First/Collector's Edition FAQ

With the release of the Collector's Edition the rules and Event cards were updated. You can download the Collector's Edition rules, FAQ, and a simplified version of the Event cards from the Downloads section. Print, cut, and then place the simplified Event cards together with your First Edition Event cards in sleeves to use in your First Edition of the game.

The Collector's Edition FAQ was updated on June 28th 2011.


Errata

Galadriel
The rules for Galadriel should say:

If Sauron or the Elves are “At War”, Lórien is controlled by the Free Peoples (even if it is under siege), and Gandalf the White is not in play, you may use a Muster Action Die result to play Lady Galadriel in Lórien.

Lady Galadriel is a Level 3 Companion for all Event card and Combat card effects.




The Corsairs of Umbar
The rule for Transporting Armies (page 75) should say (correction in bold):

The Shadow player can move an Army from a region containing a Ship to any other region free for the purpose of Army movement which also contains a Ship using one of the two movements of an Army Action Die result (or using a Character Action Die result, if the Army has a Leader).



Dale
On page 13 in the English version of the printed rule book* Dale should be shown as being part of the North Nation.



Setup
On page 23 in the English version of the printed rule book* the setup of the Southrons & Easterling units in Near Harad (13) and South Rhűn (15) should both read "3 Regulars 1 Elite" (as shown on the actual setup map).



Merry and Pippin
The rules for Merry and Pippin's Guide ability is not fully explained in the rules. Here is how it works:

As soon as either Hobbit becomes the Guide his Guide ability can be used (either or both can separate as a result of one Hunt tile).

Once separated they follow the normal rules for separating Companions. (If both are separated as a result of the same Hunt tile they must move as a group. See page 53 of the rules.)

Their ability can be used in Mordor (either or both can separate as a result of one Hunt tile), but they will be eliminated as soon as they separate.

Hunt damage is resolved before reveal icons, so if one or both use their Guide ability when a Hunt tile with a reveal icon is drawn, they are separated from the Fellowship before it is revealed and moved (adding the number of steps on the Fellowship Progress Track to their level as per a normal separation.)

Example:
The Fellowship is in Mordor. There are four (4) dice in the Hunt box. Legolas, Merry, and Pippin are the only Companions still in the Fellowship, and Legolas is the Guide. The Free Peoples player moves the Fellowship, and the Shadow player draws a Hunt tile bearing an Eye. The Eye inflicts four (4) points of Hunt damage, as there are four (4) dice in the Hunt box. Now the Free Peoples player eliminates Legolas to reduce the damage by two (2), then as Pippin becomes the Guide his Guide ability is used and he separates to reduce the Hunt damage further by one (1). As Merry becomes the Guide his Guide ability is used to reduce the Hunt damage by another one (1), which brings the Hunt damage to zero (0), so the Ringbearers suffer no Corruption. Both Merry and Pippin are now eliminated as they were separated in Mordor, and Gollum becomes the Guide of the Fellowship.



Retreating
The "Choose to Cease the Attack, or Retreat" paragraph (page 42) should read as follows (correction in bold):

If 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 a Settlement that is controlled by the enemy. If no such region is available, the defender cannot choose to retreat.



Capturing a Settlement
The second part of the “Capturing a Settlement” paragraph (page 43) 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.



Grond, Hammer of the Underworld
The Pre-condition to play this Shadow Event card should read as follows (correction in bold):

Play if the Witch-king is in play and is with a Shadow Army besieging a Stronghold.



Characters

Q If the Balrog is played when Moria is under siege or controlled by the Free Peoples, is the Sauron unit still recruited with him?

A No. Army units may never be recruited in Strongholds controlled by the enemy, and may only by recruited in Strongholds under siege through an Event card.



Q Gollum's classification varies in the rules, is he a Companion for all game purposes?

A No, Gollum only counts as a Companion for the purpose of the Shadow player placing Hunt dice in the Hunt Box during the Hunt Allocation Phase (i.e. the Shadow player can always place at least one die in the Hunt Box during the Hunt Allocation Phase).



Q Does Gollum's ability when Guide that only Eyes and Special tiles can reveal the Fellowship extend to cards that reveal the Fellowship explicitly?

A No. Cards instructing that the Fellowship should be revealed take effect as normal. If a card instructs the Shadow player to draw a Hunt tile and apply that effect, however, Gollum's ability would apply to any "Reveal" icons on those tiles.



Event Cards


Since the Collector's Edition has revised Event cards you can download a simplified version of them to use with your original version of the game. Simply print, cut, and then place in front of your original cards in card sleeves.

Collector's Edition Event Cards


Event Card Clarifications
- All actions indicated on an Event Card are mandatory (if possible).
- When an Event Card instructs you to "do X to do Y" (e.g. 'Horn of Gondor'): doing X is a pre-requisite of doing Y, and there is a cause/effect relationship between the two actions.
- When an Event Card instructs you to "do X. Then, do Y" (e.g. 'There is Another Way') you first do X, then you do Y once you are finished doing X. While there is no direct cause/effect relationship between the two actions , the card must still be played to its maximum extent, this means that you MUST do X before you are allowed to do Y, unless it is impossible to do X.

Example 1:
After playing the Event Card 'There is Another Way' the Free Peoples player may still execute the "Then, if Gollum is the Guide, you may also hide or move the Fellowship (following the normal movement rules)" part if you do not have any Corruption to heal, but you must heal Corruption if you have any.

Example 2:
After playing the Event Card 'I Will Go Alone' the Free Peoples player must separate one or more Companions, before healing Corruption.

Example 3:
After playing the Event Card 'Mirror of Galadriel' the Free Peoples player must change an unused Character Action die into a Will of the West result, unless it is impossible to do so (because there are no unused Character Action dice), then, heal one Corruption.



Q If the Ents destroy all Army units in a Shadow Army, are any Nazgűl and Minions in that Army also destroyed?

A Yes. Just as 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' the Ent cards are considered battles in which the Shadow Army cannot fight back and therefore any Nazgűl and Minions are destroyed along with it.



Q If a passive Nation advances to "At War" as a result of the 'Book of Mazarbul' or 'Fear! Fire! Foes!' Event card, is that Nation also activated?

A Yes. A Nation which moves directly to "At War" while inactive due to the effect of an Event card automatically becomes active.



Q 'The Last Battle's' discard condition and pre-requisite seem to be in conflict, how should the card be played?

A The pre-requisite is correct but the only way to discard the card is if its discard condition becomes true.



Rule Changes

Event Cards Affecting the Political Track
All cards that initiate an attack by an Army, as well as the Ent cards and 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' (the effects of these cards are considered to be battles in which the Shadow Army cannot fight back), will trigger a political reaction (activation and/or advancement on the Political Track). All other cards that trigger a political reaction have the political effect explicitly stated in the text.

Please note that this has changed from the original version of the rules.




* This errata is included in the downloadable version of the Collector's Edition rule book available in the Downloads section.






Please note that some of the images on this website are a preview of Art by John Howe from "War of the Ring"
a game published by Ares Games under license from Sophisticated Games and Middle-earth Enterprises.