The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 72 character cards (18 each in 4 colors)
- 8 location cards
- 44 precious gems
- Rules (in German, French, Italian, English and Dutch)
Goal of the Game
Players move from location to location. At the start of the game a location card is laid out. Once the location card is surrounded by eight character cards, the characters are counted and the players receive precious gems. The next location card is then laid out and the adventure continues. The winner is the player who has collected the most gems on the way through the eight locations.
Setup
- Lay out the location cards as a separate stack, face up, in ascending numerical order (1 on top, 8 at the bottom).
- For 3 players, remove the location cards numbered 3 and 7 from the game.
- For 2 players, remove the location cards numbered 2, 3, 6 and 7 from the game.
- Place the location card numbered 1 in the middle of the table. The adventure of the heroes begins at this location. During the game, the current location is always the last location card laid out.
- Each player chooses a color and takes the 18 character cards of that color. If there are fewer than 4 players, remove the character cards of the unused colors from the game.
- Each player shuffles their character cards and places them face down in front of them as their draw deck.
- Each player then draws 5 cards from their deck into their hand and holds them so that the other players cannot see them.
Playing the Game
- The smallest player begins. Play passes clockwise.
- On your turn, you must play (lay out) one or more character cards from your hand around the current location card. Cards are played face up.
- After playing, draw cards from your deck until you again have 5 cards in your hand.
- Then play passes to the next player.
Character Cards
- On your turn you must play at least one character card.
- Character cards may only be placed on one of the eight positions around the current location (see the illustration above).
- Character cards are placed as follows:
- a) Any card may be placed on any empty position next to the current location.
- b) Any card may be placed on the Gollum card.
- c) Dwarf cards (including the paired dwarf cards) may be placed on Bilbo cards.
- d) Gandalf cards may be placed on Bilbo cards and on dwarf cards (including paired dwarf cards).
- e) The Gollum card may be placed on any character card.
- Cards of the same type cannot cover each other: a Bilbo card cannot be placed on another Bilbo card, and a paired dwarf card cannot be placed on a dwarf card or on another paired dwarf card.
- On your turn you may play either one Gollum card, or one dwarf card (single or paired), or one Gandalf card. In addition, any number of Bilbo cards may be played. Bilbo cards may also be placed without playing any other card.
- If you play several cards, the order in which you play them does not matter.
Thorin
- Thorin Oakenshield is the leader of the dwarves and a legendary warrior. If a player plays the Thorin card, the next player skips their turn.
- In addition, the Thorin card has all the properties of the other dwarf cards.
Scoring a Location
- If a player places a character card on the last free position around the current location, their turn ends and scoring takes place.
- Each player counts their own characters next to the current location. Each character is worth 1 point, except paired dwarf cards, which are worth 2 points each.
- Covered cards score no points.
- The player with the most points receives the gems shown on the large stone on that location card. The player who takes second place receives the gems shown on the small stone. The other players receive nothing.
- If several players are tied on points, the advantage (and the reward!) goes to the player whose card lies next to the key symbol shown on the current location card.
- If the card next to the key belongs to a player who is not taking part in the division of the gems at that moment, the reward goes to whichever of the contesting players has a card closest to the key symbol, measured clockwise from the key.
Two-Player Special Rule
- In a two-player game, if the player with fewer points does not have at least three characters around the current location, that player does not receive any gems.
Moving to the Next Location
- After scoring, the player who placed the last card around the current location chooses where to place the next location card.
- The new location card must be placed next to the character cards already laid out. A location card may not be placed diagonally from a character card.
- The location card must be placed so that there is room around it on the table for the eight character cards that will surround it.
- All character cards laid out earlier (except covered cards) count when scoring this new location.
- Examples of correct and incorrect placement of new location cards are shown in the rulebook illustrations.
End of the Game
- Once a player has played the last card from their deck, they stop playing. The other players continue the game without them.
- The game ends after scoring for the last location card.
- The game also ends if, after scoring a location, only one player still has cards. In that case no new location card is laid out.
- Then each player counts their precious gems. The player with the most gems wins.
Tips
- All players have identical sets of character cards. Use your cards wisely, and remember that later locations are worth more gems.
- Keep track of your opponents' cards: which cards they have already played and which they still have.
- If you can play more than one card to complete the adventure at the current location, you have a chance to score more gems. You will also be able to choose where to place the next location card. Hopefully you will be able to place it next to your own cards already played.