The Last King of Scotland Review

The Last King of Scotland Review by David Lent

The Last King of Scotland is a wargame that simulates the Uganda-Tanzania War. Uganda’s despot President Idi Amin Dada was removed from power during this war. He is suspected of ordering the murders of 300,000 Ugandans and has admitted to eating human flesh. His troops invaded Tanzania, but were beaten back and Tanzania invaded Uganda and took the capital Kampala. Amin fled the country to avoid being captured.

LKOS’s components are surprisingly good for such a small-boxed game. It includes both a mounted map and a paper map. Some people prefer to use paper maps, since they work quite well when used underneath plexiglass. It’s nice that you get to choose the map type you prefer. The counters are nice. They’re thick, laser cut and have reasonably good artwork. The counters have both an attack strength and a movement value. Some units have both an attack and defensive strength though. This game also includes both red dice and black dice. Red dice hit on a 5 or 6, while black dice hit only on a 6.

This game is not won with victory points. The Tanzanians win a decisive victory if they control Kampala and Arua at the end of turns 1-7. Otherwise, they can win at the end of the game if they control Kampala, Arua, Kabong and Tororo and the Ugandans and Libyans don’t have any units in Uganda (the historical outcome). The Ugandan wins immediately if no Tanzanian units are in supply in Uganda. Otherwise, he can win at the end of the game if he has units in Kampala and Arua. Any other results is a draw.

Setup for this game is easy. Only Ugandan units start on the map and they have their starting location printed on the back of the counter. All Tanzanian units start off-map, but their starting turn is printed on the back of them. They enter the battlefield through the supply points of Tanzania and Rawanda. Reinforcement units are kept on the turn track until the turn they are supposed to enter occurs.

The stacking limit is usually three units per hex. However, units stacked together of the same brigade usually have no stacking limit. Aircraft are parked at airfields and may land at any airfield they wish without affecting any stacking limit. If Tanzania takes an airfield, then one Ugandan air unit is permanently eliminated from the game.

Idi Amin A.K.A. His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hajj Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of all the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular has his own counter. As you can imagine, when someone of such a stature like this is killed, it has some serious effects on the game. The Ugandan player must roll during each supply step to determine how many of their units flee the country. If Tanzania occupies Kampala, a die is rolled at the beginning of each turn and if it is 5 or 6, Idi Amin flees the country.

Sequence of Play:

1. Roll for initiative, except for turn 1 where Tanzania always goes first.
2. First Player Activation Phase
1. Supply step. Check if first player’s units are in supply.
2. Movement. If the Tanzanian player rolled a 1 for initiative, none of his units may move that turn.
3. Combat
3. Second Player Activation Phase (conduct steps a, b and c)
4. Advance the game turn marker. If it’s the last game turn, determine the winner.

The combat sequence for this game is unique. First, the attack declares what stack is being attacked. Then he conducts air strikes if he wishes and any destroyed units are removed immediately. Regular combat then takes place. The attacker and defender determine the number of red and black dice he will throw by the total number of attack factors and their color. Then the defenders terrain is checked on the terrain effects chart and it will tell how many dice to remove from the attacker. Red dice are removed first if available. The defender does not take into account the attackers terrain when defending. The dice are then rolled and casualties are removed. Some units have a movement value in red with a black border. Those units may forego a hit and retreat two hexes instead.




If the attacker removed or retreated all defending units from a hex, he may advance into it, but may not exceed the stacking limit. If there are any defenders adjacent to the advanced units, he may conduct a momentum attack. Air strikes may not be used in a momentum attack though.

This game can be played with or without variant rules. Without the variant rules, Tanzania has the advantage. However, the optional variant rules give Uganda a serious amount of Libyan airpower and reinforcements and this will give Uganda the advantage.

The first few turns of this game, the Tanzanians have a big advantage. They can create big stacks with the brigade exception and will do serious damage or wipe out any stack that gets in their way. The Ugandans have to organize their Northern forces into stacks and move to try and stop them. It’s also a good idea for them to move Idi Amin away from Kampala, because the attacker gets to choose the first unit of the defenders that is hit and of course, Tanzania will choose Idi Amin if he is in the stack.

If the variant rules are used, Uganda will get to use the extra Libyan airpower and reinforcements to easily stop the Tanzanian forces. The side that wins seems to rest mostly on whether or not the variant rules are used. Tanzania will almost always win in the basic games, but Uganda and Libya will win with the variant rules.

Overall, I find this game to be really easy to learn and a ton of fun to play. I definitely recommend it, but do have two major complaints about the game. The sides aren’t balanced and the game only covers the period of the war from the Tanzania attack into Uganda and onward. It does not simulate the actual Ugandan thrust into Tanzania at all.

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View the components in our unboxing video below: