Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
The Hobbit is a novel that tells the tale of a diminutive hero that, with the help of a group of stalwart dwarves, sets off to infiltrate Smaug’s lair in an effort to plunder the dragon’s vast hoard of treasure.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Auction/Bidding
Bid against other players to determine who receives an item, action, or priority.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Role Playing
Make decisions or communicate from the perspective of an assigned character.
Simultaneous Action Selection
Choose actions secretly or concurrently before revealing them together.
Point-to-Point Movement
Move along explicit connections between named locations or nodes.
Read the full game description
The Hobbit is a novel that tells the tale of a diminutive hero that, with the help of a group of stalwart dwarves, sets off to infiltrate Smaug’s lair in an effort to plunder the dragon’s vast hoard of treasure. Now it's your turn to take on the roles of the dwarves, aiding Bilbo in his monumental quest to defy the odds and become a legend... The Hobbit is a board game of adventure and treasure for 2-5 players. On his quest to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins will need assistance and guidance from his stoic dwarf companions. As one of these dwarves, it is your responsibility to aide Bilbo on his journey and ensure that you recover the treasure that is destined for you. Conceived by acclaimed designer Reiner Knizia, The Hobbit features elegant game play, combining strategic card play with the unpredictability of dice rolling. The objective of the game is to be the player who accumulates the most treasure by the end of the adventure. Treasure is won through Adventure Cards, which are drawn when Bilbo enters an Adventure Space. Adventure Cards present players with a challenge that can be overcome by using the game's custom dice. Bilbo's dwarven companions have three stats that influence their ability to complete Adventures: Cunning, Strength, and Initiative. Cunning allows the player to re-roll dice when resolving Adventure Cards, Strength provides a number of axes to Adventure checks, and finally Initiative determines which player draws the Adventure Card first and how many shields they will contribute to battle.