The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Lost Realm
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Lost Realm Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Component Overview
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Lost Realm expansion includes the following components:
- This rules insert
- 165 cards, consisting of:
- 2 Hero Cards
- 39 Player Cards
- 119 Encounter Cards
- 5 Quest Cards
Expansion Symbol
The cards in The Lost Realm expansion can be identified by this symbol before each card's collector number.
Web Resources
There is an online tutorial for the game available at www.fantasyflightgames.com/lotr-tutorial.
You can enter and track your plays and scores of these scenarios and others online through The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Quest Log at www.fantasyflightgames.com/lotr-questlog.
Rules & New Terms
"Immune to player card effects"
Cards with the text "Immune to player card effects" ignore the effects of all player cards. Additionally, cards that are immune to player card effects cannot be chosen as targets of player card effects.
Time X
The Time X keyword represents the urgency of the heroes' quest. When a card with the Time X keyword is revealed, the players put X resource tokens on that card. These tokens are called "time counters." At the end of each refresh phase, remove 1 time counter from each card with the Time X keyword, if able. When the last time counter is removed, there will be a triggered effect that resolves on that card.
Encounter
Encounter is a new keyword that appears on player cards with an encounter card back, and it has the following rules:
- Player cards with the encounter keyword cannot be included in any player's deck because they have encounter card backs. Instead, when setting up a scenario, each player may set up to 3 cards with the encounter keyword aside, out of play. These cards do not count toward the player's deck minimum of 50 cards.
- Player cards with the encounter keyword have a dash (-) instead of a cost because they are never played from a player's hand. Instead, player cards with the encounter keyword are meant to be shuffled into the encounter deck. In order to shuffle one of the set aside player cards into the encounter deck, a card effect must instruct a player to do so.
- The "when revealed" effect on player cards with the encounter keyword cannot be canceled.
- If a player card with the encounter keyword is dealt as a shadow card to an enemy, it is treated like an encounter card: place it in the encounter discard pile after resolving that enemy's attack.
- If a player card with the encounter keyword leaves play, it is removed from the game. Do not place it in a player's discard pile or in the encounter deck discard pile.
Side Quests
Side quests are a new type of quest card in The Lost Realm deluxe expansion. Side quests represent secondary adventures that the heroes may undertake while pursuing the main goals of the quest deck. There are two kinds of side quests: those with encounter card backs and those with player card backs. Side quests are never considered to be a part of the quest deck. The top card of the quest deck is called the "main quest."
Encounter Side Quests
A side quest with an encounter card back is called an "encounter side quest." An encounter side quest is both a quest card and an encounter card. Each encounter side quest is part of an encounter set and it is shuffled into the encounter deck when setting up a scenario that uses its encounter set. When an encounter side quest is revealed from the encounter deck, it is added to the staging area. Because side quests are quest cards as well as encounter cards, the "when revealed" effects of side quests cannot be canceled by player card effects. If a side quest is dealt to an enemy as a shadow card, it functions as any other encounter card without shadow text.
Player Side Quests
A side quest with a player card back is called a "player side quest." A player side quest is both a quest card and a player card, and can be included in player decks. A player side quest can be played from a player's hand during the planning phase by paying its cost. When a player side quest is played or enters play, it is placed in the staging area.
Side Quests in Play
While any side quest is in the staging area, it functions like a quest card with the following exception: when a side quest is defeated, the players do not advance to the next stage of the quest deck. Instead, the side quest is added the victory display. (Printed as "is added the victory display"; the insert appears to omit "to" here. Transcribed as printed.)
At the beginning of each quest phase, if there are one or more side quests in the staging area, the first player may choose one to be the "current quest" until the end of the phase instead of the quest card that is currently active via the quest deck. While a side quest is the current quest, any progress that the players make is placed onto that side quest and any card effects that target the "current quest" target that side quest. Progress must still be placed on the active location before it can be placed on a side quest. Any progress that is made beyond the current quest's total quest points is discarded; do not place progress on any other quest card in play.
Anatomy of Side Quests
- Card Title: The name of the side quest.
- Encounter Set Icon / Sphere of Influence Icon: Each encounter side quest has an encounter set icon that indicates to which set of encounter cards it belongs. This is used in conjunction with the "Encounter Information" icons on side A of the quest cards of any scenario to determine which encounter sets are used to build the encounter deck. Each player card side quest has a sphere of influence icon that indicates to which sphere it belongs. If a player card side quest has a grey template and no sphere of influence icon (such as Gather Information), then it is a neutral card.
- Cost: Only player side quests have a cost. This is the number of resources a player must spend from the appropriate resource pool(s) to play a player card side quest.
- Game Text: The special abilities and italicized flavor text unique to the side quest while it is in play.
- Set Information: The encounter side quest's unique identification number within its encounter set.
- Quest Points: The number of progress tokens that must be placed on the side quest in order to defeat it.
- Victory Points: Each side quest has a victory point value to indicate that it should be added to the victory display when it is defeated.
Scenario Rules
The Lost Realm contains three scenarios. Each scenario's difficulty level, encounter sets and scenario-specific rules are given below. The scenario narratives, which the insert presents as story text, are not reproduced.
Intruders in Chetwood
Difficulty level = 4.
The Intruders in Chetwood encounter deck is built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Intruders in Chetwood, Iârion, Eriador Wilds, and Angmar Orcs. These sets are indicated by the following icons, shown in the insert.
Iârion. The objective-ally, Iârion, has the text: "If Iârion leaves play, the players lose the game." This text cannot be modified by card effects.
The Weather Hills
Difficulty level = 5.
The Weather Hills encounter deck is built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: The Weather Hills, Angmar Orcs, Foul Weather, and Ruins of Arnor. These sets are indicated by the following icons, shown in the insert.
The Orc Deck
When setting up The Weather Hills, the players are instructed to create the "Orc deck." The Orc deck represents the scattered Orcs hiding among the Weather Hills that the heroes must find and destroy. To create the Orc deck, remove each enemy card with the Angmar Orcs encounter set icon, as well as all copies of Concealed Orc-camp, from the encounter deck and shuffle them into a separate deck. This is the Orc deck. When a card from the Orc deck leaves play, it is placed in the encounter deck discard pile. If the Orc deck runs out of cards, ignore any effects that refer to the Orc deck.
Deadmen's Dike
Difficulty level = 7.
The Deadmen's Dike encounter deck is built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Deadmen's Dike, Iârion, Dark Sorcery, and Cursed Dead. These sets are indicated by the following icons, shown in the insert.
Indestructible
An enemy with the indestructible keyword cannot be destroyed by damage, even when it has damage on it equal to its hit points.
Game Modes
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is intended for both casual players and dedicated enthusiasts. To accommodate different play styles, three modes of play are available: Easy, Standard, and Nightmare.
Easy Mode
Easy mode is ideal for new players and for players who prefer the narrative and cooperative aspects of the game with less challenge. To play a scenario in Easy mode, simply take the following steps during setup of any scenario:
- Add one resource to each hero's resource pool.
- Remove any card with the "difficulty" indicator around its encounter set icon (a gold border) from the current scenario's encounter deck.
Some older scenarios (including those in early printings of the core game) do not have the "difficulty" indicator icon on relevant cards their encounter decks. Please visit www.fantasyflightgames.com to see which cards should be removed in those scenarios.
Standard Mode
To play a scenario in Standard mode, simply follow the normal setup instructions for that scenario.
Nightmare Mode
Players who desire a truly difficult challenge should consider using the supplemental "Nightmare Decks" (sold separately) for each scenario. More information about Nightmare Decks for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game can be found at www.fantasyflightgames.com.