How does Northern Tracker work exactly? I understand it's function, but if a Location is at it's MAX Quest Value IN THE STAGING AREA, does it still go away or does it first have to be made "active"?

I asked this question on BGG, but I still don't think we have a definitive answer !!

Jeremy D Salinas

Drakkenstrike Videos

As soon as you put enough exploration tokens on it it is discarded. So Tracker allows You to cope with the situation when there are multiple locations in the staging area. Otherwise You could only get rid of one location / round.

Yes, it still goes away. THink of it as him scouting out those locations so you don't have to and thus lowering the threat in the staging area.

Thanks for the quick replies....like I said, I can see it being ruled both ways. It also makes sense that he would "Scout them" so that when they WERE made active by traveling there, they would immediately go away...making the questing much faster....thematically it makes sense that way as well. This needs to be in the FAQ because it can be looked at from both sides....and it doesn't say anywhere in the Rulebook that Locations can specifically be discarded FROM the Staging Area......only the Active Locations can.

On the contrary.

Page 15

If a location ever has as many progress tokens as it has quest points, that location is considered explored and is discarded from play.

the rulebook is actually pretty clear about this: p. 15: "if a location ever has as many progress tokens as it has quest points, it....is discarded from play", the emphasis on 'ever' reinforcing that locations can be discarded without ever being active. So yes, the Northern Tracker can get rid of locations for you without the need to travel to them.

Hey Sky....understood, I read that same page and understood what it said....but in that same paragraph, it also clearly prefaces that statement with the assumption that the said Location is Active.

I am not refuting your claim at all or trying to be difficult as I want to believe you and that ruling, but I would also like an official ruling from FFG as well.

Do they ever respond to these forums?

Thanks Sky, I do appreciate the help !!!!

ClydeCloggie said:

Again, not trying to be difficult.

The full Paragraph reads:

"Instead, an Active location acts as a buffer for the currently revealed quest card. Any progress tokens that would be placed on a quest card are instead placed on the active location. If a location ever has as many progress tokens as it has quest points, that location is considered explored and discarded from play".

All I am saying is that they preface that "Explored" and "Discarded" from play portion of the ruling in the same Paragraph that they clearly denote "Active" locations. I guess this is my English Major coming out in me where I see the 2nd portion of the paragraph clearly depicting the 1st portion.

Thematically, I can see it both ways. Northern Tracker scouts ahead and puts progress markers on Locations so that they get immediately fulfilled when traveled too....since he already scouted them. I also see him completely getting rid of the Locations PRIOR to being made active.

This would be solved if FFG would comment.....or if they had just written the rules to read....

"If a location, Active OR in the Staging Area, ever has as many progress tokens........."

Drakkenstrike said:

Despite not having an English major, I would use the wording of that entire paragraph as evidence that my reading is right. If you had to travel to a location for it to be discarded, even when Northern Tracker had put enough progress tokens on it to match the quest points, the last line should have read: "If an ACTIVE location...etc.". Instead, the first two references both state active location, while that word is absent from the third reference that deals with discarding. As such, this clearly shows it refers to any location not just the active one.

Do we have law students here? LOL. It is a game. It is a living game. We now have 128 different cards that interact with one another. Use "a rule of Thunb" The simplier the better. IF locations could not be discarded that way second Quest would not be feasible for mote than one player, cause only in the Travel stage You could travel to ONE location. And all other fully explored locations would still add their threat, while You coped with them ONE per round.

Ha, you think this is pouring over the precise meaning of text? Try Middle Earth CCG ca. 1998...****, I feel old

ClydeCloggie said:

Ha, I am as old as you (37 in August).

So this game can be treated as a sort of soul age preservation I thought I would be the oldest bear here

Sky said:

Turned 39 two weeks ago. I guess a solo-play Tolkien card game brings out the geek daddies

43!

Pups.

Watcher said:

Tsk. Over 40 and still playing silly card games. That's just sad.

ClydeCloggie said:

I know! I should be sleeping, wetting myself, and eating mush!

Actually, I get some amusement out of it. I got my first edition Basic Dungeons and Dragons boxed yet when I was in 7th grade (and got my 1st edition, first printing Dungeon Masters Guide when I was going into 8th grade). Occasionally I've met people who claim to have played Chainmail when it first game out, and they're like 29 years old.

ClydeCloggie said:

Nice, another old schooler. For my money Meccg is still arguably the best CCG ever, also the best M-E game. Though Middle-Earth Quest did give it a helluva fight, MEQ just kicks so much, different kind of ass (also, where's my MEQ expansion ). I'm hoping LotR swoops into #3, dropping LotR (as in the board game) and War of the Ring down a notch. Top-2 seems unlikely for the moment.

A mere 36 years here.

I played the last LotR CCG a lot. I made solo rules and played every expansion many, many times. Around the eighth set I started to lose interest, and gave up. That seems to happen for every LotR game that I have, eventual loss of interest. It'll be sad to see that day, but it could be years from now, no need to anticipate with dread or anything. For now I need to reread the rules one last time before getting underway. Which deck shall I start with...

Dam said:

Got into METW right from the limited edition release in 1995. That game is sacred, still have full playsets of all expansions sleeved, ordered and ready to build decks with. Played it til after the Balrog expansion when the game's time was up and real life took over. Fantastic, fantastic game although ridiculously complicated of course. This LCG should at the least be miles better than Decipher's film TCG, but overtaking MECCG is close to impossible.

ClydeCloggie said:

Have you ventured online via Gccg?

DrNate said:

Initially, i have found leadership easiest (good willpower and number of allies, which i have found important for solo), although i started with tactics as ironically i thought that would be the least tactical deck to have to deal with... its clear about what its forte is, combat.

Its great to see how each different deck plays though

Let us know how you get on.

Almost 39, long time role player but first time in the CCG/LCG market and so far i think its great. Solo play has sold it for me. when i get together with mates we always try and role play which is why i have avoided CCG/LCGs in the past (despite loving the look of the cthulhu game...if they made a quest style LCG for that, I'd be the first to buy it...I love arkham Horror and play that solo whenever i can).

There are so many of us here that ar Young at heart that we could form Silverbeard Fellowship

I'm 37 and played the old MECCG back in the day. The older I get the more geeky I want to be.

Drakkenstrike said:

His English Major comes in handy in this instance. "If a location ever has as many progress tokens as it has quest points, that location is considered explored and discarded from play" should be a separate line rather than an addition to that paragraph. As it is written the context is dependent upon prior sentences. While keeping it a separate line would make it independent of the previous statements. Was this intended. Doubt it. It was most likely meant to be an independent statement that included all locations Active or in the staging area. Of course this is only speculation. So I would say do what seems right until someone gives an official "yo sucka this is the way it is foo" statement.