The White Hand

MEWH Rules

Using MEWH

When you play a Fallen-wizard, assume that your Fallen-wizard is a METW "Wizard." All of the normal METW rules apply except for the specific exceptions outlined in these rules. The MELE rules that concern Wizards also apply to Fallen-wizards.

You should read the following section to get a general idea of how to play a Fallen-wizard. Then read the rest of the rules for more specific details.

• Wizards - When the rules and cards refer to a Wizard, they apply to your Fallen-wizard. The White hand symbol on a Fallen-wizard's card is that Fallen-wizard's general influence when that card is in active play.
• Wizardhavens - When the rules and non-site cards refer to Havens and Darkhavens, they apply instead to your Wizardhavens. The special effects of METW Havens (i.e., healing, bringing characters into play, etc.) do apply to your companies at your Wizardhavens. These same effects do not apply to your companies at MELE Darkhavens and METW Havens.
• Stage Points - Certain cards give your Fallen-wizard "stage points." Stage points reflect how far your Fallen-wizard has deviated from his original mission. You must keep track of your accumulated stage points. The number of stage points that a card gives is indicated by a cog-shaped symbol with a number inside.
• Stage Resources - MEWH introduces a new type of resource card called a stage resource card. Such a card is actually a "Fallen-wizard- only resource card"-only Fallen-wizard players may include them in their decks. Stage resources have a green-colored (i.e., tarnished copper) background. Most stage resource cards give stage points.
• Characters - You may use both hero and minion characters. However, you may only use a character if his mind attribute is 5 or less. All of your non-Orc/Troll characters are considered to be hero characters. You may only use up to two of each non-unique character.
• Orcs & Trolls - Because most Fallen-wizard characters will not be Orcs and Trolls, specific rules concerning Orc and Troll characters are collected in one section at the end of these rules.
• Hero/Minion Resources - You may use both hero and minion resources. However, you may only include up to a total of two of each non-unique hero or minion resource in your play deck and sideboard.
• Sites - There are four Fallen-wizard site cards: Isengard, The White Towers, Rhosgobel, and Deep Mines. These site cards have a light gray background. Unless stated otherwise on a card, a Fallen-wizard player may use these sites instead of the hero/minion versions.

  Most Fallen-wizard companies use hero site cards when moving to non-Fallen- wizard sites (see the Movement section for exceptions).

• Marshalling Points - Marshalling points for stage resource cards are handled normally (i.e., as printed on the card). However, all other marshalling point cards are only worth 1 marshalling point each to a Fallen- wizard (regardless of their printed value).

  These MPs cannot be modified by a hero or minion resource event (e.g., Rumor of the One, Tribute Garnered, Sentinels of Nœmenor, etc.). However, Fallen-wizard abilities and stage resource cards can modify the number of marshalling points certain cards give.

The Victory Conditions

As a Fallen-wizard you may win in the same way a METW Wizard wins: your opponent is eliminated or you recover The One Ring or you have the most marshalling points at the Free Council. The following exceptions apply:

• In order to win by recovering The One Ring at least one A New Ringlord card must be played and the conditions outlined on that card must be met.
• The Free Council is handled normally, and victory is determined in the standard way by comparing marshalling points. However, to you (a Fallen- wizard) it is called your Day of Reckoning and your marshalling points reflect how far you have progressed towards completing your own personal agenda.
• You do not receive marshalling points for cards stored at non-Wizardhaven sites.

Getting Ready to Play

A Fallen-wizard player prepares for play just as a Wizard does, with the following exceptions:

Declaring That Your Wizard is Fallen

If you are playing a Fallen-wizard, you must tell your opponent which Fallen-wizard you are playing before choosing starting companies. If your opponent has normal hero Wizard character cards in his play deck and/or sideboard that correspond to the Fallen-wizard you have declared, he may replace those Wizard cards with an equal number of other Wizard character cards that he has available. Your opponent may also add 10 cards to his sideboard (these cards should be preselected for a Fallen-wizard opponent).

Note: This rule means that when you declare that you are playing a specific Fallen-wizard, your opponent may not play the corresponding hero Wizard (i.e., that Wizard has already fallen). You and your opponent may still both declare and attempt to play the same Fallen-wizard, but the game will probably be won by the first player to get his Fallen-wizard into play.

Your Location Deck

Your location deck may include multiple copies of the Fallen-wizard site cards: Isengard, The White Towers, Rhosgobel, and Deep Mines. However, your location deck may only include one of every hero site and minion site.

Your Play Deck

The resource half of your play deck (and your sideboard) may include hero, minion, and stage resources. But, you are limited to:

• One of each unique card (including cards with the same name)
• Three of each non-unique stage resource card
• Two of each non-unique character card
• Two of each non-unique hero resource card
• Two of each non-unique minion resource card
• You may not include stage resource cards that are "specific" to another Fallen-wizard (e.g., if you declare that you are Alatar, you may not include "Gandalf specific." cards).
• You may not include any of the following cards:
  • The Balrog
  • Messenger of Mordor
  • Cracks of Doom
  • News Must Get Through
  • Favor of the Valar
  • News of the Shire
  • Gollum's Fate
  • Old Road
  • Hour of Need
  • The Windlord Found Me
  • Kill All But Not the Halflings
  • Wizard Uncloaked
  • The Lidless Eye
  • Use Your Legs
  • The Sun Unveiled
  • Glamour of Surpassing Excellance

Starting Stage Cards

You must attempt to start with one, two, or three (your choice) stage resource permanent-event cards in play. These cards must have a combined total of 3 stage points. At least one of these cards must be non-unique. You may not start such a card if the conditions required to play the card do not exist. These cards should be revealed as if they were starting characters with duplicate unique cards being discarded.

Starting Characters

Your starting characters (up to 5) may include hero characters and minion characters, but you may not start a character with a mind greater than 5. However, you may not start Orc and Troll characters unless you start with an appropriate stage resource card (e.g., Bad Company).

Starting Site

Your starting company may begin play at The White Towers or at any Ruins & Lairs site in Rhudaur or Arthedain. If you start at a Ruins & Lairs site, one of your starting stage resource cards may be a Hidden Haven played on your starting site.

The Player Turn

The Player turn proceeds normally with the following exceptions:

• You may discard one of your stage resource cards already in play during your organization phase. You may not discard such a card if it would reduce your stage points below 3.
• You may only play stage resource permanent-events during your organization phase (unless a specific card states otherwise).
• Fallen-wizard companies may attack Ringwraith companies (see MELE rules, p. 80) and vice versa. However, non-overt Fallen-wizard companies and Wizard companies may not attack each other. (Overt Fallen-wizard companies may attack any company controlled by another player, see the section on Special Rules for Orcs and Trolls).

Characters and Companies

All of your non-Orc and non-Troll characters are considered to be hero characters. Thus, a company consisting of only such characters is treated as a hero company. Such a company is covert for the purposes of playing minion resources.

• Your Fallen-wizard may only start at his home site.
• You may not start or bring into play any character with a mind greater than 5.

Note: See the section on Orcs and Trolls for more details.

Movement

Fallen-wizard companies must use region movement. When one of your Fallen- wizard companies moves to a site, you and your opponent draw cards based upon the site being moved to. This applies even if moving to one of your Wizardhavens.

The METW Havens (i.e., Grey Havens, Rivendell, Lórien, Edhellond) and MELE Darkhavens (i.e., Minas Morgul, Dol Guldur, Carn Dûm, and Geann a-Lisch) are not considered to be havens for a Fallen-wizard player. The following exceptions for using sites can be modified by the play of certain hazards and stage resources.

• A Fallen-wizard's non-overt companies must use hero sites for sites that are not Ruins & Lairs.
• A Fallen-wizard's companies may freely use either minion or hero Ruins & Lairs sites on a site per site basis (subject to the restriction below).
• If your hero (or minion) version of a site is in play or in your discard pile, you may not use your minion (or hero) version of the same site.
• The play of certain cards can change the type of sites that your companies may use (e.g., Plotting Ruin, Heart Grown Cold, etc.). When this happens, immediately exchange any affected site cards already in play with the corresponding site cards of the proper type.

Corruption Checks

Corruption checks are handled normally with these exceptions:

• Corruption checks for a Fallen-wizard are handled as if he were a minion character. That is, if the roll for a corruption check is equal to a Fallen- wizard's corruption point total or one less, he is tapped instead of being discarded. He is not considered to fail the corruption check in this case.
• Corruption checks for a Fallen-wizard's non-Orc and non-Troll characters are handled as if the player were a Wizard.
• Corruption points given on all non-item stage resource cards apply to your Fallen-wizard.

Playing and Using Resources

Playing resources is handled normally with these exceptions:

Testing Gold Rings

Whenever a Fallen-wizard player tests a hero gold ring item, the roll is modified by -1.

Note: The restrictions below do not apply to Spells and Magic.

Targeting Site and Resource Cards

A hero resource card may not target/affect a minion site card or a minion resourduring the site phase that tap the site.

Note: When the test of a gold ring indicates that a specific type of ring may be played, you may play either a hero or a minion ring of the appropriate type.

Playing Resources at a Site

In order to play a non-Fallen-wizard resource that would normally tap a site, either the site and the resource to be played must both be hero cards or they must both be minion cards. For these purposes, a Fallen-wizard site card (or any Wizardhaven) is both a hero site and a minion site

This applies to all factions, allies, and items; as well as other cards played during the site phase that tap the site.

Note: When the test of a gold ring indicates that a specific type of ring may be played, you may play either a hero or minion ring of the appropriate type.

Using Items

All non-Orc/Troll characters may freely use both hero and minion items.

When Your Fallen-wizard Leaves Play

If your Fallen-wizard leaves play, discard all of your stage resource permanent-events in play that are specific for your wizard (e.g., if you are Alatar and play Sacrifice of Form, you must discard all of your stage resource permanent-events that say "Alatar specific."). As is normally the case, all hazard permanent-events on such a Wizard are discarded.

Using Sites for Agents

When moving an Agent hazard, a Fallen-wizard player must use hero site cards. If the minion version of a site card is in play or in your discard pile, your agents may not use or reveal the hero version of that site.

Special Orc & Troll Rules

A company with any Orc or Troll characters is an overt company. In addition, a company with any of the following allies is an overt company: Great Bats, Great Lord of Goblin-gate, Last Child of Ungoliant, Regiment of Black Crows, Two-Headed Troll. Any other company is a hero company.

• Orcs that are "Half-orcs" are special - if a Half-orc is in a company with only Half-orcs and Men, the company is not overt (i.e., the Half-orcs appear to be ugly men to the casual observer). Half-orcs cannot take trophies. However, for all other purposes a Half-orc is an Orc.
• You may not play Orc and Troll characters until you have played the appropriate card (e.g., Bad Company).
• Unless at a Wizardhaven, an Orc or Troll cannot be in the same company as an Elf, Dwarf, D&uactue;nadan, or Hobbit.
• A Fallen-wizard overt company may attack any company controlled by another player and vice versa.
• A Fallen-wizard's overt companies must use hero sites for Shadow-holds, Dark-holds, and minion Darkhavens. They must use minion sites for Border- holds, Free-holds, and hero Havens.
• Overt companies are not minion companies for the purposes of the detainment attack guidelines in the MELE rules (p. 31). Overt companies are minion companies for hazards that can only attack/effect minion companies (e.g., Sons of Kings).
• Corruption checks for an Orc or Troll character are handled as if he were a minion character. That is, if the roll for a corruption check for an Orc or Troll character is equal to his corruption point total or one less, he is tapped instead of being discarded. He is not considered to fail the corruption check in this case.
• You may not play a hero resource permanent-event on a company with an Orc or Troll in it.
• A hero resource may not target an Orc or Troll character (e.g., Orc and Troll characters may not use Block, Escape, etc.).
• A hero resource that requires a character with a specific skill may not use an Orc or Troll character to fulfill that requirement (e.g., Concealment, Many Turns and Doublings, etc.).
• An Orc or Troll character may not tap to initiate an effect from a hero resource (e.g., Praise to Elbereth, Great Ship, etc.).
• An Orc or Troll character may be the bearer of a hero item, but all bonuses and special abilities are ignored (all restrictions to movement and playability still apply).

Optional Rules

Company vs. Company Combat

Normally, non-overt Fallen-wizard companies and Wizard companies may not attack each other.

If using this optional rule, a company containing a Fallen-wizard with more than 10 stage points may initiate company vs. company combat with any of his opponent's companies. Similarly, any of his opponent's companies may initiate combat with a Fallen-wizard's own company if that Fallen-wizard has more than 10 stage points.

Wizard to Fallen-wizard Conversion

You (as a Wizard player) may include stage resource cards, minion resources, minion characters, and up to two Fallen-wizard character cards in your sideboard.

If the roll for a corruption check for your Wizard is equal to his corruption point total or one less, you may choose to become a Fallen-wizard player (if not, your Wizard is eliminated and you lose). If you choose to do so and have the appropriate cards in your sideboard, you must follow this procedure:

• Immediately, replace your Wizard with the corresponding Fallen-wizard from your sideboard. Place your Wizard card in your sideboard.
• Take one playable stage resource permanent event card giving 3 or fewer stage points from your sideboard. Play the card.
• Normal play resumes with all of the Fallen-wizard rules applying to you.

Tournament Rules

Starting Stage Cards

When the Character Draft is used, treat the starting stage cards as if they were characters.

Sideboard Size

The sideboard size is increased to:

• 30 cards for the 1-deck game and the 2-deck game.
• 35 cards for the 3-deck game.
• 40 cards for the 4-deck game.

Revealing Your Wizard

In the general opponent format, you must reveal the identity of your Fallen-wizard before the game begins.