2 players180 minby Tom Dalgliesh, Jerry TaylorColumbia Games
Board: Place the mounted map board between the two players. The English player sits at the southern (England) edge; the Scottish player sits at the northern edge.
Labels (first play): On first play only, apply the adhesive labels to the wooden blocks. Scottish labels go on blue blocks; English labels go on red blocks. Lightly position each label straight, then press firmly.
Take Blocks: Each player takes their colored blocks: red for England, blue for Scotland. Stand them upright so only the owner can see their type and strength.
Choose Scenario: Pick your scenario with the scenario selector in the top bar: Braveheart (1297-1305), The Bruce (1306-1314), or Campaign. The deployment steps below then show only the forces for the scenario you chose.
English deployment: English deployment: (Braveheart (1297-1305) / Campaign (1297-1314) scenario)
Deploy all nobles EXCEPT Bruce, Moray, and Galloway at full strength in their home areas.
Deploy Comyn in Badenoch (his Home Area).
Place Cumbria Infantry in Lothian.
Place Northumber Infantry in Mentieth.
Place all other red blocks face-down in the English Draw Pool, then draw 4 and deploy them at full strength in England.
Note: Edward I starts in the Draw Pool -- he can be drawn as one of the 4 starting Feudal Levy blocks.
Set the Scottish King and French Knight blocks aside off-map.
Place all other 7 blue blocks face-down in the Scottish Draw Pool.
English deployment: English deployment: (The Bruce (1306-1314) scenario)
Deploy all 6 Comyn-faction nobles (NOT Moray) at full strength in their home areas.
Deploy Comyn in Badenoch.
Place Cumbria Infantry in Moray.
Place the Mentieth noble + Northumber Infantry in Mentieth.
Place Durham Infantry in Lothian.
Place the Stewart noble + Westmor Infantry in Lanark.
Place the other 11 red blocks face-down in the English Draw Pool and draw 6 to deploy in England.
Edward I dies at the end of 1306 and the king block becomes Edward II; Edward I cannot winter in Scotland in 1306.
Scottish deployment: Scottish deployment: (The Bruce (1306-1314) scenario)
Wallace and Moray are dead -- set them aside off-map.
Deploy all Bruce-faction nobles (EXCEPT Mentieth and Stewart, who are on the English side) at full strength in their home areas.
Deploy Bruce in Carrick.
Place King, Douglas, and Barclay in Fife.
Place Campbell in Lennox.
Place Lindsay in Carrick.
Place the other 7 blue blocks face-down in the Scottish Draw Pool.
The French Knight is off-map until conditions trigger.
Campaign linkage: Campaign linkage: deploy exactly as the Braveheart steps above. If neither side has achieved Sudden Death by end of 1305, continue into The Bruce period. Edward I cannot winter in Scotland in 1306. The Edward block flips to Edward II at the end of 1306. Extend years past 1314 if no decisive majority has been reached. (Campaign (1297-1314) scenario)
Cards & Year Marker: Shuffle the 25-card deck and deal 5 cards face-down to each player. Players may examine their hands. Place the year marker on the appropriate starting year (1297 for Braveheart / Campaign, 1306 for The Bruce). The game is ready to begin.
