[METW] FAQ #5
Ichabod
Middle Earth: The Wizards Frequently Asked Questions File
Number 5, current as of 2/5/96, Where Havens Go When They Die version
Maintained by Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien <ich...@cstone.net>
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Especially new and/or changed information is marked with *'s.
Thanks to Herve Guillemet for help on information gathering for
this FAQ.
Questions About Characters
--------------------------
Q: What is the difference between discarding a character and eliminating
a character?
A: A discarded character can be brought into play again, either by
yourself or another player. An eliminated character may not be
brought back into play at all.
Q: Do you have to put two of the same wizard in your play deck or can
you put two different wizards in your deck?
A: You can either put two of the same wizard in or two different wizards
in.
Q: Can characters with a bonus to influence against "Blue Mountain
Dwarves" use that bonus against dwarf characters with the home
site Blue Mountains?
A: No. This bonus only applies to the Blue Mountain Dwarf faction.
Q: If a character has a bonus to their direct influence do they get
the bonus for each of their followers?
A: No. They only get the bonus once.
*Q: Do duplicated starting character that go back in the deck count towards
* the 10 character play deck limit?
*A: No.
*Q: Can more than one of the same non-weapon item be played on a character?
*A: Yes
*Q: Does tapping a character tap their equipment also?
*A: No.
*Q: Does a spell tap a wizard?
*A: Only if it says so on the card.
Questions About Combat
----------------------
Q: The rules say the modification for tapped is -1 and for wounded is
-2. If you are tapped and wounded is the modification -3?
A: No. Wounded characters are only at -2.
*Q: How do creatures with a body number work?
*A: For each strike that fails, a body check must also be made (unless the
* attack has no body, i.e., a dash). Every strike must fail and its body
* must be defeated in order to get MPs for the creature.
*Q: In what order are permanent bonuses applied?
*A: The prowess bonuses from weapons are applied first (and thus any prowess
* maximum is only considered at this point). Any other bonuses from
* permanents are applied in the order the player controling the characters
* chooses.
*Q: How exactly are strikes assigned?
*A: When you are facing a hazard creature, you may only assign strikes
* to untapped characters.
* You may only assign one strike to each character.
* Any strikes you do not assign your opponent may assign to any characters
* who have not yet been assigned a strike.
* Any strikes remaining after that may be assigned as -1 modifiers to the
* character's prowess by your opponent. More than one of these modifiers
* may be assigned to a single character.
Q: When is it too late to cancel a strike or an attack?
A: Once the strikes have been assigned it is too late to cancel the
attack. Once the dice have been rolled it is too late to cancel
the strike.
Q: Are the side effects of losing a character dealt with before or
after I finish resolving any other strikes?
A: They are resolved immediately, before the other characters face
their strikes.
Questions About Movement
------------------------
Q: How does starter movement work?
A: Each company will have a face up site card showing the site it is at.
This is called the site of origin. By the end of the organization
phase put a face down new site for each of your companies that wishes
to move. If a company's site of origin is a non-haven site (not
Rivendell, Lorien, Edhellond, or Grey Havens), the new site must
be the nearest haven. If the site of origin is a haven site there
are two options. If you want to go to another haven you may go
to one of the two nearest havens listed on your site of origin card,
the new site card would be one of these two havens. If you want to
go to a non-haven site it must be one which lists the site of origin
as the nearest haven. If the company successfully makes it to the
new site, discard the site of origin at the end of the movement/
hazard phase.
Q: Does a company have to move each turn?
A: No. Simply play no new site card for a company that does not wish
to move. This company is considered to be at its site of origin for
your entire turn. Thus, your opponent may only play hazard creatures
that are playable at the company's site. That is, hazard creatures
with symbols that matches the site's symbol.
Q: How does region movement work?
A: To move a company from its site of origin to another site using
region movement, lay down a series of up to four regions and the new
site by the end of your organization phase. Each region in the series
must list on its card the regions that are connected with it in the
series as adjacent regions. The region at the beginning of the series
must be the region listed on the site of origin card. The region at
the end of the series must be the region listed on the new site card.
A site which lies more than four regions away from the site of origin
may not be reached in one turn with region movement (without Bridge,
Shadowfax, etc.).
Q: Lebennin and Ithilien look adjacent on the map in the rulebook, but
they aren't listed as adjacent on the cards. Is this a mistake?
A: No. If a site is not listed as adjacent on the card, it is not
adjacent. In this case the Anduin River seperates the two regions.
Q: Why would I want to use region movement?
A: Region movement allows you to move from one non-haven site to another
non-haven site, which speeds up the game. It also allows greater
flexibility in movement. The only disadvantage is that an opponent
can play certain hazard creatures keyed to specific regions.
Q: Why don't the starter decks have region cards?
A: A priority in the design of the game was to insure the playability of
starter decks. Region cards would likely be mechanically useless
cards in a starter deck game.
Q: How exactly is the site path determined?
A: The site path is determined by the way you got to the site. If
you used starter movement the site path is the path on the site
card for moving to and from a haven, or the path on the haven
card for moving from haven to haven. If you are using region
movement the site path is made of the region types on the region
card you played. The site path always include the site type of
the site you move to.
*Q: Is any other site path ever considered besides the route a company
* takes when travelling?
*A: Yes. For three cards in particular, Dragon's Desolation, Foul Fumes,
* and Long Winter, the site path listed with the site card itself must
* be considered, not the company's site path. For example, a company is
* at a site and chooses not to move. If the opponent plays Foul Fumes
* and Doors of Night, the site must tap if its site card contains a
* shadow-land symbol or dark-domain symbol. This site path is referred
* to as the site's site path, not the company's site path.
Questions About Playing Hazards
-------------------------------
Q: Does the hazard limit change if a character is eliminated during
the movement/hazard phase.
A: No. The hazard limit is set at the begining of movement.
Q: Do permanent events count against the hazard limit?
A: Permanent events only count against the hazard limit when first
played, unless they tap. In that case they count twice: once when
played and once when tapped.
Q: If my opponent has 2 companies when the first one moves can I
play a hazard on the second one?
A: No. Hazards may only be played on a company that is moving.
Note that long and permanent events may affect both companies
even if they are played "on" the first company.
*Q: Can an on guard card be triggered by one company and affect
* another?
*A: Rarely. Only in the case of a hazard long- or permanent-events like
* Awaken Denizens which affects the automatic-attack at each ruins & lairs.
* An on-guard card that is legally revealed against a company during
* the site phase is not inherently restricted to affect only that company.
Q: If a card requires two wilderness in the site path do they need
to be consecutive?
A: No.
*Q: Can a creature hazard be placed on-guard at a site without an automatic
* attack, and if so when do you reveal it?
*A: You can, and you reveal it when the company plays a card keyed to the
* site. They cannot actually play the card until the on-guard hazard
* is dealt with.
*Q: Does cancelling a strike or attack defeat it?
*A: No.
Questions About the Site Phase
------------------------------
*Q: The rules say you can play a minor item after successfully playing
* a item, ally, faction, or information resource at a site. Can you do
* this even if minor items are not playable at the site?
*A: Yes.
Q: Once I get to a site how exactly do I go about exploring it?
A: First declare that you are exploring the site. Then face the
automatic attack. If you have an untapped character at the
site play a card that is playable at that site. For most items
and inormation cards it will say on the site card if you can play
an item of that type (minor, major, greater, gold ring). For some
items, factions, and allies it will say on the resource card if
it is playable at that site. If the resource is successfully
played and you still have an untapped character you may play
a minor item. If after facing the automatic attack you have no
untapped characters you must wait until next turn and face the
automatic attack again.
Q: Can I use a card that cancels an attack to cancel an automatic
attack?
A: Yes. This counts as facing the automatic attack.
*Q: Does cancelling a strike or attack defeat it?
*A: No.
*Q: Do Havens ever tap, and if so are they discarded?
*A: Yes Havens can tap. However, even tapped Havens go back into your
* location deck.
*Q: Is an automatic attack considered a hazard?
*A: No.
Q: Can I explore a site if I cancel the automatic attack?
A: Yes.
Questions about Smartass Internet Related ICE Guys
--------------------------------------------------
*Q:
*A:
Questions About Specific Cards
------------------------------
Q: If Alatar uses his special ability to help a company, does he stay
with that company?
A: Yes, he does.
*Q: Can Alatar make someone draw 0 cards, even though the rules say
* you must draw at least 1?
*A: Yes, Alatar can force a zero-card draw.
*Q: If the Balrog of Moria is in play and Galadriel gets killed, what
* happens in Lorien ?
*A: The "In addition" section is not used because she is "out-of-play."
* The ring of Galadriel (Nenya) and her spirit are assumed to inhabit
* Lorien if she dies.
Q: If I play the Balrog and then kill it do I get the MP's?
A: No.
Q: Does Bane of the Ithil-stone stop me from drawing cards when
someone moves?
A: No. It will only cancel actions that literally cause a player
to search throught or look at any pertion of any play deck or
discard pile outside the sequence of normal play. It will
cancel Vilya, which allows Elrond's player to look through their
discard pile and put 5 cards into their play deck; and it will
cancel Lucky Search. Bane of the Ithil-stone will not stop an
effect which allows a player to bring cards from their sideboard
into their discard pile or play deck. Neither will it affect an
action which otherwise only causes a player to reshuffle their
play deck.
Q: If a character gets returned to your hand by Call of Home or Call
of the Sea, can you transfer all their items to other characters?
A: No, you may transfer one item. All other non-follower cards controlled
by the target character are discarded.
Q: Can I play a Cave Drake at a Ruins & Lairs without two Wilderness
In the site path?
A: Sure, go for it.
Q: If you cancel the Corpse-candle's attack does the company still
have to make the corruption checks?
A: No, they do not.
Q: Can you use an Elven Cloak to cancel a hazard keyed to double
wilderness?
A: Yes.
Q: Does Doors of Night cancel resource environments played after the
Doors of Night are played?
A: No. Doors of Night only cancels resource environments that are in
play when the Doors of Night are played. The same goes for Gates
of Morning cancelling hazard environments.
Q: Does the site have to be untapped in order to use the Dwarven Ring
of Barin's Tribe?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the character wounded by Escape have to be unwounded when the
Escape is played?
A: Yes. You cannot play Escape on a wounded character.
Q: If Doors of Night is in play does Eye of Sauron give +3 or +4 to
the prowess of each automatic attack?
A: Eye of Sauron will only give +3 to the prowes of each automatic
attack.
*Q: Do I have to store Dreams of Lore to get the MPs?
*A: No.
Q: Do Dwarven Rings give Dwarves +7 influence, or an influence of 7?
A: They give +7 to direct influence.
Q: Whose body is refered to on Eowyn and many of the other female
cards, hers or the Nazgul's?
A: The Nazgul's.
Q: Can I play more than one Fellowship on a company?
A: Yes.
*Q: If I stay at an untapped site during my movement and play a Foul
* Fumes during my opponent's movement, does my site tap?
*A: Yes. The site path to consider for the second paragraph of Foul Fumes
* is the one listed on the site card, not the company's site path.
*Q: Does Gandalf have to be in the same company as the ring he tests?
*A: Yes.
Q: What happens to a Gold Ring card when I test it?
A: It is discarded, and you loose the Marshalling Point it gave you.
If you have the right ring (as indicated by the test roll) in your
hand you may play it immediately.
Q: Can Gollum and the One Ring ever be together at the same site?
A: Yes. The text on Gollum is an ability that you can choose to use,
not an effect that happens automatically.
Q: When Great Road is played does the opponent *have* to draw twice
the number of cards normally drawn?
A: No, they may choose to draw less. Consider Great Road to have errata
that changes "Opponent draws twice..." to "Opponent may draw up to
twice."
Q: Are there any other cards with errata?
A: Yes. The following cards all have errata:
* Akhorahil: Change "...gives -1 penalty to one..." to "...modifies
* any one character's body by -1 for the rest of the turn."
Dwarven Ring of Bavor's Tribe: one "reshuffle the play deck" is
sufficient.
Dwarven Ring of Druin's Tribe: one "reshuffle the play deck" is
sufficient.
Dwarven Ring of Thelor's Tribe: Values in parenthesis and brackets
apply to Dwarf bearer. The prowess/body modifications should read:
"+2(4)/+1."
Dwarven Ring of Thrar's Tribe: Values in parenthesis and brackets
apply to Dwarf bearer. The prowess/body modifications should read:
"+2(4)/+1."
Ent-draughts: Remove "as a minor item" and replace with "and only if
an ally or faction has been succesfully played at Wellinghall."
The Great Goblin: "Unique. Orc. One strike..."
Gwaihir: Should read "...you may discard Gwaihir during the
Organization phase to allow his company..."
Horses: Add "Playable only at the end of the Organization phase."
Morannon: Should read "This card is used as a Dark-hold (D) site
card in the region of Udun that is moved to..."
Neeker Breekers: Add "Does not affect Wizards."
Roac the Raven: Remove "-no modifications to the influence check are
required." Replace with "-treat this influence check as though it were
made by a Diplomat."
Seige: Change the border-land symbol in the first line to a border-
hold symbol.
Shadowfax: "...an additional site card may be played and an additional
movement/hazard phase..."
Silent Watcher: Gives 1 marshalling point, not 0.
Slayer: Gives 2 marshalling point, not 0
* Tookish Blood: This card may be played at any time during any turn.
Traitor: Remove the last paragraph.
Twilight: This card may be played at any time during any player's turn.
Wizard's Laughter: Change "Wizard only." to "Wizard only during
opponent's site phase."
Wolves: Change "Animals." to "Wolves."
*Q: What do Great Ship, Leaflock, and Tom Bombadil mean when they say
* "cancel the effects of one hazard?"
*A: These cards allow the cancelling of an attack. They also allow the
* cancelling of an ongoing hazard effect that targets the company in
* question or any entity associated with that company (item, character,
* site, etc.). They allow the cancelling of an effect declared earlier
* in the same chain of effects.
*Q: Do the cards you have to discard when Khamul the Easterling taps come
* from your hand, from in play, or both?
*A: From your hand only.
Q: Is the number of cards discarded determined when Khamul is declared
or when he is resolved?
A: When he is declared.
Q: If Doors of Night is in play, Long Winter only taps the sites belonging
to the player whose turn it is, right?
A: Wrong. *All* sites in play with two Wildernesses in their site path
become tapped.
Q: Can I play Lucky Search at a tapped site?
A: Sure, go ahead. It can be played at a tapped or untapped site.
Q: If I get a second resource with Lucky Search can I play a second
minor item too?
A: No.
Q: When the scout faces the attack for Lucky Search are they tapped
and do they have the item?
A: They are tapped and they do have the item.
Q: If I play a ring special item after testing a gold ring, will this
trigger a corruption check for Lure of Expedience?
A: Yes, it will trigger a corruption check.
*Q: Will Lure of Expedience trigger if I transfer an item from one character
* to another?
*A: Yes, it will.
Q: If I tap a character to help another character with a Lure of the
Sense's corruption check, do they then untap?
A: No, they will not untap until next turn.
Q: What exactly does the "Only playable at Lorien" mean on Mirror of
Galadriel?
A: It means that Mirror of Galadriel is playable if any of your characters
is at Lorien.
*Q: When do I have to declare using the Morgul-horse to bring a Nazgul
* permanent-event back into my hand?
*A: You must declare this immediately after declaring the Nazgul
* permanent-event is tapping, before the Nazgul resolves and goes to
* the discard pile.
Q: Do I have to discard my Morgul Night if Doors of Night is discarded?
A: No, Doors of Night is only required when Morgul Night comes into play.
*Q: Can Muster be played when influencing an opponent's faction?
*A: Yes.
Q: What happens to Nazgul events cancelled using Praise to Elbereth?
A: They are discarded and have no effect. Also note that when Praise
to Elbereth is played, you must declare which characters are tapping
to cancel which Nazgul events.
Q: What happens if I use the Palantir of Orthanc to get a site card from
my discard deck?
A: This is actually an invalid use of the card. You can't use it to
get site cards because they don't belong in your play deck.
Q: When does a wounded character recieve the corruption from the Pale
Sword?
A: Immediately following the Nazgul's attack. The same is true for
the Morgul-knife.
*Q: Can the One Ring be used more than once in a turn?
*A: As long as all the corruption checks are made, yes.
Q: Who chooses the character to make the corruption check when The
Precious is played?
A: The player playing The Precious chooses.
Q: If I tap Ren the Unclean on my opponent's turn, can I play resources
to modify the corruption checks of my characters?
A: No you may not. If you are playing standard rules your characters
can tap to give +1 to another character's check in the same company.
*Q: What exactly happens when I play Sacrifice of Form?
*A: Remove your Wizard from play and place all of his items on the Sacrifice
* of Form card. If your opponent plays the same Wizard they do not get
* the items on the Sacrifice of Form. Note that it is legal to sac one
* Wizard and then play a different one.
Q: I can tap Saruman to use an un-aligned palantir, right?
A: Right.
Q: Can Shadowfax carry allies?
A: No. To be elligible for Shadowfax's special ability the party can
contain no allies.(except Shadowfax himself).
Q: When does Siege go away?
A: When all copies of the site it is played on are removed.
Q: Can I tap the target of Slayer to cancel one of the attacks?
A: Yes.
Q: Does Thorin II get a total +4 direct influece against Blue Mountain
Dwarves?
A: Yes, he does.
Q: Can I play Tookish Blood on a character who just failed a
corruption check?
A: The discarding of the character happens immediately after the
failed roll. There is no time for any effects to be used.
Q: Can I play Twilight on a card that has not resolved yet?
A: Yes, Twilight may target a card played earlier in the same chain of
effects.
Q: Can I play Twilight as a resource during my opponent's turn?
A: Yes. If you do so Twilight does not count against the hazard limit
for that company.
Questions About Timing
----------------------
Q: When is the validity of an effect checked?
A: Upon resolution.
Miscellaneous Questions
-----------------------
*Q: A hobbit is facing an automatic attack because he burgled a site.
* Can my other characters tap to aid him in facing the attack?
*A: No.
Q: During the Free Council can I tap characters to give +1 to a
corruption check?
A: Yes, but note that the player calling the free council does not
get an untap phase.
*Q: Does "a character in the same/his/her company" include the character
* the card is refering to?
*A: Yes.
*Q: If something requires me to tap a card can I do it when that card is
* already tapped?
*A: No.
*Q: Can an ally carry weapons?
*A: No.
*Q: If I'm using the optional rule that allows a character to tap to take
* two strikes, and the first strike kills the character, what happens
* to the second strike?
*A: It is considered successful.
*Q: What is the modifier for a character tapping to face two strikes?
*A: Each strike is at -3, with the character tapping when they face the
* second one.
*Q: Do characters with 0 corruption points ever have to make corruption
* checks?
*A: Yes, and if the modifier to the roll is bad enough they might fail.
Questions About Support
-----------------------
Q: Is there an official netrep?
A: Yes. His name is Scott Frazer <sfr...@comet.net>. On AOL he goes
by MetWiNetRp.
Q: Is there a website?
A: Yes. The hurl is http://www.ironcrown.com.
Q: How do I get my questions answered?
A: Probably the best way is to post your question to the Usenet group
rec.games.trading-cards.misc, with "[METW]" in the subject. If you
are in no particular rush you can mail questions to Mike Reynolds
at met...@aol.com. It might be a few days before he can get to it.
Q: Is there going to be a player's guide published?
A: Yes. Expect the Companion to be published in mid to late February.
Q: Are there any expansion sets planned?
A: Yes. At this moment Iron Crown is hard at work on the first one,
Middle Earth: The Dragons.
Q: What about an Unlimited edition?
A: Look for the Unlimited edition in late March or early April.
Q: How many cards were printed in the Limited Edition?
A: Carta Mundi printed 45 million cards for the Limited Edition.
------
Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien The opinions above ARE the
ich...@cstone.net opinions of the Game Cave.
http://www.cstone.net/~ichabod