
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,423
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Ambush!
- 1 player
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 1983

Rules assistance for Battle Hymn: Leatherneck
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battle Hymn: Leatherneck is an expansion for Battle Hymn released in 1988 for 1 player, 240 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Eric Lee Smith and Joseph Reiser and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
The rules, missions, playing pieces, and mapsheets provided in Leatherneck are fully compatible with those components in your Battle Hymn game. This complete four-mission module is designed to test your squad to its utmost. Using the most exciting solitaire system ever devised, it is up to you to lead your men through steaming jungle and across shell-torn beaches - and lead them home again. The stakes are high, the missions dangerous, and the enemy cunning, but your squad has not survived the rigors of Battle Hymn for nothing! Contents: 60 new Character/Vehicle Cards 11 new Mission Cartridges 108 new Counters 1 8 1/2" x 22" Map (E) 1 7 1/2" x 22" Map (D) 1 new Paragraph/Mission Booklet
Battle Hymn: Leatherneck supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Battle Hymn: Leatherneck is 240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Battle Hymn: Leatherneck for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Battle Hymn: Leatherneck has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Battle Hymn: Leatherneck belongs to these categories: Wargame, World War II, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battle Hymn: Leatherneck are: Eric Lee Smith and Joseph Reiser. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Battle Hymn: Leatherneck as an expansion for Battle Hymn. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Battle Hymn to use it. Check that your edition of Battle Hymn is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.