Immune to player card effects. The players cannot travel here.
The Black Gate gets +1 for each resource on it.
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, place 1 resource here and raise each player's threat by 1.
The great doors of the Black Gate swung back wide. Out of it streamed a great host as swiftly as swirling waters when a sluice is lifted.
–The Return of the King
Immune to player card effects.
X is the number of characters controlled by the player with the most characters.
While Towers of the Teeth is the active location, players cannot play allies.
...now near loomed the great rampart of Cirith Gorgor, and the Black Gate amidmost, and the Two Towers of the Teeth tall and dark upon either side.
–The Return of the King
While Beleaguered Hills is the active location, reduce the total in the staging area by X, where X is the total of each engaged enemy.
Forced: After Beleaguered Hills becomes the active location, each player engages a non-unique enemy in the staging area.
The onslaught of Mordor broke like a wave on the beleaguered hills... –The Return of the King
While Waste of Dagorlad is the active location, treat the printed text box of each ally as if it were blank (except for Traits).
SO desolate were those places and so deep the horror that lay on them that some of the host were unmanned.
–The Return of the King
Forced: When Slopes of Cirith Gorgor leaves play. the first player shuffles the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and discards cards from the top until an enemy is discarded. Then, he puts that enemy into play engaged with him.
...they knew that all the hills and rocks about the Morannon were filled with hidden foes...
–The Return of the King
Forced: After Reeking Moat becomes the active location, choose a non-unique, non-Nazg没l enemy in the staging area and place it facedown under Reeking Moat.
Forced: When Reeking Moat leaves play, put each enemy under it into play engaged with the first player.
...towards Mordor lay like a moat a great mire of reeking mud and foul–smelling pools.
–The Return of the King
While Wall of Morannon is the active location, each enemy and location in the staging area is immune to player card effects.
Forced: After Wall of Morannon becomes of the active location, return each engaged enemy to the staging area.
...behind the Morannon were the tunnels and deep armouries that the servants of Mordor had made for the defence of the Black Gate...
–The Return of the King
6
5
11
Immune to player card effects. Cannot leave the staging area.
Forced: After a player cancels a 'when revealed' effect, The Mouth of Sauron makes an immediate attack against that player.
The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad–d鈥搑 he was...
–The Return of the King
6
4
9
Cannot have non-Morgul attachments.
Forced: After Nazg没l of Mordor attacks, either raise your threat by 4, or return Nazg没l of Mordor to the staging area.
...out of the gathering mirk the Nazg没l came with their cold voices crying words of death; and then all hope was quenched.
–The Return of the King
7
3
8
Cannot have attachments.
Forced: After Gorgoroth Hill-troll attacks and destroys a character, the defending player discards a random card from his and hand and raises his threat by that card's printed cost.
...these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that they threw down.
–The Return of the King
3
1
4
When Revealed: Deal 1 damage to a questing character you control.
Shadow: After this attack, attacking enemy engages the next player then makes an attack.
4
3
4
When Revealed: Choose a questing character you control and remove it from the quest.
Shadow: Defending character cannot ready until the end of the round.
When Revealed: Either search the encounter deck, discard pile, and victory display for a Nazg没l enemy and add it to the staging area, or attach Hell-hawk to a Nazg没l enemy in play. (Counts as a Mount attachment with the text: "Limit 1 per enemy. Attached enemy gets +2 +2 +2 and is immune to play card effects.")
When Revealed: Each player must choose: either raise your threat by 1 for each character you control, or discard the highest cost ally you control.
Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.
When Revealed: Each player assigns X damage among characters he controls, where X is the number of resources on The Black Gate.
Shadow: Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 for each resource on The Black Gate.
When Revealed: The Mouth of Sauron makes an immediate attack against you. If this attack destroys a character, raise your threat by 4.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+3 instead if it is The Mouth of Sauron).
When Revealed: Each player deals 1 damage to a questing character he controls. Until the end of the phase, each damaged character gets -1
and cannot be healed.
Shadow: Choose a non-unique enemy in the staging area. Engage it and deal it a shadow card.
Aragorn has led the Men of the West to the very Gate of Mordor in a perilous gamble to keep the Eye of Sauron focused on him. After challenging the Dark Lord to come forth and face judgement, the Black Gate opens and an embassy from Barad–d鈥搑 rides out led by The Mouth of Sauron.
Setup: Add The Black Gate and The Mouth of Sauron to the staging area. Set Gwaihir aside, out of play. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Dire.When Revealed: In player order, each player places the top card of his deck faceup in front of him until their are a total of 4 faceup player cards between the players. Place the top 4 cards of the encounter deck faceup. Starting with the highest cost player card, pair each player card with the highest threat encounter card remaining until their are 4 pairs. For each pair, the first player must choose: either discard both cards in the pair, or reveal the encounter card to play the player card at no cost.
He gave a great cry, and turned, leaded upon his steed, and with his company galloped madly back to Cirith Gorgor. But as they went his soldiers blew their horns in signal long arranged: and even before they came to the gate Sauron sprang his trap. –The Return of the King
When Revealed: Each player searches the encounter deck and discard pile for a different Orc, Troll, or Nazg没l enemy and adds it to the staging area. Shuffle Gwaihir into the encounter deck.
Dire. During the staging step, the first player does not reveal an encounter card as normal. Instead, he reveals 1 encounter card for each resource on The Black Gate.
Forced: After the players quest unsuccessfully, discard the active location.
This stage cannot be defeated. Each round the players survive gives the Ring-bearer more time to fulfill the quest to Mount Doom.
Setup: Each player may change heroes he controls without incurring the +1 threat penalty. The first player may raise each player's threat by 1 to search his deck for Anduril and add it to his hand. Remove each burden with the following burden set icons from the encounter deck: A Shadow of the Past, Flight to the Ford, The Ring Goes South, The Passage of the Marshes, Shelob's Lair
They were come to the last end of their folly, and stood forlorn and chill in the grey light of early day before towers and walls which their army could not assault with hope...
–The Return of the King
Resolution: Record the number of resource tokens on The Black Gate in the notes section of the campaign log. If a Wraith on Wings is in the victory display, remove that copy from the campaign pool. If the first player controls Gwaihir, add him to the campaign pool. The players have earned that boon. If a hero is in its controller's discard pile, do not add that hero's name to the list of fallen heroes.
"So it ends as I guessed it would," his thought said, even as it fluttered away; and it laughed a little within him ere it fled, almost gay it seemed to be casting off at last all doubt and care and fear. And then even as it winged away into forgetfulness it heard voices, and they seemed to be crying in some forgotten world far above: "The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!"
–The Return of the King