LotR 42 - Passage Through Mirkwood (23)

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Making another run at Mirkwood with the "Back to Basics" deck. I haven't had any luck with this in the past, going 0/3 to date, but I've played a lot since last using this deck and it's time to take it for another spin.

Initial hand:

  1. Beorn
  2. The Galadhrim's Greeting
  3. Faramir
  4. Gandalf
  5. Stand and Fight
  6. Northern Tracker

I'll go with this.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 3, draw Miner of the Iron Hills.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Great Forest Web, discard Beorn for net 0 P.
  4. Travel: Old Forest Road, ready Eowyn.
  5. Encounter: Forest Spider.
  6. Combat: Forest Spider undefended, draw Shadow Mountains of Mirkwood, no effect, 3 D on Beravor. All Heros attack Forest Spider for the kill.
  7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 6, draw Steward of Gondor! Brilliant!
  2. Planning: play Steward of Gondor on Theodred because Faramir is in hand.
  3. Quest: Theodred and Beravor, draw Great Forest Web for net -1 P, Threat 29.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 3

  1. Resource: 12, draw Lore of Imladris.
  2. Planning: play Lore of Imladris on Beravor, Northern Tracker.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, Northern Tracker, draw Hummerhorns. Good, get that thing in a known place where I can keep an eye on it. Net +1 P on Old Forest Road.
  4. Travel: none. Beravor draws Gandalf and Will of the West.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Round 4

  1. Resource: 8, draw Gleowine.
  2. Planning: play Gleowine.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, Northern Tracker, draw King Spider. No Problem. Net +3, clear Old Forest Road with 1 P on Stage 1.
  4. Travel: none. Gleowine draws Unexpected Courage.
  5. Encounter: King Spider.
  6. Combat: Beravor defends, Shadow +1 attack, net 2 D on Beravor. Thi This would have killed Faramir.
  7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 5

  1. Resource: 12, draw Sneak Attack.
  2. Planning: play Unexpected Courage on Beravor.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, Beravor, Faramir, Northern Tracker, draw King Spider. Ok, no problem, Gandalf will come in during Combat Phase to defend. Net +9 W, clear Stage 1.
  4. Travel: none. Beravor draws Snowbourn Scout and Hasty Stroke, Gleowine draws Lore of Imladris.
  5. Encounter: Forest Spider.
  6. Combat: Sneak attack Gandalf deal 4 to get rid of first King Spider, defend against second King Spider. Shadow is Dol Goldur Orcs, +1 attack, no damage on Gandalf.
  7. Refresh: Threat 33.

Round 6

  1. Resource: 14, draw Stand and Fight.
  2. Planning: play Snownbourn Scout, The Galadhrim's Greeting, Threat 27.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, Theodred and Faramir, draw Necromancer's Reach. Stage 2 is beat. Stage 3b is Bearn's Path, I don't need to dig out Ungoliant's Spawn, just need to Quest for net 10 and it's done.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: Snowbourn Scout defends against King Spider, draw Shadow Necromancer's Pass for no effect. Beravor and Northern Track attack to kill King Spider. Beravor refreshes to draw Gandalf and Guard of the Citadel. Gleowine draws Steward of Gondor.
  7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 7

  1. Resource: 16, draw Snowbourn Scout.
  2. Planning: Play Snowbourn Scout, Lore of Imladris to heal Beravor. Play Gandalf and kill Hummerhorns, just for fun.
  3. Quest: Gandalf, Eowyn, Theodred, Beravor, Faramir, Snowbourn Scout, Northern Tracker, Gleowine for 22 total W, draw Dol Goldur Orcs, deal 2 D to Gandalf. Boohoo.

And that's the win.

AAR

Score:

  • Rounds: 60
  • Heroes: 0
  • Damage: 3
  • Threat 28

Total: 91.

Back to Basics (copy) - A Killer Deck Using Cards from 1 Core Set

Hero (3)

Ally (21)

Attachment (5)

Event (18)

3 Heroes, 44 cards up to Core Set.

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What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.