
- BGG rank
- BGG #601
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Advanced Squad Leader
- 2 players
- 120–480 min
- Complexity 4.7/5
- 1985

Expansion for Elsenborn Ridge: Tactical Combat During the Battle of the Bulge – A Panzer Grenadier Game
2013
Rules assistance for Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book
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.
Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book is an expansion for Elsenborn Ridge: Tactical Combat During the Battle of the Bulge – A Panzer Grenadier Game released in 2013 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by John Stafford and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, and Hexagon Grid.
From the publisher's website: Three years after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States jointly vanquished Nazi terror, the two former allies began a four-decade-long Cold War. While it never ignited into a Third World War, both sides armed for it, trained for it, and planned for it. Iron Curtain - Hammer and Sickle (a Panzer Grenadier game) explores the use of huge tanks and other weapons prepared for this war that never happened. Besides the twenty scenarios, players can take the role of the 11th Tank Corps, 8th Guards Army as it fights a hypothetical campaign to seize the American airfields at Rhein Main (Frankfurt am Main) and Wiesbaden, followed by the border crossings near Saarbrücken. Unlike most other Panzer Grenadier titles, Hammer and Sickle covers battles that never happened. We’ve given you one plausible scenario background leading to war, that provides the setting and troops for the scenarios and campaign included. Hammer and Sickle includes 77 mounted and die-cut Soviet playing pieces. Playing all of the scenarios and the campaign in this supplement requires the use of the included pieces plus boards and pieces from our Road to Berlin and Elsenborn Ridge games.
Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book 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 Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book is 30 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 Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book 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.
Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book belongs to these categories: Wargame and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, 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 Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book are: John Stafford. 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 Hammer & Sickle: A Panzer Grenadier Scenario Book as an expansion for Elsenborn Ridge: Tactical Combat During the Battle of the Bulge – A Panzer Grenadier Game. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Elsenborn Ridge: Tactical Combat During the Battle of the Bulge – A Panzer Grenadier Game to use it. Check that your edition of Elsenborn Ridge: Tactical Combat During the Battle of the Bulge – A Panzer Grenadier Game is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.