Game Overview

Below is a section which used to be housed within the Comprehensive Rules, which walks the reader through all the main concepts associated with playing a game of the Lord of the Rings TCG. This document is no longer considered binding from a rules perspective, and is intended to be used for illustrative purposes only. For the actual rules document, see Comprehensive Rules 5.0.

The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game Comprehensive Rules 4.1

If you have never played a trading card game...

The best way to learn is from a friend who already knows how to play. If your friends aren't players yet, we suggest you begin with a Starter Rulebook, which is included in Starter Decks and available for download.

If you have played this game before...

These Comprehensive Rules provides complete documentation of all rules for The Lord of the Rings TCG as of August 2007. It replaces and supersedes all previous rulebooks. It is divided into three sections.

Section One is a chronological overview of gameplay. Section Two provides complete rules to the game, organized alphabetically by topic. Section Three provides entries on individual cards, including errata and clarifications. [Section Four records the last updates to the X- and R-lists of each official format.]

What's New?

[Note: this section has been rewritten to reflect the reality of version 4.1.]

All material from the Comprehensive Rules 4.0 and later Current Rulings Documents, and pertinent information from the Tournament Guidelines is included here. The most important updates are:

• Incorporating of all CRD rulings into the text
• All errata, clarifications, and individual card rulings that were included in previous editions but accidentally omitted by Decipher have been reintroduced
• Inclusion of material explanations from the starter rulebooks for The Hunters and Rise of Saruman
• Inclusion of Mulligan rules imported from the Tournament Guidelines

Section One: Overview

This section of the Comprehensive Rules mirrors the presentation of a Starter Rulebook. Important concepts are explained first, followed by game setup and an explanation of the turn sequence in order.

This section is offered only as a chronological overview of gameplay. There are few examples of play, and few specific rulings. For such material, refer to Section Two.

Again, if you are not familiar with the game, we strongly suggest you begin with a Starter Rulebook, rather than the Comprehensive Rules.

Important Concepts

Kinds of Cards

The Lord of the Rings TCG has three basic kinds of cards: site, Free Peoples, and Shadow. There is also The One Ring, which is different from all other cards.

Free Peoples Cards

Free Peoples cards represent the forces of good. Each player has his own fellowship, made up of a Ring-bearer and other companions. When you take your turn, you play and use your Free Peoples cards.

Free Peoples cards have a light colored circular field in the upper left corner.

Shadow Cards

Shadow cards represent the forces of evil and corruption. When another player takes his turn, you play and use your Shadow cards to hinder that player.

Shadow cards have a dark colored diamond-shaped field in the upper left corner.

Card Types

There are ten different card types in the game: The One Ring, site, companion, ally, minion, follower, possession, artifact, event, and condition. Companion, ally, and minion cards are also collectively referred to as character cards.

The One Ring

This card type represents the uniquely powerful item that is the focus of the story of The Lord of the Rings. In the middle of the card, The One Ring has its subtitle. It has no twilight cost, and its card type is "The One Ring.".

The One Ring is not a Free Peoples card and it is not a Shadow card.

There are several versions of The One Ring, represented by different cards, but you'll only use one version at a time.

Site

Site cards represent locations in Middle-earth, and are used to chart the progress of the game. Nine sites are placed in your adventure deck, and are kept separately from the other cards you draw and play during the game, which are placed in the draw deck.

Site cards have a dark compass in the upper left corner.

This symbol is used on sites from the Shadows expansion set onward, differentiating them from sites found in previous sets (which use a different compass symbol, and may also use a block symbol).

Companion

A companion is a Free Peoples character in your fellowship.

Ally

An ally is a character that helps your companions from afar but does not move with them.

Minion

A minion is a Shadow character that attacks other players' fellowships.

Follower

A follower represents help for your other characters that joins for a short time and then departs. They are not characters, although they are often named and depicted with images of people from the story.

Possession

A possession is a weapon, suit of armor, or other kind of object used by a character. Most possessions tell you who their bearer can be, which is the kind of character you can play them on.

Artifact

An artifact is a unique weapon, suit of armor, or other kind of special object used by a character.

Though artifacts are played and used much like possessions, they are a different card type. Artifacts are not affected by cards that affect possessions.

Event

An event is a card played from your hand representing an important occurrence, which you discard after you play it.

Condition

A condition is a card representing a significant change in the world, which stays in play until discarded. Most conditions play to your support area, though some play on other cards, and tell you who or what their bearer can be.

Culture

Most cards are part of a specific culture. A card's color, its background texture, and an icon in its upper right corner indicate its culture. Your deck may contain cards from several different cultures.

Site cards and The One Ring are not part of any culture.

Cultures
Free Peoples	Dwarven	Elven	Gandalf	Gollum	Gondor	Rohan	Shire
Movie-era Shadow	Dunland	Gollum	Isengard	Moria	Raider	Ringwraith	Sauron
Shadows-era Shadow	Men		Orc	Uruk-hai		Wraith

Vitality

All characters in the game have vitality. This number represents a character's life force, stamina, sturdiness, and will to live.

Wounds

When a character is wounded by an enemy attack, his vitality is depleted. Place a wound token on the character to illustrate this. Glass beads (preferably blood red) make good tokens for this purpose.

When you "wound a character," you place only one wound.

Each wound a character has reduces its vitality by 1. When a character's vitality is reduced to zero, that character is immediately killed. (Reducing a character's strength to zero does not kill that character.)

Healing

When a wound is removed from a character, this represents resting or healing. When you "heal a character," you remove one wound.

Generally, your fellowship only heals at a sanctuary – that is, a site 3 or site 6 – you reach on the adventure path. At the start of your turn when your fellowship is at a sanctuary, you may heal up to 5 wounds from your companions (not allies).

Killed

When a character's vitality is reduced to zero, that character is immediately killed. Place killed Free Peoples characters (companions and allies) in your dead pile. The dead pile is separate from and next to your discard pile. Place killed minions in your discard pile.

When you have a unique companion or ally in your dead pile, you cannot play another copy of that card, or any other card with the same title. (You may play another copy of a non-unique card that is in your dead pile.)

Exert

Sometimes you may exert a character by placing a wound on that card to show that the character takes an action that depletes his vitality.

Exerting a character is different from wounding a character, even though both require placement of a wound token. Cards that prevent wounds cannot prevent a wound token placed by exerting.

Once a wound token is placed, whether from exerting or wounding, it can be healed by any effect that heals a wound.

No player may exert a character who is exhausted (who has only 1 vitality). If the effect of an action says a character "must exert" and that character is exhausted, then nothing happens. To exhaust a character means to exert that character as many times as you can.

Resistance

Companion cards have resistance. This number represents a companion's ability to withstand the lure of The One Ring. Some characters have a ring around their resistance icon, meaning they can be chosen begin the game as your Ring-bearer.

Companions preceding the Shadows expansion set (other than versions of Frodo or Sam) do not have their resistance printed on the card. These companions have a resistance of 6.

Allies have a resistance of zero.

Burdens

When your Ring-bearer loses will against the power of The One Ring, you place a burden token on him. Glass beads (preferably black) make good burden tokens, but anything you won't confuse with a wound will do.

There are many cards that add or remove burdens. Burdens are only placed on your Ring-bearer. Each burden on your Ring-bearer reduces the resistance of every companion in your fellowship by 1.

If your Ring-bearer's resistance is reduced to zero, he is corrupted, and you lose the game. Only your Ring-bearer can be corrupted. If the resistance of any of your other companions is reduced to zero, there is no immediate penalty, though your opponent may play Shadow cards to take advantage of this.

Signet

Some Free Peoples character cards have a signet, found in the lower left corner of the card. Cards with the same signet generally give bonuses to each other and work well in the same deck.

Each signet is based around an important character in the story. The available signets are Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, and Théoden.

Twilight Pool

The twilight pool is an area on the table where twilight tokens are placed. The tokens in the twilight pool represent how dangerous the world is for the fellowship. Glass beads (preferably black) make good twilight tokens, but any convenient tokens will do. Keep a large reserve of twilight tokens handy.

Twilight Cost

In the upper left corner of each Free Peoples and Shadow card is that card's twilight cost. This is the number of twilight tokens that must be added to or removed from the twilight pool to play that card.

When you play a Free Peoples card, you must add a number of twilight tokens (from the reserve) to the twilight pool equal to that card's twilight cost.

When your opponent plays a Shadow card, he must remove a number of twilight tokens from the twilight pool equal to that card's twilight cost. A Shadow card cannot be played if its twilight cost cannot be met by the tokens available in the twilight pool.

In game text, you will find phrases like "Add " which means, "Add 1 twilight token to the twilight pool."

You must meet any requirements to play a card (or perform an action) before paying its costs.

Phase Actions

During each phase of a turn, one or more players are allowed to perform phase actions that use a word matching the name of that phase. These words are printed in boldface and followed by a colon.

Each phase action lasts for the duration of the phase named in the boldface word (unless otherwise specified). The effects of a phase action with the keyword Skirmish: last only for the skirmish phase in which it is used.

Each phase action must be completely performed before another phase action can be performed. Phase actions cannot be combined.

An action labeled with the word "Response:" is not a phase action. Responses are explained later in this rulebook.

Events

Most event cards have a phase action that defines when you may play that card from your hand. The game text on that event may be performed only once for each copy of that event played. You cannot play an event during a phase that does not match its phase action.

Discard an event after you play it, and before the next action is taken. Even after being discarded, an event often has an ongoing or delayed effect until the end of the phase, or until a specified phase or condition is met.

Special Abilities

Besides events, other types of cards may have a phase action as a part of their game text called a special ability, which may be used only while the card is in play. (The boldfaced word defines when you may do so.)

Each special ability is optional; you don't have to use it if you don't want to. You may use each special ability as many times as you like (even repeatedly during the same phase), as long as you meet the requirements for it and pay its costs.

When, Each Time, and While

A few special words or phrases you'll see in game text govern the timing of an action, just like the names of phases that are in phase actions. These include when, each time, and while; each is described below with an example.

• When is used if an effect can happen only once. When you play this possession, you may draw a card. his game text activates only once, when this card is played.
• Each time is used if an effect can happen more than once. Each time you play a possession or artifact on your companion, draw a card. If you play one possession, this game text activates once; if you play a second possession, it activates again, and so on.
• While is used if an effect is continuous. While Merry bears a weapon, he is strength +2. When you play a weapon on Merry, this game text is activated; if that weapon is discarded, then this game text "turns off."

Each of these effects has a trigger describing what makes it happen. The trigger is always described first, and followed by a comma.

Setting Up the Game

Players need a supply of wound tokens (preferably red) and twilight tokens (preferably black). Each player will also need a player marker (a differently-colored token) that shows where his fellowship is on the adventure path.

Who goes first?

In the Starter Rules, players decide randomly who goes first. Normally, however, players bid burdens to determine this.

Players place secret bids for the right to determine who goes first in the game. The bidding is done with black tokens, which will become burdens on your Ring-bearer.

Each player secretly places a number of burdens in his hand (you may bid zero). When all players are ready, simultaneously reveal the bids. The highest bid wins the right to choose where he goes in the turn order. Any choice is available.

Next, the second highest bidder chooses from the remaining positions in the turn order, and so on. Keep track of each player's bid, as these tokens will become burdens on his Ring-bearer.

If there are any ties, then the tied players resolve randomly who chooses first among them.

Tom, Chuck, Tim, and Mike are playing, and the initial bids are Tom 3, Chuck 4, Tim 3, and Mike 1. Chuck wins the right to choose, and he chooses to go first (placing 4 burdens on his Ring-bearer). Tom and Tim are tied, so they flip a coin, and Tom wins the tiebreak. He chooses second (placing 3 burdens on his Ring-bearer). Tim chooses to go fourth (3 burdens), leaving third for Mike (1 burden).

The first player sits down, and the others then sit in clockwise order around the table according to their choices.

Adventure Deck

Take all 9 of your site cards and place them face down in a pile on the table. This is your adventure deck.

No other player may look through your adventure deck during the game.

You don't have to keep your adventure deck in any order. Just look through it to get a card when you need to.

The first player chooses any site from his adventure deck and places it on the table to begin the adventure path. This becomes site 1. Each player places his player marker onto that site.

All players use the same adventure path for their player markers. The cards that make up that path are taken from the adventure decks of the players.

Place the adventure path off to the side, opposite from the twilight pool. That leaves room in the middle of the table for minions.

Starting Fellowship

In the Starter Rules, players select their starting fellowships based upon which deck they have. Normally, however, players customize their starting fellowships.

Your fellowship begins with a character bearing The One Ring. This can be any character with the ringed resistance icon, or any version of Frodo. That character gains the keywords Ring-bearer and Ring-bound, if he does not already have them.

Place your Ring-bearer face up on the table. Place The One Ring under your Ring-bearer (so the title is showing) and place on him the burdens that you bid.

You may then play other companions (not allies, possessions, artifacts, or conditions) one at a time from your draw deck, as long as the total twilight cost of these companions is 4 or less. The twilight cost of your Ring-bearer is not included in this total.

Don't place any tokens into the twilight pool for the cards in your starting fellowship. Site text is not active when the starting fellowships are played.

Select and reveal starting fellowships in player order. (In tournament play, you may change your starting fellowship from game to game.)

Draw Deck

The rest of your cards form your draw deck. Shuffle your draw deck, give the opponent on your right the opportunity to cut it, and draw eight cards to form your starting hand.

When you draw the last card from your draw deck, you don't lose the game. Continue with the cards you have in hand and in play.

In the Starter Rules, if you have no cards in your draw deck, you are allowed to reshuffle your discard pile to make a new one once per game. Normally, however, you are not allowed to do this.

Game Setup Summary

• Bid to determine who goes first.
• Each player places his adventure deck on the table.
• First player plays a site from his adventure deck.
• Each player puts his player marker on that site.
• Each player places his starting fellowship on the table, placing the burdens he bid on his Ring-bearer.
• Each player shuffles his draw deck and draws 8 cards.

Playing the Game

Each player, going clockwise around the table, takes turns according to the following turn sequence.

1. Fellowship Phase
2. Shadow Phase(s)
3. Maneuver Phase
4. Archery Phase
5. Assignment Phase
6. Skirmish Phase(s)
7. Regroup Phase

When one player finishes his turn, the next player in clockwise rotation (to his left) takes a turn and so on.

Although the turn order rotates to the left (clockwise), note that many other procedures in the game actually rotate to the right (counter-clockwise).

Start of Turn

When your turn begins, remove all tokens from the twilight pool. (The pool begins the game empty, so this is not necessary on the first turn of the game.)

Then you complete any "at the start of each turn" (or "at the start of each of your turns") actions. Each of these actions may be performed only once per turn.

1. Fellowship Phase

During your fellowship phase, you may perform fellowship actions, including playing most Free Peoples cards. Finally, move your fellowship forward along the adventure path.

Perform fellowship actions

If you are the Free Peoples player, you may perform fellowship actions during this phase, in any order.

Two fellowship actions are always available:

• Play a Free Peoples companion, ally, possession, artifact, or condition from your hand to the table.
• "Discard to heal." Spot a unique companion or unique ally with at least one wound and discard a card from your hand with the same card title (it may have a different subtitle) to heal that character.

You may find other fellowship actions on events in your hand, or as special abilities on cards you already have in play.

Some card effects allow you to draw cards in the fellowship phase. You cannot draw (or take into hand) more than 4 cards during your fellowship phase. This is referred to as The Rule of 4.

Playing Companions

Play companion cards in a row, near the other members of your fellowship already in play. You cannot have more than nine total companions in play and in your dead pile at any time. (Each copy of a companion in play or in your dead pile counts as a separate companion, whether it is unique or non-unique.) This is referred to as The Rule of 9.

Playing Allies

Allies are characters that do not count as members of your fellowship. Play them to your support area (a row of cards behind your fellowship). There is no limit to the number of allies you may have in play.

Ally cards have a home site number indicated just after the card's type, on the same line (such as Ally • Home 3 • Elf). These home site numbers all refer to adventure paths from the Fellowship block, Tower block, and King block. Allies have no home sites on adventure paths from the Shadows expansion set onward.

Each ally in your support area is considered to be at his home site.

Playing possessions

Play Free Peoples possessions under a character, with the left edge of the card visible for its card title and attribute bonuses (positive modifiers for the character's strength, vitality, and/or resistance, written with a plus sign like "+2"). Some possessions play to your support area.

Playing artifacts

Play Free Peoples artifacts just as you play Free Peoples possessions.

Class

Each character may bear one possession or artifact of each class at one time. For example, a character may bear only one hand weapon, only one ranged weapon, only one armor, only one cloak, and only one staff.

Some possessions and artifacts do not have a class. There is no limit to the number of cards without a class that a character may bear.

Playing conditions

Play Free Peoples conditions either under a character (like a possession, if the card says, "Bearer must be...") or to your support area, as indicated by the condition card. Free Peoples conditions are always played during the fellowship phase, even if they provide a special ability that is performed during a different phase.

Moving your fellowship

During each of your fellowship phases, when you are finished performing fellowship actions, your fellowship must move forward to the next site on the adventure path.

Place your player marker on the next site on the adventure path. If there is no site there yet (as is the case for the first player in the first turn), then a new site must be played from one of the Shadow players' adventure decks, as described below under "playing sites."

When you move your player marker to the next site, first perform any actions triggered by leaving the old site. Then perform actions that say, "When the fellowship moves..." Then, perform actions that occur when moving to the new site. Finally, add tokens to the twilight pool, as described below under "adding twilight tokens for movement."

Note that when you are playing using the Fellowship block, Tower block, or King block formats, the playing of sites and adding of twilight tokens works differently than what is explained below. Refer to "Formats," later in Section One under "Building Your Deck," for an explanation of these differences.

Playing sites

If your fellowship moves to a site that has not been played yet, one of the Shadow players must place a new site on the adventure path. To determine which player, look at the site you are moving from. Each site has an arrow at the bottom center of the card. This indicates who is to play the new site, with >> meaning the Shadow player to your right and << meaning the Shadow player to your left. (In a two-player game, there is only one Shadow player at a time, so that player always plays the new site.)

That player looks through his adventure deck and chooses any site to play as the next site. It takes on the next consecutive number on the adventure path as its site number. It also takes on a region number: sites 1-3 are in region 1, sites 4-6 are in region 2, and sites 7-9 are in region 3.

The first time the first player moves during the game, a Shadow player looks through his adventure deck and chooses the next site to place on the adventure path. It becomes site 2. The next time a site is added after that, it will be site 3. Both of those sites are in region 1.

You may play a copy of a site on the adventure path even if an opponent's copy was already played as an earlier site. The copies are treated as different sites, with each given a different site number.

Adding twilight tokens for movement

Each time your fellowship moves to a new site, you must add twilight tokens to the twilight pool for each of the following:

• Add the number of twilight tokens indicated by the Shadow number of the site you're moving to.
• Add 3 twilight tokens if you are in region 2, or 6 twilight tokens if you are in region 3. (You may find it easier to remember this: add 3 if you've passed the sanctuary at site 3, or add 6 if you've passed the sanctuary at site 6).
• Add 1 twilight token for each companion in your fellowship.

You move a fellowship of four companions to a site 5 that has a Shadow number of 2. You add 2 twilight tokens for the Shadow number, 3 tokens for the region (region 2), and 4 tokens for your companions, for a total of 9 twilight tokens added to the twilight pool.

Movement Summary

• A Shadow player places the next site card, if needed.
• Perform "When you move from..." actions.
• Perform "When the fellowship moves..." actions.
• Move your player marker to the next site.
• Perform "When you move to..." actions.
• Add twilight tokens equal to the new site's Shadow number.
• Add 3 twilight tokens if the new site is in region 2; or 6 if it is in region 3.
• Add 1 twilight token for each companion.

2. Shadow Phase(s)

Each other player in the game, starting with the player immediately to your right, has one Shadow phase.

During each player's Shadow phase, that player may perform Shadow actions in any order, including playing most Shadow cards.

Perform Shadow actions

One Shadow action is always available:

• Play a Shadow minion, possession, artifact, or condition from your hand to the table.

A Shadow player may find other Shadow actions on events in his hand, or as special abilities on cards he already has in play.

When one Shadow player has completed all of the Shadow actions he wishes to perform, the next Shadow player to his right (if any) then performs a Shadow phase.

All Shadow players pay for cards by using the same twilight pool. The second Shadow player uses twilight tokens left over from the first Shadow player, and so on.

You may use (and exert) another player's character to pay a cost for your Shadow card or special ability.

Playing Shadow cards

A minion is played to the center of the table, across from the active fellowship. Artifacts, possessions, and conditions state in their game text where they play.

Each minion is normally played to a certain range of sites beginning with the minion's site number. If the minion is played to (or is currently at) a site that has a lower site number, that minion is roaming. The player must pay a roaming penalty by removing an additional two twilight tokens when playing that minion.

A Shadow player cannot play a Shadow artifact, condition, or possession on another Shadow player's minion, or to another player's support area. However, Shadow cards may give bonuses or other game effects to other players' Shadow cards, and Shadow players may play events for other players' Shadow cards as appropriate.

When all Shadow players have each completed a Shadow phase, proceed to the maneuver phase. If there are no minions in play at the end of the final Shadow phase, then skip directly to the regroup phase.

3. Maneuver Phase

Perform Maneuver actions

During this phase, players may perform maneuver actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Maneuver:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure.

Action Procedure

As the Free Peoples player, you get the first opportunity to perform an action, and then the player on your right gets an opportunity, and so on counter-clockwise around the table.

If a player does not wish to perform an action, he may simply pass. Passing does not prevent a player from performing an action later in the same phase.

When all players consecutively pass, proceed to the archery phase. If there are no minions left after the maneuver phase, then skip directly to the regroup phase.

4. Archery Phase

Perform archery actions

During this phase, players may perform archery actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Archery:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure. When all players consecutively pass, conduct archery fire.

Archery fire

All Shadow players count the number of all their minions with the keyword archer to determine the "minion archery total." No matter how many Shadow players there are, there is only one minion archery total.

As the Free Peoples player, you also count the number of your Free Peoples archer companions to determine the "fellowship archery total."

The Free Peoples player then assigns a number of wounds equal to the minion archery total to his companions (and participating allies), in any way he wishes.

He then chooses one Shadow player who must assign a number of wounds equal to the fellowship archery total to his minions, in any way he wishes.

There is always a "default" archery total of zero for each side. A card may add to your archery total even though you have no archers in play at that time.

When the fellowship is at an ally's home site (or a card has allowed them to participate in archery fire), you may count archer allies for the fellowship archery total, and assign archery wounds to them.

When all archery wounds have been assigned, proceed to the assignment phase. If there are no minions left after the archery phase, then skip directly to the regroup phase.

Archery Phase Summary

• Perform archery actions
• Determine archery totals for each side.
• Free Peoples player assigns archery wounds to his companions (and participating allies).
• Free Peoples player chooses one Shadow player.
• That Shadow player assigns archery wounds to his minions.

5. Assignment Phase

Perform assignment actions

During the assignment phase, players may perform assignment actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Assignment:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure.

Many assignment actions assign a minion to a companion. You cannot do this unless both of them are unassigned.

When all players consecutively pass, proceed to assign defenders.

Assign defenders

During your assignment phase, you may assign companions to defend against attacking minions.

A player cannot assign more than one companion to the same minion.

Inform the Shadow players when you are done making assignments.

All assignments of characters are on a one-to-one basis, with the following two exceptions:

• If your assigned companion has the keyword defender +1, you may assign that character at this time to one additional unassigned minion. Defender +2 allows that companion to defend against two additional unassigned minions, and so on. A character with defender +2 (or greater) satisfies any requirement for defender +1.
• When you have informed the Shadow players that you are done making assignments, they may assign any leftover unassigned minions to any companions (even if those companions are already assigned). The first Shadow player on your right may assign any of his unassigned minions, and so on, counter-clockwise around the table.

When the fellowship is at an ally's home site (or if a card effect has allowed an ally to participate in skirmishes), that ally may be assigned to a skirmish in the same way that companions are assigned to skirmishes.

When the assignment phase is complete, each companion being attacked will lead to a separate skirmish phase.

Assignment Phase Summary

• Perform assignment actions
• Free Peoples player may assign defending companions to minions.
• Shadow players may assign leftover unassigned minions to any companions.

6. Skirmish Phase(s)

When the assignment phase is complete, each defending character will fight in a separate skirmish phase. In an order decided by the Free Peoples player, skirmishes are resolved one at a time by conducting a skirmish phase for each.

Once a skirmish phase has finished, the Free Peoples player must select another defending companion (one who is still assigned to a minion), and perform another skirmish phase.

Perform skirmish actions

During each skirmish phase, players may perform skirmish actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Skirmish:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure. Each skirmish action lasts only for a single skirmish. When all players consecutively pass, proceed to resolve that skirmish.

Resolve that skirmish

If the total strength of one side is more than the strength of the other side (but less than double), the side with the most strength wins that skirmish. (If there is a tie, the Shadow side wins.) Place one wound on each character on the losing side.

When the winning side has one or more characters with the keyword damage +1, then each losing character takes one additional wound for each damage +1. (Damage +2 adds two wounds, and so on.) This is called a damage bonus, which may be added to or removed by various effects.

If the total strength of one side is at least double the total strength of the other side, all the characters on the losing side are overwhelmed and killed (regardless of how many wounds or how much vitality each has). When a character is overwhelmed, that character does not take any more wounds — he simply dies.

A skirmish phase ends after all actions triggered by winning or losing that skirmish have resolved. A surviving minion or companion may skirmish again this turn if the fellowship makes another move (or if the minion has the keyword fierce).

Skirmish Phase Summary

• Free Peoples player chooses a skirmish.
• Players perform skirmish actions.
• Resolve that skirmish and assign wounds.
• If any skirmishes are unresolved, repeat this procedure.

Fierce

After all normal skirmishes are resolved, surviving minions with the keyword fierce must be defended against a second time.

Players perform another assignment phase and then complete a separate skirmish phase for each fierce skirmish.

Assignment Phase (Fierce)

Players may again perform assignment actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Assignment:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure.

The Free Peoples player then assigns defenders just as during the regular assignment phase, and then Shadow players assign any fierce minions that remain unassigned.

Skirmish Phase(s) (Fierce)

Then each defending companion fights in a separate skirmish phase, just as during the regular skirmish phases, in an order decided by the Free Peoples player.

When all skirmishes (both normal and fierce) have been resolved, proceed to the regroup phase.

7. Regroup Phase

During the regroup phase, players may perform regroup actions (special abilities on cards in play with "Regroup:" and events with that keyword) using the action procedure. When all players consecutively pass, proceed to reconcile the Shadow players' hands.

Shadow players reconcile

Each Shadow player must reconcile his hand to eight cards, as follows:

• He may first discard one card from his hand.
• If he then has less than eight cards in his hand, he must draw cards until he has eight.
• Otherwise (when he has more than eight cards in his hand), he must discard from his hand until he has only eight.

Free Peoples player chooses

At the end of the regroup phase, if you are the Free Peoples player, you must select one of the following two choices:

• Move the fellowship to the next site (allowing the proper Shadow player to place a new site if needed), add tokens to the twilight pool (for the Shadow number of the new site, the region of that site, and the number of companions in the fellowship), and return to the Shadow phase(s).
• Or, reconcile your hand (just as the Shadow players did above). Then the Shadow players discard all minions in play (and cards borne by them), and your turn ends.

Move limit

During each of your turns, your fellowship must move once, and may move a number of times up to your move limit.

In a two- or three-player game, your move limit is two. In a game with four or more players, your move limit is equal to the number of your opponents when the game begins. During your regroup phase, you may decide to move your fellowship again, subject to this move limit.

Regroup Phase Summary

• Players perform regroup actions.
• Shadow players reconcile.
• The Free Peoples player chooses to move again if his move limit allows (returning to the Shadow phase), or to reconcile and end his turn.

Winning the Game

A player wins the game when his fellowship is at site 9 and his Ring-bearer survives all skirmish phases. The game ends, and there is no regroup phase on the last turn.

A player may also win the game if he becomes the last player left in the game (see below).

Losing the Game

A player loses the game if his Ring-bearer is killed, unless he uses game text allowing another character to carry on as Ring-bearer.

A player also loses the game if his Ring-bearer becomes corrupted by having burdens reduce his resistance to zero. There are cards that can corrupt the Ring-bearer, regardless of how many burdens he might have.

If a player loses a game and there are at least two other players remaining, remove his player marker and all of his cards from play (and discard any opponent's cards that were on them).

Remove his sites on the adventure path in numerical order, then each opponent, starting to the player's right and proceeding counter-clockwise, chooses a site from his adventure deck to replace each one removed.

The other players complete the losing player's turn.

Building Your Deck

Each player brings to the game at least 71 cards:

• a Ring-bearer, bearing The One Ring (2 cards),
• a draw deck of at least 60 cards, and
• a 9-card adventure deck.

Formats

Each game has one of the following formats:

• Fellowship block – only cards from sets 1, 2, and 3,
• Tower block – only cards from sets 4, 5, and 6,
• King block – only cards from sets 7, 8, and 10,
• War of the Ring block – only cards from sets 11, 12, and 13,
• Open – all cards allowed, including set 9 (Reflections), using only sites from set 11 onward (Shadows).
• Standard – a tournament format similar to Open, but including the X-List (see the Current Rulings document, available for download).

You and your opponents must each have a deck built for the same format.

When you play a game using the Fellowship block, Tower block, or King block format, you cannot choose any site from your adventure deck when it is time to play a new site on the adventure path. Instead, the site which has the next consecutive site number must be played.

When you play a game using the Fellowship block, Tower block, or King block format, you do not add pool for the fellowship's region number when you are moving your fellowship.

Ring-bearer and The One Ring

You may choose any character with the ringed resistance icon, or any version of Frodo, to be your Ring-bearer. You may choose any version of The One Ring. These two cards are not part of your draw deck (they do not count against your total of Free Peoples cards).

Draw Deck

Your draw deck must have at least 60 cards and must have an equal number of Shadow cards and Free Peoples cards, shuffled together. You cannot have any copies of The One Ring or sites in your draw deck.

You may have up to four copies of each card title (ignoring subtitles) in your draw deck.

Exception: Since one copy of your Ring-bearer is always part of your starting fellowship, you may have only three copies of that character in our draw deck.

Adventure Deck

Your adventure deck must have exactly nine site cards in it. Each site must be different. The contents of your adventure deck depends on which format you are playing.

In the Open format and War of the Ring block, your adventure deck may include no more than three sites that have the same given Shadow number.

In the Fellowship block, Tower block, or King block, sites are numbered, and you must include one for each of the nine site numbers.

Other Important Rules

Refer to the entries in Section Two for active, block symbol, discard, discard pile, draw deck, keyword, loaded keyword, response, Ring-bearer, site, spot, and unique. These entries contain the most commonly used rules that have not already been described in Section One.