While I have seen the game effectively over turn one to Exhaustion + Festering Wounds in Rhosgobel, I think today's setup + first turn takes the cake.

Escape from Dol Guldur, Lore/Leadership (Denethor, Glorfindel, Gloin) and Spirit/Lore (Beravor, Eleanor, Eowyn) decks

First Objective: Dol Guldur Beastmaster, I'm like, hmm, okay

Second Objective: King Spider, pfft, Denethor and Eleanor exhausted.

Third Objective: Dol Guldur Orcs, WTF! Where are my 3x Necromancer's Reach setups?

Flip over to 1B, Eowyn captured, so now those 2-cost Spirit cards (including UC) are just wasting away.

Turn 1 questing: King Spider (leaving no characters ready) and Dol Guldur Orcs! Jeebuz. Both parties have King Spider + Dol Guldur Orcs up their asses, both undefended. With Dol Guldur Beastmaster and another Enemy out of the Encounter deck engaging turn 2, nobody was left alive for turn 4.

Sometimes I wonder why bother .

Dam said:

haha...thats tough man, my worst was in anduin drawing an extra troll for my setup card. this was in the days when i was still using the 'let gimli take the damage' strategy, so looking at it now, with a low threat its not THAT bad

richsabre said:

I am still in this phase! I was so stoked by his attack skill going up when i got wounded that i just tossed him into all of it.

hendersondayton said:

yeah, its ok until you realise you have to go all the way to the end with him 1 point way from death....unless you heal him or get citadel plate on...its just easier to keep threat low and take the troll down with an army of allies and attatchments

richsabre said:

Don't forget the quest card tells you to find a troll from the encounter deck if one isn't already out. You don't have to face two trolls that fast unless you pull one for your first staging card!

Scoob said:

ah in that case it must have been this....^^^^^ was a loooong time ago when i was first playing so its possible i played it wrong anyways!

Dam: have you played khazad dum at all yet? There are orcs by the bajillions! They come from everywhere! You think you are going to take them out in one round and they pop up as shadow cards, with many having 3-4 sometimes more attack! One of my hobbits and I gave up last night when we had like 8 enemies against us and losing allies and Heros left and right.

Zjb12 said:

im really buzzed about khazad with all these posts about it being a challenge...cant wait

Played solo Return to Mirkwood yesterday... in one game 1st card revealed during quest set up.. Attercop... 2nd card during quest phase .... Attercop.... yea... end of game.

When I first got Khazad I built a dwarf deck and I wanted to try it out on the easiest quest for that set, the Seventh Level, DL 3 it seems. The first card revealed during the setup was a Cave Troll... Okay, I can maybe deal with him before he engages, maybe... I quest and then another Cave Troll pops out! GG.

And then during Khazad's other quest, Into the Pits, I draw one card during setup that says "Doomed 2, Surge." Fun. The surge drew another one of that card... And then Zigil Mineshaft is the next card. My dwarves only had 5 willpower they can muster at the start, so I had to raise my threat even more to continue. Off to a bad start already...

Zjb12 said:

No KD for me, most likely picking it up early next month (after payday ). I think the problem with the DG setup is that first you have 3 cards out, not many others bring out that many barring surges, not in 2-player/deck generally. Add in that King Spider exhausting heroes, then losing another hero to the quest card (though after the staging draw for the first turn, safe to say didn't make any difference who got captured) and throw in 1B's "one ally per turn", not just per deck/player, but as a whole being able to play just one ally, you're not able to withstand all those enemies.

Whereas if you have time to prepare and no pressure to advance, having 4-5 big hitters at the end still makes for a joke of a difficulty 7 quest. Yes, I'm talking about Carrock, even when I drew a Hill Troll while battling the four other Trolls, never felt like I would lose. Compare with say Anduin where that initial HT can break your game turn one (Sneak Attack Gandalf for damage and then defend against the Troll, only for it to get Pursued by Shadow as Shadow effect and Gandy was your only exhausted ally...).