Introduction by Congress of Vienna (CoV)’s Editor, Fred Schachter – To familiarize the InsideGMT audience of what designer Frank Esparrago accomplished with his fun and exciting Congress of Vienna game, now a GMT P-500 offering which has “Made the Cut” (thank you patrons!); previous InsideGMT articles presented “Designer’s Notes”, “Game as History: An Historical Introduction to the Congress of Vienna Period (CoV)”, “Meet the Statesmen of Congress of Vienna”, and “Congress of Vienna Goes Electric with VASSAL”. Now we present an example of how the rules and game components come together in this series entitled “Congress of Vienna Detailed Sequence of Play”. Use this link to access copies of the preceding-referenced articles: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-850-congress-of-vienna.aspx .
This series is based on a four player “across the Atlantic” VASSAL game narrated by game designer Frank Esparrago: two players were in Spain and two located in the USA. It will hopefully provide readers insight as to how enjoyable, thought-provoking, and entertaining Congress of Vienna is! The first episode of this piece took readers through this example turn’s initial set-up and Part 2 commenced a recapitulation of this game’s Diplomacy Phase… where much Skype-supported “wheeling and dealing” and Major Power positioning occurred.
Kindly note the following text and ensuing increments of this article series are, with some editing, eventually intended as content for the game’s Playbook. As such, there will be ready reference to the Rulebook to explain related detail as needed. For now, kindly accept our apologies for having the rules behind this example of play remaining mostly implicit. However, any quotes from the latest rules are indicated by italics.
Furthermore, to better explain the reasons why players conducted themselves as they did and provide related design notes; we’ll now feature remarks along those lines by Enrique Trigueros, our game observer. Hopefully, this new feature will be of help.
With that, we resume the narrative of this Congress of Vienna example game turn’s Diplomacy Phase. Take it away Frank!
Note: If you would like to view any of the below images in a larger size, you can click on the image and it will point you to the full image file.
Situation at Commencement of the Turn’s Fifth Round of Diplomacy
In the previous article we introduced the heart of the Diplomacy Phase; a key feature of this GMT “Great Statesmen” entry, the first four Rounds of Diplomacy during this example of a CoV turn of play!
With four Rounds “in the books”, we now proceed to Round #5, but first some background…
The inital situation at the begining of the 5th round of Diplomacy is shown at left by Figure 1.
11 Issues were initially located upon the centrally placed Negotiation Table, now only 2 remain. There are three Issues located in the last unnumbered national track spaces after space #6 which have been secured (“in this last space it is considered won by the owning player and can no longer be debated in this turn.”): these are “Recruitment” (France), “Norway” (Russia), and “Absolutism” (Austria).
This image indicates an intense diplomatic struggle during the first four Rounds of the Diplomacy Phase. However, some Issue markers are located in their track’s 1 and 2 spaces which makes them dangerously exposed to possible dispute by other Powers and having their status rescinded. Parallel to the development of this diplomacy situation; the size of each player’s card hand has, for obvious reasons, decreased.
The cards each player has at the begining of the 5th Round of Diplomacy are shown below in Figure 2.
The French player, Jesús, has 9 cards; he started with an impressive 16 including Napoleon’s Leader card. Napoleon was played, which resulted in placing the “French Recruitment” Issue at the last space on the French track. Jesús divided his cards into two groups: the first six cards are reserved for the War Phase and the remaining three for the last two Rounds of diplomacy.
The Austrian player, Marina, received 11 cards and now has five remaining. These are divided between Austrian and neutral cards (which have a +1 in debating for her… Austria’s National Advantage) and the other two cards left are quite mediocre. The Austrian Leader Metternich card was used to secure the “Absolutism” Issue marker.
The Russian player, Dick, also received 11 cards; and now has six remaining in hand: five for military use, and only one, Radetzky, for diplomatic use. The Russian Leader, Tsar Alexander I, was expended during a previous Round already described.
Finally, Jim, the British player, received 12 cards and now has seven cards, including his Castlereagh Leader. Since all three other Leader cards were used this turn, this gives The Maestro a great advantage since when he moves an Issue with Castlereagh no other player will be able to debate it (“a leader can only be debated by another leader”). He places a Russian 3-value card (Stein) under his Leader card as a reminder that Stein will be discarded when Castlereagh is played.
Jim plans reserving the Recruitment card (# 41) for the War Phase and obtain a much-needed military unit or fleet to reinforce Britain’s threatened position in America. Therefore, one of his four cards for military use must be used in diplomacy; unless Britain passes this 5th Round since Jim debated during the 4th Round (“when a player chooses to debate an issue, he has the option of passing on his next round”).
5th Round of Diplomacy
AUSTRIA: The 5th round is started by Marina playing the powerful Talleyrand (#30) card, a 5-value with +1 modifier for the Austrian player for the “Italy” Issue. The “Italy” marker is therefore directly moved to the 6-space of Austria’s track; as no player decides to debate her.
FRANCE: Next, France plays the 3-value von Bulöw (#49) card and moves the “Hanover” Issue marker to the 4 space of its track. Again, no player debates and Jesús’ play is unimpeded. In this case, Marina decided not to debate since that Issue did not directly bring her VPs. “Hanover” only provides VPs for France, Russia and Britain (blue, Green and red background colors to the marker). While that is true, if Marina had a 6-value card (including modifiers); she could have taken “Hanover” to her track via debate and be in a better position to win the Diplomacy Phase and its 2 VPs.
RUSSIA: After evaluating his meager options, Dick plays Radetzky (# 43) to move the “Bavaria” Issue to the 3 space of Russia’s track; but Marina immediately plays her Merveldt card (#6) for debating with its 5-value: that’s Merveldt’s 3-card value, +1 modifier for “Bavaria” and +1 for Austrian card debating. This results in the “Bavaria” marker being placed in the 2 space of her track. Marina is close to becoming the Diplomacy Phase winner! A low murmuring “growl” seems to emanate from an irritatingly disappointed Dicksaurus.
BRITAIN: For finishing the fifth round, Jim decides to pass!!
This is a sound strategy if he wants to save the maximum number of cards for battles during the War Phase!
6th Round of Diplomacy
AUSTRIA: Marina begins with an initially strange seeming move. She plays the 3-value Wittgenstein card (#11) to move a “Russian military operation” marker from the 2 space of Russia’s track to the 1 space of Austria’s.
Why do this? The War Phase is ineffectual for neutral Austria! The Austrian player will decide which Front this Russian marker will be placed on (there are only two possibilities: the Northern or Central Europe Fronts, and since there are only two markers; these willalways be placed there.
Consequently, Marina reasons, Dick should not find this too objectionable since the Russian military is not being deprived.
Although she tries to reassure the Russian player of her intentions; Dick grumbles at the situation, closes his eyes and internally vows appropriate vengeance at some future time, but has no cards to forestall Austria’s play because he must await France’s move… and France, after all, is Russia’s true enemy at this point in the game.
FRANCE: Jesús has few cards to use for diplomacy and they are both poor 2-value cards. He decides to use his Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia (#35) card to remove the “Russian Recruitment” Issue from the Russian track and thus prevent arrival of two military units as Russian Reinforcements.
Dick reluctantly debates this move. He uses his powerful 5-value Benningsen card (4-value, +2 modifier and -1 for French track) to place the “Russian Recruitment” marker back on the Russian track. Jesús is not completely upset by this: he just made Dick lose a valuable battle card for the War Phase by forcing its use during diplomacy.
RUSSIA: Dick chooses to Pass and not play a card for this sixth Round of diplomacy. None of the other three players are surprised by this. Russia needs to conserve its remaining cards.
BRITAIN: It is Jim Gutt’s turn to finish the six Rounds of diplomacy. The Maestro decides to obtain a “British Financial Aid” Issue marker located on the 2 space of Austria’s track. Jim reasons the Austrian player is not at war and Britain itself needs resources to “kill” the French (he indeed thinks that!). This play should not bother the Russians nor their troops and Austria should appreciate his need!
He uses the Castlereagh (B-1) Leader card and discards the Stein (#26) card. This enables moving the “British Financial Aid” Issue marker five spaces to the British track’s 3-space. None can debate the proposal of the only Leader now available since all other players’ Leaders are now inactive from being previously used during this Diplomacy Phase.
Dicksaurus’ grimace is distressing to behold and vindictive: “treacherous” Marina now has more Issues on her Austrian National Track (5) than he does (4). The other players each have (3) on their respective tracks.
The End of the Diplomacy Phase (and Declaring its Winner)
“When all the players have played six rounds, the diplomacy phase ends and the Diplomacy winner is established. The issues that remain in each national track are counted as won and the player with the most issues wins the diplomacy phase”. The situation at the end of the sixth and last Round of diplomacy is shown in Figure 6.
The player with the most Issues on their track is the Austrian player who has five. Therefore, Marina is the winner! As the rule states: “The winner is awarded 2 VPs, except if the winner is France, who wins 4 VPs”. Only in the event of a tie does the British player decide the winner. Consequently, Marina moves the Austrian VP token from its starting position (5-space on the VP record track) to the 7 VP-space. “Tsar” Dick bitterly grumbles against the duplicitous Austrians’ superb debate skills while his Russians have to fight the French alone. The Diplomacy Phase is over, now the Government Phase begins!
Commencing and Playing the Government Phase
The VASSAL screen shot scheme for the Government Phase is depicted by Figure 7. Each player performs the same procedure: “Once the diplomacy phase has ended, it is time to make decisions regarding the issues won in the diplomacy phase. Beginning with the player on the left of the diplomacy winner, each player decides which won issues he wants to finance by his resources”. Therefore, since Marina (Austria) won the Diplomacy Phase, the player who begins this game’s Government Phase is the French player. Jesús is not happy about being the first to play; for it means Jim, the British player, will see all France’s main government and military decisions and then decide what Britain will do. Jim has 5 resource markers (Britain’s basic allotment) with two additional resource markers, received through the Initial Environment Table and another, by having played the Earl of Eldon (#27) card during a prior diplomacy Round, for a total of seven.
Players must assign resource markers by priorities. A player must first fulfill all obligations of a higher priority before proceeding to any lower prioritized Issue(s). For example, this can mean Britain may not have sufficient resources remaining to fulfill any desired “Military Operation” Issue(s) until all its preceding priorities are fulfilled:
● 1st priority: Peace Issues – “Armistice”, “Congress of Peace” and “Peace of Ghent”
● 2nd priority: “Austria at War” and “Sweden at War” Issues
● 3rd priority: Britain, for each “British Financial Aid” Issue won by other player(s)
● 4th priority: “Military Operation” Issues
● 5th priority: All Other Issues; each player can activate an Issue as long as he has a resource marker to spend on each (only the Liberalism / Absolutism Issue does not require expenditure of a resource to be activated).
Consequently, a key aspect of Congress of Vienna’s design is for a player to have sufficient resources to activate the mandatory and other key Issues won during the preceding Diplomacy Phase. A player lacking sufficient Resources for all Issues must first pay for prioritized Issues (highest priorities first). Any Issues lacking resources for activation are recycled back to the Diplomacy Display for potential acquisition the following turn.
FRANCE: Jesús, the French player, is first for Government Phase play. He has 6 resource markers (basic assignment) with no mandatory Issues compelling their allocation. Jesús places two resource markers to activate the “French Recruitment” and “Hanover” Issues. The recruitment that corresponds to each nation consists of two military pieces (wooden blocks), player’s choice, and in the case of the British player, he gets a British military piece and a second piece that must be either Spanish military, Portuguese military or British fleet”; but “he… obtain his recruitment but he loses -1 VP”; for this reason. He places two French military units in Paris and one more in the Hanover space: “If a player has won the European minor countries political influence issue(s) related to his power; he may spend a resource marker for each of those issues; he gains 1VP for each issue activated by spending a resource…, if the minor country space is under his control, he also always receives a military unit”. France therefore loses and wins 1 VP: so the French VP token position remains unchanged.
Three resources are spent for acquiring 3 Military support markers (placed in the Paris space awaiting transfer to the appropriate battlefronts during the War Phase). The remaining support marker is used for Sound Government and Jesús places the French VP token at the 61-space of the VP record track.
RUSSIA: It is the turn of Dick Sauer, our Russian player. He has 3 resource markers (basic assignment), and two additional resource markers: one received through the “British Financial Aid” marker located on his track (a British resource received) and another for playing the Arakcheyev (# 45) card during diplomacy Rounds. Of this 5 resources total, Dick places 2 resource markers on both his track’s “Russian Military Operation” markers for activation during the War Phase (mandatory Issues with 3rd priority).
He then places two resource markers to activate the “Russian Recruitment” and “Norway” Issues. “Recruitment” allows him to place a Russian and a Prussian military unit in the Russia Box. The VP gained by “Norway” and lost by “Recruitment” are a wash and causes the Russian VP token to remain at the 10-space of the VP record track. The remaining resource is spent for a Military Support marker placed in the Russia Box.
BRITAIN: Now it is the turn of Jim, the British player, who has no Issue on Britain’s track under the 1st and 2nd priorities. However, Dick has a “British Financial Aid” marker on the Russian track, a 3rd priority, so the first British resource marker must be delivered to the Russian player. Next, The Maestro is compelled to spend resources on both Britain’s “Military Operations”: the one located in the 5-space of his track and the one located on the French track.
The first “British Military Operation” marker is placed next to the British Army of Portugal (Front C) and the second “British Military Operation” marker placed by the French player who gained this Issue and decides to deploy it into the War of 1812 Box. This means France makes a military decision for Britain!
In this game, when a player wins an operation belonging to another Power, it means the high command of the player decides where that military operation takes place and that player will obviously select an alternative of least advantage to their enemy! When “both sides have Military Operation marker; they remain in their respective spaces and they are simultaneous attacker and defender and must use all appropriate terrain battle DRMs”. This usually makesfor even bloodier and uncertain battles on that Front.
At this moment Jim has four resource markers remaining: the first is spent to activate the “British Recruitment” Issue (currently on his track) but he suffers a -1 VP penalty for using this and consequently places the British VP token at the 4-space on the VP record track. The recruitment [issue]… in the case of the British player, he gets a British military piece and a second piece that must be either Spanish military, Portuguese military or British fleet”. Jim now places a British military unit and a Fleet in the London Box, prepared to go to different Fronts during the War Phase. “If the British player wins his own Financial Aid issue, there is no increase [support marker] for him”; that is, nothing happens with this marker.
The remaining three British resource markers are spent in acquiring two Military support markers “(a military support marker… simulates providing these armies with sappers, entrenchments, elite units, military intelligence, and supplies)” which Jim places in the London Box and the remaining support marker is spent for Sound Government (“the players can spend only one unused resource markers for 1 VP for this purpose”); this places the British VP token back at the VP record track’s 5-space. It’s good fostering “Sound Government”, eh?
AUSTRIA: Finally,it is the turn of Marina, the Austrian player, who places her three resource markers (her nation’s basic assignment) for the “Austrian Recruitment”, “Italy” and “Bavaria” Issues’ activation. For the first Issue, she receives two Austrian military units that she places in the box of Austria but does not lose 1 VP because “the Austrian player does not lose 1 VP for this reason until he enters the war”. Marina receives 1 VP for “Italy” and another VP for “Bavaria” but does not receive additional military units for these minor countries.
Austria also has the “Absolutism” Issue placed upon its track and therefore wins it: “the player who wins this issue must roll to 1D6; 4-6, success and the appropriate pawn is advanced a space on the track (in the red track by the French or British player; and in the green track by the Russian or Austrian player)… Since this issue always affects a pair of players, both players involved (France-Britain or Russia-Austria) can jointly spend their resources. For each resource spent, a +1 is obtained for the die roll”.
Although asked, no players spend any resource(s) to influence the die roll. Marina rolls a virtual 1D6 and obtains a result of “4”. Consequently, the green pawn of Absolutism is advanced into the “Defender of the faith” space and 1 VP each is received by both the Austrian and Russian players (another reason for Dicksaurus to reveal his toothy smile). Now the Austrian VP token is advanced to the 10-space (5 VPs Austrian Setup + 2 VPs Winner Diplomacy Phase + 1 VP for “Italy” + 1 VP for “Bavaria” + 1 VP for 1st space on the Absolutism track = 10 VPs) and the Russian VP token advanced to the 11-space of the VP record track.
Concluding the Government Phase (Pax Britannica Issue Resolution)
Each turn, at the end of Government Phase, the Pax Britannica Issue is resolved (CoV includes aspects that shaped the political and economic world dominion policies by 19th century Great Britain): “the British player rolls a six-sided die to determine the results. However, to advance in some spaces the pawn must meet certain prerequisites. With a result of 4-6, the Pax Britannica pawn advances on its corresponding record track; getting immediately the VPs indicated on each space. This die roll may be modified for the British player”.
Jim does not spend any resources to modify the die roll for this Issue. He rolls a 1D6 for a “3”: the carmine colored pawn of “Pax Britannica” does not advance and Jim receives no VPs!
In the next post, Part 4 of 5, we will begin to explain and demonstrate Congress of Vienna’s War Phase in detail! Keep your powder dry!
Congress of Vienna Detailed Sequence of Play – The Initial Phase (Part 1 of 5)
Congress of Vienna Detailed Sequence of Play – The Diplomacy Phase (Part 2 of 5)
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