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Hello everyone, my name is Ira Fay and I am excited to try a different video format for today which is going to be a short video where we think about opening strategy for free people and shadow and basically my idea is I'm going to roll the action dice, draw cards, and we're just going to discuss sort of what strategies we might employ for free people and what we might consider for shadow and I hope to maybe have a series of these if, if people like them, then I may keep doing them. But I think that opening strategy is often constrained by your action dice, but you also often have quite a few choices. So we'll try it and see what happens.
So I'll go ahead and roll for free people and for shadow. I'm going to assume for now that shadow allocates one eye. So, you know, this is obviously a pretty weird role. I would say, uh, free people got no movement and shadow got a single army movement, but plenty of musters. I'm going to draw the free people cards first and consider what to do. So challenge of the king and guards of the Citadel. So obviously against only one eye, I would have preferred getting some more movement. Um, at least I have a little bit, uh, you know, I have these Palantir.
So I think probably what I would do as free people, I would start by just passing twice because I don't think there's anything particularly urgent that I'm going to have to do. So. Yeah, I would, I would pass twice. And then after that, I would play guards of the Citadel because I want to cycle my strategy cards and see what happens. So let's go ahead and, um, maybe we'll, we'll alternate taking turns now. I don't know exactly the most interesting way of playing it out. Um, shadow let's draw shadows cards and see what happened. So Warren was so hard to, of course there's a bombard. Wow. These are pretty strong cards for shadow.
I think to start with Warren was sorrow and toil can certainly, uh, impact the way the free people play if you get it out early and, um, and then of course there's a bombard is great. So I'm going to be happy to use these musters. I think a shadow this turn is fairly straightforward. I would normally, the only thing that I really have some flexibility on are, is this Palantir. Um, I mean, not necessarily, but assuming free people passes, I think I would start by mustering Isengard and then assuming they pass again, you know, I can go ahead and get Saruman here. It's not really a problem. So I would get Saruman and that's pretty straightforward.
And then we said that free people would draw cards. So I think that's pretty basic. So they play guards of the Citadel. I won't bother putting out the units, but they draw a card. Okay. Kindred of Glorfindel. So they've cycled into, they happen to cycle into some good reinforcements. I get to drive even more cards and then, um, shadow here. What are they going to do? I probably, if I were shadow, I would muster, uh, Sauron to war. That feels pretty basic. And then, all right, back to free people. I think I would play Kindred of Glorfindel. And because my regulars are actually more restricted than my elites, I would give them an elite.
I don't love putting elites into Rivendel if it never gets attacked because the Elven force pool is so light, but I'm very happy at this point with my two additional musters to just keep cycling and use Gandalf's ability. So I get to draw two more cards and I'm happy to see Emerhill of Dolamroth. And Sauron's very out or it's not, not particularly useful, but maybe. Okay. And then, um, for shadow, you know, the, the crazy thing, worn with Sauron toil is something I would consider playing turn one, if they move the fellowship, but if they don't move the fellowship, they can just declare again in Rivendell at the start of round one.
I don't know as shadow, are they going to give me a ring to move once? Maybe. Um, and potentially just going back to free people. If I didn't have a playable strategy card, I might've been more inclined to use the Palantir on for a ring. And maybe I should have done that. If I am going to move as a, um, using a ring just to get a little bit of movement turn one, then maybe it's worth. Maybe it's worth using the Palantir for that instead of these army musters for that and doing a little earlier. So in case Gandalf gets hit, then I can hide with Strider. Um, I don't know.
It's not, it's not, yeah, I'm not exactly sure. So anyway, given what has happened so far, if it's shadows turn, do we save the Palantir just in case they give me a ring, um, where are my armies moving? Maybe I draw a card, a strategy card. Now I can always play a worn with Sauron toil next turn. It's probably fine. Um, it is nice if you get to get all of the, um, companions. Um, yeah, I don't know what I would do here as shadow. I guess I could use my army movement right away and I would probably, I would probably go Barad-dur to Gorgoroth and Far-Harad to Nirharad just to not really reveal anything.
This could be Gondor. This still could be going up North. Um, let's say we do that and maybe if they're going to use a ring, they're going to do it now. Um, so, okay. I will as free people. Am I going to use a ring right now on turn one? I would love to hear your comments on that. Would you use a ring turn one right here? Um, I can continue to cycle, uh, strategy cards with swords in Ariadar. Doesn't feel particularly useful. I can also just muster somebody towards war.
Um, I don't really know where shadow is attacking yet, so I like an army movement that gets my units into position in Westom net and potentially Old forest road, but, and my chances of drawing scouts are going up. So I could also just play Emeril of Dole Amaroth now. I think I wait, I think, I think I move. I think I'm going to move right here. And then in case I get revealed, I can hide with Strider. It's low probability, but I think that's what I would do. So I think I will use a ring here. I really, I don't love it, but I would and shadow roles and misses. Okay.
And then, um, now shadow is like, great. That was my plan. I will play warm with sorrow and toil here. Um, so that's nice. And then free people, what can they do here with this army movement? I think, I think with this army movement, I would probably just go to West of net. It's nice to wait until, um, until you get the red arrow or, um, Theoden so that you can get a more efficient movement from address into West of net. But I'm not that likely to roll army musters. So I think I'd rather get into position like this. I'll hold onto Amar Hill of Dole Amaroth, depending on if Corsairs of Umber are coming.
Um, I could also potentially have mustered somebody towards war a little bit, but I think that's the way I would do it. And then as shadow, what do you do with this last muster? You could start mustering up just like a normal muster into Dole Golder and send people going given that I have Corsairs of Umber, maybe I just get the South Rons and Easterlings toward war. I think that's probably what I would do. And then it will increase my chances of attacking into Dole Amaroth before they have Amar Hill of Dole Amaroth or before they have Cirdenships.
I mean, obviously I know they have Amar Hill of Dole Amaroth right now, but, um, yeah, so that's how I play that turn. Curious to know what you would have done differently. Would you use the ring? Would you use the ring on a Palantir or on a army muster? Uh, let me know. Hope you enjoyed the video and curious to hear what you think of this format. I may do more of these in the future. Thanks. .