, 149), which can recapture cards from your hand, and you’ll have to fight tooth and nail just to muster your strength for a full-on assault. As you start to press your attack and complete more and more side quests, the garrison is roused and the opposition becomes more pronounced. You and your fellow heroes will face the fight of your lives if you’re going to defeat the forces of the Dark Lord.

Bond of Friendship
Among the 29 player cards of The Fortress of Nurn, you’ll find new allies to fight by your side, fearless mounts to ride into battle, and stout shields to protect you in the fight. None of these cards, however, have the chance to shake up your entire collection of cards like a neutral attachment and a new contract introduced in this Adventure Pack.

Thorongil (The Fortress of Nurn, 146) promises to bring new life to your collection in a way that’s quite unlike any other attachment. At this point in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, if you’ve been keeping up with releases, many of the game’s most iconic heroes, such as Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Boromir, and others, have more than one version. If you’ve ever wished you could combine two versions of a hero into a single card, then Thorongil is the card for you.

Clocking in at three resources, Thorongil can be expensive, but when you attach it to one of your heroes, you can search your entire collection for a different version of that hero and attach it to Thorongil. So long as you keep this attachment in play, your original hero gains the game text and resource icon of the attached hero card! Perhaps you want a Boromir who can both ready himself and boost the attack of your Gondor allies. Or maybe you’d prefer a supporting Denethor who can both look at the top card of the encounter deck and pass his resources out to other heroes. The options for combining heroes’ abilities with Thorongil are nearly limitless.

You gain even more challenges and options for creating your own deck with Bond of Friendship (The Fortress of Nurn, 147), a new contract included in this expansion. For essentially the entire lifespan of the game, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game has been limited to three heroes per player. This new contract promises to change that by allowing you to bring four heroes together, provided that they each belong to a different sphere.

Though Bond of Friendship brings more restrictions to your deck than usual, the power of four heroes fighting together against the forces of Mordor cannot be overstated. You’ll have new combos to explore and a new way to test yourself against any scenario in the game! And don’t even get us started on a deck that includes both Bond of Friendship and Thorongil…

Capture the Fortress
The power of the Dark Lord may seem overwhelming, but hope is never gone completely. Gather your fellow heroes and test your strength against the armies of Mordor in The Fortress of Nurn, the sixth Adventure Pack in the Vengeance of Mordor cycle!

What do you know of Mirkwood?

Home to Wood-elves, giant spiders, and the armies of Dol Guldur, the dark and enchanted forest has played a prominent role in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game ever since the release of the Core Set. Players have trod its twisting paths, camped long nights beneath its dark canopy, and survived myriad encounter with Orcs, Spiders, Wargs, and haunting magic. But if you think you've seen it all by now—you'd be wrong.

Beginning in September, Mirkwood gets an all-new look with The Woodland Realm. A custom scenario kit designed expressly for this year's Fellowship Event, The Woodland Realm follows upon—and builds upon—the unique adventures shared by all those who attended Gen Con Indy and set forth on The Wizard's Quest.

Like The Wizard's Quest, The Woodland Realm lets you step over the line for a moment and play the role of Sauron. You'll assemble a quest and an encounter deck, and then you'll unleash its evils upon anyone brave or foolish enough to travel through Mirkwood!

Work Together, or Race Against the Shadow
The centerpiece of your 2018 Fellowship Event experience, The Woodland Realm is a collection of fourteen different five-card encounter sets, seven quest stage options, and a handful of scenario-specific cards. With these tools, you'll be able to piece together your own deadly, Mirkwood-based scenario, and then you'll be able to play through it—or hand it over to another group of players and let them stumble through its hazards while you race through the scenario they created.

While you can certainly tinker with the cards in The Woodland Realm to challenge yourself with new scenario after new scenario, it's the way this custom scenario kit supports the game's Race Against the Shadow play mode that makes it uniquely exciting.

Noble Elves, hardy Dwarves, doughty Rangers, brash Men, and brave Hobbits have long clamored for ways to challenge each other within The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Several years back, we responded by introducing the Race Against the Shadow play mode, in which teams play through the same scenario side-by-side and see who can complete it faster—if at all!

Tournament Resources
While this play mode sated a bit of those players' competitive ambitions, even as it maintained the game's cooperative identity as teams worked together to defeat the scenarios, the Race Against the Shadow format wanted something more… While both teams faced the same scenario, the fluctuations in their encounter draws were greatly pronounced, and even though the teams were competing against each other, there was no interaction, only the pressure that one team might place upon the other by cutting through enemies and making progress toward the quest.

Like The Wizard's Quest scenario kit that debuted at Gen Con Indy, The Woodland Realm adds all-new dimensions to this Race Against the Shadow format. You and your opponents will gain access to the same quest stage options and the same encounter cards, but then you'll look for ways to surprise each other with carefully selected synergies. In a Quick-build game, you'll simply select three quest stages (the single Stage 1, one of the three Stage 2 options, and one of the three Stage 3 options) and seven of the available encounter sets.

In a game that takes advantage of the Advanced-build rules, you'll gain even more flexibility to build your encounter deck, carefully spending up to twenty-one total points on encounter cards. Will you aim for a steady stream of moderate one- and two-cost threats like Caught in a Web and Beast of Taur-nu-Fuin? Or will you build around a smaller number of high-impact, three-cost cards like Enchanted Stream or Ungoliant's Spawn? The choice is yours, and it lends a thrilling new dimension to the Race Against the Shadow.

Similarly, many of the encounter cards in The Woodland Realm encourage your interaction with the opposing team. Like Driven by Shadow, these cards tell your opponents to have the opposing team—you—make key decisions about how they'll resolve. This increases your engagement during your opponent's turns and indulges your wicked sensibilities, allowing you to be (momentarily) every bit as cruel and calculating as the Dark Lord himself.

Finally, the encounter sets in The Woodland Realm are fully compatible with those from The Wizard's Quest, so when both are released as products later on, you'll find even more ways to trap your opponents within the darkest corners of Mirkwood!

An Adventure to Remember
The Woodland Realm premieres at the 2018 Fellowship Event for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, and you can expect it will be an adventure to remember!

Not only will you have the chance to race opposing teams through custom scenarios, full of iconic Orcs, Spiders, and Nazgûl, but you'll be able to do so while enjoying the camaraderie of other die-hard The Lord of the Rings fans. More than this, each participant in the 2018 Fellowship Event will get a copy of The Woodland Realm, plus an alternate art Core Set Éowyn and a stunning playmat that shows Gandalf starting on his path into Mirkwood.

The Woodland Realm will be made available for purchase at a later date, but don't wait until then to enjoy all the adventures it can offer. Make sure that you're a part of this year's greatest event for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game.