What is Hammer of the Scots?
Hammer of the Scots is a medieval block wargame that recreates the Wars of Scottish Independence (1297–1314). Players command the armies of England or Scotland and fight to determine the future of the kingdom; English domination or Scottish freedom. Historical leaders such as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Edward I influence strategy and the course of the war.
Using the Columbia Block System, players maneuver hidden units, raise new forces, and engage in battles where strength and identity remain concealed until combat. Control of key regions and cities across Scotland determines victory, while shifting loyalties and leader survival play a critical role.
Players must balance aggression and caution as armies advance, retreat, and regroup. With hidden information, strategic movement, and historical depth, Hammer of the Scots delivers a tense and rewarding strategy experience for fans of historical and block wargames.
The “Columbia Block System”
Hammer of the Scots uses the Columbia Block System, a distinctive approach to strategy wargames that emphasizes hidden information and uncertainty. Each unit’s strength and identity face the owning player but remain hidden from the opponent, creating a true fog of war that rewards careful planning and misdirection.
This system allows players to conduct feints, bluffs, and surprise maneuvers, as opponents must judge enemy strength based on position and behavior rather than perfect information. Combat outcomes often hinge on timing and interpretation as much as raw force.
The game also features an integrated step-reduction system. As units take losses, blocks are rotated to show reduced strength rather than removed from play, providing a clear and elegant way to track attrition over time. This design keeps forces on the board longer and preserves the narrative flow of extended campaigns.
The Columbia Block System has been refined over decades and remains a favorite among strategy gamers seeking historical depth, hidden movement, and meaningful decision-making.
Watch a video introduction to the Columbia Block System here.
Download the Rules!
Want to dive into a little light reading? Then download the rules! It is an easy read and only 8 pages long!
Learn the Columbia Block System
Hammer of the Scots uses the Columbia Block System, a design that builds fog of war directly into gameplay. Each unit’s strength and identity are visible only to its owning player, keeping opponents guessing and encouraging careful observation, feints, and strategic deception.
The combat system is straightforward and intuitive, making it easy to learn while supporting deep strategic play. Its flexible design has been successfully adapted across many historical periods and game genres.
Watch this short video to learn the basics of the Columbia Block System in just a few minutes.
Afterward, download the rules to explore the system in greater detail.
What do the Experts Say?
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. Assimetry of positions and strengths is also great.
What i like the most: war is very dinamic.
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.