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sean johnson
United States
avon
Indiana
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My wife has a Scottish heritage, so she has a soft spot for all things Scottish. This was a blind purchase, but the local game store does reward points and we were able to redeem those to get the game without paying any additional money. The question is it a game that is worth keeping?
Game Overview
Lords of Scotland is a card game for two to five players. The goal of the game is to get forty points. For each player random cards will be put out to be earned as points. To get points, players have to win skirmishes. On a player's turn they have two choices. They can play a clan card to the skirmish, or draw a card from a pool of five cards. Each skirmish only last for five turns. Each turn a new card in the middle gets turned up, so players have a choice from face down or face up cards.
Each card has a value from 1 to 12, and there are multiple family lines (colors). Each color has a special ability. If a card is played up face up then the special ability can be used IF the card played has the lowest numeric value in play. A player can choose to keep the cards they played secret by playing them face down, but if this is done then the special ability can not be activated. After every player has had five turns the skirmish is resolved. All face down cards are turned up and the value of the cards is added up. If all of the cards a player has in play are of the same color then their value is doubled. Whoever gets the highest value gets the most valuable point card. The second highest value gets the second valuable point card, and so forth. This probably does not do a good job at explaining the game. Lords of Scotland is one of those games that is fairly simple but has to really be seen being played to understand.
The Game we Played
We played a two player game. The first round there was a 12 and 10 card available for grabs. I focused on just drawing more cards, and then on the last turn of the round, my wife uses a special ability to switch the "1" value card she just played for the "10" value card. This meant at the end of the round she got 12 points and I got one. As the game went most of the point cards were fairly close in value, and I had an eleven point deficit to overcome. For the next several rounds, I managed to win the skirmish but on the last round I could not pull it off despite all of the cards I played being of the same color. This gave my wife 40 points, but it was close. She won 41 to 38.
Our Thoughts
My Rating: 3.5 (it's OK)
My Thoughts: Lords of Scotland is a fun, light game that offers plenty of interesting decisions. However, as shallow as it sounds I could not bring myself to give it a four because of the artwork. I know the theme is pasted on and is ancillary, but I think the card art actually detracts from the game.
I like games with theme, and as shallow as it sounds I would like the game a little bit more if the art work was better and more evocative of the theme.
Her Rating: 4
Her Thoughts: I think the game is clever, but the major appeal is that the game is Scottish.
Verdict
Combined Rating: 7.5
Lords of Scotland might not be our go to quick game, but it still one we enjoy. It plays two to five well, is fun, and has a small shelf footprint. All of these qualities make it well worth keeping.
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