The Hobbit: There & Back Again includes an official solo mode in its base box. It also has a hard setup for each of the eight adventures and an epic option joining Parts 7 and 8. No extra purchase is needed for these modes. The solo system changes the number of dice you use each round and adds a fixed time limit, which makes it a distinct challenge from playing both sides of a multiplayer draft.
Set up solo
Take one adventure guide, marker and the solo token. Choose any one of the eight parts and set up the components listed for it as usual. Put the solo token at round 1 on the tracker. The chapter’s own map rules still apply, including the black die’s special role; then apply the solo dice procedure and round limit below. You do not need to play earlier chapters first.
Solo dice: choose one from each group
Roll the five white journey dice and keep their physical left-to-right order. The two leftmost form group A, the middle die stands alone as C, and the two rightmost form group B. Take exactly one die from each group, for three dice total, and use those three in any order. The two unchosen dice are set aside. After the third action, advance the solo marker, collect all five and roll for the next round if the chapter has not ended. This is a constrained choice, not the multiplayer sequence in which you can take whichever die remains on each turn.
Parts 4 and 6 use the black die instead of the white journey-dice draft. For solo, roll the black d12 and choose two shapes with numbers at or below the roll each round, following the chapter’s mapping rules. In Part 4, the two shapes can be the same or different and only up to two bonus shapes can be drawn in that solo round. In Part 6, resolve private black-die rolls after your two normal shapes. The exact part-specific exceptions appear alongside the solo round limits in the publisher’s rulebook.
The clock, glory and completion bonus
At the start of solo rounds 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, mark an unclaimed glory symbol as unavailable, if one remains, before rolling. This represents opportunities disappearing over time; you do not automatically receive glory simply because no rival is present. The adventure ends when you satisfy its usual end condition or run out of allowed rounds. Score its normal rows. Completing its condition in time grants a 20-point solo bonus in the general rule. With hard mode applied, that completion bonus becomes 50 instead of 20. Part 8 has additional special solo scoring for its boats and Smaug goals, so consult the specific Part 8 solo line when totaling that chapter.
| Solo part | Round limit | Special reminder |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 or 4 | 8 rounds each | Part 3 applies its black die before using white dice; Part 4 draws two black-die shapes per round. |
| 5 | 9 rounds | Apply the Warg black die before white dice. |
| 6 | 7 rounds | Two shared-number shapes, then any private black-die rolls. |
| 7 | 9 rounds | Bread movement can be used each time you draw a path, rather than just once per round. |
| 8 | 13 rounds | The same extra bread-movement flexibility, plus its special solo boats/Smaug point notes. |
Hard mode changes the map, not the box
Hard mode may be chosen for all players or only some, which allows mixed-experience groups to share an adventure. The publisher recommends standard difficulty first. The rules specify a different map change for each part: Part 1 starts with four blocked spaces, Part 2 adds dangerous spaces, Part 3 premarks storm spaces, Part 4 blocks three shape-filling spaces, Part 5 blocks a route space, Part 6 removes one private black-die opportunity, and Parts 7 and 8 block specified route spaces. Make the marks shown in the chapter diagrams before the first roll; do not invent a generic “minus points” handicap.
Solo planning example: if your Part 1 game has two rounds left, one die that links the last Dwarf to Bag End may be worth more than several optional bread marks, because timely completion adds the solo bonus. On a hard map, the route may require an earlier branching shape around its premarked blocked spaces. This is a planning illustration, not a promise that a particular die face will appear.
Epic mode: the two-part finale
For a longer competitive finale, play Part 7, On the Doorstep, and then Part 8, Fire and Water. Carry forward all sword tokens collected in Part 7 instead of taking the five swords normally granted at the start of Part 8, and carry your remaining bread tokens. If you did not score Part 7’s five-point thrush bonus, mark the Part 8 thrush space unavailable as instructed. Add each player’s scores from the two adventures to determine the ultimate winner. This official option links the final two chapters; the first six remain independent unless your group simply chooses to play them in story order.
Expansions, editions and a promo die
Office Dog’s published product and rulebook describe a complete standalone game with all eight adventures and these variants. As of our October 3, 2026 check, the reviewed publisher materials do not identify a required expansion. Its 2025 announcement mentioned a limited custom Cirth-numbered d12 for participating game stores. That is a die variant, not an extra adventure or rules module. When checking listings, look for the full title and Office Dog branding to distinguish the 2025 game from older Hobbit titles.
Continue: Normal multiplayer rules · All eight chapter goals · Strategy · Game overview.
Sources: Office Dog/Asmodee English rulebook, pp. 24–30 · Office Dog announcement and promo description. Checked October 3, 2026. Follow the printed solo chart for chapter-specific scoring and exceptions.