Edit: Moved to the Questions forum.

So in the end I went with The Black Riders and The Road Darkens. And just in time too as they were the last two of those items!

Man I took a look (usually don't) at some of the enemy cards like Treachery in On the Doorstep and they seem brutal. Now maybe I'm just new to the game but I'm gonna have to go in fully prepared it seems...

Question - what is Khazad-dum like in terms of improving your deck if you don't have dwarf-heavy heroes?

Will it still give me enough good cards even if I don't have a lot/or any dwarfs as heroes?

1 hour ago, Stewart777 said:

Question - what is Khazad-dum like in terms of improving your deck if you don't have dwarf-heavy heroes?

Will it still give me enough good cards even if I don't have a lot/or any dwarfs as heroes?

Khazad-dum has a couple not very good cards, and a slew of cards that really only work with dwarves in your deck; or in a Dwarf deck. There are a few cards that are useful in other decks, though. Bifur is a great Lore hero, and Zigil Miner makes it into quite a few Spirit decks. The expansion is really only worth it for Dwarves, though; player card-wise, that is.

Dwalin isn't a very popular hero, but against orc-heavy quests can consistently lower your threat. Ever Onward is the only player card that has nothing to do with dwarves (other than the picture), and in single-deck play can let you essentially ignore the quest phase to go all-in on combat.

10 minutes ago, Wandalf the Gizzard said:

Khazad-dum has a couple not very good cards, and a slew of cards that really only work with dwarves in your deck; or in a Dwarf deck. There are a few cards that are useful in other decks, though. Bifur is a great Lore hero, and Zigil Miner makes it into quite a few Spirit decks. The expansion is really only worth it for Dwarves, though; player card-wise, that is.

Thanks will give it a skip then; pity as I hear the quests are quite good, but I'm looking to build some decent decks at the moment.

What would you recommend in terms of deck building out of the following, taking into account that I play solo: The Sands of Harad (I can get 4 APs for this), The Grey Havens (I've heard this is multiplayer heavy? but can also get 4 APs for this), The Wilds of Rhovanian, The Voice of Isengard (I can get 2 APs for this).

Given that you currently have Core/Black Riders/Road Darkens I would go for Wilds of Rhovanion over the other three deluxes; it'd give you an alternate deck type (Dale) and it'd give you some useful generic allies and also some good ally attachments for the strong unique allies you do have. Plus as it's the newest cycle you should be able to get all the APs for it as it comes out.

With that said, Sands of Harad or Grey Havens plus 4 APs from their cycle will give you a lot of good cards, and if you don't get them before they run out you'll have a long wait before they get reprinted. Voice of Isengard's APs are likely to be reprinted well before then, but if you wait for the APs to reprinted the deluxe will be out of stock.

Ok thanks, something to think about.

If you had to choose between getting Rhovanion and then either Sands or Grey along with that which would you choose, knowing that I solo.

Sands is probably more solo-friendly, but Grey Havens is probably better overall. Others are more qualified to weigh on this subject than I.

If you are only getting the deluxe, I think I would go for Sands of Harad. LeGimli/SpLegolas make a nice combo and they can work with their core set versions also. Plus I like Greenwood Archer more than any single ally in Grey Havens.

If you are getting four random APs from the same cycle as the deluxe, I think I would go for Grey Havens. That should give you critical mass for a Noldor deck, while Harad can provide a Harad deck only if you get the first AP. Beyond that, I think Grey Havens cards are more often generally useful than Harad cards.

However, if I were you I'd hasten to Hall of Beorn, look at the player cards for the Deluxes and APs that are available, and see what has the most cards that you personally would be excited to play with. This is very player-dependent. What I like may not be what you like.

Agree with Dale here. You don't have a bad option on the table, but more content is generally going to be better for deckbuilding than less content.

Personally I prefer the player card themes that were developed in Grey Havens because they're more focused, but if you're looking for something a little more diverse Sands might serve you better. Sounds like it may be time to do some research on Hall of Beorn!

http://hallofbeorn.com/LotR/Browse

Thanks guys, got some thinking to do, and thanks Authraw for the link - will prove useful!

The Hall of Beorn only gives The Wilds of Rhovanion a rating of 1 ring. Is it really that bad?

Not on my opinion, or the one I read. At least first games are pleasant, and many players feel fun to get back with the core set encounter cards.

I think the rings relate to usage of player cards at ringsdb. As the newest product, that's to be expected -- there's a zillion decks that were published before the deluxe came out.

Ok thanks a lot guys really appreciate the help. I just ordered Sands of Harad as I could get it cheap (and a few APs are available locally), and then will be ordering Wilds of Rhovanion as well.

When I get some of my friends or family members into board games I will definitely be picking up Grey Havens as well

Yes, completely ignore those rings for fun factor. They are for gauging level of use, and even then aren't the most reliable. Especially compared to the rest of that fantastic resource.

In terms of player cards, what would you guys recommend I get out of the following options (I have bought The Sands of Harad):

The Wilds of Rhovanion Expansion,

or any 2, or maybe 3, of the following:

The Mumakil

The Black Serpant

The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat

The Crossings of Poros

Most of the cards in those packs only support deck types that you don't have the cards to build. I'd go with Wilds.

I'd go with Wilds of Rhovanion as well, which provides a deck-in-a-box with Dale, and a number of the Dale cards are useful outside a Dale deck.

However, Mumakil has the essentials of the Harad deck, and the powerful Harad allies are useful outside Harad decks in any deck that can pay for them or cheat them into play. Black Serpent has a hero that works well with Dunhere (Fastred), a great support card for Harad decks, and a number of useful card that I think work well in a polyglot deck (Dunedain Pipe, Oath of Earl, Song of Hope, Rally the West). Dungeon of Cirith Gurat is less useful I think (though it has another Dale ally), though Open the Armory can be useful in a lot of decks. In the final pack, I think Quickbeam is an underrated hero and works well with a limited card pool in conjunction with Lore, a copy of Magic Ring could be added to any deck, and Bulwark of the West provides a lovely leadership alternative to Miner of the Iron Hills for quests with nasty conditions (there's LOTS of those). I also think Followed is a strong enough trap to be useful in a limited card pool.

If you guys had to recommend any 2 Expansions, or any four Adventure Packs (or 2 Aps and 1 Expansion) what would you recommend?

I am talking strictly in terms of player cards and not scenario, so to strengthen my decks (defence, etc.)

I have the following so far: Core Set, The Sands of Harad, On the Doorstep, The Black Riders and The Road Darkens.

I was leaning toward The Wilds of Rhovanion just because it's new but will go with any thing that will strengthen decks.

I've been through The Hall of Beorn and other resources but would like to get some feedback from you guys as some of you know this game inside out.

Show me the deck you're using and I'll tell you which cards will make the most difference. Here's my picks for the cards that find themselves in the most decks of mine.

Allies:

Treebeard (neutral 4) [Antlered Crown]. Powerful and self-readying, effective in any deck.

Arwen Undomiel (spirit 2) [Watcher in the Water]. 2 willpower for 2 cost, but when she exhausts she gives +1 defense and sentinel to any character. Awesome.

Warden of Healing (lore 2) [The Long Dark]. Most flexible healer in the game.

Honour Guard (tactics 2) [Wastes of Eraidor]. I love damage prevention.

Attachments:

Ranger Spikes (lore 2) [Heirs of Numenor]. My favorite trap, leaves an enemy in staging forever while lowering its threat.

A Burning Brand (lore 2) [Conflict at the Carrock]. Requires a lore character, but if I use a hero defender I'll consider Song of Wisdom just to play this card. Ignoring shadows is so nice.

Dunedain Warning (leadership 1) [Conflict at the Carrock]. And if you use a hero defender, you want this card. +1 defense, not restricted, not limited, transferrable and not washed away in Dunland Trap.

Dunedain Remedy (leadership 0) [The Drowned Ruins]. Keeps your heroes healthy in the absence of healing.

Events:

Daeron's Runes (lore 0) [Foundation of Stone]: cycling card; three of these make any Lore deck better.

Wait No Longer (tactics 2) [The Mumakil]: In one deck play, engaging an enemy from the encounter deck is a small price to pay for revealing *nothing* during the questing phase.

Heed the Dream (lore 1) [Flight of the Stormcaller]: requires 3 leadership for full power, but full power is finding a card in the next five cards *plus* a card anywhere in your deck. If you want combos, this card is your best friend.

Thanks, a lot to think about. Now to see if they are available to buy...

Quick strategy question - what strategy do you guys use for the Hill Troll that is introduced right at the start (Journey Along the Anduin).

I just hope that I get some allies on my draw that can chump block. But even then the remaining attack points go to your threat.