3
4
5
Forced: After Grishn kh enters play, the first player attached 1 of the Captives to him. If Grishn kh is defeated, place the attached Captive faceup underneath To Isengard!
Forced: At the end of the quest phase, deal 1 damage to the attached Captive.
Forced: At the end of the planning phase, place each Harad enemy in the staging area facedown underneath The Black Gate.
If there are at least X facedown cards underneath The Black Gate, the players lose the game. X is 3 more than the number of players.
When Revealed: Either place the lowest Harad enemy engaged with you facedown under The Black Gate or reveal the top card from under The Cross-roads and put it into play engaged with you.
"Always more people coming to Mordor. One day all the peoples will be inside." -Gollum, The Two Towers
2
2
6
1
2
6
5
2
5
1
2
5
X is the number of different resource icons 
, 
, 
or 
on heroes in play.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +2 .
8
3
5
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.
1
1
3
Forced: When Orc Rabble is dealt a shadow card, it gets +2 until the end of the phase.
Shadow: Deal the attacking enemy an additional shadow card for each player in the game.
3
2
3
Forced: When Orc Arsonist engages a player, deal 1 shadow card to each enemy engaged with that player.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 . Deal it another shadow card.
6
2
3
When Revealed: Add the topmost Orc enemy from the encounter discard pile to the staging area.
Shadow: Defending player discards an attachment he controls. (All attachments he controls instead if undefended.)
4
1
2
5
3
5
X is the total number of hidden cards in the game.
Forced: At the end of the round, each player must raise his threat by 1 for each hiddien card in his play area.
3
1
3
Forced: After Orc Ambusher engages you, discard 1 non-objective ally you control, if able.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+3 instead if undefended.)
4
1
5
2
2
6
3
1
3
Forced: After any number of progress tokens are placed on To the Tower, deal Morgul Sorcerer a shadow card.
Shadow: Defending player must place 1 progress token on To the Tower or treat this attack as undefended.
1
0
3
Forced: When Morgul Tracker is optionally engaged, place 1 progress token on To the Tower.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 . If undefended, place 1 progress token on To the Tower as well.
3
2
4
Forced: When Spy from Mordor attacks, remove 1 time counter from the current quest.
"Some spying breed of Orc, I guess, or a creature of theirs." –Faramir, The Two Towers
5
4
7
X is the number of cards underneath The Orcs’ Search.
Scour: Each player must search the encounter deck and discard pile for an Orc enemy and add it to the staging area.
3
2
4
When Revealed: Either place 3 damage on the active location, or reveal an additional encounter card.
Scour: Place 1 damage on the active location.
Shadow: Place 1 damage on the active location.
5
3
5
Forced: After Prowling Orc attacks, place 1 damage on the active location.
Scour: Prowling Orc engages the player with the highest threat and makes an immediate attack.
"Garn! You don't even know what you're looking for." –Orc, The Return of the King
4
2
4
When Revealed: Either raise each player's threat by X, where X is the active location's or Messenger from Mordor makes an immediate attack against the first player.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1
2
1
3
Servant of Sauron engages the first player.
Forced: After the engaged player raises his threat, Servant of Sauron makes an immediate attack. (Limit once per phase.)
6
4
9
Indestructible. Immune to player card effects.
X is 1 more than the number of quest stages in the victory display. Cannot be engaged unless X is equal to 5.
Forced: When Thane Ulchor attacks and destroys a character, place 1 damage token on Tribute to Mordor.
6
4
9
Immune to player card effects.
Kham–l the Easterling engages the first player.
Only the engaged player can declare attackers or defenders against Kham–l the Easterling.
Immune to player card effects.
The player cannot travel here.
Each player's threat elimination level is reduced by 5.
...wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant, he saw it: Barad–d–r, Fortress of Sauron. All hope left him.
–The Fellowship of the Ring
When Revealed: Each player with more than 5 cards in his hand discards cards from his hand until he has only 5.
Forced: After a player draws any number of cards, he raises his threat by 1.
"Nothing can hide from them."
–Gollum, The Two Towers
Forced: After a non-unique enemy engages a player, that enemy cannot take damage until the end of the round.
...here the Dark Power, moving its armies like pieces on the board, was gathering them together.
–The Return of the King
Each player's threat cannot be reduced by more than 1 each round by player card effects.
Darkness lay there under the Sun. Fire glowed amid the smoke. Mount Doom was burning, and a great reek rising.
–The Fellowship of the Ring
6
4
9
Immune to player card effects. Cannot leave the staging area.
Forced: After the active location is explored, the first player must choose: either discard cards from the top of the encounter deck until a location is discarded and add it to the staging area, or Thane Ulchor attacks you.
3
2
4
When Revealed: Raise each player's threat by 3.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 If this attack destroys a character, raise each player's threat by 1.
6
4
12
Immune to player card effects.
X is 1 more than the number of Castle side quests in the victory display.
Forced: After Thane Ulchor attacks, reveal the top card of the encounter deck.
3
1
4
Forced: After Soldier of Nurn attacks, place 1 card from your hand facedown under a Castle side quest.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 If this attack destroys a character, place 1 card from your hand facedown under a Castle side quest.
3
4
5
Forced: After Grishn kh enters play, the first player attached 1 of the Captives to him. If Grishn kh is defeated, place the attached Captive faceup underneath To Isengard!
Forced: At the end of the quest phase, deal 1 damage to the attached Captive.
Forced: At the end of the planning phase, place each Harad enemy in the staging area facedown underneath The Black Gate.
If there are at least X facedown cards underneath The Black Gate, the players lose the game. X is 3 more than the number of players.
When Revealed: Either place the lowest Harad enemy engaged with you facedown under The Black Gate or reveal the top card from under The Cross-roads and put it into play engaged with you.
"Always more people coming to Mordor. One day all the peoples will be inside." -Gollum, The Two Towers
3
1
4
When Revealed: Put the topmost Orc enemy in the discard pile into play engaged with you.
Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, return attacking enemy to the staging area.
3
1
3
When Revealed: Either deal 2 damage to a hero you control, or deal 2 damage to Minas Tirith.
Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +1 (+2 instead if it has the Mordor trait).
2
1
2
While Minas Tirith is in play, undefended damage dealt by Mordor Orc must be dealt to Minas Tirith.
Shadow: If Minas Tirith is in play, engage Mordor Orc and deal it a shadow card.
Immune to player card effects. The players cannot travel here.
The Black Gate gets +1 for each resource on it.
Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, place 1 resource here and raise each player's threat by 1.
The great doors of the Black Gate swung back wide. Out of it streamed a great host as swiftly as swirling waters when a sluice is lifted.
–The Return of the King
6
5
11
Immune to player card effects. Cannot leave the staging area.
Forced: After a player cancels a 'when revealed' effect, The Mouth of Sauron makes an immediate attack against that player.
The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad–d–r he was...
–The Return of the King
Players do not raise their threat at the end of the refresh phase.
Forced: At the end of the round, each player raises his threat by 1 for each non-
character he controls.
...blacker and darker than the vast shades amid which it stood, the cruel pinnacles and iron crown of the topmost tower of Barad–d–r.
–Return of the King
Immune to player card effects. X is the tens digit of the first player's threat dial.
The players cannot travel here unless there is at least 20 progress on stage 3B.
Travel: Each player makes a Fortitude test. If a player fails this test, raise his threat by 9.
He raised his eyes with difficulty to the dark slopes of Mount Doom towering above him...
–The Return of the King
While Orc-hold is in the staging area, progress cannot be placed on other locations in the staging area.
Forced: After Orc-hold becomes the active location, shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck. Discard cards from the top until an Orc enemy is discarded. Put that enemy into play engaged with the first player.
(|)
Mordor Road gets +1 for each controlled by the player who controls the most allies.
Forced: After Mordor Road becomes the active location, each player discards the top card of the encounter deck. Add each enemy discarded this way to the staging area.
(|)
They climbed on to the causeway and trudged along, down the hard cruel road that led to the Dark Tower itself.
–The Return of the King
If a player has failed a Fortitude test this round, Plain of Gorgoroth gets +2
Travel: The first player makes a Fortitude test to travel here. If he fails this test, raise each player's threat by 4.
There smokes trailed on the ground and lurked in hollows, and fumes leaked from fissures in the earth.
–The Return of the King
While Brake of Thorns is in the staging area, add (|) to each Fortitude test.
Forced: After Brake of Thorns becomes the active location, each player assigns X damage among characters he controls, where X is the tens digit of his threat dial.
(|)
They had a struggle to get out of the thicket. The thorns and briars were as tough as wire and clinging as claws.
–The Return of the King