Saga Quest 9: Flight to the Ford

Victory on the second attempt!

The Deck

I made a few ally alterations before the first and second attempts, then decided to test out this deck on the third quest before making massive changes. But it actually held up pretty well.

Four Friends v.2

Heroes
Merry
Pippin (The Black Rider)
Sam Gamgee
Frodo Baggins (The Black Riders)

Allies
Gandalf (Core) x3
Gildor Inglorion x2
Faramir x2
Erebor Hammersmith x3
Barliman Butterbur x2
Snowbourn Scout x3
Bill the Pony x2
Envoy of Pelargir x3

Attachments
Good Meal x3
Fast Hitch x3
Elf-stone x3
Dagger of Westernesse x3
Hobbit Cloak x3


Events
Feint x3
Hobbit-sense x3
Sneak Attack x3
Frodo's Intuition x3
Hail of Stones x3


The Journey

Had a quick, three-round (two completed) victory during my first attempt thanks to Sneak Attack + Gandalf + Frodo's Intuition x2. But I forgot to flip an encounter card when traveling to Ford of Bruinen. Looking over my notes, it would have caused an unpredictable chain (but most likely delaying my victory only one round if at all). So a second attempt it is!

Campaign Setup
Add Gandalf's Delay to the staging area
Attach Mr. Underhill to Frodo Baggins
Attach Noble Hero to Sam Gamgee

Player Setup
Set starting threat to 21
Draw (5):  Envoy of Pelargir, Feint, Hobbot-sense, Fast Hitch, Bill the Pony
I like having two allies in the first round and a way to ready Merry (plus the ability to Feint that first nazgul that comes up), but I would like to have Gandalf + Sneak Attack or Frodo's Intuition.
Mulligan (5): Bill the Pony, Sneak Attack, Fast Hitch, Barliman Butterbur, Dagger of Westernesse.
Oh well. At least one early ally and the ability to boost Merry up right away. Maybe I can get a Gandalf fairly quickly to use with that Sneak Attack.


Encounter Setup
Create a burden deck
Attach An Evil Wound to Frodo
Set Ford of Bruinen and The Witch-king to the side
Add The Last Bridge and one Fell Rider to the staging area
Set Frodo's life to 15 (marked with progress markers)

Round 1
Getting Merry equipped for battle early on, I quest all out and get 7 progress on the quest and am able to deal a little a good chunk of damage to a Fell Rider.

Resource Phase
+1 Merry (1), +1 Pippin (1), +1 Sam (1), +1 Frodo (1)
Draw: Elf-stone

Planning Phase
Play: Bill the Pony
Play: Dagger of Westernesse (Merry -1). Attach to Merry.
Play: Fast Hitch (Pippin -1). Attach to Merry.

Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo
Total willpower: 10
Reveal: Power In Their Terror (-1 willpower to all allies + 2 damage if 0 willpower). Bill the Pony is destroyed.
Total threat: 3
Place 7 progress on stage 1B (7/15)

Travel Phase
Travel to The Last Bridge
Reveal (burden): Overcome by Terror. Exhaust The One Ring. Surge.
Reveal: Ringwraith

Encounter Phase
Engage Fell Rider. Ready Sam (+1 willpower, attack, defense). Draw (Pippin): Barliman Butterbur.
Add Mr. Underhill to the victory display. Choose Fell Rider to not attack.
Exhaust Fast Hitch to ready Merry.

Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Fell Rider
Merry + Sam declare an attack on Fell Rider, dealing 5 damage (5/6)
Discard Fell Rider's shadow card

Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 22.
Remove 1 life from Frodo (14/15)

Round 2
Resource Phase
+1 Merry (1), +1 Pippin (1), +1 Sam (2), +1 Frodo (2)
Draw: Erebor Hammersmith

Planning Phase
Play none

Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo
Total willpower: 10
Reveal: Road Like A Gale. Return Fell Rider to the staging area.
Total threat: 5
Place 4 progress on The Last Bridge, exploring it an adding it to the victory display (4).
Place 1 progress on stage 1B (8/15)

Travel Phase
No travel

Encounter Phase
Engage Fell Rider. Ready Sam (+1 willpower, attack, defense). Draw (Pippin): Hail of Stones.
Exhaust Fast Hitch to ready Merry.

Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Fell Rider. Attacks. Sam defends. Shadow: The Troll's Camp (no effect). Deal 2 damage to Sam (2/3).
Merry declares an attack on Fell Rider, destroying it.

Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 23.
Remove 1 life from Frodo (13/15)

Round 3
Resource Phase
+1 Merry (2), +1 Pippin (2), +1 Sam (3), +1 Frodo (3)
Draw: Hobbit-sense

Planning Phase
Play: Barliman Butterbur (Pippin -2)

Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo
Total willpower: 10
Reveal: Ringwraith
Total threat: 6
Place 4 progress on stage 1B (12/15)

Travel Phase
No travel

Encounter Phase
Engage Ringwraith. Ready Sam (+1 willpower, defense, attack). Draw (Pippin): Frodo's Intuition.
Exhaust Fast Hitch to ready Merry.

Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Ringwraith. Attacks! Barliman Butterbeer defends. Shadow: Pathless Country (no next player; no effect). Barliman Butterbeer is destroyed.
Play: Sneak Attack (Sam -1). Put Erebor Hammersmith into play.
Merry, Sam, Erebor Hammersmith declare an attack on Ringwraith, destroying it.
Return Hammersmith to hand.

Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 24.
Remove 1 life from Frodo (12/15)

Round 4
Resource Phase
+1 Merry (3), +1 Pippin (1), +1 Sam (3), +1 Frodo (4)
Draw: Gildor Inglorion

Planning Phase
Play none

Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo
Total willpower: 10
Reveal: The Enemy Upon Us! (no enemy engaged). Surge.
Reveal: Black Steed. Attack to Ringwraith. Surge.
Reveal: Power In Their Terror (no allies; no effect).
Total threat: 3
Place 7 progress on stage 1B, clearing it. Advance to stage 2, flip to side B.
Add Ford of Bruinen and The Witch-king to the staging area.

Travel Phase
Travel to Ford of Bruinen.
Reveal: Pain Assailed Him. Remove 1 life from Frodo (11/15). Reduce Frodo's willpower, attack, and defense to 0 until the end of the round.

Encounter Phase
Engage The Witch-king. Ready Sam (+1 willpower, attack, defense). Draw (Pippin): Elf-stone

Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to The Witch-king. Attacks! Undefended. Shadow: The Troll's Camp (no effect). Remove 6 life from Frodo (5/15).
Exhaust Fast Hitch to ready Merry.
Merry + Sam declare an attack on The Witch-king, dealing 3 damage.

Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 25.
Remove 1 life from Frodo (4/15).

Round 5
Resource Phase
+1 Merry (4), +1 Pippin (2), +1 Sam (4), +1 Frodo (5)
Draw: Dagger of Westernesse

Planning Phase
Play: Frodo's Intuition (Frodo -2). +1 willpower to all heroes. Draw: Hobbit Cloak, Hail of Stones, Erebor Hammersmith.
Play: Hobbit Cloak (Sam -1). Attack to Sam.
Play: Dagger of Westernesse (Merry -1). Attach to Merry.
Play: Elf-stone (Pippin -1). Attach to Fords of Bruinen.
Play: Elf-stone (Pippin -1). Attach to Fords of Bruinen.

Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo
Total willpower: 14
Reveal: Piercing Cry. Search encounter deck and put Ringwraith in play engaged with me. Shuffle. Ready Sam (+1 willpower, attack, defense). Draw (Pippin): Hail of Stones
Updated willpower: 15
Total threat: 3
Place 8 progress on Fords of Bruinen, exploring it and adding it to victory display (9).
Place 4 progress on stage 2B (4/15).
Discard Ringwraith and The Witch-king (Fords of Bruinen's effect).
Elf-stone #1: Put Gildor Inglorion into play.
Elf-stone #2: Put Barliman Butterbeer into play.

Travel Phase
No travel

Encounter Phase
Engage Ringwraith. +1 willpower, attack, defense to Sam. Draw (Pippin): Fast Hitch.

Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Ringwraith. Attacks! Undefended. Shadow: The Old Road (no effect). Deal undefended damage to Barliman Buterbeer, who is destroyed.
Merry + Sam declare an attack on Ringwraith, destroying it.
Exhaust Gildor Inglorion to look at (player): Erebor Hamersmith, Faramir, Gildor Inglorion. Replace Faramir with Hail of Stones. Place back in this order (top to bottom): Hail of Stones, Erebor Hammersmith, Gildor Inglorion.

Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 26.
Remove 1 life from Frodo (3/15)

Round 6
Resource Phase
+1 Merry (4), +1 Pippin (1), +1 Sam (4), +1 Frodo (4)
Draw: Hail of Stones

Planning Phase
Play: Faramir (Sam -4)


Quest Phase
Commit: Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo, Gildor, Barliman
Total willpower: 14
Exhaust Faramir to give each character +1 willpower.
Updated willpower: 20
Reveal: Ettenmoors.
Total threat: 2
Place 18 progress on stage 2B, clearing it and winning the game!

Final Scoring
5 Completed Rounds x10: 50
Ending Threat: 26
Total Damage on Heroes: 2 (Sam)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -9
Total Score: 69

Campaign Resolution
Add Overcome by Terror to my burdens.

Previous Campaign Resolutions
Boon: Mr. Underhill attached to Frodo Baggins
Boon: Noble Hero attached to Sam Gamgee
Burden: Gandalf's Delay added to staging area


The Recap

There definitely is a feeling of rushing off to Rivendell in this one, with the constant threat of the Black Riders, but it was not a total thematic hit for me. Hindering Frodo in some major way throughout the quest (vs. due to some treachery effects) would have made things a bit more thematic (and significantly harder, which I guess is a con). I did enjoy the cost/benefit analysis the player has to make between receiving  a (possibly) undefended attack and having that damage go on Frodo vs. adding a burden to their pool. And it was nice to have the focus be just on the black riders. Really, I would have been happier of A Knife in the Dark and Flight to the Ford were combined into one awesome quest. I do think this will be a good one to play multi-player in the future, so it's going on the Favorite Quest list (which maybe I need to re-name).