LotR 134 - We Must Away, Ere Break of Day (8)

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Back after a long break.

Rebuilding the deck with Lore and cheaper heros. I spent a bunch of time, at least a couple of hours, rebuilding this deck on ringsdb, and it did not autosave it, and it logged me out. After doing the playthrough below, this is Version 1.0 of A Hobbit Goes Adventuring. It needs a bit more tuning.

Initial hand:

  • Hasty Stroke
  • Kili
  • Master of the Forge
  • Quick Strike
  • Zigil Miner
  • Gandalf

Initial Encounter: Troll Camp.

Initial threat: 27.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 4, draw Erebor Battle Master
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Bilbo, Ori, Oin, draw Lots or None at All, since no trolls, doomed 2 for Threat 29. Progress 2.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 8, draw Fili.
  2. Planning: play Master of the Forge. Exhaust to look at top 5 cards, no attachments, bummer.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo draw No Campfire for Doomed 1 Threat 31, draw again instead of increasing threat, draw Lots or None at All for Threat 33. Dang.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 34.

Round 3

  1. Resource: 10, draw Erebor Record Keeper.
  2. Planning: play Erebor Record Keeper. Master of Forge finds nothing.
  3. Quest: Oin and Bilbo, draw No Campfire for Threat 35, draw Troll Camp, Threat 38. Crap.
  4. Travel: Troll Camp.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 39.

Round 4

  1. Resource: 13, draw Galadrhim's Greetings.
  2. Planning: Master of Forge finds nothing. Hrmph.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Erebor Record Keeper, draw Hungry Troll for surge, draw A Nice Pickle for Doomed 1 and Threat 40. One Progress on Troll Camp.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 41.

Round 5

  1. Resource: 17, draw Feint.
  2. Planning: play Galadhrim's Greetings, Threat 35. Master of the Forge finds nothing. This is just unlucky.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Erebor, draw Roast 'Em or Boil 'Em, which kills Erebor Record Keeper and Master of the Forge. One progress on Troll Camp.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 36.

Round 6

  1. Resource: 18, draw Feint.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, draw Hungry Troll, which surges Hungry Troll, surge Dreary Hills, Threat 38. I think I'm going to location lock on this one.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 39.

Round 7

  1. Resource: 22, draw Kili.
  2. Planning: play Kili. Play Gandalf pay from Bilbo, Threat 34.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Kili, Gandalf for 8 Will, draw Hobbit Lands net 1 Progress on Troll Camp. Bummer not clearing the current Troll Camp location.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 35.

Round 8

  1. Resource: 18, draw Radagast's Cunning.
  2. Planning: Play Zigil Miner
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Ori, Gimli, Kili, Zigil Miner for 9 Will, draw Wind-Whipped Rain, no effect as I have no attachments. Troll Camp cleared with 3 Progress now on stage 1.
  4. Travel: Dreary Lands.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 36.

Round 9

  1. Resource: 20, draw Heavy Stroke, Erebor Hammersmith.
  2. Planning: Play Erebor Battle Master, maybe for the Crows I haven't seen yet.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Zigil for 6 Will, draw Troll Camp for net 0, but almost surely location lock. Bummer.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 37.

Round 10

  1. Resource: 21, draw Heavy Stroke and Burglar Baggins. Lucky!
  2. Planning: play Erebor Hammersmith, may be able to clear locations.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Zigil, Kili, Erebor Hammersmith for 8 Will, draw Troll Key, excellent. Play Burglar Baggins to clear Dreary Hills. Discard at random: Kili.
  4. Travel: Troll Camp.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 38.

Round 11

  1. Resource: 23, draw Veteran Axehand, Quick Strike.
  2. Planning: play Veteran Axehand.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Zigil, Kili, Erebor for 8 Will, draw Hobbit Lands, net 3 which just clears Troll Camp.
  4. Travel: Hobbit Lands.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 39.

Round 12

  1. Resource: 25, draw Master of the Forge, Stand and Fight.
  2. Planning: play Master of the Forge, search deck to find several attachments, let's take Forest Snare. With extreme luck, that will let us bag one troll.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Kili, Zigil for 5 Will, draw A Nice Pickle for Doomed 1 and recycle Troll Camp. Threat 40. Net 2 Progress to clear Hobbit Lands, draw Erebor Hammersmith.
  4. Travel: Hobbit Lands.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 40.

Round 13

  1. Resource: 26, draw Galadhrim's Greetings, Fili.
  2. Planning: Play Galadhrim's Greetings, Threat 34. Master of the Forge finds Song of Battle.
  3. Quest: Oin, Bilbo, Kili, Erebor for 5 Will, draw Lone Lands, net 0.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 35.

Round 14

  1. Resource: 28, draw Stand and Fight, Burglar Baggins.
  2. Planning: Master of the Forge finds Citadel Plate, finally. Play Citadel Plate on Gimli.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Zigil, Kili for 7 Will, draw Troll Purse. This clears Hobbit Lands, draw Citadel Plate.
  4. Travel: Lone Lands.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 36.

Round 15

  1. Resource: 28, draw Veteran Axehand x 2.
  2. Planning: Master of the Forge finds nothing, really want an Unexpected Courage here, then I'd pull the Trolls. Play Citadel Plate on Gimli, play both Axehands.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Kili, Zigil, Erebor for 8 Will, draw Lots or None At All, which is Doomed 2 for Threat 38. That clears Lone Lands, but it also clears Stage 1, now the party starts. One round too early.
  4. Travel: none, leave Troll camp in place.
  5. Encounter: Trolls. Sack Gimli with Foul Sack. Bilbo with Worn Sack, Smelly Sack on Erebor Battle Master. Exhaust Bilbo to remove Worn Sack.
  6. Combat: Here's the plan:
  • Gimli takes Tom undefended, will get 5 hits. Shadow Cave Entrance for no effect.
  • Erebor Hammersmith 1 defends Bert. Shadow Cave Entrance for no effect.
  • Erebor Hammersmith 1 defends William. Shadow Dreary Hills for no effect.
  1. Refresh: Threat 42, as I'm not moving the trolls back to the staging area.

Round 16

  1. Resource: 24, draw Gondorian Spearman and Hasty Stroke.
  2. Planning: Master of the Forge finds Unexpected Courage. Finally, play it on Bilbo who readies and removes Foul Sack from Gimli. Can't play Forest Snare yet, need to kill Tom.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Kili, Zigil, Erebor x 2 for 8 Will, draw Dreary Hills, net 0.
  4. Travel: Dreary Hills.
  5. Encounter: Already engaged.
  6. Combat:
  • Gimli takes Bert undefended, shadow Roast 'Em or Boil Em, adds another Troll Camp to the Staging area, bummer. Gimli swings for 12, takes out Bert. Sadly, Bilbo is already exhausted, and cannot grab Troll Key.
  • Veteran Axehand defends Tom, shadow Lots or None at All, supposed to be a sack, but spending 1 pipe resource to cancel that.
  • Play Feint on William. Shadow No Campfire, raise Threat by 2, Threat now 43.
  1. Refresh: Threat 47.

Next round is liable to be the last unless I draw Gandalf.

Round 17

  1. Resource: 25, draw Quick Strike and Dwalin.
  2. Planning: Forest Snare on William. Master of the Forge finds nothing. Play Quick Strike and Heavy Stroke to put 16 damage on Tom from Gimli. Play Dwalin, need the Will for questing on this last round.
  3. Quest: Ori, Oin, Bilbo, Kili, Zigil, Erebor x 2, Dwalin for 10 Will, draw Wind-Whipped Rain.

Game over.

AAR

Wow, that was a heck of a ride.

Some notes:

  • Since Oin gets Tactics at 5 dwarves, I should use Song of Wisdom to help smooth resources. Or maybe another Song of Travel. I don't need the Song of Battle though.

  • I should have traveled to Troll Camp right away to help soak up quest progress, and keep the staging area clear. With the second Troll Camp, threat got bumped up. Stalling for a long time is bound to bring up another Troll Camp.

  • Don't forget to draw the extra card for Ori when 5 dwarves are out.

  • There was an extra Fili in this deck.

  • Don't need Stand and Fight.

  • Hasty Stroke could be useful, some of the shadow cards increase threat which is really a problem in the end game. Keep it in for now. This game might have turned out a little different had I used it.

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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.