Editing Culture

{{Culture
|Name=The One Ring
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=0
|Filename=Culture_The_One_Ring.svg
|Side=None
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Dunland
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=1
|Filename=Culture_Dunland.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Dwarven
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=2
|Filename=Culture_Dwarven.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Elven
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=3
|Filename=Culture_Elven.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Gandalf
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=4
|Filename=Culture_Gandalf.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Gollum
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=5
|Filename=Culture_Gollum.svg
|Side=Both
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Gondor
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=6
|Filename=Culture_Gondor.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Isengard
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=7
|Filename=Culture_Isengard.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Moria
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=8
|Filename=Culture_Moria.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Raider
|PostShadowsName=Wraith
|SortOrder=9
|Filename=Culture_Raider.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Ringwraith
|PostShadowsName=Wraith
|SortOrder=10
|Filename=Culture_Ringwraith.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Rohan
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=11
|Filename=Culture_Rohan.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Sauron
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=12
|Filename=Culture_Sauron.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Shire
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=13
|Filename=Culture_Shire.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Site
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=14
|Filename=Culture_Site.svg
|Side=None
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Men
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=15
|Filename=Culture_Men.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Orc
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=16
|Filename=Culture_Orc.svg
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Uruk-hai
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=17
|Filename=Culture_Uruk-hai.svg
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=Decipher
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Esgaroth
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=18
|Filename=
|Side=Free Peoples
|Creator=-Enola-
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Gundabad
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=19
|Filename=
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=-Enola-
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Mirkwood
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=20
|Filename=
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=-Enola-
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Spider
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=21
|Filename=
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=-Enola-
}}
{{Culture
|Name=Troll
|PostShadowsName=
|SortOrder=22
|Filename=
|Side=Shadow
|Creator=-Enola-
}}

'''Cultures''' are a core component of [[The Lord of the Rings TCG]]. Excluding [[site]]s and [[The One Ring]], every card in the game belongs to one of sixteen distinct cultures. A culture's function is to easily distinguish cards that are likely to be related to one another (usually by a thematic element, such as [[race]] or locale). There are plenty of cross-culture strategies to be had, but for the most part cards of one culture play best with other cards of that culture. Each culture naturally has its own strengths and vulnerabilities; for instance, the {{C|Elven}} culture excels during the [[Archery Phase]], but the {{C|Shire}} culture—having no access to bows or bowmen—struggles in that phase but makes up for this in other areas.

==Cultures==<!--This could use a one-sentence long bit on what each culture is good at in this game, I'm just not going to get around to it atm.-->

{{Culture Table}} 

Except for {{C|Gollum}} culture, all cultures are exclusively Free Peoples or Shadow cards. As such, {{C|Gollum}} culture gets its own section, below.

When the game's first set, [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] released in 2001, it brought with it the first nine cultures: {{C|Dwarven}}, {{C|Elven}}, {{C|Gandalf}}, {{C|Gondor}}, {{C|Isengard}}, {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, {{C|Sauron}}, and {{C|Shire}}. The second base set (and fourth set overall) [[The Two Towers]] added three more: {{C|Dunland}}, {{C|Raider}}, and {{C|Rohan}} cultures. With the fourth base set and eleventh set overall, [[Shadows]], Decipher consolidated the various Shadow cultures. They retired most of the existing ones, and created three new ones divided along different lines: {{C|Men}}, {{C|Orc}}, and {{C|Uruk-hai}}.

===Free Peoples===
Except for {{C|Rohan}} and {{C|Gollum}}, all of the Free Peoples cultures were introduced in [[The Fellowship of the Ring]], the first set. Rohan and Gollum were instead introduced a few sets later, in [[Towers Block]]. While new cards were added to each faction over time—{{C|Gandalf}} and {{C|Shire}} cultures in particular went from having relatively few [[companion]]s to many varied ones—no new Free Peoples cultures were added Gollum.

* {{C|Dwarven}} culture consists of [[dwarf]]s, who had a large role in ''The Hobbit'' but a relatively small one in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Their main character is [[Gimli]], although many other [[unique]] characters with a relatively small role in ''The Lord of the Rings''—particularly {{Card|Durin III, Dwarven Lord}}—feature in dwarf decks.
* {{C|Elven}} culture consists of [[Elf|elves]], chiefly the elves of Rivendell and Lothlórien but also one far-ranging elf archer from Mirkwood. Many elves, especially in earlier sets, are [[Ally|allies]], representing their tendency to not leave their home forests. The main characters of this faction are [[Legolas]], [[Arwen]], [[Elrond]], and [[Galadriel]].
* {{C|Gandalf}} culture chiefly consists of [[Gandalf]] and his various schemes and accoutrements. It started off with Gandalf as the only [[companion]] in the faction, but over time it added his friends like {{Card|Radagast, The Brown}}. It also became home to a number of subfactions or characters that don't fit into any other faction. The [[Ent]]s of Fangorn, chiefly [[Treebeard]], fit in here, as do the men of far-flung kingdoms (particularly Dale) that sent dignitaries to Elrond's council. It also includes oddballs like {{Card|Ghan-buri-Ghan, Chieftain of the Woses}} and {{Card|Grimbeorn, Beorning Chieftain}}.
* {{C|Gondor}} culture consists of the [[Man|men]] of Minas Tirith, their allies in Dol Amroth, and the rangers of the Dúnedain. It also includes their Númenorean ancestors, like {{Card|Elendil, the Tall}} and {{Card|Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms}}, and the [[wraith]]s bound by those ancestors, like {{Card|King of the Dead, Oathbreaker}}. The main characters of this faction are [[Aragorn]], [[Boromir]], and [[Faramir]].
* {{C|Rohan}} culture consists of the men of Rohan, both the fighting horselords and -lady and the armies of the Riddermark, but also the [[villager]] civilians (appearing as [[Ally|allies]] and [[follower]]s) they are protecting from Saruman's encroachment. The main characters of this faction are [[Eomer]], [[Eowyn]], and [[Theoden]].
* {{C|Shire}} culture consists of the [[hobbit]]s of the Shire, and until [[Reflections]] there was at least one {{C|Shire}} card in every single game. Hobbits tend to be homebodies rather than going on foolish adventures, so many of them are [[Ally|allies]] instead of companions in early sets, and many more characters only appear as allies or [[follower]]s. The main characters of this faction are [[Frodo]], [[Sam]], [[Merry]], [[Pippin]], and [[Bilbo]].

===Pre-Shadows Shadow cultures===
Shadow cultures came in three waves: the initial cultures in [[The Fellowship of the Ring|the first set]], then two new cultures (plus {{C|Gollum}}, below) in [[Towers Block]], then a fundamental reorganization in [[Shadows]].

Fellowship Shadow cultures:
* {{C|Isengard}} culture consists of the servants of [[Saruman]], as he unsuccessfully plots to play both sides against each other. It initially consisted of the fighting [[Uruk-hai]], but later includes [[Saruman]] himself, [[Isenorcs|his orc workers and overseers at Isengard]], his scouting force of [[warg-rider]] orcs, and [[Isengard Men|the disloyal men]] of Rohan led by [[Grima]].
* {{C|Moria}} culture includes the teeming [[Orc|goblin]]s that infest the former dwarven underground city of Khazad-dûm. As Boromir points out, they have the {{Card|Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit}}. It also includes the huge monsters that dwell there, such as the [[Balrog]] and [[Creature|the Watcher in the Water]]. This is one of the smaller cultures, since all of the characters in it appear in the Moria portion of ''Fellowship of the Ring''.
* {{C|Ringwraith}} culture is chiefly the nine unique [[Nazgul]], led by [[The Witch-King]] as well as a suspicious man from Bree, {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}}. Later it also includes [[Morgul Orcs|the orc armies of Minas Morgul]] that invade Osgiliath and a handful of miscellaneous [[wraith]]s not directly affiliated with the Nazgûl themselves. {{C|Ringwraith}} culture would later be renamed {{C|Wraith}} culture.
* {{C|Sauron}} culture mainly consists of the [[orc]] and [[troll]] armies swarming out of Mordor to conquer Middle-Earth, led by [[Maia|Sauron]] himself. It's a large and varied faction overall. It's also a bit of a catchall, including some [[wraith]]s and {{Card|The Mouth of Sauron, Lieutenant of Barad-dur}}.

Towers Shadow cultures:
* {{C|Dunland}} is another small culture. It consists of the Dunlending [[Man|men]], ill-equipped barbarian raiders and long-time enemies of Rohan. Except for {{Card|Freca, Hungry Savage}}, all of the cards from this faction appear in [[Towers Block]].
* {{C|Raider}} culture is another culture of [[Man|men]], this time the ones in service to Sauron. It's siloed into three separate [[subculture]]s. The first two were introduced in Towers Block: the heavily-armed and disciplined [[Easterling]]s and the oliphaunt-riding archer [[Southron]]s. Later, [[Siege of Gondor]] in [[King Block]] introduced the larcenous sea-going [[Corsair]] pirates, led by an infamous Peter Jackson cameo card: {{Card|Castamir of Umbar}}.

===Gollum, playing both sides===

The {{C|Gollum}} culture is unique in being the only cross-alignment culture, having both [[Free Peoples]] and [[Shadow Alignment|Shadow]] cards. Free Peoples cards from this culture represent [[Smeagol|Sméagol]] as he serves Frodo and Sam as a simpering guide and scout, while the Shadow culture cards represent treacherous [[Gollum]], as he schemes to betray them to [[Shelob]] and steal the One Ring for himself. Those three characters are the only ones in this culture. (While Sméagol and Gollum are the same person in ''The Lord of the Rings'', they are considered separate characters for the purpose of this game, representing Gollum's tendency to act at cross-purposes with himself.)

This was the only culture to make its first appearance outside of a base set, due to timing with the release of the movie ''The Two Towers''. As part of [[Decipher]]'s licensing agreement, they were not permitted to reveal any "spoilers", and so Decipher needed to wait for the [[Battle of Helm's Deep]] expansion four months later to explore [[Gollum]]'s split personality. It would be the last new culture of the [[Movie Block]] years.

===Post-Shadows Shadow cultures===
With the release of the eleventh set, [[Shadows]], Decipher consolidated the various Shadow cultures, mostly retiring all of them except for {{C|Ringwraith}} (renamed {{C|Wraith}}) and {{C|Gollum}} cultures. This reorganization was largely along [[Race|racial]] lines rather than factional ones. hese new cultures could draw, from their first appearance, upon images and material from all three films, and were structured to avoid the limited scope that plagued some of the niche older cultures that only appeared in a few scenes. 

* {{C|Men}} (often called "Evil Men" or "Skull Men") contains all of the [[Man|men]] of {{C|Dunland}} and {{C|Raider}} cultures, the disloyal men of Rohan from {{C|Isengard}}, and suspicious men from Bree (previously only appearing as one {{C|Wraith}} card).
* {{C|Orc}} culture contains all the orcs of {{C|Moria}} and {{C|Sauron}}'s armies, as well as the orc workers at {{C|Isengard}} and the [[Morgul Orcs]] from {{C|Ringwraith}}.
* {{C|Uruk-hai}} culture contains all of the [[uruk-hai]] of {{C|Isengard}}'s army, as well as the Cirith Ungol uruk-hai garrison from {{C|Sauron}} culture.

{{C|Dunland}} and {{C|Raider}} cultures were entirely retired. {{C|Isengard}}, {{C|Moria}}, and {{C|Sauron}} cultures occasionally appeared in post-Shadows sets, but only on unique characters that didn't fit neatly into the new cultures, like [[Maia|Sauron]], the [[Balrog]], and [[Saruman]]. These cards mostly weren't decks unto themselves, but rather meant to be [[splash]]ed into a deck that was primarily a different culture.

This cultural reorganization was controversial with established players. While the new cultures incorporated the characters and names from the previous cultures, cards from the old and new cultures were still considered separate. For example, if you already had a {{C|Sauron}} [[besieger]] deck, the new {{Card|Beastly Olog-hai}} wouldn't work well in it, even though the Olog-Hai is part of the besieging armies of Sauron. If you wanted to use Beastly Olog-hai, you'd need to build a new deck, one using mostly new {{C|Orc}} cards. {{C|Wraith}} decks and {{C|Gollum}} decks avoided this pitfall, but other Shadow cultures were sharply split into pre-Shadows and post-Shadows cards that largely did not work well with each other due to incompatible [[cultural enforcement]].

Following the [[Shadows]] reorganization, no further cultures were added to the game.

==Cultures that Could Have Been==

Shortly after the release of [[The Two Towers]] base set, it was revealed that Decipher's initial intention was to introduce Dunland and Raider as a single culture, named ''Evil Men''. Ultimately this plan was discarded, since Evil Men and {{C|Isengard}} would have been the only Shadow cultures in the set.<!--Can this be substantiated with anything? -Cease, Jan 2022-->

Speculation was rampant after The Two Towers as to how the Ents would be incorporated into the game. Rumors predicted an ''Ent'' culture in the works for [[Battle of Helm's Deep]]. As it turned out, Ents were instead incorporated into the {{C|Gandalf}} culture.

==See Also==
* [[subculture]]

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{{Card Layout Table}}