The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Wilds of Rhovanion
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Wilds of Rhovanion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Component Overview
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Wilds of Rhovanion expansion includes the following components:
- This rules insert
- 156 cards, consisting of:
- 2 Hero Cards
- 39 Player Cards
- 102 Encounter Cards (1 is double-sided)
- 13 Quest Cards
Expansion Symbol
The cards in the The Wilds of Rhovanion expansion can be identified by this symbol before each card’s collector number.
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.
Guarded (X)
Guarded (X) is a new version of the guarded keyword that appears on both objective cards and some player card attachments. X is a card type: enemy or location. When a card with guarded (X) enters play, discard cards from the encounter deck until an encounter card with the matching type is discarded. Then, add that card to the staging area and attach the guarded (X) card to it as a guarded objective. Once attached, an objective with guarded (X) works just like an objective with the original guarded keyword. If the encounter deck is empty while resolving the Guarded (X) keyword, shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and finish resolving the guarded (X) keyword.
A player card attachment with the guarded (X) keyword cannot be attached to a character until it is free of encounters. Once free of encounters, its owner gains control of it and attaches it to an eligible card.
Example: During the planning phase, Tyler plays “Necklace of Girion” which has the guarded (enemy or location) keyword, so he discards cards from the top of the encounter deck until he discards an enemy or location. In this case the first card he discards is Lonely Lands. He adds that Lonely Lands to the staging area and attaches Necklace of Girion to it as a guarded objective. Once that Lonely Lands is explored, Tyler will take control of the Necklace of Girion and attach it to a hero of his choice.
Journey Up the Anduin
Difficulty level = 5
(The adventure's narrative introduction is omitted here. It describes the heroes travelling north through the Vales of Anduin toward the Old Ford with their Haradrim allies, and the Goblin and Mountain-troll sightings on the way.)
"Journey Up the Anduin" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Journey Up the Anduin, Grey Mountain Goblins, Hills of Wilderland, Lost in Wilderland, Journey Along the Anduin, and Wilderlands (these last two sets can be found in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game core set). These sets are indicated by the following icons: (icons not reproduced)
Evil Creatures Deck
To create the Evil Creatures deck, take each enemy card from the Wilderlands encounter set and shuffle them together. This is the Evil Creatures deck. Remove each location and treachery card from the Wilderlands encounter set from the game.
When an enemy from the Evil Creatures deck leaves play, place it in a separate Evil Creatures discard pile, even if it has victory points. If the Evil Creatures deck is ever empty, shuffle the Evil Creatures discard pile back into the Evil Creatures deck.
(The post-victory text, to be read only once the heroes have won this quest, is omitted here. It describes the heroes' victory at the Old Ford and their unease about what is driving the Goblins and Trolls from the mountains.)
Lost in Mirkwood
Difficulty level = 5
(The adventure's narrative introduction is omitted here. It describes the heroes entering Mirkwood along the Forest Road after leaving the Beornings, and the spider attack that comes deeper in the woods.)
"Lost in Mirkwood" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Lost in Mirkwood, Dark Woods, Gathering Gloom, Passage Through Mirkwood, Spiders of Mirkwood and Dol Guldur Orcs (the last three sets can be found in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game core set). These sets are indicated by the following icons: (icons not reproduced)
(The post-victory text, to be read only once the heroes have won this quest, is omitted here. It describes the heroes reaching the eastern edge of the forest and parting from Haldan at the River Running.)
The King's Quest
Difficulty level = 5
(The adventure's narrative introduction is omitted here. It describes the heroes arriving at King Brand's hall in Dale and asking him to allow their Haradrim allies to settle in his land.)
"The King's Quest" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: The King's Quest, Fell Beasts, Wild Creatures, Deep Underground, Afraid of the Dark, Dragon Might, and Lost Caves. These sets are indicated by the following icons: (icons not reproduced)
Rules & New Terms
The Caves Deck
To create the Caves deck, take each card from the Lost Caves encounter set and shuffle them together. This is the Caves deck.
Deep Keyword
Deep is a new keyword that appears on some locations in the Wilderland box. After the players travel to a Deep location, they discard it and replace it with the top card of the Caves deck. That location then becomes the active location. If there are no cards remaining in the Caves deck, the Deep keyword is ignored.
(The post-victory text, to be read only once the heroes have won this quest, is omitted here. It describes the heroes' defeat of the fire-drake and the dragon's warning about its mother, and leads into the next adventure pack, "The Withered Heath".)
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:
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Add one resource to each hero’s resource pool.
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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.