Heirs of Númenor Expansion to Lord of the Rings LCG

Aug 21, 2012

Fantasy Flight Games has announced a new big box expansion to Lord of the Rings the Card Game called Heirs of Númenor.

From the FFG Website:

Its 165 new cards (three copies of each of player card) transport players to the realm of Gondor, where new heroes and allies stand firm against the armies of Mordor in thrilling battles, sieges, and three new scenarios!

Bulwark of the West

Evil stirs in the lands of Mordor. Smoke rises from the mouth of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord’s power grows, and his armies push outward. Against this shadow growing in the East, the Men of Gondor form the first solid line of defense. Can they stand fast against the onslaught from the East?

Heirs of Númenor gives you the opportunity to command some of Middle-earth’s greatest heroes in a region at war against the forces of evil. Three new scenarios lead you from the relative safety of the streets of Pelargir to the heat of an epic battle with an army of Orcs and Southrons.

True-hearted Men

Descended from the Dúnedain of ages past, the Men of Gondor are the heirs to traditions of noble wisdom and wealth, but also of fantastic ambition and a bitter enmity with the Dark Lord of Mordor, who was once overthrown by the Dúnedan, Elendil, and the Elf, Gil-galad, during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

Heirs of Númenor introduces players to the great cities of Gondor and its people. Two new Gondor heroes, a cast of Gondor allies, and several new events like Behind Strong Walls (Heirs of Númenor, 8) reinforce the Gondor trait, so that for the first time in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game it can serve as the thematic focus of whole new deck designs.

Stand Fast Against the Shadow

“If Gondor falls, or the Ring is taken, then the Shire will be no refuge.”
–Gandalf, The Return of the King

The realm of Gondor is the shield wall that stands between the hosts of Mordor and the free lands to the West. The massive walls of its fortresses are for defense, not for show, and its merchants’ prosperity is won by the sweat and skill of its Rangers, who search the outlying lands for bands of Orcs and dispatch the threats. Even so, the strength of its walls and the skill of its Rangers may not be enough to keep Gondor safe from the nearby forces of evil.

Through the years, Gondor has known many battles and sieges, and Heirs of Númenor represents these momentous confrontations through new keywords that will change the way players approach the quest phase by forcing characters to use attributes other than Willpower to make progress on their quest. After all, a battle cannot be won by the power of will alone, but needs hearty soldiers, great commanders, and the strength of steel.

Moreover, the battles of Heirs of Númenor will spill over into Against the Shadow, the following cycle of Adventure Packs.

As with the game’s first deluxe expansion, Khazad-dûm, Heirs of Númenor transports The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game to a new region, filled with enemies, locations, and treacheries that differ greatly from those in the game’s Core Set. Accordingly, Heirs of Númenor introduces ten new encounter sets that give life (and teeth) to the region’s foes. These encounter sets build the encounter decks for the expansion’s scenarios and lay the foundation for the upcoming scenarios from Against the Shadow.

This means that while Heirs of Númenor is an epic narrative experience in its own right, it’s also the introduction to a full cycle of adventures set in a realm bordering the land of shadow!

A Gathering Storm

Dark clouds hang over the lands of Mordor and pose an ever-present threat to the lands of Gondor. Amidst this setting, your heroes will embark upon a journey that takes them from the streets of Pelargir to the heart of a desperate defense against waves upon waves of Orcs and other foes. Visit our Heirs of Númenor website to learn more about the struggles that lie ahead, then prepare your fellowships for battle. Heirs of Númenor is scheduled to arrive at retailers everywhere by the fourth quarter of 2012!