It’s been a long time coming and a year in planning, but Card Talk was able to hand out its 2021 swag to folks at Con of the Rings this weekend. If you weren’t at the Con, you can expect to get Swag soon as I start sending it out. Domestic patrons’ swag (to the US) will go out first, then international deliveries afterward. I am hoping to have everyone’s swag sent by the week’s end. But before I get to far into the reveal, I have to thank the patrons of Card Talk. Without their generosity, it would be very hard to continually provide content. If you ever thought of becoming a patron, please visit HERE. There are several levels for you to choose from and we like to give out swag to all levels.
The idea for this year’s swag came from the communities love of alternate art cards. But, I also wanted to make sure that I honor the game and the developers by giving out something that everyone has access to, and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t done before. Enter Journey Along the Anduin.
This is only one of three quests that I can guarantee every member of the community has played and owns. Also, with iconic enemies like the Hill Troll and Chieftain Ufthak, maybe an update was warranted. Lastly, it’s a quest that I play multiple times a year to deck test so having a copy of the scenario that is prebuilt makes all the sense in the world to me. To see a video of the cards, click HERE.
This whole thing would not have been possible without the hard work of a member of the community, Maarten. When he originally signed on to the job, I’m sure he didn’t know all that would go into it. He did all the graphic art “stuff” for the deck. He created the frames from 2-Player starter so that we could get expanded art into the game. He took all the art I found and put it on the card. He added all the text. He did not complain. He is a champion. Thank you, Maarten.
There are a few details that must get a shout out as well. First, I wanted this set to have its own encounter symbol. I reached out to Amy Alyse Kell and she was able to come up with “Podcasting Gollum” to use as the encounter set icon. And I love it. I loved it so much that I decided to use it on this years poker chip. And, I have decided to make the poker chip the Card Talk “thing” for patrons who contribute at the Citadel Custodian level. The chip will be different every year. And I always like to give folks at least a little token of appreciation for their contribution to Card Talk.
I also wanted a back to the card that screams encounter set. The traditional Card Talk logo is to bright and familiar to be used as an encounter card balk. Of course, the official card backs from FFG are copyrighted so they couldn’t be used. Fortunately, Amy was able to design a card back for us as well. The card back turned out sharp and provided the exact tone that the cards need to have as encounter cards.
So. it is with great humility and a sense of pride that I present our patrons with this swag. Thank you!
Card Talk: A LOTR LCG Podcast and Blog 