Announcing the Third Adventure Pack in The Ring-maker Cycle

“The scouts began to return. Some had gone north beyond the springs of the Hoarwell into the Ettenmoors; and others had gone west, and with the help of Aragorn and the Rangers had searched the lands far down the Greyflood, as far as Tharbad, where the Old North Road crossed the river by a ruined town.”
    –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Trouble in Tharbad, the third Adventure Pack in The Ring-maker cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

After finding their way through several encounters with hostile Dunlending warbands, a handful of Middle-earth’s greatest heroes finally arrive at the ancient, ruined city of Tharbad. There, they hope to locate the Dwarf named Nalir, who holds information that the White Wizard believes may prove valuable in the fight against the Dark Lord of Mordor. Finding the Dwarf proves to be a matter of very little difficult, but gaining the information he can provide proves to be a greater challenge…

In Trouble in Tharbad, your heroes must help Nalir extricate himself from the unfortunate predicament into which he has placed himself. You must battle Orcs, slip through abandoned streets, and seek to elude the spies from Mordor who have also taken an interest in the Dwarf and his information. Throughout the scenario’s course of events, you must remain vigilant in order to keep Nalir alive. Should he perish, so will your chances of returning his information to Saruman, and the White Wizard’s efforts to counter the threat of Mordor will be diminished.

Along with its new scenario, Trouble in Tharbad introduces a new Silvan hero, along with three copies of each new player card. You’ll find more support for the Silvan and Gondor traits, the Doomed X keyword, decks that keep their threat levels at twenty or below, and more!

The Eagles Return

“As if to his eyes some sudden vision had been given, Gandalf stirred; and he turned, looking back north where the skies were pale and clear. Then he lifted up his hands and cried in a loud voice ringing above the din: The Eagles are coming! And many voices answered crying: The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!”
    –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

In his introduction to The Ring-maker, lead developer Caleb Grace wrote:

“The Silvan trait isn’t the only theme being developed in The Ring-maker; there’s so much more to look forward to in this cycle! Where previous cycles dedicated a larger portion of cards to their main themes, the player cards in The Ring-maker provide more of a smattering of Middle-earth in order to introduce several new strategies and revive a few older ones, too.”

Thus, even as six of the new player cards from Trouble in Tharbad lend further to support the cycle’s Silvan mechanics, another lends strength to the Eagles that last received attention in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle.

Gwaihir (Trouble in Tharbad, 59) appears as a five-cost Tactics ally. His two Willpower and three Attack Strength allow him to make valuable contributions to any Tactics or Eagle deck, as does his unique ability, which befits his title of “Windlord”:

“Response: After Gwaihir enters play, search your discard pile for an Eagle ally and put it into play under your control. At the end of the round, if that ally is still in play, add it to your hand.”

In The Lord of the Rings, it is Gwaihir who rescues Gandalf from his imprisonment and who leads the Eagles to battle in The Return of the King. Likewise, in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, Gwaihir leads Eagles out of the discard pile and into action.

Gwaihir’s “enters play” trigger combines well with Sneak Attack (Core Set, 23) and Descendant of Thorondor (The Hills of Emyn Muil, 75), but it can also retrieve a Vassal of the Windlord (The Dead Marshes, 98) or Winged Guardian (The Hunt for Gollum, 4) that was previously discarded and that could make a valuable contribution in the combat phase with either Ranged or Sentinel, respectively.

Of course, Gwaihir is a noble and worthy ally on his own, as well. His two Willpower can make a powerful contribution in any Tactics deck, and his three Attack Strength may prove the difference between wounding an enemy or defeating it.

Getting into Trouble

Whether you call upon Gwaihir to get you out of trouble, or you rely upon the Silvan elves and their talents for slipping through the woods unnoticed, you’ll have plenty of cause to find your way out of trouble in Trouble in Tharbad!

Trouble in Tharbad is scheduled to arrive at retailers late in the second quarter of 2014. Until then, keep checking back for more announcements and other news related to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

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