Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies

About this board game

Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies is a 2–4-player card game of risk, deduction, and luck that plays in about 30 minutes. Based on the original Love Letter game by Seiji Kanai, it challenges players to outwit their rivals and remain active until the end of each round.

The game uses a 17-card deck, and each turn begins with drawing a card. You then play one card and use its power to expose other players and possibly knock them out of the round. One card is removed from play at the start of each round, keeping information limited and every deduction uncertain.

Card values range from The One Ring at #0 to the Arkenstone at #8, with Bilbo Baggins valued at #7. The One Ring has no effect during play, but counts as a #7 when the round ends, which can create a tie if another player holds Bilbo.

• Tauriel and Legolas occupy the Baron’s #3 role as separate cards.
• Tauriel knocks out the player with the higher-valued card when comparing cards.
• Legolas instead targets the player with the lower-valued card.
• The first player to win the required number of rounds wins the game.

If you are the final active player, or hold the highest card when the deck runs out, you score a point. The overall winner is the first player to win 4–7 rounds, with the target depending on the number of players. With its compact deck and distinctive character powers, Love Letter: The Hobbit creates tense decisions in every hand.