The eight parts of The Hobbit: There & Back Again are standalone adventures. Everyone plays the same part on their own book, then scores that part’s rows. They are not eight mandatory rounds of a single 30-minute game. The two-page map and scoresheet for the chosen part provide the exact values; this reference tells you what ends play, what tends to score and which procedure changes. Read the chapter rules in the official PDF alongside the physical map.
Eight parts at a glance
| Part | What ends it | Scoring focus and special rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1. An Unexpected Party | A player links all twelve Dwarves other than Thorin to Bag End. | Connected guests, bread given to them, remaining sword tokens and first-task glory. Thorin and Gandalf still matter for points; their connections do not trigger the end. |
| 2. Roast Mutton | A path connects Bag End to Rivendell. | Dangerous-space track, Trolls, white stones, bread and swords, Troll hoard and glory. A Troll’s surrounding broken-sword spaces cost swords. |
| 3. Over Hill and Under Hill | A path connects Rivendell to the dell. | Storm penalty track, cave bread, Goblins, Great Goblin, shelter and glory. The black die initially creates storm spaces; narrow tunnels restrict path shapes. |
| 4. Riddles in the Dark | A player solves all eight riddles; everyone finishes the shared roll. | Riddles, the Ring, repeated-shape columns and glory, minus unfilled water values. Shared black d12 shapes replace the white-dice draft. |
| 5. Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire | All Dwarves in trees are linked both to the dell path and to Eagle flight paths. | Dwarves reached and saved, pinecones left, Gandalf, eyrie and glory. Wargs block spaces after black-die rolls unless pinecones prevent them. |
| 6. A Dark Way Through Mirkwood | A player fills all twelve Spider spaces; everyone finishes the shared roll. | Spiders, freed Dwarves, Sting spaces left unfilled, repeated-shape columns and glory. Shared black-die shapes and private rolls replace the white draft. |
| 7. On the Doorstep | A player enters all thirteen green-gem spaces. | Camps, Smaug/Bilbo number differences, thrush, Arkenstone, gems, swords and glory. Bread pays for camps and extra movement; ships must connect both approaches. |
| 8. Fire and Water | A player defeats Smaug or marks all ten boats. | Saved houses, Smaug attack marks, boats, thrush and glory. Bread buys extra paths; swords adjust the black-die attack number. |
End conditions are not score conditions
Part 1 stops when the twelve ordinary Dwarves are connected, yet the guest and bread rows can reward preparing Thorin and Gandalf. In Part 5, getting Dwarves to trees is only one half of rescuing them: a saved Dwarf also needs an Eagle flight path. Part 7 stops at thirteen gems, but the highest score can depend on a completed high-value number pair, camps and other optional symbols. Part 8 has two possible endings—Smaug or the ten boats—while its score rewards several different kinds of progress. Use the green-check reminder for the stop condition and the scoresheet rows for points.
How to read a chapter score
When the adventure ends, each player circles or records values on the left-hand scoresheet, totals each row and adds the rows. Add any gold-sunburst glory earned by being first at a named task. Usually only the first player earns that specific glory and others mark it unavailable. Parts 4 and 6 are exceptions in timing: because all players resolve the same black-die roll, multiple players can tie for first on that roll and all receive the relevant glory. Tied final scores share victory.
Concrete Part 2 example: the dangerous-space row starts at 15 points if you never enter one. The first entry reduces that row value to 13, the second to 10, the third to 5, and four or more to zero. That does not mean you lose 15 points from your total; you score the remaining value of this one track, then add the other Part 2 rows. A detour through a dangerous space may still be profitable if it secures a Troll hoard or ends the route before an opponent. Its value is a trade, not a universal prohibition.
Concrete Part 7 example: a Smaug/Bilbo number pair scores the difference between its upper and lower number once both circles are filled. If the upper is 10 and the lower is 3, that completed column contributes 7 points. A poor black-die result need not be recorded, so you can leave a circle open for a better number if time permits. The chapter may end as soon as another player has entered every gem space.
Sequence and mode notes
The publisher recommends playing the parts in order for a first journey, but each can be selected separately. Parts 4 and 6 use only the black twelve-sided die, so do not prepare the five white dice or bread and sword tokens for them. The official epic mode links only Parts 7 and 8 and carries resources forward; ordinary play does not transfer your sword and bread tokens between independent chapters. Solo adds a time limit and completion bonus rather than an opponent’s score.
The black die has different jobs in different parts: storms in Part 3, Wargs in Part 5, shape selection in Parts 4 and 6, number opportunities inside the mountain in Part 7, and Smaug’s Lake-town attacks in Part 8. The general rules guide explains the normal draft; this table helps you spot when to reread the part-specific rules.
Continue: Chapter strategy · How to play · Solo, hard and epic · Game overview.
Source: Office Dog/Asmodee English rulebook, Parts 1–8, checked October 3, 2026. Examples are original illustrations of the printed formulas; the map’s full scoring rows remain the authoritative reference.