

When Revealed: Each character takes damage equal to the number of poison it has. If no characters were damaged by this effect, this card gains surge.

Shadow: Discard an unconscious character you control.



Bilbo was horrified, now that he noticed them for the first time dangling in the shadows, to see a dwarvish foot sticking out from the bottoms of some of the bundles, or here and there the tip of a nose, or a bit of beard or of a hood. –The Hobbit
When Revealed: Remove all resources from each hero's resource pool. Then, make each character you control (except Bilbo Baggins) unconscious.
Unconscious characters cannot quest, attack, defend, collect resources, trigger abilities, be poisoned, or ready (except by effects that target unconscious character).
Do not pass the first player token. When this stage is complete, do not advance to stage 4 until the end of the quest phase. (Combine staging areas if necessary.)
Action: Spend 2 resources to ready an unconscious character you control.



When Revealed: The player with the highest threat exhausts all heroes he controls. Then, attach this card to one of that player's heroes. (Counts as a Condition attachment with the text, "Each time attached hero readies, deal it 1 damage.")






Cannot have attachments. Cannot take damage.
Brood Mother engages the first player.
Forced: At the end of the round, search the encounter deck and discard pile for a Spider Broodling and add it to the staging area, if able. Shuffle the encounter deck.





When Revealed: Return each engaged Spider enemy to the staging area.

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+2
instead if it is a Spider).






When Revealed: Each character currently committed to a quest gets -1 until the end of the phase.

Shadow: Raise defending player's threat by 4. (Raise defending player's threat by 8 instead if this attack is undefended.)







Forced: After Ungoliant's Swarm engages a player, that player must choose and exhaust 2 characters they control.

Shadow: Put Ungoliant's Swarm into play engaged with you.



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.






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.






When Revealed: Each character currently committed to a quest gets -1 until the end of the phase.

Shadow: Raise defending player's threat by 4. (Raise defending player's threat by 8 instead if this attack is undefended.)






Forced: At the beginning of the encounter phase, Attercop, Attercop automatically engages the player guarding Gollum, regardless of his threat.
"Attercop! Attercop! Won't you stop..."
–Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit






While On Track is in play, Hive Guardian gets +2 and -5 engagement cost.

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+2
instead if On Track is in play).



After several days of traveling through Mirkwood, you awaken suddenly in the night to see dozens of hungry eyes glaring at you from the darkness.
Setup: Set the Spiders of Mirkwood and Dol Guldur Orcs encounter sets aside, out of play. The first player takes control of Haldan and adds Searching for a Way Out to the staging area. Each player adds 1 Forest Spider to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
There is a bitter fight not only to drive back the spiders but to avoid being separated in the pitch black. When the first light of dawn rises to reveal your surroundings, you see only endless trees and no sign of your path. You begin searching about for some type of landmark to point you in the right direction.
Each player's threat cannot be reduced by player card effect.
Forced: After an enemy engages a player, raise that player's threat by 1.






Forced: When Deep-dweller engages you, it makes an immediate attack.
Forced: After Deep-dweller take any amount of damage (and survives), return it to the staging area.






Forced: After Spawn of Shelob engages you, either discard the top card of your deck, or Spawn of Shelob gets +2 until the end of the round.

Shadow: Exhaust a character you control.






Forced: At the end of each round, each player must give a hero he controls 1 poison.
...hairy legs waving, nippers an dspinners snapping, eyes popping, full of froth and rage. –The Hobbit



"Stick to the forest–track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives."
–Gandalf, The Hobbit
Setup: Each player may shuffle 1 copy Bilbo's Magic Ring into his deck. Search the encounter deck for The Spider's Glade and set it aside, out of play. Then, shuffle the encounter deck and reveal 1 encounter card per player.
Unconscious characters cannot quest, attack, defend, collect resources, trigger abilities, be poisoned, or ready (except by effects that target unconscious character).






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.



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.






Forced: When Dungeon Dweller attacks you, discard an ally you control.
Sauron would send her prisoners that he had no better uses for: he would have them driven to her hold, and report brought back to him of the play she made.
–The Two Towers





Cannot have non-objective player card attachments or take non-combat damage.
While Ungoliant's Spawn is in the staging area, characters cannot be readied by player card effects.





Forced: After Hive Guardian attacks and destroys an ally, return Hive Guardian to the staging area.

Shadow: Return attacking enemy to the staging area after this attack.





When Revealed: Either no more than 4 progress can be placed on the current quest this phase, or Web-spinner gains surge.

Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, return attacking enemy to the staging area.





Cannot have non-objective player card attachments or take non-combat damage.
While Brood Mother is in the staging area, no more than 5 progress can be placed on the main quest each round.







When Revealed: Until the end of the phase, each character currently committed to the quest gets -2 and is discarded if its
is 0.

Shadow: Raise defending player's threat by 5. (Raise defending player's threat by 10 instead if undefended.)







Forced: After you engage Ungoliant's Brood, your cards cannot ready for the remainder of the round.

Shadow: If this attack is undefended, exhaust all characters you control.




While Glade of the Spawn is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After a Spider enemy enters play, each player must choose and exhaust 1 character he controls."
...black even for that forest, like a patch of midnight that had never been cleared away. –The Hobbit







While Treetop Bird-eater is engaged with a player, characters controlled by that player cannot be healed.
Forced: At the beginning of the encounter phase, Treetop Bird-eater engages the player who controls Wilyador (regardless of threat).







When Revealed: The player guarding Gollum must either exhaust a hero he controls or Web-spinner gains surge.

Shadow: The player guarding Gollum must exhaust a character he controls.




When Revealed: Reveal the topmost Spider enemy in the encounter discard pile and add it to the staging area.

Shadow: The player guarding Gollum must discard all resources from each of his heroes' resource pools.



The trail winds into one of the darkest, most tangled parts of the forest...
You sense that foul, dark presence is hunting you, and you move quickly in an attempt to avoid its evil.
When Revealed: Each player must search the encounter deck and discard pile for 1 Spider card of his choice, and add it to the staging area.
The players must find and defeat Ungoliant's Spawn to win this game.
The shadows grow darker, and you realize that a foul presence is aiming to draw you from the path. You must defeat it to pass this way.


You are playing campaign mode.
Setup: Any player gains control of Melanwar. The first player may search the encounter deck for a copy of Twilight Hall and add it to the staging area. If they do, the players look at 3 random undiscovered treasures and attach 1 of them to Twilight Hall as a guarded objective. When free of encounters, the players claim the treasure and attach it to any character.
To wander off the trail in either direction was to risk becoming lost forever, and it was a long way to the other side of the forest.

Resolution: At the edge of the forest, Melanwar pledged his friendship to the heroes, moved by their altruism and their willingness to trust a stranger. If the heroes choose to invite him to join their quest, add Melanwar to the campaign pool (any player may add him to their deck). Otherwise, mark in the campaign log that “Melanwar has given you guidance on traversing Wilderland” (you can more safely navigate the mountains).
The players discover each treasure they control.
Discard cards from the encounter deck until X cards from either the Spiders of Mirkwood or Dol Guldur Orcs encounter set have been discarded and add those cards to the campaign pool. X is equal to the number of players in the game.
“This is where we part ways,” said Haladan. “The river will carry you north to Lake-town and then to Dale, but my home lies back west.”
One of the heroes clasped hands with the Woodman and said, “Thank you for your help. You are a brave man, Haldan. I wish you safe travel on your return journey.”



The trail winds into one of the darkest, most tangled parts of the forest...
You sense that foul, dark presence is hunting you, and you move quickly in an attempt to avoid its evil.
When Revealed: Each player must search the encounter deck and discard pile for 1 Spider card of his choice, and add it to the staging area.
The players must find and defeat Ungoliant's Spawn to win this game.
The shadows grow darker, and you realize that a foul presence is aiming to draw you from the path. You must defeat it to pass this way.


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.