AGAINST THE IRON RING

FROM

VUCA SIMULATIONS

As with several previous Vuca Simulations games, Against the Iron Ring is a significant revamp of an earlier boxed game or magazine game. In this case, Six Angles magazine game, Paulus' 6th Army, designed by Masahiro Yamazaki. Its system has basic features very close to that in the two excellent games in the Traces of War series that I have previously reviewed. It presents an operational treatment of the Soviet campaign that begins with Operation Uranus and continues into Winter Storm - a campaign that covers the encirclement which led to the surrender of the German 6th Army under General Paulus and Von Manstein's attempted relief. It also covers much the same ground as Stalingrad Pocket, the first game in the Standard Combat Series (published by The Gamers).

The production bears all the hallmark qualities that we've come to expect from Vuca Simulations. Excellent, thick pre-rounded counters, 2 maps in a muted steely grey, various play aids in solid, rigid boards and a clear, comprehensive full-colour rulebook.

All contents displayed above and the double map shown below

There are a few minor niggles. The first being a small number of inaccuracies with counters, such as the Soviet unit 4MK 51st Army. Being a particularly powerful unit it has several counters to show it from its strongest to weakest strength. Unfortunately the strongest counter with an armour symbol is missing. Fortunately however, its corresponding counter with a Nato symbol is there - so a slightly hybrid result existence transpires for this unit. My copy also came accompanied by the corrected foldable player aids - both the originals and their replacements display that substantial solidity that has been a hallmark of Vuca Simulations games from their outset, as do the four excellent double-sided Set-Up sheets that cover the game's three scenarios.

Scenario 1 presents Operation Uranus's drive for the Kalach Crossings and this is played out on a single map over the first three turns, while Scenario 2 takes us to the end of the campaign in Winter Storm, again needing only single map and covers turns 8 to 12. Finally, Scenario 3 uses both maps for the complete 12 turns of the whole campaign.

Both the shorter scenarios are excellent for learning the rules and provide a lively and punchy experience in their own right. If you're familiar with the Traces of ... series you may be forgiven for plunging straight into the full campaign, as none of these games need either the time or table space that could bring them anywhere near the label "monster"! However, Against the Iron Ring provides a slightly more detailed system than that in the Traces of ... series.

So, diving in, the Turn Sequence is a fairly familiar and fairly standard igo-ugo one; with the Soviet turn being followed and mirrored by the German one in an identical sequence of Phases.

Soviet Movement Phase

Soviet Combat Phase

German Reaction Phase

Soviet Exploitation Phase

Soviet Supply Phase

German Movement Phase

German Combat Phase

Soviet Reaction Phase

German Exploitation Phase

German Supply Phase

The basic rules are also a familiar and generally standard affair. However, there are many significant modifications and additions that give each side a slightly different quality and character. Consequently, both players need to get well acquainted with them to make sure they play their side accurately while being familiar with what their opponent can do that is slightly different.

Such is true of one of the features of this system that I continue to be uncertain whether I like it or not. That feature is the colour coding signalled by division and corps for the Germans and Army for the Soviets. As in the Traces of… series, this is largely irrelevant as units are activated according to their being within range of any HQ. In this game that is something of a relief, as some of the colours (particularly for German units), at least to my eyes, are all too similar especially under artificial lighting. However, to my surprise divisional integrity as shown by these colours does play a part for the German player in combat whether as attacker or defender. Though this will only occasionally come into effect, the need to be on the alert for it would have been helped by more distinctively different colouring.

On the other hand what is highly useful to ease of play is each Player's substantial, individualised Player Aid. Typically each contains the essential Combat Results Table and a range of other tables, such as Surrender Check, Supply Capture, German Mobile Unit Supply and German Supply Airlift, as well as a comprehensive Terrain Chart.

Beyond that, each contains a very detailed Sequence of Play specific to the individual player and an equally comprehensive display that highlights the key points for Movement, Exploitation Movement, Reserve Status and Reaction.

These I've found very, very useful, both in learning the game's rules and during play. They provide such helpful reminders not just of basic elements, but the minor individualities for that player.

One of the most significant for the Soviet player is the function of Soviet Offensive Supply Markers.

A limited and finite number of these mobile units begin play on the map and the Soviet player will gain no more in the course of the game. At what point in the game you choose to use them makes for some careful consideration, especially as they have to be flipped to their Offensive Supply Side at the beginning of the Soviet Movement Phase. They affect the HQ that they're stacked with, bestowing a series of important benefits. First of all the HQ can act as a supply source even if it cannot trace a valid supply line to a normal supply source. Next it allows every eligible unit within its range to undertake overruns and finally in the Combat Phase it grants units within range a +2 column shift right when attacking.

A typical Soviet HQ -

its range in hexes being the number on the left

By contrast the German player has none of these limiting restraints, but, on the other hand, nor does it gain the Combat Phase benefit of a 2 column shift. By and large, all the rules that give each side its individuality present contrasting or limiting modifications.

So, regarding Reserves, the Soviet player can place a single unit per HQ into Reserve. As there are 10 HQs that allows a maximum of 10 units placed in Reserve, whereas the German player can place 4 stacks in Reserve. As a stack may contain a maximum of 4 steps and units range in size from a single step to 4 steps, this gives both sides considerable flexibility and diversity. If the Soviet managed to put ten 4-step units into Reserve this would be a significantly more powerful force than the German who can marshal at best four 4-step points of strength [i.e. 40 steps as opposed to 16 steps]!

What is even more startling is the distinction between how steps are signified for stacking purposes and what they mean in terms of a unit's durability. Look at the example below.

The number of steps for stacking purposes is shown by the dots in the top left hand corner of the counter. However, in conventional

terms stacking points frequently equals the number of steps a unit possesses. Not so here, as can be seen in the example above of one of the strongest units in the game. The Soviet 1st Tank unit is represented by 4 separate counters, each of which has the same stacking value on its front and back. Consequently, though it has only 4 stacking points at its strongest, it takes 8 losses to eliminate the unit!

Another striking feature of the system is the developed Supply rules. In particular, there are 3 levels of being out of supply that affect Attack strength, Defence strength and Movement in increasingly punishing ways and with a specially debilitating Level 3 marker for Soviet Corps units! The final additional rule that I like here is that Levels of being Out of Supply don't just increase by continuing to be OOS when Supply is next checked, they also get worse if you take part in Movement or Combat while being OOS.

The markers for 3 Levels of OOS

The final aspect to consider is the overall quality of the Rule Book. This is well organised and structured, supported by plentiful examples that combine both pictorial illustration accompanied by substantial written explanation. A typical example is the one below which starts with a picture of a series of potential overrun situations.

This is then followed by a full and very substantial unpacking of the diagram.

As I've already indicated the rules are of medium density and the rule book takes you systematically and carefully through them.

The last aspect I want to explore are the Scenarios. The following image shows the set up for Scenario 1: Operation Uranus. This is a 3 turn scenario played out solely on the right hand map. As such it's an excellent introduction to the system having a fairly low counter density and short playing time. It's also useful for honing your skills for launching the full two map campaign scenario.

Set up for Scenario 1

(with Stalingrad inset overlaid at the bottom)

One minor draw back is that an excellent expanded display of the four hexes that constitute the area of Stalingrad is printed on the other map. If you don't want to have your units piled up high, then creating a copy of the display (like the image below) solves the problem.

Finally in the image below, I've left the four hexes that constitute Stalingrad empty for you to see. Normally, I leave one counter in each hex with the remainder set up, as indicated above. Though you can overstack in these hexes, it's important to note that you can still only attack from Stalingrad with four stacking points of units and only four stacking points can be used in defending Stalingrad hexes.

Scenario 2: Winter Storm is wrongly shown in the Rule Book as being played on the left hand map. In fact it is played out on the same map as Scenario 1 and the Soviet Deployment Lines insert on the Soviet counter Set Up play aid is extremely helpful in getting everything right.

My final photo is simply one of my storage for all the units by Formation. This I've found ultimately to be the best way to sort them in order to swiftly find the correct units for a Scenario and transfer them on to the player Set Up play aids.

All in all, another excellent addition to my collection which I would highly recommend. Thanks again to Vuca Simulations for providing the review copy and a special thanks for their patience in the four to five month delay in my being able to review Against The Iron Ring because of family health problems.

Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World, 220-165 BCE

GMT Games

This game deals with the period of history that I love the most. This would be the period from the death of Alexander to the fall of the Roman Republic. The game period also mostly corresponds to the rule of Antiochos III the Great from 223-187 BC of the Seleucid Empire (He was also the Great Grandfather of Mithridates VI Eupator, Rome's most inveterate enemy). Antiochos is my third favorite ruler from the time. The first two would be Antigonus and Pyrrhus. The year 220 BC is two years before the start of the second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. This time period is called the Hellenistic Age. The three families of generals of Alexander had carved up his empire and now ruled it along with some smaller states. The Greece city states were shades of their former glory and power. The Antigonids ruled in Macedon, Lagids (Ptolemies) ruled in Egypt, and the Seleucids had power over a large part of the Asian empire of Alexander. To be correct, the Seleucid empire was not doing that well when Antiochus III came to power. Antiochos first tried to conquer Egypt, but he was repulsed at the Battle of Raphia. After that, he decided to reconquer the other kingdoms in central Asia that had broken free from the Seleucid yoke. His triumphant march reestablished the Seleucid power and earned him his moniker. These three states had now had to deal with a relatively newcomer on the world stage the Republic of Rome. So, the stage is set and the players are on their marks. The curtain rises on them, and the winner of the contest will become the ruler of the Mediterranean. This is what comes with the game:

One 22” x 34” Mounted Map

69 Leader Cards

62 Event Cards

Three Double-sided Roman Agenda Cards

Five Double-sided Punic Wars Cards

37 Optional Satrapy Mini-Cards

25 Leader Blocks with Stickers

Three Countersheets of 5/8”, 2/3” round, and ½” Markers and Counters

Three Player Aid Foldouts

One Player Aid Card & Map Legend

One Solitaire Guidelines Foldout

Three Sets of Four 6-sided Dice

One Rulebook

One Playbook with Examples of Play and Background Material

Published: 2025

Designer: Morgane Gouyon-Rety

Developer: Kevin Bernatz

Art Director: Oliver Chanry

This is from GMT Games and shows all of the components

This is what GMT Games has to say about the game:

"Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World places players in the shoes of the 2nd century BC Hellenistic kings, heirs to the famous Successors who fought over Alexander the Great's empire for more than 40 years, into their dotage. The world they are living in is different in many ways as, under the Macedonian kings, the Eastern Mediterranean has experienced a boost in urban life and an unprecedented sharing and cross-fertilization of culture, but the dominant theme remains major powers' rivalries and endemic warfare.

In those years, even though the great kingdoms of the Lagids (Ptolemies), Seleucids and Antigonid Macedon have been established for 80 years or more, power remains a very personal endeavour, with everything revolving around the king, and he himself having to rely on his entourage of family members, childhood friends, and veteran advisers to conduct state affairs, whether leading armies, undertaking diplomatic missions, or governing provinces.

Even though the great kings are fixated on their rivals, the world around them has been changing, both from within, where minor kingdoms such as Pergamon have been pushing for a space at the table, and leagues of Greek cities are offering a new challenge to century-old Macedonian hegemony, and from without where, beyond the ever present Barbarian incursions from the savage North, new powers have been flexing their muscles both in the Western Mediterranean and Central Asia...

The times for a final push for final triumph, or descent into irrelevancy, are near..."

This is definitely a game that cries out 'Eurogame' when you look at the components. The board is colorful and totally filled with game information and tracks. It comes with both blocks and counters and has three decks of cards, one of which is Tarot card in size. There are also enough player aids and rules to choke a horse.

The map is in Ancient Greek. So, the place names might be different than even a Grognard who plays ancient games would be used to. The map goes from Egypt in the south to Illyria in the north, and from Italy to Bactria from east to west. It is cut up into the different satrapies (many left over from the Achaemenid Empire) and ruled by satraps (governors). There are also the smaller nations in Asia Minor, Pontus, Bithynia, and others, along with Sparta and the Aetolian and Achaean Leagues in Greece. The satrapies and nations have their own banners that denote victory points along with other game information. Cities and tribes are also marked on the map as are strongholds, capitols, and places of interest. The satrapies are combined into regions, these being:

Greece: Peloponessos, Boiotia- Euboia, Thessalia, Aitolia-Epeiros

Europe: Illyria, Makedonia, Thrake

Asia Minor: Mysia, Ionia, Lydia-Phrygia, Bithynia, Lykia-Pamphylia

Africa: Kyrenaike Delta, Pelousiakon Stoma, Thebais

Some might say the map is a bit busy, but everything on it is more than large enough to easily read and find the information you are looking for. One more thing, I find the map to be absolutely wonderfully illustrated, but this might be my bias talking.

Next, we have the different Rulebooks etc.:

Rules of Play - 51 pages

Learning to Play - 27 pages

Solitaire Rules - 11 pages

Companion Book (Tome) - 68 pages

All of the books are in blazing full color and use double-column pages. The Companion Book is jammed packed with almost everything in the game discussed in its pages. This is its Table of Contents:

Historical Introduction

Events Appendix

Second Punic War Appendix

Leaders Appendix

Designer Notes

Pronunciation Guide

Map Gazetteer

Bibliography

Credits

Every single Leader, place, and playing card has its own history or bio written out. Even someone like me who has read widely on the era will learn plenty of history here.

The Players' Aids are made of card stock and are also in full color. There are three, one for each Kingdom player, that fold out to four pages. The next is double-sided with a Map Legend on one and Information about Rome in the game on the other. Lastly, there are two Players' Aids about Non-Player Kingdoms for playing solitaire. One is double-sided and the other is a fold out four pager.

Coming up next on the hit list is the counters. There are three full countersheets of them. They range from 5/8" and 1/2" squares to circles representing armies, navies, and game tokens. The 5/8" counters are rounded, while the 1/2" are not. The squared counters have no writing on them, but the circle counters do. Unfortunately, this writing is small. There is also a small bag of muti-colored blocks and two sheets of stickers for them. There are 12 die that come with the game, four for each of the Hellenistic Kingdoms.

Last, but definitely not least, are the three sets of cards. Their sizes remind me of the story of Goldilocks. The three decks go from small to normal and Tarot in size. The smallest deck has all of the game's separate satrapies on them. The normal wargame sized deck has all of the leaders and Kings along with some other cards to be played. In this deck every single personality has a picture on the card representing them. They are very nicely done and remind me of what you would see in a graphic novel. The Tarot sized deck has all of the event cards that you will play or have to deal with. They also have the same type of graphic novel illustration across the top of the cards.

Please understand that I am not doing justice to the game's components. Unless you get the entirety of them in your hot little hands you will not completely understand the art and design that went into everything in the box.

These are the scenarios:

220 (Historical) New Hopes

220 (Alternate) The Seleucid Thunderbolt

220 (2 Player Introductory Scenario) The Fourth Syrian War

205 Antiochos the Great

192 (1 Player Solitaire Scenario) Antiochos's Hubris

190 (1 Player Solitaire Introductory Scenario) The Dance of Ares

180 Last Glimmers

The scenario setups also have a full color map to show you where every piece and token goes.

Victory in the game is decided by points in these three categories:

Territorial Victory Points

Dynastic Victory Points

Renown

Total Victory Points (all three added together)

A player can also get an Automatic Victory if he has 30 Total Victory Points. There is also a Historical Victory Performance Spreadsheet. You can use this to see how you are doing compared to your historical counterparts.

So, as the old adage goes, it looks very nice but how does it play? Well for starters, the complexity is nowhere near as high as the mass of components would make you think. The game is rated by GMT at a difficulty of five and I think that is spot on. It is certainly not Squad Leader or a beer and pretzels game. Like a good number of games that are coming out, it does help if you already know the history. That doesn't mean you will have to have taken a course on the Hellenistic age to play it, although the designer has put so much history into it that I would be surprised if you didn't receive some of it by osmosis. The game does have a lot of parts, and you will have to follow the sequence of play at least for a few turns. However, then you should be getting into the groove of playing it.

One part of warfare that the game does a very good job of showing historical reality is money. The talent is the going denomination in the game. If you do not have enough talents your grandiose plans are just that. The Macedonian Antigonids are the poorest Kingdom with the Seleucids roughly in the middle between Macedonia and the Ptolemies of Egypt. The Ptolemies definitely have a leg up as far as wealth goes. However, it can be more than offset by gameplay in other areas. Another very historical part of the game is that Hellenistic Kings did not make peace treaties lightly. Historically, no King reneged on his word and attacked another that he made peace with. So, in the game you have to follow this policy. However, if a new King is enthroned the gloves are off. The treaties were made between the Kings and not Kingdoms.

The very nature of the game means that every time you play it will be a different game. Oh, the starting setups will be the same but the minute you start to play things will be different. The goal of the game is to conquer and to increase your renown as far as you can. However, the name of the game is Hubris. This is taken straight from the Greek definition. So, just like Icarus you can fly too high and destroy yourself and your Kingdom in the process. For a historical reference Antiochos the Great has 29 Total Victory Points in the year 200-196 BC (turn 5). That means he is just one point away from winning. However, after his war with Rome he and his Kingdom crash and burn.

You start with the setup of the Treasury, Victory Points, your starting Court Members etc. Then you prepare all of the decks for play. Next is the Revenue Phase (collecting taxes from your satrapies). The Mercenaries Phase is where you will vie with the other Kingdoms for the control of the Kretans, Galatians, and others. The Action Phase with the Events cards and activations are now dealt with. Then comes the Winters Quarters Phase, Pending Events Segment, Peace Segment, War Exhaustion Segment, Victory Segment, Returning Home Segment, Strengthened Defenses Segment, Inflation Segment (this is a big one - your treasury is cut in half), and finally the End of Turn Segment.

Hubris is a game designed by Morgane Gouyon-Rety. You might remember her as the designer of Pendragon for GMT Games. If you look closely on some of the YT videos about Hubris you will see some are from David Bernatz, the game developer. That in itself isn't groundbreaking, but the fact that some of them are five years old is. So, you can see that a lot of time and effort has been put into this game. I have a bias toward anything during the Hellenistic age. However, that also means that if a game set in the period is not up to snuff, I will be the first to mention it. This is definitely not the case with Hubris. The game is just dripping with historically correct play and design. However, if you are more of a straight wargamer and do not like the GMT Games COIN games or politics and intrigue in your games I would look for something else. Hubris is meant for the player to try and keep his Hellenistic Royal Family at least alive and well if nothing else. At this point in history usurpers, assassinations, and governors who try to make themselves Kings are the norm. I cannot recommend this game highly enough. If you have the slightest interest in the era, I will say definitely pick it up. If you want to learn about the era that is even better. This game will give you a ton of information on the time period.

Antiochos III Megas- I am definitely going to get a replica of this bust at some time.

My only wish is that we have an expansion that takes us back to the Diadochi (Successors) Era, or an entire new game. Remember what Plutarch said: "Antigonus, oldest and greatest of the Successors".

Robert Peterson

Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World, 220-165 BCE

GMT Games

This is a link to Book 1 of a five-part series that Morgane Gouyon-Rety did for GMT Games. It is absolutely wonderful history of the people and times:

The Hubris Histories – Book 1: Historical Overview – InsideGMT

Unclaimed Victory: Glory & Empire Pre-Orders are now Open!

Old Guard Publishing

Relive the epic struggle May 1811 with Unclaimed Victory: Fuentes de Oñoro! The next masterpiece in the Glory & Empire series pits Wellington’s defense against Masséna’s desperate offensive. From tactical village fighting to grand-tactical flanking with the Marshal’s Game, experience Napoleonic warfare at its peak. New features include: Aide-de-camp solitaire player aid, Marshal's Game providing an operational context to the battle, acrylic artillery overlays, history volume.

Secure your copy now: strictly manufactured to pre-order demand!

Order Here:

Please select your option carefully.

### UK Residents: Second Chance Games You may need to nudge them to get the game page up.

### European-Middle East-North Africa Residents: Agorajeux

### Everywhere else: Old Guard Publishing

If you have issues ordering please send an email to contact@oldguardpublishing.com

Wargame Design Studio and STEAM!

There are people who love Steam and people who hate it. Most of the hate comes from the fact that you do not really 'own' the software that you buy on it. It looks like WDS has found a way to make everyone happy. So, this is Wargame Design Studios big announcement in all of its glory:

"It's been more than four years since we took over the John Tiller catalog and we've made some big strides in that time. Not only in updating the various games visually, but adding in new functionality and of course creating entirely new games.

We have also made significant strides towards making it easier on the customer base to access and manage the games they have purchased. In 2021 you still had to save a copy of the installer when you bought a game for later use, or contact Support to have a new link sent. We now have the Store Account system in place so you can login whenever you wish and access a completely up-to-date installer and your serial number. Games from the original JTS Store are also there as are games that were migrated from HPS... really a massive leap forward in accessibility and convenance for all involved.

Our vision is to continue to improve our offerings, adding new features and refining older processes to make playing the games easier and more enjoyable. We have a tremendous amount of work happening behind the scenes that we will eventually share with you... if all goes well, before the end of this year we will be able to start providing a glimpse of what is coming.

But now we are taking a step in expanding our presence in the gaming world as a whole. For decades these games have inhabited a tiny corner of the internet. Ever since Talonsoft came out of physical stores really. It was almost a case of word-of-mouth to find them. Very limited advertising, and in the early days platforms like Facebook did not exist. We have expanded on that a bit since we have been in control of the IP, but it is a challenge to get much traction for a small developer through traditional advertising channels. So, we are embarking on a new chapter today, we are branching out onto Steam.

We have been asked, repeatedly, when we would be doing it. We batted it around here and there, but honestly, we wanted to get the games up to a better level before making the jump. While we still have a lot more work planned, we do feel the time is right to dip our toe in and see what kind of reception awaits us.

We will be leading with Crusades: Book I & Book II, making them available for wishlisting starting today. This particular timing has been chosen because Steam is having a "Medieval Fest" starting on April 20th, and we intend to have these titles available for sale at that time. (Note: Book I is live now, Book II will follow in a few days.)

Everyone who has purchased these games through our Store will be issued a Steam Key when they go live on Steam.

Our plan will be to always launch new games on our site first, followed a few weeks later on Steam. So, in the future we will issue Steam Keys at time of purchase in our Store in the same manner you get your serial numbers now. Our continued primary focus will be our Store front and direct sales. Nothing will change in the service you have been receiving, how you access your purchases and so forth. If you aren't a Steam user nothing needs to change for you at all.

Our pricing will be consistent across both platforms. When a game is on sale, it will be for the same price, on both our Store and Steam.

Expanding out on this platform might alter some of our policies and procedures... really remains to be seen. For example, you need to have a significant amount of lead time for people to wishlist games there, and we are generally pretty closed mouth about release dates - until it's upon us. So, you may see that loosen a bit, as we adapt.

We do not currently have plans to move the entire catalog up there. We will be focusing on new & newer games - at least for the short term. Titles that are built with our latest enhancements fully implemented as well as those with significant graphical overhauls.

What we would like to ask of our community is, if you are a Steam user and you have enjoyed the Crusades titles, that you would head up there and "wishlist" these titles. Again, not asking you to re-buy them... you will get a free key when the games release there.

Once they are released, we would ask that you would leave a positive review as well... as the growth on Steam will be very heavily dependent on the rating/review system. Since we are an unknown entity to the vast majority of people up there, it will be an uphill battle.

That concludes today's announcement. But here's a recap:

Not a Steam user - nothing changes.

Steam user who buys direct - you will get a Steam key along with your purchase.

Steam user who wants to only be on Steam, you'll be able to do that too as games release.

Pricing will be the same on both locations.

As always, we appreciate your interest and support. We couldn't do what we do without you"

Please do not forget to wishlist the two titles. Thank you WDS!

Sword and Siege: Age of Longbow Volume I

Wargame Design Studio

So, here we have the battles of Henry V, Jeanne d'Arc, Talbot, Constable Bertrand du Guesclin, and Sir John Oldcastle (you know him just not by his real name). You also have some sideline characters such as mad King Charles VI and his son Charles VII. In England you have Henry VI given the crown as a child and suffering some of the delusions of his grandfather Charles VI. At least he did not seem to believe he was made of glass or murderously attack his own valets and knights. Here is what Wargame Design Studio says about the game:

"The lengthy conflict between England and France and their various allies, now known as the Hundred Years War, broke out after the death of Charles IV of France without a male heir. Charles' closest male relative was his nephew, the English King Edward III, who also controlled extensive lands in Gascony, in the south of France. Gascony was another major source of friction between the French and English crowns since the time of Edward's grandfather Edward I, but the English kings also had territorial claims to Normandy and other French regions dating back to the 12th century.

The Hundred Years War is usually divided into a number of phases. The first is the Edwardian phase (1337-60) which covers the famous campaigns of Edward III and his son Edward the Black Prince and the victories of Crecy and Poitiers. The War of the Breton Succession (1341-64) is an important sub-phase of this initial stage of the conflict, with England supporting John III's half-brother, John de Montfort, and France supporting the claim of Charles de Blois, nephew of the French king. Ironically, in the case of Brittany, the rival English and French kings were supporting the hereditary principles directly opposed to their own claim to the French throne! The capture of the French King John II at Poitiers in 1356 led to the temporary collapse of central authority in France. The subsequent 1360 Treaty of Brétigny effectively ended the initial phase of the Hundred Years War, with the English king receiving an extensive territory - effectively a much-enlarged Gascony – free from homage to the French crown. In return, the English King renounced his claim to the French crown itself. However, the treaty failed to secure a lasting peace.

While England and France were technically at peace during the 1360s, both powers intervened in the 1351-69 Castilian Civil War between Pedro I and his illegitimate half-brother Henry of Trastamara. To keep England safe from the powerful Castilian fleet, Edward III's son, Edward the Black Prince, who had taken part at Crecy and led the English army at Poitiers, led an army of English, Gascon and other mercenaries to assist Pedro I recover his throne. Meanwhile, Trastamara received assistance from France and the neighboring kingdom of Aragon. The Black Prince secured a decisive victory at Najera on 3 April 1367, but Trastamara survived and would later seize the Castilian throne, resulting in significant naval assistance for the French in subsequent decades. However, English support would later help prevent Portugal falling into Castilian hands in 1385.

The second phase of the Hundred Years War is termed the Caroline phase 1369-89, after the French king Charles V. With Edward III now old and the Black Prince ill, the French, supported by Castile, regained all the territory ceded to Edward III by the Treaty of Brétigny, not by winning decisive battles but mainly through Constable Bertrand du Guesclin's attritional strategy. Nevertheless, du Guesclin was ready to fight when a suitable opportunity arose and he could catch the enemy at a disadvantage, as at Pontvallain on 4 December 1370. The English naval defeat at La Rochelle in June 1372 had a major impact on the progress of the war, allowing du Guesclin to overrun the various small English garrisons in the territory ceded by the Treaty of Brétigny. By the 1380s, the conflict subsided into a virtual stalemate, with both England and France preoccupied by unrest and open revolt at home. The English King Richard II, who ruled until the usurpation of his cousin Henry Bolingbroke in 1399, secured peace with France in 1389 and married the French king's daughter. However, the usurper Henry IV's weak political hold on the English crown, led to revolts and enabled the French to recover much of Gascony.

The third and final phase of the Hundred Years War known as the Lancastrian phase 1415-53, lasted from Henry V's invasion of Normandy in 1415 and famous victory at Agincourt down to the final French reconquest of all the English continental possessions except Calais in the early 1450s. This phase, in turn, can be subdivided into the period from 1415 down to the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, the resurgence of the French under the inspirational Joan of Arc, and the final recapture of English-held Normandy and Gascony after two decisive English defeats at Formigny in 1450 and Castillon in 1453.

Age of Longbow Volume I includes 94 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI. An additional 49 scenarios are available in the Campaign aspect.

A range of maps are included covering all the significant locations fought over during the war and some of lesser known locations.

The order of battle files cover the various forces that participated in the campaigns with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.

There are extensive 3D unit graphics covering all of the major armies involved.

Campaign and Scenario Editors which allow players to customize the game.

Sub-map feature allows the main maps to be subdivided into smaller segments for custom scenario creation.

Design notes which cover the production of the game, campaign notes and a bibliography that includes the sources used by the design team to produce this historical simulation game.

Age of Longbow Volume I provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play as well as two player hot seat.

Includes battles from all aspects of the war - major encounters to small skirmishes. 94 stand-alone scenarios and 2 campaigns. A sampling would be:

Cadzand

St. Omer

Morlaix

Auray

Blanchetaque

Crécy

Neville's Cross

Poitiers

Brignais

Najera

Pontvallain

Aljubarrota

Agincourt

Cravant

Orleans

Patay

Castillon

Please take a look at this game and all of their other ones at:

Wargame Design Studio

War of the Austrian Succession: Musket & Pike Series

Wargame Design Studio

This game has two of my favorite personalities from this time period. The first, Frederick the Great, I absolutely love to hate. If given the chance I will always play the Austrians against him. The second is Bonnie Prince Charlie, 'The Young Pretender'. His grandfather James II of England was ousted from the throne of England in 1688. Charlie's father 'James III' was called 'The Old Pretender'. James II was a son of Charles I of England, the one that received a very close shave from Parliament. By Charlie's time the Stuart branch, which ended with Anne I, was no longer ruling England. The House of Hanover, all those Georges, had taken over after Anne's death. The split in the family occurred because of religions. James II and his male descendants were Catholics and his two daughters, Mary and Anne, were both Protestant. In 1745 Charlie landed in Scotland and during a wild year came close to toppling the Hanover line and becoming King. The year ended with the Battle of Culloden and the end of the attempts by the Stuarts to retake the throne of England. The last person to mention is Maurice de Saxe. He was an illegitimate son of the King of Saxony, Augustus 'The Strong'. Maurice became a Marshal of France and had a string of victories against France's enemies in this war. He was probably the most successful of his father's illegitimate brood that supposedly counted around 350. I am surprised that he wasn't called Augustus the tired. Enough of my prattle, here is what Wargame Design Studio says about the game:

"Notwithstanding his careful plans for the eventuality, the death in 1740 of the Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI without a male heir created the pretext for a linked series of conflicts that would end up spanning much of the globe. Through the so-called Pragmatic Sanction, Karl expected to be succeeded in the Habsburg domains by his daughter, Maria-Theresa, and as Emperor by her husband Francis of Lorraine. However, the Elector of Bavaria contested the succession on the basis of his marriage to the late Emperor’s niece. In due course, with French backing, he would – briefly – become Emperor as Karl VII. With such a blatant challenge to Habsburg dominance, war was inevitable.

Around Europe, other powers sought to take advantage of the turmoil. In Prussia, the newly-crowned Friedrich II – not yet ‘The Great’, but with definite ambitions – sought to gain the territory of Silesia at Austria’s expense. Bourbon Spain, already embroiled in a colonial war with Britain, sought to expand her position in Italy. The exiled House of Stuart saw a European war as the ideal opportunity to reclaim their lost crown, and with the support of the Bourbon powers would launch the last of the Jacobite Risings. Only after an epic eight-year struggle, and the death of Karl VII, would Maria-Theresa be confirmed in her inheritance – but it would be an inheritance shorn of some of its lands, and in the peace settlement were sown the seeds of the even greater conflict that would break out less than a decade later. In the meantime, Friedrich II would make his name, Maurice de Saxe would give the Bourbon monarchy its last great string of victories, and ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ would bring his rag-tag Highland Army to within 130 miles of London before going down to defeat at Culloden.

War of the Austrian Succession includes 85 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI. An additional 43 scenarios are available in the Campaign aspect.

A range of maps are included covering all the significant locations fought over during the war and some of lesser known locations.

The order of battle files cover the various forces that participated in the campaign with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.

There are extensive 3d unit graphics covering all of the major armies involved.

Campaign and Scenario Editors which allow players to customize the game.

Sub-map feature allows the main maps to be subdivided into smaller segments for custom scenario creation.

Design notes which cover the production of the game, campaign notes and a bibliography that includes the sources used by the design team to produce this historical simulation game.

War of the Austrian Succession provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play as well as two player hot seat.