This quest is DL6, and it might be DL6 just for the setup. There is a lot going on in this one. It is a sailing quest so you need to resolve the sailing test at the beginning of each quest phase, but the tiller symbols arrive much less frequently. I think it's an average of 1 symbol every two cards. You also need to set up a separate area for the Stormcaller as she is "questing" to escape you, and you need the corsair deck as well.

Bring your allies as you will need to both work the ship and quest like crazy! Also, read every card as some of the ship enemies can do unexpected things to the Stormcaller staging area.

I lost my first try, but my deck is ally light. Regrettable.

I hoped for some actual image spoilers... oh, well.

I hoped for some actual image spoilers... oh, well.

Cardgame DB has all the encounter spoilers with images too (albeit low resolution ones):

http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/lotr/lord-of-the-rings-card-spoiler/_/dream-chaser-cycle/flight-of-the-stormcaller/

Do you need combat power?

I hope so as the sailing quest in the grey havens was easy to beat with a low threat high ally/willpower deck.

1 Symbol every 2 cards dosen't seem that rare, but I don't know how many there were in the deluxe box quest to I might underestimate how rare the symbols are now. Sailling tests were defenetly one of the easiest "test" (compared to hide, escape etc.)

You do need some combat as there are still corsairs. I've never caught up to Stormcaller and so I've not had to fight it yet.

Two games now, two bad losses. I need more cheap allies early. I think that dwarves or Silvans (or outlands) would do well. I also think two player would make it easier. The sailing tests may be the same, but it seems just a bit harder. I never counted the odds on the previous quest either.

So I switched to playing two handed with elves and a lot of eleven allies and won. Bring lots of allies.

That's good news for the last 2 decks I built!

I really like this quest. If FFG ever makes an Age of Fighting Sail LCG (no idea HOW that would work) I would be all over it. We really get the feeling of pursuing a fleeing enemy with obstacles along the way.

More details: Stormcaller, the enemy ship, gets its own quest deck except they start on 2 while we start on 1 as usual. If you ever complete a quest stage with a number equal to than the stage they are on then you win. (In other words, if you finish stage 3 before they do then you win.). In this quest you are only trying to catch the ship, not fight it. On the other hand, along the way there are a lot of other ships you will have to fight including their Corsair crew.

Stormcaller makes progress through and at your expense: Stay On Course! Expect Stormcaller to make between 4 and 8 progress a turn. You have to be able to quest like crazy, but there are limits to the amount of progress you can make at certain stages as well.

Good luck!

I just beat this with one hand being Leadenethor/Arwen. The dream is real!

(To be fair, my other hand was an Elrond-Vilya deck.)

I'm itching to say:"Two-handed casuals!"

I've taken three runs at this quest: 2 player - won on stage three by enough progress, 3 player - took a whipping and the Stormcaller got away, and finally another 2 player - won by wrecking the Stormcaller on stage 4. The DL seems fairly accurate, and it's a fun quest. We haven't run it 4 player yet, but I'll likely have the opportunity on Wednesday.

Played it once two handed and won on my first try, but my decks were well suited to the quest. I imagine solo is difficult because of the sheer amount of progress you need, I'll have to try that later. Lots of strategic decisions to make, and lots of luck involved. Some turns the Stormcaller makes a ton of progress because you'll discard the 6 threat location, and sometimes it only makes a little because you discard a treachery.

Encounter deck manipulation would come in handy because you can influence how much progress the Stormcaller makes by stacking treacheries on top of the encounter deck. It's kinda ironic that Core Set Denethor is super useful in the pack that we get new hero Denethor in.

Did you count 29 encounter cards instead of the usual 32 encounter cards for an AP? It still has 60 cards, meaning we got 3 more player cards than usual, I guess... but I thaught I was missing some cards after opening my pack!

I think that's right.

Beat this quest first attempt two handed (http://ringsdb.com/fellowship/view/362)
Caught up to the Stormcaller on stage 2 very early on but was absolutely swamped by threat in the staging area from that nasty 6 threat location and the Escort Ship enemy. I was questing/sailing with most characters so could not afford to engage and take on many ship enemies early game. I was unable to make any progress for multiple turns and but once the Stormcaller advanced to stage 3 and I no longer had those nasty extra cards considered to be in my staging area I was able to build up my forces properly and by the time I got to Stage 3 and caught up I was able to clear the 6 threat location and destroy the Escort ship enemy with ease. It was then a battle against remaining ships and corsairs while I slowly caught up to the Stormcaller. With 15 progress out of 18 on the Stormcallers copy of Stage 3 I was barely able to clear stage 3 before the Stormcaller and caught up to it winning the game. I used the Dreamchaser and the Dawn Star (rather than Narelenya which would has been my second ship of choice for all my attempts at the first sailing quest we got in The Grey Havens) and the Dawn Star had 11 damage on it by the end and the Dreamchaser had 2 damage. The extra card draw from the Dawn Star was well worth the extra staring threat. I found the Ship enemies a lot easier and more manageable than the ones in the sailing quest in The Grey Havens but the treacheries and locations seemed far nastier overall. Being able to cancel some of them at key points was crucial. Even more crucial was staying on course and I dedicated at least 4 or 5 characters (including the 2 you get from Dreamchaser) every turn to making sure I succeeded in getting back on course for every sailing test.

Great quest and I really liked the multiple win conditions. You can beat the Stormcaller to the end of the same quest stage to win the quest or you can just get to the same quest stage as the Stormcaller, engage it and destroy it before it escapes to the next quest stage before you. I would love to try and beat the quest by actually defeating the Stormcaller in combat rather than catching up to and stopping it and winning that way. Moderately difficult and if you see the wrong cards at the wrong time you could easily have threat in the staging area skyrocket which will allow the Stormcaller to get much further from your grasp. It does have to make a LOT of progress on Stage 4 but then again so do you and weather effects get much nastier, that being said it is not overly difficult to catch up and win on Stage 3 which I only just managed to do but it seems as though winning on stage 2 would be pretty **** difficult to do and would require gangbusters willpower coming right out of the gate as well as staying on course non stop and not having sahirs escort appear or the Stormcaller revealing any 3 threat encounter cards when it makes progress at the end of each round.

Enjoyed this quest a lot more than the Sailing quest in the Grey Havens box so very happy overall with this quest.
Obviously a ridiculously good set of player cards in this pack as well.

Maybe silly question but ... do i reveal an encounter card for the stormcaller area during staging as i do for my staging area or i place cards there only by effects?

You do not reveal an encounter card for Stormcaller.

Using this lineup, beat it on stage 2: http://www.ringsdb.com/fellowship/view/180/angmar-champions.

In the 3rd round it was 7-8 with Stormcaller in the lead with all ships at stage 2. Used the combat team and Silver Wing for the Sailing test. Using 4 characters for the Sailing test triggered an engagement with Swift Raider, leaving the staging area clear, except for Stormcaller. Questing team went for 15, with Dream-Chaser, and easily caught Stormcaller. Combat team was about to take 17 damage in undefended attacks, but Sahir called it a day.

I cease to be amazed about the different ways the designers contort the mechanics to keep the game fresh.

For a fun experiment I tried this quest with the goal of catching up to the Stormcaller while never committing anyone to the sailing test. It worked! This was the result:

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/1464/the-seafearers-3.0

Another question ... (I guess I am playing this all wrong)

While in the stormcaller area there is another card apart frpm the stormcaller, do you add this cards threat to the stormcallers when you discard one card to place progress on stormcaller stage? I add it on my game but not sure if this is correct

Another question ... (I guess I am playing this all wrong)

While in the stormcaller area there is another card apart frpm the stormcaller, do you add this cards threat to the stormcallers when you discard one card to place progress on stormcaller stage?

Not unless the card says you should. The Vast Coastland (6 threat location) is just there to make it more difficult to quest while you are on the same stage at the Stormcaller, because its threat will count against you during the quest phase while that is true. But you won't add its threat to the Stormcaller's when you do the Forced effect at the end of the round. The only other card that can go into the Stormcaller's area (I think, besides the Stormcaller itself) is Sahir's Escort, and that one DOES add its threat to the Stormcaller's, when you do the end of round Forced effect, per Sahir's Escort's card text.

nah, I was adding the location too

Anyway won on attempt two since I won stage four before stormcaller escapes .. I like this quest. I played an all Noldor deck with Cirdan, Galadriel Galdor and allies Glorfindel, Gildor, Arwen and the new neutral Noldor as my core characters (I had other Noldors too, you need lots)

I'm a bit late to the party on this one...

I'm wondering if I'm playing this correctly. I had an outlands deck that BARELY got through this. Granted, I could not get the ethir swordsmen in until late in the game but...

I played solo with Ledenethor, Prince imrahil (t), and hirluin. I swarmed 21 allies in, plus the two objective ally ships. I found myself off course a lot, and all three escorts found their way into the storm callers staging area at one point.

It just seems like a lot to:

Sail (with a lot lower chance at getting success as someone pointed out, so more people need to be committed)

Questing (4 threat to start? Now this deck isnt a strong questing deck but still, I was seeing 10-12 threat in staging + active location every round)

Ship combat (so if you have to keep at least one ship ready through sailing AND questing just to deal with the boat attacks)

Boarding attacks

And THEN whoever you have left can attack. I found myself at the end of rounds with 15-20 characters not having enough to even kill more than one enemy.

All of that sounds expected until about right . . .

4 hours ago, player3351457 said:

I found myself at the end of rounds with 15-20 characters not having enough to even kill more than one enemy.

here. Especially with Nights of the Swan. I think if you can manage to get your questing allies out faster, and be able to keep more cheap allies on the table longer, you should have a pretty easy time of it. It can be hard to balance your ceiling and your floor, so to speak, but it is what it is.

Your ships have a pretty big health pool that you can "spend" on undefended attacks from enemy ships from time to time.