Guest Campaign: Heirs of Numenor Part 2

Last time around, Thomas R. began planning a thematic campaign against Heirs of Numenor, focusing on a good narrative rather than following strict campaign rules. This time around, he begins the journey with Peril in Pelargir. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Ian–

Hello folks. It took me some time to manage to translate this article, with the great help of a friend. But here I am! After presenting my deck and the strategy I will use, here is the report of the game. As does Ian, I will not explain what the shadow cards do if they do not change the game. For example, if it increases the attack when the defender is a chump blocker who was meant to die anyway.

The flavor text is in blue.

First Hand: Steward of Gondor x2, Gondorian Shield, Snowbourn Scout, Guard of the citadel, Firefoot

A very good first hand: I have already two of the key attachments, namely the Steward of Gondor and the Gondorian Shield. With most of the enemies attacking for 3, even a single point of defense can make quite a difference for my 2-defense heroes. I also already have Firefoot for Éomer, which allows me to transform him into an incredible quester. Finally, the Snowbourn Scout is a great first draw, as he helps me to explore the Leaping Fish on top of his role of BCBSC (Best Chump Blocker Before Squire of the Citadel). I obviously won’t mulligan.

For thematic reasons (you’ll understand while reading the flavor text), I attach the scroll to Imrahil, put a Harbor Thug in the staging area and the Leaping Fish as the active location. I am ready to go!

Prince Imrahil was worried. Yet, his mission as envoy from Gondor at the White Council was a success, and the Wise had promised to lend their help for keeping at bay the rising threat from the East. One member of the council, Gandalf, had even proposed to sail with him to Pelargir. In the city, he told Imrahil, the Prince would find a precious ally. But when Imrahil asked more about this friend of the kingdom, the wizard contented himself with a mysterous smile: “Oh, but he is far more than just a friend of Gondor”.

Once they arrived at the port city, Gandalf disappeared in the city streets, and Imrahil received a strange summons. Lord Alcaron, a respected noble, had asked that he join him in a tavern for a private meeting.

Imrahil was truly worried. The Leaping Fish, the tavern where the meeting would take place, was located in one of the worst districts of the city. The summons explicitly mentioned that Imrahil should be as discreet as possible, so Imrahil had left his horse with some members from his escort,a few streets before the tavern, and he had walked the rest of the way. Trusting his bad feeling, he had secretly sent some of his men to scout the neighborhood.

The tavern matched perfectly what the Prince feared: dreary, full of unfriendly sailors and dockers. His entry was noticed. He noticed some sidelong glances, and the room briefly got silent, but it was almost imperceptible. The talking resumed so quickly that the silence seemed to have never existed.

Since his entry had not gone unnoticed, he thought to himself that the young man sitting in the back also must have made a considerable impression when he had entered. Leather armor peeked out from under his under his coat which bore a horse head, and he had a sword in a green scabbard beside him. A noble Rohirrim, without any doubt, but his odd presence did not seem to surprise the other customers that much.

***

Éomer could not wait to leave. Since he had arrived in the Gondorian city, he had been feeling home-sick. The little streets and buildings stressed him too much, he who had, until then, only known the unending plains of Rohan. But it was the rule for every young Rohirrim to discover the surrounding kingdoms when he become an adult. Éomer had had to leave with a small escort and very little wealth to travel across Gondor. Once they arrived in Pelargir, they could not find any place where they could afford the price of a room, except the Leaping Fish tavern, an old, rough pub. Well, it was part of the journey. He remembered the loud silence that followed his entry in the tavern, which lasted until him and his men had left the main hall. The next day however, the customers got used to his presence, and, as he did not try to talk with them, they left him in peace. Today was his last day in Pelargir, and his men had left to find a boat that would take them.

Éomer was lost in these thoughts when he noticed a pause in the tavern’s talks. Looking at the entrance, he saw that a man had just entered. His looks showed that he was here for the first time. Even though he was poorly dressed, his face could not go unnoticed: his fine features were too Elvish for the men of the city. Éomer frowned; the chatting had already resumed. Something was wrong.

***

Imrahil noticed a man that was making signs from a table. With a good look, he recognized Alcaron, who was far better than him at blending in. As he walked to him, he also noticed a man smoking a pipe in a corner of the room. His face was under a hood, but Imrahil could swear that he was staring at him. He could not look more closely, as Alcaron had already started talking: “Prince, I am sorry for this summons, but time is running out. Things are moving fast, and I fear for the kingdom. Your presence in the city is a blessing. I have an important message for Faramir, but I do not trust any of my men. I sense a conspiracy, and can trust no one. Take this missive, and bring it to Ithilien as fast as you can. It can not fall into the hand of the Enemy.”

As he was talking, Lord Alcaron handed a scroll to Imrahil, “Leave now, before … Oh no.” In the doorway, a huge man had appeared. His ugly features betrayed some troll blood, and he was holding a club. Imrahil heard blades unsheathe, and saw that several customers were standing, staring at him.

***

Turn 1, stage 1, 0/6 progress, threat: 33
Active Location: Leaping Fish
Staging Area: Harbor Thug
Draw: Firefoot
New Hand: Steward of Gondor x2, Gondorian Shield, Snowbourn Scout, Guard of the citadel, Firefoot x2

Well, I do not start with a very good first draw. Oh well, my starting hand is already very good.

Planning: Without hesitation, I play Steward of Gondor on Aragorn. He is the best recipient, as I can always use extra resources to use his ability. I immediately use it (I will use it at the beginning of every turn so I won’t specify that anymore) in order to play the Snowbourn Scout and put one progress token on the Leaping Fish. I then play the Gondorian Shield on Imrahil. I could “lose” Aragorn because of Local Trouble, so I prefer having Imrahil as a defender I can rely on.

Putting away his coat,  Imrahil grabbed the shield with the white tree on his back. He then realized that the hooded man was already standing beside him. Before Imrahil could attack, the man told him, “Prince, I am your friend, I go by the name of Thorongil, and I have already helped the Steward in the past. Let me help you.” Imrahil nodded to accept this help. It would not be unnecessary, as the bandits were closing in on them. At this moment, a man also wearing a horse-headed coat entered the tavern, surprised by what he found.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 1, Éomer: 0

Quest phase: I really want to explore the Leaping Fish on the first turn to avoid being overwhelmed by enemies. I use all of my heroes for questing, while readying Aragorn with his last resource. I still have 3 potential defenders (the Scout, Aragorn and Imrahil if the Scout dies), and that should be enough for a first turn.

The fight began. Aragorn and Imrahil tried to repel their assailants, but as they felt they were about to be overwhelmed, somebody shouted “Eorlingas !”: Éomer had knocked over a table and rushed into the fight. His sword surprised the attackers who stepped back before the young Rohirrim. “Allow me to join you, as the name of Thorongil is not unknown in the kingdom of Rohan, and because everyone who wears the white tree can count on my people.”

Staging: First, I must start with the Leaping Fish effect. Luckily, the card that is discarded is not an enemy (Note: I read the card again and realized that the Leaping Fish effect should be triggered before sending heroes to the quest. As the way I play makes the game harder, it is not an issue. Well, except I am sure I could have won much more often in the past.)

So, let’s draw my first real encounter card. I am not pleased at all to see a Zealous Traitor. Well, too bad for my Scout.

I have an attack of 9 against 4 threat in the staging area. It is just what I need to clear the Leaping Fish. Thanks Mister Scout, we’ll put flowers on your grave. (By the way, I really think that the Snowbourn Scout is a wonderful card)

With the help from the Rohirrim warrior who prevented the thugs from blocking the door, Alcaron, Aragorn, Imrahil and Éomer managed to leave the tavern, their attackers on their heels.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I can not avoid engaging both enemies, so the Traitor kills my Scout. He did the job. Imrahil readies.

As soon as the heroes escaped from the fray, a dagger, thrown from a little street, drove itself into the  Rohirrim warrior’s throat. He died immediately.

Combat phase: Imrahil defends against the Traitor, and is unharmed thanks to his Shield. Aragorn, however, defends against the Thug, takes one damage, and I must discard one of the attachments I am controlling. As the Steward is more important than the Shield, I discard the latter. Even though I have another Steward in hand, I really want to be able to play the Guard of the Citadel next turn while using Aragorn’s ability. Let’s hope I will find another Shield!

Someone threw another dagger at the heroes, but this time Imrahil managed to deflect it with his shield. Aragorn, the last to go out, tried to repel the thug who had passed the tavern door right behind him. Despite his sword mastery, a vicious blow of his opponent’s club hit him on his left arm, leaving him too stunned to counter attack. The next blow would have killed him, but as the club was coming down, Imrahil managed to block it with his shield, which was shattered by the strength of the attack.

***

Turn 2, stage 1, 0/6 progress, threat: 34
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Knight of the Swan
New Hand: Steward of Gondor, Knight of the Swan, Guard of the Citadel, Firefoot x2

Another chump blocker just arrived, and I am very happy to see him !

Planning: Two enemies are engaged with me, so I need as many defenders as possible. I will then play the two allies I have in hand, namely the Guard of the Citadel and Knight of the Swan

Warned by the fighting noises, two of Imrahil’s men, one wearing a swan-shaped helmet, appeared to help their prince.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 1, Aragorn: 1, Éomer: 0

Quest phase: As I really want to kill both of my opponents, I only send Imrahil and Aragorn in the quest, readying Aragorn.

Staging: I reveal  Lurking in Shadows. The Traitor goes back in the staging area. It is bad news, because he will kill the Knight of the Swan when I engage him. With an Attack score of 6 against 2 points of threat, I put 4 progress tokens on the first stage.

During this time, Imrahil and Aragorn fought to keep their opponents at bay. Their dexterity was enough to dishearten some of the thugs who ran away.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I have no choice but to willingly engage the Traitor. He kills the Knight of the Swan and the Guard of the Citadel loses a hit point. Never underestimate allies with two hit points. Imrahil readies thanks to the Knight’s sacrifice.

With the arrival of the two Gondorian soldiers, the tide of the battle seemed on the verge of turning, when another dagger, thrown with great dexterity, found a flaw in the Knight of the Swan’s armor, killing him outright. The other soldier, luckier, managed to protect his throat and received a dagger in the arm.

Combat phase: The traitor attacks the Guard and finishes him. Aragorn defends again against the Thug. This time, the shadow card increases its attack by 2. Aragorn receives 3 damage and is one damage away from death. Gulp.

However, it is now time to counterattack. Éomer, boosted by the allies’ death, kills the Traitor (just in case he is sent to the staging area again) and Imrahil inflicts two damage to the Thug.

The wounded Gondorian soldier only had the time to see a hooded figure run toward him to finish him off with a single blow. As the brigand was pulling out the blade from the guard’s body,  Éomer attacked him and avenged his victims.

Aragorn, still stunned by the first blow he had received, barely managed to defend himself against his opponent, who, spotting a weakness, pushed his advantage and managed to hit the Dùnedain’s arm again. A terrible crack was heard as Aragorn arm was smashed and as he was thrown to the ground. Imrahil, having defeated the other attackers, attacked the giant man and managed to pierce his defense. It was not enough to kill him, but the thug was stopped, surprised to see the blood running from his wound.

***

Turn 3, stage 1, 4/6 progress, threat: 35
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Dùnedain Quest
New Hand: Steward of Gondor , Dùnedain Quest, Firefoot x2

Planning: Dùnedain Quest is a very important card for the end of the game. I could keep it in hand, to prevent losing it because of a shadow card, but I prefer protecting my Steward of Gondor. On top of that, a Pickpocket could discard it even from my hand. I thus play it on Imrahil. I do not choose Aragorn, a better fit thematically, because of the Local Trouble treachery. I can not play anything else anyway.

Thanks to Imrahil’s attack, Aragorn managed to get back on his feet. The resolute look in his eyes and his determination gave courage again to Imrahil : “If Gondor can rely on such allies, then maybe not everything is lost.”

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 3, Éomer: 1

Quest phase: Only Aragorn will go questing. I do not have any ally left to defend and ready Imrahil, and I need Éomer for combat. Of course, Aragorn uses his ability to ready himself.

“Prince, we need to get to the boat before more arrive, follow me.” said Aragorn.

Staging: Speak of the devil, the Pickpocket appears. All in all, this is not a bad card at this time, as I should be able to dispatch him this turn. However, I do not make any progress.

As he started running towards the docks, Aragorn collided with a passer-by who was turning at the corner, and could not go further. The newly arrived man, unsurprised by the spectacle before him, apologized and resumed walking toward the Leaping Fish.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I must engage the Pickpocket.

Combat phase: Imrahil defends against the Thug and takes one damage. He also loses the scroll, and the Thug grabs it. I take the risk of leaving the Pickpocket‘s attack undefended, and he only deals one damage to Éomer. He makes me lose one resource and the second copy of the Steward in my hand. In any case, I could have afforded losing any card in my hand.

Éomer and Aragorn attack the Thug and Pickpocket and kill them. I cleared the board and things are looking good.

The thug, who had come to, threw himself at Imrahil. The prince, who wasn’t used to fighting without a shield, was also harmed, dropping the scroll that Alcaron had given him. The thug quickly grabbed it. He was maybe too quick, as Éomer was already upon him and finally killed him.

The Rohirrim’s victory was short-lived, as he felt a pain in his back. When he turned, he saw the passer-by who had bumped into Aragorn, a knife ready to strike again. He never finished his move, because Aragorn, his surprise over, had come to help and took the pickpocket’s life.

***

Turn 4, stage 1, 4/6 progress, threat: 36
Active Location: none
Staging Area: Alcaron’s scroll
Draw: Errand Rider
New Hand: Errand Rider, Firefoot x2

Planning: I am really pleased to draw a new cannon fod… hum, precious ally I mean, even more so as it is such a cheap one. I immediately play it, as well as Firefoot on Éomer.

At this moment, they heard hoofbeats: one of Imrahil’s horsemen rode into view, holding by the bridle the two horses of the Gondorian soldiers who had just given their lives, as well as Imrahil’s mount. “Mount the horses, fast” shouted Imrahil as he jumped on his horse’s saddle. Alcaron and Aragorn were already on the ownerless ones, but Aragorn refused to leave: “We cannot leave our young friend here!” “Do not concern yourself with me” Éomer answered. “I have my own mount, and even if you wanted to, you would not manage to leave me behind.” As the others rushed forward,  Éomer whistled. A noise of cracking wood was heard, and a magnificent Mearas galloped out of the  tavern’s stable.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 3, Éomer: 0

Quest phase: Stage 1 is almost complete, so I do not need to send all of my heroes to quest. Aragorn and Imrahil should be enough, and Aragorn readies himself.

Trusting the Rohan rider, and certain that he would catch up with them, Aragorn and Imrahil galloped in the little streets, followed by lord Alcaron and the squire.

Staging: It’s been a long time since I last saw en enemy, right? Well, this time it’s the Lossarnach Bandit who shows his nasty face (Well I guess, I can’t see with the hood). With an attack of 6 against a threat of 3, I clear stage 1 and go to stage 2.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I engage the Bandit and Aragorn loses one resource.

Combat phase: The Errand Rider sacrifices himself against the Bandit, but is immediately avenged by Éomer who attacks for 7 (+2 with Firefoot, +2 with the death of the rider). Imrahil readies himself and grabs the scroll. I know I said it was not a big deal to leave it in the staging area. However, I have to use my available hero and grab it.

As the riders moved away from the tavern, a hooded bandit jumped from a roof directly on the squire’s horse, murdering him in the same move. Éomer, carried at high speed by his horse Firefoot, killed the new attacker with a single blow, without even stopping: “You forgot this!” he shouted, throwing the scroll at Imrahil.

***

Turn 5, stage 2, 0/13 progress, threat: 37
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Envoy of Pelargir
New Hand: Envoy of Pelargir, Firefoot

Planning: Another ally who allows me to send all of my heroes questing with my mind at peace. No reason not to play the Envoy, with one resource from Aragorn and Imrahil and one resource going on Éomer, in case some Tactics cards show up.

One of the sailor’s from Imrahil’s boat then appeared, running and shouting: “Prince! Some bandits are trying to take over the ship!”

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 3, Éomer: 2

Quest phase: I want to go as fast as possible. I know that no more than one enemy will be revealed, so I can safely send my 3 heroes questing. Aragorn readies himself.

The whole company rushed again through the streets.

Staging: Pelargir Docks

Finally a location! I am going to have one quiet turn. My 11 points of attack against the 4 threat of the docks allow me to put 7 progress on stage 2.

Travel phase: There is absolutely no reason not to travel to the Docks.

At high speed, they reached the docks.

Encounter phase: none

Combat phase: none

***

Turn 6, stage 2, 7/13 progress, threat: 38
Active Location: Pelargir Docks
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Dùnedain Quest
New Hand: Dùnedain Quest, Firefoot

Planning: Stage 3 is quickly approaching, it is time to be ready for it. I am thus very happy to see another willpower boost. I immediately play it on Imrahil.

Being forced to run away weighed heavily on Imrahil’s mind. But when he looked at Aragorn, proud and determined, leading the group despite his wound, Imrahil regained courage.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 4, Éomer: 3

Quest phase: I want to finish this stage this turn, so again I send all my heroes in the quest, with Aragorn readying himself.

Staging: Another new Thug appears. With two threat in the staging area, I just have enough to clear the Docks and stage 2. Stage 3 forces me to choose one enemy and add it to the staging area. I choose the Pickpocket, because he won’t do too much damage, and he can be killed with one swing of any hero. I take it from the encounter deck, as it also prevents me from having to face his threat later in the game.

After passing through the docks, they finally arrived in sight of the ship. A fight had broken out in front of the footbridge, and the sailors were trying to prevent to attackers from boarding it. “Go!” Lord Alcaron said. “I cannot leave the city yet. Bring the message to Faramir as fast as possible”, then he turned and disappeared into the city streets.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I can not optionally engage any enemy, but my threat is too high to prevent them from engaging anyway. I will have to face both of them this turn.

Combat phase: The Envoy defends against the Thug, and is killed by the attack. Imrahil readies himself. The Pickpocket’s attack is undefended. I lose one resource from Éomer, as well as the only card in my hand. The shadow card redirects the attack towards Imrahil, who takes one damage and the Pickpocket grabs the scroll. This is rather a good thing, as it prevents the forced effect of stage 3, namely that the first enemy revealed each round makes an attack against the player controling the hero holding the scroll. Anyway, the Pickpocket does not keep it for long, as Imrahil kills him. Aragorn deals one damage to the Thug. (And I think I made a huge mistake here : I should have killed the Thug, because the Pickpocket cannot really harm me, contrary to the thug).

The heroes ran toward the boat, but soon enough another huge man, strangely similar to one from the tavern, stood before them. With a single blow of his club, he killed the sailor who was with the group. Aragorn struck back to avenge him and managed to wound the colossus.

Imrahil wanted to help as well, but as he was preparing his attack, he felt a pain in the thigh and was taken down from his horse: another thug had stabbed him and stole the scroll. He did not keep it for long, as Imrahil, furious, put him down with his sword.

***

Turn 7, stage 3, 0/15 progress, threat: 39
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Envoy of Pelargir
New Hand: Envoy of Pelargir

Planning: There is no reason not to play this Envoy, this time with 2 leadership resources and the one I just gained going on Aragorn.

The sailors managed to repel their assailants, and one of them started running toward the heroes to help them.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0, Aragorn: 5, Éomer: 3

Quest phase: Éomer, with only one point of willpower, won’t be of any help for the quest, so only Aragorn and Imrahil will go questing, Aragorn readying.

Staging: A new Thug appears, attacks and kill the Envoy (Note: While translating the article, I read again the effect on the stage card, and I realized I was playing it wrong: the effect works only if one of your heroes is holding the scroll, and as this was not the case, he should not have attacked me! Just in case the scenario was too simple, I simply added more difficulty. This mistake could have cost me the game.) With 3 willpower against 2 threat, I put 4 progress tokens on the quest.

The sailor only had the time to take one step before being mowed down by a vicious strike from another thug.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: I engage the Thug.

Combat phase: With no more allies, Imrahil, who readied with the death of the Envoy, is forced to defend against one of the Thugs and receives one damage. For the other one, Éomer has to defend as Aragorn would not survive another blow. It’s a shame as Éomer would have killed both opponents with Firefoot. Unfortunately, the shadow card increases the attack by 2 and Éomer is knocked out! It is a hard blow, and it probably means the game is lost. (Note: I was very absent-minded during this round, as I completely forgot to use Aragorn for attacking. Doh!)

Imrahil tried to help Aragorn, who had trouble protecting himself with his wounded arm. The thug was moving faster than expected considering his size, and he wounded Imrahil as well.

Éomer rushed to meet the second one, but his opponent was prepared, and before the rider could react, a monstrous strike knocked him unconscious. The others were too shocked to react.

***

Turn 8, stage 3, 4/15 progress, threat: 40
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Gandalf
New Hand: Gandalf
Planning: Thank Eru! Although everything seemed lost, everyone’s favorite wizard just shows up! I immediately play him, using his enters play effect to kill the unharmed Thug.

With the two colossi on the point of killing the wounded heroes, everything seemed lost. But then a loud and deep voice shouted something, and a thunderbolt stroke one of the attackers. Gandalf had arrived!

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 1, Aragorn: 2

Quest phase: Time is running out, and I need to finish the scenario quickly. My 3 characters will go questing, and Aragorn readies. I am taking a risk here, as I will only be able to defend one attack. However, I cannot waste the willpower boost provided by Gandalf.

The wizard spoke in an unknown language to Éomer’s mount, and the horse rushed forward and took his rider with him onto the boat. The horse’s run took aback the attackers on the pier and created a path to the boat. Gandalf seized this opportunity, followed by Aragorn and Imrahil.

Staging: If I draw an enemy, the game is certainly lost. I feel very lucky while drawing the Collateral Damage treachery. With 3 other copies of it in the discard pile, I need to discard 8 cards from the encounter deck. That’s just the number of cards left in the encounter deck. I discard 3 locations, and my threat is increased by 6. It is rather a good draw, as with no threat in the staging area, I can put 10 tokens on the quest. Only one left to win the game!

They managed to step on the footbridge, Aragorn being last. A sinister noise was heard: a damaged plank, collateral damage of the Mearas’s rush, broke apart, and Aragorn stumbled.

Travel phase: There is no location in the staging area.

Encounter phase: There is no enemy in the staging area.

Combat phase: The encounter deck is empty, so no shadow card will be dealt to the Thug. However, it won’t be enough to save Aragorn. He defends but falls under the attack of the Thug. I prefer to kill him rather than Imrahil, because Imrahil has a higher willpower thanks to his attachments. With Aragorn leaving play, Imrahil readies himself and avenges him. Gandalf leaves play.

Aragorn barely remained standing before being hit by the last thug and fainting before he had the time to kill his assailant. Imrahil counter attacked and killed him instead. Gandalf then grabbed Aragorn and put him on his shoulder to take him on the ship. “Come prince!” he shouted. “Not yet, I need to take the scroll back”.

***

Turn 9, stage 3, 14/15 progress, threat: 47
Active Location: none
Staging Area: empty
Draw: Guard of the Citadel
New Hand: Guard of the Citadel
Planning: I play the Guard for what I hope is the last turn.

While Imrahil rushed to finally grab the scroll, the last guard from his escort finally managed to get to the boat.

Resources after planning: Imrahil: 0

Quest phase: This is a no-brainer : I want to finish the game now, so Imrahil is questing for the win. (I kept the Guard back because I thought that if an enemy was revealed, it would attack me… Advice for the future: read the cards carefully!)

Staging: I shuffle the encounter discard pile to create a new encounter deck and I draw… Collateral Damage! I need to discard two cards. If both are locations, I lose, otherwise I win. First card discarded is… an enemy! I put the last progress token on the stage. At the end of the turn, Imrahil readies, and I immediatly exhaust him to grab the scroll and win the game!

Imrahil grabbed the scroll while the guard climbed on the boat, and he ran towards the boat. The  footbridge broke off just behind him, taking the last attackers with it. Unmoored from the pier, the ship could leave the harbor. The heroes had escaped, and the trip would barely be long enough for them to recover from their wounds and prepare themselves for what was coming.

Commentary: Well, that was close! That’s the way I like my games, with a good eucatastrophic ending. I lost two heroes along the way, but I finally managed to win. My two mistakes definitely made the game harder, as I would have kept all of my heroes in the end of turn 7 with the board cleared of encounter cards. Well, it made for a very good ending, so it’s a good thing. And to be honest, I might not have played so aggressively had all my heroes still been there, and I could have lost because of the threat. Here, I was forced to take a risk, and it was for the best.

What I can remember from this game is that action advantage can be really powerful against very aggressive scenarios like this one, especially with an aggro deck

Mithrandir and Imrahil bringing hope, by Abe Papakhian. I could not hope for a better ending illustration !

Well, the next scenarios will be harder, as Peril in Pelargir is the easiest of the Heirs of Numenor box. Given the fact that I have never beaten Into Ithilien and never played Siege of Cair Andros at the time of writing this article, things won’t be easy!

Thanks to Hall of Beorn for providing the card images, and thanks to my friend Maël who helped me doing the translation.