The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Road Darkens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component Overview
• Expansion Symbol
• Campaign Mode
  • Campaign Cards
  • Boons and Burdens
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Saga Expansion Player Cards
• New Rules
  • Setting Up the Game
  • The Fellowship Sphere
  • Frodo Baggins
  • The One Ring
  • Multiplayer Rules - The One Ring
  • New Staging Rules
• Game Terms
  • Immune to Player Card Effects
  • Archery X
  • Peril
  • Indestructible
  • Toughness X
  • Permanent
  • Setup Instructions
• Scenarios
  • The Ring Goes South
    • Stage 4
  • Journey in the Dark
  • The Breaking of the Fellowship
    • Multiple Staging Areas
• Decklists
  • Leadership & Lore Deck
  • Tactics & Spirit Deck
• Game Modes
  • Easy Mode
  • Standard Mode
  • Nightmare Mode

Component Overview

The Lord of the Rings: The Road Darkens includes the following components:

• This rules insert
• 165 cards, consisting of:
  • 2 Hero Cards
  • 32 Player Cards
  • 114 Encounter Cards
  • 14 Quest Cards
  • 3 Campaign Cards

Expansion Symbol

The cards in The Road Darkens Saga Expansion can be identified by the expansion symbol before their collector number.

Campaign Mode

Included in The Road Darkens 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 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 Road Darkens, skip to page 5 of the printed insert (the New Rules 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, they turn over the campaign card and follow any resolution instructions, updating their Campaign Log accordingly.

Card diagram (The Ring Goes South campaign card): the front reads "You are playing Campaign Mode." followed by the Setup: "Each player may trade hero cards he controls without incurring the +1 threat penalty. The players have earned the boon cards: Sting, Mithril Shirt, Glamdring, and Andúril. Each player chooses one and adds it to his hand. If any of those boon cards remain unchosen, shuffle them into the first player's deck." The back reads "Resolution: If Lust for the Ring is attached to a hero, the players have earned that burden."

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 what burden set they belong to. Because burdens don't belong to an encounter set, 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).

Card diagrams: the boon example is Andúril, an Artifact, Item, Weapon attachment with the Restricted keyword that attaches to a Noble hero or Aragorn. Attached hero gets +1 willpower, +1 attack and +1 defense. Response: After an attack in which the attached hero defended resolves, exhaust Andúril to target the enemy that just attacked. Declare attached hero as an attacker against that enemy (and resolve the attack). The burden example is Grievous Wound (trait Wound, burden card type, Objective). Setup: Add Grievous Wound to the staging area. Forced: After a hero takes damage, if Grievous Wound is unattached, attach to that hero. (Counts as a Condition attachment with the text "Forced: After attached hero exhausts, deal 1 damage to it.")

Frequently Asked Questions

When using the content of The Road Darkens Saga Expansion in campaign mode, players may have the following questions:

Q: When playing a scenario in The Road Darkens saga expansion in Campaign Mode, can I use the Fellowship sphere Frodo Baggins from The Black Riders box as my Ring-bearer?

A: Yes. When setting up the game in Campaign Mode you must choose a hero from the Fellowship sphere with the Ring-bearer trait and attach The One Ring to that hero. Any hero that meets these qualifications is a legal choice.

Q: In Campaign Mode, if I used one version of a hero in a previous scenario and I wish to use a different version of that hero for next scenario, do I incur a +1 threat penalty?

A: No. As long as the new hero shares the same title as the previous hero, there is no penalty.

Q: When playing Campaign Mode as a group, if we wish to trade control of heroes within the group, do we incur a +1 threat penalty for each hero who traded control?

A: No. As long as no heroes were removed from the game and replaced with a different hero, the players do not incur a +1 threat penalty for trading heroes within the group.

Q: If I began my campaign with only 2 heroes, do I incur a +1 threat penalty if I add a 3rd hero during the setup for a scenario?

A: No. As long as no heroes were removed from the game and replaced with a different hero, the players do not incur a +1 threat penalty for adding a new hero.

Q: If I began my campaign with 3 heroes, can I choose not to use 1 or 2 of those heroes when setting up a scenario in order to lower my starting threat?

A: No. Each player must use each of his heroes as recorded in the Campaign Log when setting up a scenario in Campaign Mode.

Q: If a hero's name is on the list of Fallen Heroes, can I play the ally version of that hero?

A: No. When a hero's name is added to the list of Fallen Heroes, that character is considered to be incapacitated for the duration of that campaign. Therefore, each version of that character, hero or ally, cannot be used.

Q: If a hero is destroyed during a scenario in Campaign Mode and I choose to replay the scenario, is that hero's name still added to the list of Fallen Heroes?

A: No. Players should only record their results in the Campaign Log after successfully defeating a scenario. Furthermore, if the players defeat the scenario but are still unhappy with the result, they may choose not to record their results and try again.

Q: If I use the ability on Leaf-wrapped Lembas ("Add Leaf-wrapped Lembas to the victory display, and remove it from the campaign pool, to ready all heroes in play.") but I lose the scenario and have to play it again, do I still remove Leaf-wrapped Lembas from the campaign pool?

A: No. While removing the boon from the campaign pool is part of the cost to trigger the Action on each of the Gift attachments (Phial of Galadriel, Three Golden Hairs, Lórien Rope, or Leaf-wrapped Lembas), that decision should not be recorded until after the scenario is defeated. Even then, if the players are unhappy with the result, they may still choose not to record their results and try again.

Saga Expansion Player Cards

The Lord of the Rings: The Road Darkens 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 and Fellowship of the Ring, as well as the boon cards: Sting, Mithril Shirt, Glamdring, Andúril, Phial of Galadriel, Three Golden Hairs, Lórien Rope, and Leaf-wrapped Lembas.

New Rules

Setting Up the Game

When setting up any scenario in The Road Darkens expansion, the first player must take control of a hero from the Fellowship sphere with the Ring-bearer trait at the beginning of each game and attach The One Ring to that hero. The rules for the Fellowship sphere and The One Ring can be found below.

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 burden of carrying The One Ring in the fight against 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 1 hero from the Fellowship sphere can be played at a time. Therefore, it is not possible for there to be more than 1 hero belonging to the Fellowship sphere in play at any time.

Frodo Baggins

The Lord of the Rings: The Road Darkens 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. Future Saga Expansions may include different heroes with the Ring-bearer trait, but for now the players must use Frodo Baggins when playing the scenarios in The Lord of the Rings Saga Expansions. 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 Road Darkens features The One Ring, a new objective card that the players must use when playing the scenarios in this set. When setting up the scenarios in The Road Darkens box, 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.

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.

New 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 David are playing the scenario "Journey in the Dark," and there are two copies of Moria Archer in play. Moria 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 3 of that damage to Sean's ally, Gandalf, and the remaining 1 damage to David's hero, Sam Gamgee.

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.

Indestructible

An enemy with the indestructible keyword cannot be destroyed by damage, even when it has damage on it equal to its hit points.

Toughness X

Toughness is a new keyword in The Road Darkens Saga Expansion. An enemy with the toughness keyword reduces the amount of damage it takes by X each time it is assigned any amount of damage.

For example: After Ian plays the Gandalf ally from his hand, he chooses to deal 4 damage to Uruk-hai Archer. The Uruk-hai Archer has toughness 1, so it reduces the damage that it is dealt from 4 to 3.

Permanent

Permanent is a keyword found on some boons and burdens. Once a boon or burden with the permanent keyword is earned, it is attached to a hero and that choice is recorded in the Campaign Log. A card with the permanent keyword can only be attached to one hero for the duration of a campaign. Attachments with the permanent keyword cannot be discarded from the attached hero while that hero is in play. If a hero leaves play, attachments with the permanent keyword attached to that hero are removed from the game.

Setup Instructions

If a player card with Setup instructions is in a player's deck at the beginning of a game, that player searches his deck for that card and follows its instructions before drawing his first hand. Similarly, if an encounter card with Setup is in the encounter deck at the beginning of a game, search the encounter deck for that card and follow its instructions before resolving the Setup instructions on the quest.

Scenarios

The Ring Goes South

At the end of a tiring journey, Frodo and The Ring were nearly captured by the Nazgúl who had pursued him from the Shire all the way to the borders of Rivendell. But at the Ford of Bruinen, the Lord of Rivendell caused the River Loudwater to flood and the servants of Sauron were swept away. Afterwards, the wound Frodo received at Weathertop was treated and he and his companions were given a long respite in the House of Elrond.

Yet the threat of Mordor still remained and the Dark Lord's power continued to grow, and the question of what to do with The One Ring had to be addressed. So the Council of Elrond was summoned and the fate of Middle-earth was long debated. In the end, it was decided that the only hope for the enemies of Sauron was to send The One Ring back to Mordor, to the mountain of fire where it was forged. Only there, at the Cracks of Doom, could the Ring be unmade and the Dark Lord's power destroyed.

Frodo Baggins of the Shire was chosen to carry out this task, and Elrond appointed companions to accompany him on his quest. So it was that on a cold morning near the end of December, the Fellowship of the Ring departed Rivendell and began their perilous journey south along the western edge of the Misty Mountains...

"The Ring Goes South" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter set: The Ring Goes South. This set is indicated by the following icon: [The Ring Goes South encounter set icon]

Stage 4

To defeat The Ring Goes South, the Company of the Ring must escape the wargs that hunt them through Hollin by escaping into the Mines of Moria. Unfortunately, the entrance to the ancient dwarven stronghold is hidden by a magic spell and guarded by a dangerous creature that grabs hold of Frodo.

To help bring the Company's dilemma to life, stage 4A reads: "When Revealed: Make Doors of Durin the active location. Add Watcher in the Water to the staging area. Then, discard all tokens from the Ring-bearer and place it (and each card attached to it) face down under Watcher in the Water." While Frodo is face down and under the Watcher, he is still in play and so is each card attached to him. However, no player controls Frodo or any cards attached to him while he is face down.

Then, stage 4B reads: "There can be 2 active locations. During the travel phase, the players must travel to a location, if able." This represents the Company's search for the Doors and their effort to gain entrance while fighting off the many tentacles of the Watcher in the Water.

Since there can be 2 active locations, if Doors of Durin is the only active location during the travel phase and there is at least 1 location in the staging area, the players must travel to a location. This is done by making the chosen location the active location in addition to Doors of Durin. Place the new active location next to Doors of Durin.

Because Doors of Durin is immune to player card effects, player card effects that target the active location can only target the other active location.

Journey in the Dark

After their attempt to climb the Redhorn Pass over the Misty Mountains was thwarted by heavy snow, and their journey through Hollin hounded by evil Wargs, the Fellowship of the Ring was forced to seek passage under the mountains through the Mines of Moria. Once the greatest dwelling place of the Dwarves, Khazad-dûm was often plundered by Orcs and it had become a name of ill omen. Yet there was still some hope that Frodo and his companions might find the colony of Dwarves that had been led there years before by Balin son of Fundin, one of Thorin Oakenshield's renowned companions in the quest for The Lonely Mountain and a friend of Bilbo Baggins.

However, the Company of the Ring discovered no sign of Balin's colony upon entering Moria; instead they were surrounded by constant darkness and a growing dread. With the way behind them blocked by the Watcher in the Water, the Fellowship's only choice was to make the hazardous journey across the mines to the eastern door many twisting miles away. They hoped to make the crossing in secret but the presence of The One Ring would not go undetected by the evil things lurking in the deep dark...

"Journey in the Dark" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter set: Journey in the Dark. This set is indicated by the following icon: [Journey in the Dark encounter set icon]

The Breaking of the Fellowship

After escaping the Mines of Moria at great personal cost, the Company of the Ring was pursued by Orcs to the eaves of Lothlórien, a closely guarded realm of secretive Elves. The border sentries of The Golden Wood rescued the Company from the Orcs and led them to Caras Galadhon, the city of the Galadhrim at the heart of the forest. There, on a wide flet set high among the tall mallorn trees of that land, Frodo and his companions were presented to Celeborn and Galadriel, the lord and lady of Lórien.

The Elves already knew of the Fellowship's quest, and the weary companions were sheltered in Lothlórien long enough to regain their strength. Celeborn furnished the Company with boats to take them down the River Anduin, and Galadriel blessed each member of the Fellowship with a unique gift before they said farewell to Lórien.

While the boats greatly aided their progress south, the Company was divided over which side of the river they should finally go to. Boromir of Gondor urged them to keep to the west bank and continue south to the city of Minas Tirith where his people prepared for war with the Dark Lord. But in Frodo's heart he knew the path to Mount Doom lay on the eastern shore, under the shadow of Mordor. Yet none of them knew that Orcs already prowled both sides of the river, some bearing the Red Eye of Sauron, and others the White Hand of Saruman...

"Breaking of the Fellowship" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter set: Breaking of the Fellowship. This set is indicated by the following icon: [Breaking of the Fellowship encounter set icon]

Multiple Staging Areas

When playing The Breaking of the Fellowship, the players are instructed by stage 2B to create their own staging areas. To do this, each player sets aside an area in front of himself to serve as his own staging area and places his quest stage 3 there. Players continue to resolve each phase of the game in player order, starting with the first player.

After a player commits characters to the quest at his stage, he reveals his encounter card. Then, he compares the total willpower of his characters committed to the total threat strength of encounter cards in his staging area. If the total willpower is greater, he places progress on his quest stage. If the total threat strength is greater, he raises his threat by the difference. Other players do not raise their threat when a different player quests unsuccessfully.

During the encounter phase, players only make engagement checks against enemies in their staging area. Effects that target enemies or locations "at this stage" do not affect encounter cards in another player's staging area. Archery damage is calculated separately at each stage, and only the player at that stage can assign that damage to characters he controls.

Unlike previous scenarios with separate staging areas, players may continue to interact with each other through the normal rules of the game. However, cards that reference "the staging area" only apply to your staging area, and cards that reference "the quest" only apply to your quest stage.

If a player is eliminated while at a separate stage, that stage is discarded along with all encounter cards at that stage.

Decklists

The scenarios in The Lord of the Rings: The Road Darkens represent the perilous journey undertaken by the Company of the Ring after they left Rivendell. 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, we've 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, and The Road Darkens box. Because The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game, these decks are designed to complement each other and will work best when played together.

Leadership & Lore Deck

Heroes: Aragorn; Sam Gamgee; Pippin

Allies: Faramir x2; Elrond x3; Galadriel x2; Daughter of the Nimrodel x2; Silverlode Archer x2; Bill the Pony x2; Gléowine x2; Guard of the Citadel x3; Erebor Hammersmith x2; Miner of the Iron Hills x1; Henamarth Riversong x1; Snowbourne Scout x3

Events: Grim Resolve x1; Take No Notice x2; Frodo's Intuition x2; Sneak Attack x2; Ever Vigilant x2; Secret Paths x2; Radagast's Cunning x2

Attachments: Fellowship of the Ring x2; Steward of Gondor x2; Celebrían Stone x1; Elf-stone x3; Protector of Lórien x2; Hobbit Cloak x2

Tactics & Spirit Deck

Heroes: Gandalf; Merry; Fatty Bolger

Allies: Beorn x1; Boromir x2; Northern Tracker x2; Farmer Maggot x2; Lórien Guide x3; Bilbo Baggins x2; Gondorian Spearman x3; Veteran Axehand x3; Wandering Took x2

Events: The Galadhrim's Greetings x1; Frodo's Intuition x1; Smoke Rings x3; Flame of Anor x3; Halfling Determination x3; A Test of Will x2; Hasty Stroke x2; Feint x2; Dwarven Tomb x1; Stand and Fight x1

Attachments: Gandalf's Staff x2; Unexpected Courage x1; Horn of Gondor x1; Dagger of Westernesse x2; Wizard Pipe x2; Hobbit Pipe x3

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.