This tournament format has been created by the players of the Council of Pelargir group, from Hamburg, Germany. They have been playing it for years in a league system, with a decreasing point system for the players re-using the same deck.

More recently, the French community has played the Hamburger Scenario Tournament format in single event tournaments, and has elaborated these international rules, with a different (and appropriate) tournament point system.

1. THE RULES:

1.1 General:

With the following annotations normal tournament rules apply:

• We play 2-deck games, one game lasts 90 minutes (the player who didn’t start finishes his turn or gets a final turn). We play 10 minutes more than normally to have a better chance to win the scenarios. But if The One Ring is destroyed (hero success), or stored at Barad-dûr (minion success), the game ends immediately.
• You need 25 Marshalling Points to call the council. (Please check the normal tournament rules if you are not familiar with them!)
• You may play only Wizard and Ringwraith scenarios (i.e. normal Wizard or Ringwraith decks).

1.2 General Deck Restrictions:

As this format is baed on general tournament, standard rules considering your deck apply. Additionally, some cards are allowed on plus:

• all official Promo-cards
• including the German Promo-cards (Ringil, Belegnon etc.)
• Proxy-cards of good quality (to support new players)
• Lure of MECCG (during Lure of MECCG or optionally)

Other special cards, like Drinking Mae or Dream Cards, are not allowed.
Furthermore, you may not include the following cards in any of your decks:

• Long Winter
• Storms of Ossë
• Foul Fumes

I.e. no hazard that may tap a site may be included!

1.3 Special rules:

• You may attempt to influence resources (items, allies) or characters controlled by a Wizard/Ringwraith. For items influence attempts, a Wizard/Ringwraith has a mind of 10.
• Any character may be brought into play under general or direct influence at his home site (even if your Wizard/Ringwraith is in play but not at the site), if you have another character present at that site. (Dreamcard Rule)
• Characters and allies at a Haven heal from wounded to untapped during the untap phase. Characters and unique allies at their home site heal from wounded to untapped during the untap phase. (from a Dreamcard Rule)

1.4 Optional rules :

It is up to the players to decide if these rules are used or not in the tournament

• For the first round (only), you cannot play against a player with the same scenario (each player indicates his scenario on his tournament sheet).
• Before each game, each player makes a 2 dice-roll. The player with the highest roll can choose his Wizard/Ringwraith (so, he put 3 copies of his Avatar into his deck, showing them to his opponent) or he can choose to play first (or not), but before the character draft.

If necessary, the other player must choose another Wizard/Ringwraith (he discards the copies of the same Avatar). If his opponent has not chosen to play first (or not), he can choose this option.

1.5 Alignments:

You are only allowed to play a Wizard or a Ringwraith deck. Fallen-Wizard decks and Balrogs decks are not allowed. You may only play a Ringwraith deck if your opponent also possesses a Ringwraith deck. In this case, each player makes a 2 dice-roll. The player with the highest result chooses to play Wizard against Wizard, or Ringwraith against Ringwraith. If you have a Ringwraith deck, you must also have a Wizard deck, that is to protect the beginners for playing against a Ringwraith deck.

Wizard decks are always playing against Wizards, Ringwraiths decks are always playing against Ringwraiths, so you can directly build your hazard deck for this. Only changing between one Wizard and one Ringwraith deck is allowed during a scenario tournament. You may not change your Wizard deck or your Ringwraith deck during the tournament.

I.6 Tournament formula:

For 4 or 5 players : it is a Round-robin tournament. Each player play once against each other player.

For 6 players or more : it is a Swiss System tournament. The number of rounds is dictated by the number of participants :

• 6 – 8 players : 3 rounds
• 9 – 16 players : 4 rounds
• 17 + players : 5 rounds

For the first round only, players are paired off randomly. For each round after the first round, each player is paired off with another player with the same (or the closest) total of tournament points. The same players can not play each other more than once.

1.7 Scoring :

The most important difference to a regular tournament is that you do not only get tournament points for marshalling points, but also for fulfilling the requirements of a certain scenario. You must choose a scenario among the list in II.1 (Wizard scenarios), and, if you want, another in II.3 (Ringwraith scenarios).

Scenario-Points :

If the player wins due to MPs :

• 7 TPs for a difficult scenario
• 6 TPs for a medium-hard scenario
• 5 TPs for an easy scenario

If the player loses due to MPs :

• 5 TPs for a difficult scenario
• 4 TPs for a medium-hard scenario
• 3 TPs for an easy scenario

If there is a tie :

• 6 TPs for a difficult scenario
• 5 TPs for a medium-hard scenario
• 4 TPs for an easy scenario

You can win two different scenarios with one same deck (there are some possible scenarios). In this case you get the tournament points for both scenarios !

MP-Rating-Points :

If a player has at least two times the number of MPs of his opponent, or destroys The One Ring, or store it at Barad-dûr (for a minion player), it is a decisive victory. Otherwise, it is a marginal victory.

• decisive victory : 4 TPs
• marginal victory : 3 TPs
• a bye : 3 TPs (you have a bye if you are ready to play, but no opponent is available)
• tie : 2 TPs
• marginal defeat : 1 TP
• decisive defeat : 0 TP
• drop : 0 TP

Scenario-Points and MP-Rating-Points are added up for the total points of a game.

1.8 Tournament Point Ties :

If several players have the same number of TPs at the end of the tournament, the following procedure is established :

1. Head-to-Head results. Tally the number of losses of each tied player from all games played with any other tied players. The player with the fewest total head-to-head wins the tie-breaker. You «lose» a game if you have fewer Tournament Points (Scenario Points + Marshalling Points) than your opponent.
2. The greater number of Scenarios fulfilled (against all players). For each remaining tied players, the player with the greatest number of Scenarios fulfilled wins the tie-breaker.
3. The greatest sum of opponent’s scores. For each remaining tied players, add up all of their opponent’s Tournament Point totals. The player with the highest sum wins the tie-breaker.

2. THE SCENARIOS:

For each scenario the following applies : to fulfill a scenario a player has to meet all deck building requirements during the whole game, and additionally the winning requirements for a certain scenario at the end of a game. You may only refer to the cards in your own deck to meet scenario requirements.
(DR = deck requirements, WR = winning requirements):

2.1 The Wizard scenarios:

1) The Hobbit:

DR: The starting company may only contain the following characters: Bilbo, Dwarves with home site: Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold.
WR: King under the Mountain is in play. The Arkenstone or Returned Exiles is in play. A company with Bilbo has successfully played an item, an ally or a faction at the Lonely Mountain, while one of its characters is King Under The Mountain.

2) Gollum’s Fate:

DR: Only the following characters may come into play: Gandalf, Aragorn, Strider, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry.
WR: Gollum’s Fate is successfully played.

3) Return of the King:

DR: Aragorn or Strider is played as the first character.
WR: 3 of the following cards are successfully played: Army of the Dead, The White Tree, Return of the King, Choice of Luthien.
Remark and Ruling: «Aragorn or Strider is played as the first character » do not mean that he must be played successfully. If both players play Aragorn (or Strider) simultaneously during the character draft, the two characters «bounce» ; but it do not prevent to try to play the another Aragorn manifestation card during the rest of the character draft.

4) The Seventh Palantir:

DR: none.
WR: The Ithil-stone is stored at Rivendell or Fate of the Ithil-stone is stored at a Haven.

5) Alliance of Free Peoples:

DR: none.
WR: Alliance of Free Peoples is in play. A company contains at least three characters with a mind higher than 6. One of those three characters has to be an Elf, one a Man and one a Dwarf. A company containing these characters has successfully played a Valiant Sword at a non Haven site.
Remark: Alliance of Free Peoples can have been played by either player.

6) The Shire:

DR: none.
WR: Hobbits, Mistress Lobelia, Mallorn and three Hobbit characters are in play.

7) Veins of Arda:

DR: Only Dwarves may be played as characters (but you can play a Wizard).
WR: Mithril has been stored at a Haven.
Remark: Mithril do not need to be in play at the end of the game.

8 ) Heirs of Yavanna:

DR: No Dwarves may be played as characters. Old Road, Great Road and Bridge may not be played.
WR: 2 Woses factions, 3 Ents and 5 Rangers characters are in play. Ghân-buri-Ghân, Ôm-buri-Ôm or Pôn-ora- Pôn is in play.

9) The Stones of Feanor:

DR: No Hobbits may be played as characters.
WR: 4 different Palantiri have been tapped during the game to use their specific ability.
Remark: The Palantiri do not need to be in play at the end of the game.

10) Rebuild the Towns:

DR: none.
WR: Rebuild the Town is in play at the end of the game at (at least) three different sites : Buhr Widu, Haudh-in- Gwanur, Himring, Ost-in-Edhil or Tharbad.

11) The Rohirrim:

DR: none.
WR: Red Arrow, Riders of Rohan, Shadowfax, Great Shield of Rohan and 4 characters with home site Edoras are in play.

12) The Daughters of Vaiya:

DR: No Wizard may be played. Only the following characters may be played : Annalena, Arinmir, Arwen, Eowyn, Galadriel, Galva, Ioreth, Peath, Vôteli, Vygavril. Only the following items may be played : Elf-stone, Emerald of Doriath, Emerald of the Mariner, Gems of Arda, Jewel of Beleriand, Necklace of Girion, Necklace of Silver and Pearls, Noldo Lantern, Phial of Galadriel, Star-glass, Torque of Hues.
WR: 5 characters are in play and each of them possesses an item. Nenseldë the Wingild, Mistress Lobelia or Goldberry is in play.

13) The Firstborn:

DR: none.
WR: Cirdan, Elrond, Glorfindel, Galadriel and Thranduil are in play.

14) The Great Greenwood:

DR: none.
WR: Sauron’s holds must be destroyed, the free peoples take the Mirkwood and a king is there. On Sarn Goriwing and Dol Guldur must be played either „Tower Raided“ or „Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur“. 3 factions played at sites in the Mirkwood must be in play. An Elven character with a home site in Mirkwood is in play. Marshalling Points may only played at sites in the Mirkwood (or at Sulfur-Deeps). The Mirkwood are the following regions : Southern Mirkwood, Western Mirkwood, Heart of Mirkwood and Woodland Realm.
Remarks : To fullfill the scenario, Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur must be played at Dol Guldur (not only on a company), but has not to be stored at a Haven. Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur must be tapped, i.e. Rescue Prisoners must be played at Dol Guldur.

15) Ithryn Luin:

DR: Only Pallando or Alatar may be used as a Wizard. As characters, only Adrazar, Annalena, Arinmir, Beretar, Folco Boffin, Fram Framson, Galva, Haldalam, Peath, Vôteli, Vygavril and Wacho may be used.
WR: Men factions with at least 11 Marshalling Points must be in play. These factions must be playable in regions adjacent to the eastern end of the map. Three „Stolen Knowledge“ cards must be in play (or stored).
Remark : Fram Framson can be played with A Chance Meeting.

16) On the Earth, in the Water and in the Air:

DR: none.
WR: A character with no marshalling points must use a ship to go from a site to another site via a Coastal Sea (Great Ship or Belegaer), a horse (Shadowfax, Bill the Pony or Noble Steed) and be in the air (Eagle-mounts or Gwaihir). The character must be brought into play at his home site and must return to his home site with an unique minor item or an hoard minor item. The character must either use the ability of cards mentioned above or the character must successfully play the ally.
Remarks:The character must be in play at the end of the game.
You can fulfill the scenario only once, even if the conditions are met for several characters. Fifteen Birds in Five Firtrees can not be used to fulfill the Eagle-mounts card condition.

17) Reforging :

DR: none
WR: Reforge Anduril the Flame of the West and 2 other items, among Belegennon, Ringil, and Horn der Herausforderung (Horn of Defiance). All reforged items are in play at the end of the game.

18) Seven for the Dwarf-Lords:

DR: none
WR: 4 Dwarven rings with different effects have been in possession of a Dwarf at the end of a turn and 2 Dwarven factions are in play at the end of the game.
Remark: The Dwarven rings do not need to be in play at the end of the game.

19) The King of Dale:

DR: none
WR: Bard the Bowman kills a manifestation of Smaug, being the only member of the company. While doing so, he must be in possession of an arrow and a bow. Roäc the Raven must be in play when Smaug is killed.
Remarks: The bows are: Bow of the Galadhrim, Bow of Dragon-horn. The arrows are: Arrows Shorn of Ebony, Black Arrow, Deadly Dart, Red Arrow

2.2 The Wizard Scenarios Difficulty Ratings :

Easy :

• 3: Return of the King
• 6: The Shire
• 10: Rebuild the Towns
• 11: The Rohirrim

Medium:

• 1: The Hobbit
• 2: Gollum’s Fate
• 5: Alliance of Free Peoples
• 8: Heirs of Yavanna
• 12: The Daughters of Vaiya
• 15: Ithryn Luin
• 16: On the Earth, in the Water and in the Air
• 18: Seven for The Dwarf-Lords
• 19: The King Of Dale

Difficult:

• 4: The Seventh Palantir
• 7: Veins of Arda
• 9: The Stones of Feanor
• 13: The Firstborn
• 14: The Great Greenwood
• 17: Reforging

2.3 The Ringwraith Scenarios:

A) They Ride Together:

DR: none.
WR: At least 6 Ringwraiths play together „Smoke on the Wind“ and are afterwards in play.
Remark: you do not need to have 6 Ringwraiths in play at the end of the game.

B) Prepare the Battle:

DR: none.
WR: All „Lieutenants“ (of Morgul, Dol Guldur and Angmar) are in play at their home sites. The Mouth is at Barad-Dûr by the end of the organisation phase of the scenario player’s last turn (and does not attempt to move) or is at Barad-Dûr at the end of the game.

C) The Ring Will Have but one Master:

DR: none.
WR: „The One Ring“ has been played at Bag End and is stored at Barad-dûr. The gold ring item has to be played and to be tested at Bag End.

D) The Battle at Pellenor-fields:

DR: none.
WR: At sites in the following regions one faction is in play : Harondor, Khand, Nurn, Horse Plains, Dagorlad, Ûdun, Gorgoroth, Imlad Morgul. „Grond“ is in play ; afterwards „Smoke on the Wind“ is successfully played at Minas Tirith.

E) Subdue the Kingdoms of the Men:

DR: none.
WR: At six different border-holds the following marshalling points have been played : 2x „Faithless Steward“, 2x „Burning Rick, Cot, and Tree“, 2 Men factions (any, and in play at the end of the game).
Remark: the agents need to be at their home sites with „Faithless Steward“ at the end of the game.

F) The Wyrmlords:

DR: none.
WR: 5 Dragon factions from 5 different regions are in play.

G) Mordor In Arms:

DR: Only Orc and Troll characters may be played (but you can play a Ringwraith).
WR: Eight unique Orc and Troll factions are played in Barad Dûr, Cirith Ûngol, or Cirith Gorgor by a leader.

H) Lust For Gold:

DR: No Orc and Troll characters may be played (but you can play a Ringwraith).
WR: Four Dwarven characters, Petty-Dwarves and four Dwarven rings are in play.

I) Palantiri in the Hand of Minions :

DR: none
WR: 4 different Palantiri have been tapped during the game to use their specific ability.
Remark: The Palantiri do not need to be in play at the end of the game.

J) The Under-Roads :

DR: Only Orc and Troll characters may be played (but you can play a Ringwraith).
WR: The following MP cards are in play:
– allies : The Balrog and 2 Cave Troll
– items : Ancient Black Axe and 2 Iron Shield of Old
– 3 unique factions playable at an adjacent site to an Under-deeps site.

K) The Spirit of the Rings:

DR: none
WR: 4 Spirit Rings are in play at the end of the game.

L) Brotherhood of the Wolves :

DR: none.
WR: 2 wolves factions are in play. The Warg-king and at least 3 other wolves allies (War-warg, War-wolf) are in play. All the following cards have been played during the game on a company containing a wolf ally : Hounds of Sauron, Our Own Wolves and Orc-mounts.

2.4 The Ringwraith Scenarios Difficulty Ratings :

Easy:

• E : Subdue the Kingdoms of the Men
• L : Brotherhood of the Wolves

Medium:

• D : The Battle at Pellenor-fields
• G : Mordor In Arms
• H : Lust For Gold
• K: The Spirit of the Rings

Difficult:

• A : They Ride Together
• B : Prepare the Battle
• C : The Ring Will Have but one Master
• F : The Wyrmlords
• I : Palantiri in the Hand of Minions
• J : The Under-Roads