Original Game FAQ
The FAQ was updated on July 21st 2010.
If you want to download the FAQ as a pdf file click here.
Card Errata
Since there have been some mistakes during the translation and editing of the Event cards you will find the most important corrections below.
For the complete Master Documents for all the Event cards click the following links:
Free Peoples Master Events
Shadow Master Events
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Shelob's Lair, The Ring is Mine!, On, on They Went, Give It to Uss!, Elven Cloaks, Elven Rope, Phial of Galadriel, and Sméagol Helps Nice Master
The Special Hunt Tiles Cards should all read: Put the Special Hunt Tile into play.
Once the Fellowship enters the Mordor Track any Special Tiles in play are put into the Hunt Pool. Any Special Hunt Tiles entering play when the Fellowship is on the Mordor Track are immideately placed into the Hunt Pool.
Mithril Coat and Sting, Wizard's Staff, Axe and Bow, and Horn of Gondor
These Free Peoples Character Event Cards can only be used during a successful Hunt or when an Event card tells you to handle Corruption as if after a successful Hunt.
I Will Go Alone
This Free Peoples Character Event Card should read: Separate one Companion or a group of Companions, as if its level was +1, to heal one Corruption point.
We Prove the Swifter
This Free Peoples Character Event Card should read: Separate or move one Companion or group of Companions as if their level was +2. The movement can end in a Stronghold under siege.
Dread and Despair, They are Terrible, Cruel as Death and Foul Stench.
These Shadow Combat Effects are all dependant on Nazgūl Leadership and should be read as follows:
They are Terrible: Play if there is a Nazgūl in the battle. Subtract 1 from your total Nazgūl Leadership to add +1 to your Leader Reroll
Dread and Despair: Play if there is a Nazgūl in the battle. The Free Peoples Player rolls one Combat die less (to a minimum of 1) for every point of Nazgūl Leadership you choose to forfeit.
Cruel as Death: Play if the total Nazgūl Leadership is 2 or more. Subtract 2 from your total Nazgūl Leadership to add +1 to your Combat roll.
Foul Stench: Play if a Nazgūl is in the battle. If the Nazgūl Leadership equals or exceeds the total Free Peoples Leadership, the Free Peoples Leader Reroll is canceled.
No Quarter
This Free Peoples Combat Effect should read: If you score at least one hit during the current Combat round, score one additional hit..
This means that both hits scored on the Combat roll and the Leader Reroll will count.
Game Errata
Q If all Army units in a siege (both defenders and attackers) are eliminated the rules seem to suggest that control of the Stronghold region is to be given to the attacker, is that correct?
A No. The second sentence of the Capturing a Settlement paragraph (page 15) should read as follows (correction in bold):
When an enemy Army enters a Region containing a City or Town, or when units defending a Stronghold are eliminated and the attacker still has at least one Army unit in the Region, that Region is considered captured.
Q Under Military Victory Conditions, it specifically mentions that the FP player must control "Shadow STRONGHOLD Settlements worth 4 or more Victory Points". Does this mean that Shadow Cities provide no VP's to the FP player? We assumed yes. However, we were then confused as to why the Shadow Cities have VP symbols on them on the map.
A It is an error. You need 4 VP's, no matter their origin. Captured Stronghold provides 2 VPs while captured Cities provide 1 VP.
Q The rules state that the Fellowship's movement can never end in a Region containing
a Free Peoples Settlement if Revealed by a Hunt tile.
1- Can you Reveal the Fellowship in a Free Peoples Settlement controlled by the Shadow?
2- What happens if the Fellowship is Revealed at step 1 on the Fellowship Track when the last known position is Edoras?
A Change the sentence on page 18 of the rule book from: "When the Fellowship is Revealed, turn the Fellowship
Progress Counter to its Revealed side, after which the Free Peoples
player must move the Fellowship figure (as described above), except
that this movement can never end in a Region containing a Free Peoples
Settlement." to:
"When the Fellowship is Revealed, turn the Fellowship
Progress Counter to its Revealed side, after which the Free Peoples
player must move the Fellowship figure (as described above), except
that this movement can never end in a Region containing a Free Peoples
CITY or STRONGHOLD controlled by the Free Peoples."
Q Is it possible to use an Army die to move an army into a Region containing a friendly army,
then disband the excess units, and after that choose not to merge the armies together,
but instead move out of the territory with the army that initially was there
(and which hasn't moved yet at all)?
A No. The checking of stacking limits does not occur until the end of the action, so any disbandment would not occur until after both Armies have moved.
Game Play
Q I presume 'play on the table' eg 'Threats and Promises' means use an appropriate action die
and then play the card on the table where it does not count towards your hand - is this correct?
A Yes, you presume correctly.
Q What is a "Free Region"?
A A "Free Region" is a Region free of enemy armies and/or enemy controlled Settlements. A Region containing an enemy Stronghold is also considered Free if you are besieging the Stronghold.
Q When do you check for overstacking in a Region?
A At the end of the action.
Q Some Events (e.g. 'The Nazgūl Strike' and 'Worn With Sorrow and Toil') allow the Shadow to discard FP Character Cards, what are those?
A An FP Character Card is an FP Character Event Card, such as 'Axe and Bow' or 'Wizard's Staff', the cards bearing the Sword symbol.
Q Could you explain to me how the replacement counters work?
A Remove the unit miniatures from the board and put them in a replacements pile, replacing them with the counters.
If a counter is taken as a casualty, simply remove the counter and transfer the represented unit from the replacement pile
to either the reinforcements pile (Shadow units) or the casualties pile (Free Peoples). To replace a replacement counter
on the board simply remove it and return the appropriate unit from the replacements pile.
IMPORTANT: Units in the replacements pile may only be used to redeem replacement counters, and not for any other purpose.
Q At the end of the game, if I have captured a Stronghold and later retreated inside it, do I still own that Region for purposes of Victory Points? In other words, if an Army is besieging me in a Stronghold, which I previously captured, do I still get the victory points for that Stronghold as long as I hold out?
A Yes.
Q What happens if at the end of a turn the Shadow has accumulated 10 Victory points and the Free Peoples have accumulated 4 Victory Points, both sides having achieved their Military Victory Conditions?
A The rules clearly states (under Winning the Game on page 21) that the lower-numbered Victory Conditions take precedence over higher-numbered Victory Conditions so in this specific case the Shadow would have emerged victorious from the War of the Ring.
Q The rules state that:
"if the Fellowship is in Mordor and does not attempt to Hide or Move during a turn, a Corruption Point is added "at the end of the turn"."
At exactly what point does this occur? Is it before or after the Victory Check?
A It occurs before the Victory Check. If the Free Poeples should reach 4 Victory Points at the end of the same turn as the Corruption would reach 12 due to not moving/hiding the Fellowship the Shadow would win.
Q According to the rules, an army not yet "at War" may retreat into another friendly Nation. If an army does so, what are the restrictions of its movement afterwards? For example, a FP Dwarf army, not yet "at War", retreats after one round of combat to Dale. Now that they are within the borders of the North how is the Dwarf armys movement restricted?
A The Dwarves cannot continue moving around in the "prohibited Region". Either they stay where they are until they are "at War" (you are never forced to move them again), or if they move, they must move into "allowed" territory, so out of the foreign Nation.
The Map
Q Do the Mountains of Mirkwood have any game effect?
A No.
Q Is Lamedon a Coastal Region?
A Yes.
The Action Dice
Q I think my Action dice are wrong, there is no Army icon on the Free Peoples dice.
A Your dice are probably fine; the only Army icon (Flag symbol) there is on the FP die is together with a Muster icon (Helmet symbol). To be sure here is how the dice are supposed to look:
Shadow die:
Eye symbol (Eye of Sauron die)
Sword (Character die)
Helmet (Muster die)
Flag (Army die)
Palantir (Event die)
Flag/Helmet (Army & Muster die)
Free Peoples die:
Elven Rune (Will of the West die)
Sword (Character die)
Sword (Character die)
Helmet (Muster die)
Palantir (Event die)
Flag/Helmet (Army & Muster die)
Q When is the extra Action die (provided by upgrading Gandalf and Aragorn or by mustering the Minions) added to the player's Action die pool?
A At the beginning the following turn.
Q When is the extra Action die removed from the game when Aragorn, Gandalf the White, or any Minion dies in battle?
A At the beginning of the following turn.
Q Can you use an Action die without taking the actual action?
A Yes, you can "forfeit" your action and discard the die.
The Elven Rings
Q If the Shadow player uses an Elven Ring to change an action die into an
Eye result, which is put in the Hunt box, does that count as an action
or can the Shadow player do this and then use, say an Event die and play
an Event card?
A The change itself is not an action so the Shadow player can (when it is his/her turn) change any action die to an Eye result, and put that die
in the Hunt box, and then use an action die to play a card, move an army etc. The Shadow player can however not use an action die to perform an action and then use an Elven Ring nor can he/she use an Elven Ring to change a die into an Eye after successfully having rolled for the Hunt.
The use of an Elven Ring is limited to right before you perform an action.
Q Can the Shadow player use an Elven Ring to turn an Eye result into another die?
A No, the Eye dice are already 'in use' so to speak and the Elven Rings can only be used to change unused dice.
Mustering
Q Can I choose to muster one Regular/Leader unit in a Dwarf Settlement and one Regular/Leader unit in an Elven Settlement with one Muster die?
A Yes, as long as both Nations mustering troops are "at War".
Q Can I choose to muster one Regular unit and one Leader in the same Settlement with one Muster die?
A No, you can never Muster two figures (2 Regulars, 2 Leaders or one of each) in the same Settlement with one Muster die.
Q Can I muster units in a Settlement if there already are 10 units in the Region?
A Yes, but you must return enough units to the reinforcement pool so the stacking limit of 10 units in the Region is not exceeded.
Q Can I muster units in Settlements captured from the enemy?
A No, you are only allowed to muster in the Settlements (Strongholds, Cities and Towns)
you control from the beginning of the game and still are in control of at the time of the mustering.
Q Can the Shadow muster Nazgūl if the Sauron Nation is not yet at war?
A No. The Nazgūl are subject to the same limitations as Leaders (including mustering) except where stated differently.
Q In the rules under Recruiting New Units,
it mentions that you use a Muster die result to muster
one Character according to the rules on the specific Character Card.
The rules for Gandalf the White and Aragorn require spending a Will
of the West die result (among other conditions) to bring them into play.
My question is, in order to bring either of these into play, assuming all
other conditions are met, do I:
a) spend a Muster die and a Will of the West die, or
b) spend just a Will of the West die?
A The Free Peoples player must use one Will of the West die to bring Gandalf the White into play and one Will of the West die to 'promote' Strider to Aragorn.
The Shadow player must Use one Muster die for each Minion he brings into play.
The Hunt
Q The Rules state that you should put the die in the Hunt box every time a die is used to move the Fellowship; does this apply to all dice used to move the Fellowship (e.g. dice used to play an Event card that allow you to move the Fellowship) or only the Character dice used to move the Fellowship?
A Only the Character Action Dice (including those dice turned into Character dice with the Elven Rings and the Will of the West dice used as Character dice) used to move the Fellowship are added.
Q In which order do you resolve the Corruption and the Reveal if the Hunt tile drawn shows a positive number and a Reveal icon and the Free Peoples player choose to pick a random Companion to eliminate?
A First resolve the Corruption damage (in this case by randomly picking a Companion to eliminate), and then Reveal the Fellowship's new position.
Q If an Eye tile is drawn in Mordor as the Fellowship moves, is the Action die used to move the Fellowship this time counted?
A No, the Free Peoples Action die is added to the Hunt Box after the movement and any possible Hunt result has been resolved, next time the Fellowship moves the die for the previous movement is counted.
Q Can the damage in Mordor be more than five if there are more than five dice in the Hunt box when an Eye tile is drawn?
A Yes, there is no maximum damage in Mordor.
Q Are the Hunt re-rolls granted by having Nazgūl,
Shadow Stronghold, and/or a Shadow army in the same Region as the Fellowship's last
known position cancelled if there is a FP army in that same region?
A No.
Q If the Fellowship is Revealed by a successful Hunt in Morannon or Minas Morgul, are they forced to hide again before they can Declare themselves (which is mandatory) in order to enter Mordor ?
A Yes, they must be Hidden again so they can be Declared in Minas Morgul or Morannon in the next Fellowship phase and as a result enter the Mordor Track.
Q If a Shadow army is besieging a Free peoples' Stronghold and the Fellowship figure (Frodo and Sam) is in the Region do the Shadow army generate a Hunt re-roll?
A Yes, since it is in the same Region as the Fellowship it does, the fact that it is besieging a Stronghold does not matter. If there also are Nazgūl in the Region an additional Hunt re-roll would be generated.
Q Does a FP Stronghold captured by the Shadow generate Hunt re-rolls if the Fellowship miniature is in the Region with the captured Stronghold?
A Yes, Strongholds controlled by the Shadow generate a Hunt re-roll and if a Shadow Stronghold is captured by the FP that Stronghold would no longer generate any Hunt re-rolls if the Fellowship miniature is in the Region containing the Stronghold.
Q Do the normal re-roll modifiers (Stronghold, Nazgūl and Armies in the same Region as the Fellowship figure) apply inside Mordor (i.e. the Gorgoroth Region)?
A No, the Mordor Track is not a part of the Gorgoroth Region. Once in Mordor, the Fellowship is safe from tracking Armies and Nazgūl, and since you don't roll for the Hunt inside Mordor what good would the re-rolls do?
Q Is an additional Hunt Tile drawn when the Fellowship is Revealed ending its move in, going through or beginning its move in a Free Peoples Stronghold captured by the Shadow?
A No, an additional Hunt Tile is only drawn if the Fellowship is Revealed ending its move in, going through or beginning its move in a Shadow Stronghold (still in the Shadow's control), not a Stronghold controlled by the Shadow. A Shadow Stronghold means a Stronghold controlled by the Shadow at the beginning of the game.
Q Is an additional Hunt Tile drawn when the Fellowship is Revealed ending its move in, going through or beginning its move in a Shadow Stronghold captured by the Free Peoples?
A No, an additional Hunt Tile is only drawn if the Fellowship is Revealed ending its move in, going through or beginning its move in a Shadow Stronghold, that is still in the Shadow player's control. A Shadow Stronghold means a Stronghold controlled by the Shadow at the beginning of the game.
Q If 'Mithril Coat and Sting' is on the table when the 'Shelob's Lair'
Hunt tile is drawn, is the Free Peoples player required to use 'Mithril Coat and Sting'
immediately to force the Shadow player to draw a new tile or can he wait
until the Shadow player has rolled the die to decide how much damage
Shelob does?
A You must use 'Mithril Coat and Sting' before deciding how much damage the 'Shelob's Lair' tile does.
Q Can the Free Peoples player choose to eliminate the Guide of the Fellowship
if the Shadow player draws a "zero" Hunt tile after a successful Hunt?
A No! If a "zero" tile is drawn no casualty can be taken.
The Fellowship
Q Can the Fellowship ever be destroyed during a battle? In other words, if the last known location of the Fellowship is in the same Region as a Free Peoples army, and the Fellowship track is on "0", and that Free Peoples army is destroyed, is the Fellowship also destroyed (as per the rule for Companions)?
A No, the Fellowship, and any Companions still in the Fellowship, cannot be destroyed in combat.
Q Can the Fellowship rest and Heal in a friendly Stronghold under siege?
A Yes they can.
Q Can the Fellowship Heal in a Shadow Stronghold captured by the Free Peoples?
A No, the Fellowship can only Heal in a Free Peoples City or Stronghold, not a City or Stronghold controlled by the Free Peoples. A Free Peoples City or Stronghold means a City or Stronghold controlled by the Free Peoples at the beginning of the game. In order to Heal, the City or Stronghold must naturally still be in the control of the Free Peoples.
Q Is it required by the FP player to hide the Fellowship before moving them after he/she has Declared their location?
A No, Declaring where the Fellowship is does not force you to turn the Fellowship marker so the Fellowship is still considered Hidden.
Q Is the Fellowship subject to the same movement restrictions as Companions who have left the Fellowship? Specifically, 1) Must they declare themselves at a Shadow Stronghold (effectively stopping in that Shadow Stronghold) in order to move through the Shadow Stronghold?; 2) Is the Fellowship unable to enter or leave a friendly, besieged Stronghold?
A The Fellowship does not suffer from the same movement restrictions as separated Companions so they do not have to declare or reveal themselves in a Shadow Stronghold nor are they pinned down in a friendly Stronghold under siege.
Separating Companions
Q Can a separated Companion ever rejoin the Fellowship?
A No, once separated from the Fellowship it is not possible for a Companion to ever rejoin the Fellowship.
Q If a group of Companions leave the Fellowship, are they required to move to the same destination, or can they travel to separate locations? The rules seem to suggest that they must travel to the same region.
A They must move to the same destination.
Q Can I detach a Companion from the Fellowship when the Fellowship is in a friendly Stronghold under siege and leave the Companion in the besieged Stronghold?
A Yes, you must leave the Companion in the besieged Stronghold in this case.
If the Fellowship Starting Point is in the besieged Stronghold, the Companion starts his movement during separation there, and as he is not allowed to leave the Region, he must remain in the Stronghold.
The only way a Companion could leave a besieged Stronghold is by staying with the Fellowship and once the Fellowship is Declared in a new Region, outside of the besieged Stronghold Region, the Companion can separate as per the rules for separation.
(The Fellowship is never stopped by armies, while the movement of Companions when they are separated must obey to all Companion movement rules).
Combat
Q Saruman isn't allowed to leave Isengard, but are you allowed to use his
Leadership for an attack *from* Isengard (against the Ford)?
A Yes, Saruman still has Leadership ability.
Q Can a Character (e.g. Aragorn, Gandalf, or less likely, the Witch-King, the Mouth of Sauron, or Saruman) decide to sortie out of a besieged Stronghold with all remaining units, but with out the Character, towards certain death? Yes, the Stronghold is lost, but the Character, and his extra Action die, are not!?
A No, for any or all the Characters/Leaders to stay behind, at least one unit must be left with them.
The same is also true if the attack came from a normal Region, you still need at least one army unit to form a rear guard for the Character(s) to stay in.
Q Can I play a combat card that reduces my Leadership with two and still
have five re-rolls if I have five Nazgūl and the Witch-King (a total of 7 Leadership) leading an army?
A Yes, the number of Leader re-rolls is calculated after any Combat cards have been played and since the Leadership in your question is 5 (7-2) you would still have five re-rolls after reducing the Leadership with two. And as a side note, this is not dependant on the Witch-King; seven ordinary Nazgūl would work just as fine.
Q If I have five units and six Leaders present and roll three hits on the initial Combat roll can I re-roll the two misses a total of six times, using all my Leadership?
A No, you can never re-roll more combat dice than you missed with in the initial Combat roll.
Q If you capture an enemy Stronghold, and then later get attacked in that Region by another enemy army, can you retreat into the captured Stronghold, requiring your opponent to besiege you?
e.g. An Elven army from Lorien besieges and successfully captures Dol Guldur. Later an army from Mordor attacks Dol Guldur. The Elven army wishes to retreat into the Dol Guldur Stronghold. Can they?
A Yes!
Q If a player uses a Character action die to attack with an Army, must the Character/Leader actually participate in the attack, or must he simply be in the same Region? We assumed he had to participate in the attack rather than staying behind in the rearguard, although the rules don't say this.
A You are always allowed to use the Leader(s) but at least one Leader or Companion must participate in the attack, even if the Leader cannot move out of the Region (as in the case with Saruman). Advance after combat is always optional so not being able to move out is not a problem.
Combat Effects
Q I have trouble interpreting how different Combat Effects affect each other, can you clarify this a bit?
A Follow these steps to avoid any misunderstandings and to solve conflicting Combat Effects:
Read the Combat Effect aloud. Pay close attention to when the respective Combat Effects "kick in" (before the Combat roll, before the Leader re-roll, before removing casualties, after removing casualties, etc.).
Follow the procedures for the combat as normal but stop just before the first Combat Effect "kicks in" and apply its effect, disregard the other Combat Effect since it is not yet in effect.
Continue to play through the combat and stop just before the second Combat Effect "kicks in" and apply it, but take the first Combat Effect in consideration if it will affect the second effect since it is in effect.
If the two Combat Effects "kick in" at the same time and contradict each other (e.g. The Shadow player is the attacker and plays 'Durin's Bane,' which allows him to roll a special attack before the normal Combat begins. The Free Peoples player has played 'Scouts,' however, which allows him to retreat his Army before normal Combat begins) the effect of the defender's card is applied first. (In the previous example the Free Peoples player get to retreat his Army before the Shadow can use his Combat Effect to attack.
If both Combat Effects modifies the Combat Roll and/or the Leader Re-roll the modifications are cumulative (e.g. if the Free Peoples player plays the Combat Effect 'Ents Rage', which gives the FP Army +2 on the Combat Roll, and the Shadow player plays the Combat Effect 'Desperate Battle', which gives both armies +1 to both the Combat Roll and the Leader Re-roll the result would be that the Free Peoples player would hit on 2+ on the Combat Roll and on 4+ on the Leader Re-roll while the Shadow would hit on 4+ on both the Combat Roll and the Leader Re-roll if the Battle was fought in a normal Region.)
Q Several of the Shadow's Combat Effects are dependent on Nazgūl being present but then in the actual text of the Battle Effects the word Leadership seems to be used in a generic sense, this raises the question of which Combat Effects are negated by Gandalf the White's presence since he can negate Nazgūl Leadership?
A There has been some errors in the editing of the English cards and no matter what the actual card says the following Shadow Combat Effects are dependent on Nazgūl Leadership, when the text says Leadership it should say Nazgūl Leadership:
Dread and Despair, They are Terrible, Cruel as Death and Foul Stench.
All the cards mentioned above, except Cruel as Death (which requires Nazgūl Leadership 2+) just require the presence of a Nazgūl to be played; but to be effective you must have Nazgūl Leadership to "use" their effect.
So in practice you could play them whenever their pre-requisite is fulfilled, but they would be useless if Gandalf the White is there.
Q Can you play a Combat card that will have no effect. (e.g. could the Shadow play 'Words of Power' if there are no Companions in the battle to negate the abilities of?
A Yes. If a card can be played, it may be played to its "maximum extent" - which could be no effect.
Q 'Anduril' - Can the Free Peoples player use this card even if the Shadow player used 'Words of Power' to negate Aragorn's/Strider's Leadership and abilities?
A No, 'Anduril' can only be used of Aragorn's/Strider's Leadership is forfeited, you cannot forfeit something you don't have.
Q 'Black Breath' - If the Shadow player score enough hits on the Leader re-roll can he/she eliminate both a Companion and a Leader?
A No, only one Companion or Leader can be eliminated.
Q 'Confusion' - can the "1"s rolled by the Shadow player during
the combat roll still be re-rolled (if I have enough Leadership) even though they count as hits against the own army?
A No, the "1"s cannot be re-rolled.
Q Can I use the Free Peoples combat effect 'Daring Defiance' if I already have forfeited
Gandalf the White's Leadership to negate the Nazgūl Leadership in the battle?
A No, you cannot forfeit Gandalf's Leadership twice so you are unable to play the card if you already have forfeited Gandalf's Leadership to negate the Nazgūl Leadership.
Q 'Daring Defiance' - What happens if the Shadow player doesn't play a Combat card?
A Then you don't forfeit the Leadership of your Companions.
Q 'Daring Defiance' - Can the Free Peoples player choose not to forfeit his Companions' Leadership after having seen the Combat Card played by the Shadow player?
A No, if the Shadow player played a card it is automatically cancelled and the Leadership of the Companions forfeited.
Q Can the Battle effect 'Devilry of Orthanc' be used if an Isengard unit is defending a Stronghold?
A 'Devilry of Orthanc' can be used to defend a Shadow army in Orthanc or any other Stronghold if an Isengard unit is in the defending army.
Q Can the Battle Effect 'Durin's Bane' be used if a Shadow army is being attacked in Moria?
A The Shadow player can use this card when a Shadow army is attacked within two Regions of Moria, so the Balrog could help if the nasty Elves are attacking Moria.
Q 'Fateful Strike' - If you score two or more hits you can eliminate a Minion instead of elimnating a Nazgūl or instead of scoring the hit?
A Instead of eliminating the Nazgūl, the hit on the Regular is always scored.
Q Can the FP Battle Effect 'Heroic Death' be used to cancel the additional hit generated by the Shadow Battle Effect 'Mumakil'?
A 'Mumakil' is applied "after Leader Rerolls" while 'Heroic Death' is applied "before you remove casualties".
So, after Leader Rerolls the situation is Shadow 2 hits vs. Free Peoples 1 hit, at this point you apply 'Mumakil' and the result becomes Shadow 3 hits vs. Free Peoples 1 hit.
At this point, before removing casualties, 'Heroic Death' takes effect and the FP can reduce the number of Shadow hits.
Q 'Heroic Death' - Can the Free Peoples player choose not to eliminate anyone?
A Yes.
Q When is the casualty from the Free People Battle Effects 'Mighty Attack' removed?
A It is removed after the Leader Re-roll, together with the "normal" casualties.
Q If the Shadow plays the Combat Effect 'Mūmakil' and the Free Peoples player plays a combat card that gives an additional attack prior to the combat roll, such as 'Sudden Strike' or 'Charge', are any hits scored by the extra attack counted for purposes of resolving 'Mūmakil'?
A All hits scored in the round count. The FP card resolution is still part of this combat round.
Q I am not sure how to use the Battle Cards 'One for the Dark Lord' and 'It is a Gift'. Please explain more in detail how these are meant to work.
A In the specific case of 'One for the Dark Lord', the card would work for a
Shadow Army attacking a Free Peoples Army, which is in the same Region as
the Fellowship; but would also work for a Shadow Army that is attacked while occupying the same Region as
the Fellowship.
In the specific case of 'It is a Gift', the card would work for a Free
Peoples Army attacking a Shadow Army which is in the same Region as the
Fellowship; but would also work for a Free Peoples Army that is attacked while occupying the same Region as
the Fellowship.
Q Can the Shadow player use the Combat effect 'Onslaught' to eliminate the
last unit in a Shadow army? If so, would the Minions and Nazgūl with
that army die?
A Yes the effect can be used to eliminate the last Shadow unit but the army would still be considered destroyed in the
battle with the self-casualties so the Nazgūl and any Minions with it are killed.
Q The Shadow Battle Effects 'Onslaught' and 'Relentless Assault' use the word eliminate, does this mean that you must eliminate an entire Elite unit as "one unit"?
A No, the word eliminate should be used synonymous with hit. If you remove an Elite unit when using the effect 'Relentless Assault' it would equal two units and give a modifier of +2 and if you remove an Elite unit when using the effect 'Onslaught' it would give you two extra attacks after the combat and two removed Elites would equal four extra attacks.
Q Can the Battle Effect 'Scouts' be used to retreat a FP army from a Stronghold under siege?
A No, you cannot ever retreat with an army defending in a siege.
Q Does the battle effect "Scouts" supersede the "Swarm of Bats" as the defender goes first?
A No, "Scouts" is applied before the Combat Roll but "Swarm of Bats" is applied immediately after the cards are played.
Q 'Scouts' - Is the Free Peoples player forced to retreat the Army if he/she played this Combat effect?
A Yes.
Q 'Shield wall' allows you to reduce the number of hits before removing
casualties, should it be interpreted to work generically against all
kinds of hits (Balrog of Moria, Onslaught etc.) or will it work only
against hits from the Combat roll and Leader re-roll?
A 'Shield Wall' will allow you to remove hits in the phase where you normally
apply casualties i.e. after the Combat and Leader Reroll - so
casualties due to the effect of pre-combat and/or post-combat cards (e.g. 'Balrog of Moria , 'Onslaught' etc.) and applied before or after the normal combat
will not be reduced.
Q Does the Battle Card 'Sunlight' last for just one combat round or the whole battle??
A One round. All Combat effects last one round.
Q Will the Shadow's Battle Effect 'Words of Power' render Gandalf the White's ability to negate Nazgūl Leadership useless?
A Yes, the Battle Effect 'Words of Power' will prevent Gandalf the White from using his Leadership and his abilities for one combat round, this is true for all Combat Effects, such as 'Andśril', that depend on the Companion's Leadership or abilities.
Q Does "Words of Power" render "Mighty Attack" useless?
A "Words of Power" negates the Leadership of a Companion and therefore makes it impossible to use that Companion's Leadership to use "Mighty Attack".
Q How is the matter resolved if the Shadow player plays 'Words of Power' and the Free Peoples player plays 'Anduril' and has Aragorn and Gandalf the White in the battle?
A Since 'Words of Power' is dependent on Nazgūl presence, not Leadership, Gandalf the White's presence will not affect 'Words of Power'.
Once both card have been revealed the Shadow player must decide which Character's Leadership and abilities to negate, the result would be either:
a) If Gandalf the White's Leadership and abilities are negated, all the Nazgūl Leadership counts but 'Anduril" works for the Free Peoples.
or
b) If Aragorn's Leadership and abilities are negated, all the Nazgūl Leadership becomes useless but 'Anduril' also becomes useless. 'Anduril' cannot be used if the pre-requisite (forfeiting Strider's/Aragorn's Leadership) cannot be fulfilled due to lack of Leadership to forfeit.
Retreating From Combat
Q Can an army retreat into a Region containing an enemy Control Marker?
A No, you can only retreat into a "Free Region", i.e. a Region free of enemy armies and/or enemy controlled Settlements. A Region containing an enemy Stronghold is also considered Free if you are besieging the Stronghold.
Q Can you retreat into a Region containing a Stronghold under siege if
it is your side that is doing the siege?
The rules state that: The defending player chooses to retreat, however, his
Army must immediately retreat to an adjacent Region. The chosen Region must be free from enemy units and may not contain an
enemy Settlement (or a friendly Settlement captured by the enemy).
A Yes, as explained also under "Reinforcing a Siege" the area around a
besieged Stronghold is considered free for the purpose of movement (and
retreating as well) of friends of the besiegers.
Q When being attacked in a Region with a Stronghold, the defending player has two options - fight a field battle or Retreat into a siege.
Is it allowed to retreat out of the Region instead of into the Stronghold?
A Yes, the retreating army is allowed to retreat out of the Region instead of into a siege after at least
one round of a field battle has been fought.
Event Cards
Q Can I use the Event cards that allow me to muster units if the Region(s) where they allow mustering
a) contains an enemy army?
b) contains one of my Settlements but the Settlement has been taken over by the enemy?
A a) If the Region contains a Stronghold in which you are being besieged or which you are besieging you can use the Event card to Muster units into your besieged or besieging army if the conditions on the card are met, this is the only way to Muster units in a Region containing a Stronghold under siege.
b) You cannot use a Muster Card to muster in a Region with a Town or City occupied by either an enemy army or an enemy control marker, so even if the enemy has left no army in a Region containing a City or Town he has captured from you it is impossible for you to muster there. If there is no Settlement in the Region you cannot Muster there if an enemy army is present.
Q There are several Event Cards that allow you to do more than one thing, is everything on the card mandatory or can you opt not to do some parts?
A The effects described by the card should be applied to their maximum extent possible. This means that where a card text instructs a player to do something, the action must be applied to the letter.
Example: 'Imrahil of Dol Amroth' instructs the Free Peoples player to recruit one Gondor unit (regular or elite) and one Gondor leader in Dol Amroth. If such figures are available, then both must be placed in Dol Amroth.
It may happen that the effects of an Event card cannot be fully applied. When this happens, the effects are applied to the maximum extent possible."
Example: 'Faramirs Rangers' affects a Shadow army in Osgiliath, North Ithilien, or South Ithilien, and then lets the Free Peoples player recruit units in Osgiliath if there is a friendly army there. If there isnt a Shadow army to attack, the Free Peoples player could still recruit in Osgiliath (if there is a Free Peoples army there).
Q 'A Power Too Great' - What happens if the Shadow is besieging Lorien, Rivendell and/or the Grey Havens when the FP plays this card?
A The Shadow can no longer move units into the Region, thereby reinforcing the besieging army is impossible. The army in the Region however is not forced to move out but cannot attack the Stronghold under siege until 'A Power Too Great' has been Discarded.
Q Does 'A Power Too Great' protect the Elven Strongholds from 'Return to Valinor'?
A No.
Q 'A Power Too Great' - What happens if the Shadow already has taken control of some of the Strongholds mentioned on the card?
A No Shadow units can move into the Regions but a Shadow army in one of those Strongholds can remain there.
Q 'Axe and Bow' - Can the Free Peoples player use this protection card to reduce the number on a tile turned after the Shadow player played 'Foul Thing From the Deep'?
A Yes he/she can.
Q So you could use more than one protection card in response to the card 'Foul Thing From the Deep' and if,
by doing this, the result is 0 damage then no casualty is taken by the Fellowship?
A No, because only one 'protection' card can be used at a time (the card says
that after reducing the damage 'Any remaining Hunt damage must be
confronted normally').
Q 'Balrog of Moria' - What happens if the Fellowship is Declared in Lorien in the Fellowship phase by moving through Moria and the Balrog card is on the table and the Hunt tile drawn because of the Balrog has a Revealed icon? Do you ignore the Revealed icon since the Fellowship was already Declared in Lorien or do the Reveal icon force the Fellowship to retrace their path one step and choose a new final destination free of a Free Peoples City or Stronghold.
A The Expansion rule that deals with this reads as follows:
"When the Fellowship is Declared by the Free Peoples player, certain abilities and events may force the Free Peoples player to draw a Hunt Tile. When this happens, ignore any Reveal icon on the drawn Tile if the Fellowship has been Declared in a Free Peoples Stronghold or City."
Q 'The Black Captain Commands' - Can the Shadow Recruit the 2 Nazgūl if the Witch-King is alone in a Region controlled by the Free Peoples, even if there are Free Peoples units there?
A Yes, since Nazgūl can coexist in the same Region as enemy armies.
Q 'The Black Captain Commands' - Can the Shadow player play the card and not "move or attack with the Army containing the Witch-King"?
A Yes.
Q 'The Breaking of the Fellowship' - What happens if the tile drawn shows a Reveal icon?
A The Reveal icon is ignored.
Q 'Challenge of the King' - Are the Eye tiles discarded by this card removed for the rest of the game
or are they reinserted into the Hunt pool if drawn before the Fellowship has entered Mordor?
A The Eye tiles are discarded for the rest of the game.
Q 'Cirdan's Ships' - Can this card be played to recruit the Elven units in a Stronghold even if the Stronghold is under siege?
A Yes.
Q 'Corsairs of Umbar' - Can a Free Peoples army in Dol Amroth retreat into the Stronghold before combat if attacked through this card?
A Yes.
Q Can I use the card 'Corsairs of Umbar' to move a Free Peoples army away from Umbar as the card says any one army?
A No, the card should say any one Shadow army.
Q 'Cruel Weather' - Can this card be played when the Fellowship is on the Mordor Track in Mordor?
A No, this card can only be played when the Fellowship Progress Marker is on step 1+ on the Fellowship Track. When the Fellowship is in Mordor the Progress Marker is never moved on the Track, it is only used to show if the Fellowship is Hidden or Revealed.
Q 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' - can Strider/Aragorn elect not to recruit any
units?
A Yes.
Q 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' - What happens to the Minions and Nazgūl in the attacked Shadow army if all the army units are eliminated?
A The Minions and Nazgūl are eliminated along with the army.
Q 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' - What happens if the Shadow army attacked has no adjacent Free Region and is therefore unable to retreat?
A If unable to retreat the entire army, including all Nazgūl and Minions present, is destroyed.
Q Does 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' transfer the control of Pelargir, Erech or Lamedon to the FP even if no units are recruited?
A No.
Q 'Denethor's Folly' - Can this card be played if Minas Tirith is controlled
by the Shadow and besieged by an FP army?
A No, the wording on the card should be "Play on the table if Minas Tirith is besieged by a Shadow army."
Q Can 'Denethor's Folly' be used against Strider/Aragorn as an FP leader?
A No, it does not apply to Companions, only to normal Leaders.
Q 'Dreadful Spells' does a besieged Stronghold count as being adjacent?
A Yes.
Q 'Dreadful Spells' - Can I use this card to attack an FP army that is adjacent to an army lead by Nazgūl even if the army lead by the Nazgūl belongs to a nation not yet at war?
A Yes, the Nazgūl are always considered to be at war and it is only them attacking.
Q 'Dreadful Spells' - What happens to the Leaders and Companions in the Region if I manage to kill all the army units with this card?
A The Leaders would die since they cannot exist in a Region without an army but any Companion is safe since they only die if the army is destroyed in Combat.
Q 'The Eagles are Coming' - Are the surviving Nazgūl required to retreat to the same Sauron Stronghold?
A Yes.
Q 'Faramir's Rangers' - What happens to the Nazgūl and Minions in the Region if I manage to kill all the army units with this card?
A Both Nazgūl and Minions are safe since they only die if the army is destroyed in Combat.
Q 'Faramir's Rangers' - Can this card be played to simply recruit the units in Osgiliath if no
Shadow units are present in North or South Ithilien?
A Yes.
Q 'The Fighting Uruk-Hai' - Can the Shadow reduce Elite units to keep the attack going after the third combat round is played, in the same way as he can after each combat round in a normal siege?
A Yes.
Q 'Flocks of Crebain' - Is the card used before or after the Shadow player has rolled the dice?
A Before the roll.
Q 'Foul Thing From the Deep' - Can this card be used when the Fellowship is inside Mordor? The wording on the card seems to suggest that it can't.
A Yes, it can be used when the Fellowship is in Mordor. The wording on the card is a slight mix up and the main point here is: The card can be played as long as the Fellowship is not in a Free Peoples settlement.
Q 'Foul Thing From the Deep' - What happens if the Hunt tile drawn shows "zero" Hunt damage or if it shows "negative" Hunt damage (the FP's special Hunt tiles)?
A If the Hunt tile shows "zero", "-1" or "-2" Hunt damage the Fellowship and the Companions are safe, no casualty has to be taken.
Q 'Foul Thing From the Deep' - What happens if the Hunt tile drawn shows a Reveal icon?
A If the tile drawn is used (a numbered tile) the Reveal icon is applied normally, i.e. the Fellowship is Revealed. If the tile drawn is discarded (Eye tiles) the Reveal icon is ignored.
Q Some Shadow Event Cards ('Foul Thing From the Deep', 'Isildur's bane' and 'Orc Patrol') requires you to draw a Hunt tile, what happens with the Eye tiles you draw? Are they reinserted into the Hunt Pool when the Fellowship enters Mordor or are they discarded for good?
A They are put aside and reinserted into the Hunt Pool once the Fellowship enters the Mordor Track. The only Eye tiles you discard for the rest of the game are the ones you draw when the Fellowship is in Mordor and the Eye tiles drawn after the FP Event Card 'Challenge of the King' has been played.
Q 'The Grey Company' - What happens if there is no Regular unit in the army with Aragorn/Strider? Can the FP still play this card to muster an Elite unit?
A If no Regular unit is in the army with Aragorn/Strider you only draw the Strategy cards.
Q 'Grond, Hammer of the Underworld' - Can the Shadow reduce Elite units to keep the attack going after the third combat round is played, in the same way as he can after each combat round in a normal siege?
A Yes.
Q What happens if I play a Muster card, such as 'Guards of the Citadel', and the mustered units are to be placed in a Stronghold under siege and there are not enough room inside the Stronghold?
A The effect of the card is played to its maximum potential, so if 'Guards of the Citadel' is played and Minas Tirith is under siege with already five units inside the walls of the Stronghold only the Leader is placed unless you want to remove one of the existing units to make room for the newly recruited unit, this normally depends on if you are recruiting an Elite or not and if you can remove a Regular unit or not. The same thing happens if the total number of units would be more than ten in a Region.
Q 'Guards of the Citadel' - Can this card be played if a Free Peoples army is besieging a Shadow army in Minas Tirith?
A Yes.
Q If the Free Peoples player initiates a combat through the use of the Event card 'Help Unlooked For' will combat cards played by the Shadow which allow for additional attacks (e.g. 'We Come to Kill') be limited in the number of attacks allowed?
A No, 'Help Unlooked For' only limits the number of dice rolled on the Combat roll, additional attacks, before or after, the "normal" Combat roll are not affected.
Q 'Hill Trolls'- Can you make the replacement in two different armies (one replacement in each of them)?
A Yes, it can be done in two different armies.
Q 'Horn of Gondor' - Can the Free Peoples player use this protection card to reduce the number on a tile turned after the Shadow player played 'Foul Thing From the Deep'?
A Yes he/she can.
Q So you could use more than one protection card in response to the card 'Foul Thing From the Deep' and if,
by doing this, the result is 0 damage then no casualty is taken by the Fellowship?
A No, because only one 'protection' card can be used at a time (the card says
that after reducing the damage 'Any remaining Hunt damage must be
confronted normally').
Q 'I Will Go Alone' - Can the FP player play this card if Gollum is the Guide simply to Heal one Corruption point, or must the FP player actually separate a Companion to play the card at all?
A You must separate a Companion, the separation is a necessary precondition: "separate... to ...". Note that this is different from the card "There and Back Again": "Separate[...]. If ...." where the two actions are disjoint.
Q 'Isildur's Bane' - Can this card be used when the Fellowship is inside Mordor? The wording on the card seems to suggest that it can't.
A Yes, it can be used when the Fellowship is in Mordor. The wording on the card is a slight mix up and the main point here is: The card can be played as long as the Fellowship is not in a Free Peoples settlement.
Q 'Isildur's Bane' - What happens if the Hunt tile drawn shows a Reveal icon?
A If the tile drawn is used (a numbered tile) the Reveal icon is applied normally, i.e. the Fellowship is Revealed. If the tile drawn is discarded (Eye tiles) the Reveal icon is ignored.
Q Does 'Nazgūl Strike' allow at least one reroll, provided a Nazgūl is in the same Region as the Fellowship, if Hunt is chosen?
A Yes, all the normal Hunt rerolls and modifiers apply.
Q 'Orc Patrol' - Can the card be used when the Fellowship is inside Mordor? The wording on the card seems to suggest that it can't.
A Yes, it can be used when the Fellowship is in Mordor. The wording on the card is a slight mix up and the main point here is: The card can be played as long as the Fellowship is not in a Free Peoples settlement.
Q 'Orc Patrol' - What happens if the Hunt tile drawn shows a Reveal icon?
A If the tile drawn is used (a numbered tile) the Reveal icon is applied normally, i.e. the Fellowship is Revealed. If the tile drawn is discarded (Eye tiles) the Reveal icon is ignored.
Q If the card 'Palantir of Orthanc' is in play on the table and Saruman is removed as a casualty is the card also removed from play?
A Yes.
Q If I use the card 'Rage of the Dunlendings' to recruit the new units in Hollin, can I still move units from South Dunland into
the Hollin Region? It is a two Region move but the card only says move them there, nothing
is mentioned about it being a normal one Region move...?
A Yes you can. Event cards often break the normal game play rules.
Q 'Rage of the Dunlendings' - Can the card can be played if Moria is under the control of the Free Peoples player but besieged by the Shadow?
A Yes, the card can be used if a Shadow army is besieging Moria.
Q 'Rage of the Dunlendings' - If Moria is under siege from the Free Peoples can the Shadow player play the card to Muster the units in Moria but not move other units there?
A No, the card can only be used in a "Free Region".
Q 'Return to Valinor' - can the FP player choose which Elven units to remove?
A Yes (in each Stronghold after determining the number of hits).
Q 'Return to Valinor' - What happens to the Leaders and Companions in the Elven Strongholds if I manage to kill all the army units with this card?
A Any Companions are safe since they only die if the army is destroyed in an actual Combat but all Leaders are eliminated since they cannot exist without army units.
Q 'Riders of Theoden' - Can this card be used to muster troops in a conquered but empty
Rohan Region provided that there is a Companion in the Region?
A No, you cannot muster in Settlements captured by the enemy.
Q 'Shadows on the Misty Mountains' This card allows for mustering in Mt. Gram, there is no Settlement to muster in Mt. Gram, is this a mistake, should it be Mt. Gundabad instead?
A The card is correct, it is Mount Gram.
Q Can the Army Card 'The Spirit of Mordor' be played on an S&E army or an Isengard army led by Nazgūl since the Nazgūl are part of the Mordor troops?
A No, you can only play the Army Card 'The Spirit of Mordor' on a Shadow army composed of units from different nations, the Nazgūl are not units, they are Leaders.
Q 'Spirit of Mordor' - What happens to the Nazgūl and Minions in the Region if I manage to kill all the army units with this card?
A Both Nazgūl and Minions are safe since they only die if the army is destroyed in actual Combat.
Q 'There and Back Again' - Am I forced to separate a Companion to make it to the second paragraph and Activate and move the nations on the Political track?
A No, in the master rules the two Actions are not consequential. They were
made consequential in the English revision.
Q 'There and Back Again' - Does it have to be Gimli or Legolas that was separated in order to Activate and move the nations on the Political track??
A No, the card is applied to its widest possible extent (i.e. if you
do not have a Companion to separate but the second sentence applies (which it does), the second sentence takes effect).
You can play this card even if there are no Companions left in the Fellowship and use its political benefits if Gimli or Legolas are where they are needed.
Q 'There is Another Way' - Can you choose not to move or hide the Fellowship if Gollum is the Guide?
A Yes.
Q 'Threats and Promises' - Two questions:
A) Does this apply to all passive nations, or does the Shadow player choose a passive nation they are "threatening"?
B) The card is discarded from the table when a nation is advanced due to an attack or due to a Companion's special ability. I don't understand what Companion would have the ability to advance a nation and discard this card?
A A) It applies to all passive nations.
B) Boromir, Legolas and Gimli are the only Companions able to discard the card since they all have the following special ability:
Prince of Mirkwood:
If Legolas is in an Elf Stronghold, use any Action Die to advance the Elven Nation one step on the Political Track.
Dwarf of Erebor:
If Gimli is in a Dwarf Stronghold, use any Action Die to advance that Nation one step on the Political Track.
High Warden of the White Tower:
If Boromir is in a Gondor Nation City or Stronghold, use any Action Die to advance that Nation one step on the Political Track.
Q 'Through a Night and a Day' - can an army moved by this card pick up or drop of units in the first Region moved into?
A No, the army is defined at the beginning of the Action and an Action
is never really "interrupted".
Q Does 'To The Last Battle' apply both inside and outside Mordor?
A Yes.
Q Can the Free Peoples player use 'Wisdom of Elrond' to advance a Shadow nation on the Political track?
A No, the card should say "Activate one Free Peoples Nation of your choice", see the Master document for the Free Peoples Event cards.
Q Does 'Worn and With Sorrow and Toil' have any effect if a Hobbit who is Guiding the Fellowship separates to prevent one Corruption point?
A No, 'Worn and With Sorrow and Toil' does not work since the hobbit is separated, not eliminated.
Q The 'Wormtongue' card reads "Nothing can Activate Rohan except declaring the Fellowship in a Rohan Settlement or a Companion's special ability." However, none of the text on any of the Companions' cards refers to activation. Does the "special ability" refer to the symbol in the bottom right of the Companion card signifying the Nations they can Activate by going there?
e.g. Gandalf separates from the Fellowship and goes to Edoras. Does this immediately Activate Rohan and discard the Wormtongue card? (would make sense from a story point of view).
A Yes!
Q Can the Free Peoples player still advance the Rohan nation on the Political Track if the card 'Wormtongue'is in play?
A Yes, the card only prevents Rohan from becoming Active.
Q If the card 'Wormtongue' is in play and the Witch-King is mustered by the Shadow player will Rohan still be Activated?
A No, the card prevents Rohan from becoming Active in any way except those stated on the card.
Q Does 'Worn and With Sorrow and Toil' have any effect if a Hobbit who is Guiding the Fellowship separates to prevent one Corruption point?
A No, 'Worn and With Sorrow and Toil' does not work since the hobbit is separated, not eliminated.
Q Does 'Worn and With Sorrow and Toil' have any effect if a Hobbit who is Guiding the Fellowship separates to prevent one Corruption point when the Fellowship is in Mordor?
A No, the fact that they are eliminated once separated in Mordor does not matter, the card will not have any effect.
The Companions
Q Special abilities on character cards can these be used once per die action or only once per turn, e.g. Sarumans mustering ability?
A Once per action if not otherwise indicated (e.g. The Mouth of Sauron's ability to turn a Muster die into an Army die can only be used once per game turn).
Q When a Character (Companion or Minion) is in a Region with a friendly army, this Character automatically becomes a Leader of that army?
A Yes, the Character automatically becomes a Leader of the friendly Army.
Q Can a group of Companions (who have already left the Fellowship) located in the same Region move to different Regions with the same Character die action, or must they continue to travel to the same destination?
A They can move to different locations.
Q When I use a Character die to move the Companions on the map can
I move Strider one Region and then pick up Merry and move them together as
a group two more Regions since Strider has a movement of three?
A No, to move any Companions on the map as a group (to take advantage
of the movement of the Companion with the highest level) all Companions must
begin the move in the same Region.
Q Can the Free Peoples Player move the Companions through Shadow Strongholds?
A Yes, the Free Peoples player can move his Companions (once they are separated from the Fellowship) through Shadow Strongholds as long as they end their movement as soon they enter the Stronghold. Then, when it is the FP player's turn again, an additional Character Die (Or a Will of the West) can be used to move them again out of the Stronghold.
Q Are the Companions forced to stop in a Free Peoples Stronghold captured by the Shadow?
A No, the Companions are only forced to stop in a Shadow Stronghold still controlled by the Shadow. A Shadow Stronghold means a Stronghold controlled by the Shadow at the beginning of the game.
Q Are the Companions forced to stop in Regions with Shadow Strongholds which have been captured by the Free Peoples?
A No, they are only forced to stop in a Shadow Stronghold still controlled by the Shadow.
Q Some Fellowship Companions (such as Legolas and Gimli) do not possess two different types of text (such as "When Guiding the Fellowship" and after leaving the Fellowship). Does this mean they can use their ability while still in the Fellowship? In other words, since the Fellowship is declared in Rivendell at the start of the game, can Legolas use any action die to advance the Elven Nation along the Political track that turn?
A No, they must be separated from the Fellowship to use their political ability.
Q Can the Free Peoples player move his Companions into a FP Stronghold under siege?
A No, the Free Peoples player cannot move his Companions into a Stronghold under siege unless he/she does so by playing an Event Card that allows such a move (such as 'Gwahir the Windlord' or 'We Prove the Swifter').
Q Can the Free Peoples player move his Companions out of a Stronghold under siege?
A No, you cannot move a Companion, or an army for that matter, out of a Stronghold under siege, there is one exception though:
Strider/Aragorn (and any Companions with him) can be moved out of Helm's Deep with the card 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' even if Helm's Deep is under siege.
Q Can Gollum use any of his Guide abilities immediately if the last Companion separates or is eliminated by a Hunt tile?
A No, Gollum's abilities as Guide do not apply to a Hunt tile drawn when other Companions still where left in the Fellowship.
Gollum, sneaky as he is, will not reveal himself as long as there are other Companions left and therefore cannot use his Guide ability against the same Hunt tile as a Companion did.
Q Can Gollum ever be eliminated via the Hunt? In other words, can the Fellowship choose to discard him (even though he has no Leadership) when receiving Hunt Damage?
A No!
Q Can Gollum be used to Reveal the Fellowship on the final step on the Mordor Track (Mount Doom) and hence reduce their Corruption by 1 even if the Hunt tile turned takes them to 12 Corruption points? We thought not if they were on 12 as this would cause the Free Peoples player to lose immediately.
A The Corruption would not be 12 until the Hunt is finished, so yes, you can. This use of Gollum recreates the "historical" ending - the intervention of Gollum making a win out of a lost game for the Fellowship...
Q Can Gollum use his ability to reduce Corruption from a normal (grey) Hunt tile with a Reveal icon since he is also able to negate the Reveal icon?
A Yes, since the Hunt tile didn't Reveal the Fellowship (due to Gollum's ability) he can also reduce the Corruption suffered by one if you choose to Reveal the Fellowship.
Q Can Aragorn/Strider be killed if he is not leading any combat units?
A Strider can become a Casualty as the result of a Hunt if he still is with the Fellowship. Aragorn/Strider can be eliminated via the card 'Challenge of the King'.
Q Can Strider be crowned as Aragorn, Heir to Isildur in Minas Tirith, Pelargir or Dol Amroth if the Settlements have been captured by the Shadow?
A No, Strider can only be crowned if the City/Stronghold he is in is controlled by the Free Peoples.
Q Can Strider be turned into Aragorn, Heir to Isildur if he is in The Minas Tirith Region while Minas Tirith is under Siege?
A If Strider was in the Minas Tirith Region prior to the Stronghold coming under siege and retreated into the Stronghold he can be crowned as Aragorn, Heir to Isildur. However, if the Stronghold is under siege and Strider is not in the Minas Tirith Region he can not enter the Region as stated in the rules: "[A Companion] can never leave or enter a Region containing a friendly Stronghold besieged by enemy units (except by certain Event Card effects)."
Q When Gandalf the White enters play, can he enter into an Elven
Stronghold under siege?
A Yes, if Gandalf the Grey is dead, Gandalf the White can be resurrected in an Elven Stronghold under siege. If Gandalf the Grey is in an Elven Stronghold under siege he can be turned into Gandalf the White by using a Will of the West die result.
Q Can I put Gandalf the White in play if any of the Shadow's Minions are in play?
A Yes, on Gandalf the White's card it mistakenly says "Sauron Minion", it should say "Shadow Minion."
Q Can Gandalf the White be brought into play in an Elven Stronghold if
a) The Stronghold is controlled by the Shadow but besieged by a Free Peoples army?
b) The Stronghold is controlled by the Shadow?
A In order to bring Gandalf the White into play in an Elven Stronghold the Stronghold must still be in the control of the Free Peoples.
Q Can the Free Peoples player still put Gandalf the White in play if one of the Shadow Minions has been mustered but killed before the Free Peoples player had the chance to bring in Gandalf the White?
A Yes, the point is that a Minion must have been Mustered.
Q If a Companion, other than a hobbit, is the Guide and you take him as a casualty and Merry or Pippin
becomes the new guide can you use the hobbit's special ability as Guide
immediately?
A Yes.
Q If Merry/Pippin are Guides can one or both separate to reduce damage?
A Yes, as soon as one separates, the other takes the Guide position and can do the same to reduce further damage.
Q If I separate both hobbits at the same time are they required to move to the same Region, or can they travel to separate Regions?
A They always have to move as a group, just as when you separate any group of Companions.
Q If I split off a hobbit using his Guide ability, when a Hunt tile with a Reveal Icon is drawn, do I move
them from where the Fellowship was before they were Revealed or do I have
to place them where I got Revealed?
A You separate him (or them) before you actually place the Revealed
Fellowship in its new position so you separate the hobbit(s) as if
separated from the Region with the Fellowship's last known position before the
Revealing Hunt (adding the number of steps on the Fellowship Progress
Track to their level as per a normal separation.)
Q If Merry or Pippin is eliminated while in the Fellowship (perhaps through a random elimination pull), when and where are they brought back?
A They can return at any later moment using an Action die, placing them as if
separating from the Fellowship at that moment. This counts as an Action just as discarding cards the enemy has played on the table (e.g. Palantir of Orthanc).
Q Can you use Merry's/Pippin's special Guide ability in Mordor?
A Yes and No, they cannot be separated, or more precisely, they would be eliminated if separated, but they are still of some marginal use as you can take them both as casualties by using their Guide ability.
Q If Merry/Pippin is eliminated in Mordor can they be brought back?
A No, because they are brought back "as if separated from the Fellowship" and all Companions separated in Mordor are eliminated. (Gandalf the White could still return if the Grey is lost in Mordor)
Q If Merry/Pippin is eliminated outside of Mordor, can they be brought back later when the Fellowship is in Mordor?
A No, because they are brought back "as if separated from the Fellowship" and as they would begin their separation move in Mordor they would automatically be eliminated.
Q Where do you place Merry/Pippin if they are brought back via their "Take them Alive" rule if the Fellowship is in a Stronghold under siege?
A You must leave the hobbit(s) in the besieged Stronghold in this case.
If the Fellowship Starting Point is in the besieged Stronghold, the hobbit(s) starts his movement during separation there, and as he is not allowed to leave the Region, he must remain in the Stronghold.
The Minions
Q Special abilities on character cards can these be used once per die action or only once per turn, e.g. Sarumans mustering ability?
A Once per action if not otherwise indicated (e.g. The Mouth of Sauron's ability to turn a Muster die into an Army die can only be used once per game turn).
Q When a Character (Companion or Minion) is in a Region with a friendly army, this Character automatically becomes a Leader of that army?
A Yes, the Character automatically becomes a Leader of the friendly Army.
Q Can I Muster the Shadow's Minions in Shadow Strongholds under siege by the FP?
A Yes, just as Gandalf the White can be brought back to life in an Elven Stronghold under siege.
Q Does the Witch King count as a Nazgūl, specifically when fighting against Gandalf the White? In other words, does Gandalf the White negate the Leadership of the Witch King?
A The Witch King minion is considered to be a Nazgūl (including all references to Nazgūl on Event Cards unless differentiated in the card text by the use of the Minions title), so yes, Gandalf the White negates the Leadership of the Witch King.
Q Is the Witch King immortal like the other Nazgūl, they can be remustered into the game, or is he removed from play permanently when removed as a casualty as per the rule for Shadow Minions?
A The Witch King is removed permanently once removed from play and cannot be remustered like the other Nazgūl.
Q What happens if the Witch King is alone in a Region with a Stronghold (controlled by the Shadow)
and an army of the Free Peoples attacks that Stronghold (and automatically conquers it as there are no Shadow army units in the Region)?
A The Witch King stays in the Region since he can coexist with enemy units. The fact that the Region contains an FP controlled Stronghold only matters when the Shadow player moves the Witch King.
Q Does Saruman's "Servants of the White Hand" ability allow him to muster 2 Elite units in one Muster action? In other words, since you can normally muster 2 Leaders in one action, and his Elite units are considered Leaders, can Saruman help you abuse the rules by allowing you to muster 2 Elites? We assumed no, although the card does say "for all action and combat purposes".
A This is an oversight. The ability does not allow him to muster two elites in different Settlements.
Q Can the voice of Saruman be used to upgrade 2 Regular units to Elites while Isengard is besieged?
A No! You are never allowed to Muster in Strongholds under siege unless it is done through an Event card. This automatically makes Saruman unable to upgrade Regulars to Elites when Orthanc is under siege.
Q Can Saruman survive if he is alone in Orthanc when an FP army enters the Orthanc Region and thereby retaining his extra action die for the Shadow? The rules state that lone Characters can't be killed by enemy armies.
A If Saruman is alone in Orthanc and a Free Peoples army moves into Orthanc, Saruman is not eliminated (just as any other character would not be eliminated in a similar situation), but remains in the Region. The control of the Orthanc Region is still transfered to the Free Peoples.
As a consequence, the Isengard mustering power (Voice of Saruman) would not be usable anymore: no units can be recruited in Orthanc. However Isengard Elite units will still count as Leaders and the extra Action die provided by Saruman will remain in the Action Dice pool of the Shadow player.
Saruman would be removed if any Ent card is played as an event.
Q What happens if a Shadow Army attacks a Free Peoples Army in the Orthanc Stronghold and Saruman is in the Orthanc Stronghold?
A Saruman would join the attacking Shadow Army as a Leader.
Q What would happen with Saruman if the attacking Shadow Army in the question above would retreat?
A As Saruman cannot leave the Orthanc Region he would remain there.
Q What would happen to Saruman if a Shadow Army in the Orthanc Region chooses to retreat away from the Orthanc Region?
A As Saruman cannot leave the Orthanc Region he would remain there.
Q Can the Shadow player muster The Mouth of Sauron in a Sauron Stronghold captured by the Free Peoples?
A No.
Q Is the Mouth of Sauron forced to stop in Regions with Free Peoples Strongholds which have been captured by the Shadow?
A No, enemy Strongholds which are under siege by your armies or are under your control are considered free for all your movement purposes.
The Nazgūl
Q Can the Nazgūl single-handedly capture a Settlement, or is an Army required?
A An Army is required.
Q Can a Nazgūl enter a friendly Stronghold under siege?
A Yes, the Nazgūl's flying beasts allow them to avoid the besieging armies and enter friendly Strongholds under siege.
Q Can the Nazgūl enter Regions containing Shadow Strongholds captured by the Free Peoples?
A The Nazgūl can only enter a Region containing a Stronghold controlled by the Free
Peoples if there is a Shadow army besieging the Stronghold.
Q What happens if one or more Nazgūl are alone in a Region with a Stronghold (controlled by the Shadow)
and an army of the Free Peoples attacks that Stronghold (and automatically conquers it as there are no Shadow army units in the Region)?
A The Nazgūl stay in the Region since they can coexist with enemy units. The fact that the Region contains an FP controlled Stronghold only matters when the Shadow player moves the Nazgūl.
Politics
Q Advancing on the political track - does this occur for each action die used in a siege?
A Yes, each die used counts as a different attack.
Q Can a single attack on units defending a Settlement cause a nation to become Active
and advance two steps on the Political Track?
A Yes, the initial attack Activates the nation and advances them one step on the Political Track. If the Settlement is captured by the enemy the nation is advanced another step on the Political Track.
Q Is the position of the individual nations within the Political boxes significant? In other words, do I use a Muster die to move the Nation down one entire box, or must I move the Nation forward within the box first. For example, can I use one Muster die to move Isengard into the "At War" box, or must I use two Muster dice (one to move them down to where the Sauron counter is, and one to move them from there into the "At War" box)?
A Advancing one step on the Political Track equals moving down one entire box.
Q The rules state that a 'Passive' Nation is activated "as soon as a Companion (capable of activating that Nation) enters one of its Cities or Strongholds."
The Companion doesnt have to end his move there, correct?
For example, can Gandalf activate the North and the Dwarves in one move by going from the Woodland Realm to Dale to Erebor?
A No, the Character must stop in the City/Stronghold to activate it.
Q Which Event Cards constitute an attack for political purposes?
A Please note that the following rule has been changed (and the following answer is no longer correct) in the Collectors Edition of the rules!
The following cards constitute an attack for political purposes (i.e. triggers the Activation and movement of nations on the Political Track):
Free Peoples Cards:
'The Spirit of Mordor'
'Faramirs Rangers'
'Ents Awake' (all three cards)
Shadow Cards:
'Dreadful Spells'
'Return to Valinor'
The following cards initiate an attack, and constitute an attack for political purposes, but the attack is done with an army and not by the card itself:
Free Peoples Cards:
'Help Unlooked For'
Shadow Cards:
'Grond, Hammer of the Underworld'
'The Fighting Uruk-Hai'
'The Ringwraiths Are Abroad'
'The Black Captain Commands'
'Corsairs of Umbar'
Three and Four Player Rules
Q Which Event Cards can be used by which factions in the multi player game?
A Here follows a complete list over which card that can be played by which player:
The Character Cards
The Sauron Player: 'The Black Captain Commands' and 'Grond, Hammer of the Underworld'.
The Saruman Player: 'The Palantir of Orthanc' and 'Wormtongue'.
Any Shadow Player: 'Balrog of Moria', The Breaking of the Fellowship', 'Candles of Corpses',
'Cruel Weather', 'Dreadful Spells', 'Flocks of Crebain', 'Foul Thing From the Deep', 'Give it to Uss',
'Isildur's Bane', 'The Lidless Eye', 'Lure of the Ring', 'Morgul Wound', 'Nazgūl Search', 'The Nazgūl Strike',
'On, On They Went', 'Orc Patrol', 'The Ring is Mine', 'The Ringwraiths are Abroad', 'Shelob's Lair' and
'Worn with Sorrow and Toil'.
Any Free Peoples Player: All the FP's Character Cards can be played by both the FP players.
The Strategy Cards
The Sauron Player: 'Hill-Trolls', 'The King is Revealed', 'Monsters Roused', 'Olog-Hai',
'Orcs Multiplying Again', 'Pits of Mordor', 'Return of the Witch-King', 'Shadows on the Misty Mountains'.
The Saruman Player: 'Corsairs of Umbar', The Fighting Uruk-Hai', 'Half-Orcs and Goblin-Men',
'Horde From the East', 'Many Kings to the Service of Mordor', 'A New Power is Rising', 'Rage of the Dunlendings'.
Any Shadow Player: 'The Day Without Dawn', 'Denethor's Folly', 'Musterings of a Long-planned War',
'Return to Valinor', 'Shadows Gather', 'The Shadow is Moving', 'The Shadow Lengthens', 'Stromcrow', 'Threats and Promises'.
The Gondor/Elves Player: 'Celeborn's Galadhrim', 'Cirdan's Ships', 'Faramir's Rangers', 'Guards of the Citadel',
'Imrahil of Dol Amroth', 'Kindred of Glorfindel', 'Thranduil's Archers', 'A Power Too Great'.
The North/Rohan/Dwarves Player: 'Book of Mazarbul', 'Dain Ironfoot's Guard', 'Eomer, son of Eomund',
'Fear! Fire! Foes!', 'Grimbeorn, the Old, son of Beorn', 'King Brand's Men', 'The Power of Tom Bombadil', 'The Red Arrow',
'Riders of Theoden', 'Swords in Eriador'.
Any Free Peoples Player: 'Help Unlooked For', 'The Last Battle', 'Paths of the Woses',
'The Spirit of Mordor', 'Through a Night and a Day', 'Wisdom of Elrond'.
Q Can both players on the same side use the Event cards played on the table? (e.g. can the Sauron player use the benefit of the card 'Palantir of Orthanc'?)
A The cards state which player can use them, 'Palantir of Orthanc' can only be used by the Saruman player while 'Durin's Bane' can be used by the player controlling the attacking army and so on.
Q Can you use the Event card 'The Shadow is Moving' to move any Shadow armies or only the ones you control?
A Only the ones you control.
Q 'The Spirit of Mordor' - Can this card be played if units from more than one Shadow
nation are in the same Region but the players have not agreed to form a mixed army?
A From the rules: "The troops of the two players become a mixed army only if both players agree on this, or if the Region is attacked."
So the attack automatically creates a mixed army even if the players do not want it. This applies also to an "attack" or attack-like effect coming from a card event.
Q What happens in a four player game if the units of the two Free Peoples players are in the same Region but didn't become a mixed Army?
Example: Rod comes to Dagorlad with an Army of 3 units and Legolas. Then, Matt comes in the same Region with 1 unit and Gimli. He doesn't agree to create a mixed Army. Rod attacks Morannon with all his troops.
1- Can he leave Legolas behind?
2- Can he attack with Gimli?
A Any of the Free Peoples players can use the Companions so the player using an army can decide which Companions in the Region to use.
Q Some Event cards allow you to move armies, can I use these cards to override the controlling player rule and move any mixed armies?
A No, you can only move the armies you control, mixed or otherwise.
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Collector's Edition FAQ
Battles of the Third Age FAQ
The Rohan Scenario
The Gondor Scenario
Original Game FAQ
Twilight of the Third Age Expansion FAQ
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