This is where your adventure begins! From the Dwarves arriving at Bilbo’s Hobbit-hole in Bag End to facing Smaug at the Lonely Mountain, 1 – 4 players will compete to create the most effective paths to victory in their own individual adventure books. Arriving in stores just in time for holiday shopping in Fall of 2025.
About the Game
The Hobbit: There & Back Again is a competitive adventure game where players draft dice to make pathways, collect resources, and perform actions that help them to reach their chapter goal. All players open their adventure books to the same chapter of the game and play in turn-order starting with the shortest player. Each chapter boasts unique goals and ways to utilize the resources in the game, but a round is typically started by rolling the pool of dice and selecting one, then the next player selects, and so on until there are no other dice. The player whose turn it would be next then rolls and the rounds continue.
Play on Adventure Boards Like Pages of a Book
Each player receives their own Adventure Board to play in. The Boards are made with thick dry-erase pages and bound together with a flat-binding (think those super thick books designed for toddlers). Players also receive a dry erase pen to mark their maps and score charts as the game progresses. The story takes players through the eight most iconic challenges faced by Bilbo and the Dwarves in The Hobbit, including overcoming Trolls, Goblins, Wargs, Giant Spiders, and an encounter with the dragon Smaug!
From Award-Winning Designer, Dr. Reiner Knizia
Reiner Knizia is a decorated game designer and has more published games than anyone else in history. As huge fans of The Hobbit book ourselves, we were delighted when Dr. Knizia came to us with this design. His mathematical genius is on full display in this game, posing challenging puzzles with many ways to earn points and outsmart your opponents. This game is mechanically simple enough for younger players to understand and enjoy, but with a well of strategy deep enough to entice even the most hardcore of gamers.
Solo & Hard Modes
To make The Hobbit: There & Back Again the best possible adventure for the most players, we took care to incorporate both a solo-mode and a way to increase the difficulty either across all players or asymmetrically when playing with a group and different skill levels. A big ‘thank you’ to Marceline Colangeli for their work developing the solo-mode. Let us know what you think of these modes!
Where to Start Your Adventure
The Hobbit: There & Back Again will first be demoed at BGG Con Spring (May 22 – 26) in a limited capacity and will be widely playable with advance copies for sale at Gen Con (August 1 – 4). Attendees at Essen Spiel (October 23 – 26) will have the opportunity to not only purchase the game, but also get it signed by Dr. Reiner Knizia himself!
The Best Treasure is Found at Hobby Retail!
You don’t need to look far to find some Dwarven Treasure of your own – players who pick up their copy of The Hobbit: There & Back Again at participating local game stores will also receive a custom d12 with Cirth numerals. These are only available in-store, so check with your favorite local game store or stay-tuned to find a participating store near you at https://www.hobbynext.com/
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