One of the biggest differences, and most important additions, that 1848: The Springtime of Nations (1848) makes to the classic Twilight Struggle/1989: The Dawn of Freedom system is the addition of armies which can be placed on the board. Like in many wargames, these pieces can be moved across the different spaces of the map, and engage in combat. However, in 1848 they are not the main focus of the attention but rather just an important part of the game of political influence that 1848 and its illustrious predecessors portray.

Army counters in 1848 only bear the name of their commander and their nationality. There are no strength factors or movement points. The main difference between them is their geographical limitation. For example, Italian Armies are confined to Italy, and the many Russian armies will not be able to help the counter revolution in neighboring empires unless a decisive late-game event is played to allow them to leave Russia.

Extremely rare at the beginning of the game, Armies of both sides gradually enter the fray through card events or by spending Momentum points earned during play. By the endgame Armies will be one of the most important and powerful resources at a player’s disposal.

The most important advantage of having an Army in a space is a simple but powerful rule: an Army associated with a player prevents his opponent’s control of a space in which it is present. For example,  if the Prague space was firmly in revolt, with 5 Revolutionary Influence (2 more than required for control), then an Austrian Army – say, led by Prince Windisch-Graëtz – merely has to enter the space to deny Revolutionary control of the space.

Second, each Agitation action (1848’s equivalent to 1989’s Support Checks) conducted in a space with a friendly Army gets a powerful +2 DRM from the military presence, whilst those with a hostile Army get a -2 DRM. So, as you can see, the presence of Armies directly shapes the geography of play.

For the Revolutionary player, the gradual arrival of Armies on the board represents how the political protests in the Spring crystallize into national armies. For the Counter-Revolutionary player they represent the organisation of resistance by reinvigorated troops as the incumbent governments respond. Military good fortune becomes more and more important as the game progresses, as control of key areas – and thus the scoring of different regions – starts to be determined by each player’s capacity to defend or attack them.

Fortunately, none of this comes at a high cost in terms of rules overhead. Mechanically speaking, Armies move around in a simple and intuitive way. Alongside options to Place Influence or Agitate, players can now also decide to use a card for Troop Movement. When this is selected, each Army you control can move one space for free. You then pay 1 Operation point provided by the card to move any one army one additional space.

As the military side of the game becomes more important, the players become more likely to be able to play Battle Events cards they will draw. Each of these has specific characteristics and requirements that will allow them to attack, or force their opponent to attack! Armies will usually find themselves in battles that can make or break the front lines around important regions such as Italy and Hungary, as well as winning precious Victory Points. When they occur, these Battles are resolved with a simplified version of the Revolution mini game for the players that prefer a more tactical and narrative play, but they can also be revolved with a simple die roll for those who favor speed and efficiency.

Note that Armies do not engage in battle through spending Operations points – that is governed by specific event cards. However, a stack of Armies may advance into a space where fewer enemy Armies are present, thus forcing them to retreat. This means that the combat system of the game is fast-paced, and potentially decisive, without distracting too much from the core gameplay centered on political influence.

Overall, Armies bring a lot in terms of gameplay, strategic options, and therefore interesting decision-making to 1848, but without making the game much more complicated at all!

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1848: The Springtime of Nations — Revolutions