“What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dúnedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?” –Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Wastes of Eriador, the first Adventure Pack in the Angmar Awakened cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

For nearly seven-hundred years, the Witch-king of Angmar terrorized the North from his home in Carn Dûm. Though his forces were eventually defeated, the shadows of the Witch-king’s evil have lain across the lands through all the centuries that followed his departure from the region.

Now, in The Wastes of Eriador, several of Middle-earth’s heroes must join forces with the noble Dúnedain who have long guarded the region’s simpler folk from the untold evils that still reside within Carn Dûm and its environs. Following immediately upon the heels of the epic events that unfold in The Lost Realm deluxe expansion, the scenario from The Wastes of Eriador tasks you to rescue a captive Ranger. However, as you pursue the enemies who have captured him, your trail leads you ever northward, ever deeper into the hills of Angmar. There, as day fades into night, the howling of wolves suggest that your party of hunters may soon become the hunted…

In addition to its new scenario, The Wastes of Eriador also contains a new hero and three copies each of nine different player cards. In the lands traveled so often by the Rangers of the North, you’ll find new Dúnedain, Hobbits, Scouts, and side quests. You’ll also find new ways to protect your heroes from damage, as well as the new Valour trigger, which continues to gain strength throughout the Angmar Awakened cycle.

For more about The Wastes of Eriador, the Valour trigger, and the Angmar Awakened cycle, we turn to lead developer Matthew Newman.

Lead Developer Matthew Newman on Angmar Awakened

Greetings,

I am very excited for the Angmar Awakened cycle!

Like The Ring-maker and Against the Shadow cycles before it, Angmar Awakened continues a tale that begins with the events of the deluxe expansion that precedes it – The Lost Realm. Altogether, this epic, nine-scenario adventure takes place within a new region, with new challenges. Throughout their journeys, your heroes will have to trek across snowy wastes, escape from the clutches of wicked goblins, investigate the ruins of an ancient kingdom, and uncover a terrible secret that threatens all of the North!

Meanwhile, the cycle’s new player cards take The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game in several different, all-new directions. For example, in previous cycles we’ve seen various Secrecy cards that reward players for keeping their threat low, hiding from enemies, and sneaking their way through locations and around obstacles. But what about those heroes of Middle-earth who choose to face Sauron’s forces head on, confronting them face-to-face upon the field of battle? For those who do not shy away from risk and danger, we introduce a new ability trigger – Valour.

Valour cards are inspired by a quote from Boromir that I think highlights the difference between his philosophy and perhaps the rest of the Company of the Ring:

“But always I have let my horn cry at setting forth, and though thereafter we may walk in the shadows, I will not go forth as a thief in the night.”

If you like to take risks and tend to play aggressive decks, Valour cards are for you. Still, being brave doesn’t mean being foolish and taking unnecessary risks, and these cards can see play in any deck. They will simply be most powerful when your threat is high and your situation is dire.

Unlike Secrecy cards, which benefit you when your threat is twenty or less, Valour cards benefit you when your threat is forty or higher. This is typically later in the game, when you have already built up your strength and resources aren’t quite as much of an issue. So instead of offering effects at a discounted cost, these cards offer powerful effects that can only be triggered when your threat is forty or higher.

Valour cards are designed to save you when you face overwhelming odds, and they can help you secure victory when victory might otherwise be out of your grasp. However, Valour cards are only prevalent in those spheres with little to no threat reduction – Leadership and Tactics. This means that a Valour-heavy deck will often straddle the line between victory and defeat, as the encounter deck is typically most dangerous when players’ threats are at their highest.

Valour cards aren’t the cycle’s only new focus, though, and all four of the game’s spheres gain cards in Angmar Awakened that strengthen existing themes and explore new ones. In addition to their new Valour cards, Leadership and Tactics players can look forward to several Gondor and Dúnedain cards. Meanwhile, Lore players can look forward to manipulating the encounter deck and victory display, as well as cards that reward them greatly for their forethought and wisdom. Finally, Spirit players will be able to explore what it really means to be a Noldor Elf, with cards that introduce a new strategy for the High Elves of Middle-earth.

Will You Aid the Rangers of the North?

The Rangers of the North have long guarded the region’s simpler folk from the dangers that roam the wilds. Now, one of their number has been captured, and his captors are dragging him deep into the hills of Angmar. Will you aid the noble Dúnedain? Will you brave the The Wastes of Eriador?

Look for The Wastes of Eriador to arrive at retailers everywhere in the second quarter of 2015. Until then, keep your eye on our website for more words from the developers and other The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game news!

Note: As the first Adventure Pack in the Angmar Awakened cycle, The Wastes of Eriador introduces our new LCG® packaging to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Adventure Packs. While the packaging is now molded plastic, every Adventure Pack still contains the full complement of sixty cards.