Poisoned Counsels functions like a player card.
Forced: After you draw this card, discard all other cards in your hand.
"And ever Wormtongue's whispering was in your ears, poisoning your thought, chilling your heart, weakening your limbs..." –Gandalf, The Two Towers
Add 1 to the total 
in the staging area for each resource token here.
Forced: At the end of the quest phase, place 1 resource token here.
If there are 8 resource tokens here, add The
of Helm's Deep to the victory display and advance to stage 5A.
3
2
3
Forced: After Wild Hillman attacks, place 1 progress on the active location.
Shadow: Place 1 progress on the active location. Attacking enemy gets +1 for each progress on the active location.
5
1
5
When Revealed: Warrior of Dunland makes an immediate attack against you.
Forced: After Warrior of Dunland attacks and destroys a character, place 3 progress on the active location.
4
1
4
Forced: After Soldier of Isengard attacks and destroys a character, place 1 progress on the current quest.
Shadow: Exhaust a character you control.
While The Hornburg is the active location, reduce the archery total by 1 for each player in the game.
Forced: When The Hornburg is explored, assign X damage among characters in play. X is the number of enemies in play.
But the Hornburg still held fast, like an island in the sea. –The Two Towers
While Deeping Wall is the active location, each hero gets +1
Forced: When Deeping Wall is explored, raise each player's threat by 4.
The Deeping Wall was twenty feet high, and so thick that four men could walk abreast along the top, sheltered by a parapet over which only a tall man could look. –The Two Towers
X is the 1 more than the number of allies controlled by the first player.
Forced: When Deeping Culvert is explored, each player searches the encounter deck and discard pile for an enemy, reveals it, and adds it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
Orcs had crept like rats through the culvert through which the stream flowed out. –The Two Towers
While Postern Door is the active location, each hero gets +1
Forced: When Postern Door is explored, until the end of the round, players cannot declare attacks.
There was a small postern–door that opened in an angle of the burg–wall on the west, where the cliff stretched out to meet it. –The Two Towers
While Helm's Gate is the active location, if any player is not engaged with an enemy, the first player reveals an encounter card at the end of each staging step.
Forced: When Helm's Gate is explored, each enemy gets -20 engagement cost and +2 until the end of the round.
When Revealed: Attach to the active location. (Counts a Siege attachment with the text: "Each enemy gets +1
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 If this attack destroys a character, place 1 progress on the current quest.
When Revealed: Place 3 progress on the main quest (bypassing any active location). Until the end of the round, treat each character's text box as if it was blank (except for Traits).
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +2 and gains Toughness 2 until the end of the round.
When Revealed: The enemy in the staging area with the highest makes an immediate attack against you. If no attack is made this way, Reckless Hate gains surge.
Shadow: Attacking enemy makes an additional attack against you after this one.
3
1
4
Peril. Toughness 1. Archery 2.
When Revealed: Either assign 3 damage among characters you control, or reveal an additional encounter card.
"Seldom will Orcs journey in the open under the sun, yet these have done so." –Legolas, The Two Towers
3
2
3
Forced: After Uruk-hai Fighter attacks and destroys a character, return it to the staging area.
Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.
When Revealed: Search the encounter deck and discard pile for an Uruk-hai enemy, reveal it, and put it into play engaged with you. Shuffle the encounter deck. Until the end of the round, each enemy engaged with you adds its to the total in the staging area.
The pursuit of the Uruk–hai has brought the Heir of Elendil to Rohan just as Saruman declares war on that land. Aragorn and his companions travel to Edoras to aid King Théoden, but their arrival is met with suspicion...
Setup: Set The Defense of Helm's Deep and 1 copy of Deeping Wall aside, out of play. Each player sets 1 copy of Soldier of Isengard aside, out of play. Then, the players must choose: either each player shuffles 1 copy of Poisoned Counsels into his deck, or advance to stage 2A (bypassing stage 1B).
When Revealed: Each player chooses 1 ally in his hand that matches the sphere of a hero he controls and puts it into play under his control.
Skip the quest phase and combat phase.
Forced: At the end of the round, advance to stage 2A.
"Hail, Théoden son of Thengel! I have returned. For behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together..." –Gandalf, The Two Towers
At the behest of Gandalf, Aragorn and his companions ride to Helm's Deep with the men of Rohan and their King. As the sun goes down, the valley below the Deeping Wall fills with the approaching army of Isengard...
When Revealed: Add The Defense of Helm's Deep and each set aside copy of Soldier of Isengard to the staging area. Make Deeping Wall the active location. Shuffle the encounter deck. Then, each player reveals 1 encounter card.
Forced: At the end of the combat phase, if the number of enemies in the staging area is less than the number of players in the game, the first player reveals an encounter card.
Forced: At the end of the round place 1 progress here for each enemy in the staging area (bypassing the active location).
Against the Deeping Wall the hosts of Isengard roared like a sea. Orcs and hillmen swarmed about its feet from end to end. –The Two Towers
When Revealed: Search the encounter deck, discard pile, and victory display for Helm's Gate and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck. Make Helm's Gate the active location, returning any previous active location to the staging area.
Forced: After resolving the quest, if the encounter deck did not place at least 1 progress on this stage as the result of questing, the first player reveals 1 encounter card.
Hundreds of long ladders were lifted up. Many were cast down in ruin, but many more replaced them... –The Two Towers
Then there was a crash and a flash of flame and smoke. The waters of the Deeping–stream poured out hissing and foaming: they were choked no longer, a gaping hole was blasted in the wall. A host of dark shapes poured in. –The Two Towers
When Revealed: Shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck. Discard cards from the encounter deck until X enemies are discarded. X is the number of players. Add each enemy discarded this way to the staging area.
Forced: After a character is destroyed, place 1 progress on this stage (bypassing any active location).
If this stage is defeated, the players lose the game.
Over the wall and under the wall the last assault came sweeping like a dark wave upon a hill of sand. –The Two Towers
As dawn breaks in the East, a blast from Helm's Horn echoes in the valley and the Riders of Rohan charge out from Helm's Gate with King Théoden and Aragorn at their head.
When Revealed: Shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck. Discard cards from the encounter deck until X enemies are discarded. X is the number of players. Add each enemy discarded this way to the staging area.
Skip the quest phase. Players cannot reduce their threat.
If there are no enemies in play, the players win the game.
With a cry and a great noise they charged. Down from the gates they roared, over the causeway they swept, and they drove through the hosts of Isengard as a wind among grass. –The Two Towers
You are playing campaign mode.
Setup: Each player may change hero cards without incurring the +1 threat penalty. 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 shield–wall was broken. Erkenbrand of Westfold has drawn off those men he could gather towards his fastness in Helm's Deep." –Ceorl, The Two Towers
Resolution: Each player with a copy of Poisoned Counsels in his hand, deck or discard pile has earned that burden. Add the earned cards to the campaign pool.
Down through the breach of the Dike charged the king's company. Down from the hills leaped Erkenbrand, lord of Westfold. Down leaped Shadowfax, like a deer that runs surefooted in the mountains. The White Rider was upon them, and the terror of his coming filled the enemy with madness. The wild men fell on their faces before him. The Orcs reeled and screamed and cast aside both sword and spear. Like a black smoke driven by a mounting wind they fled. –The Two Towers
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Arrows thick as the rain came whistling over the battlements, and fell clinking and glancing on the stones. Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun...
–The Two Towers
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Helm's Deep scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
1x Isengard Uruk
3x Uruk-hai Fighter
3x Wild Hillman
3x The Hornburg
1x Deeping Wall
2x Postern Door
2x Reckless Hate
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Helm's Deep 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.
8
2
8
Cannot have attachments.
While Host of Isengard is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: At the end of the round, place 1 progress on the current quest (bypassing any active location)."
4
2
4
Forced: When Bloodied Berserker is dealt a shadow card with no effect, either place 2 progress on the active location, or Bloodied Berserker makes an additional attack against you.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1
While Helm's Dike is the active location, each enemy gets -10 engagement cost.
Forced: When Helm's Dike is explored, shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and discard cards from the top until an enemy is discarded. Add the discarded enemy to the staging area.
Each enemy gains Toughness 1.
Forced: When Hornburg Wall is explored, exhaust each ally in play.
Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.
Immune to player card effects.
The players cannot travel here unless they are at stage 4B.
While Glittering Caves is the active location, it gains: "Skip the combat phase.Forced: At the end of the round, add Glittering Caves to the victory display and raise each player's threat by 2."
When Revealed: Either remove 1 resource token from Theof Helm's Deep, or each location in the staging area gains archery 1 until the end of the round.
Shadow: Attacking enemy makes an additional attack against you after this one.
When Revealed: Each player exhausts a character he controls. Until the end of the round, characters cannot be readied by player card effects.
Shadow: Until the end of the round, defending character cannot ready.