've just finished a co-op Nightmare Mode with a final score of 61 in a total of 10 rounds. Each time a scenario was won we would renew the encounter decks but otherwise continue as if advancing to a new part of a quest. After a slow start the accumulated resources, cards and allies in play far made up for a slightly advanced threat and a few wounds here and there. The threat was reduced and damage healed later on and the Journey Along the Anduin and the Escape from Dol Guldur was much easier than previous experience.

Were we doing something wrong or is this how the Nightmare Mode was intended? Because it seems more like a dream compared to the usual single Anduin or Dol Guldur.

Other thoughts/experience?

ps: the decks were Glorfindel/Beravor/Legolas and Dunhere/Aragorn/Theodred

Well, the threat is not supposed to be reset in nightmare mode since with your allies and resources out, you are getting sort of a "running start" at the more difficult scenarios. I haven't tried one yet, but it should make for some easier games in the last two scenarios since your deck is already up and running.

Titan said:

Try! And yes, we did not reset the threat. As long as you're not supposed to remove allies and attachments from play, I believe this mode is easier than standard play.

There was an issue in the last scenario. After we randomly selected the prisoner, was he supposed to lose his previously collected resources and attachments? And what if he were hurt?

lleimmoen said:

I'd say the hero loses all attachments (after all they're a prisoner). I imagine you could argue both ways with respect to resources ... certainly they can't collect any new ones or use any they had. So house rule it: to make it harder, they lose resources as well. To make it easier, they keep what they have but can't use the until they are released.

ricedwlit said:

Yeah, makes sense they would lose all, attachments and resources.

seconded. emprisoned hero loses all attachments - resources anyway...

maybe one for faq???

Maybe try just the second and third quests? Probably Nightmare mode was not designed solely for this set of three quests but as a concept for any future set of quests.

I have only played the first two so far, but the first one is very easy and allows you time to build up cards and resources that you might not have in the later quests. I only tried the second quest once so far, and it may just have been bad luck (I got a double surge on the first encounter deck draw), but I could not get cards down and keep them in play. If I'd played the first quest before it, yea, that would have helped, but just playing a hard set of quests, I don't think it would helpful, at least not until I get more cards (trying to make decks with only one core set).

Adam said:

Actually, on page 27 of the rules when they mention Nightmare mode they specifically list these three quests.

lleimmoen said:

ricedwlit said:

Hmm. Then my only other suggestion is that they meant nightmarishly boring.

Thanks for your comments guys.

But maybe it was meant this way: you do not reset threat and keep damage on characters but you remove all resources and discard cards both in play and in your hand (and draw a new set of 6). That way I would see the challenge.

lleimmoen said:

QFT. If you want a challenge, make it a challenge.

I think people may be basing the "ease" of nightmare mode off of decks using Spirit cards. I just finished a nightmare round with a Spirit deck and ended with a threat of 37 and 12 Victory points. I think any other deck that doesn't include blue would have a VERY hard time by discarding allies and attachments between scenarios. I have a feeling most other colors will finish Mirkwood at 40 or so threat, making the allies and attachments very important. Even Leadership using Gandalf 6 times to lower threat would be more difficult without access to blue recursion cards.

Mestrahd said:

I totally agree! I had the same experience... if you really find the nightmare mode too easy - I suggest a "DIABLO-INFERNAL"-mode:

put in more hill trolls, nazguls, dungeon jailors, hummerhorns, ungoliant's spawn and a couple of other nasty encounter cards - there you have your challgenge: let's see how you do when having to face FOUR hill trolls :DDD -- rated B for BALROG

Hehe, of course one can make it IMPOSSIBLE. I was just wondering whether it was the way it was actually meant by the designers: removing allies, attachments, resources...

Playing Nightmare mode without Spirit makes it much harder. Maybe you should try that next time.

My nephew and I just got done with our second ever co-op game, the first one we played wrong but I've learned a lot here and playing a lot of solo games. Anyway, we just used 1 core set and he used Leadership and I had Spirit. We weren't intending on playing Nightmare Mode but after getting through Mirkwood pretty well, he suggested we try Nightmare Mode to see how far we could get. We got through Anduin pretty well too. But the third scenario was a pain and we made it to about 10 progress tokens on the second quest card and just killing the Nazgul before losing. We had tons of resources, but only being able to play 1 Ally card all together per round really hampered us. I had lots of money and lots of Allies in my hand but couldn't use them. It was fun and we got further than expected.

Do the people that have found Nightmare Mode easy play with multiple core sets to have 3 of everything? I would think that would make it easier than just playing with 1 core set and the stock 1 sphere decks.