Opening Thoughts
The Dream-Chaser cycle has been my favorite since its release. Anything pirate / ocean themed is sure to grab my interest. Probably a result of growing up near the Pacific. This is also a cycle where MJ Newman was testing or cross-pollinating ideas that would be incorporated into Arkham Horror. So, now that some of the rust is gone, I'm excited to re-visit this cycle in the campaign format.
The Decks
Two elf decks I built in the past stayed with over the years me due to the names I gave them: A.C.E. and Bounce House of Healing. My current card pool is more restrictive then it was when I built these decks (although I am beginning to amass older packs again). I decided to embrace the restrictions as a challenge vs a handicap.
A.C.E. - Revised
The goal of this deck is to draw a ton of cards each round, take advantage of Noldor discard synergies, and recycle the deck a few times vis Will of the West.
Heroes
Arwen Undómiel
Círdan the Shipwright
Erestor
Allies
3xElven Jeweler
1xGaldor of the Havens (ToR)
2xGandalf (Core)
1xGlorfindel (FotS)
2xGuardian of Rivendell
3xImladris Caregiver
1xLindir
3xLindon Navigator
3xSailor of Lune
Attachments
1x Explorer's Almanac
3x Narya
1x Protector of Lórien
3x Steward of Gondor (Core)
2x To the Sea, to the Sea!
Events
3x A Test of Will (Core)
2x Dwarven Tomb (Core)
3x Elrond's Counsel (EoL)
3x Elwing's Flight
3x Lords of the Eldar
3x The Evening Star
1x The Galadhrim's Greeting
3x Will of the West
RingsDB Link
Rings DB Link to original A.C.E. deck
Bounce House of Healing - Revised
Sylvans love shenanigans and I love them for it. Feigned Voices and The Tree People allow for repeat enter play effects, with Host of the Galadhrim hopefully giving a big turn. Sneak Attack is meant for Gandalf but will work for anyone in a pinch. Why Elrond? Enhancing the healing aspect that some Sylvan allies bring with them.
Heroes
Celeborn
Elrond
Galadriel
Allies
3x Galadhrim Healer
3x Galadhrim Minstrel (EoL)
3x Galadhrim Weaver
2x Gandalf (Core)
2x Greenwood Archer (EoL)
2x Henamarth Riversong (EoL)
3x Naith Guide (EoL)
1x Orophin (EoL)
2x Silvan Tracker (EoL)
3x Woodland Courier (DR)
Attachments
2x Dúnedain Remedy
3x Nenya (EoL)
2x O Lórien! (EoL)
2x Vilya (EoL)
Events
2x A Test of Will (Core)
2x Daeron's Runes (EoL)
1x Dwarven Tomb (Core)
2x Fair and Perilous
3x Feigned Voices (EoL)
1x Host of Galadhrim (EoL)
2x Sneak Attack (Core)
1x The Houses of Healing
3x The Tree People (EoL)
RingsDB Link
Rings DB Link to the original Bounce House of Healing deck
I didn't think about this until I had the decks together, but this Fellowship is strongly built around all three elven rings.
Fellowship: Three Rings for the Elven Kings
The Quest
Noldor takes Dream-chaser as ship.
Silvan takes Narelenya as ship.
Advance to 1B
Round 1
Resources! Draw! Noldor: Galdor of the Havens, Protector of Lorien, Will of the West, Steward of Gondor, Guardian of Rivendell. Discarding Galdor of the Havens. Sylvans: Galadhrim Minstrel.
Arwen discards Elwing's Flight to add a resource to Cirdan's pool. Narya played on Cirdan. Steward of Gondor played on Cirdan. Steward exhausted to add two resources to Cirdan. Guardian of Rivendell played down, Protector of Lorien and The Evening Star discarded. Sylvans play Daeron's Runes, drawing Woodland Corier and Host of Galadhrim, discarding Galahdrim Ministrel. Galadriel exhausts to have Sylvans lower their threat (32) and draw a card: Galadhrim Healer. O Lorien! played on Celeborn. Galahdrim Minstrel played down, finding The Tree People. O Lorien! exhausted and Woodland Courier played (ability fizzles due to no locations).
Sailing time! Shift to off-course. Exhausting 3 to the test (Guardian of Rivendell, Galadhrim Ministrel, Woodland Courier). Three successes, so we're back on course!
Questing time! Both ships, Cirdan, and Arwen committed to the test. Total Willpower: 20. It's risky, but I'm going to chance on the ships taking some damage to try and blow (is that a pun?) past this stage.
Noldor reveals: Ominous Fate. Each party raises their threat by 1 (Noldor: 32, Sylvans: 33). Card added to victory display. Surge. Thunderstruck. Dang, the encounter deck just wants to slam me with both campaign treacheries. I'd think I didn't shuffle, but these were under sailing test cards.
Sylvans reveal: Fog Bank.
Total threat: 5. Noldor plays Elrond's Counsel to lower their threat to 29. 15 progress is placed on 1B, exploring it and adding it to the victory display. The top two 2As are Cursed Mists and Into the Storm. We're going Into the Storm! Waterspout is added to the staging area. Advancing to 2B.
Travel to the Fog Bank
Thunderstruck does one damage to Guardian of Rivendell. Noldor's hand is discarded. Ready. Raise (Noldor: 30, Sylvans: 34). Token passes to the Sylvans.
Round 2
Resources! Cards! Sylvans draw: A Test of Will. Noldor draws: Sailor of Lune, A Test of Will, Elwing's Flight, Dwarven Tomb, Will of the West. Discaring: Dwarven Tomb.
Sylvans exhaust O Lorien! and play Orophin, putting a Galahdrim Minstrel back in hand from the discard pile.
Noldor exhausts Steward of Gondor to add two resources to Cirdan. Sailor of Lune is played.
Let's Sail Away! Shift off-course. Committing four characters to the test: Galadhrim Minstrel, Woodland Courier, Orophin, Sailor of Lune. Two successes. Back on course!
Sylvans play The Tree People to return Woodland Courier to to hand, finding Galadhrim Weaver and putting her into play, shuffling Daeron's Runes back into the deck.
Time to quest. Elrond, Celeborn, Galadhrim Weaver, Cirdan, Arwen and the Dream-chaser all commit to the test. Total Willpower: 20.
Sylvans reveal: Rolling Seas.
Noldor reveals: Winds of Wrath. We're on-course, so no effect.
Total threat: 9. Noldor plays Elwing's Flight to ready Cirdan and raise willpower to 22 (I'm planning on shuffling the deck and I want everything in the discard). 5 progress placed on Fog Bank, exploring it. 8 progress placed on 2B, exploring it and adding it to the victory display. 2A options are: Calphon's Divination and The Star's Guidance. Advancing to the Star's Guidance. Starlit Sea is placed in the staging area. Advance to 2B. Travel to Starlit Sea.
Arwen discards A Test of Will to add a resource to Cirdan. Cirdan plays Will of the West, shuffling the Noldor discard into its deck and removing the card from play. Galadriel exhausts to lower Sylvans threat (33) and draw a card: The Tree People (where are my rings!).
Thunderstruck does one damage to Guardian of Rivendell. Ready. Raise (Noldor: 31, Sylvan: 34). Token passes to Noldor.
Round 3
Money money money. And cards cards cards. Noldor: Imladris Caregiver, Elrond's Counsel, Guardian of Rivendell, Gandalf, The Galadhrim's Greetings. Discarding: the Galadhrim's Greetings. Sylvans draw: Nenya (riiiing!).
Noldor plays Imladris Caregiver and Guardian of Rivendell, discarding Elrond's Counsel and Gandalf.
Sylvan playes Nenya on Galadriel. Woodland Courier is played, putting a progress on the active Starlit Sea. Galadhrim Minstrel is played, finding nothing in the top 5 cards.
Come sail away! Shift off course. Committing 4 to the test: Imladris Caregiver, Sailor of Lune, Galadhrim Minstrel, Galahdrim Weaver. One success (phew). Back on course.
Questing with: Arwen, Cirdan, Erestor, Celeborn, the new Galadhrim Minstrel, Woodland Courier. Total willpower: 16.
Come sail away, Come sail away, Come sail away with me
Noldor reveals: Winds of Wrath. On course, no effect.
Sylvans reveal: Rough Waters
Total threat: 11. One progress is placed on Starlit Sea, exploring it. Four progress are placed on 2B, exploring it and adding it to the staging area. Advance to 3A. Light Cruiser is added from the discard pile to the staging area. Advance to stage 3B. Travel to Rough Waters.
(While looking at the encounter deck for 3A, I also noted that there are 2/9 cards remaining with steering symbols).
Exhaust Galadriel to lower Sylvan's Threat (33) and draw a card: Feigned Voices.
Thunderstruck does one damage to the second Guardian of Rivendell. Ready. Raise (Noldor: 32, Sylvans 34). Pass token to Sylvans.
Round 4
Resources & cards!
Sylvans draw: Galadhrim Healer.
Noldor draws: Elwing's Flight, Protector of Lorien, To the Sea, to the Sea!, the Evening Star, Elvish Jeweler. Discarding: To the Sea, to the Sea!
Galadriel exhausts to lower Noldor's threat (31) and draw them a card: The Evening Star. Greenwood Archer comes down, readying Galadriel. Galadriel exhausts again to lower Noldor's threat (30) and draw them a card: To the Sea, to the Sea!. Sylvans play Hosts of Galadhrim. All five allies return to hand and are played one at a time. Greenwood Archer readies Galadriel. Woodland Courier puts a progress on Roiling Seas (staging). Galadhim Minstrel #1 finds The Tree People. Shuffle. Minstrel #2 finds: The Tree People. Orophim returns nothing to hand. Weaver shuffles nothing back into the deck. The Tree People returns Galadhrim Weaver to hand and puts Henamarth Riversong into play. Henamarth exhausts to see a steering wheel card on top (Thrown Off Course)! The Tree People returns Henamarth to hand and sees two Gandalf's but can't put those in play. O Lorien! exhausts. Henamarth is back in play.
Noldor's turn. Arwen discards The Evening Star to add a resource to Erestor. Erestor plays The Evening Star to put two progress on Roiling Seas (staging), exploring it, and two progress on Rough Waters (active). Protector of Lorien and To the Sea, to the Sea! are discarded to put Elven Jeweler into play for free.
Smooth sailing! Move off-course. Commit the most damaged Defender of Rivendell. Reveal the already-seen card and we're back on course!
Questing all in, with Galadriel held back for now. Total Willpower: 39
Sylvans reveal: Sudden Storms. I choose to deal 1 damage to each exhausted character (which does not count all the Sylvan 1hp allies!). Everyone lives except the Guradian of Rivendell who sailed.
Noldor reveals: Waterspout.
Total threat: 11. Galadriel exhausts to add her willpower to Celeborn, raising the total willpower to 43. Noldor plays Elwings Flight, readying Cirdan and raising willpower to 44. One progress placed on Rough Waters, exploring it. 32 progress placed on Stage 3B, leaving the Corsairs in the dust!
Final Score: 90 (30 for completed rounds, 30 threat for Noldor, 34 threat for Sylvans, 5 damage on heroes and 9 points in the victory display). Subtracting excess progress on the final stage and/or excess damage on the final enemy who needs to be defeated would have been a great addition to scoring.
Campaign Resolution
- Ominous Fate added to the Campaign Pool
- 2XP (two players, on course, but Ominous Fate in the victory display)
Parting Thoughts
The Sylvan deck definitely exploded, but Noldor didn't quite have the punch I had hoped. Missing so many attachments from the Dwarrowdelf cycle really hurts this version of the deck. And, not engaging any enemies, I didn't see the healing side of the Sylvans this time around.
The quest was a fun race. Now seeing different achievements for XP, it would be fun to do this again with a goal towards checking everything off in one run. This time, I was a nice challenge to see if I could keep my willpower growing faster than the threat and aim for a crazy blow-out at the end.
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