The Adventure of the Hobbit

Once upon a time, I, Bilbo Baggins, embarked on a daring quest. But I couldn’t do it alone, and that’s where you come in. You see, I needed the help of brave dwarves like yourself to ensure the success of my mission. It’s not just about glory, though. There’s also the promise of treasure, waiting to be claimed in the treacherous mountain where the mighty dragon, Smaug, resides. Are you ready to face the challenges that lie ahead and emerge victorious, or will our story have a different, more tragic ending?

Let the Journey Begin

To start setting up the game, put the gameboard in the middle of the playing area. The Bilbo figurine goes in Bag End, and Smaug is placed on the kill the Dragon space. Sort the cards by number, dividing them into event cards and adventure cards. Make eight stacks of face-down cards, shuffling each stack individually. Each player gets a player board. Place a green marker on the initiative track, a purple marker on the cunning track, and a red marker on the strength track.

Now, let me show you how to set up and play this exciting game. First, position the markers one space from the bottom of each track. Then, shuffle the dwarf cards and deal five to each player. Place the remaining cards facedown beside the game board. Don’t forget to give everyone three provisions to last them. Keep the jewels in a pile next to the board, along with the shuffled dragon tiles. Finally, place the rest of the game pieces, like the provisions, the Ring, and the dice, near the board. And now, we’re ready to start!

GAMEPLAY

The game kicks off when the top event card from the first stack is revealed. There are three types of adventure cards: travelling cards, ability cards, and gift cards. Each event card has its own unique effect, with some variations based on the number of players.

When you play the first adventure, you’ll get the supplies mentioned in the adventure. I’ll reveal the adventure in front of me if my green marker has the highest score. Now, I’ll try to win the jewels mentioned in the adventure. But I need at least two supplies. If I have fewer than two, I’ll have to pass. If I pass, the adventure goes to the player on my left.

When you decide to take on a challenge, you have to make sure you have all the items required on the adventure card. To start, you roll five dice and can reroll some of them if needed. If you have the Ring, you can even change the result of one die after the final roll. Once you add up all the symbols on the dice, you check if you’ve met the adventure’s requirements. If you have, yay! You can collect the jewels as your reward. But if you haven’t, uh-oh! You have to draw a Dragon tile and face the consequences.

If we all decide to pass or if all of us fail a challenge, the challenge goes back to the box. And if Smaug makes it to Takedown, then the game ends early. Once we’ve played all the cards in the adventure, we can start the next journey. This happens when we reveal the next event card. We’ll keep playing this way until we’ve finished all the adventures.

THE END OF THE GAME

The game can end in two different ways. It ends if Smaug gets to Eaketown or if we complete the final adventure. The player who has the most jewels wins the game!

Hi, I’m Ellie! I live in Northeast Tennessee. I love all kinds of animals, fantasy fiction books, and being outdoors. I have an amazing husband who loves me almost as much as our two pets. I’m thrilled to be a part of this incredible community.