War of the Ring: The Card Game – Against the Shadow
War of the Ring: The Card Game – Against the Shadow Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 Shadow bot faction cards (Isengard, Monstrous, Southron and Mordor)
- 6 replacement location cards: 2 Shadow battlegrounds and 4 paths
- 2 Flowchart Summary cards
- This rulebook
Instead of using the Shadow faction cards provided in the base game, use the Shadow cards provided in this expansion.
Substitute the provided paths and battlegrounds for those in the base game.
The cards in this expansion are marked with the expansion symbol at the bottom of the card.
General Changes
First In, Last Out
Arrange Shadow cards in reserve, on a battleground, or on a path from left to right, so those placed later are to the right of the cards already there. Whenever a Shadow bot needs to decide between multiple cards that meet some requirement, the right-most card will be chosen.
- Whenever there are multiple eligible cards in reserve that can move, move the right-most card.
- When the Shadow forsakes a card from reserve, choose the right-most card.
- When the Shadow is defending, cards eliminated to satisfy the Free People's attacking icons are taken from the right, until enough are eliminated – even if it is inefficient.
First In, Last Out Examples
Example 1: The Free Peoples are winning in Orthanc (5 attack icons against 4 defense icons), so the Shadow bot moves a card from reserve to the battleground. The rightmost card (The Black Serpent) is not eligible because it is not of the appropriate faction. The rightmost eligible card is Saruman, so it is moved to the battleground, and placed to the right of the other cards.
Example 2: The Shadow must forsake a card, and to do so, the first option of the bot is to cycle a card in reserve. The rightmost card is The Black Serpent: it is removed from the reserve and added to the cycle pile.
Example 3: The combat in Orthanc is being resolved. Two attack icons are canceled by the battleground defense, so three icons must be canceled by eliminating cards. The right-most Shadow cards on the battleground are Wolf Riders and Saruman, which have a total of three defense icons. These two cards are eliminated, while the left-most card (White Hand Orcs) is not, and it is cycled instead.
Setup
Free Peoples: The Free Peoples (human) players set up as usual for the chosen scenario.
Shadow: The Shadow (bot) players are set up as usual for the chosen scenario, except that:
- The Shadow bots do not receive Ring tokens.
- When drawing cards for bot hands, do not examine the cards. Place these cards face down on the table.
- If playing the Trilogy scenario, each bot draws 7 cards, but then immediately places the last 2 of these cards (unexamined) into the cycle pile.
Victory
When playing this solo/cooperative expansion, there is no Victory Check at the end of each round. Play through until the last path of the scenario, and evaluate victory at that time.
Random Shadow Hand
Whenever you play, cycle, or eliminate a card from a Shadow hand, choose a random card.
Activating New Battlegrounds
Place battlegrounds activated or reactivated later in the round to the right of those activated or reactivated earlier. When choosing between two battlegrounds and all things are otherwise equal, choose the right-most battleground.
Shadow Bot Rules
The Shadow bots play according to the normal rules, except as indicated in this section.
Taking an Action
Use the enclosed flowchart (see the Bot Flowchart section below, or the separate Flowchart Summary cards) to determine a Shadow bot's action.
Conceivably Win
The flowchart of Shadow actions includes the phrase "conceivably win".
When determining where a bot should play a card, or if it is supposed to move a card, this phrase means: "If every Shadow card in reserve that could move to that location did, would the Shadow win the fight?"
When determining where you should play a card, include the card being played as well.
The Shadow does not consider what Free People's cards could be moved to the location! Nor does it consider the state of combats on other paths or battlegrounds.
Choose
Certain cards will ask you to "choose" on behalf of the bot. You are not expected to make the best choice for the bot, but for yourself! However, you cannot make an impossible choice – you must choose an option that is possible to complete. In addition, your choice must be a useful choice for the Shadow (see Usefully below).
Cannot Be Played Twice
As in the regular game, the Shadow bots cannot play the same card twice in one round. If this is about to occur, cycle the Shadow card instead of playing it.
Game Procedure Changes
Play: Play a random card from the Shadow hand. A Shadow bot does not cycle a card when playing a card!
Cycle: When you must cycle a Shadow card and there is no reason to look at it, don't – it'll make things all the more mysterious!
Eliminate: You may inspect the contents of a Shadow eliminated pile.
Forsake: Cards forsaken by a Shadow bot are usually cycled. When the Shadow must forsake, it will do the first one of these options that is possible:
- Cycle the right-most card from reserve.
- Cycle a random card from hand.
- Eliminate the top card of its draw deck.
Move: A Shadow bot may move cards played to reserve during the same round.
Winnow: The Shadow does not winnow.
Usefully
The flowchart includes the word "usefully".
The Shadow will never play, move, or voluntarily use text on a card that is not useful; however, if it is even partially useful, or of dubious use, the Shadow will use the card's game text.
In some rare cases, it might be certain that some action would not be useful based on knowledge of what has been played or eliminated. For example, if you know all of the Nazgûl are in play or have been eliminated, there would be no point in using The Messenger's ability. Play as if the bot knows what you know; for example, you might not be sure about the content of the cycle pile.
It is useful:
- To add icons to a combat the Shadow would not win if combat were resolved now, but could conceivably win.
- To force the Free Peoples to forsake, eliminate, or cycle cards.
- To add corruption (regardless of the cost).
- To draw cards.
- To play a card to reserve. Remember, the Shadow bot can move a card played to reserve on the same round.
- To play an item on a wielder.
It is not useful:
- To add more combat icons to a combat the Shadow is already winning, except on a path 9 (or the maximum path number allowed by the scenario).
- To play or move a card with only leadership icons to a battleground, unless there is already an army there to support it.
- To activate a battleground that the Shadow could not conceivably win. For example, before the Shadow would use the text on Coastal Raiders, there would need to be at least 2 more Shadow symbols in reserve that could also move to Dol Amroth.
- To activate a path if the Shadow would not win the resulting combat on the current path. However, it is not necessary for the Shadow to be able to conceivably win the combat on the new path.
Bot Flowchart
The bot flowchart is printed on page 8 of this rulebook and on the Flowchart Summary cards. Follow it from the top. Each question is answered Yes or No; a Yes answer moves along the arrow to the right, a No answer moves down to the next step.
1. Use an action? Can the bot usefully resolve the "use an action" text on a card already in play?
- Yes: "Use an action", in this priority:
- On a path
- On a battleground
- In reserve
- No: go to step 2.
2. Pass? Can the bot pass? The Pass check is made as a chain of four questions. Pass only if every question in the chain is answered Yes. Any No moves to step 3.
- a. Carryover? Is any other player or bot above the carryover limit? Yes: go to b. No: go to step 3.
- b. Path? Is the path number below the scenario's max? Yes: go to c. No: go to step 3.
- c. Winning? Is the Shadow winning every combat? Yes: Pass. No: go to step 3.
3. Move? Can the bot move a card to a path or battleground where the Shadow could conceivably win but is currently losing?
- Yes: Move the right-most card that is both eligible and useful from reserve, in this priority:
- To a path if the Shadow could conceivably win but is currently losing, or to the current path if it is the highest allowed in the scenario.
- To a battleground if the Shadow could conceivably win but is currently losing (if there is more than one, choose the right-most one).
- No: go to step 4.
4. Play? Play a random card from the bot's hand. Then play the card, in this priority:
- If an item, to the right-most wielder who is located where the item can be played; otherwise use the "if unplayable" text on the card.
- To a path if the Shadow could conceivably win but is currently losing, or to the current path if it is the highest allowed in the scenario.
- To a battleground if the Shadow could conceivably win but is currently losing (if there is more than one battleground, choose the right-most one).
- To reserve.
Difficulty Modes
There are two difficulty levels you can play: standard and challenging.
In challenging mode, the Shadow bots draw the usual number of cards indicated for the scenario during the Draw step.
When you play in standard mode, each Shadow bot player draws 1 fewer card during the Draw step than indicated by the scenario you are playing. This means that, when you're playing the Two-Player Duel scenario, the Shadow bot will draw 2 fewer cards during the Draw step.
Examples of Shadow Bot Play
Example 1: The flowchart directs Shadow bots to execute "use an action" text before considering other possibilities. Hence, The Messenger's game text would be used, even if it might be better for the Shadow to move the card to a combat. That's because it is useful for the Shadow to draw cards.
Example 2: Gríma Wormtongue cannot be used to take Saruman into hand if Saruman is in the eliminated pile, and likewise can only be used to eliminate a Rohan character if one is in play. However, you are free to draw 2 cards, even if Saruman is in the draw deck, if you think that would be better for the Free Peoples.
Example 3: Flocks of Crebain is on Dimrill Dale (alone). The Shadow bot will use its action to activate a new random path 5, even though this may benefit the Free Peoples player(s).
Card Notes
The following Shadow cards and replacement locations are shown in this rulebook with their printed text. The full set of 60 Shadow bot faction cards and the replacement locations are printed on the cards themselves.
Isengard
- Saruman: While in reserve, draw 1 additional card each Draw step. If forsaken from the top of your draw deck, cycle this card instead of eliminating it.
- White Hand Orcs: If this card is eliminated for any reason, cycle it instead.
- Gríma Wormtongue: If in reserve, use an action, eliminate this card, and choose: Take Saruman from the draw deck into hand; eliminate a Rohan character in play; or draw 2 cards.
Monstrous
- Balrog of Moria: + on Khazad-dûm. When played or moved to a path or battleground, each Free Peoples player must forsake 1 card.
- Flocks of Crebain: If in reserve, move this card to a path 2-6, even if the Shadow is winning. If on a path 2-6, use an action to activate a different random path of the same number.
Southron
- The Black Serpent: When played or moved to a battleground, each Free Peoples player must forsake 1 card.
- Coastal Raiders: If in reserve, use an action to activate Dol Amroth if it is in the Free Peoples battleground deck, and then move this card to Dol Amroth.
Mordor
- The Witch-King: Nazgûl. While in reserve, draw 1 additional card each Draw step.
- The Messenger: Nazgûl. When played: Draw up to 5 cards, one at a time: play the first Nazgûl character drawn and then stop; cycle the unplayed cards.
Replacement locations
- Minas Morgul (Shadow battleground): The Mordor player draws up to 5 cards, one at a time: play the first Nazgûl character drawn to reserve and then stop; cycle the unplayed cards.
- The Doors of Durin (Path 4): The Monstrous player forsakes 1 card to add a skull icon to this path.