You also have a powerful resource mechanic available for hobbit (in addition of steward I mean): resourceful. Secrecy and hobbit really should be seen at sub thematic (like dwarf swarm and dwarf mining are sub-thematic of dwarf): they really easily can be combined.

So I really intent to be able to cast Gaffer every turn and get access to a feint each turn. And we really can have powerful threat reduction in hobbit so ending at 38 would be rare. That will be great!

For your in-and-out hobbit you can already check for Curious Brandybuck. I play with optimized hobbit & secrecy fellowship with 3 on every deck and, since we have many draw we get to bring multiple of them in play every turn under any player control. That's really great!

There is also ally Halbarad, who can make Gaffer work for almost any deck. I expect him to see a lot more play now.

I have played ally Halbarad simply because he is free in my dunedain deck, and just now re looking at him I realize how awesome he is. This is the second card this week I totally misread, this time it's one I've played a bunch. Holy smokes I should go through collection and see what else I've missed haha

I thought his ability was come into play until the end of round

We got the french announcement and, it is quite usual, some additional informations because the cards aren't positioned the same way:

Drinking song text is confirmed since it is almost full visible in french.

Erebor toymaker reduced the cost of the next attachment played this phase by 2!

Here is the image corresponding: http://www.edgeent.com/sisimg/public/images/MEC70_A1_cardfan_AMF.png

On 12/9/2018 at 4:49 PM, GrandSpleen said:

2 hours ago, Rouxxor said:

We got the french announcement and, it is quite usual, some additional informations because the cards aren't positioned the same way:

Drinking song text is confirmed since it is almost full visible in french.

Erebor toymaker reduced the cost of the next attachment played this phase by 2!

Here is the image corresponding: http://www.edgeent.com/sisimg/public/images/MEC70_A1_cardfan_AMF.png

Toymaker seems quite good. One of the few dwarf ally really playable outside a dwarf deck.

That cost reduction of two makes the Toymaker very powerful!

On 12/29/2018 at 11:50 AM, Rouxxor said:

Drinking song text is confirmed since it is almost full visible in french.

What does it say?

4 minutes ago, player3351457 said:

What does it say?

My French is a bit rusty, but I'd translate it as follows:

Action: Count the number of cards in your hand and shuffle your hand into your deck. Then, draw an equal number of cards. Draw an additional card, if you control a unique Hobbit character.

Great for cycling out uniques when the pile up in your hand, or to dig for a badly needed combo piece. Still considering whether this will replace daerons runes in my hobbit builds. Space is becoming tighter and tighter with so many auto include hobbit cards.

On 12/7/2018 at 3:53 PM, ColinEdwards said:

Bold prediction: there will be a secret mission included with the last pack that involves time travel, the "Dunland Trap", returning the artifact back where it came so that Aragorn can find it during the sack of Isengard so the space time continuum doesn't collapse in on itself.

Forgive me. I think you are talking about the Palantir, but it's been a while since the Dunland Trap. Did the heroes recover it during the scenario or something?

1 hour ago, player3351457 said:

Forgive me. I think you are talking about the Palantir, but it's been a while since the Dunland Trap. Did the heroes recover it during the scenario or something?

It's a reference to the Arkham Horror LCG. The latest cycle for that game just wrapped up, and if you complete certain conditions along the way and recover some time-travelling artifact, you get to play a Super Secret Bonus Scenario, which is basically travelling back in time to undo the events of the 2nd scenario in the campaign.

47 minutes ago, Network57 said:

It's a reference to the Arkham Horror LCG.

Yes, exactly.

The Star of Elendil (one of them?) was found by Aragorn following the destruction of Isengard by the ents. So, at some point, Saruman must have acquired it. The Ringmaker cycle sort of hints at many of the events of the two towers: alliance with Dunland, creation of the white hand orcs, etc.

The Arkham reference was kind of a joke about setting the timeline straight after using an artifact when it shouldn't have been used.

On 12/31/2018 at 3:57 AM, player1683311 said:

Great for cycling out uniques when the pile up in your hand, or to dig for a badly needed combo piece. Still considering whether this will replace daerons runes in my hobbit builds. Space is becoming tighter and tighter with so many auto include hobbit cards.

It is probably better than that. In many deck you will play the best (or the top 2 may be) card of your hand and then recycle the rest to see essential cards. It give you the maximum chance to see your best cards on turn one, since you can even play another one. And it become really awesome when combine with other draw engine, so it basically ensure we no longer will fail our shot in combo decks.

I'm pretty sure that an optimal decklist for your hobbit deck will include 3 of each and still contain 50 cards. If you interested in my opinion in what you should remove I can give it to you (create a topic or give me ringsdb link for example). And playing 53 cards with 3 of each seem still better than 50 cards with only one of them.

Hobbit deck have become very powerful of late. I Think the archetype is just a couple of good allies to come to its full potential.

Today my usual brick-and-mortar store has sent me an e-mail telling me one of the new AP I ordered had arrived, so I went there after work, quite happy to be picking up The Ghost of Framsburg. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be Mount Gundabad, well ahead of the expected schedule (not to mention I am from Italy so we usually get stuff a bit later then usual)...

26 minutes ago, Alonewolf87 said:

Today my usual brick-and-mortar store has sent me an e-mail telling me one of the new AP I ordered had arrived, so I went there after work, quite happy to be picking up The Ghost of Framsburg. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be Mount Gundabad, well ahead of the expected schedule (not to mention I am from Italy so we usually get stuff a bit later then usual)...

Let's see the cards please!!

1 hour ago, player1683311 said:

Let's see the cards please!!

I'm from Italy (Milan area) too and often face many problems to get the AP, especially POD quests.

May I ask you which store you use?

1 hour ago, Alonewolf87 said:

Today my usual brick-and-mortar store has sent me an e-mail telling me one of the new AP I ordered had arrived, so I went there after work, quite happy to be picking up The Ghost of Framsburg. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be Mount Gundabad, well ahead of the expected schedule (not to mention I am from Italy so we usually get stuff a bit later then usual)...

I'm from Italy (Milan area) too and often face many problems to get the AP, especially POD quests. May I ask you which store you use?

This seems to have happened for at least the last three APs, somewhere on planet earth.

@Alonewolf87 Please spoil us the cards! That would make my day.

1 hour ago, Gizlivadi said:

@Alonewolf87 Please spoil us the cards! That would make my day.

Sure thing, here you go (we have a couple of very good Silvan new options, besides the already spoiled Hobbit cards, and a new interesting Spirit armor)

https://imgur.com/a/6ORK1KM

Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures.

3 hours ago, Halberto said:

I'm from Italy (Milan area) too and often face many problems to get the AP, especially POD quests. May I ask you which store you use?

POD quests are a problem for me also (I am still missing Attack on Dol Guldur and The Wizard's Quest), but I use this store

Armor of Erebor has similar cost and benefit to Ring Mail, though in general I'd rather have an extra hp than sentinel -- though in combination with Hauberk of Mail the sentinel is worth an extra hp. On dwarves I don't think it's a big difference, but the eligibility for attachment-loving Dale allies opens up more possibilities. It's not limit 1, though getting sentinel twice has no value.

Greenwood Defender's ability to defend without exhausting would be fantastic with better defense, but even with Celeborn's boost there's a limit to how many defenses can be handled with 3/3. At 3-cost he's difficult to flit in and out of play, but with a defensive attachment could be good. With zero willpower and zero attack, he has no backup utility.

Elf Guide generates a resource when pulling a Silvan out of play. Not sure it's a big enough effect to get it in Silvan decks, though it does let Galion generate a resource for free.

I think Drinking Song will be the most widely used card in the deck, though I expect to see Shirefolk in all hobbit hero decks.

5 hours ago, Alonewolf87 said:

Sure thing, here you go (we have a couple of very good Silvan new options, besides the already spoiled Hobbit cards, and a new interesting Spirit armor)

https://imgur.com/a/6ORK1KM

Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures.

POD quests are a problem for me also (I am still missing Attack on Dol Guldur and The Wizard's Quest), but I use this store

You're a total G thanks!

The really cool thing I have just realized yesterday by reading Erebor Toymaker is that, by its wording, the attachment discount is not limited to the player who played it. In a 4 player fellowship, going by turn order, if the first player (let's call it Player A) plays the Toymaker he can enjoy the discount but if it does not play any attachment it will be the first amongst Players B, C and D who plays an attachment to enjoy the discount. Quite versatile for multiplayer.

Now we have two spirit events that return Silvans to your hand, and two Leadership events that do the same.

Only one Lore and one Tactics event. Seems like we might get a whole suite of 2nd Silvan-returning events per sphere. Lore would likely be healing in some form, if you consider the Tree People's ally swap to be a form of card draw. The existing Tactics event deals direct damage, so we might expect a second one to add or subtract attack or defense value from characters or enemies.

Only one pack remaining in the cycle. If we do get the extra 2 Silvan events, they either both show up in the final pack, or we get another cycle. Woo! (people have been saying Thorin and Gildor are confirmation of another cycle, but I could still see them being released together in a non-collector's edition of the 2-player starter kit).