Five Armies (2002)

“Board & card game for 2 players. Battle between the Free Peoples & the Goblinfolk for control of Smaug’s treasure at the end of the Hobbit (by JRR Tolkein). Each figure represents a warband of many troops. Victory: You win if you kill off 10+ of your opponents units.”

The game is played on a chessboard or any other 8x8 grid. Miniatures or counters are used to represent the combat units – Dwarves, Elves, Men and Eagles for the Free Peoples, and Trolls, Orcs, Goblins and Wargs for the Goblinfolk. Each player starts with a set force of sixteen units. A custom deck of cards is central to the play of the game. The players draw a hand of cards from this shared deck. Card play determines when units may move, attack, or defend.