784-play-Balin

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dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

Overview:
This player has done okay in the first eight turns. The characters needed to visit the Under-deeps are either in play or in hand. The ally Bob is in play to return to the surface. The hobbit Robin Smallburrow has Mathom Lore. 14 MP is low, but the major points are coming soon. Balin’s Crimson was stolen by Tharbad Thieves. Card drawing has been fast; only nine cards in in the playdeck. Seven sites have been tapped, which is healthy. But the companies have been weak. Shuffling of sideboard cards was changed from the tapping the avatar by using Smoke Rings. Balin was played on Turn 1.

Most resource events have been played except for Cloudless Day due to Doors of Night being in play for so long. Only one Crown of Flowers has been drawn. CvCC was initiated by this player on Turn 1 and Dawn Take You All was played to wound the trolls. Playing the faction Berninga seems foolish in the Northern Waste. The faction was played on Turn 4 after staying a turn due to tapped-out characters thanks to two Wild Trolls. Then the return to Eriador on Turn 5 was facing the Northern Waste Division – not a good idea. This faction might have to be played after Turn 16.

Both Dawn Comes Early were discard due to Doors of Night was in play. All This Dwarvish Racket played by a minion player is a pain. The Cock Crows is used to cancel a Troll attack instead of pairing with Crown of Flowers to discard a permanent event.

In eight turns there were 18 companies or MOVE phases. 17 permanent-events or agent actions were faced along with 9 creatures. Most of the creatures were trolls.

If the adventure into the Under-deeps fails, then it might have been affected by not having any food items in the company. We’ll see.
Last edited by dirhaval on Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

OVERVIEW
Balin gained a low 20 MPs total. This placed him at 18th among Heroes. He lost 5 from dead
characters and 1 from factions lost in battles. Yet, he was successful. Pits of Angband was stored,
which aid in killing many dragons and drakes. Some items were lost with eliminated or agentinduced
discarded characters late in the game: Durin’s Crown, War-Mattock, Dwarven Lightstone.
Politics was a pain for many turns. The Cock Crow was in hand, but Gates of Morning
could not stay open. May be it was the unbalance count of Doors of Night to Gates of Morning in
the division. Who knows?
Movement in the Under-deeps was less than hoped. Balin ended at Iron-Deeps with Torogcrist in
play. Fungi has been added for the updated deck so to get to Moria. That food item allows
moving to a surface site and allowed to be played at a tapped Lordhaven. Besides, Value Food
and Cheer is in the deck. Hazards had a good role. Ibun was never played. Tharbard’s Thieves
were too powerful; Balin lost his hood.
I was sweating by moving through triple Wildernesses turn after turn; I made new paths to the
sea or mountains with the iron-shod dwarves. Neither Hobbit (Nob, Whil Whitfoot) was played.
With the benefit of storing Pits of Angband I expect now the minions to be ferocious against this
player. Fungi is not affected by Earth-Tremors as is Into Dark Tunnels.
+
MAJOR NEWS
The avatar appeared on Turn 5. Two moving companies were formed on Turn 8. I like for that to
be sooner. I was also worried for this player after rolling 28 strikes during the first four turns.
Facing the Wilderland Division and those orcs did not help. All This Dwarvish Racket was a
pain. Five kill MPs were earned. But the next 13 turns rolled 13 strikes. Orc-Mail was ruled in
FATE to make a company overt. That resource is too powerful to avoid attacks. But I am open to
revert it to its original meaning.
Turn 8 had six confident dwarves CvCC Ardagor’s five minions. Dorelas was killed sending a
shock on losing a Sage. Judge though was killed by Horseman. A goal of white players is to
eliminate minion Sages.
It took a while to play Bob on Turn 9. Dwarven Galleries and Deep Mountain Fortress then
shuffled. Ruins of Nogrod was the first site to visit by Gloin. Dwarven Cunning disarms the trap
to find Dwarven Light-stone. Gloin is stuck at the Ruins. Balin goes under to aid Gloin, but first
goes to Drowning-Deeps. Gloin is stuck again, but plays Fungi. Deep Mountain Fortress is built,
but at the cost of losing Attack-Lord. Gloin soon joins Balin. Six dwarves dare to move west to
Remain of Thangorodrim using Ancient Stair. Fungi is eaten to visit Pits of Angband, but Not at
Home is the sign to greet the dwarves. A dwarven Light-stone is found and information about the
breeding of dragons is acquired. They dash back to Deep Mountain Fortress with the spoils to
turn the tide. The reason for the lack of creatures against this Lord player is that Turns 13-16
were facing the Harad Division – hardly a fear of creatures. Politics though is played on Turn 14.
I think I read that hazard wrong or it was changed since I began using it. That hazard caused
Gloin to stay with Balin for too many turns.
+
Turn 16 ended with playing Dunlendings and 14 MPs in the pile. There were no problems
playing factions until late in the game. Then the Warlord Phase starts. Adunaphel on a Morgulhorse
attacks. Lord Balin strikes sending the Nazgul away into the night. Troll-chief and others
were at Ost-in-edhil. Six dwarves visit. Balin kills Horseman of the Night, but Troll-chief kills
Pathfinder leaving no doubt. Dwarf-miner swings his weapon slaying Warg-king. The Undead
are unleashed. Ghosts and Ghouls tap many. A rush was made to hide, but waiting was a Barrowwight.
Spells of the Barrow-wights took Fili captured at Lossadain Cairn never to play his flute
again. Another Barrow-wight attacks wounding Dwarf-miner still anguished over Fili’s fate. No
time is given to the weary. Loud noise on the bare rock attracted Olog Warlords. The Cock
Crows signaling daylight and thus escape from the trolls. Durin’s Crown is found at Gondring’s
Lair. More troll creatures were faced. Eriador is overrun. Pathfinder is killed. Balin and Miner
move to Carn Dum to aid Elrond before reaching Iron-Deeps. Ardagor and three other trolls
CvCC. Tuma wounds Balin. Miner is also wounded. All move to Blue Mountains for healing.
Petty-Dwarves and Torogcrist now in hand. Hazards are now thicker than a swarm of
Midgewater Midges. See below.
[
Haz: Made Ready His Coming, Black Riders, Nazgul are Abroad, Hunt for the Ring,
Doors of Night, Reach of Ulmo, The Moon is Dead, Echoes of Numenor’s Fall, Short Legs are
Slow, Terror From the Deeps, Angmar Arises, All That Dwarvish Racket,
Sleepless Malice, Plague of Wights, Storms of Osse, Chill Them with Fear
]
Turn 23 was brutal. Dror the agent takes Gloin to hand discarding Durin’s Crown. Iron-Deeps
gives up Torogcrist and Dwarven Light-stone.
Faction battles only slowed minions. Dunlendings were eliminated. The Dwarves and Elves
factions needed healing.
+
STATS
Not many strikes rolled - 80 including 40 in last 8 turns. 17 body checks gave 5 deaths
and 1 discard. Four characters rolled 10 or more strikes. Balin faced Hoarmurath of Dir and
Adunadphel creatures. There were 12 cc.
+
This player faced 27 creatures from 98 hazards, but 19 were agent actions. Half of the hazards
faced occurred during the last 8 turns. 12 hazards came from Ardagor including: Olog Warlords
x2, Olog-hai, Trolls from the Mountains x2, Hermit Troll, Wild Trolls.
There were 32 moving companies and 56 total companies. Only 3 movements greater than three
regions. Average hazard limit was 3.4, which is high. About 73 regions used including 59
Wildernesses, 2 Shadow-lands, and 7 Under-deeps. Ten movements had three or four
Wildernesses.
He had 56 site phases including 31 at a haven, 13 Ruins & Lairs, and 2 Dark-holds. He
moved to 3 Free-holds.
+
DECK PLAY
First deck exhausted on Turn 12. Second deck exhaust on 20. First deck shuffled 13 cards and
drew 8.3 cards/turn. Second deck shuffled 11 cards and drew 12.0 cards/turn. The game ended
with 31 cards in the play deck. 12 sites were tapped or used.
+
AGENTS
Agent Sprautabern first moved eastward to Foroviakain, then down to Mirkwood, then over to
Eldanar to attack there against Bone Dragon. The agent was wounded. Aryen stayed near the Sea
of Rhun, before moving to Eriador. He played An Article Missing on Ardagor moving to Tom’s
House, but Diversion cancels the agent attack.
+
RESOURCES
Son of Fundin fetched four dwarf characters.
Pipe was smoked x4
A Cam never played. Now only one in the deck. Cloudless Day only played once. At Your
Service played once. Wrath of the West played once. Fealty Under Trail played once. Dawn
Comes Early surprising played thrice.
++
Two copies of Children of Aule recently removed from updated deck. The body boost helps, but
there are plenty of dwarves to replace the fallen. The under-deeps boost is little for this player.
The added card is Withdrawn to Mordor taken from Lord Thrain’s deck. Now, the agents in
Eriador have only to Mordor to hide.
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

ASSESSMENT after Turn 10
Grade: Acceptable.
Reason: Exhausted deck on Turn10,

Avatar played on Turn 1.
Deep Mountain Fortress and palantir played, no major deaths, 13 MP, hobbit ally in play.

Disappointed: Only tapped four sites, no hobbit characters in play.
With few table cards in playdeck, traveling to store Pits of Angband might be near to attempt.
Only faced 8 strikes, 1 body check. Played 23 hazards; 13 were creatures.
1 turn played no hazards.
Faced 28 hazards; 5 creatures, 4 agent actions, 1 corruption
Attachments
1784-Balin-4.pdf
50 player game; 10 turns
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