You are playing campaign mode.
Setup: Attach A Heavy Burden to the Ring-bearer. Remove each burden with the following burden set icons from the encounter deck and each player's deck: Helm's Deep, The Road to Isengard
"There is another way. O yes indeed there is. Another way, darker, more difficult to find, more secret. But Sméagolnknows it. Let Sméagol show you!" -The Two Towers
Resolution: Add a Heavy Burden to the campaign pool. The players have earned that burden.
"Master, dear master," he said, but Frodo did not speak. Ass hehad run forward, eager, rejoicing to be free, Shelob with hideous speed had come behind and with one swift stroke had stung him in the neck. He lay now pale, and heard no voice, and did not move.
–The Two Towers
Sméagol has led Frodo and Sam to the Morgul Vale, where he promises to show them a secret way over the Mountains of Shadow and into the land of Mordor, but Sam fears that Gollum may be leading them into a trap...
Setup: Set Cleft of Cirith Ungol, Shelob and The Great Spider encounter set aside, out of play. Put Sméagol into play under the first player's control. Make Morgul Vale the active location. Add Sméagol's Secret Way to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Progress cannot be placed on Underground locations.
Response: After Sméagol's Secret Way is explored, discard 3 random cards from each player's hand to discard each Nazgûl enemy in the staging area.
Forced: At the end of the quest phase, if Sméagol's Secret Way is in the victory display, advance to stage 2A.
Presently they were under the shadow, and there in the midst of it they saw the opening of a cave. "This is the way in," said Gollum softly. "This is the entrance to the tunnel." He did not speak its name: Torech Ungol, Shelob's Lair. -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Add Shelob to the staging area and shuffle all cards from The Great Spider encounter set and the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck.
Shelob cannot leave the staging area and Sméagol cannot attack or defend.
Each player cannot play, or put into play, more than 1 ally each round.
No more than 4 progress can be placed on this stage each round.
They had not gone more than a few yards when from behind them came a sound, startling and horrible in the heavy padded silence: a gurgling, bubbling noise, and a long venomous hiss. âThe Two Towers
"Got him!" hissed Gollum in his ear. "At last, my precious, we've got him, yet, the nassty hobbit. We takes this one. She'll get the other. O yes, Selob will get him, not SmĂ©agol: he promised; he won't hurt Master at all. But he's got you, you nassty filthy little sneak!" He spat on Sam's neck. –The Two Towers
When Revealed: Add Cleft of Cirith Ungol to the staging area. Flip Sméagol to Gollum and heal all damage from Shelob. Each player places 1 resource on Shelob.
If Gollum is defeated, add him to the victory display. (Do not flip him over.)
While Shelob has at least 1 resource on her, she gains:"Forced: When Shelob is dealt any amount of damage, cancel that damage and discard 1 resource from Shelob instead."
The players cannot defeat this stage unless both Shelob and Gollum are in the victory display. If the players defeat this stage, they win the game.
4
4
8
Indestructible.Cannot have attachments.
Shelob gets +1 for each resource on her.
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, either place 1 resource on Shelob, or she makes an immediate attack against the first player.
3
2
3
When Revealed: Either discard 1 random card from your hand, or reveal an additional encounter card.
Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, discard 1 random card from your hand.
4
2
5
When Revealed: Either discard 1 random card from each player's hand, or Orc of Cirith Ungol makes an immediate attack against you.
"I say, something has slipped. And we've got to look out. Always the poor Uruks to put slips right." -Gorbag, The Two Towers
Immune to player card effects.
Forced: After Morgul Vale is explored, search the encounter deck and discard pile for a Morgul Wraith and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck. Then, the first player must either exhaust The One Ring or discard 1 random card from each player's hand.
Immune to player card effects.
Travel: Either exhaust Sméagol, or discard 1 random card from each player's hand.
Forced: After Sméagol's Secret Way is explored, each player either exhausts a character he controls, or discards 1 random card from his hand.
"...a stair, a narrow stair, O yes, very long and narrow. And then more stairs." -Gollum, The Two Towers
Immune to player card effects.
While The Cleft of Cirith Ungol is in the victory display, Shelob gets +2 loses the Indestructible keyword, and gains: "Shelob engages the first player."
Travel: Place 1 resource on Shelob to travel here.
The Cleft, Cirith Ungol, was before him, a dim notch in the black ridge... -The Two Towers
Forced: When The Spider's Lair is explored, remove 1 resource from Shelob.
Forced: After The Spider's Lair becomes the active location, Shelob makes an attack against the first player.
There agelong she had dwelt, an evil thing in spider–form, even such as once of old had lived in the Land of the Elves in the West that is now under the Sea... -The Two Towers
While The Under-way is in the staging area, each Orc enemy gets -5 engagement cost and gains:"Forced: After this enemy engages a player, deal it a shadow card."
Shadow: Deal the attacking enemy 2 additional shadow cards.
While Deep Dark Passage is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: When any amount of progress would be placed on a location in the staging area, reduce that amount by 1."
Travel: Exhaust Sméagol to travel here.
Not since the lightless passages of Moria had Frodo or Sam known such darkness, and if possible here it was deeper and denser. -The Two Towers
While Den of Night is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: After a `When Revealed' effect is canceled, place 1 resource on Shelob."
Travel: Place 1 resource on Shelob to travel here.
Here was some opening in the rock far wider than any they had yet passed; and out of it came a reek so foul, and a sense of lurking malice so intense, that Frodo reeled. -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Each player discards 1 random card from his hand and 1 non-objective attachment he controls.
Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.
"Ugh! That smell!" he said. "It's getting stronger and stronger." -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Each location in the staging area gets +1 until the end of the round. If the number of locations in the staging area is less than the number of players in the game, reveal an additional encounter card.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +X where X is the active location's
Setup: Attach to the Ring-bearer.
Forced: At the end of the planning phase, either raise each player's threat by 1, or exhaust the Ring-bearer.
"It's heavy on me, Sam lad, very heavy. I wonder how far I can carry it?"
-Frodo Baggins, The Two Towers
4
4
8
Indestructible.Cannot have attachments.
Shelob gets +1 for each resource on her.
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, either place 1 resource on Shelob, or she makes an immediate attack against the first player.
3
2
3
When Revealed: Either discard 1 random card from your hand, or reveal an additional encounter card.
Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, discard 1 random card from your hand.
4
2
5
When Revealed: Either discard 1 random card from each player's hand, or Orc of Cirith Ungol makes an immediate attack against you.
"I say, something has slipped. And we've got to look out. Always the poor Uruks to put slips right." -Gorbag, The Two Towers
Immune to player card effects.
Forced: After Morgul Vale is explored, search the encounter deck and discard pile for a Morgul Wraith and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck. Then, the first player must either exhaust The One Ring or discard 1 random card from each player's hand.
Immune to player card effects.
Travel: Either exhaust Sméagol, or discard 1 random card from each player's hand.
Forced: After Sméagol's Secret Way is explored, each player either exhausts a character he controls, or discards 1 random card from his hand.
"...a stair, a narrow stair, O yes, very long and narrow. And then more stairs." -Gollum, The Two Towers
Immune to player card effects.
While The Cleft of Cirith Ungol is in the victory display, Shelob gets +2 loses the Indestructible keyword, and gains: "Shelob engages the first player."
Travel: Place 1 resource on Shelob to travel here.
The Cleft, Cirith Ungol, was before him, a dim notch in the black ridge... -The Two Towers
Forced: When The Spider's Lair is explored, remove 1 resource from Shelob.
Forced: After The Spider's Lair becomes the active location, Shelob makes an attack against the first player.
There agelong she had dwelt, an evil thing in spider–form, even such as once of old had lived in the Land of the Elves in the West that is now under the Sea... -The Two Towers
While The Under-way is in the staging area, each Orc enemy gets -5 engagement cost and gains:"Forced: After this enemy engages a player, deal it a shadow card."
Shadow: Deal the attacking enemy 2 additional shadow cards.
While Deep Dark Passage is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: When any amount of progress would be placed on a location in the staging area, reduce that amount by 1."
Travel: Exhaust Sméagol to travel here.
Not since the lightless passages of Moria had Frodo or Sam known such darkness, and if possible here it was deeper and denser. -The Two Towers
While Den of Night is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: After a `When Revealed' effect is canceled, place 1 resource on Shelob."
Travel: Place 1 resource on Shelob to travel here.
Here was some opening in the rock far wider than any they had yet passed; and out of it came a reek so foul, and a sense of lurking malice so intense, that Frodo reeled. -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Each player discards 1 random card from his hand and 1 non-objective attachment he controls.
Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.
"Ugh! That smell!" he said. "It's getting stronger and stronger." -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Each location in the staging area gets +1 until the end of the round. If the number of locations in the staging area is less than the number of players in the game, reveal an additional encounter card.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +X where X is the active location's
Setup: Attach to the Ring-bearer.
Forced: At the end of the planning phase, either raise each player's threat by 1, or exhaust the Ring-bearer.
"It's heavy on me, Sam lad, very heavy. I wonder how far I can carry it?"
-Frodo Baggins, The Two Towers
Sméagol has led Frodo and Sam to the Morgul Vale, where he promises to show them a secret way over the Mountains of Shadow and into the land of Mordor, but Sam fears that Gollum may be leading them into a trap...
Setup: Set Cleft of Cirith Ungol, Shelob and The Great Spider encounter set aside, out of play. Put Sméagol into play under the first player's control. Make Morgul Vale the active location. Add Sméagol's Secret Way to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Progress cannot be placed on Underground locations.
Response: After Sméagol's Secret Way is explored, discard 3 random cards from each player's hand to discard each Nazgûl enemy in the staging area.
Forced: At the end of the quest phase, if Sméagol's Secret Way is in the victory display, advance to stage 2A.
Presently they were under the shadow, and there in the midst of it they saw the opening of a cave. "This is the way in," said Gollum softly. "This is the entrance to the tunnel." He did not speak its name: Torech Ungol, Shelob's Lair. -The Two Towers
When Revealed: Add Shelob to the staging area and shuffle all cards from The Great Spider encounter set and the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck.
Shelob cannot leave the staging area and Sméagol cannot attack or defend.
Each player cannot play, or put into play, more than 1 ally each round.
No more than 4 progress can be placed on this stage each round.
They had not gone more than a few yards when from behind them came a sound, startling and horrible in the heavy padded silence: a gurgling, bubbling noise, and a long venomous hiss. âThe Two Towers
"Got him!" hissed Gollum in his ear. "At last, my precious, we've got him, yet, the nassty hobbit. We takes this one. She'll get the other. O yes, Selob will get him, not SmĂ©agol: he promised; he won't hurt Master at all. But he's got you, you nassty filthy little sneak!" He spat on Sam's neck. –The Two Towers
When Revealed: Add Cleft of Cirith Ungol to the staging area. Flip Sméagol to Gollum and heal all damage from Shelob. Each player places 1 resource on Shelob.
If Gollum is defeated, add him to the victory display. (Do not flip him over.)
While Shelob has at least 1 resource on her, she gains:"Forced: When Shelob is dealt any amount of damage, cancel that damage and discard 1 resource from Shelob instead."
The players cannot defeat this stage unless both Shelob and Gollum are in the victory display. If the players defeat this stage, they win the game.
You are playing campaign mode.
Setup: Attach A Heavy Burden to the Ring-bearer. Remove each burden with the following burden set icons from the encounter deck and each player's deck: Helm's Deep, The Road to Isengard
"There is another way. O yes indeed there is. Another way, darker, more difficult to find, more secret. But Sméagolnknows it. Let Sméagol show you!" -The Two Towers
Resolution: Add a Heavy Burden to the campaign pool. The players have earned that burden.
"Master, dear master," he said, but Frodo did not speak. Ass hehad run forward, eager, rejoicing to be free, Shelob with hideous speed had come behind and with one swift stroke had stung him in the neck. He lay now pale, and heard no voice, and did not move.
–The Two Towers