The Northern Tracker seems like a pretty powerful ally. In my last game I had two Northern Trackers together. When they both quested, the staging area would be stripped of most locations. Since the card says to place the progress tokens "Response: After Northern Tracker commits to a quest", I assume this means before drawing more encounter cards or resolving questing, which means that locations that are explored during this response are stripped from the staging area before questing is resolved. Am I interpreting this correctly or have I done something wrong?

Yep, when you quest with the Northern Tracker it puts a progress token on all locations in the staging area before more are drawn that round and those removed don't count toward the threat from the staging area for that round. i use them a lot for 'Journey Down the Anduin'.

Correct. If they can get enough progress markers on a location, its threat will not count against you.

Northern Tracker may be the most powerful non-unique ally in the game at the moment. You're playing him absolutely correctly, and it's great when you can get more than one out

For many many games I was assuming Tracker is too powerful. But once I started playing 3 spheres decks, I realized that he is VERY expensive and unless Theodred helps, he comes into play in 4th turn at best. Don't get me wrong, tracker is essential, but I started understanding that a difference between cost 2/3 and 4 is huge. Still, I would not leave home without tracker.

I share the feeling that as my decks got better, being tri-sphere, Northern Tracker got more expensive. Also, in the latest two quests, in Rhosgobel and especially Carrock, his use is very limited and I almost never play him.

That said, I find him still the best generic ally (and there are very few unique allies to challenge him), and it is only great that he is not so powerful for every quest.

He is definitely powerful on two sphere decks. A couple of days ago, I was playing against Hunt for Gollum and I had two of them out. At one point, I ended up with four locations in the staging area. I had to laugh. With the timing of the cards being revealed and the different number of tokens needed, they ended up clearing all four of them in the same turn. Multiple Trackers at work is just one of the more awesome spectacles in this game.

Titan said:

Hunt is the quest where Tracker is most powerful.

From the previews it looks like he will be very useful in the Hills of Emyn Muil - very location intensive from what they've released.

Tracker is one of the most unbalanced and powerful player card for now. I think this card deserve at least Erata: choose 1 location and put 1 token on this location.

With this card on the table Location not problem any more. With 2 tracker on the table you almost win in many situation.

With Theodred and with Steward and tracker in starting hand you can play tracker on the second round.

And even without his ability he still 2 attack 2 defence and 3 hit point ally. Very cool!!!

In happy with stand and Fight #errata# and will i be more happy when they do something with Tracker.

Im pretty sure This card is too powerful and ubalanced with other cards.

Glaurung,

I disagree about the need for errata. He excels at location intensive quests and is good in others. He shines in Hunt for Gollum and helps in JdtA. In EfDG, CatC and JtR, he is a good ally. I think there is nothing wrong with a 4 cost ally that can be incredibly effective in some situations and solid in others. I think Faramir fits this description also.

I kinda agree that he has too good stats with a very good ability. If he had worse stats, like 1 attack, 2 hit points, he still would be very useful...

But no need to give errata to his ability...

The problem with the northern tracker isn't that he is "too good," it’s that he crowds out the design space for encounter decks. The problem isn’t power level, it’s that he trivializes a huge range of cards. Every location, or quest that relies heavily on locations, needs to be evaluated in light of northern tracker. His existence ultimately limits the game and makes it less fun; for the reason, he should be revaluated.

Cards like Steward of Gondor, Unexpected Courage and recurring Gandalf combinations are all more powerful. But they don’t shape how an encounter deck needs to function to make the game challenging.

NT does make Lorien Guide look like a red-headed stepchild that gets left behind. "Woo", 1 token on the active location vs 1 token on all locations in the staging area, sign me up. LG even comes with "great" stats, 1/0/2. 0 defense!!!

Bohemond said:

Very true my friend. My engish is not so good to explain many of my ideas but you pointed very well.

The tracker brake the idea of the game. But the same time if you dont have tracker you can be overload with locations. So that what i call unbalanced.

With him so good, with out him so bad!!!!

So at least he should have less attack and defense status other wise looks like super ally.

Tracker: Hey guys you have lot of location in staging area??? Give me 2 rounds and forget about them until the end of the game!!! Or no locations???

Dont worry i strong enough to defense or strike with good force. Super puper ally.Norhern Captain of America!!!!

Guys,

I understand your points and, without a doubt, Northern Tracker is a strong ally. I just don't think he requires errata. I think he should have been unique so that you can only have one out at a time, but I don't believe it warrants errata

Bohemond's point about encounter design is worth consideration, but I still don't find it compelling enough to change him. Sometimes the player will have an answer to the enounter's big stick...just like sometimes it is really good to have that A Test of Will in your hand with one resource on your Spirit hero to stop the Shadow effect card that would swing the game against you.

They already worked in Carrock as untouchable. They could simply have a location that does 3 damage to a hero (think bogs or something dangerous) that puts a progress token on it. Yes, I know you are now designing around him, but I'm just saying that there are options. And of course, not every deck is going to have spirit cards and even for the ones that do, he does not always come into play! And Glaurung, I've had plenty of games where he is not in play, but I can handle the location overload...you just need higher will (Faramir or Edoras Guide anyone?) By no means have I ever played a solo game where I'm thinking if I have Northern Tracker I win. If not, I lose. Maybe Hills of EM will change this...

And yes Dam, he shames Lorien Guide....but a LCG is going to be asymetrical my nature. Take a look at Guard of the Citadel compared to some of the other 2 cost allies..ugh.

Anyway, we do agree he is powerful. I just am hesitant to start swinging the errata stick - especially so early in the life of a game!

Woz said:

Well, he is a Leadership ally, what do you expect, their selection of allies is IMO weaker than other spheres. Probably because some of their other cards are so good: Celebrian's Stone, Steward, Sneak Attack. Still, he does offer 1WP and can survive Necromancer's Reach and available turn 1. For Gondor pumps him up as well and you can always use a cheap meatshield (once your Snowborn Scouts are already dead ).

Woz said:

Im agree with Woz. Unique is good idea. And not any game you lose if you dont have a tracker.

But still he is to powerful in his current status in my opinion.

If you looking on the allies in Adventures packs there is no any with such as good as him right??? Or maybe have.....?

deleted double post...

Glaurung,

That's a tough one because the game is not static. A powerful card in one quest may be just solid or limited in another quest. I actually really like Halder because of his versatility. He probably won't swing a game, but he does everything pretty well...and his ranged ability is great in JtR (not sure that you have that one yet so I won't go into detail). I hope that they design some encounter cards or player cards that key off of sentinel to make them more useful in solo.

I've not played with it, but Landroval is definitely a powerful ally. Great stats and a potential game winning ability. In fact, I also like Eomund. Solid stats and an ability that can be big if the deck is Rohan focused. Of cours,e Radagast can be huge for a heavy creature deck - a real accelerator, and he has solid stats. If I'm running a heavy creature deck, I'd rather see him come up in most quests that N Tracker.

Of course those are all unique...

Dam - agreed on Leadership allies with the big exception of Faramir. I think he's one of the best allies in the game. Although I have to admit that I'm usually happy to see a scout in my opening hand - nice to have fodder out of the gate! And I did have 2 CGs in my primary deck that I'm try to use to beat the full Shadows of Mirkwood cycle until JtR. I pulled them and put in the archers to have at least the hope of a ranged ally to stack up against those pesky birds. I REALLY would like to see a decent low cost leadership ally in HoEM!

Woz said:

You're right about Faramir, forgot about him somehow. Could it be because he is Unique so you're not seeing 3 Faramirs per player ? I haven't gotteen to try JtR, but I too imagine those Ranged allies are worth their money in that one, given those birds with defender and attacker restrictions.

Lorien Guide should clear the active location not add 1 to it.

I thought you were only allowed to have ONE of any ally/hero in play. Did I misunderstood the game rules about this?

Legolas,

If they are unique (diamond in a circle symbol in front of their name), there can only be one in play. Non unique allies and attachments are not limited to this. In a four player game, there could be 12 Northern Trackers in play. (but only one Faramir)

Making Northern Tracker unique might be a decent fix. I still think it causes "Sunforger" [for those who know the history of MtG] level problems for the designers of the game. And the fact that they locations are having to additional texts just to slow down the tracker isn't a sign that the card is manageable. It's a sign that the tracker was poorly conceived.