As some of you already know, FFG has a "Restricted List" for each of its LCGs. In a nutshell:

"When building a deck, a player may select one card from the restricted list to use in that deck, and he may not use any other cards from the restricted list in that same deck. A player may run as many copies of his chosen restricted card as the standard rules of the game (or card text) allow."

Does TLotR: TCG have any cards that should go on this list?

I think there are a pair of cards that that cause the game to be, well, gamed. The two cards are Will of the West and Galadhrim's Greeting .

The addition of these two cards to the Restricted List would not prevent anyone from using either card or even having either card in the same game but in different decks. Any thoughts or other potential candidates?

If they do not include a turn count in the scoring mechanism (other than the +1 threat each turn that is built into the game), then those two cards are good candidates for a restricted list.

But if they add a strong enough turn count factor to the score, then they won't have to worry about those two cards. Their benefit would not outweigh the number of turns it takes to use them effectively.

Something like "+10 points per round" added to the score might work.

We're starting this already? Seriously?

qwertyuiop said:

I agree, this is unnecessary

Too soon! Think how big the card pool was for the other LCGs before they needed a restricted list. The design space is not yet cluttered enough to require these restrictions.

Although I also agree that this is too early in the game, I do have an opinion about the original question.

I don't think The Galadhrim's Greeting should or will become restricted in the future. There are too many encounter cards that add big chunks of threat to a player's pool, and they come in different variations. Pursued by Shadow is a treachery that could add a large number if you only rely on one or two strong characters for questing and the Hill Troll is an enemy that might add a couple of his own. Right now there are so many ways to add threat, and really only two ways to reduce it: The Galadhrim's Greeting and Gandalf.

As for Will of the West, it allows you to recycle your deck, but unless you also have a great amount of card drawing power, there is some risk here too. You may be hoping to get Gandalf that extra time, but he could end up at the bottom of the deck. Also, with nightmare mode being played, this is almost essential.

I would greatly prefer a fix to the scoring system over a restricted list. To (mis)quote Aragorn:

A day may come when the cardpool of the game fails, when we forsake the cards that break the bonds of this game. But it is not this day!

Nicely done, sir!

Bryon said:

agreed! Well done *tip of the hat*

They simply must change the scoring. It has been done totally rushed, as the playtesting in general. I am still VERY happy about the game, of course, but this needs to change.

Galadhrim's Greeting is a very powerful card in solo play, but it's affect is weakened as more players join the game. Because it gets weaker with more players it may not need to get restricted at all. The same applies to Will of the West, considering it doesn't get shuffled back into the deck when it's played.

Restricting cards at this point is silly in my opinion. Play and have fun.

Kiwina said:

it doesnt get shuffled into your library but previously played ones do.

I think there will be no card restricted but some rules changed. And what i really scare they will limit the card draw or amounts the cards in yout hend in the end of turn. Now is already some decks draw to much cards (with beravur and lore) and when you start to have almost half of your deck in your hand encounter deck cannot harm nothing to you. The game start to be easy and boring. They should to do something with that.

I remember in Lotr tcg from decipeher already after second set was release they change the rules of draw. Reason was same.With unlimited draw you get the God hand and the opponent die next turn. Here can be something familiar.

So ii think we will get something like discard the cards in the end of the turn until you have 6 or you cannot draw more then x cards every turn. Will see

JesseOlivier said:

That's true. Will of the West retains most of it's potency with multiple players if you have three copies. If you only have two copies in the deck you have to budget your use of it more.

I don't find The Galadhrim's greeting to be overpowered in any way, to be honest.

Glaurung said:

That was actually the very first thing I noticed when going over the rules: no discard to hand size at the end of the turn. I can't think of any other CCG that does not have a discard at the end of the turn (although this is my first FFG LCG) and wondered how that would work.

So far it has not broken the game for me, as not having cards in hand is a more common occurrence than having too many cards in hand, but with more draw options coming our way (Bilbo!), I agree that this may become a fairly big issue.

I have yet to see a situation when Will of the west is useful.

It's always the first card I discard to buff Eowyn's Will during questing.

Why is it so great?

If you had to discard other important cards, to recycle gandalf or if you play nightmare-mode.

DarthJalapeno said:

It's an essential component of one of the best solo deck archatype out there. The short version is that you use lore to draw tons of card and spirit to keep your threat low. You draw enough cards that you want Will of the West around to recycle your heavy hitting events, and Gandalf.

its the fact that when combined with sneak attack you can "combo" off and finish with a score of minus infinity. i think if you can effectivly "break" the game with one core set then they have either got there scoring system really wrong or they cant play test cards very well.

Sneak attack is not an essential part of the combo. Spirit/Lore decks do just fine with the negative threat totals.

this is true, but it is a good way to cycle multiple uses from gandalf. the fact that you can score a minus score of any number you want seems to me like the scoring system is wrong and thats my main problem with the game.

agg said:

I play with a threat minimum of 0 because that is the lowest the threat counters go down to. I also play without Will of the West. That generally keeps the score reasonable. Spirit can play through with a low threat and not be absurd.

However I do agree that something needs to be added to the score like turns.

As long as there aren't numerous easy ways to add resources is there any real reason to limit hand size? Unless I am forgetting something there are only 2 heroes and 2 unique attachments that allow you to generate additional resources at this point. And Gloin's ability and the Horn are both situational at best. With the deck I play I tend to find myself with a ton of cards in hand but not able to play more than a couple a round.