Assault on OsgiliathAnnouncing the Fourth Adventure Pack in the Against the Shadow Cycle
“Didst thou think that the eyes of the White Tower were blind? Nay, I have seen more than thou knowest.”
–Denethor II, The Return of the King
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Assault on Osgiliath, the fourth Adventure Pack in the Against the Shadow cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!
After Middle-earth’s heroes wage a terrific battle against Orcs and fires to save the townsfolk of Amon Dîn, they return to Minas Tirith just in time to join the army of Gondor as it marches to Osgiliath. Led by Lord Boromir, the war host means to strike a blow against Mordor, and the assistance from some of Middle-earth’s greatest heroes may prove crucial to the mission’s success!
Assault on Osgiliath immerses players in the fantastic locations, ferocious combats, and riveting story of one of the most sweeping and epic battles in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. As the war host engages the Orcs and Southrons who have garrisoned themselves within Osgiliath’s ruins, players vie with the encounter deck for control of Osgiliath locations, traveling from one to the next. Battles and sieges, Orcs and Southrons, bloody advances and strategic retreats, unique locations, new enemies, and deadly treachery – Assault on Osgiliath has it all!
Retaking Osgiliath
Assault on Osgiliath is a battle to liberate Gondor’s ancient capital from the forces of Mordor. Throughout the scenario, the first player takes control of any Osgiliath location that would leave play as an explored location. 
To win the battle, all the players have to do is seize control of every Osgiliath location in play, representing the success of Gondor’s army as it drives its enemies from every last corner of the ruined city.
However, the more Osgiliath locations the players control, the harder the encounter deck fights back. Assault on Osgiliath features a number of encounter card effects that grow stronger based on the number of locations players control. Players will also face cards like the Uruk Soldier (Assault on Osgiliath, 93) that can force them to return locations to the staging area. Finally, many of the Osgiliath locations have text that return them to the staging area if the players cannot successfully defend them. Altogether, this means that you’ll need more than mere strength of arms to retake Osgiliath; you’ll need a plan.
Forewarned Is Forearmed
Players setting out to join the Assault on Osgiliath will need to prepare themselves for the scenario’s Orc and Southron onslaught, and they’ll do well to consider the help they may gain from several of the Adventure Pack’s new player cards.
At its height, the city of Osgiliath was a terrific seat of learning and power, and it held one of the most powerful of artifacts in Middle-earth. The seven Seeing-stones were gifts from the Noldor to the Men of Númenor, and Gandalf judged them even beyond the craft of Sauron. When Númenor was swallowed by the sea, the Númenorians who escaped sailed in nine ships, carrying a seedling of Nimloth, the White Tree, and the seven Seeing-stones, or palantíri. To those who could master them, they would allow far-sight and communication across great distances. Though the seven were scattered and thought lost, Gandalf and the other heroes of Middle-earth eventually discovered one in the possession of Saruman, learned that one was in the possession of Sauron, and found a third in the possession of Denethor II.
In Assault on Osgiliath, players can make use of their own Palantír (Assault on Osgiliath, 90). Palantír can provide players with tremendous power to confront the Shadow in Assault on Osgiliath, but using the Palantír is a path that renders them perilously vulnerable to the Dark Lord’s attention and influence.
Plan Your Attack
In addition to its challenging new scenario and the Palantír, Assault on Osgiliath introduces a new Ranger hero, and a number of cards that support the Gondor and Outlands traits. You’ll also find cards that promote the construction of mono-sphere decks and that represent the effective traps, ambushes, and skirmishes that Ithilien’s scouts and Rangers use to weaken their foes. Altogether, it’s a wide array of cards to support multiple new strategies, and you’ll need everything you can find to confront the Orc and Southron hordes and reclaim the city.
Look for the Assault on Osgiliath to begin in the second quarter of 2013!
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Assault on Osgiliath
