Middle Earth Quest Longer Game Variant.

Personally I am not a fan of fixed turns in adventure games, so this variant is designed to remove it as well as the Ringwraith endgame battle. As stated, this variant will result in a longer game.

Game End & Winning
The game ends when ONE team meets the following conditions at the end of the Story Step:
- The team is in their Finale state (see below.)
- The team currently fulfils their winning objective on their mission card.
That team wins the game. Note that if both teams meet these conditions the game continues, and the players will have to try to disrupt their opponent's mission so it is no longer being fulfilled.

The Finale Phase
There is now a ‘Finale' state which each team needs to reach in order to attempt to win the game. A team that is in their Finale state is automatically considered Dominant unless both teams are in their Finale state in which case neither team is considered Dominant.

Sauron is considered to be in his Finale state if:
- One of his story markers is on the Finale space.
- All three of his story markers cross The Shadow Falls space.
The Free people are considered to be in his Finale state if:
- The hero story marker is on the Finale space.

If Sauron is in his Finale state then any heroes that are defeated will receive a Corruption card.

Mission Changes
Missions are assigned secretly as normal, however once the Hero Story Marker reaches The Shadow Falls space, both secret missions are revealed. This allows the players to actively attempt to thwart their opponent's mission. (Note: This rule can be skipped if you wish to have a less proactive game.)

Some of the missions have changed for this variant. Below is a list of all the missions in the game, with any changes noted in italics.

Sauron Mission Cards
His Dark Throne: Sauron wins if there are 3 active plot cards in play.
In Darkness Bind Them: Sauron wins if his yellow story marker has advanced to stage 3 of the story track and he has at least one plot card that advances the yellow story marker in play.
To Rule them All: Sauron wins if his red story marker has advanced to stage 3 of the story track and he has at least one plot card that advances the red story marker in play.
Where the Shadows Lie: Sauron wins if his black story marker has advanced to stage 3 of the story track and he has at least one plot card that advances the black story marker in play.
To Find them All: Sauron wins if he has either the Ringwraiths or 6 influence in the Shire.

Hero Mission Cards
Noble Blood: The Heroes win if they collectively have 1 or less Corruption cards and none of them are currently standing in Haven locations.
Against the Shadow: The heroes win if there are no more than 2 monster tokens in play not counting monsters in Perilous locations  and blank monster tokens (Sauron should check his monster tokens each story phase).
Isildur's Secret: The heroes win if one of them has at least five favour and is standing in a non haven location which also contains a character.
Minas Morgul Kept at Bay: The Heroes win if there are 2 or less minions in play (not counting minions in Perilous locations) and none of the heroes are currently standing in Haven locations.
The Spear of the West: The heroes win if each Hero has completed both his Starting and Advanced quest and is currently in a Perilous location.