LotR 44 - Escape from Dol Guldur (2)

Previous:
Next:
Tags

Again with the "Back to Basics" deck. Not that it really matters overmuch, as this quest is phenomenally difficult in all three stages.

My current thinking is that I'll need several plays of this just to get a grip on the viable strategy. While it's always going to depend partly on what crawls out of the Encounter deck at the beginning, the scenario is beatable with this deck, it's just a matter of understanding how it's done.

I'm also pretty sure that initial Encounter draw matters so much that some draws are instant loses. It might be good to allow an Encounter mulligan on the initial Encounter when it's clear that it's an instant loss. The notion is that this mulligan won't count towards stats.

Initial hand:

  1. Unexpected Courage
  2. Erebor Hammersmith
  3. Stand and Fight
  4. Guard of the Citadel
  5. Lore of Imladris
  6. Hasty Stroke

Initial draw on Encounter deck:

  1. Dungeon Torch has King Spider with Threat 20.
  2. Shadow Key has Dol Goldur Beastmaster.
  3. Gandalf's Map has Iron Shackles.

So we lose an initial card draw, and we'll have to engage the King Spider right away. I'm leaning to quest with Eowyn, which risks an undefended attack.

Let's get started.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 2, draw Iron Shackles.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Enchanted Stream, Threat 29.
  4. Travel: Enchanted Stream.
  5. Encouner: King Spider.
  6. Combat: Theodred defends, draw Chieftain Ufthak for Shadow, no effect.
  7. Refresh: Threat 30.

The mistake here was traveling to Enchanted Stream, because I'm almost certain to location lock on it. Hindsight of course.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 4, cannot draw.
  2. Planning: Play Guard of the Citadel.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Tower Gate.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: Guard of the Citadel defends against the King Spider, Shadow effect require exhausting 1 character, will be Theodred.
  7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Probably a mistake to not have played Unexpected Courage on this round. It should go on Beravor, really, but that's useless right now. I needed it on Theodred to be able to take a swing at the King Spider.

Also, I had Hasty Stroke in my hand and should have played it here. This would have allowed Theodred to get in a swing after all.

Round 3

  1. Resource: 4, cannot draw. I think it was a mistake to have traveled to Enchanted Stream.
  2. Planning: Unexpected Courage on Theodred.
  3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Caught in a Web, will play on Theodred. I think this is the game.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: Undefended, draw Dungeon for Shadow card, no effect. Plus 2 Damage on Eowyn.
  7. Refresh: Threat 32.

This is the game, I'm location locked, cannot move without card draw. Next up in the Encounter deck is Mountains of Mirkwood. I'd lose Theodred to the King Spider next turn regardless.

AAR

The main mistake was traveling to Enchanted Stream, which put me into location lock. Other mistakes include:

  • Not playing unexpected Courage when first available.
  • Not using Hasty Stroke when applicable.
  • Not allowing an undefended to put Theodred in position to swing at the King Spider.

More details below each round.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

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.