The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component Overview
• Rules & New Terms
  • Immune to Player Card Effects
• Bilbo Baggins
  • Setting Up the Game
  • The Baggins Sphere
  • Multiplayer Rules
• Treasure
  • Treasure Card Anatomy
• Expansion Symbol
• We Must Away, Ere Break of Day
  • The Sack Deck
  • Sack X
• Over the Misty Mountains Grim
  • Active and Inactive Encounter Decks
• Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim
  • Setup
  • The Riddle Area
• Riddles
• Hobbit Period Decklists

Component Overview

The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill includes the following components:

• This rules insert
• 165 cards, consisting of:
  • 5 Hero Cards
  • 45 Player Cards
  • 106 Encounter Cards
  • 9 Quest Cards

Rules & New Terms

Immune to Player Card Effects

Cards with the text "Immune to player card effects" ignore the effects of all player cards. Additionally, cards that are immune to player card effects cannot be chosen as targets of player card effects.

Bilbo Baggins

The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill features Bilbo Baggins, a new hero card with a special set of rules. This version of Bilbo must be used when playing the scenarios in this set. The Bilbo Baggins hero card included in this box belongs to a unique sphere of influence, the Baggins sphere, denoted by the Baggins sphere symbol. As Thorin and his companions came to rely on the unlikely hero, players will need Bilbo's help to defeat each scenario in this deluxe expansion.

Setting Up the Game

When playing any scenario in the Over Hill and Under Hill expansion, the first player must take control of the new Bilbo Baggins hero (Baggins sphere) at the beginning of each game. This means that the players cannot use any other version(s) of Bilbo Baggins while playing any of these scenarios. This version of Bilbo Baggins has a threat cost of 0 and does not count against a player's starting hero limit. Therefore it is possible for the first player to begin the game with up to 4 heroes under his control if one of those heroes is Bilbo Baggins (Baggins sphere).

This new version of Bilbo Baggins cannot be used as a hero when playing any scenario from a product other than The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill.

The Baggins Sphere

As a hero, Bilbo Baggins collects 1 resource during the resource phase. However, this version of Bilbo Baggins has the text: "cannot gain resources through player card effects." Therefore, managing a limited number of Baggins resources becomes an important part of each scenario.

In addition to paying for cards that match Bilbo Baggins's sphere (as well as neutral cards), there are numerous situations in these scenarios in which Baggins resources can be used to assist the players.

As players make their way through the scenarios in this expansion, Bilbo will assist them in many ways, but the players must also take care to protect him. If Bilbo Baggins leaves play, for any reason, the players immediately lose the game.

Multiplayer Rules

This version of Bilbo Baggins also has the text: "The first player gains control of Bilbo Baggins." When the first player token passes during the refresh phase, the first player gains control of Bilbo Baggins, all resources in his pool, and all cards attached to him.

If Bilbo Baggins is the last hero under a player's control, and he then leaves that player's control, that player is immediately eliminated from the game.

Treasure

Treasure is a new type of player card that represents some of the rare and valuable items your characters can find while adventuring in Middle-earth. Treasure cards cannot be used in a player's deck right out of the box. Instead, players must discover treasure cards in a scenario, after which they are able to use the discovered cards in later scenarios.

A player is permitted to add a treasure card to his deck if both of the following conditions are met:

1. The player has discovered the specific treasure card he wishes to use through game text in a previous scenario using the same group of heroes he is currently playing with.
2. The specific treasure card belongs to a treasure set that is listed in the setup instructions for the scenario currently being played. The treasure set icon appears in place of a sphere icon on treasure cards, and can also be used to identify which scenario it can be discovered in.

Any treasure card that meets the above conditions can be added to a player's deck during the setup of a scenario. No more than 1 copy of any treasure card, by title, can be added to a player's deck. Treasure cards added to a deck do not count towards that deck's 50 card minimum.

For Example: Tom has discovered the treasure card Sting in the We Must Away, Ere Break of Day scenario. While setting up to play the Over the Misty Mountains Grim scenario, he sees that Sting belongs to a treasure set that can be used during that scenario. Therefore, he adds 1 copy of Sting to his deck.

Treasure Card Anatomy

The insert's example card is Glamdring. Its parts are numbered as follows:

1. Card Title
2. Cost
3. Treasure Set Icon
4. Traits
5. Game Text
6. Card Type
7. Set Information

Expansion Symbol

The cards in The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill saga expansion can be identified by this symbol before their collector number. (The symbol is a round, plank-bound door, shown in the insert.)

We Must Away, Ere Break of Day

Bilbo Baggins, a well-to-do hobbit, was enjoying a peaceful morning in the quiet land of The Shire when the wizard, Gandalf, invited him to join an adventure with Thorin Oakenshield and his company of dwarves. After hosting the unexpected party and hearing their tales, Bilbo found himself trading the comfort of his hobbit-hole for the chance to join their quest to the Lonely Mountain. But long miles lay before the mountain, and the company ran into trouble sooner than expected when they encountered three hungry trolls in the wild.

"We Must Away, Ere Break of Day" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: We Must Away, Ere Break of Day, and Western Lands. These sets are indicated by the following icons (not reproduced here).

The Sack Deck

This scenario is played with a separate deck called the "sack deck." During setup, remove the seven Sack objectives (card numbers 44-50) from the encounter deck and shuffle them to create this deck.

Sack X

The keyword "Sack X" is a new keyword in this quest that instructs the players to draw cards from the sack deck. When the keyword Sack X is triggered by the encounter deck, the first player draws the top X cards from the sack deck and resolves the "When Sacked" effects on those cards. If players are instructed to draw multiple cards from the sack deck, those cards are drawn and resolved one at a time.

If the Sack X keyword is triggered and there are no cards remaining in the sack deck, the Sack X effect is ignored. If a Sack card leaves play for any reason, shuffle it back into the sack deck.

When resolving the "when sacked" text on a sack card, if there are two or more eligible targets for that card the first player must choose one. If a sack card instructs players to select a target that is not eligible, the first player must choose an eligible target. If there are no eligible targets, shuffle the Sack card back into the sack deck.

For example: Jennifer has just engaged the enemy card, Bert, triggering its Sack 1 keyword. She draws the top card of the sack deck and reveals A Strong Sack. Its text reads: "When Sacked: Attach to the character (excluding Gandalf) with the highest printed attack without a Sack attached."

The character with the highest attack is Beorn. However, Beorn's game text says: "Cannot have attachments." Therefore, he is not an eligible target. So Jennifer must find an eligible target.

The next highest printed attack is a tie between Gimli and Thalin who both have 2 attack. Because Jennifer is the first player, she must decide which character to be the target. So she chooses to attach A Strong Sack to Thalin.

Over the Misty Mountains Grim

After a brief respite at the House of Elrond in Rivendell, Bilbo and the dwarves began the long climb over The Misty Mountains. Elrond warned them the mountains were full of danger: stone-giants tossed huge boulders for fun and evil things lurked in dark caves waiting for unsuspecting travelers to let their guard down. Yet those were the perils Bilbo and his companions had to face to reach the other side of the mountains and continue their quest.

"Over the Misty Mountains Grim" is played with two encounter decks. The first encounter deck is built from the following encounter sets: Western Lands and Over the Misty Mountains Grim. These sets are indicated by the following icons (not reproduced here).

The second encounter deck is built with these encounter sets: Misty Mountain Goblins and The Great Goblin. These sets are indicated by the following icons (not reproduced here).

A player may add any previously discovered treasure cards with the following icons to his deck when setting up this scenario (icons not reproduced here).

Active and Inactive Encounter Decks

Unlike most scenarios that use a single encounter deck, this scenario uses two encounter decks. At the beginning of the game, players shuffle the Over the Misty Mountains Grim and Western Lands cards into one deck and the Misty Mountain Goblins and The Great Goblin cards into a second deck. This second deck is set aside, inactive. Players cannot interact with the inactive encounter deck unless they are instructed to make it the active encounter deck by a quest effect. The active encounter deck is the encounter deck that is in play. Cards and game effects that interact with the encounter deck only affect the active encounter deck.

If a quest card effect causes the second encounter deck to become the active encounter deck, all encounter cards currently in play and in the encounter discard pile are also removed from the game along with the first encounter deck. These cards have become inactive and are set aside.

Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim

During their escape from the goblins who captured them on the western side of the mountains, Bilbo was separated from his companions and lost in the lightless caverns below. There he was confronted by the creature Gollum. Meanwhile, the dwarves fought their way out the eastern gate and down the mountainside. They fled from the goblins' caves only to be surrounded by wargs in a forest glade!

"Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim" is played with an encounter deck built with all the cards from the following encounter sets: Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim, and Misty Mountain Goblins. These sets are indicated by the following icons (not reproduced here).

A player may add any previously discovered treasure cards with the following icons to his deck when setting up this scenario (icon not reproduced here).

Setup

At the beginning of the Dungeons Deep and Caverns Dim scenario, players are instructed to create a "riddle area" with stage 2A of the quest deck. Both quest cards are in play simultaneously as explained below.

The insert's suggested setup places these areas: Staging Area; Quest Deck; Encounter Deck; Encounter Discard Pile; and Riddle Area.

The Riddle Area

Stage 1A instructs players to create a riddle area. The riddle area is a new play area, separate from the staging area, that represents Bilbo's riddling contest against Gollum. The riddle area consists of stage 2 of the quest deck, Riddles in the Dark, as well as the Gollum enemy card and the Bilbo's Magic Ring objective card. Bilbo Baggins is also placed in the riddle area when setting up this scenario.

Cards in the riddle area (including Bilbo Baggins) are immune to player card effects and cannot leave the riddle area except through specific quest card effects. While Gollum is in the riddle area, he does not contribute his threat during the quest phase and cannot be engaged by the players. While Bilbo Baggins is in the riddle area, the first player still controls him; however, he cannot quest, attack, take damage from cards other than Gollum, have attachments played on him by the players, or defend (except against Gollum).

Riddles

"Riddle" is a new game effect featured on some encounter cards. When an encounter card with a riddle effect is revealed from the encounter deck, the first player must choose between resolving that card normally or answering the riddle on that card. The first player can only choose to answer a riddle if it is revealed from the encounter deck. If a card with riddle is dealt as a shadow card, the first player cannot choose to answer it at that time.

To answer a riddle, the first player must follow the directions printed on the riddle, in the following steps:

Step 1 - Each riddle effect begins with the text, "The first player names a ___."

The first player makes a guess based on the item(s) he is instructed (by the riddle) to name: card type, sphere, or cost. Card types that can be named are ally, event, attachment, or treasure. The spheres that can be named are leadership, spirit, lore, tactics, and Baggins. Cost can be any number.

For example: Tom has committed his heroes to the quest Out of the Frying Pan. The first encounter card he reveals is Wild Wargs which has a riddle effect. Tom is the first player so he has to choose between adding Wild Wargs to the staging area or answering the riddle on the card. He chooses to answer the riddle which reads: "Riddle: The first player names a card type, shuffles his deck, and discards the top 2 cards. For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress on stage 2."

Tom names the ally card type, shuffles his deck, and discards 2 cards from the top of his deck. He discards the cards: Sneak Attack (event) and Cram (attachment). Since he did not discard an ally card, he does not have any matches. This would trigger Gollum's game text which reads: "Forced: After the first player answers a riddle and fails to find at least 1 match, Gollum attacks Bilbo Baggins."

However, Tom decides to use the text on Bilbo's Magic Ring, which reads: "Action: When attempting to answer a riddle, spend 1 Baggins resource to discard an additional card."

Bilbo Baggins has 2 resources in his resource pool, so Tom spends 1 to discard an additional card from his deck, which is A Test of Will (event). Tom still has not met the requirements of the riddle, so he spends the last resource from Bilbo Baggins' resource pool to discard yet another card from his deck, which is Erebor Hammersmith (ally). Now Tom has 1 match, so he places 1 progress token on Riddles in the Dark. After answering the riddle, Tom places the Wild Wargs card in the encounter discard pile. Since Tom did find a match, Gollum does not attack Bilbo Baggins at this time.

Step 2 - The second part of a riddle is presented by the text, "shuffles his deck and discards the top X cards of his deck."

The first player shuffles his deck and then discards X cards from the top of his deck, as determined by the riddle.

Step 3 - The final part of a riddle effect is presented by the text, "For each of those cards that matches, place 1 progress on stage 2."

The first player places 1 progress on stage 2 for each card discarded by the riddle effect that matches the named card type / sphere / cost from step 1. When instructed to name multiple items, a "match" is defined by a card that features each of the named items.

Hobbit Period Decklists

The scenarios in The Hobbit: Over Hill and Under Hill take place during the time of The Hobbit, 60 years before the events leading up to The Lord of the Rings. Many of the heroes and allies found in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game were not around at this time. For a more thematic game experience, we encourage players to play these scenarios using only cards from the time period of The Hobbit. To help you get started, we've provided a list of cards for two period specific decks that can be built using just the The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game core set and the contents of this box.

The insert prints two lists side by side. The first list is for the Gimli, Thalin and Ori heroes; the second is for Thorin Oakenshield, Glóin and Nori. The insert prints no headings for the lists.

Heroes (Gimli, Thalin, Ori list)

• Gimli
• Thalin
• Ori

Allies

• Gandalf (core set) x3
• Beorn (core set) x1
• Bofur x3
• Veteran Axehand x3
• Gondorian Spearman x2
• Dori x2
• Erebor Hammersmith x2
• Henamarth Riversong x1

Events

• Goblin-cleaver x3
• Foe-hammer x3
• Quick Stike [sic: as printed; the card is Quick Strike] x2
• Feint x2
• Expecting Mischief x3
• Secret Paths x2
• Radagast's Cunning x2
• Lore of Imladris x2
• Burglar Baggins x3

Attachments

• Horn of Gondor x1
• Blade of Gondolin x2
• Thrór's Map x2
• Protector of Lórien x2
• Dwarven Axe x2
• Citadel Plate x2

Heroes (Thorin Oakenshield, Glóin, Nori list)

• Thorin Oakenshield
• Glóin
• Nori

Allies

• Gandalf (Over Hill and Under Hill) x3
• Brock Ironfist x1
• Longbeard Orc Slayer x2
• Fíli x3
• Kíli x2
• Silverlode Archer x2
• Wandering Took x2
• Guard of the Citadel x3
• Snowbourn Scout x3

Events

• A Very Good Tale x3
• Late Adventurer x3
• Burglar Baggins x3
• A Test of Will x2
• Hasty Stroke x2
• Dwarven Tomb x1
• Ever Vigilant x2
• Sneak Attack x2
• The Galadhrim's Greetings x2
• Grim Resolve x1

Attachments

• Cram x3
• Spare Hood and Cloak x2
• Unexpected Courage x1
• Steward of Gondor x2