Wars of Religion

France 1562 - 1598

by

Fellowship of Simulations

"Paris vaut bien une messe!" Henri de Navarre (Henry IV of France)

Huguenot : "A French Protestant of the 16th–17th centuries. Largely Calvinist, the Huguenots suffered severe persecution at the hands of the Catholic majority, and many thousands emigrated from France."

"The young lion will overcome the older one,

  On the field of combat in a single battle;

  He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage,

  Two wounds made one, then he dies a cruel death." Nostradamus

 The death of Henri II of France brought to prominence his wife Catherine de Medicis. She was an astute woman who tried to ride the whirlwind of French politics. Henri II's death (supposedly prophesied by Nostradamus, see above), made her the regent for her brood of sickly sons. This period in France was dominated by the machinations of three groups: 

The League - Staunch Catholics

The Huguenots - Protestants

Royalists

 

 The history of the period is about as confusing as the Fronde period during Louis XIV's childhood. During both times the players shifted alliance back and forth between the different sides. Catherine's sons, Henri III, and Charles IX were rulers whose kingship was as frail as their constitutions. Henri de Bourbon Navarre became king Henri IV after Henri III designated him king from his deathbed from an assassination (Henri IV was Louis XIV's grandfather and he was also assassinated). Henri IV changed his religion and became a Catholic to become king (hence his quote above "Paris is well worth a Mass"). So let us see what Fellowship of Simulations has done to make this into a coherent game

 This is how Fellowship of Simulations describes the game:

"Wars of Religion, is a card driven game on the XVI century War of Religion in France.

The game can be played by two to three players ( three’s the best ). It simulates the clashes of the Religion Wars between the massacre of Wassy in 1562 and the signing of the Edit of Nantes in 1598. Eight successive wars were fought between the last Valois kings ( Charles IX and Henri III ) and the Huguenots, supporters of the new reformed religion and the Ligueurs, who held an uncompromising Catholicism backed by Spain.

Each of the three players will take control of the destinies of a faction and try to win at the end of the six rounds of the game. Not only will it have to impose itself militarily, but it will also have to win the mind through active propaganda.

a French Protestant of the 16th–17th centuries. Largely Calvinist, the Huguenots suffered severe persecution at the hands of the Catholic majority, and many thousands emigrated from France."

This is the Catherine card in the game

 This is what comes with the game:

One Mounted Map Board

One Counter Sheet

Three Player Aid Cards

Rulebook

Playbook

74 Character Card Deck

46 Event Card Deck

88 Black, Blue, and Red Colored Cubes

Three Die

Back of the box

 The map is smaller than most at 16 1/2" x 23 1/2". However, it is mounted and is done to look like a 16th century map. So, that does add to the game's immersion. It is made up by areas instead of hexes. The counters are 1/2" in size. This is too bad because the artwork on them is phenomenal. The writing on them could also stand to be larger. They use a script that is meant to match the map, but it leads it to be slightly less easy to read. The three Player Aids are pretty much identical except the amount of 'Turncoat Leaders' is larger on the Royalist Card. These are made of hardstock and are easy enough to read. The typing on them also matches the time period. The Rulebook is nineteen pages long with the rules themselves being seventeen pages. This is in full color and reminds me of a magazine. The writing in it is very large. It does not have examples of play in it but does have some of the components and artwork. The Playbook is of the same material and in full color also. The first fourteen pages describe the Campaign Game 'The Wars of Religion' and a short scenario 'Te Deum for a Massacre'. There is then a section of Historical Notes followed by a small biography of the different historic characters used in the game deck. Then there is a section on all the different Event Cards. The Character Deck has a picture in the middle of the card of the personage it represents. It also tells which of the wars the character is in; more on this later. The Event Cards have a smaller picture from the time to decorate the cards. There is also a full explanation of the cards' uses in the game. Taking in the ensemble, Fellowship of Simulations has done an excellent job of using art to add to the immersion of the game. The small writing on the counters is the only thing that some players might have trouble with. 

 As mentioned, this game covers the six wars that occurred between 1562-1598. The French were busy little beavers trying to kill their enemies during this time. Maybe my disparaging of the young kings is over the top because of what a snake pit they were thrown into. This is a game of war and diplomacy with both being as important as the other. Especially when you add in the game of musical chairs thrown in by all of the characters involved in the skullduggery. 

 The game can actually be played by one, two, or three players. The game is good playing solitaire or with two people. However, it really shines when you have three players. Then it becomes a much more interesting game of 'And Then There Were None'. Bitter rivals can become the closest of friends given the right inducement. Each side has a good number of possible turncoats that probably have a plethora of coats in their closets. 

 This is the very abbreviated Sequence of Play:

Every game is comprised of six turns, each divided into

five phases.

1. Initial phase

2. Event Phase

3. Court Phase

4. War Phase

5. End Phase

 This is the War Phase of Play:

During the War Phase, each faction tries to capture

enemy cities while protecting its own. The War Phase

continues until all factions decline to take further

rounds, at which point the war for the current turn ends

and the winner of the war is determined.

War phase sequence:

a) Draw War cards

b) Armies deployment

c) Army leaders placement

d) War rounds

e) Determine War Winner

 The Playbook goes through an extended game turn with three people playing. Some might call this a deck building game. In this game it is more nuanced than that. Sometimes it is better to take a less efficient leader. One of the ways to end the war is by treaty. So, it is usually a good idea to take a writer into your deck. This is one of those games that is like an onion. It is very hard to describe play because it has layer upon layer of strategy to win the game. If you are interested in a deep game that has more than just war at its center, this game is for you.

 These are the games victory conditions:

"

A faction may achieve automatic victory at the end of

any game turn if it meets the following conditions:

- Royalist: the number of League cities is less than

six and the number of Huguenot cities is less than

six.

- League: the League faction controls twice as

many cities as the Huguenots.

- Huguenot: the Huguenot faction controls more

cities than Royalist and League combined and

control Paris.

If no faction has achieved automatic victory by the end

of the final turn, then count the total victory points as

below:

City control: the faction controlling the largest number

of cities earns (7) seven points, the faction with

the second-largest number earns (5) five points and the

faction with the least earns (3) three points.

Political conviction: the faction that has created the

most treaties earns (4) four points, the faction with the

second-largest number earns (2) two points and the

faction with the least earns (1) one point.

The faction with the most victory points wins the game.

In case of a tie, the winner is by order of priority:

the Royalist faction, then the faction allied with the

Royalist."

 As you can see, creating the most treaties gives you four points so that number is nothing to sneeze at. The card play and events allows anything to happen at pretty much any time. You might have a perfect plan built in your hand only to see it swept away in the next moment. The only thing the game does not give you is actual daggers to stick in your opponent's back.

 Thank you, Fellowship of Simulations, for allowing me to review this game. I am very impressed that you were able to design a game about the convoluted events in France at this time. I can see where it would definitely help a player to have knowledge of these times. However, the game can be taught to someone who knows nothing of the history behind it. Below is a link to my review of their Verdun game.

Robert

Fellowship of Simulations:

FELLOWSHIP OF SIMULATIONS – FELLOWSHIP OF SIMULATIONS (fsimgames.com)

Wars of Religion France 1562-1598:

WARS OF RELIGION – FELLOWSHIP OF SIMULATIONS (fsimgames.com)

Verdun 1916, Steel Inferno my review:

Verdun 1916 Steel Inferno by Fellowship of Simulations - A Wargamers Needful Things

 

 Bayonets & Tomahawks

The French and Indian War

by

GMT Games

 I believe it is time to sip some tea and watch 'The Last of the Mohicans' one more time. I will give 10 points to anyone who knows Hawkeye's real given name. I believe he is called more names in the book than many rap sheets have aliases. 

 The French & Indian War was not, strangely enough, a cut and dried English and Colonist victory from the start. As a matter of fact, the French were winning pretty much right up until 1759. This is pretty amazing when you look at the population figures:

French Colonists in North America - 50,000

English Colonists in only the 13 Colonies - 1,000,000

 If it had not been for the parsimoniousness of the Colonists it would have been a walkover. Oddly enough this ultimately led to the loss of the Colonies to England. The English government finally realized that to win in North America they would have to bring large amounts of troops and supplies. To do this meant spending an enormous amount of money. After the war, England tried to make the colonies pay for some, if not most, of the war which led directly to "Taxation, Without Representation". 

 This is really a great historical time to create a boardgame out of. You have the Colonists and the English on one side. Then you have the French and most of the Indians on the other one. You have Montcalm and Wolfe, let alone their famous death scene paintings, along with Amherst, whose own penny pinching leads to Pontiac's Rebellion. The only real assets the English have are their population and the Iroquois Confederacy. So let us see what comes with the game:

22" x 34" mounted map

54 cards

135 unit counters

8 Commanders

17 Vagaries of War tokens

1 small fabric bag

6 custom dice

1 sheet of markers

1 Player Aid sheet

5 Scenario Information sheets

Rulebook and Playbook

Complexity is listed as a '3'

Solitaire Suitability is listed as a '6'

Game Scale for Units is:

300 - 1,500 Men

16 Cannon

5 Ships of The Line

Each Round is approximately 3 Weeks

Playtime is listed as 2 hours per Year

 This is one of the new breed of games that are truly wargames, but are presented as Euro games as far as their components. It is a wonderful time to be a grognard, except of course, for most of our ages. As long as we still have our wits about us and our glasses handy, we will be fine. The map is mounted, and is extremely colorful. The way the territories are presented are a bit different, and it takes a bit of time to get used to. Canada is situated on the left, and the rest of the Eastern part of North America is on the right. There are no hexes, and it is a point to point movement system. In area, it goes from Louisbourg in the North to the Cherokee Nation (roughly South Carolina) in the South. It has all of the major, and some minor, of the points of interest in the French and Indian War such as Le Detroit, Ticonderoga, Montreal, Quebec etc. French forts and towns at the start are blue in color, and the English ones are red. All of the tracks, victory, turn etc., are on the map. The Rulebook is in full color, and is twenty-one pages long. The last two pages is a large two page Unit Reference Chart. The Playbook is forty-eight pages long. The last two pages are a Counter Manifest and one page called "Easily Forgotten Rules". The latter is a nice touch needed in a few other games as well. The Counters are very large and easy to read. They also have pre-clipped edges. Their shape is either triangular for light troops, square for normal troops, and round for artillery and fleets. Leaders are square shaped, and forts are circles. There are three decks of Cards. These are Indian, French, and English. Some have instructions on top, and all come with a combination of triangles, squares, or a combination of the two. There are six Die that were made especially for the game. There is a black pouch included to hold the Die. The game comes with two four page Player Aids. The lettering is large enough to read easily and they are set up in a sensible manner for checking rules etc. It also comes with two full page Scenario Setup cards for all four scenarios, double-sided, two for the English Player and two for the French Player. There is also a fifth setup card, one-sided, that is used for the Indian Nations setup in every scenario. The game also comes with a good amount of small baggies for the counters. As usual with GMT Games, the presentation of the game is excellent.

 The Scenarios in the game are:

Vaudreuil's Petite Guerre 1755

Loudon's Gamble 1757

Amherst's Juggernaut 1758-1759

French & Indian War Full Campaign 1755-1759

There are three Scenario Variants:

Early French & Indian War 1755-1756

An Ambitious British Offensive 1758

French & Indian War with historical reinforcements 1755-1759

Also included is an Optional 1760 Campaign Year 

 Do not let this game's look deceive you. Yes, it is manufactured in the EURO style, but it is a real wargame nonetheless. It forces the player to answer the same question wargames did fifty years ago. First, what is my plan of operations, and once my plan is shredded by my opponent's 'friction', what do I do now. The game is pretty much a two in one game. If you are playing the one year scenarios you do not have time to think about the long haul. In those scenarios it really just becomes a victory point grab free-for-all between players. With the longer scenarios you are able to build up your forces and really concentrate on winning a much longer war. France has the edge early on, but England is able to build up a much larger force given time. The Indian Nations are an invaluable asset to whomever swings the most of them to their side. This is the first game I have played that really gives the Indian Nations the credit they deserve in helping or hindering each side. Without the Indian Nations that were on the French side, the war would have been much shorter historically. One thing you have to remember is that your playing field is mostly wilderness. The contested ground between both sides was not what most of us probably imagine. Twenty years later Burgoyne was still hamstrung trying to go from lake George to Albany by the wilderness. As the French Player I would strike hard and often with raids. Remember, the English Player has to come to you to win the victory points he needs. Louisbourg is exactly what it was historically, the gateway to the St. Lawrence and Quebec and Montreal. The English Player, in the long game, can afford to wait and build up his juggernaut. He cannot run all over the map trying to stop French raids etc. It would be like playing whack-a-mole. He has to decide on a strategy and stick to it.

  The Designer states " I have more fun moving armies on the map than managing logistics". Then he goes onto explain that is why he designed the cards the way he did, and how much work went to get them to work the way he wanted. He was trying to get as many historical outcomes as he could, or at least match the history at different times. He goes on to write about how much work was put into the Die also. Then he shows how his system of using the Die does actually mimic historical outcomes. Every time a Player destroys an enemy  Metropolitan Brigade (French or British Army Regulars) the Player gets a WIE (War in Europe) chit. These can count as Victory Points at the end of your chosen scenario. The way the Designer writes he seems a bit proud of himself for this game and its system. I agree with him. He should be proud of what he has given us in Bayonets & Tomahawks. As someone who has read as much as possible about the conflict, I believe the game gives the Players much of the same goals, forces, and starting off point as in history. You can use/suffer these different strategies or events in the game:

Build Roads

Raid

Build a Fort

Lose Commanders in Battle

This is only a taste of what you can do.

This is actually a shot of the game on Vassal

 Thank you very much, GMT Games for letting me take a test drive with Bayonets and Tomahawks. I am very pleased with the historical accuracy and gameplay that is built into it. 

Robert

Bayonets & Tomahawks:

GMT Games - Bayonets & Tomahawks

GMT Games:

GMT Games

 The Black Prince and the Capture of a King Poitiers 1356

by

Marilyn Livingstone & Morgen Witzel

 This book continues the trend in Casemate Publications that I have mentioned before. To whit, never go by their titles. You would think that a book with a battle in its name would give you a little history before the battle and then end with the battle. This book actually gives the history of the entire Hundred Years War up to the Battle of Poitiers. It also gives a day by day journal of each day during the campaign. Then it finishes up with some of the events that happened after the battle. How the authors managed to get all of this in only 200 pages is pretty amazing. Because of the above, do not think that the history of the actual battle was given short shrift. The battle and the failed negotiations before it are gone into detail.

  I have never been much of a fan of the 'Black Prince'. I have always delved into the Hundred Years War before and after him. Because of this book I am now much more informed about his exploits and why he was considered a great general. Contrary to the usual history about the French, this book shows that they realized they had to come up with a plan to beat the English long bowmen. They didn't just haphazardly charge at the first Englishmen they saw. The book also shows how some Scots, fresh from fighting the English, were high up in the French war councils. The authors show that the Black Prince was brought to bay, much like Henry V, by the French maneuvering. 

 This is an amazing book that gives the reader everything he would want to know about the battle and the campaign. Thank you Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this wonderful history narrative.

Robert

Book: The Black Prince and the Capture of a King Poitiers 1356

Authors: Marilyn Livingstone & Morgen Witzel

Publisher: Casemate Publishers