Khazad-dum is the first “deluxe” expansion for Fantasy Flight’s Lord of the Rings LCG. It includes 165 cards, including 2 heroes (Dwalin/Spirit and Bifur/Lore), 3 different Leadership cards, 3 Tactic, 2 Spirit, 2 Lore, and 1 Neutral. There are 3 copies each of all sphere cards (not including heroes). The rest of the set is 9 different decks of Encounter cards, one of which (Misty Mountains) is not actually used in any of the included scenarios. The scenarios are: Into the Pit (DL = 5), The Seventh Level (DL = 3), and Flight from Moria (DL = 7).
The Heroes
For a solitaire player, especially one focused on building a dwarf deck, Bifur has some solid potential. I've generally found that my strongest decks are tri-sphere, so any hero or card that helps me gather and spread resources is greatly valued. With <PERSON> on <PERSON> and Bifur in play, you'd live comfortably in Leadership and Lore. Dwalin, in contrast, is more challenging to use in solo since if I choose Spirit, I need a heavy quester - not a fighter. But I like his ability a lot (especially if he's wielding an axe) and you're guaranteed to find a use for it in these scenarios. Threat reduction is incredibly useful, especially in Flight from Moria which has the potential to run a long time.
Player Cards
With regards to the player cards, I don’t want to give a card-by-card analysis – but for those of you considering a purchase, I thought it might be helpful to at least highlight the “heavy hitters” that have made an appearance in this box.
Zigil Miner is almost certainly the most controversial inclusion, since some are already considering his ability (when combo-ed with deck peeking, via Gildor Inglorion, Keen Eyed Took, or Gandalf's Search) overpowered. Please see this thread for more discussion on the topic:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/750553/zigil-miner-is-th...
I personally also like these two, since Tactics is probably my favorite sphere:
Both can be used on either heroes or allies and are dirt cheap, so can be easily splashed into bi- and tri-sphere decks. Plus, I love imagining <PERSON> going all beserker on some trolls.
Generally speaking, most of the new player cards in this box make “Dwarf” decks feasible, and I suspect a lot of players are having some fun putting these together. 728
Does it mean that you need <PERSON> from the Return to Mirkwood expansion? Well, obviously you don’t need him – but it can’t be denied that he’d be quite useful in a deck that fully relied on dwarves for combat and questing.
The Quests
As mentioned in my title, I’m approaching this review from a solitaire player’s perspective. Probably 90% of my games with LoTR LCG are going to be solitaire, so I primarily judge whether I want to buy a new expansion for the game based upon whether reviews suggest the scenarios play well with one (3 heroes total). I can say right off the bat that Khazad-dum is great for solitaire players. The first quest in the pack, Into the Pit, is fast becoming one of my favorites. The second is very challenging (more than its lowly 3 rating suggests) but winnable with a tightly designed deck. The third is very difficult, and possibly only winnable with a healthy dose of luck. But definitely fun, and not as frustrating in solo play as <PERSON>.
Into the Pit
This is a location-heavy scenario that still offers up enough goblins and orcs to feel diverse and threatening. It is extraordinarily well-paced in solitaire play. You do need to worry about questing quite a bit, since many of the revealed locations have high threat values and even higher quest-token requirements. However, you’ll have the benefit of a Cave Torch that will let you add 3 quest tokens to any “Dark Location” once per turn, if you’re willing to take a gamble on turning over a new encounter card (if it comes up an Enemy, you have to add it to the staging area). The first stage of the scenario is very thematic, as your party attempts to travel from the East Gate to the First Hall and finally the Bridge of Khazad-dum. Each is a unique location with special effects on gameplay, but none too frustrating or exhausting. The second stage requires you to kill everything in your path, including a challenging Goblin Patrol. 728