Skirmish

About this board game

Skirmish is a two-player American War of Independence strategy game from 1975, designed for a play time of about 60 minutes. One player commands the British, while the other leads the American forces in an asymmetric contest of movement, surprise, and battlefield positioning.

The British begin with four armies of five units, three warships, and a troop carrier carrying two reinforcements. The Americans have 16 units distributed across the board, including a special Continental Army unit, along with one warship and a troop carrier carrying four reinforcements.

Both players roll dice using shakers and secretly peek at their results. The British designate the unit they will move first; then the American reveals and uses their throw, followed by the British reveal and move. Dice move individual units across a square grid without diagonals, while units sharing a space form an army that cannot be split and may contain up to six units.

• Skirmishes: Opposing units adjacent to one another draw a card, which can cause losses, movement, or trigger a major battle.
• Major battles: Exact attacks on enemy armies use numerical superiority and adjusted dice results to determine losses.
• Reinforcements: After the required victories, troop carriers and warships contest the route to harbor.

Naval movement generally runs from harbor to harbor, with special rules for troop carriers and warships attempting interception. The British win by eliminating the Continental Army; the Americans win by eliminating all four British armies. If no skirmish or major battle occurs for 10 moves, the weaker side surrenders.

In Skirmish, the British seek decisive major battles despite limited mobility, while the Americans use frequent skirmishes to build strength and eventually call in reinforcements.