Council of Elrond

Permanent Event

Playable if you are Sauron. Also playable if you are a Fallen Wizard and have more than 10 stage points. All Gold Ring items borne by hero characters receive 3 corruption points. Tap this card during your turn to force a hero character bearing a Gold Ring item to make a corruption check.

Gold rings have enough corruption already.

yeah... think so too

Sure makes Rings unplayable beyond belief.

Leon wrote:Gold rings have enough corruption already.

1 Whole Corruption Point?

This card only affects Gold Ring Items. Ring Special Items and Mind Rings are immune. Also, it's a Sauron-only card or a FW "end-of-game" card, since FWs who wander around with more than 10 stage points receive their own set of special problems.

I did, however, forget that "cannot be duplicated" clause that I meant to put there.

Ringbearer wrote:Sure makes Rings unplayable beyond belief.

I thought that was the job of Rolled, which can hit rings you've already tested.

You didnt mention the little part called cannot be duplicated. Rings having 7 or 10 cp are a little different than 4 max

Anyone playing gold rings either aims for special ring items or the One and there are plenty of cards stopping that. There are a number of proposals to get rings out of their weak position, why kick that strategy any further down. 1 extra cp could work, but I really dont see the point, 3 is just terrible.

This card is meant to stop the totally unthematic testing The One at Mount Doom in two specific cases:

1) You are Sauron. This rule out Wizards, Ringwraiths, and Balrogs.
2) You are a Fallen Wizard with more than 10 stage points.

Getting to more than ten stage points takes a few turns and leaves you open to such hazards as Inner Rot and Cruel Claw.

Looking at it, I'd actually raise the FW Stage Point requirement to twelve, but a Rings-for-Points deck is looking to test such rings ASAP. This card would only be a problem for such decks if they were going to have problems anyway (all ring tests on the bottom of the deck, etc.).

Cards exist to give major items, ring special items and greater items one extra CP. I really see no reason to give gold ring items a far worse penalty. Rings for points want to test relatively fast indeed, but this may also be a turn later. Your first suggestion + other corruption makes this next to impossible, because it just gets too dangerous

I kind of like the idea behind the card, but I also agree with Leon that it's over the top. You can play this card, Rumor of the One, and a corruption card on the ringbearer, for a total of 7 cp's, and then force him with this card to make a cc. That's bit too much.

how about:
Dark Power V: playable if you are Sauron or a FW with 12 or more sp's. Any non-wizard hero bearer of a ring-item must make a cc at -3 at beginning of movement hazard phase. Failing cc does not tap/discard/eliminate bearer, but increases hazard limit by 2. Ringbearer may choose not to undergo the cc, but ring may not be tested or used this turn.

This would simulate the attracting danger by using or even being tempted to use the ring. And it also gives a nice counter to the power of the rings, especially Durin's ring and magic ring of nature -other than Slip Treacherously, which works only for the stealth ring unfortunately.

but I understand your main goal is to take on One-ring decks testing at Mount Doom....In the Heart of his Realm.

I still prefer only Gold Ring Items -- one you know what a Ring is, it loses some of its temptation, but when there's always the possibility it might be the One Ring, watch out . . .

I just had a thought; what about "tap this card to force the bearer of a Hero Gold Ring Item to either make a corruption check or use this effect to test the Gold Ring they bear. If they choose to test the Ring, they may modify the roll by +1 or -1."

you mean to test prematurely so they don't have the One yet in hand? That could be an interesting concept!

But I still don't like the high corruption this card gives, it's just prone to be abused with other corruption cards, and like Leon says it scares you out of playing rings vs. minion even more. What is worse, losing a ring (Rolled), or losing a character and a ring?

I don't think the attraction of the ring is bound to knowing what it is or can do. In fact, nobody knew about the one, everybody had forgotten until Gandalf tested it. The rings have inherent corruption and since they are all bound to the One, they drive you to the dark power. It's like the Tolkien clone Lucas has said: if you use the Force, you are drawn to the Dark Side.

So get rid of any extra corruption and simply use this card to force a cc or test (with a possible modifier to the roll so the Hero player isn't too screwed?