I was playing tonight and came up with a cool LotR hack for adding up will power vs threat in the staging area. This is especially important in multiplayer games where the staging area can become really hairy. The hack is pretty simple and doesn't require any new components. Simply as you are committing characters to the quest, place progress tokens on them similar to resource tokens equal to their will power. If you have any cards that boost willpower eg eowyn, Faramir take into account their boosted will. Then during the quest resolution stage spend your progress tokens, first on cards in the staging area accounting for their full threat (with any buffs) then spend on the active location and any left over go on the quest. Doing this will stop you from constantly adding and readding everyones will power. It is really so easy and makes the quest stage so much cleaner.

I don't think that placing 20~ progress tokens on 10~ cards and then removing it from them after staging area is revealed is easier than just counting player willpower once, and then subtracting staging threat from it

I don't think that placing 20~ progress tokens on 10~ cards and then removing it from them after staging area is revealed is easier than just counting player willpower once, and then subtracting staging threat from it

Obviously I'm not trying to convert everyone over to playing it this way. For me and my gaming partner though, this is the way we will be playing from now on as we found it a much more enjoyable experience, and much less mentally fatiguing which is not a great quality for a game.

I'm with John on this. Tokens are fiddly, whereas mental arithmetic is easy for me, even if I end up doing it two or three times.

Also, couldn't this cause confusion because you're putting progress tokens on locations in the staging area which may have some actual progress on them? How do you then remember which progress tokens are real and which are tracking your questing?

I'm with John on this. Tokens are fiddly, whereas mental arithmetic is easy for me, even if I end up doing it two or three times.

Also, couldn't this cause confusion because you're putting progress tokens on locations in the staging area which may have some actual progress on them? How do you then remember which progress tokens are real and which are tracking your questing?

I don't place the tokens on the cards but next to them to avoid confusion. If you end up doing it more than once than to me that is fiddly and there are many circumstances where as a 3 or 4 player group we are adding and subtracting will power more than once. All I can say is if you are interested try it out and see how you like it but I recognize it may not be for everyone. At least though, try it out before completely writing it off especially in large multiplayer games.

I like the idea. I was thinking that it might be easier to just make a pule of tokens equal to you WP and then take tokens out of the pile based on the threat in the staging area, but this would be more difficult to keep track of if a treachery removes characters from the quest or something. Too bad OCTGN doesnt allow you to simply place tokens in random places on the board.

Too bad OCTGN doesnt allow you to simply place tokens in random places on the board.

You can always load some unused card separately, flip it facedown, and use it as a toke pool.

I just use dice.

Yep. Coloured dice do an amazing job (I use white dice for progress, red dice for damage, green dice for resources, blue dice to show the willpower I send to the quest). You can find multi coloured dice packages at some dollar stores!

I've never tried dice but that is a great idea. I was thinking of using dice for time counters but this also makes a lot of sense too. Thanks for that.

Our play group uses an extra threat dial to keep track of will power sum so we don't keep forgetting and recounting. It works fine. That being said, the idea sounds fine to me. I might use it solo.

My wife and I tried this progress counter method today, and we really liked it! It had a pleasing visceral feel, throwing all of those tokens around rather than just holding numbers in our heads. I liked seeing the stack of tokens on Sam grow as I attached things to him.

Thanks for the tip!

I wish I played more with real cards because this idea seems like it would make the counting of willpower feel more like a game mechanic moreso than the act of just adding and subtracting numbers.

I quite enjoy the physical act of piling tokens on top of cards (especially progress tokens on the quest card!), and I imagine that using tokens for willpower is similarly satisfying.

I usually add my party's willpower a few times as I weigh up which characters to commit to the quest, or just to double check my calculation, so I can see the appeal of using tokens (or dice) to keep track of the value. It gets especially fiddly when characters have attachments that boost their willpower, or Faramir's ability is boosting the entire party's willpower.

My wife and I tried this progress counter method today, and we really liked it! It had a pleasing visceral feel, throwing all of those tokens around rather than just holding numbers in our heads. I liked seeing the stack of tokens on Sam grow as I attached things to him.

Thanks for the tip!

No problem, I'm glad that you like it. Honestly there has been a lot of great tips on how to make the questing stage easier be it with tokens, dice or the threat tracker. Hopefully everyone can find a method that best suits their group

I just use dice.

Me too. I also play more two-handed than anything so maybe it's a better alternative for me as opposed to 3-4 player games. I take a Red D20 and a Blue D20 both from Magic the Gathering (so the numbers spin down as opposed to being random) and use them to represent the threat and the willpower of both sides. I suppose with more people you can just throw a couple of D6's in the mix if the numbers go higher than 20 but for me they rarely do so.

I've gone over 20 several times in two-handed play so if I was going to use dice I would prefer 2 D10 or a threat counter. That gives me the possibility of going up to 100ish. But I mostly play on OCTGN anyway, so I just use the threat and willpower trackers they have included.

I quite enjoy the physical act of piling tokens on top of cards (especially progress tokens on the quest card!), and I imagine that using tokens for willpower is similarly satisfying.

I usually add my party's willpower a few times as I weigh up which characters to commit to the quest, or just to double check my calculation, so I can see the appeal of using tokens (or dice) to keep track of the value. It gets especially fiddly when characters have attachments that boost their willpower, or Faramir's ability is boosting the entire party's willpower.

This.

I've actually tried dice myself, but it didn't feel as good as piling tokens on cards.

The numbers can get fiddly indeed, specially in a group, so I will suggest the 'big pile style' joezim mentioned to my buddies next time. Seems like a fine method.