Judean Hammer

In 167 BCE, the king of Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV, forced residents of Judea to convert to Hellenism. In the rural town of Modin, a Jewish priest named Mattathias killed a Hellenist Jew and a Greek officer as they tried making a sacrifice to an idol. In doing so, Mattathias sparked a revolt that spread across Judea.

When Mattathias died a year later, his son Judas, took over the movement. In the early stages of the revolt, the Seleucid army was under-supplied (a Jewish rebellion was not expected) and Judas proved to be an excellent leader who was versed in the use of guerrilla tactics. His victories gained him the surname, Maccabee: the “sledgehammer”.

Judas’ fortress regularly ambushed Seleucid troops in the hills of Judea and he eventually led them to take back Jerusalem from Seleucid control. There they cleansed and rededicated the Temple. This event forms the basis of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Judean Hammer is a fast-playing area-control game centered around Guerrilla warfare during the Maccabean Revolt. Take on the role of the Seleucid Greeks or the Maccabean rebels and battle for control of Judea. All combat is influenced by a single, shared deck of special ability cards. There is only one deck of cards controlling both sides actions, with each card offering a combat advantage or a special even for one faction.

However, this is a “deck-burning game”. Use a card for its special event, and you remove the card and permanently lower your combat ability. This means each player has come tough choices ahead: burn up your special events early to take a commanding lead, or patiently wait for your opponent to get weaker and then strike with a decided combat advantage.