


While Cracked Pillar is in the staging area, it gains: "The first player may declare an attack against Cracked Pillar during the combat phase as if it was an enemy engaged with him. Use Cracked Pillar's as its
during this attack."
Travel: Remove 4 damage from Cracked Pillar to travel here.



While Goblin Tunnels is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: After a Goblin is revealed from the encounter deck, remove a progress token from the current quest card."

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+3
instead if attacking enemy is a Goblin.)



While Branching Paths is in the staging area, each Dark location gets +1
Forced: After Branching Paths leaves play as an explored location, look at the top 3 cards of the encounter deck. Players must choose 1 of those to reveal and add to the staging area, moving the other 2 to the bottom of the deck.



While Collapsed Mine is in the staging area, no more than 4 progress can be placed on the quest each round.

Shadow: Raise your threat by 1 for each point of damage dealt by this attack.



While it is in the staging area, River Langflood gets +1 for each Troll enemy in play.












While Branching Paths is in the staging area, each Dark location gets +1 .
Forced: After Branching Paths leaves play as an explored location, look at the top 3 cards of the encounter deck. Players must choose 1 of those to reveal and add to the staging area, moving the other 2 to the bottom of the deck.






While Orc Drummer is in the staging area, each enemy gets +X . X is the number of players in the game.



While Knees of the Mountain is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: After an enemy engages a player, it gets +1until the end of the round.





While Celador is in the staging area, he is committed to the current quest.
Forced: After players quest unsuccessfully or a character leaves play, deal 1 damage to Celador.
If Celador leaves play, remove him from the game.











While Orc Vanguard is in the staging area, resources cannot be spent from the resource pools of heroes who have a ,
or
resource icon.

Shadow: Deal the attacking enemy two additional shadow cards.



If an Orc enemy is in play, progress tokens cannot be placed on Orc War Camp while it is in the staging area.

Shadow: attacking enemy gets +1 for each shadow card dealt to it.



While Gondorian Hamlet is in the staging area it gains:
Forced: After a treachery card is revealed from the encounter deck, discard 1 villager token from Gondorian Hamlet.
The townlands were rich, with wide tilth and many orchards... –The Return of the King



Western Road gets +5 quest points while it is in the staging area.
Travel: The first player must take 1 hidden card to travel here.
...he saw, beyond an arch of boughs, the road to Osgiliath running almost as straight as a streched ribbon down, down, into the West. –The Two Towers



Eastern Road gets +5 quest points while it is in the staging area.
Travel: The first player must take 2 hidden cards to travel here.
Black and forbidding it loomed above them, darker than the dark sky behind. –The Two Towers



While Fords of Isen is in the staging area, players cannot gain resources from card effects.
Forced: After Fords of Isen becomes the active location, each player with fewer than 5 cards in his hand draws cards until he has 5 in his hand.
The road dipped between rising turf–banks, carving its way through the terraces to the river's edge, and up again upon the further side. –The Two Towers



While Gap of Rohan is in the staging area, Dunland enemies get +1

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 . If this attack destroys a character, remove 1 time counter from the current quest.



While Heart of Fangorn is in the staging area, each player cannot refresh more than 5 characters during the refresh phase.

Attacking enemy makes an additional attack after this one.









While Broken Lands is in the staging area, progress cannot be placed on locations in the staging area.

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 for each location in the staging area.



While Hills of Dunland is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: After a player draws any number of cards, discard the top card of the encounter deck. If the discarded card is a Dunland enemy, put it into play engaged with that player. This ability does not stack with other copies of Hills of Dunland.
Travel: Each player draws a card to travel here.



X is the number of players in the game.
While Grim Foothills is in the staging area, progress must be placed on Grim Foothills before it can be placed on the active location.



Progress cannot be placed on Streets of Tharbad while it is in the staging area.
While Streets of Tharbad is the active location, enemies get -20 engagement cost.
As soon as his back was turned, a dark figure climbed quickly in over the gate and melted into the shadows of the village street. –The Fellowship of the Ring



While Ruins of the Second Age is in the staging area, City locations get +1 .
While Ruins of the Second Age is the active location, deal engaged enemies 1 additional shadow card at the beginning of the combat phase.
...as far as Tharbad, where the old North Road crossed the river by a ruined town. –The Fellowship of the Ring



While Fen of Reeds is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: After the players advance to a quest stage, each player must exhaust a character he controls.

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 for each time counter on the quest.






While Sinking Bog is in the staging area, each character gets -1 -1
and -1
for each Item attached to it. This ability does not stack with other copies of Sinking Bog.

Shadow: Defending character gets -1 for this attack for each attachment attached to it.






Cannot have attachments.
While Orc War Party is in the staging area, enemies in the staging area cannot take damage.
The players cannot win the game while Orc War Party is in play.
They kept no order, thrusting, jostling, and cursing; yet their speed was very great. –The Two Towers



While Borders of Bree-land is in the staging area it gains:
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, return 1 enemy engaged with a player to the staging area.

Shadow: Defending character gets -1 for each quest stage in play.



While Outlying Homestead is in the staging area, players cannot reduce their threat.
Travel: Reveal a card from the encounter deck.
They were far beyond the borders of the Bree–land, out in the pathless wilderness... –The Fellowship of the Ring






While Blood-thirsty Warg is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: When it becomes Night, Blood-thirsty Warg engages the first player and makes an immediate attack.
The wold snarled and sprang towards them with a great leap.
–The Fellowship of the Ring



While Eriador Wastes is in the staging area, no more than 5 progress can be placed on the current quest each round.
Travel: The first player engages a Warg enemy in the staging area and deals it a shadow card.
"...the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us." –Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring



While Barren Moorland is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: When an ally enters play, you must either exhaust it or deal 1 damage to it.
Travel: Deal 1 damage to each exhausted character.



While Forbidden Descent is in the staging area, the first 2 progress that would be placed on a quest each round must be placed on Forbidden Descent, instead.
Forced: If Forbidden Descent leaves play from the staging area, raise each player’s threat by 2.



While Decrepit Remains is in the staging area, each location and quest in the staging area gets +2 quest points.

Shadow: For each point of damage dealt by this attack, remove 1 progress from each quest in play.



While Dark Halls is in the staging area, each Reanimated Dead gets +1 and +1
.

Shadow: If there is a copy of the defending character in your discard pile, reanimate it and deal it 1 shadow card.



While Lush Jungle is in the staging area, characters get -1 and lose ranged.
Forced: After Lush Jungle is flipped over while active, return it to the staging area unless each player exhausts each ready hero he controls.


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.




Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 for each damage token on the active location.



While Rough Waters is in the staging area, cancel the first symbol found during each Sailing test.

Shadow: If you are off course (,
, or
), attacking enemy gets +2 Attack.







Boarding 3. Cannot have attachments.
While Corsair Warship os om the staging area, it cannot be damaged and gains archery 4.
...ships of great draught with many oars, and with black sails bellying in the breeze.
–The Return of the King






Boarding 2. Cannot have attachments.
While Swift Raider is in the staging area, it gains:
Forced: After a player commits 4 or more characters to a Sailing test or to the quest, Swift Raider engages that player.



While Weather Deck is in the staging area, each other Deck location in play gains:
Travel: Each player must exhaust a character he controls to travel here.

Shadow: Exhaust a character you control.






Island Watcher cannot be optionally engaged.
While Island Watcher is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: At the beginning of the encounter phase, if the active location has the Ruins trait, Island Watcher engages the player with the highest treat. Then, deal it 2 shadow cards."