I remember hearing tales of how epic the Middle-earth collectible card game was way back when my local Star Wars CCG scene was still active. As a Tolkien nerd, I’d always wanted to try it out, but… one does not simply play a dead CCG.
I was super impressed with just how well it represents Tolkien’s world in game form. Much like the Star Wars CCG, lore and storytelling drive the game design. They are prioritized above all else, including mechanics and probably balance – something you don’t really see in modern games.
I mean, the game essentially requires a detailed map of middle-earth in front of you to truly appreciate the scope and possibilities of what you can do.
Open world, solo mode
Later in the year, Zach shared his rules for an open world, solo mode of the game. This variant re-works the game into a fun solo experience that seemed like the perfect way to finally try it for myself.
So, I finally picked up the pre-constructed challenge decks (surprisingly still available from a player-run web store), printed a custom map playmat (Inked Gaming), and started building hazard decks for open world mode.
Hazard decks
My decks were built with the challenge deck cards I had, along with a few singles thrown in to make things more interesting.
There is room for improvement no doubt, but these should be a good starting point for anyone with a limited card pool to get started with the amazing open world solo variant!
Wilderness (28)
Creature (14)
1 "Bert" - Bûrat
1 "Tom" - Tûma
1 "William" - Wûluag
1 Dire Wolves
1 Ent in Search of the Entwives
1 Giant
1 Giant Spiders
1 Hobgoblins
1 Huorn
1 Lawless Men
1 Lesser Spiders
1 Thunder's Companion
1 Wargs
1 Wolves
Long-event (2)
1 Long Winter
1 Scatha Ahunt
Permanent-event (5)
1 Despair of the Heart
1 Full of Froth and Rage
1 Lure of Expedience
2 Lure of Nature
Short-event (7)
1 Call of Home
1 Dragon-sickness
1 Lost in the Wilderness
1 River
1 The Ring's Betrayal
1 Veils Flung Away
1 Weariness of the Heart
Coastal Seas (14)
Creature (7)
3 Corsairs of Umbar
1 Marsh-drake
1 Rain-drake
1 Sea Serpent
1 Watcher in the Water
Long-event (1)
1 Eärcaraxë Ahunt
Permanent-event (2)
1 Despair of the Heart
1 Lure of Expedience
Short-event (4)
1 Call of the Sea
1 Dragon-sickness
1 Drowning Seas
1 Muster Disperses
Ruins & Lairs (22)
Creature (11)
1 Cave-drake
1 Chill Douser
1 Land-drake
1 Lesser Spiders
1 Light-drake
1 Neeker-breekers
1 Orc-raiders
1 Orc-warriors
1 Stirring Bones
1 Wild Trolls
1 Wisp of Pale Sheen
Long-event (2)
1 Minions Stir
1 Plague of Wights
Permanent-event (1)
1 Lure of Expedience
Short-event (8)
1 Arouse Denizens
1 Call of Home
1 Chance of Being Lost
1 Choking Shadows
1 Greed
1 Incite Denizens
1 Muster Disperses
1 Weariness of the Heart
Free-domains (16)
Creature (7)
4 Ambusher
2 Ent in Search of the Entwives
1 The Border-watch
Permanent-event (7)
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Foolish Words
1 Lure of Expedience
1 Lure of the Senses
1 Rank upon Rank
1 Rebel-talk
1 Stormcrow
Short-event (2)
1 Lost in Free-domains
1 Muster Disperses
Free-holds (14)
Creature (2)
2 The Border-watch
Long-event (1)
1 Times Are Evil
Permanent-event (7)
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Foolish Words
1 Lure of Creation
1 Lure of Expedience
1 Lure of the Senses
1 Rebel-talk
1 The Burden of Time
Short-event (4)
1 Call of Home
1 Incite Defenders
1 Muster Disperses
1 New Moon
Border-lands (24)
Creature (12)
1 Abductor
1 Ambusher
1 Brigands
1 Crebain
1 Lawless Men
1 Neeker-breekers
1 Orc-raiders
1 Orc-warriors
1 Slayer
2 Wargs
1 Wolves
Long-event (1)
1 Scorba Ahunt
Permanent-event (6)
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Foolish Words
1 Longing for the West
1 Lure of Expedience
1 Rank upon Rank
1 Rebel-talk
Short-event (5)
1 Call of Home
1 Chance of Being Lost
1 Lost in Border-lands
1 River
1 Weariness of the Heart
Border-holds (17)
Creature (6)
1 Assassin
2 Sellswords Between Charters
2 Slayer
1 The Border-watch
Long-event (1)
1 Fell Winter
Permanent-event (5)
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Foolish Words
1 Lure of Expedience
1 Rank upon Rank
1 Rebel-talk
Short-event (5)
1 Greed
1 Incite Defenders
1 Muster Disperses
1 River
1 Weariness of the Heart
Shadow-lands (25)
Creature (15)
1 Barrow-wight
1 Corpse-candle
1 Dire Wolves
1 Ghosts
1 Ghouls
1 Half-trolls of Far Harad
1 Lawless Men
1 Lesser Spiders
1 Marsh-drake
1 Orc-lieutenant
1 Orc-patrol
1 Orc-watch
1 Stirring Bones
1 Wargs
1 Wisp of Pale Sheen
Long-event (4)
1 Bairanax Ahunt
1 Foul Fumes
1 Plague of Wights
1 Worn and Famished
Permanent-event (3)
1 Despair of the Heart
1 Stench of Mordor
1 The Moon Is Dead
Short-event (3)
1 Dragon-sickness
1 Lost in Shadow-lands
1 Seized by Terror
Shadow-holds (22)
Creature (14)
1 Barrow-wight
1 Chill Douser
1 Corpse-candle
1 Crebain
1 Ghosts
1 Ghouls
1 Half-trolls of Far Harad
1 Little Snuffler
1 Orc-lieutenant
1 Orc-patrol
1 Pûkel-men
1 Sellswords Between Charters
1 Stirring Bones
1 Wisp of Pale Sheen
Long-event (1)
1 Plague of Wights
Permanent-event (3)
1 Foolish Words
1 Nothing to Eat or Drink
1 The Moon Is Dead
Short-event (4)
1 Arouse Minions
1 Stay Her Appetite
1 Tidings of Bold Spies
1 Weariness of the Heart
Dark-domains (20)
Creature (11)
1 Barrow-wight
1 Corpse-candle
1 Ghosts
1 Ghouls
1 Half-trolls of Far Harad
1 Orc-guard
1 Orc-lieutenant
1 Orc-patrol
1 Orc-warband
1 Orc-watch
1 Stirring Bones
Creature/Permanent-event (2)
1 Dwar of Waw
1 Hoarmûrath of Dír
Long-event (4)
1 Foul Fumes
1 Itangast Ahunt
1 Minions Stir
1 Worn and Famished
Permanent-event (1)
1 Stench of Mordor
Short-event (2)
1 Call of Home
1 Seized by Terror
Dark-holds (15)
Creature (9)
1 Barrow-wight
1 Corpse-candle
1 Ghosts
1 Half-trolls of Far Harad
1 Olog-hai - Trolls
1 Orc-patrol
1 Orc-warband
1 Orc-watch
1 The Great Goblin
Creature/Permanent-event (3)
1 Akhôrahil
1 Indûr Dawndeath
1 Witch-king of Angmar
Long-event (1)
1 Minions Stir
Permanent-event (1)
1 Nothing to Eat or Drink
Short-event (1)
1 Arouse Minions
When I used WordPress in the past, I always wrote custom themes. To me, the default themes always felt very rigid and uninspired. But after taking a look at the latest release, I’m finally happy to use the default theme on my personal site. Here’s why.
WordPress recently released version 5.3 “Kirk” with the new Twenty Twenty theme. Another boring WordPress core update with another boring yearly theme, right?
Not this time!
First, this is the first core theme that feels like it was actually built with the recently introduced WordPress Block Editor in mind.
Instead of providing a collection of static templates, Twenty Twenty embraces the modular approach with a simple design that enhances block content without getting in the way. The result is a design flexibility that was previously not possible.
Twenty Twenty is actually based on Chaplin, a free theme by Anders Norén who was also the design lead on Twenty Twenty.
He seems to have taken the right approach to building a default theme, and understands how to make structural design choices while still leaving a lot of room for design flexibility.
“The responsibility of a theme is to empower users to create their inspired vision by making the end result look as good, and work as well, as the user intended.”
Anders Norén
New theme, new font
Twenty Twenty also uses a brand new typeface called Inter, designed by Rasmus Andersson.
It’s a modern font family designed for sharpness and readability on screens of all sizes. It’s also optimized for minimal request overhead.
A modern font goes a long way to make all elements of the modular design looking sharp and consistent.
It’s good
All this to say, I think Twenty Twenty is a huge win for anyone still hosting their own blog or personal site.
There’s about a million ways to ‘build a website’ in 2020. But for my money, a self-hosted WordPress CMS is still one of the easiest ways to truly own your content without sacrificing modern CMS features and template design.
