The Hobbit: An Unexpected Party

Blunt the knives, bend the forks; smash the bottles and burn the corks; chip the glasses and crack the plates; that’s what Bilbo Baggins hates.

An Unexpected Party is a quick, fun, action-based board game for 2-4 players, set during the opening scenes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, when the thirteen dwarves arrive unannounced at Bag End, much to Bilbo’s dismay. Mischief follows as the dwarves cheerfully tease Bilbo under Gandalf’s watchful eye.

Step into the dwarves’ shoes and earn points by performing lines from the song “The Things Bilbo Hates.” While moving around Bag End, you sing out loud, collect items and generally make a mess of the place. Bilbo may be curious about his unexpected guests’ antics at first, but take care not to push the poor hobbit too far, or you end up in the Dining Room without dinner.

The game ends either when all 15 lines of the song have been sung, or when Thorin arrives. The player with the most points, who did best at rousing Bilbo’s curiosity and shaking up his sheltered life, wins.

An Unexpected Party is a family game. Spend an hour in Bag End and hold your own unexpected party.