Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Swords and Bagpipes tells a story about the confrontation between England and Scotland. It is the First War of Scottish Independence.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Simultaneous Action Selection
Choose actions secretly or concurrently before revealing them together.
Prisoner's Dilemma
Choose whether to cooperate or defect without knowing the other player’s decision.
Voting
Players collectively approve, reject, or select an outcome through votes.
Secret Unit Deployment
Place or assign units secretly before their positions are revealed.
Read the full game description
Swords and Bagpipes tells a story about the confrontation between England and Scotland. It is the First War of Scottish Independence. The victory is possible only if all clans unite! But Scottish aristocrats often prefer personal enrichment to fighting for freedom. At the same time, King Edward I of England, nicknamed Hammer of the Scotts, pays generously to those who join his side! Each round, English army invades the lands of Scotland. Players take on the roles of Scottish clan leaders. They hire troops and send them to battle. Then each rival secretly decides which side he will support: England or Scotland. The Choice tokens are flipped simultaneously. Each side sums up their strengths (the traitors join the English army). Then the winning side of the battle is proclaimed. Swords and Bagpipes is based on the famous Prisoner’s Dilemma. As a rule, treachery brings more gold. At the end, the richest player wins the game! However, if England conquers Scotland, the winner is not the richest player, but the player who had betrayed fewer times. Since Scotland can be defeated but not broken, its clans will need to rally around the most loyal clan! Remember the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson? Freedom-loving patriots, corrupt aristocrats, and the cruelty of the English king. It's all there in the game, and it’s what its participants will experience!