
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Smolensk 20
- 2 players
- 70 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2008

2008
Rules assistance for Borodino 20
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Borodino 20 is a board game released in 2008 for 2 players and 70 minutes per game. It was designed by Lance McMillan and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid, Simulation, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven.
Designer Lance McMillan marches the Napoleonic 20 game system to the very outskirts of Moscow where a brutal campaign culminates in a titanic battle between the exhausted French Grande Armée and the entrenched Russian Army whose divided and bickering leadership has led them to this fateful moment. In Borodino 20, players can recreate the historical battle and the human foibles of the commanders fighting it. In addition, they can experiment with scenarios presuming a faster Russian response to the French threat, or Napoleon heeding the advice of his “Iron Marshal,” Davout, to try a daring flanking maneuver. Featuring only modest complexity and a focused scope employing low unit density on the map (20 pieces or less) and dramatic, fast playing turns, it is the addition of ‘story-driven’ random event cards and night game turns that provide the operational pauses and “friction of war” which gives players a great feel for the parry-and-thrust of a Napoleonic grand battle as the armies close to bayonet-point to see which will break first! Complexity: 4 on a 9 scale Scale: Each unit is 1 corps, each hex is about 1000 meters, and each turn is roughly 3.5 day hours (or 10 night hours). Expanded by: Smolensk 20 Napoleonic 20: Expansion Kit Berezina 20 Part of the Napoleonic 20 series.
Borodino 20 supports 2 players 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 Borodino 20 is 70 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.
Borodino 20 has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Borodino 20 belongs to these categories: Wargame and Napoleonic. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid, Simulation, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven. 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 Borodino 20 are: Lance McMillan. 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 Borodino 20 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.