The Flowers of the Forest

About this board game

The Flowers of the Forest is a two-player, 120-minute simulation of the Battle of Flodden, the 1513 clash in which an invading Scots army under James IV was destroyed in hand-to-hand combat by the Earl of Surrey’s English force.

Six large battles face one another across a map of the area around Flodden Hill, from which the Scots descended. The English rely mainly on bill and bow, supported by light cavalry known as moss troopers, while the Scots bring pikes and substantial cannon. Highland formations are represented as traditional sword-and-axe forces rather than pike units.

The game’s distinctive Array displays represent a plan view of each unit. Place bands of men within these displays, typically positioning the best bands at the front while deciding whether bows belong in the front line or the rear. This arrangement gives unit organization a central role before the fighting begins.

• Combat degradation: losses and morale reductions steadily reduce a unit’s effectiveness.
• Key leaders: front-line captains and “Big Men” must be defeated before a unit truly breaks.
• Rout: when a unit snaps, the entire formation routs.
• Orders: the system reflects the difficulty of controlling large bodies without radios and the greater independence of Scots nobles compared with their English equivalents.

The game is deliberately not balanced, but it plays quickly enough for players to take a turn commanding each side. Re-published in Battles magazine #9, The Flowers of the Forest offers a focused study of formations, weapon systems, morale, and command during a famous medieval battle.