Fortification
Fortification
Fortification is an unloaded keyword used exclusively on Free Peoples conditions. They are used to represent barricades and fortresses, offering further obstacles to Shadow minions. They are typically in the format of "play to the support area, pay a cost, then transfer to a minion," and offer perks varying between lower strength, lower vitality, or increased site number (to force minions to become roaming and therefore open to a whole slew of Gondor ranger tactics).
Fortifications can only really be used with other Gondor cards due to the spot/exert requirements, and even among Gondor it's best to run a set with Knights, as many fortifications offer fewer exertions if a certain number of Knights are spottable. A medium to large number of fortifications can really start to make a Shadow player's job very difficult as they find their crucial minions doubled down under the weight of multiple fortification cards, leaving even average strength Men able to finish fights.
There are a handful of Rohan fortifications, but they are really just specialized conditions that focus on removing tokens and possessions (both of which make up the core of the Isengard machines that represent the opposition at the Battle for Helm's Deep). They can be splashed into Rohan decks as needed to provide cover against those strategies, if needed.
As hinted above, multiple fortifications can easily be attached to one minion; as they are Condition cards at their core, there is no limit to the number that can be attached at once. Once a minion dies (or is discarded), the fortification attached is returned to the original owner's discard pile.
Being condition cards, they are no more difficult to be rid of than any other condition; therefore, no special strategy need be employed against them except for standard condition removal. See condition hate for more information.
See also Knight.
List of Fortifications
Portrait | Card Name | Culture | Card Type | Game Text |
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Citadel of the Stars (5C32) | Gondor | Condition | Fortification.
Skirmish: Exert a Man or spot 3 knights to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
City Wall (5C33) | Gondor | Condition | Fortification.
Skirmish: Exert a Man or spot 3 knights to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Stone Tower (5R39) | Gondor | Condition | Fortification.Plays to your support area.
Skirmish: Exert 2 Men to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Garrison of Osgiliath (6C52) | Gondor | Condition | Fortification. When you play this condition, you may spot a Man to place 2 tokens here. Skirmish: Discard this condition or remove a token from here to make a Man strength +1. | |
First Level (7C92) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Maneuver: Exert a Man or spot a knight to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion. | |
Second Level (7C118) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Maneuver: Exert a Man or spot a ranger to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion. | |
Seventh Level (7R119) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Skirmish: Exert 3 Men to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Third Level (7U125) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Skirmish: Exert a Man or spot 2 rangers to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Fourth Level (8C35) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Skirmish: Exert 2 Men or spot 3 knights to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. Exhaust that minion. | |
Sixth Level (8U44) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Regroup: Exert a Man to play a fortification from your discard pile (limit 1). | |
Fifth Level (10U32) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Bearer is strength –1 for each Fortification you can spot. Maneuver: Exert 2 Men or spot 3 knights to transfer this condition to a minion. | |
Decorated Barricade (15R58) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification. This condition is twilight cost -1 for each ranger you spot.
Skirmish: Exert 2 Men to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Portico (15U67) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification. This condition is twilight cost -1 for each ranger you spot.
Skirmish: Exert a Man or spot 2 rangers to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Tremendous Wall (15R70) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification. Characters skirmishing bearer cannot take wounds from losing a skirmish involving bearer.
Skirmish: Exert a Man or spot 3 rangers to transfer this condition from your support area to a minion skirmishing a Man. | |
Soldier's Cache (18U58) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
At the start of your maneuver phase, you may spot 3 rangers or exert a Man to transfer this condition to a minion. Wound that minion. | |
Armory (5U79) | Rohan | Condition | Fortification.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Men to remove 2 tokens from a machine or to take a possession into hand from your discard pile. Discard this condition. | |
Arrow-slits (5U80) | Rohan | Condition | Fortification.
Maneuver: Spot 2 Men to discard a possession or a machine. Discard this condition. | |
Parapet (5U87) | Rohan | Condition | Fortification. Archery: Spot 2 Men to remove 2 tokens from a machine or to make the minion archery total -3. Discard this condition.
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Cards That Use Fortifications
Portrait | Card Name | Culture | Card Type | Game Text |
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Alcarin, Warrior of Lamedon (5R31) | Gondor | Companion • Man | Knight. The twilight cost of each other knight in your starting fellowship is -1.
Assignment: Assign Alcarin to a minion bearing a fortification to heal Alcarin. | |
Fall Back (5U34) | Gondor | Event | Skirmish: Discard all Shadow cards borne by a minion bearing a Fortification. | |
Men of Númenor (5C37) | Gondor | Event | Skirmish: Wound a minion bearing a Fortification. | |
Rally Point (5U38) | Gondor | Condition | Plays to your support area.
Regroup: Exert a knight to transfer a fortification borne by a minion to your support area. | |
Take Cover (5C40) | Gondor | Event | Fellowship: Exert a knight to play a fortification from your discard pile. | |
Turgon, Man of Belfalas (5U42) | Gondor | Companion • Man | Knight.To play, spot a knight.
Maneuver: Exert Turgon to wound a minion bearing a Fortification. | |
War Must Be (5C43) | Gondor | Event | Skirmish: Make a Man strength +2 (or +4 if skirmishing a minion bearing a fortification). | |
Footman's Armor (7U93) | Gondor | Possession • Armor | Bearer must be a Man.
Response: If bearer is about to be overwhelmed, discard a fortification or a card from hand to make bearer strength +2. | |
Gondor Bow (7U94) | Gondor | Possession • Ranged Weapon | Bearer must be a Man.
If bearer is a knight, he or she is strength +1. Skirmish: Exert bearer to wound a minion he or she is skirmishing if that minion bears a Fortification. | |
Gondor Still Stands (7R95) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | To play, spot 3 companions.
While no opponent controls a site, wound a minion at the start of each regroup phase. Regroup: Discard this condition to place a fortification from your discard pile on top of your draw deck. | |
Gondorian Captain (7C96) | Gondor | Companion • Man | Knight.
Fellowship: Discard a fortification to remove a threat. | |
Great Gate (7C99) | Gondor | Event • Skirmish | Make a companion strength +2 and, if you can spot 2 fortifications, exert a minion that companion is skirmishing. | |
Greatest Stronghold (7R100) | Gondor | Event • Archery | Exert a Man and spot 3 fortifications to make the fellowship archery total +2. | |
Hasty Repairs (7U102) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | To play, spot 3 Men.
Regroup: While you have only 4 cards in hand, you may discard 2 cards from hand to play a fortification from your discard pile. | |
Ingold (7C106) | Gondor | Companion • Man | Knight.
Fellowship: Discard a fortification to heal Ingold twice. | |
Strong and Old (7R122) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | To play, spot 2 Men.
The twilight cost of each of your fortifications is –1. Response: If an opponent is about to control a site, discard 2 fortifications to prevent this. | |
Garrison of Gondor (8R36) | Gondor | Companion • Man | Archer. Knight.
While you can spot a fortification, Garrison of Gondor is defender +1. | |
Sixth Level (8U44) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Regroup: Exert a Man to play a fortification from your discard pile (limit 1). | |
Every Little is a Gain (10C31) | Gondor | Event • Maneuver | Spot a Man to discard a stacked Shadow card or to wound a minion bearing a Fortification. | |
Fifth Level (10U32) | Gondor | Condition • Support Area | Fortification.
Bearer is strength –1 for each Fortification you can spot. Maneuver: Exert 2 Men or spot 3 knights to transfer this condition to a minion. | |
Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith (8P122) | Shire | Companion • Hobbit | To play, spot a Man.
Skirmish: Discard 4 cards from hand to wound a minion Pippin is skirmishing twice if that minion bears a fortification. |
Cards Against Fortifications
Portrait | Card Name | Culture | Card Type | Game Text |
---|---|---|---|---|
Destructive Orc (15C108) | Orc | Minion • Orc | When you play Destructive Orc, you may discard a fortification for each possession and each artifact you can spot.
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Unloaded Keywords | ||
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Race | Decipher | [Raceless] • Balrog • Creature • Dwarf • Elf • Ent • Half-troll • Hobbit • Maia • Man • Nazgûl • Orc • Spider • Tree • Troll • Uruk-hai • Wizard • Wraith |
Player's Council | Crow • Eagle | |
Hobbit Draft Game | Bird • Dragon • Eagle • Giant • Goblin | |
Site | ||
Decipher | Battleground • Dwelling • Forest • Marsh • Mountain • Plains • River • Underground | |
General | Decipher | Besieger • Corsair • Easterling • Engine • Fellowship • Fortification • Knight • Machine • Pipeweed • Ranger • Ring-bound • Search • Southron • Spell • Stealth • Tale • Tentacle • Tracker • Twilight • [Unbound] • Valiant • Villager • Weather • Warg-rider |
Player's Council | Pony | |
Hobbit Draft Game | Burglar • Cunning • Wise |