some controversial ones

Frodo
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Regarding Ghosts(V), the perm event version is 50 words over the limit. The creature version is 15 words over, although it’s still a lot of words for something that’s only a creature and not a perm.

I liked the perm-event idea because it allowed for more flavor--the "awakening" of these dangerous forces. I don't see a need to allow Undead creatures to follow the Ghosts attack. I don't like the idea of a Sleepless Malice attack either. I LOVE Thorsten's idea of characters moving through Rohan to be potentially "scared" by this thing, and needing to make corruption checks--that's a lot cooler than the influence check modifier.

We're going to have to do some picking and choosing.

Frodo
marcos
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Frodo wrote:Regarding Ghosts(V), the perm event version is 50 words over the limit. The creature version is 15 words over, although it’s still a lot of words for something that’s only a creature and not a perm.

I liked the perm-event idea because it allowed for more flavor--the "awakening" of these dangerous forces. I don't see a need to allow Undead creatures to follow the Ghosts attack. I don't like the idea of a Sleepless Malice attack either. I LOVE Thorsten's idea of characters moving through Rohan to be potentially "scared" by this thing, and needing to make corruption checks--that's a lot cooler than the influence check modifier.

We're going to have to do some picking and choosing.

Frodo
i dont like the cc stuff and I don`t see the need for more undead following the attack either.
I like Thorsten idea too...
Will have to think a bit more to come up with a new wording that covers our likes :)

But as i said before i still prefer a creature than a perm event, i don't want more half creatures for dump and run decks...
Jambo
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Here's a shortened creature variety:
Ghosts wrote:Creature - (6) (18/7)
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead (may be played if Army of the Dead is in play). Undead. Two strikes. Cannot be played against a company with Aragorn II. May be played at Dunharrow or Vale of Erech. If Army of the Dead or Return of the King is in play, may also be played keyed to the same region or any adjacent region to Aragorn II and at sites in those regions (detainment against heroes). After the attack, each character wounded by Ghosts makes a corruption check modified by -3. Remove Army of the Dead from play if this creature is defeated. A minion player also receives the MPs for defeating this creature.
I'm really not too sure about how to avoid this being played with Sleepless Malice.

Here’s a shortened permanent-event variety:
Ghosts wrote:Permanent-event - (6) (18/7)
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead (may be played if Army of the Dead is in play). Dunharrow, The Pukel-deeps and Vale of Erech receive an automatic attack: Undead -- 2 strikes at 18/7.
If Army of the Dead or Return of the King is in play, Ghosts may opt to attack from permanent-event state. This attack may be keyed to the same or any adjacent region to Aragorn II or to sites in those regions (detainment against heroes). Discard after such an attack.
Each character wounded by Ghosts makes a corruption check modified by -3 after the attack. All attacks from this card are automatically cancelled on a company containing Aragorn II. Remove Army of the Dead from play if an attack is defeated. A minion player can also receive the MPs for defeating an attack.
Not really sure how to make this any smaller... I quite liked the idea of a corruption check in Rohan or Lamedon, but that would add even more text.
Vastor Peredhil
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well for dream card environment, Sleepless Malice reads non-unique undead creature so that helps, me, but for virtuals I do not know yet
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Thorsten the Traveller
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@ Ghosts. Question: why big prowess few strikes on this attack over lower prowess more strikes? I'd say, there are many that dwell under the mountain, and more strikes has more effect, and a simple Plague/Moon Dead can boosts the strikes anyway so then this card is absurd.
Ok, the guys are invincible, so we think, but even undead barrow-wights can be killed.
Reason I'm also saying this is, because the -3 cc if wounded seems absurd: who wouldn't get wounded by this attack? Then you're wounded and discarded. Even though the cc is thematic to undead, it would safe space if we cut it.

The perm.version doesn't seem excessively cramped with info, maybe it's really time to start with abbreviations/key words, like: "keyable:" in stead of "this attack may be keyed to"

Is it necessary to state that if defeated Army is discarded? If athome is defeated, faction is also discarded?

Marcos, there are so many half creatures already, more than 30 I guess, if somebody wants to dump/run they'll do it anyway, so I hardly think that's a good argument.
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Jambo
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The prowess and strikes of Ghosts is something I'd also thought about. Wouldn't it be cool if there was an option for the hazard player to make it either small number of strikes with high prowess or lots of strikes with lower prowess. If there's small co, you might face the big chief and if there's a large co, maybe you face the army (so to speak). :)

Or maybe something like an "each character faces 2 strikes" - ripe for a Pierced by Many Wounds. :)

Thanks for the suggestions on ways to shorten the text. They may come in very handy.

Marcos - any thoughts?
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Thorsten the Traveller
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@ Storms
Ok, an overview. In the first version, everything but Udun and Imlad Morgul were covered with the third storm. In the second version, everything but these two plus Gorgoroth, the mountains (high pass/redhorn gate, withered heath/grey mountains/iron hills, angmar/gundabad), and Mirkwood and Fangorn, southern Rhovanion/horse plains/Dorwinion. Supposing you want the mountains out anyway, the only pitty then is Mirkwood and rhovanion/horse plains/dorwinion. In my opinion actually, flood comes from the sea, it's not like the Valar make it rain alot, so lakes don't just overflow. Not flooding the north-east isn't so strange thematically, with the flooding of Beleriand, the rest of ME was spared more or less.

The progression and agressiveness was more prominent in version 1 and it would make for nice surprises up east indeed, 3 SoO is hard to achieve. On the up side, now you can hit Rivendell/Shire/Gap Isen etc. with only 2 SoO. Or is that not an upside? Nasty Arwen thinking daddy controls the river? no way!
btw. I think Anduin Vales is not safe at all for heroes, there's Bairanax/Scatha ahunt, slayers and anything border of course, but mainly, it is mostly travelled through, from one dangerous place to another.

Personally I think the version is fine as it is (except for underdeeps should be step two), but another version would be:

Permanent event
Environment. Playable if Gates of Morning is not in play. The following regions or sites can also be considered coastal seas for the purposes of playing hazards. The effects are cumulative depending on the number of Storms of Osse in play. One: All regions adjacent to coastal sea regions. Two (if Reach of Ulmo is in play): all Under-deeps sites (hazard creatures only), and Anorien, Rohan, Wold and Foothills, Anduin Vales, Brown Lands, Dagorlad. Three or more (if The Reach of Ulmo is in play): any region except Angmar, Gundabad, High Pass, Redhorn Gate, Grey Mountain Narrows, Withered Heath, Iron Hills and Imlad Morgul. In addition, Minas Tirith, Pelargir, and Dol Amroth are tapped and will come tapped into play. The mind of each Dunadan is increased by 2.

that's a 135 words. It seems alot though.
I made under-deeps step 2, because it seems more logical to me that the lower places are flooded first, and also Nameless can already be played there and Watcher is kind of what Gandalf would call: Fouler things than Orcs lurking in the deeps of the earth. Also, most underdeep companies can handle an attack, even from turtles. More so than Gondor decks anyway...
Made it to tap the coastal sites. They are in turmoil, yet still accessable. Is tapping not bad enough? We can extend the list to Gobel Mirlond and Lond Galen
btw. it is not clear wether this is in addition to 3rd SoO, or just to the earlier mentioned effects on Storm of Osse. Maybe

The discarding and/or unplayability of Minas Tirith not a problem? Ask that to the guy wanting to run Morannon V! He certainly doesn't want to cycle first in order to play Tirith. In fact, ask a guy who wants to run Morannon how he feels about having his prime ringbearer returned to hand or their mind increased by 2 (not even counting Denethor :wink: )

But thinking about the discarding of Reach of Ulmo, is that not a problem to Storms, if Ulmo gets discarded so easily, only when travelling in underdeeps, or after playing Ford/Great Ship? Ok so not many people play Ford/Great Ship, but we need another card to cycle Ulmo then, like Jambo once suggested with Enemy's Wrath? We can't mention on this card Ulmo doesn't get discarded any longer in such fashion, the card itself takes precedence? Hmm, I like Ulmo, but this card shouldn't be Achilles heal for Osse. Of course can invent Reach of Ulmo V that doesn't get discarded...
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Jambo
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You could pack 3 Reach of Ulmo in your deck? You probably should do this anyway for a watery based hazard deck. The Under-deeps keyability shoud come in whenever Reach of Ulmo does. AS that's currently when there's 2 SoO out, then yeah, perhaps 2 SoO is better for the Under-deeps playability. :)

My [v] Moose of the Sea recycled Reach of Ulmo. :lol:
Last edited by Jambo on Mon May 19, 2008 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
marcos
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Thorsten the Traveller wrote:Marcos, there are so many half creatures already, more than 30 I guess, if somebody wants to dump/run they'll do it anyway, so I hardly think that's a good argument.
I don't think so... For deck building, an entire creature can save slots for more events that helps your hazard strategy, so it is not only that i'm against more half creatures dump and run, it is also about helping other strategies...

I do like the idea of using some "keywords" like "keyable" to free some more space as thorsten said...
Jambo wrote:The prowess and strikes of Ghosts is something I'd also thought about. Wouldn't it be cool if there was an option for the hazard player to make it either small number of strikes with high prowess or lots of strikes with lower prowess. If there's small co, you might face the big chief and if there's a large co, maybe you face the army (so to speak).

Or maybe something like an "each character faces 2 strikes" - ripe for a Pierced by Many Wounds.

Thanks for the suggestions on ways to shorten the text. They may come in very handy.

Marcos - any thoughts?
of course, what do you think about:
1 strike at 18/8, the hazard player may opt to reduce 2 prowess and 1 body to add 1 strike (no minimum)
maybe it could work with less prowess 18 or 17 so to say
Thorsten wrote:Permanent event
Environment. Playable if Gates of Morning is not in play. The following regions or sites can also be considered coastal seas for the purposes of playing hazards. The effects are cumulative depending on the number of Storms of Osse in play. One: All regions adjacent to coastal sea regions. Two (if Reach of Ulmo is in play): all Under-deeps sites (hazard creatures only), and Anorien, Rohan, Wold and Foothills, Anduin Vales, Brown Lands, Dagorlad. Three or more (if The Reach of Ulmo is in play): any region except Angmar, Gundabad, High Pass, Redhorn Gate, Grey Mountain Narrows, Withered Heath, Iron Hills and Imlad Morgul. In addition, Minas Tirith, Pelargir, and Dol Amroth are tapped and will come tapped into play. The mind of each Dunadan is increased by 2.
aye, i like this version...
marcos
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new shot:

Ghosts wrote:
Creature - (6) (18/8 )
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead. Undead. 1 strike. Cannot be played against a company with Aragorn II. Playable at Dunharrow or Vale of Erech. If Return of the King is in play keyable to the same region or any adjacent region where Aragorn II is. If Army of the Dead is in play keyable to rohan, lamedon and any adjacent region to those (detainment against heroes). Hazard player may opt to reduce 2 prowess and 1 body to add 1 strike (no minimum). Before the attack, each character with Rohan as home site in the company must make a roll and add his mind, if the result is less than 8 the character returns to site of origin. Remove Army of the Dead from play if this creature is defeated. A minion player also receives the MPs for defeating Ghosts.


removed "playable if Army of the Dead is in play" to save some space, also, that clause can be written on joe's clarifications
removed "and at sites in those regions" to save some more space
added "Before the attack, each character with Rohan as home site in the company must make a roll and add his mind, if the result is less than 8 the character returns to site of origin" to represent the scary feeling of the rohan people about this army...
used keywords like "playable" or "keyable" to save some more space

it is still tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo wordy...


Edit: Oops edited this post by mistake! (Jambo) :oops:
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Thorsten the Traveller
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My [v] Moose of the Sea recycled Reach of Ulmo.
Do you have a license for that Moose? Didn't know Ulmo envied Santa's mode of transportation that much :lol:
Yes your Noose proposal is excellent, had forgotten about it, thought it was Enemy's Wrath, but you changed that one...I don't think normally you would pack 3 Ulmo's, even so they might get discarded quickly if someone moves in underdeeps.

Yes the storms is in this latest version ok, but there are so many regions listed, people might get dizzy with them. If only there was some category of Mountain region or something, could be useful for more environment effects, like Cruel Caradhras: affects any Mountain, or something.

I like the suggestion for the Ghost attack Marcos, seems about right! I would say no maximum in stead of minimum, you're referring to the strikes and they are increasing, I suppose.
As for the extra slot a full creature would give, that's true of course, but I suppose that completely weighs out to the fact that it is a rather limited creature, and keeping it in hand ruins cardflow. Also the Dead are just too cool only to be a creature imho, they should have some lasting/continuing effect.
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marcos
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another shot trying to reduce the amount of words and creating a new card:
Sleepless malice / awaken denizens (TW)/ plague of wights (LE) wrote:Permanent event.
Playable if army of the dead or Return of the king is in play. All undead attacks receive +1 prowess. Discard after a modified undead auto-attack.
If Return of the King is in play Ghosts V are keyable to the same region or any adjacent region where Aragorn II is, if Army of the Dead is in play they are keyable to rohan, lamedon and any adjacent region to those (detainment against heroes). You may discard this card during any player's end of turn to put any Undead creature to hand from discard. Cannot be duplicated.
Ghosts wrote:Creature - (6) (18/8 )
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead. Undead. 1 strike. Cannot be played against a company with Aragorn II. Playable at Dunharrow or Vale of Erech. Hazard player may opt to reduce 2 prowess and 1 body to add 1 strike (no maximum). Before the attack, each character with Rohan as home site in the company must make a roll and add his mind, if the result is less than 8 the character returns to site of origin. Remove Army of the Dead from play if this creature is defeated. A minion player also receives the MPs for defeating Ghosts.
thoughts?
Jambo
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Ok, been thinking -
Ghosts wrote:Creature - (6) (18/8 )
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead. Undead. 1 strike. Cannot be played against a company with Aragorn II. Playable at Dunharrow or Vale of Erech. If Return of the King is in play: keyable to the same or adjacent region as Aragorn II, and if Army of the Dead is in play: keyable to Rohan, Lamedon or any adjacent region (detainment against heroes). You may reduce prowess by 2 and body by 1 to add a strike (no maximum). Before strikes are assigned, make a roll for each character with a mind: if the result is greater than the character's mind, tap the character. A minion player also receives the MPs for defeating Ghosts.


115 words.

Dragon manifestations don't state a removal clause so I don't think we have to do this for Ghosts.

One question - should this affect minion covert companies? They're possibly the companies most likely to be affected by this card, and probably the least able to deal with it. Instead of detainment against heroes, perhaps we should have detainment against non-Ringwraith covert companies?
marcos
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Jambo wrote:Ok, been thinking -
Ghosts wrote:Creature - (6) (18/8 )
Unique. Manifestation of Army of the Dead. Undead. 1 strike. Cannot be played against a company with Aragorn II. Playable at Dunharrow or Vale of Erech. If Return of the King is in play: keyable to the same or adjacent region as Aragorn II, and if Army of the Dead is in play: keyable to Rohan, Lamedon or any adjacent region (detainment against heroes). You may reduce prowess by 2 and body by 1 to add a strike (no maximum). Before strikes are assigned, make a roll for each character with a mind: if the result is greater than the character's mind, tap the character. A minion player also receives the MPs for defeating Ghosts.


115 words.

Dragon manifestations don't state a removal clause so I don't think we have to do this for Ghosts.

One question - should this affect minion covert companies? They're possibly the companies most likely to be affected by this card, and probably the least able to deal with it. Instead of detainment against heroes, perhaps we should have detainment against non-Ringwraith covert companies?
agree about the removal clause...

nice place to hide, crept along, ruse, eye never sleeping, tormented earth, diversion, i think a covert company run tons of these ones :)

maybe use: "detainment against hero, and against minion companies that contains a dunadan"

that will be more or less thematic
Frodo
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Did everyone read Marcos’s Sleepless Malice (V) carefully? I think it is quite smart, highly thematic (the Army is [sleeplessly!] “sleeping” until it is unleashed) and solves our problem, though I would eliminate the first playability clause, so that this card can always be played as an even for its regular +1 prowess. If the epic passive conditions haven’t been met yet (the king being crowned or Aragorn in play), you simply play it as an event, possibly even discarding the Ghosts (V) in your hand, then when all is ready, dump your extra copy of this card to return Ghosts (V) to your hand for some battle!

It also goes along with a new concern of mine: that an in attempt to make cards really, really cool, but also balanced, we are flooding them with text and abilities. Instead, we need to think more in terms of **combos.**

About the only thing we lose from Marcos’s option is that a non-Aragorn, non-Army of the Dead playing player would not be able to key his Ghosts (V) to a possible Aragorn player’s region, nor get the Army keyability bonus. But so what? It’s more thematic that the Aragorn player should get to control it like this. (And opponent’s Sleepless Malice (V) might be in play anyway.)

Finally, if we make the title of this card Sleepless Malice (V), guess what? You can’t play the regular Sleepless Malice on Ghosts (V)!

(Of course, not everyone will use this virtual version, but hey, it helps.)

There is a global rule about manifestations, and only Dragon manifestations circumvent this. Therefore we need to keep, "Playable if Army of the Dead is in play," on this card, rather than simply referencing it in clarifications.

Jambo wrote:

>>Before strikes are assigned, make a roll for each character with a mind: if the result is greater than the character's mind, tap the character.

This isn’t bad (though it should really say “Non-elf,” because Legolas said he “did not fear the dead who were men,” or something like that), however, if the multiple strike option of the card is used (5@10), the tapping becomes less effective, since many would probably tap anyway. I mean, it still might affect some; but even then, you have a weird issue where scaring them into tapping means some might have a better chance at killing this creature! What about the Corpse-Candle effect of causing a corruption check for every non-elf, non-avatar character present, modified by –2?

I like the changing of the prowess idea, however, don’t we think it’s bad form to make players do too much math? Isn’t it better to just give two sets of options, like 1 @18 or 5@10? Just a thought.

>>"detainment against hero, and against minion companies that contains a dunadan"

The thing is, wasn’t the fleet of pirates from Umbar the first army to get swept away by Aragorn leading the Army of the Dead? I suggest only detainment against heroes, especially given my next suggestion:

I don’t think we need the alternative playability clause for “if Army of the Dead is in play” at all. If Army is in play, Aragorn II will likely be in play (probably in Gondor too); so why not save space and just keep the first line, so it looks like this:
>>If Return of the King or Army of the Dead is in play: keyable to the same or adjacent region as Aragorn II (detainment against heroes).
That’s all we really need, right?

Frodo
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