So the preview for the new Journeys in Middle Earth game showed off one of the heroes, Elena. Her character card has new art, making me think she'll be a hero in the next cycle. Her theme seems to be related to music and songs, so if they continue that, we could have finally have support for the Minstrel trait?

As for an ability, maybe draw a card after you play a song. I think they already have enough resource acceleration with Love of Tales. Alternatively, they could go the standard route of Elena can pay for song cards without a resource match. Thoughts?

Has the name Elena any elfic root? 😱

3 minutes ago, Yepesnopes said:

Has the name Elena any elfic root? 😱

From other threads I've seen, it means something like "of the stars".

Here's my idea for an Elena hero, and her signature song, the Lay of Twilight.

I'm considering switching the Defense and Willpower values around, because I'm not sure that the strong defense is thematically sound, but I like the uniqueness of this stat line.

Lorefindel thanks you for the Lay of Twlight

I'd like the idea of development for the minstrel trait and a hero supporting it. We have a good number of songs now, just waiting for the right series of cards to organize them into an archetype. We do have a little bit of an archetype that has formed around Hobbits with Fireside Song, but I've barely seen anyone use it (outside of, say, tackling Mt. Doom).

I like it -- if you swap will power and defense she will be one of only three lore heroes with base 3 WP. We need some more powerful questers in Lore!

You would almost definitely run this with lorefindel, but really any leadership hero that triggers with spending money will benefit. Eomer and Gildor come to mind. I wonder if the song is too powerful.

The combo with Grimbeorn is also a bit sick...

I’ve thought about ways to give lorefindel some love in the past, and this is an obvious one (not that that is even the intent here). However, as you note, it ends up making all heroes who spend resources to activate their abilities too powerful (this one would require Elf-friend, but that’s a minor requirement for such a payoff). I guess you could limit it to heroes with the printed Lore sphere.

44 minutes ago, GrandSpleen said:

I’ve thought about ways to give lorefindel some love in the past, and this is an obvious one (not that that is even the intent here). However, as you note, it ends up making all heroes who spend resources to activate their abilities too powerful (this one would require Elf-friend, but that’s a minor requirement for such a payoff). I guess you could limit it to heroes with the printed Lore sphere.

Yep printed Lore would make the boost pretty solid for Glorfindel.

Cool idea, alternatively for Elena you could have it say:

"Response, after you play a song, search your deck for another song and add it to your hand, then shuffle your deck. Limit once per round."

Then she is constantly jamming out elvish tunes for your heroes.

3 hours ago, GrandSpleen said:

I’ve thought about ways to give lorefindel some love in the past, and this is an obvious one (not that that is even the intent here). However, as you note, it ends up making all heroes who spend resources to activate their abilities too powerful (this one would require Elf-friend, but that’s a minor requirement for such a payoff). I guess you could limit it to heroes with the printed Lore sphere.

Oh, it was certainly the intent to boost Lorefindel. It's still probably too powerful as it stands, because it works better on other heroes. I could just do the resource generation bit, or I could have it be choose 1: add a resource to that hero's resource pool, ready that hero, or (some third effect).

One note is that it doesn't have to be attached to the hero that is spending the resource - it's like rune master in that way.

8 hours ago, Onidsen said:

Oh, it was certainly the intent to boost Lorefindel. It's still probably too powerful as it stands, because it works better on other heroes. I could just do the resource generation bit, or I could have it be choose 1: add a resource to that hero's resource pool, ready that hero, or (some third effect).

One note is that it doesn't have to be attached to the hero that is spending the resource - it's like rune master in that way.

Maybe exhaust the attached hero as well? A exhaust/ready trade is usually fair, and then the effect pays for the cost of the card in two turns. I think that's a reasonable play.

This would be a great card to connect Noldor heroes, too. We know we are getting Gildor. And though I think Lore Glorfindel is a poor design (for such a high profile character) it would be great to have more with the ‘spend 1 resource to’...

I would actually really like to see a Tactics Glorfindel with some such ability, and then Elena to give us two in Tactics, Leadership and Lore each, plus Arwen in Spirit actually gaining the resource...

The Lay would be too strong, though. Why not cost one and just the ready? I know it would not avoid the search but stilll...

edit: nvm

I'd really like a Song-support dedicated hero in the game, and I agree Elena is now our primary target for that.

@Onidsen your design is cool enough, though I'm not sure how practical it would be without a bit of deck scrying, which can be done by Imladris Stargazer, that happens to be out of deck.

Maybe she could have an additional passive effect, like "Elena gets +1 Willpower for each player controlling a Song" (way to spread the love), or kind of Response: After you play a Song, Elena gets +1 Willpower until the end of the round.

In addition to Elena, I think it would be interesting to have a song-support Gleowine Lore (or Spirit) hero. Could help fill the Rohan hero Lore gap.

Yes, the willpower boost in response to a song played seems a great idea, too.