The Weather Hills 2

Feb 15 2026

Round 1

Resource: 3, draw Dwarven Tomb.
Planning: Henamarth and scry Ruins of Arnor. Play Snowbourn Scout.
Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, reveal Ruins of Arnor. Exposed Ridge is cleared. Reveal Angmar Marauder.
Travel: Ruins of Arnor, Beravor draws Erebor Hammersmith and Hasty Stroke.
Encounter: None.
Combat: None
Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 2

Resource: 5, draw Ever Vigilant.
Planning: Scry Tragic Discovery.
Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, reveal Tragic Discovery for Threat 30. 1 Progress on Ruins of Arnor.
Travel: None.
Encounter: Angmar Marauder.
Combat: Snowbourn Scout defends, shadow Make Camp which has no shadow effect. Snowbourn Scout is destroyed, Angmar Marauder goes back to Staging. Beravor draws Stand and Fight and Guard of the Citadel.
Refresh: Threat 31.

I forgot to surge the Treachery.

Round 3

Resource: 9, draw A Test of Will.
Planning: Play Faramir. Scry Cornered Orc. Play Erebor Hammersmith.
Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, Erebor Hammersmith, reveal Cornered Orc.
Travel: none.
Encounter: attacks Theodred undefended shadow card is Sheltered Valley which has no shadow effect. Two hits on Theodred.
Combat: Faramir defends Angmar Marauder, shadow card Cold From Angmar which has no shadow effect. Cornered Orc attacks Beravor undefended, shadow card Search The Ruins which has no shadow effect. Beravor draws Henamarth and Power of Orthanc.
Refresh: Threat 32.

I need to draw Unexpected Courage, Steward of Gondor, or some allies to help with these orcs as I’m about to get beaten.

Round 4

Resource: 7, draw Warden of Healing.
Planning: Play Guard of the Citadel, scry Cold From Angmar.
Quest: Theodred, reveal Cold From Angmar, surge Ruins of Arnor. Threat 34.
Travel: none.
Encounter: Already engaged.
Combat: Faramir defends Angmar Marauder, shadow card Cornered Orc, cancel with Hasty Stroke. Snowbourn Scout defends Cornered Orc, shadow card is Freezing Blast which is a whiff in this case. Erebor Hammersmith and Guard of the Citadel kill Cornered Orc. Play Power of Orthanc for Threat 36. Beravor draws Power of Orthanc and A Test of Will.
Refresh: Threat 37.

Not looking good. I need to draw a chump probably this turn. On the other hand, if I can get to Stage 2 I will likely be able to one shot it since Faramir is out.

Round 5

Resource: 7, draw Stand and Fight.
Planning: Play Guard of the Citadel. Scry Ancient Causeway. Play Warden of Healing.
Quest: Eowyn, Theodred, Guard of the Citadel x 2, reveal Ancient Ruins. First Ruins of Arnor is cleared drawing Angmar Captain. I think I need that Forest Snare or some threat reduction.
Travel: Ruins of Arnor.
Encounter: Angmar Captain.
Combat: Stand and Fight Snowbourn Scout to defend Angmar Captain, there’s nothing for it, shadow card is Bitter Wind which deals one damage to the defender, which in this case only has one hit point, meaning the attack goes undefended, and I’m scooping here.

Bad luck, this could have been a win with just a slightly different play of the cards.

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.