Der Hobbit: Smaugs Einöde Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Idea and Objective
• Game Components
  • Board Key
• Setup
• Course of Play
  • The Course of Play in Detail
  • 1. Use a Movement Card
  • 2. Play Any Number of Hand Cards and Possibly Exchange Cards
  • 3. Draw Two Cards
• The Adventure Fields
  • Adventure Cards in Mirkwood and Erebor
  • Smaug, the Dragon
  • The Target Field
• End of the Game
• Note on Card Names

Game Idea and Objective

Bilbo and the dwarves meet sneaky spiders in Mirkwood and flee from hostile Woodland Elves. But the most dangerous opponent is the dragon Smaug, who guards under the Lonely Mountain (Erebor, "Einsamer Berg" in Elvish) the treasures he once stole from the dwarves. But they are not powerless. Again and again they attack Smaug and push him back.

Tip: Since in this game everyone plays together, the players may confer with each other at any time and announce their planned moves.

All players win together if Bilbo and one dwarf from each player reach the target field at the end of the path before Smaug reaches the Dragon field before Esgaroth.

Game Components

• 1 Game board
• 1 Bilbo with Ring (figure)
• 1 Gandalf (figure)
• 8 Dwarves (2 each in 4 colours: blue, yellow, green, red)
• 1 Smaug-Stone (black disc with a red dragon)
• 1 Die
• 120 Game cards:
  • 16 Movement cards (4 each in 4 colours)
  • 16 "Mirkwood" adventure cards (Abenteuerkarten "Düsterwald")
  • 16 "Erebor" adventure cards (Abenteuerkarten "Erebor")
  • 47 "Beorn's House" cards (Karten "Beorns Haus")
  • 16 "Esgaroth" cards (Karten "Esgaroth")
  • 8 "Treasury" cards (Karten "Schatzkammer")
  • 1 card "Thorin's Key" (Karte "Thorins Schlüssel")

Board Key

The game board shows the following areas:

• Beorn's House cards (Beorns-Haus-Karten): the draw pile of Beorn's House cards.
• Starting field for Gandalf (Startfeld für Gandalf).
• Starting field for Bilbo and the dwarves (Startfeld für Bilbo und die Zwerge).
• Dragon field (Drachenfeld).
• Esgaroth cards (Esgaroth-Karten): the draw pile of Esgaroth cards.
• Dwarf rune (Zwergenrune).
• Adventure fields Erebor (Abenteuerfelder Erebor) and Erebor adventure cards (Abenteuerkarten Erebor).
• Adventure fields Mirkwood (Abenteuerfelder Düsterwald) and Mirkwood adventure cards (Abenteuerkarten Düsterwald).
• Town fields Esgaroth (Ortsfelder Esgaroth).
• Smaug's Lair: starting field for the Smaug-Stone (Smaugs Höhle: Startfeld für den Smaug-Stein).
• Card discard field (Kartenablagefeld).
• Key field (Schlüsselfeld) and discard field for Thorin's Key (Ablagefeld für Thorins Schlüssel).
• Town fields Treasury (Ortsfelder Schatzkammer) and Treasury cards (Schatzkammer-Karten).
• Gandalf's path (Gandalf-Pfad) and the fields where Gandalf stands (Gandalf vor Ort).
• Target field for Bilbo and the dwarves (Zielfeld für Bilbo und die Zwerge).

Setup

• The game board is placed in the middle of the table.
• Each player receives 2 dwarves of one colour and places them on the starting field.
• Bilbo with the Ring put on is also placed on the starting field.
• Gandalf is placed on the starting field of the Gandalf path.
• The die is placed next to the game board.
• The Smaug-Stone is placed on Smaug's Lair.
• Each player receives the 4 movement cards in his colour and lays them face up in front of him.
• The eldest player begins. He receives the card Thorin's Key, which he places next to his movement cards.
• The remaining cards are sorted by their five different card backs and each group is shuffled separately.
  • Important: In a three- and four-player game not all Smaug cards are in play. With four players, 3 specific cards are set aside at the start, and with three players 2 cards are set aside (see the symbols on the cards). (Translator's note: the manual says "Smaug-Karten" here, as printed; the cards carry the player-count symbols that determine which ones are set aside.)
• The three card stacks Beorn's House, Esgaroth and Treasury are then placed face down on the corresponding card fields that show the same symbols.
• During play, the card Thorin's Key is placed on the card field with the key.
• During play, all played cards are placed face up on the card field without a symbol.
• The two card stacks Mirkwood and Erebor are placed on the corresponding large adventure circles.
• From the cards with the Beorn's House symbol, each player takes 3 cards into his hand. If the card is an instant card (reddish background), it is revealed and carried out immediately. The players do not draw a replacement card for it.
• The prepared game board is shown on page 1.

Note: Bilbo wears the Ring from the start, which makes him invisible. On adventure fields he does not reveal adventure cards. Only through the two "Disoriented" cards (Orientierungslos) in the Erebor stack can he lose the Ring. Then he is unprotected and must be led safely through the adventure by the players.

Course of Play

The game is played clockwise. The players move their dwarves along the route with the help of their movement cards. Bilbo is moved by all players by playing hand cards. On adventure fields the players mostly have to fight. For this they need cards with dwarves or allies. If the wizard Gandalf is on an adventure circle in front of a location, he can support the players.

Thorin's Key: Thorin's Key is needed to get through the locked secret door into the Lonely Mountain (Erebor). The path behind the key field is initially blocked for all figures. They may at most go up to this field (also Bilbo with the Ring). Only the player who holds the key card can, when standing on the key field, place the card on the corresponding card field. Thereby the path for all dwarves and Bilbo is free. From there on the way leads into the mountain.

The Course of Play in Detail

Whoever is on turn carries out the following steps in this order:

1. Use a movement card.
2. Play any number of hand cards and possibly exchange cards.
3. Draw two cards.

Then the next player is on turn.

1. Use a Movement Card

• The player must choose one of his face-up movement cards and move one of his two dwarves as many spaces as shown on the card. Then he turns the card face down. Only when the player has used all four cards does he turn them face up again, and he may use them again.
• With the cards numbered 3, 4 and 5, a dwarf is moved exactly 3, 4 or 5 spaces respectively. The card with the 3 is a special movement card: with it, one of the player's own dwarves and, additionally, one further figure (Bilbo or any dwarf) standing on the same field may be moved exactly 3 spaces. With the card showing the numbers 1, 2 and 3, the player may choose which of these numbers he uses for the movement.
• If the player lands on an adventure field, he must immediately reveal the top adventure card and follow it (see "The Adventure Fields").
• In most cases the player moves his figure forward. It is also permitted, and sometimes quite sensible, to move one of his dwarves back by the number on the card.
• The player may not split the movement points between his two dwarves, and he may not let fields go unused.
  • Note: The dwarves cannot move past Smaug.
• Up to two playing figures may stand on each field. These may be any two dwarves, or a dwarf and Bilbo. Bilbo with the Ring counts as one figure. Smaug is also a figure, so only one further figure (a dwarf or Bilbo) can move onto the same field as Smaug.
• If a figure would land on a field on which two figures already stand, it is moved on to the next field on which at least one place is free. If two figures move together onto an occupied field, both are moved on to the next field on which no figure stands. This also applies if only one figure stands on the occupied field.
• Occupied fields are counted during movement.

2. Play Any Number of Hand Cards and Possibly Exchange Cards

The player may play any number of cards from his hand and lay them face up on the card discard field. Among others, there are the following cards:

• Bilbo Baggins: With these cards Bilbo is moved. Depending on the card, he may move exactly 5 fields, or 1 to X fields, or as many fields as he rolled on the die. The same rules apply to Bilbo's movement as to the movement of the dwarves.
• Scouting the Way (Wegerkundung): With these cards one of the player's own dwarves may make an additional movement. Before using the card, the player decides whether to move forward the number shown on the card or the number rolled on the die. No steps may be lost.
  • Note: The dwarf cannot be moved if, by rolling the die, it would land on a field behind Smaug or behind the key field. Either the player moves his other dwarf forward, or the Scouting the Way card must be placed unused on the discard pile.
• Eagle (Adler): With these cards one of the player's own dwarves may make an additional movement: depending on the card, 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 fields (the card face reads "in any direction").
• Legolas & Tauriel: With these cards one own dwarf or Bilbo may be moved. (The card face reads: moves 1 figure, Bilbo or own dwarf, 6 or 5 fields forward or back.)
• Dwarf Run (Zwergenlauf): With these cards an own dwarf may move up to the next dwarf standing in front of it, if that dwarf stands alone. If this field is occupied by two figures, the card cannot be played.
• Gandalf: With these cards Gandalf is moved along his path. The player decides in which direction he moves Gandalf. No steps may be lost.
  • Important: If Gandalf is at an adventure circle in front of a location, he can intervene in support on all adventure fields belonging to that circle. If he is in front of Smaug's Lair, he prevents Smaug's additional movement.
• These cards may be played by a player on an adventure field when he has to fight, or when attacking Smaug. The allies are Beorn with fighting strength 6 and Bard with fighting strength 7.

3. Draw Two Cards

• At the end of his turn the player must always draw exactly 2 cards, regardless of whether, and how many, hand cards he played before. He takes these two cards from the face-down Beorn's House stack.
• If one of the player's dwarves stands on one of the three Esgaroth town fields, he draws, for this figure, a card from the corresponding Esgaroth stack instead. If both of his dwarves stand on Esgaroth fields, he draws both cards from the Esgaroth stack. The same applies if dwarves later stand on one of the two Treasury town fields: instead of the Beorn's House stack, he then draws from the corresponding Treasury stack. The player decides for himself in which order he takes the cards from the stacks.
  • Note: In Esgaroth and in the Treasury there are mostly stronger cards than in Beorn's House.
• If the Beorn's House stack is used up, all cards on the discard pile are shuffled and prepared as the new Beorn's House stack. This way, Esgaroth and Treasury cards that were played later also get into the Beorn's House stack.
• Important: At the end of his turn a player may keep at most 6 cards in his hand. If he has more, he must place the excess cards of his choice on the discard pile.
• Important: If an instant card is drawn while drawing, it must be immediately revealed and carried out. No replacement card is drawn for this card.

The Adventure Fields

• If, when moving forward, a player ends his movement with one of his dwarves or with Bilbo (without the Ring) on an adventure field, he must reveal the top card of the corresponding adventure stack (Mirkwood or Erebor) and carry it out immediately.
  • Important: When moving backward, adventure fields do not apply.
• In most cases the card shows an opponent that the player must fight. There are also other cards that explain themselves. If a die is pictured on a card, the player must roll the die and follow the result.
• To fight an opponent, the player must play one or more dwarf or ally cards whose sum corresponds exactly to the fighting strength on the opponent card.
  • Example: A giant spider with fighting strength 14 is revealed. The player defeats it by playing 2 dwarves (Dori and Nori, each value 2), 1 dwarf (Fili, value 4) and 1 ally (Beorn, value 6) and placing them on the discard pile.
• Gandalf in position: If Gandalf stands on the large Gandalf field belonging to the adventure circle, the player may double the value of one of his played cards.
  • Example: In this case the card Beorn (2 × value 6) and 1 dwarf (Dori, value 2) would suffice.
• Fight won: If the opponent is defeated, the card is removed from the game (back into the box).
• Fight lost: If the player cannot reach the exact fighting strength of the opponent, he must roll the die and move his figure 10 fields minus the die result backward.
  • Example: The player rolls a 3 and must move back 7 fields (10 − 3).
  • If he lands with his figure on a field on which two figures already stand, the figure is moved on to the next field on which at least one place is free.

Adventure Cards in Mirkwood and Erebor

Spun in a Web (Eingesponnen, adventure in Mirkwood): If the colour of the dwarf that triggered this adventure card matches a colour shown on the card, the dwarf is spun into a web (eingesponnen) at the place and position of the adventure field. The figure is placed on its head for this. If two differently coloured dwarves stand on this adventure field at the same time, and both colours are affected, only one of the two is spun. The choice lies with the players. Also, if two dwarves of one colour stand together on the field, only one figure is spun.

• Liberation (Befreiung): Bilbo with the Ring frees this dwarf as soon as he ends his movement on the field with the spun dwarf. The figure is set upright again. If Bilbo was moved onto the field together with the dwarf that is spun, the dwarf is freed immediately.
  • Important: If Bilbo has lost the Ring, he cannot free a spun dwarf.
• Instead of freeing the dwarf with Bilbo's help, the affected player may, if he is on turn, discard fighting cards with a value of 20 or more. In this way his dwarf can free itself.
  • Note: If Gandalf is in position at the Mirkwood circle, he may also double a played card here.

Journey in a Barrel (Reise im Fass, adventure in Mirkwood): A "Journey in a Barrel" card is carried out immediately. The affected figure, or both figures if two stand together on the adventure field, must immediately move forward 2 or 3 fields, depending on the card. If this moves a figure onto another adventure field, an additional adventure card must immediately be drawn and followed.

• Important: If a card reads "The Player" (Der Spieler) and 2 figures stand on the corresponding field, then only one of the two figures is affected. The player decides which one. This applies, for example, to the Erebor card "Wehmut".

Smaug, the Dragon

• Every time a Smaug card is revealed, Smaug moves forward towards Esgaroth as many fields as the card shows.
• In addition to Smaug's normal movement, most Smaug cards show an additional movement (Zusatzbewegung). Smaug makes the two single movements one after the other, i.e. he always moves 2 fields.
  • Important: If Gandalf stands in front of Smaug's Lair, the additional movement is not carried out.
• The dwarves cannot move past Smaug. Therefore the players must always drive him back towards his lair, again and again.
• Bilbo with the Ring may enter the field with Smaug unhindered and also move past him. But while he wears the Ring, Bilbo cannot attack Smaug.
• Driving Smaug back (Smaug vertreiben): Smaug has an armour, whose armour value (Panzerwert) must be broken through with every attack on Smaug. If a dwarf, or Bilbo without the Ring, lands exactly on the field with Smaug, the player must first place his highest fighting card on the discard pile. Only then can Smaug be driven back with a further fighting card. Smaug then moves back as many fields as the value of this second fighting card indicates, but at most as far as his lair.
  • Note: If Smaug stands on an Erebor adventure field and Gandalf is in position at the Erebor circle, the card played during the driving back may be doubled.
• If Smaug stands on an adventure field, no adventure card is drawn afterwards.
• If Smaug lands exactly, by his forward movement, on a field where one or two figures stand, these are immediately defeated and removed from the game.
• If Smaug, when moving forward, moves past one or more figures, each of these figures must move exactly 10 fields back towards Beorn's House. Bilbo with the Ring is protected in both cases.
• If Bilbo loses the Ring and Smaug, when moving forward, reaches the field with the Ring or moves past it, the Ring is placed next to the two Treasury fields. Bilbo may put on the Ring again only when he lands on one of these fields.

The Target Field

• The target field does not have to be reached exactly. Excess movement points may be forfeited.
• Important: A player may only move his front dwarf into the target field once his other dwarf has reached at least the field with the dwarf rune at Erebor. If the player's other dwarf has been defeated by Smaug, he does not have to observe this rule.
• If a player already has a dwarf on the target field, he continues to draw 2 cards at the end of his turn.
• If Bilbo is already on the target field and a card requires him to move some fields back, the card is not carried out.

End of the Game

• The game ends with the joint victory of the players when each player has brought at least one of his dwarves to the target field and Bilbo also stands on the target field. Bilbo must not wear the Ring.
• If Smaug reaches the Dragon field (before Esgaroth), all players lose together.
• The players already lose earlier if Bilbo (without the Ring) is defeated, or if both dwarves of one player are defeated by Smaug.

Note on Card Names

For licensing reasons the playing cards carry their original English names. These are the German designations:

• Bilbo Baggins = Bilbo Beutlin
• Legolas Greenleaf = Legolas
• Thorin Oakenshield = Thorin Eichenschild
• The Dwarf = Der Zwerg
• The Bowman = Der Bogenschütze