While Rocky Outcrop is in the staging area, characters cannot be readied by player card effects.
Travel: The first player exhausts a hero he controls.
Immune to player card effects.
Forced: After a location is revealed from the encounter deck, The Governor engages the first player and makes an immediate attack.
"In all the long wars with the Dark Tower treason has ever been our greatest foe."
–Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring
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
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.)
When Revealed: Until the end of the round, enemies engaged with the first player cannot take damage.
Shadow: Either raise your threat by 2, or attacking enemy cannot take damage this round.
The longer you wander the streets, the more unwanted attention you attract.
Each location in the staging area gets +1
Forced: After Unwelcome Travelers becomes the current quest, the first player discards cards from the top of the encounter deck until an enemy is discarded and puts it into play engaged with him.
When Revealed: Thane Ulchor makes an immediate attack against the first player. If no attack is made this way, Ulchor's Rage gains surge.
Shadow: Deal 1 damage to the defening character.
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. 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.
While Guarded Archway is in the staging area, each player engaged with City Guard cannot reduce his threat.
Travel: City Guard makes an attack against the first player.
When Revealed: Either place 3 damage on The Wainriders' stage, or Chariot Driver makes an attack against the first player.
Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, return attacking enemy to the the staging area.
Crowded Track gets +1 for each character controlled by the first player.
Forced: After Crowded Track becomes the active location, each player searches the encounter deck and discard pile for an enemy and adds it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.
While Ravine Ledge is in the staging area, each racing test requires 1 additional matching result.
Travel: The first player makes a racing test. To pass requires 1 TURN result. If the players pass the test, each player draws 1 card. If the players faill the test, each player discards 1 random card from his hand.
Forced: After The Barracks becomes the active location, add the enemy under it to the staging area. That enemy cannot take damage this round.
Forced: When The Baracks is explored, the first player gains control of the objective ally it was guarding.
Forced: After Slave Quarters becomes the active location, the enemy under it engages the first player and makes an immediate attack.
Forced: When Slave Quarters is explored, the first player gains control of the objective ally it was guarding.
Forced: After The Storehouse becomes the active location, add the enemy under it to the staging area. That enemy gets +3 and -30 engagement cost until the end of the round.
Forced: When The Storehouse is explored, the first player gains control of the objective ally it was guarding.
The dungeons of Dol Rhugar are full of prisoners with no hope of escape.
No more than 4 progress can be placed on the current quest each round.
Response: When this stage is defeated, the first player chooses a Castle side quest. Each player looks at his facedown cards under that quest and adds 1 to his hand.
Response: After placing 1 or more progress tokens on Hobbit-lands, the first player draws 1 card.
Shadow: Defending player must put the top card of the encounter deck discard pile on top of the encounter deck.
If Troll Key is discarded, add it to the staging area.
If Troll Key is unattached and in the staging area, attach it to a Troll enemy, if able.
Response: After attached Troll enemy takes damage as the result of an attack, the first player may exhaust Bilbo Baggins to claim this objective and attach it to him.
When Revealed: The first player chooses a Troll enemy in the staging area and engages that enemy. If there are no Troll enemies in the staging area, this card gains Surge.
Shadow: Deal 4 damage to each character with a Sack card attached. (The first player may spend 2 resources to cancel this effect.)
When Revealed: The first player exhausts 1 character he controls.
Shadow: Defending player exhausts 1 character he controls.
When Revealed: Starting with the first player, each player must choose 1 Goblin enemy from the discard pile and add it to the staging area.
Shadow: Defending player deals damage among characters he controls equal to the number of Goblin enemies engaged with him.
When Revealed: The first player chooses a questing character. That character takes 3 damage and is removed from the quest.
Shadow: Put this card on top of the encounter deck.
When Revealed: The first player chooses 1 Stone-giant in the staging area. At the end of the quest phase, that Stone-giant engages the player with the highest threat. If there are no Stone-giant cards in the staging area, search the encounter deck for 1 Stone-giant and add it to the staging area.
Forced: After the first player answers a riddle and fails to find at least 1 match, Gollum attacks Bilbo Baggins. (Do not deal a shadow card for this attack.)
"If precious asks, and it doesn't answer, we eats it, my precious." – Gollum, The Hobbit
Forced: If Great Gray Wolf is dealt a shadow card with a riddle, return all Creature enemies to the staging area at the end of the combat phase.
Riddle: The first player names a card type, sphere and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches all three items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
Forced: If Wild Wargs is dealt a shadow card with a riddle, it gets +2.
Riddle: The first player names a card type, shuffles his deck, and discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
Forced: After a character takes damage from an attack made by a Creature enemy, remove 1 progress from the current quest.
Riddle: The first player names a sphere, shuffles his deck, and discards the top card. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: Starting with the first player, each player must search the encounter deck and encounter discard pile for 1 Creature enemy and put it into play engaged with him. Then, shuffle the encounter deck.
Riddle: The first player names a card type and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player must choose to answer the riddle on this card. If he finds at least 1 match, discard cards from the encounter deck until another card with a riddle is discarded. Then, answer that riddle.
Riddle: The first player names a cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: Characters get -1 and cannot attack until the end of the round.
Riddle: The first player names a card type and sphere, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 3 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player must choose to answer the riddle on this card. This effect cannot be canceled.
Riddle: The first player names a sphere and cost, shuffles his deck, then discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches both items, place 1 progress token on stage 2.
When Revealed: The first player names a card type and then discards the top 3 cards of the encounter deck. For each of those cards that does not match the named type, remove 1 progress token from stage 2. This effect cannot be canceled.
While attached, Smaug the Magnificent gets -3 .
Response: After the players quest successfully, the first player makes a burgle attempt. If successful, attach A Bare Patch to Smaug the Magnificent.
"Old fool! Why there is a large patch in the hollow of this left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell!
—Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit
Indestructible. Immune to player card effects.
Cannot leave the staging area (except by quest effect) but is considered to be engaged with the first player.
Forced: If Smaug the Magnificent is dealt a shadow card with a burgle effect, he makes an additional attack immediately after this one.
Forced: When a location is revealed from the encounter deck, put 1 progress on Smaug the Golden.
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 1 card from his hand that matches the revealed card's sphere and type.
While at least 1 card is stacked underneath, The Lonely Mountain is immune to player card effects, cannot leave the staging area, and gets -2 for each card stacked under it.
Action: While making a burgle attempt, the first player may spend 2 resources to take the revealed card into hand and reveal the next card of his deck.
While Great Hall is the active location, it gains: "Forced: Put 1 progress on Smaug the Golden at the end of each round."
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 3 cards from his hand that match the revealed card's type.
While Secret Entrance is the active location, The Lonely Mountain's is reduced by half (round up).
Travel: The first player must exhaust a hero and name a card type to travel here. Then, look at the top card of the encounter deck. If the looked at card is not the named type, return Secret Entrance to the staging area. (The players cannot travel again this round.)
While Desolation of Smaug is the active location, the first treachery card revealed each round gains surge.
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 2 cards from his hand that match the revealed card's cost.
Response: When Western Slopes leaves play as an explored location (choose one): the first player draws 2 cards, or remove 1 progress token from Smaug the Golden.
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 2 cards from his hand that match the revealed card's sphere.
When Revealed: Put 1 progress token on Smaug the Golden. Then, spend X resources or advance to stage 4A. X is the number of progress tokens on Smaug the Golden.
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 2 cards from his hand that match the revealed card's type.
When Revealed: Each player discards 2 random cards from hand. Until the end of the phase, each Dragon enemy in play gets +1 for each event discarded by this effect.
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 1 card from his hand that matches the revealed card's sphere and cost.
When Revealed: Each Dragon enemy in the staging area makes an immediate attack against the player with the highest total committed to the quest. (Do not deal a shadow card for this attack.)
Burgle: The first player shuffles his deck and reveals the top card. He may discard 1 card from his hand that matches the revealed card's type and cost.
Immune to player card effects.
While there is at least 1 other location in play, players cannot travel here.
Travel: The first player must make a Hide 3 test to travel here.
After Bucklebury Ferry leaves play as an explored location, the players win the game.