While Cursed Temple is the active location, characters with less than 2
do not ready during the refresh phase.
It was not long before he had bewitched the King and was master of his counsel... -The Return of the King
Cannot have player card attachments.
Forced: After Lost Island becomes the active location, flip it over.
Action: Remove 4 progress from Lost Island to look at its facedown side.
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5
Eye of the Beast cannot attack.
While Eye of the Beast is engaged with a player, The Thing in the Depths attacks that player during the combat phase (deal and resolve a shadow card for this attack).
"You have to go after Sahír!" Imrahil yells as the battle rages on. "We will finish this fight!"
When Revealed: The players make engagement checks against each enemy in the staging area. Raider Flagship gets -50 engagement cost during these engagement checks.
Raider Flagship gets -50 engagement cost.
Break Through the Fleet! has +5 quest points for each Ship enemy in play.
If this stage is defeated, or if Raider Flagship is in the victory display, the players have broken through the Corsair fleet and win the game!
If Sea-ward Tower is free of encounters, add it to the staging area, controlled by the players.
While the players control Sea-ward Tower, look at 2 additional cards from the top of the encounter deck during each Sailing test.
Attach to Prince Imrahil.
Price Imrahil gains the Outlands trait.
While you control Outlands allies that belong to 4 different spheres, add 1 additional resource to Prince Imrahil's resource pool when you collect resources during the resource phase (if Prince Imrahil is a hero).
“Soon there will be battle on the fields. A sortie must be made ready.”
–Gandalf, The Return of the King
Limit 1 copy of Prepare for Battle in the victory display.
While this quest is in the victory display, the first player draws an additional card during the resource phase.
One of the captives stumbles for exhaustion, and the noise alerts the guards.
When Revealed: The first player adds Uruk Chieftain to the staging area. Each player chooses a hero he controls, discards all tokens and attachments from it, and attaches it to an unattached enemy in the staging area as a captive. Then, the players make a standard series of engagement checks against each enemy in the staging area. Reduce the engagement cost of each enemy not guarding an objective to 0 during these engagement checks.
Horns echo through the dungeon, and the Orcs come running with weapons drawn. You will have to fight past them to escape.
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, discard cards from the encounter deck until an enemy is discarded and add that enemy to the staging area.
The players cannot defeat this stage while a guarded objective is in play. If the players defeat this stage, they win the game.
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The first player gains control of Poros Garrison.
Immune to player card effects.
You can optionally engage an additional enemy during the encounter phase.
If Poros Garrison leaves play, the players lose the game.
Attach to a hero.
Attached hero gets +2 and collects an additional resource during the resource phase.
...the necklace of Girion, Lord of Dale, made of five hundred emeralds green as grass, which he gave for the arming of his eldest son...–The Hobbit
Lonely Lands gets +2 for each facedown card under it.
While Lonely Lands is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: After an event is played during the quest phase, place it facedown under Lonely Lands."
Response: Return a Silvan ally you control to your hand to cancel a shadow effect just triggered during combat.
"You would die before your stroke fell."
–Legolas, The Two Towers
The Goblins of Mount Gundabad follow Dagnir in her assault on Hrogar's Hill. Their attacks spread the defense thin across the outer wall.
While Defend the Town is the current quest, reveal an additional encounter card during the quest phase.
Forced: At the end of the encounter phase, deal 1 damage to Hrogar's Hill for each enemy in the staging area.
Attach to a character. Restricted.
Response: After a shadow effect is triggered during combat, exhaust Round Shield to give attached character +2 for this attack.
The lonely plains appear to stretch endlessly in each direction, and you tire just from looking at them.
Each player cannot ready more than 6 characters he controls during the refresh phase.
Response: When this stage is defeated, each player may ready a hero he controls.
Attach to the hero with The One Ring.
Limit 1 per hero. Attached hero gets +1
Response: Exhaust The One Ring and raise your threat by 1 to cancel a shadow effect just triggered during an attack that attached hero is defending.
While The King's Lawn is in the staging area, each player must raise his threat by 1 additional point during the refresh phase.
Travel: Place 1 resource on the main quest.
Guarded (location). Restricted.
Attach to a hero. Attached hero gets +2
You draw 1 additional card during the resource phase.
Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire came over him to climb the tower and see the Sea.
–The Fellowship of the Ring
The tunnels under the Ash Mountains are a vast, dark maze.
During the travel phase, the players must travel to a location, if able.
Forced: When the active location is explored, place 1 resource here.
Progress cannot be placed on this quest unless there are at least 3 resources here.
You cannot choose more than 2 heroes during setup.
Setup: Choose a non-neutral unique ally from your deck and put it into play. Add the sum of that ally's printed , , , and hit points to your starting threat. Then, flip this card over and attach it to that ally.
“I am a messenger of the King,” he said. “You are speaking to the King's friend, and one of the most renowned in all the lands of the West.”
–Pippin, The Return of the King
Attached ally loses the ally card type and gains the hero card type.
Attached character cannot be readied more than once per phase.
Messenger of the King is immune to card effects while attached character is in play. If attached character leaves play, remove Messenger of the King from the game.
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If you control at least 5 Dwarf characters, add 1 additional resource to Thorin Oakenshield's pool when you collect resources during the resource phase.
"I am Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror, King under the Mountain!" –Thorin, The Hobbit
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Response: After you play Fili from your hand during the planning phase, search your deck for Kili and put him into play under your control. Then, shuffle your deck.
"Fili is the youngest and still has the best sight."
–Thorin, The Hobbit
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3 ★
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Response: After you play Kili from your hand during the planning phase, search your deck for Fili and put him into play under your control. Then, shuffle your deck.
"Let us join the throng!"
–The Hobbit
Play during the quest phase, before the staging step.
Action: Deal 2 damage to the first enemy revealed from the encounter deck this phase.
Thorin came last - and he was not caught unawares. He came expecting mischief, and didn't need to see his friends' legs sticking out of sacks to tell him that things were not all well. –The Hobbit
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Response: Pay 1 resource from Balin's resource pool to cancel a shadow effect just triggered during an attack. Then, deal the attacking enemy another shadow card. (Limit once per attack.)
"Well, it is the first time that even a mouse has crept along carefully and quietly under my very nose and not been spotted." –The Hobbit
While Ettenmoors is the active location, do not deal Nazgûl enemies a shadow card during the combat phase.
Forced: After any amount of progress is placed on Ettenmoors reduce the Ring-bearer's life by 1.
Before long Frodo was obliged to dismount and stuggle along on foot. –The Fellowship of the Ring
You are playing in Campaign Mode.
Setup: Each player may change hero cards he controls without incurring the +1 threat penalty. The players have earned the boon cards: Sting, Mithril Shirt, Glamdring, and Andúril. Each player chooses one and adds it to his hand. If any of those boon cards remain unchosen, shuffle them into the first player's deck.
"I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will." –Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Resolution: If Lust for the Ring is attached to a hero, the players have earned that burden.
They were just in time. Sam and Frodo were only a few steps up, and Gandalf had just begun to climb, when the groping tentacles writhed across the narrow shore and fingered the cliff–wall and the doors. One came wriggling over the threshold, glistening in the starlight. Gandalf turned and paused. If he was considering what word would close the gate again from within, there was no need. Many coiling arms seized the doors on either side, and with horrible strength, swung them round. With a shattering echo they slammed, and all light was lost. –The Fellowship of the Ring
In the House of Elrond, the evil wound that Frodo received on Weathertop is healed and he is reunited with his uncle Bilbo. The One Ring cannot remain hidden in Rivendell for long, so Lord Elrond summons a council to decide what should be done to protect the Free Peoples of Middle–earth.
Setup: Set Lust for the Ring Redhorn Pass, Doors of Durin and Watcher in the Water aside, out of play. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Forced: At the end of the planning phase, each player places the top card of his deck faceup in front of him, in player order, until there are a total of 4 faceup cards between the players. The first player chooses 1 faceup card to be played for 0 cost, 1 to add to its owner's hand, 1 to discard, and 1 to shuffle into its owner's deck. Then, either shuffle Lust for the Ring into the encounter deck, or raise each player's threat by 5. Advance to stage 2.
While Southward Road is the active location, each player may optionally engage an additional enemy during the encounter phase.
Travel: The first player reveals the top facedown card under The Cross-roads and adds it to the staging area to travel here.
"These cursed Southrons come now marching up the ancient roads to swell the hosts of the Dark Tower." -Mablung, The Two Towers
Response: Exhaust a Weapon or Armor card attached to the defending character to cancel a shadow effect just triggered during combat.
"Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may."
–Éowyn, The Return of the King
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Surge. Immune to non-
player card effects.
Gollum engages the first player.
*Forced: After Gollum is discarded during a Fortitude test, put him into play engaged with the first player. Then, choose an encounter card discarded from this test and ignore its 
icons.
*
Immune to player card effects.
The player cannot win the game while Withywindle is in play.
While Withywindle is the active location, the first player reveals 1 additional encounter card during the quest phase.
"The Withywindle valley is said to be the queerest part of the whole wood..." –Merry, The Fellowship of the Ring
The Shadow Road gets +2 for each facedown card attached to it.
While The Shadow Road is in the staging area, it gains: "The players cannot travel or place progress here unless they are at stage 3F.Forced: After an event is played during the quest phase, attach it facedown to The Shadow Road."
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Galadriel cannot quest, attack or defend. Allies you control do not exhaust to commit to the quest during the round they enter play.
Action: Exhaust Galadriel to choose a player. That player reduces his threat by 1 and draws 1 card. (Limit once per round.)
While Forked Passage is in the staging area, raise each player's threat by 1 additional point during the refresh phase.
Travel: Raise each player's threat by 1.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: During setup, each player reveals 1 card from the encounter deck and adds it to the staging area.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Passage Through Mirkwood scenario found in the LOTR LCG core set.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
Ungoliant's Spawn x1
Black Forest Bats x1
Forest Spider x3
Dol Guldur Orcs x3
Old Forest Road x1
Forest Gate x2
Mountains of Mirkwood x3
Caught in a Web x2
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Passage Through Mirkwood encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
When Revealed: Attach to the active location and remove all progress from that location. (Counts as a Condition attachment with the text:"Limit 1 per location. Attached location contributes its during the quest phase as if it were in the staging area.")
If The Trail Goes Cold does not attach to a location as a result of this effect, it gains surge.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Setup: Search the encounter deck for 1 copy of Goblin Eagle-hunter and add it to the staging area. Then shuffle the encounter deck.
Forced: The first Creature enemy revealed during each quest phase gains surge.
Response: After an Athelas card is placed in the discard pile, you may shuffle it into the encounter deck.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for A Journey to Rhosgobel scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
4x Forest Grove
1x Exhaustion
2x Swarming Insects
1x Festering Wounds
3x Mountains of Mirkwood
1x Chieftan Ufthak
2x Dol Guldur Beastmaster
1x Driven by Shadow
1x The Necromancer's Reach
2x Necromancer's Pass
2x Enchanted Stream
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard A Journey to Rhosgobel encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing in Nightmare mode.
Setup: Remove all copies of Blinding Blizzard from the encounter deck and set them aside, out of play. During this game, player cards in the victory display do not count their victory points.
Forced: When stage 2b is revealed, shuffle each set aside copy of Blinding Blizzard into the encounter deck.
A cold wind flowed down behind them, as they turned their backs on the Redhorn Gate, and stumbled wearily down the slope. Caradhras had defeated them.
–The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Redhorn Gate scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
1x Black Uruks
3x Mountain Warg
1x Knees of the Mountain
2x Turbulent Waters
2x Warg Lair
1x The Dimrill Stair
2x Fell Voices
2x Fallen Stones
3x Mountain Goblin
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Redhorn Gate encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
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While Snow-Giant is in the staging area, it attacks the first player during the combat phase, as if it were engaged.
Forced: After Snow-Giant engages you, discard the ally you control with the highest
While Blinding Blizzard is in play, heroes do not collect resources during the resource phase.
When Revealed: Add Blinding Blizzard to the staging area. Progress that would be placed on the current quest or on Snow locations are instead placed on Blinding Blizzard. When the 5th progress is placed on Blinding Blizzard, discard it.
You are playing in Nightmare mode.
Forced: When an enemy with the ambush keyword engages a player during the quest phase, it contributes its to the total in the staging area until the end of the phase.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Road to Rivendell scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter and quest deck:
1x Orc Outpost (quest stage 2)
2x Ruined Road
2x Barren Hills
1x Goblin Taskmaster
4x Black Uruks
3x Mountain Warg
3x Bitter Wind
2x Warg Lair
5x Goblin Spearman
2x Goblin Archer
2x Plundered Armoury
Add the new quest card in this Nightmare Deck to the normal quest deck, in stage order. Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Road to Rivendell encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing in Nightmare mode.
While Doors of Durin is in play, The Watcher cannot be engaged.
Forced: When a Tentacle enemy is destroyed, deal 1 damage to The Watcher if it is in play.
The players cannot win the game unless both Doors of Durin and The Watcher are in the victory display.
"Something has crept, or has been driven out of dark waters under the mountains. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."
–Gandalf, Lord of the Rings
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Watcher in the Water scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
1x The Watcher
2x Makeshift Passage
4x Black Uruks
3x Mountain Warg
2x Warg Lair
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Watcher in the Water encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Durin's Greaves gains surge.
Lost: The first player must choose and discard an ally in play.
The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dum
—Gimli, The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Long Dark scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
4x Goblin Follower
1x Branching Paths
3x Burning Low
2x Stray Goblin
2x Chance Encounter
2x The Mountains' Roots
1x Abandoned Mine
2x Fatigue
4x Goblin Sneak
3x Rock Adder
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Long Dark encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
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Forced: While Durin's Bane has no damage, Servant of Flame gets +2 and +2
Shadow: Search the encounter deck for a treachery card with the Shadow or Flame trait and reveal it, if able. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Progress cannot be placed on Fiery Depths while it is in the staging area.
Travel: Each player must move 1 damage from Durin's Bane to a hero to travel here.
Out of it a fierce red light came, and now and again flames licked at the brink and curled about the bases of the columns. –The Fellowship of the Ring