Got my Isengard box set a few days ago and I've been mulling this issue over ever since. Is it really fair to raise other players threats with the cards you play? It seems to fly in the face of the spirit of a cooperative game to me. I won't lie - I fear getting slapped in the face when I tell my wife to raise her threat by 2 and draw 2 cards, lol.

I love the cards for solo play, for the most part. The spirit card is very situational, but otherwise.

I'm curious what others' experiences have been with this cycle.

I think it's "fair," but sometimes it doesn't really work out in your favor. For example, I don't think I will ever use Saruman if I'm playing two handed, as I know my combat deck can't handle that kind of threat increase. I think some of the cards are worth it, like the card draw for 2 or the condition removal for 2, but even then it hurts. The cards do what I think they were very much intended to: be very useful, cheap, but come with a different cost. But I second what you say, solo these would be easier to swallow, doomed being universal really hurts.

I only play solo, but for cooperative it really must be something that everyone gamed for. If all the decks in play aren't ready for the doomed effects then I can totally see someone getting blindsided.

But as a solo player I love the Spirit card the best. Conditional attachment removal at event speed. Woohoo!

Bring the Loragorn with the Desperate Alliance.

This is a good opportunity to remember that rules are important, but you are playing the game with actual people. Doomed cards are mostly made to help the whole group so far (Grima and that deck search card are exceptions), but definitely this is a time where you should be saying "How do you feel about raising your threat right now?" if you are acting as part of a team.

All of the doomed cards currently benefit everyone. (Saruman presumably removes some powerful card from the staging area, which can be good for everyone.) So I don't feel like that's a huge problem in co-op play, as long as you use them strategically. (ie, don't play Legacy of Numenor if it means someone is going to have to engage the Hill Troll before they're ready.)

Grima's ability is, however, substantially less co-op friendly.

Up until now the game has taught us all a very bad habit: that we can play what we want whenever we want to. Each player just throws down the cards that they want to play when it's there turn.

The doomed cards are giving us the opportunity to actually affect other players. This is a great thing; to actually have to think about how you are directly influencing another player.

Also, with Grima; if you abuse his power, of course everyone is going to hate you. But, if you save it for clutch moments where everyone benefits, no one will care.

I want to be the kind of player where everyone groans that I've selected Grima at the start of the game, but by the end they are praising my choice because the 4 times I used him made a major impact.

I'll be the one to say it: Loragorn is a crutch. And sadly, not a good one. At a starting threat of 12 on its own, you're already pushing high 20s with just about any build. Resetting threat levels if you're not low enough to fly under the radar doesn't accomplish much.

All of the doomed cards currently benefit everyone. (Saruman presumably removes some powerful card from the staging area, which can be good for everyone.) So I don't feel like that's a huge problem in co-op play, as long as you use them strategically. (ie, don't play Legacy of Numenor if it means someone is going to have to engage the Hill Troll before they're ready.)

Grima's ability is, however, substantially less co-op friendly.

All of the doomed cards currently benefit everyone. (Saruman presumably removes some powerful card from the staging area, which can be good for everyone.) So I don't feel like that's a huge problem in co-op play, as long as you use them strategically. (ie, don't play Legacy of Numenor if it means someone is going to have to engage the Hill Troll before they're ready.)

Grima's ability is, however, substantially less co-op friendly.

Ironically, Grima is the one card my wife and I agreed should be worked into our deck design. I'm replacing Beravor with it. He solves a real problem of not having resources for Test of Will when it matters.

except he's not all that handy for A Test of Will - since his ability is an Action, and there is no Action window when revealing encounter cards during staging, you have to trigger his ability before that, on the off chance you might need it.

hopefully that makes sense - i feel like it wasn't all that clear.

Yes, that makes sense. I would trigger it in the action window before revealing cards, and if I don't need to play a card, doomed doesn't trigger.

Odds are at that point I wouldn't need Grima for anything else anyway. But my wife has Denethor so we can look at the first card if we need to.