https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/7/13/the-sands-of-harad/

New Deluxe expansion news!!! Harad Confirmed!

Player cards below and encounter spoilers in the article!

"Meanwhile, your desperate journeys may also lead to desperate alliances, and you'll find a pair of heroes who make each other stronger, as well as a cluster of new player cards that require paired Traits to trigger, but that then offer tremendous rewards. You'll also find new allies for each sphere of influence and a game-changing side quest that allows you to ignore resource matching on the first ally you play each turn."

New versions of Gimli and Legolas? Or new versions of Elrohir and Elladan? Or new heroes entirely?!

Ironic that that card will make elf & dwarf friendships common instead of Unlikely.

I don't remember...when anyone said that the game ends?

Probably a new version of at least one of Gimli and Legolas, since neither can currently play Unlikely Friendship. It would make sense to just do both, they are long overdue.

I also like that they go to great lengths to explain that the "game-changing" sidequest isn't all that significant in practice.

I do love that the dunedain ally works with all existing sidequests. Would be rad to get him as a result of clearing Send for Aid ready to defend without exhausting straight away.

Um, it's because I'm probably bad, but that quest... well, how to put it - after a couple of rounds it will be pointless, and I don't think you would be able even consistenlty draw it, not to mention clearing it.

Aside from it, great news, everyone! Wee!

I am so happy they are finally putting more support in for decks that focus on diverse traits. A core theme to LotR is different peoples banding together, so it's nice to see new player cards explicitly supporting that. More sidequest support is great too!

I'm guessing Temperature will be a recurring thing like sailing is in the current cycle. Maybe we will get a big ol thermometer card to track it.

I see that, FFG decided to come back to side quests. They are absent in the last cycle, and in The Saga Expansions. The idea of side quests is very good, and I am happy that Angmar Awakened wasn't a last cycle in which you can complete side quest.

This new side quest seems to be very powerful.

I agree that in this expansion we recieve new Gimli and Legolas.

Yay for diversity!

Maybe in this cycle we're searching for the blue wizards.

Super cool! Harad is a great setting.

I'm just glad that they phrased it to where elf-friend on a dwarf wouldn't fill the requirements for that event.

I like Dunedain and side quests, so getting Vigilant Dunadan and a new side quest seems to be a promising start to this expansion!

This looks all kinds of nifty.

My bet is on new hero versions of Gimli and Legolas. Bring it on FFG!

Saruman hero pls?

It seems that Dunedain will be connected to side quests as a consistent design theme, which is cool. The new side quest is really only viable in multiplayer, but if you design a team around it, it could be good. Unlikely friendship will unlikely see play--a card and a resource is so low impact it will always be the first card cut when you are making your deck. The game just has too many good cards.

I don't agree. A cycling card that gives you a resource is extremely good in my book. Wealth of Gondor and Gaining Strength are seeing play, Unlikely Friendship is like them on steroids.

Um, it's because I'm probably bad, but that quest... well, how to put it - after a couple of rounds it will be pointless, and I don't think you would be able even consistenlty draw it, not to mention clearing it.

I like the side quest a lot. You could make a mono-leadership Dunedain deck, for example, and still include your Northern Trackers. As for finding it consistently...

http://hallofbeorn.com/Cards/Details/Dunedain-Message-AtE

It seems that Dunedain will be connected to side quests as a consistent design theme, which is cool. The new side quest is really only viable in multiplayer, but if you design a team around it, it could be good. Unlikely friendship will unlikely see play--a card and a resource is so low impact it will always be the first card cut when you are making your deck. The game just has too many good cards.

I disagree about Unlikely Friendship. If you have a Silvan and Dwarf hero and are running leadership, there is no reason to not play it. You get a resource and it replaces itself. There is no downside.

No mention of any Istari character, Doomed keyword, or Artifact makes me sad and worried. Because this would have been, like, THE time to revisit those.

Seriously, Caleb and Matt, what's a man gotta do to get a couple Istari heroes, a few magic rings and a couple Seeing-Stones? That's literally all I ask for!

That Vigilant Dunadan is crazy good once you get a side-quest out of the way. I was just thinking, imagine exhausting ally Arwen for Tale of Tinúviel and targeting him. He would defend everything on the table for 5, and still be able to attack for 5 afterwards. Takes a lot of cards to set up, but if your side-quest is Gather Information you could pull your Arwen or Tale of Tinúviel.

Given the time period our main storyline takes place, I'm guessing this has something to do with stopping or spying on Sauron's growing influence in the South and East.

I am super excited for this one. More desert locations? More Mumakil? And that temperature stat has got to be Celsius. 40F would be fairly pleasant in Harad.

Excellent.

Now let's play "Guess the heroes"!