You are playing Nightmare mode.
Progress cannot be placed on non-Uncharted locations in the staging area.
Forced: When the players would travel to Shrine of Morgoth, if there are 3 or fewer double-sided locations in the victory display, return Shrine to Morgoth to the staging area and flip it to its Lost Island side. Remove all progress from each Uncharted location in the staging area and shuffle them so that the players do not know which one is which. Then, choose a new location to travel to.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Fate of Númenor scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
2x Forbidden Coast
2x Cursed Temple
2x Flooded Ruins
2x Drowned Graves
2x Lush Jungle
1x Shrine of Morgoth
3x Steep Plateau
3x Aimless Wandering
1x Mysterious Fog
1x Servant of the Deceiver
1x Lingering Malevolence
1x Drowned Dead
Then shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Fate of Númenor 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.
Note: As print-on-demand cardstock does not match that in the original scenario, the Uncharted deck from the original scenario should be replaced with the Uncharted deck reprinted in this Nightmare deck. This has already been taken into account in the cards listed above.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
While you are at the same stage as the Stormcaller, the main quest gets +X quest points, where X is the Stormcaller's remaining hit points.
...the Sea became a word of fear among them, and a token of death, and they turned their faces away from the hills in the west.
—The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Flight of the Stormcaller scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
- 2x Calm Waters
- 2x Corsair Skiff
- 2x Southron Sailor
- 2x Serpent's Blade
- 1x Hidden Cove
- 2x Jagged Cliff
Then shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Flight of the Stormcaller 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.
☸*: Some Cards in the Flight of the Nightmare Deck have Sailing Success symbols (☸) with an asterisk (*) next to them. This indicates that the card has a Forced effect which will trigger when the card is discarded during a sailing test.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: After The Thing in the Depths enemy enters play, it attacks each player in turn order from the staging area (deal and resolve a shadow card for each attack).
Stage 3B gains: "Forced: At the beginning of the quest phase, if there are fewer locations in play than the number of players, discard cards from the top of the encounter deck until a location is discarded. Reveal that location.
Forced: At the end of the refresh phase, resolve the grapple keyword on each Tentacle enemy in play.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the The Thing in the Depths scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
2x Corsair Infiltrator
1x Crew Quarters
1x Crushing Arm
1x Grasping Arm
1x Giant Arm
Then shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Thing in the Depths 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
While the active location is Underwater encounter card effects cannot be canceled.
Forced: When the 'when revealed' effect on state 2A resolves, Captain Sahír makes an immediate attack against each player in turn order, instead of only the first player.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Drowned Ruins scenario.
Remove the following card, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
1x Cursed Caverns / Twisting Hollow
1x Undersea Grotto / Dark Abyss
2x Throngs of Unfaithful
2x Soulless Cadaver
2x Drowned Cave
3x Into the Abyss
1x Tangling and Grasping
2x Sea-scorpion
2x Cave Eel
Then, shuffle the encounter card in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Drowned Ruins encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and placr it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to being.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Setup: When choosing a Dol Amroth objective to put into play during setup, players must choose randomly among all 6 Dol Amroth objectives.
Raider Flagship cannot guard objectives.
While any player is engaged with Raider Flagship, no more than 5 progress can be placed on the current quest each round.
And in the morning the banner of Dol Amroth, a white ship like a swan upon blue water, floated from the Tower...
–The Return of the King
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the A Storm on Cobas Haven scenario.
Remove the following card, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
2x Belfalas Islet
2x Cobas Haven
2x Fog Bank
2x Corsair Skirmisher
1x Ramming Speed!
2x Corsair Infiltrator
1x Cunning Pirate
1x Umbar Raider
Then, shuffle the encounter card in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard A Storm on Cobas Haven encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and placr it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to being.
Wheel*: Some cards in the A Storm on Cobas Haven Nightmare Deck have Sailing success symbols (Wheel) with an asterisk (*) next to them. This indicates that the card has a Forced effect which will trigger when the card is discarded during a Sailing test.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: When the 'when revealed' effect on stage 2B resolves, also search the encounter deck and discard pule for each copy of Umbar Bridge and each copy of Inspiring Fury and shuffle them into the second encounter deck.
Forced: When the 'when revealed' effect on stage 3A resolves, also search the encounter deck for The Cursed Sword and attack it to the set-aside Captain Sahír.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The City of Corsairs scenario.
Remove the following card, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
2x Corsair Infiltrator
2x Fog Bank
2x Starlit Sea
2x Scouting Ship
2x Serpent's Tail
1x Streets of Umbar
During setup, players are instructed to set The City of Corsairs encounter set aside, out of play. After doing so, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck that have The City of Corsairs encounter set icon into the set aside The City of Corsairs encounter set. Then, use the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck that have the Coast of Umbar encounter set icon to build the standard encounter deck and Corsair deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and placr it next to the quest deck. Its effect remains active throughout the game, which is now ready to being.
Wheel*: Some cards in The City of Corsairs Nightmare Deck have Sailing success symbols (Wheel) with an asterisk (*) next to them. This indicates that the card has a Forced effect which will trigger when the card is discarded during a Sailing test.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
The objective cards Troll Key and Troll Purse gain surge.
A nice pickle they were all in now: all neatly tied up in sacks, with three angry trolls (and two with burns and bashes to remember) sitting by them, arguing whether they should roast them slowly, or mince them fine and boil them, or just sit on them one by one and squash them into jelly... –The Hobbit
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x A Suspicious Crow
1x Lone-lands
1x Dreary Hills
2x Hobbit-lands
2x A Nice Pickle
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard We Must Away, Ere Break of Day encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
Play Tip: The treachery card, Night Wanes Slow, has a Forced effect that triggers when it is discarded from the encounter deck as a result of stage 2B's effect. When discarding cards from the encounter deck at stage 2B, discard them one at a time in case Night Wanes Slow is one of them.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
When resolving the "when revealed" effect of stage 3B, no more than X resources may be spent from Bilbo Baggins's resource pool, where X is the number of players in the game.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Over the Misty Mountains Grim scenario. This scenario has two encounter decks. The first encounter deck consists of Over the Misty Mountains Grim and Western Lands encounter sets, and the second consists of The Great Goblin and Misty Mountain Goblins encounter sets.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from both of the standard encounter deck:
2x Cave Entrance
2x Lone-lands
2x Dreary Hills
2x Overhanging Rock
1x Great Cavern Room
1x The Great Goblin
3x Goblin Miners
3x Goblin Axeman
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck with the Over the Misty Mountains Grim encounter set icons into the remainder of the first encounter deck. Shuffle the cards with The Great Goblin encounter set icon into the second encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Gollum cannot take damage.
Setup: Search the encounter deck for The Lower Gate and set it aside, out of play.
Forced: When stage 3B is revealed, add The Lower Gate to the staging area.
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Goblin Miners
3x Goblin Axeman
3x The Goblins' Caves
3x Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!
1x Not fair! Not fair!
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Setup: Each player gives 1 poison to a hero he controls.
Hundreds of angry spiders were goggling at them all round and about and above. It looked pretty hopeless. –The Hobbit
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Flies and Spiders scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Dark Bats
3x Hidden Path
2x Fighting Among Friends
5x Wicked Spider
1x Fat Spider
1x Giant Web
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Flies and Spiders encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
While there is at least 1 card stacked underneath The Lonely Mountain the players cannot advance to stage 3.
Smaug the Magnificent cannot take damage unless A Bare Patch is attached to him.
The dwarves were still passing the cup from hand to hand and talking delightedly of the recovery of their treasure, when suddenly a vast rumbling woke in the mountain underneath as if it was an old volcano that had map up its mind to start eruptions once again. –The Hobbit
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Lonely Mountain scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Dark Bats
2x Fighting Among Friends
3x Western Slopes
2x Secret Entrance
4x Belching Fire
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Lonely Moutain encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
While the players are at stage 5b, this card gains:"Forced: When the players are instructed to remove any amount of progress from a quest stage, place 1 progress here instead."
If there are X progress tokens here, the players lose the game. X depends on the number of players in the game:
1 player: X equals 5
2 players: X equals 7
3 players: X equals 9
4 players: X equals 11
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Battle of Five Armies Nightmare scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Dark Bats
3x Hidden Path
2x Fighting Among Friends
1x Vanguard of Bolg
1x Ravenous Warg
4x Gundabad Climber
3x Gundabad Wolf Rider
1x Misty Mountain Eagle
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Battle of Five Armies Nightmare encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: When stage 3A is revealed, if Kham–l the Easterling is not in play, the first player searches the encounter deck, discard pile, and victory display for Kham–l the Easterling and adds it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
"I do not know for what reason the Enemy is purusing you," answered Gildor; "but I perceive that he is – strange indeed though that seems to me. And I warn you that peril is now both before you and behind you, and upon either side." –The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the A Shadow of the Past scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Evil Crow
1x Woody End
1x Bamfurlong
1x Stock-brook
3x Green Hill Country
3x Pathless Country
2x Rode Like a Gale
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard A Shadow of the Past encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
While Bill Ferny is in the staging area, he gains: "Immune to player card effects."
The night deepened. There came the soft sound of horses led with stealth along the lane. Outside the gate they stopped, and three black figures entered, like shades of night creeping across the ground. –The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the A Knife in the Dark scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
4x Shady Bree-lander
3x Weather Hills
1x Unwanted Attention
3x Pathless Country
1x Weathertop
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard A Knife in the Dark encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
The players cannot win while Ford of Bruinen is in play.
"There seem only to have been five of the enemy. Why they were not all here, I don't know; but I don't think they expected to be resisted. They have drawn off for the time being. But not far, I fear. They will come again another night, if we cannot escape." –Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for the Flight to the Ford scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
4x Fell Rider
1x Ford of Bruinen
1x The Troll's Camp
3x Ettenmoors
3x Pain Assailed Him
3x The Old Road
3x Pathless Country
3x Striken Dumb
2x Rode Like a Gale
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Flight to the Ford encounter deck.
Finally, flip this setup card over and place it next to the quest deck. Its effects remain active throughout the game, which is now ready to begin.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Setup: Set each copy of Pale-green Tentacle aside, out of play.
Forced: When the players advance to stage 4B, each player puts 1 copy of Pale-green Tentacle into play engaged with him. Shuffle any remaining copies, and the encounter discard pile, into the encounter deck.
Begin with the standard and encounter deck for The Ring Goes South scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
2x Crebain from Dunland
2x Howling Warg
1x Tree-crowned Hill
3x Hills of Hollin
2x Snowdrifts
1x Storm of Howls
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Ring Goes South 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Each hero in each player's discard pile cannot leave the discard pile.
The players cannot defeat stage 3B unless The Balrog is in the victory display.
"And I say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware!" –Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard and encounter deck for The Journey in the Dark scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Moria Archer
4x Mines of Moria
1x We Cannot Get Out
3x Deep Fissure
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Joruney in the Dark 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
"The day has come at last." her said: "the day of choice which we have long delayed. What shall now become of our Company that has travelled so far in fellowship?"
–Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring
Begin with the standard and encounter deck for the Breaking of the Fellowship scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
4x Uruk-hai Archer
2x River Anduin
1x Slopes of Amon Hen
2x Black Feathered Arrows
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard Breaking of the Fellowship 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Each Captive is immune to player card effects.
Setup: Set Mauhúr aisde, out of play.
Forced: When the players advance to stage 2A, add Mauhúr to the staging area.
“You'll run with me behind you,” said Uglúk. “Run! Or you'll never see your beloved holes again.”
—The Two Towers
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Uruk-hai scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
- 3x Uruk-hai Figter
- 1x Snaga
- 2x Eastemnet
- 2x Plains of Rohan
- 3x The Wold
- 2x Unseen Barrier
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Uruk-hai 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.
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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: When Ent of Fangorn leaves play, remove it from the game.
"Suddenly up came fires and foul flames: the vents and shafts all over the plain began to spout and belch. Several of the Ents got scorched and blistered."
–Pippin, The Two Towers
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Road to Isengard scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Snaga
1x Ring-wall of Isengard
2x Open Pit
1x Machines of Isengard
3x Blast of Sorcery
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Road to Isengard 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Forced: When a location in the staging are is explored, raise each player's threat by X, where X is that location's Mire value.
Often they floundered, stepping or falling hands–first into waters as noisome as a cesspool, till they were slimed and fouled almost up to their necks and stank in one another's nostrils. –The Two Towers
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Passage of the Marshes scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
3x Groping Dead
3x Dead Things
3x Soft Mires
3x Haunted Mere
3x Bitter Reek
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard The Passage of the Marshes 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.
You are playing Nightmare mode.
Setup: Place 1 Southron Warrior per player facedown under The Cross-roads, then shuffle the facedown cards under The Cross-roads. Set any remaining Southron Warriors aside, out of play.
"Great strength of them was reported to us some days ago, marching north. One of their regiments is due by our reckoning to pass by, some time ere noon..."
–Mablung, The Two Towers
Begin with the standard quest deck and encounter deck for The Journey to the Cross-roads scenario.
Remove the following cards, in the specified quantities, from the standard encounter deck:
1x Captain of Harad
1x Henneth Annun
2x Southward Road
4x Hills of Ithilien
3x The Dark Lord's Summons
Then, shuffle the encounter cards in this Nightmare Deck into the remainder of the standard the Journey to the Cross-roads 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.