It's been quite a while since a ring was reviewed, so I decided to review
Magic Ring of Words # Resource # Special Item # 3 MP # 2 CP # [+3 DI]
Magic Ring. Playable only with a Gold Ring and after a test indicates a Magic
Ring. Gives the bearer diplomat skill. If the bearer is already a diplomat, he
gets +3 to direct influence. May not be duplicated on a given character.
Well, this ring has all the normal attributes of the other magic rings, and it's own nice feature. While some of the other rings are better all around, this card can be very good in the right circumstance.
First, the basics. This ring gives 3 MPs for 2 CPs, a ratio similar to many greater items. This card can be harder to get out than a greater item or easier, depending on your character mix. It requires a Gold Ring, preferably Beautiful Gold Ring (pretty easy to get) and a test, preferably Test of Lore or Wizard's Test. With Test of Lore and a Beautiful Gold Ring, the chances of getting this ring are a little better than 41% (you can check all the chances at my other page which may be updated soon to include The Under-grottos). You might want to have both this and a Dwarven Ring in your hand when you test, so you can get one on almost any roll. Or you can have a Lesser Ring as a backup, which gives you almost the same ability as the ring of words.
So, if Lesser Ring is almost as good as a words ring, why play with this ring? Well, first if you need a character to be a Diplomat (for some odd reason), this is the only way to do it. However, it's other bonus is much better. In the hands of a real diplomat, this card can make them in to a major influencer. For instance, with just this card, Galadriel has 7 DI. You can send her out (with Celeborn controlling) to grab just about any faction you want. Or Dain II, who has 6 DI (7 against men). That means you can have Dain and Beorn running around, two 7 mind characters for the price of one. Or hey, give it to Halbarad and let him control a nice 4 mind character like Boromir. Or you can combine this card (as well as some other influence boosters) on Saruman and have a good shot with Hour of Need. Or you can put it on Adrazar, giving him 5 DI against factions, and send him down to Gondor.
The best way to decide if you want to put this card in your deck is to set out your "best case scenario" of characters in play. Then, see if +3 DI would make possible a character that otherwise wouldn't be possible. Otherwise, it might be a better idea to play with a Lesser Ring, another Magic Ring (stealth, courage, and nature are pretty good), or junk the whole ring thing all together. Now if you could just play it on an agent...
Card names and text copyright 1996 by Iron Crown Enterprises, all rights reserved. This document copyright 1996 by Trevor Stone. Permission given to duplicate so long as no profit is made and the copyright notice is kept in tact, blah, blah, blah.