Tale

From LOTR-TCG Wiki

Tales are unloaded keywords appearing only on Free Peoples cards. It primarily appears on conditions, also it also appears on artifacts, events, and possessions, but never characters or followers. Tale chiefly appears cards in Fellowship Block, although it does occasionally appear in later sets. Many tale cards are named after songs or poems from Lord of the Rings, or named after chapters or books of that trilogy.

While Tales appear in multiple Free Peoples cultures -- Dwarven, Elven, Gondor, and Shire -- the keyword is particularly important to Shire culture. Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit (2U96) and Red Book of Westmarch (2R113) are common Shire tools in every format where they are available.


List of Cards with the Tale Keyword[edit]

Portrait Card Name Culture Card Type Game Text
Greatest Kingdom of My People (1R16) Dwarven Condition Tale. Exert a Dwarf to play this condition.

Each time your opponent plays an Orc, that player discards the top card of his or her draw deck.

Stairs of Khazad-dûm (1C24) Dwarven Condition Tale.

While a Dwarf skirmishes a minion, that Dwarf is strength +1.

Beneath the Mountains (2R1) Dwarven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

Fellowship: Discard the top 3 cards from your draw deck to play a weapon from your discard pile.

Great Works Begun There (2C9) Dwarven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

Each time you play a Dwarf, you may discard the top 2 cards from your draw deck to take a event into hand from your discard pile.

Till Durin Wakes Again (2C14) Dwarven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

Each time a Dwarf companion moves from an underground site, you may heal that Dwarf.

Book of Mazarbul (3R1) Dwarven Possession Tale. Bearer must be a Dwarf.

At the start of each fellowship phase when the fellowship is at site 4 or higher, you may draw a card for each Dwarf companion.

Song of Durin (3U5) Dwarven Condition Tale. To play, exert a Dwarf.

The twilight cost of each weapon is +2.

Fellowship: Discard this condition to discard up to 2 conditions.

Ever My Heart Rises (4R46) Dwarven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

When you play this condition, reveal the top 6 cards of your draw deck and stack them here.

Fellowship: Spot a Dwarf and discard the top card of your draw deck to take a Free Peoples card stacked here into hand.

Here Is Good Rock (4C50) Dwarven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

Skirmish: Stack a Free Peoples card from hand here to make a Dwarf damage +1.

Thorin's Harp (18C3) Dwarven Condition • Support Area Tale.

Maneuver: Exert a companion to make the fellowship's current site gain mountain until the regroup phase.

The Last Alliance of Elves and Men (1R49) Elven Condition Tale. Bearer must be a Man. Limit 1 per bearer.

Bearer is strength +1 for each Elf you can spot (limit +3).

The Splendor of Their Banners (1R62) Elven Condition Tale. Bearer must be an Elf companion.

Archery: If bearer is an archer, exert bearer to make the fellowship archery total +1.

The Tale of Gil-galad (1R66) Elven Condition Tale. Bearer must be an Elf.

Skirmish: Discard this condition to make bearer strength +2.

The White Arrows of Lórien (1C68) Elven Condition Tale. Bearer must be an Elf companion.

Archery: If bearer is an archer, exert bearer to make an opponent discard 2 cards at random from hand.

Hosts of the Last Alliance (2U18) Elven Condition Tale. Plays to your support area.

While you can spot an Elf companion, the minion archery total is -1.

Response: If an Elf is about to take a wound, discard this condition to prevent that wound.

Beren and Lúthien (3U9) Elven Condition Tale.

Skirmish: Exert an ally to discard the bottom card of your draw deck. If that card is an card, make a minion skirmishing an Elf strength -1.

Voice of Nimrodel (3C28) Elven Event Tale.

Skirmish: Exert an Elf at a river or forest to cancel a skirmish involving that Elf.

Alliance Reforged (4R58) Elven Event Tale.

Fellowship: Draw a card for each Elf companion you spot.

I Was There (V1_7) Elven Event • Skirmish Tale.

Spot a minion skirmishing an Elf and discard your tale to wound that minion.

Let Fly the Darts of Lindon (V1_10) Elven Condition Tale.

Bearer must be a unique companion.

Archery: Exert bearer to make all Free Peoples archers lose archer and gain damage +1 until the regroup phase.

Three for the Elven-Kings (V1_12) Elven Condition • Support Area Tale.

Each time the fellowship moves, you may spot an or ring to place a card from hand beneath your draw deck and draw a card (and heal a companion if you can spot 3 or rings).

The Choice of Lúthien (1R100) Gondor Condition Tale.

Maneuver: Exert Aragorn to heal Arwen, or exert Arwen to heal Aragorn.

The Saga of Elendil (1R114) Gondor Condition Tale. Bearer must be a companion.

Skirmish: Discard this condition to make bearer strength +2.

Banner of the White Tree (3R39) Gondor Event Tale.

Maneuver: Exert a companion to make that companion strength +3 and defender +1 until the regroup phase.

Gondor Bowmen (3R41) Gondor Condition Tale.

Archery: Exert a companion and discard this condition to make the fellowship archery total +2.

Might of Númenor (3C43) Gondor Event Tale.

Maneuver: Spot a companion to reveal a card at random from an opponent’s hand. Heal X companions, where X is the twilight cost of the card revealed.

Some Who Resisted (3U45) Gondor Event Tale.

Maneuver: Spot a companion to make the twilight cost of each maneuver event +2.

Scroll of Isildur (9R36) Gondor Artifact • Support Area Tale. To play, spot a Man.

The Ring-bearer is resistance +1 for each artifact you can spot (limit +3).

Fellowship: Discard this artifact to play a ring from your discard pile.

The Faithful Stone (18R50) Gondor Condition • Support Area Tale.

Each time a non- minion is played, you may spot a Man to put a token here.

Maneuver: Remove 3 tokens from here to spot a minion. That minion cannot be assigned to a skirmish until the regroup phase.

Stone Trolls (1R314) Shire Condition Tale. To play, spot Bilbo. Plays on any character. Limit 1 per character.

Each time bearer skirmishes a Troll or Uruk-hai, bearer is strength +3.

There and Back Again (1C317) Shire Condition Tale. Bearer must be a Hobbit companion.

Maneuver: Discard this condition to make each Hobbit companion strength +2 until the regroup phase.

Consorting With Wizards (2R97) Shire Condition Tale. Bearer must be Bilbo.

Bilbo may not take wounds (except during the archery phase).

Fellowship or Regroup: Exert Bilbo or discard this condition to remove .

O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! (2R108) Shire Condition Tale. Bearer must be the Ring-bearer.

Skirmish: Discard this condition to take off The One Ring or to cancel a skirmish involving the Ring-bearer and a Nazgûl.

Red Book of Westmarch (2R113) Shire Possession Tale.

Each time you play a tale, you may spot Bilbo to draw a card.

Three Monstrous Trolls (3C114) Shire Condition Tale.

Response: If a Shadow card is about to add any number of twilight tokens, exert a Hobbit ally to prevent this.

Everyone Knows (9R50) Shire Condition • Support Area Tale. Each unbound Hobbit is strength +1 for each vitality over 3 he or she has.

Skirmish: Prevent an unbound Hobbit from being overwhelmed unless his or her strength is tripled. Discard this condition.

Nine-fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom (10C112) Shire Event • Skirmish Tale.

Exert a character to remove a burden or 2 threats.

The Tale of the Great Ring (10U116) Shire Condition • Support Area Tale.

Skirmish: Prevent a Hobbit from being overwhelmed unless a Shadow event is (or was) played during this skirmish. Discard this condition.

A Dragon's Tale (18C106) Shire Condition • Support Area Tale. To play, spot a Hobbit.

Maneuver: Discard a tale from play to choose a Shadow player who must exert one of his or her minions.

Scouring of the Shire (18R112) Shire Condition • Support Area Tale.

When there are 4 tokens here, discard this condition from play.

Response: If a condition or possession is about to be discarded from play by a Shadow card, add a token here to prevent that. ​


List of Cards that Interact with the Tale Keyword[edit]

Portrait Card Name Culture Card Type Game Text
Glóin, Friend to Thorin (2R7) Dwarven Companion • Dwarf For each tale you can spot, Glóin is strength +1 (limit +4).
Mines of Khazad-Dûm (3R3) Dwarven Condition Each time you play a tale, you may heal a Dwarf companion.
The Council of Elrond (1R35) Elven Event Fellowship: Spot an Elf to play a tale from your draw deck.
Songs of the Blessed Realm (1C61) Elven Condition Plays to your support area.

Each time you play an tale, you may remove a burden.

I Was There (V1_7) Elven Event • Skirmish Tale.

Spot a minion skirmishing an Elf and discard your tale to wound that minion.

Library of Rivendell (V1_11) Elven Artifact • Support Area Fellowship: Stack your tale or artifact from play or from hand here to draw a card.

Regroup: Exert an ally to draw X cards, exert X minions, and remove up to X wounds from companions, where X is the number of Free Peoples cultures on cards stacked here. Discard this artifact.

Answering the Cries (3C37) Gondor Condition Skirmish: Discard a tale from hand to make a companion strength +2.
Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit (2U96) Shire Ally • Home 1 • Hobbit Fellowship: Exert Bilbo and discard a tale to discard a Shadow condition from an opponent’s support area.
Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer (2C102) Shire Companion • Hobbit Ring-bound. Ring-bearer (resistance 10).

The cost of each artifact, possession, and tale played on Frodo is -1.

Red Book of Westmarch (2R113) Shire Possession Tale.

Each time you play a tale, you may spot Bilbo to draw a card.

Bilbo, Bearer of Things Burgled (9R+49) Shire Companion • Hobbit Ring-bound.

Each time the fellowship moves, if the twilight pool has 2 or fewer twilight tokens, add 2 burdens or add .

Regroup: Add a burden to play a tale.

A Dragon's Tale (18C106) Shire Condition • Support Area Tale. To play, spot a Hobbit.

Maneuver: Discard a tale from play to choose a Shadow player who must exert one of his or her minions.

Pippin, Steadfast Friend (19P30) Shire Companion • Hobbit Fellowship.

Pippin is strength +1 for each tale you can spot.

Frodo, Mr. Underhill (0P67) Shire Companion • Hobbit Ring-bound. Ring-bearer (resistance 10).

The cost of each artifact, possession, and tale played on Frodo is -1.

Stricken Dumb (2R80) Ringwraith Event Maneuver: Exert The Witch-king to discard a tale or weapon.
Balin's Tomb (1U343) Site Site Underground. Maneuver: Discard a tale from play or from hand to heal your companion.





Unloaded Keywords
Race Decipher [Raceless] • BalrogCreatureDwarfElfEntHalf-trollHobbitMaiaManNazgûlOrcSpiderTreeTrollUruk-haiWizardWraith
Player's Council CrowEagle
Hobbit Draft Game BirdDragonEagleGiantGoblin
Site
Decipher BattlegroundDwellingForestMarshMountainPlainsRiverUnderground
General Decipher BesiegerCorsairEasterlingEngineFellowshipFortificationKnightMachine • [Mounted] • PipeweedRangerRing-boundSearchSouthronSpellStealthTaleTentacleTrackerTwilight • [Unbound] • ValiantVillagerWeatherWarg-rider
Player's Council Pony
Hobbit Draft Game BurglarCunningWise