LOTR - Conflict at the Carrock

[fatolaf]

While searching for Gollum along the banks of the Anduin, the heroes hear rumours of a group of Trolls that have come to the Carrock, bringing chaos and strife to the valley. The heroes seek out Grimbeorn the Old to assist him in driving the intrusive Trolls back to the mountains from which they came.

Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce the upcoming release of Conflict at the Carrock, 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.

An Unkind Gathering

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. Tread carefully in search of Grimbeorn, or you might find yourself stuffed in a sack waiting to be cooked up as a tasty Troll treat.

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. Meanwhile, a dwarf Long-beard Mapmaker discovers a hidden Dúnedain Warning that just might help the heroes avoid defeat. But enemies abound!

Conflict at the Carrock focuses on the lumbering Trolls terrorizing the Beornings, and while facing them in combat is fearful enough, Sacked! cards will endanger your heroes at every turn. Muck Adders will snap at your heels while you try to navigate the difficult locations surrounding the Carrock.

[fatolaf]

Thrilling combat

While searching for Gollum along the banks of the Anduin, the heroes hear rumors that a group of trolls have begun terrorizing the Carrock. Only by seeking out Grimbeorn the Old and assisting his efforts can the heroes drive the trolls back to the mountains from which they came.

Each of the six Adventure Packs in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle presents a unique, new scenario that highlights a different element of the game. The result is that players can do something new and different with each Adventure Pack. Conflict of the Carrock rushes heroes with some of the toughest enemy combatants in the cycle as heroes have to take up arms in a massive battle against a group of powerful trolls.

Sooner or later the dark power will devour him

As you try to figure out how best to assign your heroes to questing, fending off attacks, and counterattacking, you may wish you had more heroes.

Some cards increase your flexibility as you approach each stage. Aragorn, for instance, can spend a resource after committing to a quest to ready, allowing him to either defend or attack in the combat phase. Legolas offers you the potential to progress along the quest as he kills enemies, but your threat still rises if you don't commit enough willpower during the quest phase to overcome the total threat in the staging area. Finally, the Spirit attachment Unexpected Courage exhausts to ready the attached hero.

Now Conflict at the Carrock introduces another hero with tremendous flexibility, Frodo Baggins. At a mere seven threat, Frodo helps keep your starting threat low, and his two willpower can make a solid contribution to the quest phase each turn. His attack strength and hit points are merely hobbit-sized, and even though his two defense strength is respectable, it's best to keep Frodo Baggins out of combat. Yet, that's the problem, isn't it? If you commit all your heroes to questing, you have none left to defend against enemy attacks. If you have only enough heroes and allies to hold your enemies at bay, you have no one to attack and drive them off. Frodo Baggins, though, gives you another option. Instead of defending against an attack, you can let it go undefended and convert the damage to increased threat with his response ability.

Thematically, you might imagine that Frodo hides from the attack at the last instant by slipping on the One Ring. He's distracted the enemy attacking him long enough that his allies have gotten safely away, so the potential for bodily harm has been nullified. But the One Ring exerts the Dark Lord's influence over all who would wear it.

Should Frodo slip away from an attack and move closer to the dark power that rules the Rings? Each turn, you'll need to decide whether to take advantage of Frodo's unique ability. If you use his ability too often or too early, you'll risk losing at fifty threat, suffering from treachery effects like Evil Storm, or finding yourself engaged with high-threat enemies like Hummerhorns.

Still, Frodo's ability gives you one of the rare opportunities to survive an enemy like Hummerhorns. And since you can use his response once each phase, he could survive an Evil Storm even while wounded and then still survive Hummerhorns.

The greatest advantage Frodo Baggins offers, though, is that he frees up other heroes to act. If Frodo quests with a Protector of Lorien, then Beravor can exhaust to draw two cards. If they're the right cards, the draw yields more than the extra two willpower would. If they're not essential cards, you can discard them to add to Frodo's willpower. If Denethor doesn't need to quest, you can use him to defend, where he excels. If Gimli and Legolas don't need to defend against a massive troll like Morris, they may be able to kill it and remove the threat once and for all. In this manner, Frodo Baggins is the ultimate team player, keeping your heroes focused on the quest, even while remaining ready for other challenges.

As we get nearer the rough and rowdy Conflict at the Carrock, look for Frodo Baggins to help keep your heroes committed to the quest and ready to lend their aid to Grimbeorn in his efforts to drive the trolls back to the mountains from which they came!

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Another sneak Peak at one of the cards...

Combat with one troll can prove a daunting challenge to a player, so how might you be able to survive a melee with the four unique trolls from Conflict at the Carrock?

It helps to find an ally in Grimbeorn the Old (Conflict at the Carrock 37). The son of Beorn is a powerful combatant and may provide you the edge you need to drive the trolls back to the mountains. Because he does not need to exhaust to defend against Troll enemies, Grimbeorn the Old can help hold the trolls at bay long enough for your heroes to cut away at their strength. But you'll have to act quickly. Even Grimbeorn the Old's health and stamina won't hold forever against trolls at full strength.