Im A rich but i think after the Hobbit set that ffg may want to get away from the shire for a year to keep the game fresh. Another thought that came to me is that some players may want to play the "bad guys" sometimes. How about 3 new heroes, say Saruman, Grima and Lurtz (just for example) then you get an encounter deck with locations as normal but enemies such as Rohan cavalry, Ents trying to break Isengard, a Faramir ambush. This idea totally flips the game around and creates a whole new aspect. Its a thought anyway!!!

Ted Sandyman said:

thats a very interesting thought….though i think it may need a complete change of the game to make it happen (or to make it worth doing perhaps)

as for the hobbit though, i dont think ffg should worry about getting away from the shire….looking at the cards we only have 1 location, no player cards (apart from late adventuer i guess)….so we never really technically touched the shire, we sort of fast forwarded to the trollshaws

thanks for voting!

rich

Ted Sandyman said:

That could be interesting, and I'm sure some posters here would relish such a cycle (or even an occasional one time pack).

richsabre said:

On the topic of the Hobbit (I don't have it yet), does Bag End show up as a location or is it just implicit in the first quest? What is the 1 shire location?

i do think it would go down very well (after all it is cool being the bad guys isnt it?) however how would it work with the player cards? all of them, apart from a few 'neutral' (not the sphere) ones are very 'good guys' specific, so it would either mean a) release a huge amount of cards at once or b) stick with a limited play scope….sort of a like a novelty one off packs….but would it fit?

im not so sure…..if they wanted to make it work i guess they could, however its more of a competative thing, rather than a coop game thing

rich

@John- its just called 'hobbit lands' nice art and a friendly location….basically used for lingering collecting resources etc. and thats pretty much it for anything until the lonelands

I like elves, so I'd go (G)Lothlorien.

Ranger of the Force said:

thanks for voting

rich

F - Rohan/Isengard

One of my favorite areas….the "rohan" trait could use fleshed out a little more plus i'm dying to see a Theodan hero. Isengard could also make for some cool quests…taking on Saruman….leading the Ents. could be very exciting.

i can see the quests now

1) Leading the riders to take back Rohan's smaller villages

2) Defending an assault on Edoras

3) Counter-attacking Saruman at Isengard w/the help of the Ents

M, Harad… always been curious to see the lands south of Mordor fleshed out. And it ought to be quite different from anything we've seen so far.

thanks for voting both

rich

F, just because I want Theoden to be the Dain of Rohan cards.

I'm really torn between L, M and N - Rhûn, Harad, and Angmar. I'm kinda supposing that Against the Shadow will have at least some more Harad folks continuing on from the deluxe, though I'm hoping we also see some Wainriders coming to attack Gondor too. Easterlings, those folks from Khand… basically, anyone other than Orcs, as I feel we've kinda overdosed on them so far (as iconic an enemy as they may be…)

Angmar is definitely somewhere I'm keen to explore though. Give Glorfindel something thematic to do, going up against the Witch-King in his own lair or something Somehow, though, I don't think we'll go there before we go to more obvious places in Middle Earth, like the Shire and Rohan.

I'm going for M, but only on the proviso that we can get to L within the same cycle

thanks for voting both

rich

i'll go for the shire (or bree)

i can't see it happening though, because the story arc isn't going to take us back to bree i dont think

I guess I would fit into C, but with the caviat that I want to see some Lindon and Arnor vs Angmar type action. Maybe like a rise of the witch king cycle.

thanks both

updated

rich

ROHAN!

Please, more Rohan love. I'll never have enough Rohan.

rohan it is-i always found it funny how rohan was expanded in mirkwood and then left….but yes, i wasnt interested in rohan during my first read through, but i love them now

rich

Seriously, I always liked Éowyn, she is nice and stuff, but when I saw the movies… ****! Seriously, the actress wasn't the greatest beauty in the world, but she was almost EXACTLY how I pictured her in my mind; the ferocity when battling, the softness when speaking with the little ones - and, well… In the end she get to know - and stay with - Faramir, brother of Boromir (my favorite male character). That's the history of how Éowyn became the hors concur of my favorite characters in Middle-Earth.

Some of the other most proeminent Rohan didn't received much spot-light time in the movies, I understand, but the feeling they gave of unity and loyalty… They are awesome. Éomund is another who should have way more lines and time; but well, that may just be my biased feeling talking.

Still, if I can vote again (which I know I can't), I vote for Rohan.

…yeah, you probably would've figured out already.

I would really like to have some scenarios about defending the Shire from the Ringwraiths. It could be to develop both the Hobbits and the Dunedain Rangers!

Race-wise, I really want to see Silvan Elves get some serious attention but I don't know how this would happen (geographically) outside of going back to Mirkwood again. Perhaps we could go somewhere like Rhun where's it's really more of a blank slate.

As for the next cycle, I would like to see Eriador. If they wanted to be more specific, then the Shire and it immediate surroundings.

I really hope to see story about Angmar or Harad or Umbar…….

N- Angmar/ Northern Misty Mountains.

Rohan will have its day and, IMO, will appear in the next few rounds of delux expansions (mounts anybody?). I'm not worried it won't show up, though I think some may be disappointed. This game takes place during the 17 years between Bilbo's going away party and Frodo leaving the Shire and really aught not to include any open hostilities involving Isenguard and the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. Saruman is still considered a member of the White Counsel by the Istari, after all.

Brownmantle said:

It has been discussed elsewhere that "17 year" time span was chucked during the KD/DD cycle. Those two quest events are over 15 years (I think). Also (of course) the Saga packs are outside of that time span by quite a bit too.

I see…

hmm…

…well, in that case, I stand corrected (& I thought I was so smart).