Love Letter: The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies
- Players
- 2-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 4 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 30 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 8+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 1.3 / 5
- Year
- 2015
About the game
Love Letter: The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies reskins Seiji Kanai's classic Love Letter with characters from Tolkien's world, adding one extra card to the tight 17-card deck. Players draw and play cards, using each character's power to deduce, expose, or eliminate opponents, trying to be the last one standing or hold the highest card when the round ends. The One Ring adds a quirky twist, since it does nothing during play but counts as a high card at round's end. First to win the required number of rounds takes the game.
Hobbli's Notes
This is Love Letter at its purest, just with a Tolkien coat of paint, so if you already love the deduction-and-bluffing tension of the original there's little new here mechanically. The Hobbit theming and the split Legolas/Tauriel cards are a nice touch for fans of the films. It remains a fantastic quick filler for the exact same reasons the original is beloved: fast rounds, real tension, and almost no setup.
What we like
- Extremely quick rounds make it ideal as a filler or opener.
- Simple rules hide genuine deduction and bluffing depth.
- Tiny box makes it perfect for travel.
- The Hobbit theme and split Legolas/Tauriel cards add a fun licensed twist.
Keep in mind
- Nearly identical gameplay to the original Love Letter offers little new for existing owners.
- Player elimination can leave some players waiting out a round.
- Luck of the draw can outweigh skillful deduction in short rounds.
Who it's for
Casual gamers and Tolkien fans aged 8 and up looking for a quick deduction card game for 2-4 players.
