War of the Austrian Succession: Musket & Pike Series by 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.