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

 

Florenza X Anniversary edition is a reprint of a game I knew nothing about. I love games with unique themes and this one is the first game I’ve played about Italian renaissance art. What’s slightly ironic in a game that worships at the feet of the most iconic names in art is that its own artwork is a little on the bland and beige side. But you shouldn’t let this minor gripe put you off, there is a good game in here with a ridiculously tight economy.

Gameplay

The game pits you, as a patron of the arts in Florence commissioning paintings, sculptures and architecture. Prestige Points are earned for supporting and funding artworks and they ultimately decide who wins the game, most Prestige Points wins. All of that sounds, quite simple but I had a bear of a time trying to learn the game, I think partly due to the fact the rules never explicitly state that the squares across the boards are the artworks. It’s bloomin’ obvious now I’ve played it a handful of times, but I found the initial learning curve pretty steep and opaque. Not least because everything is written in quite arcane Italian - more on that later.



This is a competitive worker placement game for 1 to 5 players. Every piece of art (its name at least) and character card are part of true history and that is fantastic. I feel slightly cleverer...each time I finish a game of this. There are a bunch of different mechanisms and abilities that change each round that you’ll constantly be taxed trying to work out how to afford Bernino to sculpt the Cupola of the Duomo…(confused? Shame on you for not having any archaic Italian language skills...)

The unique selling point of this ‘medieval euro worker placement’ (do we not have enough of those yet?) is that you place your workers out to action spaces, sometimes to collect resources and sometimes to spend them but you don’t actually resolve the action spaces until a later phase Trying to keep a handle on the cost of what you’re planning on building, in an even later phase, and placing your workers in order to meet those requirements, in an earlier phase, sounds simple when written down but is actually a memory game like no other.



Your best-laid plans can quickly and purposefully be derailed by other players as well. If I plan on building a particular piece of art I should make damn certain that I’ll have the necessary resources to build it otherwise I’ll lose prestige points. However, if you place your workers out to get the resources first another player could usurp you on that artwork and you’re left either with an inferior piece or not being able to build at all. There are some deliciously brutal moves you can inflict on your opponents and I love that in any game.

In order to build a piece of art, you’ll have to hire an artist and give them the necessary resources to complete it. There are 5 main resources in this game Marble, Wood, Cloth, Stone, Gold and ‘the green one’. It supposedly Spice but I can’t figure out what that was used for in renaissance art and it looks more like a paint pot to me. There are 7 rounds in which you’ll be building workshops (to get your ‘engine’ going, collecting resources from income or workshops you’ve built (which ultimately let you either build more workshops and complete pieces of art), hiring artists (which provide bonus Prestige), paying alms to the church, working with merchants of Florence (called Captains of Fortune), becoming a captain of the people or a Bishop yourself or even a Cardinal or simply trading at the market or running your business. ‘Phew’...



As you can see there’s a lot going on. For a newcomer to the game (i.e. me), the amount of archaic Italian on the board and cards was a bit of a stumbling block to understanding and learning the game. I’ve got no idea what a ‘Rione’ is or what a Boscaludolo does, and you’ll not find any English guides to help you. What I didn’t realise until my second game is that the text really doesn’t matter, initially it was a stumbling block but by my third play I was appreciating the Italian flare and I’m glad that the designer purposefully retained the language throughout the game to ‘enhance the atmosphere and immersiveness of the playing experience’.

There are 8 phases each round and the player order is variable based on who was farthest on the Prestige Points track. However, this is definitely not a case of a runaway leader as each time you become the first player (i.e. take the Captain of the People card) you’ll reset your Prestige marker back to 0 and collect that many Prestige points as tokens instead. This was a clever mechanism to move the first player marker around the table not just randomly but also based on skill. It is certainly possible to manufacture a couple of game turns where you stay as 1st player.



The second player is determined by the Church Influence track - which works very similarly to Prestige and awards the leading player with becoming a bishop for the next round. If you’re ever elected Bishop twice in a row you’ll become a cardinal and although the rule book says that that has lots of bonus points I’ve never seen that happen. The third, fourth and fifth player orders is based solely on their position on the Prestige track. I like variable player orders and this feels a bit more tactical (i.e. I prefer it) to the typical action space that takes the first player marker - here it’s all based on your accumulated Prestige / Influence.

The ordering of the phases in the round, at first glance, seemed a little disjointed to me. It took a few games to really sink in and I was constantly looking in the rule book and flicking back and forth to find the correct interpretation. Unfortunately, the rulebook wasn’t as comprehensive as I would have liked. For example, the income phase is clearly marked on the game components with a purple colour. Nowhere in the rulebook (that I could) find is that explained. I spent the first 30 minutes of my learning game, wondering what the bizarre colouring on the workshops was. But I did feel a bit cleverer...when I worked it out.



Once the round order clicked, I appreciated the ordering of it, and the ordering is actually what makes this game so brain-burnery…(real word). Your workers are placed in Phase 4 and there can only ever be one worker per space. This is sequentially in player order. In Phase 5 you’ll resolve the actions in a specified order and/or trade in the market. Bearing in mind that you’ll have commissioned artists with their own inherent costs and art with their own resource requirements in Phase 4 and it isn’t until Phase 6 where you’ll actually complete that art...If you’re anything like me trying to mentally keep track of what my workers were going to do and how I was planning on funding that artwork should stave off, or induce a good level of dementia. I found it surprisingly difficult (in a good way) to plan and execute the plan without any mistakes.

Not being able to complete an artwork you’ve commissioned can lead to significant penalties. There are three main areas that you can build in, the Cathedral on the mainboard (or Duomo). Failing to build an artwork there will cost you 3 prestige points. The town of Florenza shows five other buildings on the mainboard. Miscalculations here will cost you 2 Prestige Points. Or you could build on your own player board where the penalty is only 1 Prestige Point for failing to build.



‘But surely that won’t happen', I hear you cry; it does and it will to you too. The economy is so tight that it is often the lack of just one resource ‘spice’ (!?) that prevents you from completing an artwork. You can’t just turn around and build one you can afford as your worker has to have chosen that artwork two phases earlier in order to build it. That, in essence, is the game of Florenza - a hybrid memory game with worker placement and a bit of tearing your remaining hair out because your opponents have just knee-capped you. And I loved it.

I certainly haven’t explored every nuance of this game and I’m not particularly good at it. For example, if you complete the four pieces in your own ‘Chiesa’ (anyone?) or the four in your ‘Palazzo’ (anyone?) you’ll get some bonus Prestige points each turn. However, by just completing one big artwork on the mainboard you can claim smaller but more easily achieved bonus points. I’ve never finished my board in 5 games. I like the fact that there are always some difficult decisions to be made, which are made harder by your opponents thinking exactly like you and nicking the spot you were eyeing up. This is particularly prevalent in the end game where many spots (i.e. art) on the mainboard have already been built, and you’re competing with lots more resources for far fewer spaces. Exactly how I like it.

Components

The components are all made from nice thick cardboard stock or wood and are all perfectly functional and easy to use. I particularly liked the likenesses of the artists and buildings on the cards and mainboard. I even recognised some of them…



There are also dedicated areas on the mainboard and your personal board to store resources which is quite a nice touch and necessary as this game will certainly eat up a lot of table space.

Criticisms

This game is crying out for a more comprehensive player aid. They include a workshop costs/benefit chart which I didn’t find overly helpful. But I did have to refer to the round order or a few common areas in the rulebook more times than I care to remember (and still do). My rule book is certainly looking a bit tired. A better player aid showing the round order and card powers would be far more useful, arguably it will probably take up a whole sheet of A4. For example, nowhere on the board does it mention the penalty cost for not completing a piece of art.



The biggest criticism I have is the set-up and pack-up time. It’s quite fiddly to do so and I’ve not been able to do it in under 15 minutes. You have to set out all of the available workshops (44 of them in approximately 20 stacks) and then draw 9 different artists from a deck matching the randomly drawn tiles; as well as all the other resources and cards to lay out. Thankfully the cards are all uniquely numbered and easy to identify, assuming you’ve packed the 40 cards away in numerical order.

I’ve played this solo and with three players and I don’t think I’d want to try a five-player game. Towards the end or even the middle of the game, you’ll have 8 kinsmen which will need careful consideration to place and resolve. This was an okay length of time in a 3 player teaching game but I wouldn’t want to teach this at any higher player count. I would only endorse this at 5 players if everyone had played before otherwise, it’s at risk of outstaying its welcome.

Conclusion

I had zero expectations or knowledge of this and it’s turned into a bit of a sleeper hit for me. It’s got a fairly unique theme and looks quite distinctive and not many people have heard of it, I find myself drawn to it more and more. I feel it certainly deserves more attention and is easily the equal of some of the most revered games in the hobby. I would recommend this to any seasoned gamer as a competitive and rewarding experience.

I’d like to thank Asmodee UK for sending this review copy. You can use this link https://www.asmodee.co.uk/contentpage/find-your-game-store to find your Friendly Local Game Store, which need all the help they can get at the moment.

Designers: Steffano Groppi
Bgg page: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/311464/florenza-x-anniversary-edition
Playtime: 90 - 180 mins
Players: 1-5