The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Revised Core Set

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game ‚Äì Revised Core Set rules — frequently asked questions

What happens when an attack is undefended?

You must assign all of the enemy's attack damage to one of your heroes — defense values don't apply, and allies can't take it. The shadow card still resolves first, which is why chump-blocking with a cheap ally is often safer.

Can I attack enemies while they're still in the staging area?

No — you can only attack enemies engaged with a player, unless a card effect specifically permits attacking into staging. Their threat still counts against you during questing, though.

When are shadow cards dealt and resolved?

One shadow card is dealt face-down to each engaged enemy at the start of the combat phase. Each resolves as that enemy attacks: flip it after the defender is declared, apply any shadow effect, then calculate damage. Discard them all at the end of combat.

Do characters committed to the quest defend later that round?

Not normally — committing exhausts them, and exhausted characters can't defend or attack. Balancing willpower for the quest against bodies held back for combat is the game's central dilemma.

How do engagement checks work?

After optional engagements, check each player in turn order: the staging-area enemy with the highest engagement cost that is equal to or lower than that player's threat engages them. Keep making checks until no enemy can engage anyone.

Where does quest progress go?

If there's an active location, progress fills it first (equal to its quest points explores and discards it); leftover progress then lands on the current quest stage. No active location? Straight to the quest.

What do Doomed and Surge mean?

Doomed X: every player raises their threat by X the moment the card is revealed. Surge: after resolving the card's reveal, reveal one additional encounter card. Both stack miserably.

Can I pay for a Spirit card with Leadership resources?

No — resources only pay for cards matching that hero's sphere. Neutral cards (like Gandalf) accept resources from any heroes. Multi-sphere decks live and die on smart resource spread.

What happens when one player hits 50 threat?

That player is eliminated: their cards leave play and encounter cards engaged with them return to staging. The remaining players fight on — the group only loses when everyone is eliminated.

Can several players travel to different locations?

No. The table shares a single active location; only one may be traveled to per round, during the travel phase. Everything else stays in staging, adding threat.