My favorite wargame. The best. If you buy one wargame, this is it.

Brilliant! Columbia Games imperative game. Just a map, blocks, stickers, all full of colors, and a rulebook. Great design!
Nobles changing sides and high degree of randomness in English army draw make it a very fun block game, not at all brain burner. Asymmetry of positions and strengths is also great.
What i like the most: war is very dynamic.

I love this game. The game is very well balanced (even if it doesn’t seem like it at first) and plays brilliantly into the theme.

The Scots were outnumbered against the might of the English army (and being Scottish I’m loathe to admit that!) and so the game seems in favour of the English player who starts each round with more blocks than the Scottish player. In this, the English player can “hammer the Scots” player seemingly quite easily. But the secret to the Scots players victory is carefully outmaneuvering his opponent, choosing his or her battles carefully and taking advantage of the border limits to slow the English players’ advance into Scotland.

A brilliantly designed game and the fog of war aspect just adds to the tension.

Block wargame with a great theme, one of my favorite periods of history. A strategic intermediate-level game. Asymmetrical – the English and Scottish plays very different. Playing with the Scottish is harder, otherwise the game seems to be balanced. Very interesting mechanics for wintering and nobles changing sides.

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What is Hammer of the Scots?

Hammer of the Scots brings the rebellion of the Braveheart, William Wallace, to life. As the English player, you seek to pacify Scotland by controlling all the important noble lords. The Scottish player also seeks the allegiance of nobles to support a difficult struggle for freedom. Hammer of the Scots will give you many hours of entertainment and insight into this fascinating period in history.

Game at a Glance

  • Players: 2
  • Playing Time: 120–180 minutes
  • Period: Wars of Scottish Independence, 1297–1314
  • Scenarios: Braveheart (1297–1305), The Bruce (1306–1314), plus the full Campaign
  • Complexity: Intermediate
  • Designer: Jerry Taylor / Tom Dalgliesh
  • System: Columbia Block System
7.5

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