The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Mountain of Fire Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component Overview
• Expansion Symbol
• Campaign Mode
  • Campaign Cards
  • Boons and Burdens
• Saga Expansion Player Cards
• New Rules
  • Setting Up the Game
  • The Fellowship Sphere
  • Frodo Baggins
  • The One Ring
  • Aragorn
  • Multiplayer Rules - The One Ring
  • Multiplayer Rules - Aragorn
  • Campaign Staging Rules
• Game Terms
  • Immune to Player Card Effects
  • Archery X
  • Peril
  • Dire
  • Fortitude Tests
    • Player Actions During Fortitude Tests
• Scenarios
  • The Tower of Cirith Ungol
  • The Black Gate Opens
  • Mount Doom
• Epic Multiplayer Mode
  • Setting Up Epic Multiplayer Mode
  • Playing Epic Multiplayer Mode
  • Playing Epic Multiplayer Mode in Campaign Mode
• Decklists
  • Leadership, Lore & Tactics Deck
  • Leadership & Spirit Deck
• Game Modes
  • Easy Mode
  • Standard Mode
  • Nightmare Mode

Component Overview

The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire includes the following components:

• This rules insert
• 165 cards, consisting of:
  • 4 Hero Cards
  • 27 Player Cards
  • 121 Encounter Cards
  • 9 Quest Cards
  • 3 Campaign Cards
  • 1 Epic Multiplayer Card

Expansion Symbol

The cards in The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire Saga Expansion can be identified by this symbol before their collector number.

Campaign Mode

Included in The Mountain of Fire are new campaign cards, boons and burdens that allow players to play the 3 scenarios included in this box in campaign mode as part of The Lord of the Rings campaign they began in The Black Riders Saga Expansion. The scenarios in The Mountain of Fire are played after completing The Flame of the West.

The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions are designed to encourage campaign play, but players can still play the scenarios as standalone adventures if they choose. To read the rules for how to play the scenarios in The Mountain of Fire outside a campaign, skip to the Scenarios section below. The complete rules for campaign mode can be found in The Lord of the Rings: The Black Riders, which is required to play campaign mode.

Campaign Cards

The campaign card serves to place a scenario within the larger campaign. When setting up a scenario in campaign mode, the players must place the campaign card for that scenario next to the quest deck and follow any additional setup instructions on the front of the card. After the players defeat that scenario, turn over the campaign card and follow any resolution instructions, updating their Campaign Log accordingly.

Card diagrams (the campaign card front and back, and the boon and burden examples) are not reproduced.

Boons and Burdens

Boons and burdens are two card sub-types for use only when playing campaign mode. These cards are special player cards and encounter cards that represent the consequences of player choices, both good and bad, and they have a unique set of rules.

Boons are neutral player cards that must be earned by playing through a scenario in campaign mode in order to be used. Players are not allowed to include these cards in a game until after they are earned, unless a scenario directs them to do otherwise.

Burdens are encounter cards that can be earned when playing through a scenario in campaign mode and subsequently included in the encounter deck. Instead of an encounter set icon, burdens have a "burden set icon" used to identify which burden set they belong to. Burdens do not belong to an encounter set and they should not be included in an encounter deck until the players are instructed to include them (even if the burden set icon is the same as an encounter set icon used for the scenario). Note: There are no new burdens included in The Mountain of Fire saga expansion.

Saga Expansion Player Cards

The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire features new cards that players may use to customize their decks when playing the scenarios in The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions. While most of the included player cards are fully compatible with all published The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game scenarios, a select few are only intended for use when playing the scenarios presented in The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions. These are the Fellowship sphere cards: Frodo Baggins, Aragorn, and Orc Disguise, as well as the boon card: Gwaihir.

New Rules

Setting Up the Game

When setting up a scenario in The Mountain of Fire, the first player must take control of the appropriate Fellowship sphere hero as follows: When setting up The Black Gate Opens, the first player takes control of the Fellowship sphere Aragorn included in this expansion. When setting up The Tower of Cirith Ungol or Mount Doom, the first player must take control of a hero from the Fellowship sphere with the Ring-bearer trait at the beginning of the game and attach The One Ring to that hero.

The Fellowship Sphere

The Fellowship sphere, denoted by the Fellowship sphere icon, is a sphere of influence in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game with its own set of rules. The Fellowship sphere emphasizes the sacrifice and determination of the valiant heroes who took up the quest to destroy The One Ring and bring an end to the menace of Sauron.

Heroes belonging to the Fellowship sphere can only be used when playing the scenarios in The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions. Also, only one hero from the Fellowship sphere can be played at a time. Therefore, it is not possible for there to be more than one hero belonging to the Fellowship sphere in play at any time. Note: This limitation does not apply to Epic Multiplayer Mode as described on page 9.

Frodo Baggins

The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire features Frodo Baggins, a hero who belongs to the Fellowship sphere. This new version of Frodo Baggins is the only hero with the Ring-bearer trait included in this box. When using this version, players cannot start with any other version(s) of Frodo Baggins as a starting hero or include any other version(s) of Frodo Baggins in their decks.

As a hero, this version of Frodo Baggins collects 1 resource during the resource phase. In addition to paying for cards that match the Fellowship sphere, resources from Frodo Baggins' pool may be spent to pay for neutral cards as well.

Because this version of Frodo Baggins belongs to the Fellowship sphere, he cannot be used as a hero when playing any scenario from a product other than The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions.

The One Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire features The One Ring, an objective card that the players must use when playing The Tower of Cirith Ungol or Mount Doom. When setting up either of these scenarios, the first player must attach The One Ring to a Ring-bearer he controls.

While attached to a hero, The One Ring has the text: "Attached hero does not count against the hero limit." Therefore, it is possible for the first player to begin the game with up to 4 heroes under his control if one of those heroes is a Ring-bearer with The One Ring attached.

The One Ring also has the text: "If The One Ring leaves play, the players lose the game." Just like in the books, the players will need to carefully guard the Ring-bearer because if the attached hero leaves play, then The One Ring is also discarded and the players lose the game.

Aragorn

The Lord of the Rings: The Mountain of Fire features Aragorn, a hero who belongs to the Fellowship sphere. When using this version of Aragorn, players cannot start with any other version(s) of Aragorn as a starting hero or include any other version(s) of Aragorn in their decks.

As a hero, this version of Aragorn collects 1 resource during the resource phase. In addition to paying for cards that match the Fellowship sphere, resources from Aragorn's pool may be spent to pay for neutral cards as well.

Aragorn also has the text: "If Aragorn leaves play, the players lose the game." This text cannot be modified by player card effects or encounter card effects.

Because this version of Aragorn belongs to the Fellowship sphere, he cannot be used as a hero when playing any scenario from a product other than The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions.

Multiplayer Rules - The One Ring

The One Ring also has the text: "The first player gains control of attached hero." When the first player token passes during the refresh phase, the first player gains control of the attached Ring-bearer, all resources in that hero's resource pool, and all cards attached to that hero.

If the hero with The One Ring attached is the last hero under a player's control, and that hero leaves that player's control, then that player is immediately eliminated from the game.

Multiplayer Rules - Aragorn

Aragorn has the text: "The first player gains control of Aragorn." When the first player token passes during the refresh phase, the first player gains control of Aragorn, all resources in Aragorn's resource pool, and all cards attached to Aragorn.

If Aragorn is the last hero under a player's control, and he leaves that player's control, then that player is immediately eliminated from the game.

Campaign Staging Rules

When playing the scenarios in The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions, players reveal encounter cards individually in player order during the Staging Step of the Quest Phase. Beginning with the first player, each player reveals 1 encounter card and resolves its staging before the next player reveals a card. If an encounter card has an effect that uses the word "you" then the encounter card is referring to the player who revealed the card. If the revealed encounter has the Surge keyword, the player who revealed that card reveals an additional encounter card before play proceeds to the next player. Encounter cards with the Doomed X keyword still affect each player.

Game Terms

Immune to Player Card Effects

Cards with the text "Immune to player card effects" ignore the effects of all player cards. Additionally, cards that are immune to player card effects cannot be chosen as targets of player card effects.

Archery X

While a card with the archery keyword is in play, players must deal damage to character cards in play equal to the specified archery value at the beginning of each combat phase. This damage can be dealt to characters under any player's control, and it can be divided among the players as they see fit. If there is a disagreement as to where to assign archery damage, the first player makes the final decision. If multiple cards with the archery keyword are in play, the effects are cumulative. Remember that defense does not block archery damage.

For example: Sean and Jeremy are playing the scenario "The Black Gate Opens," and there are two copies of Snaga Archer in play. Snaga Archer has the keyword archery 2. This gives a cumulative archery total of 4. At the beginning of the combat phase, the players decide to deal 2 of that damage to Sean's ally, Elladan, and the remaining 2 damage to Jeremy's hero.

Note: the printed insert's archery sentence reads "Remember that Ú does not block archery damage"; the glyph is the shield icon, rendered here as "defense".

Peril

When a player reveals an encounter card with the Peril keyword, he must resolve the staging of that card on his own without conferring with the other players. The other players cannot take any actions or trigger any responses during the resolution of that card's staging.

Dire

Dire is a new keyword that appears on some quest cards in The Mountain of Fire. The dire keyword represents the world-changing endeavors that the heroes of Middle-earth undertook in the final book of The Lord of the Rings. While the main quest has the dire keyword, each player's threat elimination level is increased to 99 and each player's threat cannot be reduced by more than 1 each round by non-boon player card effects. Boon card effects that reduce a player's threat are not affected by the dire keyword. Additionally, the threat value for triggering Valour effects is changed from 40 threat to 80.

Fortitude Tests

Fortitude tests represent the Ring-bearer's courage and determination to complete the quest for Mount Doom in the face of overwhelming adversity. When a player is instructed to make a Fortitude test, he may exhaust any number of heroes he controls to commit them to the test. Then, he must discard the top X cards of the encounter deck, where X is the tens digit of his threat dial. If the total willpower of the heroes committed to the test is greater than the number of Sauron's Eye icons on the encounter cards discarded for the test, that player successfully passes the Fortitude test. If the number of Sauron's Eye icons is equal to or greater than the total willpower of the committed heroes, that player fails the Fortitude test. If the encounter deck is ever empty during a Fortitude test, shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck.

Player Actions During Fortitude Tests

Fortitude tests interrupt the regular turn sequence and create a new action window. After the total number of Sauron's Eye icons on the discarded encounter cards has been determined, players are allowed to take actions. Once the Fortitude test is resolved, play continues as normal and player actions are restricted to regular action windows.

For example: Jason has committed characters to the quest at stage 3B, The Last Gasp, when he draws The Lidless Eye, which reads: "When Revealed: Make a fortitude test." Jason exhausts Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee to commit them to the test for a total of 5 willpower. Then, he discards cards from the top of the encounter deck equal to the tens digit of his threat, which is 43. The first card has no icon, but the second has 1, and the third and fourth each have 2, which makes the total number of 5. With the total willpower committed to the test being equal to the total number of icons, it looks like Jason will fail the test, but then he exhausts Rosie Cotton to add her 2 willpower to Sam Gamgee's, which raises his total willpower to 7. As a result, Jason passes the test.

Scenarios

The Tower of Cirith Ungol

While Aragorn raced across southern Gondor towards the port of Pelargir, the twisted creature, Gollum, led Frodo and Sam into Shelob's Lair as part of his plan to recapture his "Precious." But Gollum greatly misjudged the strength of Sam's desperate courage. The giant Spider, Shelob, was mortally wounded when it cast itself upon the Hobbit's Elven-dagger, and Gollum was driven off empty-handed.

Yet Gollum's betrayal still came at a heavy price. Frodo was stung with Shelob's poison and Sam, believing himself to be the last surviving member of the Fellowship of the Ring, took the burden upon himself to continue the quest for Mount Doom alone. He had not gone far, however, when a troop of Orcs discovered Frodo's body and he overheard surprising news: Frodo was not dead! The sting that poisoned him would eventually wear off, but when he awoke he would find himself a captive of the Orcs.

Horrified by this revelation, Sam determined to rescue his master and followed the Orcs to the tower of Cirith Ungol. When he reached the outer wall, he was surprised to hear the sounds of fighting inside. It seemed that the Orcs were quarreling over what to do with their captive. Encouraged by this new twist, Sam plucked up the courage to enter the fortress alone, but first he would have to get past the Silent Guardians...

"The Tower of Cirith Ungol" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: The Tower of Cirith Ungol, Orcs of Mordor, and Deep Shadows. These sets are indicated by their encounter set icons.

Note: Aragorn cannot be used by while playing The Tower of Cirith Ungol.

The printed note reads "cannot be used by while playing"; it is transcribed as printed.

The Black Gate Opens

Following the miraculous victory in battle upon the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn called a counsel of lords to determine their next course of action. There Gandalf advised that they should not wait for Sauron's next move, but rather they should ready their armies to march upon Mordor itself in a desperate gamble to keep his Eye fixed on them.

Though he had not yet claimed the kingship of Gondor, the attending lords nontheless agreed to follow Aragorn's banner to the Black Gate of Sauron's realm if it meant giving the Ring-bearer the time he needed to complete his quest. So it was that only three days after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the Host of the West marched from Minas Tirith towards Mordor.

Yet they marched without hope of victory. Each man knew that their army had not the strength to challenge Sauron in earnest. Rather they hoped to draw Sauron's forces out of his land and clear the way for Frodo and Sam to finish the last leg of their journey to Mount Doom.

As the Hobbits made their way across the Black Land, Aragorn led his army north to the Morannon. There he raised the standard of Elendil and challenged the Dark Lord himself to come forth and face judgement. For a long time there was no answer, but just as Aragorn and his entourage turned their horses to rejoin their army, the Black Gate opened and an embassy from Barad-dûr rode out to parley with them...

"The Black Gate Opens" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: The Black Gate Opens and Orcs of Mordor. These sets are indicated by their encounter set icons.

Note: Frodo Baggins cannot be used while playing The Black Gate Opens.

Mount Doom

Having barely escaped from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, Frodo and Sam stood momentarily on the edge of the Morgai, the inner fence of Mordor's western mountain range. Below them they could see the vast plain of Gorgoroth dotted with enemy camps. Sauron was gathering all his strength to Mordor after his defeat at Minas Tirith.

Orcs swarmed like ants upon the ashen plain and countless watchfires flickered across the Black Land like the stars in the sky. As the Hobbits made their way down along the Morgai, there appeared no way for them to reach Mount Doom without being discovered.

Then, to the wonder of the Ring-bearer and his servant, the vast armies of Mordor began to march away north, leaving the path to Orodruin unwatched. Sauron was directing all of his forces to the Morannon where Aragorn had marched his army to challenge the Dark Lord.

Neither of the Hobbits knew this reason, but they could plainly see that this was their opportunity to complete the quest. This final stage would determine the future of Middle-earth: Either the Ring would be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, or the Ring-bearer would be discovered and the Ring would be delivered back to the hand of its dark Master...

"Mount Doom" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Mount Doom and Deep Shadows. These sets are indicated by their encounter set icons.

Note: Aragorn cannot be used while playing Mount Doom.

Epic Multiplayer Mode

The last two scenarios, The Black Gate Opens and Mount Doom, can be played simultaneously by 2-8 players in epic multiplayer mode. Epic multiplayer mode divides a group of players into 2 teams: one team plays The Black Gate Opens and one team plays Mount Doom. Each scenario is its own game with its own staging area and requires its own encounter deck to play, but the teams at each scenario must work together in order to defeat Sauron and win each game.

To play in epic multiplayer mode, follow the Setup instructions on the double-sided setup card labeled "Epic Multiplayer Mode."

Setting Up Epic Multiplayer Mode

The Setup instructions on the Epic Multiplayer Mode card directs the players to create 2 separate staging areas: one for The Black Gate Opens and one for Mount Doom. To do this, choose a play area large enough for both scenarios and follow the Setup instructions on each scenario as normal.

Next, the players divide themselves into 2 teams, one team for each scenario. At least 1 player must be assigned to each scenario, and no more than 4 players can be assigned to either. Furthermore, the number of players assigned to Mount Doom cannot exceed the number of players assigned to The Black Gate Opens.

Note: Both Aragorn and the Ring-bearer are used when playing epic multiplayer mode. The first player at The Black Gate Opens takes control of Aragorn during setup, and the first player at Mount Doom takes control of the Ring-bearer. After completing the Setup instructions, flip over the Epic Multiplayer Mode card and place it next to the Mount Doom quest deck.

Encounter cards that are only used in epic multiplayer mode are indicated by the following icon: (epic multiplayer encounter icon, not reproduced).

Playing Epic Multiplayer Mode

The players at each scenario are the only players in the game at that scenario. That means it is possible for two players at different scenarios to use the same hero. However, players at the same scenario must observe the game restrictions on unique cards. Player cards cannot target or affect cards at a different scenario.

When a team ends a round at their stage they do not advance to the next round of play until each other team in that group is ready to advance. Before the teams advance to the next round, there are Forced effects on the Epic Multiplayer Mode card and The Eye of Sauron objective that must be resolved. The teams are encouraged to discuss these effects to determine what is the best option for the group. The Eye of Sauron may move from one scenario to another as a result.

Playing Epic Multiplayer Mode in Campaign Mode

The Black Gate Opens and Mount Doom can be played by 2-4 players in epic multiplayer mode as the grand finale to your saga campaign. Simply follow the Setup instructions on the Epic Multiplayer Mode card and on each of the corresponding campaign cards. Be sure to include all of the appropriate boons and burdens at each stage. If a boon or burden is included as part of the Setup for both scenarios, the player who controls the Ring-bearer decides which scenario receives that boon or burden.

For example: Caleb and Matt are setting up The Black Gate Opens and Mount Doom in epic multiplayer campaign mode. Grievous Wound and Overcome by Grief are in the campaign pool and each of those burdens are included in the setup for both scenarios. Since Matt controls the Ring-bearer, he decides to place Grievous Wound in the staging area of The Black Gate Opens and Overcome by Grief in the staging area of Mount Doom during setup.

Decklists

The scenarios in The Mountain of Fire represent the valiant efforts of both Frodo and Aragorn as they risk everything to overthrow The Dark Lord. These scenarios are meant to capture the theme of desperation and heroism from the novels, so they can at times be challenging. To help you on your adventure through The Mountain of Fire, we have provided a list of cards for two decks that can be built using the contents of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game core set, The Black Riders box, The Road Darkens box, The Treason of Saruman box, The Land of Shadow box, The Flame of the West box, and The Mountain of Fire box. The Leadership, Lore, and Tactics deck should be paired with the Ring-bearer when playing The Tower of Cirith Ungol and Mount Doom scenarios, and the Leadership and Spirit deck should be paired with Aragorn when playing The Black Gate Opens.

Leadership, Lore & Tactics Deck

Heroes

• Sam Gamgee
• Merry
• Pippin

Allies

• Gandalf x3
• Gimli x1
• Legolas x1
• Boromir x1
• Halbarad x1
• Galadriel x2
• Elrond x2
• Rosie Cotton x2
• Bill the Pony x2
• Mablung x2
• Quickbeam x1
• Ghân-buri-Ghân x1
• Barliman Butterbur x1
• Henamarth Riversong x1

Attachments

• Fellowship of the Ring x2
• Dagger of Westernesse x3
• Hobbit Cloak x2
• Staff of Lebethron x1
• Elf-stone x2
• Orc Disguise x2
• Friend of Friends x3

Events

• Frodo's Intuition x3
• Halfling Determination x3
• Sneak Attack x2
• Feint x2
• Taste it Again! x2
• Speak Your Promise! x2

Leadership & Spirit Deck

Heroes

• Gandalf
• Éomer
• Beregond

Allies

• Gimli x1
• Legolas x1
• Prince Imrahil x1
• Halbarad x1
• Faramir x1
• Anborn x1
• Elfhelm x2
• Háma x2
• Elrohir x2
• Elladan x2
• Galadriel x1
• Bilbo Baggins x2
• Guard of the Citadel x3
• Snowbourne Scout x3

Attachments

• Banner of Elendil x2
• Shadowfax x2
• Gandalf's Staff x3
• Steward of Gondor x2
• Guthwinë x2
• Celebrian Stone x1
• Unexpected Courage x1
• Wizard Pipe x2

Events

• The Three Hunters x1
• Captains of the West x2
• Flame of Arnor x3
• Desperate Defense x3
• A Test of Will x2
• Stand and Fight x1

Game Modes

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is intended for both casual players and dedicated enthusiasts. To accommodate different play styles, three modes of play are available: Easy, Standard, and Nightmare.

Easy Mode

Easy mode is ideal for new players and for players who prefer the narrative and cooperative aspects of the game with less challenge. To play a scenario in Easy mode, simply take the following steps during setup of any scenario:

1. Add one resource to each hero's resource pool.
2. Remove any card with the "difficulty" indicator around its encounter set icon (a gold border) from the current scenario's encounter deck.

Some older scenarios (including those in early printings of the core game) do not have the "difficulty" indicator icon on relevant cards in their encounter decks. Please visit www.fantasyflightgames.com to see which cards should be removed in those scenarios.

Standard Mode

To play a scenario in Standard mode, simply follow the normal setup instructions for that scenario.

Nightmare Mode

Players who desire a truly difficult challenge should consider using the supplemental "Nightmare Decks" (sold separately) for each scenario. More information about Nightmare Decks for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game can be found at www.fantasyflightgames.com.