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Gimli

Raise a Dwarven host in the north and break the Shadow's fortresses to rubble.

Medium

Background

Gimli son of Glóin begins far in the north at Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, at the heart of the Dwarven army (grey). He is a warrior first and last — happiest with an axe in hand and a host of Dwarves at his back.

Where other heroes hover near Frodo's road, Gimli fights a different war. He Musters an army where he stands, marches on the Shadow's northern fortresses, and takes them by storm. His gift to the Fellowship is measured less in miles walked beside the Ring-bearers and more in strongholds cleared, hope gained, and the Eye dragged away from Frodo.

How you win

Like the whole Fellowship, you win together: complete every selected Objective card, saving Destroy the One Ring for last, when Frodo casts it into Mount Doom. You lose the moment Frodo's Hope reaches the bottom of the track.

Gimli rarely wins the game at Frodo's shoulder. Instead you win it by Capturing shadow strongholds — each one flips to a haven, shifts the Eye off Frodo, and hands the team 2 hope — and by grinding down the shadow troops (red) that would otherwise overrun the Free Peoples. Hold the northern front, keep hope flowing, and you buy Frodo the turns he needs to finish the road.

How they play

Each turn you take up to 4 actions with one of your two characters and 1 with the other, then draw 2 player cards (resolving any Skies Darken cards at once) and flip shadow cards equal to the current threat rate. Gimli leans on a handful of the six actions:

Muster — at Erebor or another Dwarven location, spend 1 Friendship to raise a grey troop
Travel — march your host toward the front, bringing friendly troops along
Attack — where your troops meet shadow troops, shift the Eye off Frodo and roll a battle
Capture — at a shadow stronghold you've cleared of shadow troops, spend 3 Valor to flip it to a haven and gain 2 hope

Your whole rhythm is: build a Dwarven host, march it to a northern fortress, clear the defenders in an Attack, then Capture the stronghold. Lean on teammates to feed you Valor and Friendship through Fellowship and Prepare so your expensive actions keep firing.

Strengths

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Starting at Erebor, Gimli sits on top of the Dwarven army (grey). He can Muster grey troops right where he stands and quickly assemble a real fighting force in the north, where few other heroes can reach.
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Gimli is a pure warrior. Fighting at the head of a mustered host gives you more battle dice, and spending Valor to "Show Valor" lets you clear extra shadow troops after a roll — turning a decent Attack into a clean sweep.
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Capture is one of the strongest plays in the game, and Gimli is built for it. Taking a shadow stronghold flips it to a haven, shifts the Eye off Frodo, and gives the team 2 hope — and capturing places like Moria or Dol Guldur stops shadow troops from spawning there at all.

Weaknesses

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Erebor is about as far from Frodo's early road as the map allows. When the Ring-bearers are in peril in the west, Gimli is often too distant to escort them directly — his help arrives through the strongholds he clears, not by standing at Frodo's side.
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A Dwarf on foot with a host in tow is not a nimble piece. Repositioning Gimli across the board costs Travel actions and time, so committing him to the wrong front early can leave him out of position for several turns.
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Gimli's best actions are expensive. Muster eats Friendship, and Capture demands 3 Valor on top of the Valor you want for battles. Without teammates feeding him symbols via Fellowship or Prepare, his engine can stall.

Tips & tricks

Tip
Build the army before you pick a fight. A few turns spent Mustering grey troops at Erebor pays off enormously — every extra troop is another battle die and another body to absorb an Overrun, so arrive at the front strong rather than early.
Tip
Make the northern shadow strongholds your mission. Clearing and Capturing a fortress like Dol Guldur near your start line chokes off enemy reinforcements, gifts the team 2 hope, and pulls the Eye away from Frodo — a huge return for a hero who can't reach the Ring-bearers directly.
Tip
Coordinate your Valor. Because Capture needs 3 of it, ask teammates to Prepare Valor tokens or hand you Valor cards via Fellowship before you commit to a stronghold. Line up the symbols first, then strike in a single decisive turn.

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