Frodo and his companions arrive at Bree to find the shadow of the Black Riders already on the crossroads town. Unsure of who to trust, they decide to lodge at The Prancing Pony. There they meet a friend of Gandalf named Strider who offers to lead them to Rivendell, but their movements are also tracked by less savory folk.

Setup: Set all copies of Ringwraith, The Witch-king, Midgewater, and Weathertop aside, out of play. Add The Prancing Pony and Bill Ferny to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.

The player cannot advance while The Prancy Pony is in play.

In dark and loneliness they are strongest; they will not openly attack a house where there are lights and many people – not until they are desperate, not while all the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us. But their power is in terror, and already some in Bree are in their clutch. They will drive these wretches to some evil work: Ferny, and some of the strangers, and, maybe, the gatekeeper too.
–Strider, The Fellowship of the Ring