Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies
Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
"The heart of the mountain. The Arkenstone. Thror called it the King's Jewel. He saw it as a sign, that he was the chosen king." – Bilbo Baggins
You win if you are the one holding the Arkenstone at the end of a round, or — if no player has managed that — if you have at least come closest to the Arkenstone. Or you see to it that your fellow players fail before the halls of Erebor and drop out of the current round. Will you manage to conquer the heart of the mountain and become the rightful ruler over Erebor?
Components
17 Middle-earth Cards
On the Middle-earth cards you will find the important characters and objects from the Hobbit trilogy. Their value is shown in the upper left corner. The higher the number, the closer that character stands to the Arkenstone. The Arkenstone itself has the highest value. The pips beneath the number indicate how many times that card appears in the deck.
At the bottom edge of the card is a text box containing the function of that Middle-earth card. There is also a quotation from the films.
4 Reference Cards
The reference cards give a short overview of all the Middle-earth cards and their functions on one side. In brackets it is also stated how many times each Middle-earth card is present in the game. On the other side, the sequence of play is summarised.
12 "Ruler of Erebor" Crowns
These tokens represent the claim to rulership over Erebor that you receive at the end of a round. With them you can keep track of when a player has won the game.
Replacement Part Service
You have purchased a quality product. If a component is missing or there is any other cause for complaint, please contact: [email protected]. Your Pegasus Spiele team wishes you many entertaining hours with this game.
Setup
- The 17 Middle-earth cards are shuffled thoroughly.
- 1 Middle-earth card is dealt to each player, which they take into their hand and keep secret from the other players.
- In addition, each player takes 1 reference card and lays it down in front of themselves.
- The remaining Middle-earth cards are placed in the middle of the table as a face-down draw deck.
- Finally, the top card of the draw deck is set aside face down as the reserve card.
Attention: In a two-player game, the next 3 Middle-earth cards of the draw deck are additionally drawn and laid face up next to the reserve card. They are not in play during this round.
The player who most recently watched a part of the Hobbit film trilogy begins the game. Alternatively, the smallest player begins.
Sequence of Play
The game runs over several rounds. The players take their turns one after another in clockwise order.
The player whose turn it is first draws the top card of the draw deck and takes it into their hand. Since they already had 1 Middle-earth card in hand, they now hold 2 cards in hand.
They choose 1 of these 2 Middle-earth cards in their hand and play it face up in front of themselves — the other card they continue to keep face down in hand.
If the card played has a function, they must carry it out now. Finally they place it face up, slightly offset, onto their personal discard pile, which they build in front of themselves. With that their turn is ended and the player to their left is to move.
Note: The functions of the Middle-earth cards are described precisely in "The Middle-earth Cards".
Being Knocked Out
If a player drops out of the current round, they place the Middle-earth card they still have in hand face up onto their discard pile — the function of that card is not carried out. The player takes no further part in the game until the end of this round and is skipped in the turn order.
End of a Round
The current round ends:
- When all but 1 player have dropped out. That player wins the round.
OR
- When the draw deck is exhausted at the end of a player's turn. In this case the round is scored as follows: the players who have not yet dropped out reveal the Middle-earth card they hold in hand. The player with the highest card value wins the round. In the event of a tie, all players with the highest card value win the round.
The winner or winners receive 1 crown from the supply as a token of their claim to rulership.
New Round
Before a new round begins, the points described under Setup are carried out again. However, the winner of the previous round now begins and is first to move. Should there be several winners, the youngest of them begins.
End of the Game
The game ends when a player possesses a certain number of crowns. The number of crowns required depends on the number of players:
| Players | Crowns |
|---|---|
| 2 players | 5 crowns |
| 3 players | 4 crowns |
| 4 players | 3 crowns |
The player who possesses the required number of crowns after the scoring of a round is the winner and has the right to rule over Erebor. In the rather rare event of a tie, the right belongs to whichever of those players is the smallest.
The Middle-earth Cards
Generally applies: If the function of a Middle-earth card requires you to choose a player, only players may be chosen who have not yet dropped out of the current round. Furthermore, only players may be chosen who are not protected by Gandalf the Grey.
If all of your fellow players are protected by Gandalf the Grey, no one can be chosen, and you must place your played card face up on your discard pile without its function being carried out. The exception is Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf. In that case the player must choose themselves.
8: Arkenstone (1 card)
Card text: "If you discard this card, you are out of the round."
"You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule: the Arkenstone!"
The Arkenstone has the highest value of the Middle-earth cards. As it possesses no function, it is placed directly onto the discard pile after being played. It does, however, have the following special property: if you play it, or have to place it onto your discard pile for any other reason, you drop out immediately.
7: Bilbo Baggins (1 card)
Card text: "If you have this card and either THORIN OAKENSHIELD or KILI and FILI in your hand, you must discard this card."
"I did not come to steal from you, O Smaug the Unassessably Wealthy."
Bilbo Baggins has the second-highest value of the Middle-earth cards. As he possesses no function, he is placed directly onto the discard pile after being played. He does, however, have the following special property: if you have drawn your 2nd Middle-earth card into your hand at the start of your turn and now have Bilbo Baggins in combination with Thorin Oakenshield or Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf in hand, then you must play Bilbo Baggins now. In any case you keep the Middle-earth card remaining in your hand secret from your fellow players.
Note: You can of course also bluff and play Bilbo Baggins even though you have neither Thorin Oakenshield nor Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf in hand.
6: Thorin Oakenshield (1 card)
Card text: "Trade hands with another player of your choice."
"Will you ride with me, one last time?" ("Loyalty, honour, a willing heart. I can ask no more than that.")
When you play Thorin Oakenshield, choose any 1 fellow player. Swap your remaining hand card with the Middle-earth card in that player's hand. Take care to keep your hand cards secret from the other players.
5: Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf (2 cards)
Card text: "Choose any player (including yourself) to discard his or her hand and draw a new card."
"At your service!" ("We may not be many, but we are fighters. All of us. To the last dwarf!")
When you play Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf, choose any 1 player — you may also choose yourself. That player must place the Middle-earth card they hold in hand face up onto their discard pile, without its function being carried out. Afterwards they draw 1 new Middle-earth card from the draw deck into their hand. If the draw deck is exhausted, they take the reserve card instead.
If all of your fellow players are protected by Gandalf the Grey, you must choose yourself and carry out the function of Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf. If a player has to discard the Arkenstone because of the function of Kili the Dwarf and Fili the Dwarf, they drop out immediately.
4: Gandalf the Grey (2 cards)
Card text: "Until your next turn, ignore all effects from other players' cards."
"War is coming." ("Is he a great wizard, or is he more like you?")
When you play Gandalf the Grey and lay him onto your personal discard pile, you are protected from that moment until your next turn. The functions of Middle-earth cards cannot harm you. But only until the start of your next turn — then his protective function is ended.
3: The Elves — Tauriel and Legolas Greenleaf (1 card each)
Legolas Greenleaf card text: "You and another player secretly compare hands. The player with the lower value is out of the round." — "It is not our fight."
Tauriel card text: "You and another player secretly compare hands. The player with the higher value is out of the round." — "This is our fight!"
When you play an elf (Tauriel or Legolas), choose any 1 fellow player. Compare the value of the Middle-earth card remaining in your hand with the value of the Middle-earth card the chosen player has in hand, by showing each other the cards. Take care to keep your Middle-earth cards secret from the other players. The player indicated by the elf you played drops out immediately: with Legolas Greenleaf it is the player with the lower value, with Tauriel the player with the higher value.
In the event of a tie, neither of the players drops out.
(Note on editions: the rulebook of the German edition describes both elves alike, as "the player with the lower value drops out immediately". The two opposed effects printed on the English cards — and listed on the English reference card as "LEGOLAS GREENLEAF (1): Compare hands, lower hand is out" and "TAURIEL (1): Compare hands; higher hand is out" — are the published twist on the 3-value card in this edition.)
2: Bard the Bowman (2 cards)
Card text: "Look at another player's hand."
"If you awaken the beast, it will destroy us all." ("Have you forgotten those who lost their lives in the firestorm?")
When you play Bard the Bowman, choose any 1 fellow player. They must show you the Middle-earth card they hold in hand. Look at the card, but take care to keep it secret from the other players.
1: Smaug (5 cards)
Card text: "Name a card other than Smaug and choose another player. If that player has that card, he or she is out of the round."
"I am fire, I am death!" ("Well, thief, I can smell you. I can hear your breath. I can feel your air. Where are you?")
When you play Smaug, choose any 1 fellow player. You have 1 attempt to guess the Middle-earth card in their hand. It is not permitted to guess Smaug. If you have guessed correctly, that player drops out immediately. If you are wrong, nothing further happens.
0: The One Ring (1 card)
Card text: "This card has no effect when discarded. At the end of a round this card counts as a 7."
"What has it got in its nasty little pocketses?" ("My own, my precious!")
The One Ring has the lowest value of all the Middle-earth cards. As it possesses no function, it is placed directly onto the discard pile after being played. It does, however, have the following special property: if you still have the One Ring in hand at the end of the round when values are compared, then the One Ring has a value of 7.