
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Kingdom of Dyflin
- 2 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2020

2018
Rules assistance for The Great Heathen Army
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Great Heathen Army is a board game released in 2018 for 2 players and 60 minutes per game. It was designed by Amabel Holland and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
The fourth game in the Shields & Swords II series is also the largest, with more scenarios than the previous three games combined. The theme this time is the "mycel heathen here": the terrifying host of Vikings that landed in England not to loot and pillage, but to conquer. They were steadfastly resisted by Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, and three of Alfie's most famous battles are included. His descendents fought off Viking encroachments with varying degrees of success, until the victory of Canute in 1016. The battles are as follows: Ashdown 871 - King Aethelred and his kid brother Alfred each command half of the army on either side of a causeway, squaring off against a Viking army likewise split in two. Basically two small battles fought side-by-side. Marden 871 - The Saxons are favored to win until exhaustion sets in, giving the Vikings the chance to turn the tables. Cynwit 878 - Vastly outnumbered Saxons leave their fort to launch a surprise attack against Viking besiegers; historically, the Saxons won the day and the Vikings were wiped out. Ethandun 878 - Alfred's decisive victory over the Vikings. A big long battle with horsies and archers on both sides. Wednesfield 910 - Vikings try to make their way across a river and to safety when they're attacked by the ferocious Aethelflaed of Mercia and her less-awesome baby brother, Edward the Elder. Corbridge 918 - Constantine II, King of Scotland, defeats three Viking columns one after the other, when a hidden fourth column launches a sneak attack just before nightfall. Maldon 991 - The story of Byhrtnoth and his "ofermode", which turned an easy victory into a defeat and a bloodbath. Didn't help that half his army ran away. Assandun 1016 - A pre-game bid for the loyalty of the scheming Eadric Streona may prove decisive in this final clash between Canute the Great and Edmund Ironside.
The Great Heathen Army 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 The Great Heathen Army is 60 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 Great Heathen Army has a complexity rating of 2.1 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.
The Great Heathen Army belongs to these categories: Wargame and Medieval. 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 The Great Heathen Army are: Amabel Holland. 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 The Great Heathen Army 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.