Arwen

Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar of her people, begins the game at Rivendell — the hidden refuge of Elrond deep in the Elven north, and the one haven that most heroes will pass through on the long road east. In the tales she rides against the Black Riders at the Ford of Bruinen and gives Frodo the light to carry when all else fails; on the board she is the keeper of morale and the friend Frodo needs at the start of his journey.

Rivendell sits astride Frodo's early path out of the Shire, close to the Elven (green) army of the north. That placement makes Arwen a natural first guardian: she can meet the Ring-bearers as they leave Eriador, steady the team's Hope, and hand off the symbols Frodo will need before the Fellowship scatters. Where others rush toward the front, Arwen's work begins at home — turning a haven into a launching point.

There is only one victory, and it belongs to the whole table: complete every Objective and finally let Frodo cast the Ring into Mount Doom. Arwen's contribution is to keep the team's central life total — Frodo's Hope — high enough to survive the journey, and to make sure the Ring-bearers leave the north stealthy and well-supplied.

As an Elf-lady tied to hope and to defiance of the Nazgûl, Arwen shines in the game's fragile opening. Escort Frodo safely out of Eriador, feed him the Stealth he needs to travel unseen, and help the Elven army hold the line so no northern haven falls. Every hope you preserve early is a turn the team buys to finish the objectives that stand before Destroy the One Ring.

Arwen operates out of a haven, so two of the six actions define her early game:

• Prepare — at Rivendell, discard a region card to bank the symbol token it shows. Stockpile Stealth for Frodo's travels and Resistance (the Ring) to reroll dangerous search and battle dice.
• Fellowship — when she shares a location with another player's character, hand over a card matching your region. This is how Arwen feeds Frodo the exact symbols he needs to slip past the Eye and, eventually, to destroy the Ring.

When the Ring-bearers pass through, use Travel to move alongside them and spend Stealth so Frodo covers ground without rolling a search. At an Elven location she can also Muster green troops by spending Friendship, and lend her Valor in an Attack to clear shadow troops threatening a northern haven. Think of her as a hope-and-supply hub in solo play, and a symbol courier who thrives on the Fellowship action with a partner beside her.