Looking Back: Shadows of Mirkwood

Shadows of Mirkwood was the beginning of this ever-changing game. The designers were trying to figure out how they could aid the players (via new player cards) without breaking the game. They were wanting to give challenges that hit that sweet spot somewhere between too easy and impossible. There were hits (Conflict at the Carrock) and misses (Hills of Emyn Muil).

It was a nice stroll through memory lane for me. If I get an itch to play an old quest, the first cycle is rarely chosen to satisfy it. But I enjoyed the experience. Some quests (The Dead Marshes and Return to Mirkwood) were beaten fairly quickly the first time my wife and I played them and I've never taken the time to go back and really get to know the quests.

Here are my take-away thoughts from the six:

The Hunt for Gollum: Ranges from easy (no Hunters from Mordor) to deadly (several Hunters from Mordor). I'm not a big fan of such a fluctuation.

Conflict at the Carrock: Still a classic. Tough, but victory is often in sight (even if it's just your imagination). One I can see myself going back to often.

A Journey to Rhosgobel: Fairly easy with the right deck and near impossible (or just plain impossible) with most others. Tailoring decks for specific quests is part of the game, but this takes that to a very narrow level.

The Hills of Emyn Muil: I think I actually lost this quest once in the past (or had a struggle with it), but other than that vague memory the quest is a bit of a breeze.

The Dead Marshes: I could see how the quest might have some challenges up its sleeve, but I didn't experience the worst of them and was glad to move on.

Return to Mirkwood: There were a few attempts where I didn't stand a chance, but I was usually able to hold my own until the very end. Really seems like a solid quest and one I would like to replay more in the future.

So, two out of six that I want to keep on my "play again" list. But, honestly, I could see myself going back to any of these quests if the right cards came along for me to test (healing cards for Rhosgobel, location snyping for Emyn Muil, and readying for Dead Marshes).

I mentioned the Nighmare decks as future possibilities for a few of the quests. If anyone has played through those, which Core + Shadows of Mirkwood Nightmare decks would you recommend?