- BGG rating
- 7.9
Battle Hymn: Leatherneck
- 1 player
- 240 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 1988
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,657
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Battle Hymn
1986
Rules assistance for Battle Hymn
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1 player
- 240 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.3/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Battle Hymn
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battle Hymn is a board game released in 1986 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 Paper-and-Pencil.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,423
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Ambush!
- 1 player
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 1983
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,212
- BGG rating
- 7.7
The Civil War 1861-1865
- 1–2 players
- 120–1200 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 1983
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,411
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Across 5 Aprils
- 2 players
- 60–360 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1992
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,043
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Squad Leader
- 2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,670
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Rise and Decline of the Third Reich
- 2–6 players
- 240–720 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1974
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,329
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Flat Top
- 2 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,435
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Starship Troopers
- 1–2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 1976
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,126
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Ogre
- 1–3 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,080
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Carrier: The Southwest Pacific Campaign – 1942-1943
- 1 player
- 180–360 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 1990
- BGG rank
- BGG #601
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Advanced Squad Leader
- 2 players
- 120–480 min
- Complexity 4.7/5
- 1985
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,462
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Panzer Leader: Game of Tactical Warfare on the Western Front
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 1974
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,642
- BGG rating
- 6.7
PanzerBlitz
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 1970
About the game
Battle Hymn is a solitaire game of combat, adventure, and heroism in the Pacific during World War II. Using the revolutionary programmed paragraph approach pioneered in the Ambush! game system, Battle Hymn gives you a squad of American Marines and challenges you to fight your way through a variety of Missions against a deceptive and ever-changing Japanese foe. Unexpected events and innumerable tactical options offer virtually endless solitaire enjoyment, and the easily learned rules start even relatively inexperienced players on their first Mission quickly. Select you squad, arm them, and choose their Mission. Move your men out, advancing them as you wish, until something triggers an Event - until a peaceful walk in the steaming jungle turns out to be a fight for your life!
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- Victory Games (I)
Questions and answers
Battle Hymn 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 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 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 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 belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Paper-and-Pencil. 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 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 as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.