In the far reaches of space, the aliens of the cosmos vie for control of the universe. Alliances are constantly forged and broken in the pursuit of power as starships journey from planet to planet, ready to build colonies and battle foreign powers. Only one species can win dominance and ensure the survival of their people as they spread throughout the stars. Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition!

Now is the perfect time to return to Cosmic Encounter or to experience the classic game of intergalactic colonization for the first time. Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition will become the new standardized version of the game when it hits shelves in Q3 of 2018. For more information about the game and the exciting changes that await, read on!

Search the Stars

At the dawn of a forgotten age, the Precursors sought intelligent life in the cosmos, only to discover that they were alone. Feeling the weight of their solitude, they sent the seeds of life to thousands of planets in the hope that sentience would follow. But before they could see the fulfillment of their legacy, they disappeared.

Now, the species that sprung from the Precursors’ efforts populate thousands of solar systems, with only the remnants of their creators’ technology to guide them. Without the guiding hand of the elder race, these aliens fall to squabbling amongst themselves and battle for supremacy over the stars. In Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition, as in previous editions of the game, you’re invited to become the leader of your own unique alien species, seeking to expand the reach your civilization across the cosmos. You will launch the spaceships of your fleet through the Hyperspace Gate to reach planets beyond your home system where, with your own cunning and a bit of luck, you just might establish a colony. If you can successfully establish five of your colonies on foreign planets, you will earn victory and your species’ supremacy will be assured!

Extraterrestrial Expansion

As you attempt to colonize beyond the reaches of your home system, you will quickly find that every planet is controlled by someone. In Cosmic Encounter, the planets you target for your colonies are determined by Destiny cards, meaning you may be sent to the home system of a loyal friend or a dire foe, and alliances can shift in an instant. If you wish to establish a colony, you must win over the ruling species, either by negotiating a peace or engaging in conflict. If you succeed, you move closer to victory, but if you fail, you risk not only falling into obscurity, but also falling into the black abyss of space!

Cosmic Encounter is a competitive social game, where diplomacy is every bit as important as numerical strategy. Once you launch your spaceships, you can ask the other players at the table for support in your campaign… but of course, they each have their own goals, and their investment may cause you more harm than good. After the attackers and defenders are declared for conflict or a peace has been negotiated, you and the ruler of your target planet each select an encounter card and play it facedown.

No encounter takes place solely between two players, of course. At this time, every player can weigh in, using their Alien Powers, Artifacts, Reinforcements, or Flares to tip the odds in one side’s favor, allowing alliances to be forged and broken between anyone who wants to be part of the action. If your fleet wins the encounter, you may establish your colony, but if you lose, your ships may be sent into the Warp, trapped until you find a chance to rescue them! The back-and-forth action, surprising moves, and treacherous backstabs of Cosmic Encounter take center stage as every species struggles for supremacy, and we’ll take a much closer look at these encounters in future previews!

Customize Your Conquest

Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition welcomes new players to the game of infinite possibilities with a freshly revised rulebook and a beautifully illustrated Quick-start Guide that captures the nostalgia of the original game and makes it easy for anyone to learn. The Quick-start Guide’s comic book style throws readers back to the 1970s, providing vital insight into the core rules of the game while embracing the fun of a cosmic conquest filled with wacky aliens and outrageous abilities. What’s more, with the beautiful translucent ship pieces (as shown above), spreading your colonies across the galaxy has never been more stylish!

A newly discovered species joins the classic line-up of aliens. You can, of course, play as old favorites such as

Mite

or 

Remora,

  or you can try your hand at leading the ruthless

Demon

to victory. Previously only released at Cosmic Con, this species was exiled from their original galaxy for unprincipled opportunism. Now they seek cosmic vengeance, using their power to possess other players’ hands to bolster their own strength and sap others’ will to win.

In addition to this monstrous newcomer, Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition offers you new ways to customize your games with the introduction of Cosmic Combo cards. These carefully assembled cards offer a list of alien species with a brief description of their powers to create themed matchups and explore different types of games. You may find yourself among some 

Big Time Clubbers

or

Cellar Dwellers,

 that can be integrated into three, four, or five-player games. Every card spins a new challenge and with these new options for customization, no two games are ever the same.

Conquer the Cosmos

The infinite possibilities of the cosmos lay before you. Forge your alliances, plan your betrayals, and expand your civilization’s reach to the farthest star!

Mindless monsters are not the only thing to emerge from the terrifying Mistlands of Mennara. In hushed whispers, many speak of ancient vampires, creeping from the mist to hunt those unlucky enough to find themselves on the edges of Waiqar’s domain.

Lord Vorun was a renowned defender of the land and a knight of unquestionable honor. When his liege swore allegiance to Waiqar the Undying, Vorun was faced with a choice. Torn between his duty to Terrinoth and his oath of fealty, Vorun chose to trust in the wisdom of his master and continue his service despite his misgivings, and so the lord of House Ammanas joined the other great nobles of Bilehall in a fateful ritual that transformed them all into undead horrors. Upon realizing the full truth of what he had done, Vorun was overcome with shame and self-loathing, and he found himself unable to tolerate any reminder of his lost honor. He turned upon the lesser nobles and servitors of his house and hunted them down one by one, forcing them to join him in service to Waiqar.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the Lord Vorun’thul Hero Expansion for Runewars Miniatures Game!

A once noble and stalwart knight, Lord Vorun pledged his service to Waiqar and became the terrible, monstrous vampire Lord Vorun’thul. Trapped between his honorable intentions and an insatiable bloodlust, Lord Vorun’thul is the first Runewars Miniatures Game character with the power to transform mid-battle, alternating between his humanoid form and the terrifying Vorun’thul the Cursed. With an assortment of new upgrade cards alongside new deployment, objective, and terrain cards, this expansion brings vampiric power to the forces of Waiqar the Undying.

Honor and Chaos

For forty points, Lord Vorun’thul can be deployed into battle as either version of himself, giving an enemy unit of your choice a stun or immobolize token, depending on which version of Vorun’thul you choose to deploy. 

Lord Vorun’thul is a former stalwart knight, and though he has taken on a more ghoulish appearance, he still maintains the combat prowess he held prior to his dark transformation. Once during an attack, you may spend two surges to give the defender a stun token… which makes it much more difficult to strike back at this fearsome vampire, who attacks with white, red, and blue dice. However, if you choose to end your activation with a special modifier, Lord Vorun’thul transforms into his other, more fearsome, half.

Giving into his hunger, a special modifier sees Lord Vorun’thul placed within Range 1 and in line of sight of his current position and engaged with an enemy. Then, Vorun’thul squares up and transforms into Vorun’thul the Cursed before performing an attack. While you remove a die for this attack, the abilities provided by Vorun’thul the Cursed more than make up for removing a single die in an attack.

Thanks to his blue special modifier, Lord Vorun’thul can engage an enemy at Range 1, transform into Vorun’thul the Cursed, and attack an unsuspecting group of Oathsworn Cavalry.

With Brutal 1 and a Lethal value equal to the stable runes on the field, Vorun’thul the Cursed is almost guaranteed to do some kind of damage. Furthermore, rolling a surge can allow Vorun’thul to gain an additional Brutal 1 for the attack, increasing his threat to three. What’s more, with the Protected 2 keyword, Vorun’thul the Cursed is an expert at being engaged with enemies and tearing them apart while taking minimal damage. While Vorun’thul the Cursed misses out on green actions and modifiers, he has his own built-in escape mechanism that allows him to prowl the battlefield with ease.

With you use the special modifier with Vorun’thul the Cursed, you can place him at Range 2 of his current position and not engaged with an enemy before transforming into Lord Vorun’thul and receiving one stun token.

Looking to disengage with the Oathsworn Cavalry, Vorun’thul the Cursed uses a special modifier to be placed at Range 2 of his current position, transform into Lord Vorun’thul, and receive a stun token.

Both of Vorun’thul’s unit cards share the same command tool, and it allows this deadly vampire to easily manuever around the battlefield in any form. With four white march orders, Vorun’thul has plenty of options for modifiers as he makes his way across the field. Blue modifiers offer two different charges that can launch either version of Vorun’thul into battle, and while Vorun’thul the Cursed loses access to green actions and modifiers, Lord Vorun’thul can use these actions and modifiers to shift and rotate, giving him easy control over the space around him.

Terror from the Mist

Each time Vorun’thul gives in to his hunger, it becomes harder for him to recollect himself and become the calm, composed lord he pretends to be. His handsome features have begun to twist with feral rage, and his hunger whispers incessantly for him to give up the fight. Centuries of lying to himself and others have divided his nature, but eventually, one of his halves is sure to win out over the other, and given the power of Waiqar’s curse, it is unlikely to be his beneficent guise. When Vorun’thul’s hunger finally overcomes him, there will be a reckoning within House Ammanas as his shrouded secrets fall away and his horrific nature is revealed to all.

Give in to your true nature with the Lord Vorun’thul Hero Expansion (RWM31) for Runewars Miniatures Game, available for pre-order from your local retailer or our website.

“We have no time for sorrows, Commander.”
   –Leia Organa, Star Wars: A New Hope

The Rebel Alliance is accustomed to being on the defensive on almost every front of the Galactic Civil War. In terms of pure numbers, they are no match for the vast legions of the Galactic Empire. Fortunately, help has arrived that should tip the scales in the Rebellion’s favor.

The Leia Organa Commander Expansion and the Fleet Troopers Unit Expansion for Star Wars™: Legion are available now from your local retailer or online through our website. Fill out your Rebel forces and spark hope across the galaxy today!

An Inspiring Presence

Despite the long odds they face, the Rebellion does have a few advantages over the Empire. One of them is their cadre of leaders who inspire their troops to perform to the best of their abilities and no one is better at this than Leia Organa. While she may not be adept with a lightsaber like fellow Rebel commander Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa brings her own brand of leadership to the battlefields of Star Wars: Legion.

A former Imperial Senator, Leia Organa knows how lead people and she retains all of these abilities even in the heat of pitched battle. The Leia Organa Commander Expansion invites you to make the most of these skills. In addition to a beautifully detailed Leia Organa miniature, this expansion also features her three signature command cards that highlight her ability to get the best out of the troops under her command. You’ll also find three upgrade cards in this expansion that can be used to further customize Leia Organa or another unit in your army.

As the Rebel Alliance’s second commander, Leia Organa gives you more options when filling out your ranks. At only 90 points, you can easily slot her into your army alongside Luke Skywalker and still have plenty of points left over for other units. But on the other hand, Leia Organa might work better on her own, with the points that you save by removing Luke from your army being used to surround Leia with even more troops. 

Luke’s combat prowess might be missed, but Leia Organa can help keep these extra soldiers in the fight by granting them additional dodge tokens thanks to her Take Cover 2 ability while also removing their suppression tokens with her inspiring presence.

For a full preview of the Leia Organa Commander Expansion, including an in-depth look at her command cards, click here!

Protecting the Fleet

Rebel troops are prepared to defend freedom on almost any world, and even on the ships that fly between them. One such unit is available to you with the Fleet Troopers Unit Expansion. With seven unpainted, easily assembled Fleet Trooper miniatures and all the cards and tokens you need to integrate a unit of Fleet Troopers into your army, you have a new option for filling out the corps of your army.

Accustomed to fighting in the tight confines of naval starships, the Fleet Troopers work best up close to the enemy. Their DH-17 blaster pistols have a shorter range than other Rebel infantry units, but they do allow each miniature in the unit to contribute two white dice to every attack. At just 44 points, this added firepower is only marginally more expensive than a unit of Rebel Troopers and adding another

Fleet Trooper

mini can make the Fleet Troopers even more potent.

In addition to the standard Fleet Trooper, your unit can be further enhanced by troopers carry a variety of heavy weapons. An

MPL-57 Barrage Trooper,

 for example, has a bit more range and is an ideal choice for attacking enemy vehicles or infantry hunkering behind cover. Alternatively, the

Scatter Gun Trooper

shares the Fleet Troopers’ affinity for close-quarters combat, but adds even more lethality with the two red dice it contributes to the attack pool.

No matter how you choose to deploy your Fleet Troopers, they are excellent at holding their position and daring the enemy to move on them. Their Ready 1 grants them an aim token after they perform a standby action, putting them in perfect position to launch a counterattack if an enemy unit moves too close.

Be the Spark

The Rebel Alliance may be outnumbered, but they are resilient. Recruit new troops to push back against the weight of the Empire with these two expansions for Star Wars: Legion! 

Inspire rebellion with the Leia Organa Commander Expansion (SWL12) and the Fleet Troopers Unit Expansion (SWL13) for Star Wars: Legion, available now from your local retailer or our website!

“It was a path made by strong arms and heavy feet.”
   –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Roam Across Rhovanion, the second Adventure Pack in the Ered Mithrin cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

After venturing deep into the Grey Mountains and tracking an ancient beast across the Withered Heath, perhaps an even more daunting task stands before you: infiltrate the Orcish stronghold of Gundabad. But such a task requires you to first find a way in. Once your prisoner, the Goblin Urdug has promised to guide you to a secret entrance built by the Dwarves in times immemorial, but can he be trusted? With no other choice, you must follow this loathsome creature along an uncertain path.

Roam Across Rhovanion contains sixty cards, including a new hero card and other new player cards to enhance your decks and help your group of heroes meet this challenge. Additionally, the quest cards included in this pack can take you down any number of roads, from a deep bog to a ravine in search of an ancient key, ensuring that the quest plays differently each time you decide to try it. 

Lead the Way

After your adventures in The Withered Heath, you find yourself with a new quest. Your path may lead out of the bitter cold of the Grey Mountains, but that does not mean it gets any easier. Many hardships lie between you and Gundabad, and you’ll need all the help you can get to blaze a trail to the many locations you’ll visit along the way. Roam Across Rhovanion makes this a little easier with the inclusion of new Lore hero

Haldan

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 26).

The first hero with the Woodman trait, Haldan can quickly lead you down almost any path. And, if the active location has an attachment on it, Haldan does not exhaust to quest, allowing him to commit to a quest and also lend his three attack to a fight without pausing to catch his breath. His affinity for attachments on locations doesn’t end there, either. As soon as the active location is explored, Haldan can draw one card for each attachment on that location, giving you quick access to even more cards.

With these abilities, Haldan forms the foundation of a new Woodman deck type that makes use of locations to gain several benefits. When paired with cards such as

Woodmen’s Path

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 30), Haldan helps you quickly find a path, draw cards, and fend off enemies all at once.

When venturing to Gundabad—and the Orcs that wait there—you’ll have to rely on all the allies you have made throughout your travels. The Eagles of Middle-earth can always be counted on to lend aid at just the right moment. In Roam Across Rhovanion, this aid extends all the way to the encounter deck. The

Eagle of the North

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 35) card bears the encounter keyword, meaning it can be shuffled into the encounter deck when the 

Flight of the Eagles

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 32) begins. This does require you to return an Eagle ally to your hand, but if this ally happens to be

Meneldor

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 31), this drawback becomes a boon, allowing you to place two progress on a location. 

Through the Wilderland

Allying yourself with a Goblin is a risky proposition, of course, but this risk is worth it if it means avoiding a frontal assault on Gundabad. Before you head to the Orcish fortress, however, Urdug insists that you help him recover some things he lost in Rhovanion. But these items are scattered across the landscape and you can never be quite sure where he’ll lead you next.

Unlike a typical Adventure Pack, Roam Across Rhovanion can take you in many different directions. Once you complete the first part of your quest, you’ll randomly move on to one of three tasks. You might be asked to retrieve Urdug’s Horn from a massive Giant who is using it as a toothpick, or you could journey into a deep bog to save Urdug’s friend, Tiny. Finally, Urdug might take you on a hunt for a key that could ease your entry to Gundabad.

Once you complete the first stage of your quest, you randomly select one of three tasks to complete, ensuring your adventure plays differently every time!

No matter what happens, your journeys through Roam Across Rhovanion can vary considerably, providing you with a variety of challenges and taking you across the varied terrain of the Wilderland. Your path could take you through some

Grey Moorland

(Roam Across Rhovanion 41), for example, forcing you to shuffle all of the encounter cards you’ve worked through back into the encounter deck. What’s more, the Wilderland is full of wild Creatures that threaten your party. If you cross paths with a

Wilderland Bear

(Roam Across Rhovanion, 40), for example, it will either swiftly attack or make off with some of your cards. 

To Gundabad

Whether you venture through bog or deep ravine, all roads lead to Gundabad. To make it this far, though, you must place your lives in the hands of a treacherous Goblin. Steel your nerves and Roam Across Rhovanion!

Pre-order Roam Across Rhovanion (MEC67) at your local retailer today or on the Fantasy Flight Games website here!

“Find your own path.”
   –Way of the Dragon

The enigmatic Dragon are hard to define. With a focus on individuality, the Dragon Clan run the gamut from introspective detectives to monks who have become masters of the martial arts. Their themes in Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game are just as diverse, with plenty of options on how to approach the unique conflicts of the game. Today, guest writer Kilian Downey unravels the mysteries of the reclusive monks of the mountain.

The Path

Kilian Downey: Do you like monks with magical tattoos that may or may not have driven them to the edge of madness? How about hardboiled detectives who upend the norms of their society in search of truth and justice? Perhaps you like master alchemists raining down fiery potions? Or steadfast samurai, a sword in each hand, ready to duel to the death? Well then have I got a clan for you! Even if you don’t connect with any of these things (and I’m not sure how that’s possible) the Dragon have got something for you because, more than any other clan, the Dragon accept and even embrace individuality.

This acceptance is borne out of the pursuit of enlightenment for which the clan was founded. Other clans ignore the path towards enlightenment entirely or pursue it through strict adherence to a single ideal. Samurai and monks alike grasp endlessly in their pursuit. Most fail, not understanding what the path is, or how to traverse it. The Dragon Clan, however, are not like most of their peers. Whether it’s the pragmatic Mirumoto, the mystical Agasha, the insightful Kitsuki, or the mysterious Togashi, all who call themselves Dragon understand the truth. Enlightenment is not at the end of a path—it is the path itself.

All are welcome on the path and all who earnestly seek enlightenment are welcome in the temples of the Dragon. Each path towards enlightenment is unique, just as no two people journey the same path up the mountains. In their mountain temples, the Dragon are set apart from the rest of the empire: geographically, philosophically, and culturally.

Actions that would be unthinkable for the samurai of any other clan are accepted and encouraged within the Dragon. The Kitsuki eschew testimony in favor of evidence. The Agasha pursue potions and elixirs as eagerly as they do the favor of the spirits. Even peasants may raise their place in the social order if they earnestly pursue enlightenment with the Togashi. There is no clan that has more diversity of thought, more adaptability, or more outright strangeness than the Dragon.

The Mountain

The diversity, adaptability, and yes, even the strangeness of the Dragon Clan has been captured beautifully in their design for the LCG®. This diversity can be seen chiefly in the fact that their design doesn’t box you into a rigid playstyle. If you want to build up a single, giant character and take your opponent’s stronghold at the end of turn two, you can do that. Just recruit a

Niten Master

 (Core Set, 64) and give him a

Fine Katana

 (Core Set, 200) or two. On the other hand, if you want to slowly eat away at your opponent’s hand while saving up fate to grind them out in a long game, you can do that too. Drop a

Jade Masterpiece

 (Tears of Amaterasu, 14) on a

Kitsuki Investigator

 (Core Set, 61) and watch your opponent’s resources dwindle. When you’re deckbuilding for a Dragon deck, few cards are off-limits. In addition to having their own Monk theme, the Dragon have Bushi aplenty and Shugenja enough to play Spells. Dragon can even comfortably run Courtier cards, as their two Courtier characters are both quite good and go into most decks. If you love bringing a personal flair to the decks you build, then the Dragon gives you all the tools you could want.

The adaptability of the Dragon is reflected in the design of their characters, who tend to have balanced stats, and in the Dragon attachments, which often provide a static skill bonus and another mechanic to generate value. Because of this, the Dragon can not only use value or tempo based strategies, but they can pursue either strategy out of a single deck by simply changing their playstyle.

This means that players who favor a particular style can have fun with the faction regardless of their preference, but it also means that a skilled Dragon player can adapt to whatever is needed in a particular game and still have a chance to win from any board position. Looking at the Dragon stronghold, we again see the adaptability of the clan. On the face,

Mountain’s Anvil Castle

 (Core Set, 3) is simple—it gives a strength boost to a character with attachments. It’s the myriad ways in which you can use this ability that make it so interesting. Some of these uses are obvious, like boosting a character’s skill to crack a province or raising your character’s skill before they initiate a duel. Other uses, however, are more subtle.

The way that I most enjoy using the stronghold is to force my opponent to use cards. Sometimes, simply using the stronghold in the normal course of play is enough to draw additional cards from your opponent’s hand. This is certainly nice when it happens, but, thanks to the Dragon’s access to Ancestral attachments, these kinds of scenarios can be purposefully engineered turn after turn. Because Ancestral attachments return to hand when the character they are attached to leaves play, these attachments, combined with the stronghold, allow an unthreatening character like

Togashi Initiate

 (Core Set, 55) to transform into a threat that must be answered. Moreover, unless an answer targets the attachment itself, you’ll simply be able to repeat the process again next turn with a

Togashi Mendicant

 (Meditations on the Ephemeral, 105) or a

Doomed Shugenja

 (Core Set, 54). Beyond Ancestral attachments, the Togashi have their Tattoos, the Agasha have their Spells, and more than once I’ve used an opponent’s

Pacifism

 (Core Set, 174) or

Cloud the Mind

 (Core Set, 202) to boost the character it was attached to. If you love the puzzle-solving aspect of finding the right line of play in card games or if you just hate feeling like you’re out of choices, then the Dragon put you in a good spot.

Finally, the Dragon have access to some of the most unusual card effects in the game. They can manipulate fate on rings in a way that nobody else can. They have a

holding

 (The Chrysanthemum Throne, 66) that can attach to their stronghold. Their

Champion

 (Core Set, 65) is a Bushi and a Shugenja.

Kitsuki Yaruma

 (Tears of Amaterasu, 6) can flip provinces facedown. They have conflict characters that can be played as attachments.

Togashi Tadakatsu

 (Disciples of the Void, 15) allows the defender to choose the element of a conflict. All of these cards are unique within Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game and that’s what makes them so much fun. Basically, if you enjoy having your opponent say “Wait, what?” and then read your card with a confused look on their face, then look no further.

Finding Enlightenment

So, there you go. I’ve given you the lowdown on the Dragon and why they’re my favorite of the clans of Rokugan. They’ve got the tools and they’ve got the talent. There’s plenty more I could say, but much like the Dragon, each player’s path will be their own. So, sleeve up some green guys and see if you don’t have a good time.

Kilian Downey is a contributor to the Jade Throne Podcast and a Dragon Clan Hatamoto. You can check the Jade Throne Podcast out here . Special thanks from Kilian to all the Team Tsunami guys.

Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game is known for its intense, strategic, head-to-head gameplay. Now, games of Legend of the Five Rings have the opportunity to expand, as the intense conflicts between the Great Clans explode into an all-out, free-for-all battle that engulfs multiple clans at once.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce multiplayer rules for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, now entering a beta process in which you’re invited to participate!

This new variant is designed to allow three or more players to participate in a game of Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, and even introduces a new win condition: Enlightenment. To download the beta version of these multiplayer rules, click here ( 0.1MB)!

Decide Your Fate

This beta will be run through our community forums, and anyone interested is encouraged to participate. Visit this Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game subforum for discussion and updates on the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game multiplayer beta. Starting one week from today and continuing for the next five weeks, developers will post a weekly update in the forum as well as a survey, which players can fill out to deliver feedback on the rules. After five weeks, the finalized rules for the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game multiplayer variant will be uploaded to the Fantasy Flight Games website!

As you will soon find, the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game multiplayer variant plays similarly to a normal game, but now with the added victory condition of enlightenment. Instead of claiming rings as normal, rings are placed on your provinces. To reach enlightenment, you just need to collect all five elemental rings to ascend past your peers and lead your clan to victory! You can play multiplayer Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game with as few as three players, but it can also support as many as needed for a multiplayer showdown. Download the rules today to find out everything you need to know about the multiplayer variant for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game.

Become Enlightened

Keep an eye on the Fantasy Flight Games website for more updates about Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, and join us tomorrow at noon Central Time on Reddit for an AMA with designers Brad Andres and Tyler Parrott. Also, look for a special Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game livestream on May 30th on Twitch, with more details to follow.

Rise above your peers and participate in the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game multiplayer beta on our community forum today!

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
   –Haldir, The Fellowship of the Ring

In The Wilds of Rhovanion, you are tasked with protecting the remnants of a Haradrim tribe seeking asylum in Middle-earth. After being denied safety in both Gondor and Rohan, you are forced to lead your allies up the vales of Anduin, through Mirkwood, and into the city of Dale. But even if you survive this perilous journey, you must still gain the favor of King Brand in order to settle the Haradrim in his realm, and he is not easily swayed. He is sure to require some proof of your loyalty.

Today, we’re pleased to offer you a closer look at “The King’s Quest,” the third scenario in The Wilds of Rhovanion deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website here!

Prove Your Loyalty

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game transports one to four heroes to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, where dark powers long-thought dead are stirring in the east and their influence is felt throughout the realm. In the Haradrim cycle, you were thrown into a series of trials in the south following a terrible shipwreck. You would never have survived the journey back to Gondor if not for a tribe of Haradrim who sacrificed their own safety to protect you. Now, you are honor-bound to see them safely to a new home in the Wilderlands. In a previous article, we introduced you to

Brand son of Bain

(The Wilds of Rhovanion, 1), the noble king whose blessing you must obtain in order to settle the Haradrim refugees within his realm and under his protection. “The King’s Quest” scenario is preluded by your conference with the king where Brand considers your case.

“This is no small thing that you ask of me. Even here in the north we have heard tales of the savage Haradrim. It is a marvel to my ears to hear you speak of them as you do, but I do not doubt the truth of your words. The journey you have undertaken on their behalf speaks to their credit.”

He pauses for a moment before continuing, “It is timely that you arrived when you did, for I have need of heroes such as you: something drives the fell mountain creatures from the north and into my realm. An entire village was reported destroyed only yesterday. There were no survivors to tell the tale and the knights of my house are already stretched thin defending the other outlying villages. That is why I need you to investigate this attack and discover who is responsible. I must secure the borders of my kingdom before I can admit your friends to settle here. What say you?”

What answer can you give? You have journeyed the length of the Middle-earth with these people. They risked their lives for yours and you have done as much for them. Honor calls you to see your mission to its end; to see these people settled in the safety and peace they deserve. You must accept the quest.

Darkness Deep

Soon, your quest leads you to the mines beneath

The Iron Hills

(The Wilds of Rhovanion, 78). The Dwarves who once resided here have fled, and the mines have since become a haunt for evil. The warm halls that once housed the hospitality of the Dwarves are now cold and corrupt; home to Trolls, Orcs, and other Creatures that thrive in the gloom. All sense tells you to turn back, but the future of your Haradrim friends rests in your hands. They have placed their faith in you and you cannot fail them now.

There is no telling what dangers you will find in the lost caverns with an encounter deck made up of a dizzying seven encounter sets. In every shadow, the

Eyes in the Dark

(The Wilds of Rhovanion, 57) are watching you. All you know is that whatever is the cause of the grisly attacks on King Brand’s realm resides somewhere within and you will do whatever it takes to find it, even if you must explore every cavern in the mountain. These underground areas that you’ll explore are created through the use of the Caves deck, a separate encounter set made of the Lost Caves and the creatures and treacheries that reside there.

As your adventures progress in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, the game itself continues to change and grow with your new experiences, introducing new rules and keywords to fit the settings of each new expansion. In The Wilds of Rhovanion, you will encounter the new Deep keyword on locations you visit in “The King’s Quest.” After traveling to a Deep location, you must discard it and replace it with the top card of the Caves deck. For example, if you journey down a

Dark Tunnel

(The Wilds of Rhovanion, 54), you may find that there is more to the twisted caverns than you thought. In your exploration, you draw from the Caves deck to reveal the

Lightless Grotto

(The Wilds of Rhovanion, 63), which is now the active location. If you have reached a point in your quest where your band of heroes has thoroughly explored the abandoned mines of the Dwarves and there are no more Caves to be explored, the Deep keyword is ignored.

Even if you discover and destroy the threat to King Brand’s realm, you may find that your troubles are only beginning. In this time of gathering evil and strife, there can be no rest for those who stand against darkness. The Wilds of Rhovanion marks the beginning of the Ered Mithrin cycle, which leads you further into the northern mountains to defeat old evils that have newfound strength from the shadow of Mordor. But at least if you complete this mission, you will repay your debt to your Haradrim allies and bring them the peace denied to too many.

Accept Your Mission

Descend into the tunnels of the Iron Hills. Fulfill the King’s Quest and earn your Haradrim allies a new home in The Wilds of Rhovanion!

Pre-order The Wilds of Rhovanion (MEC65) today at your local retailer or on the Fantasy Flight Games website here!