“The Wood-elves tracked him first, an easy task for them, for his trail was still fresh then. Through Mirkwood and back again it led them, though they never caught him. The wood was full of the rumour of him, dreadful tales even among beasts and birds. The Woodmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles.”
-The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

Shadows of Mirkwood

The creature Gollum has been seen in Mirkwood, and Gandalf the Wise has requested his immediate capture. Travel vigilant. The way is not safe...

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the first series of Adventure Packs for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, Shadows of Mirkwood! Introducing six new scenarios for you and your companions, Shadows of Mirkwood expands your core set experience with new heroes, new player cards, and new challenges to overcome.

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is the first cooperative/solo LCG, and the contents of each Adventure Pack are designed to support an ever-changing play environment suitable for this new style of game. Each Adventure Pack release will include a new scenario with a new set of Encounter cards that will be featured in the quest. In addition, players will also find a new Hero card and a variety of new player cards for all four spheres of influence.

Designer Nate French shared his thoughts on the creation of the Shadows of Mirkwood Adventure Packs.

A Word From the Designer

The most exciting aspect of designing the Shadows of Mirkwood expansion cycle was the chance to introduce six entirely new scenarios to the game; it provided an opportunity to really push the envelope and see where the core system could go. It was important that each quest in the cycle be playable as a standalone adventure, but I also wanted them to form a distinct sequential narrative when played in order from start to finish, so that an “epic” play experience would be possible for groups with such inklings.

The series was designed around the search for Gollum, and it takes players through the Anduin Valley, along the Eaves of Mirkwood Forest, to the Hills of Emyn Muil, and even into the Dead Marshes. Eventually (if they’re lucky), the players will have the opportunity to capture Gollum, after which they must escort him north, through Mirkwood Forest, to Thranduil’s palace, for questioning and safekeeping.

Mechanically, I really wanted each scenario to be a unique experience; unlike any of the others and unlike any of the scenarios in the core set. So there’s a “tracking” quest with the players looking for clues of Gollum’s presence in the encounter deck, a combat oriented quest where the players are helping Grimbeorn the Old drive a group of powerful Trolls away from The Carrock, and one in which they find a wounded Eagle and must keep it alive and bring it to Radagast the Brown at Rhosgobel in a “race against the clock” type of quest. After those two “side quests,” the heroes are able to get back on Gollum’s trail, which leads to Emyn Muil, an extremely location heavy scenario that involves a lot of exploration. The “capture” itself, in The Dead Marshes, has its own slippery feel.

The series ends with my favorite quest in the cycle. In it, as the players take their captive through Mirkwood forest, they must assign one player to guard Gollum each round, and prevent him from escaping. And yes, Gollum does make life rather difficult for the player assigned as his guard, so that assigning a new guard at the right time becomes a vital in-game choice.

In addition to the 6 new scenarios, approximately half of each pack is devoted to new player cards. There is a new hero in each pack (starting off with Bilbo Baggins in The Hunt for Gollum Adventure Pack), and an assortment of cards for all 4 spheres. This was an exciting set to design, and I’m looking forward to its release!

Thanks, Nate! Be on the look out for the first Adventure Pack in the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle, The Hunt for Gollum, coming this spring!