...that best scrying card in the game, in my opinion, is Longbeard Elder. Yes, a leadership ally. With all tha fuss around lore.

Not sure I agree - he gets scry 1 after committing to the quest, but he basically gets -1 willpower if he does this. Also the action windows are bit tight here, can you even prevent the next card from coming after committing characters to the quest?

You certainly don't get the flexibility of being able to scry shadow effects.

The point is, Longbeard Elder is cheap, toough, non-unique leadership dwarf(!) quester. If you're playing solo - as soon as you get one out, you'll always know whats coming (save for surges), by just committing him to the quest, i.e. doing what's he is supposed to do and also getting little extra if scryed card happens to be a location.

But now that you brought up timing, I'm a bit confused. I was playing it as "exhaust him, look at the top card of the ecnounter deck, then decide who I need to commit next"... But now I'm starting to remember that something about character commitment step being one whole thing, meaning that Longbeard Elder's ability might be triggered after all characters have finished committing?..

Yes, in solo.

In multi, player that play after him can commit accordingly (but you only scry 1...)

If he is controlled by last player, it does nothing. That's why the "taking the first player token" spoiled card might be usefull.

I wanted to define him as best solo scrying card, but then I remembered that most other scrying effects are 1 card too, and those which are not are very optional.

The rule is like Thréodred. Commiting characthers are simultany, at the same moment, and just after, the responses are triggered, so the scrying Longbeard effect only is good for next players.

For me Longbeard is good when you have scryed the encounter deck and you know the next top encounter cards is a location. Or to use another scrying bonus (to know is next top card has high threat cost and use the event lore secrecy card, for example). Or if the next player needs to know probability of nasty shadows (like damage exhausted character) of encounter deck in the preparation phase.

Is cheaper and can be triggered pretty much when you feel like it. Granted he is unique but if you put 3 of him in you can use the one on the table for chump blocking and just ad a new one next round or as an easy discard for a multitude of other cards.

Longbeard is NOT a scry'n card.

It reveals the card as it commits to the quest, so sure you see the card, but it is to late to do anything. There is only reaction windows until the last card is revealed from the encounter deck.

You do not pick cards to commit one after each other. You pick them and they all commit at the exact same time. The commit is a single time window, regardless of who you "tap" to commit first.

He can't quest while at it, he will die first thing in the morning if something happens to damage him, he brings no bonus with his ability. And there is only 1 copy of him in the core set.

@Bored. each players commit separatly, and resolved their commiting response before the next commit anyone.

Moreover, you can still play cards after commiting everyone.

no you can't

@Bored. each players commit separatly, and resolved their commiting response before the next commit anyone.

Moreover, you can still play cards after commiting everyone.

Player two can play actions after player one has committed to the quest. Player one can only use triggered reactions (like the scry effect from longbeard) at this point.

I would argue it's not scry at all in solo play.

Players have to commit characters in turn order. However, as per the rulebook, they can take actions generally and in any order.

Note that this means in solo play, you could commit all your characters, scry with Longbeard, then play something like Expecting Mischief. However, this scrying can't help you decide who to commit in the first place or what to play during planning, so it's limited scrying.

He can't quest while at it, he will die first thing in the morning if something happens to damage him, he brings no bonus with his ability. And there is only 1 copy of him in the core set.

He is cheaper and can be triggered pretty much when you feel like it. A good trade-off when compared to a 3-cost ally who will still only quest for 1 most of the time if your primary job for him is to scry anyway.

If you´re worried about loosing him to damage, just use his ability at the end of the round, so he doesn´t fall victim to encounter cards that punish exhausted characters (will also let you throw him in as a last-minute cheap defender if things heat up). It´s really not that much of bother.

As for only 1 in the core set, just proxy him. The argument about limited cards in the core set, while a valid point in it´s own right, is a whole other discussion. Many people, myself included, have voiced their opinion that FFG ought to sell completion packs for their LCGs.

no you can't

you can play action before and after commit charachters to the quest before staging.

action window

commit characters

action window

staging

no you can't

yes you can

now what ?

I'd much rather have unlimited scrying frankly - I think longbeard elder on his own is a terrible card without Dain he's pretty poor imo.

Map-maker? Yes, he is bad.

Map-maker? Yes, he is bad.

I fixed that to elder.

Map-maker? Yes, he is bad.

I fixed that to elder.

Too late, there is no turning back.

Map-maker? Yes, he is bad.

I fixed that to elder.

Too late, there is no turning back.

Haha, what I mean is, I meant elder not that I didn't make the mistake because I did (and didn't catch it till you pointed it out).

I think the Elder is okay because he's a dwarf more than because of his abilities. His ability is generally poor but sometimes good - combined with other scry effects (say denethor) guaranteeing that you know whether to trigger the ability or not its really good - on it's own I'm not sure it's going to beat out other scry effects.

Of course Denethor is a hero so his ability costs a lot more to the player - then again you basically take him for the ability.

you are all reading that graphic wrong.

There is a action window during the commitment step, it is all green. So you can tap more toons or play events or w/e as you tap "to commit" BUT all the characters AS ONE commit at the end of that phase and IMMEDIATELY the reveal occurs. There is no order, of tapping 1 and then the other.

Think of it as selecting the cards to quest. You select 3 cards. Then they all go questing together at the same instant. Then the reveal happens during the staging step.

You can futz with your selection.. select more, choose to unselect them, tap action speed attachments, play events etc etc.. but when your done and everything is selected and finalized... you then "commit them" to the quest.. they all go off questing together as one. The act of "committing" them ends the phase, your now in the staging step and there is no action window until the end of the staging.

It works thematically as well. Like if you and I were going on a quest would you leave early? Or would we leave together. We sit at the pub and decide who is going, and then as a single group we go out to quest.

"Players have the opportunity to take

I would argue it's not scry at all in solo play.

It's still scry, just really weak scry Imagine you have a Westfold Outrider in play. If the next card coming out is a treachery that says "raise your threat by 1 for each enemy in the staging area," it might behoove you to trigger the Outrider's effect and snag an enemy in the staging area. Maybe that enemy was going to engage you anyway, and saving one point of threat allows you to engage only 1 enemy, instead of 2 or 3 who were lurking in the staging area. Thanks Longbeard Elder!

It could happen!

I sent a question to Caleb.