Introduction by Congress of Vienna Assistant Designer & Editor – Fred Schachter: This is the first STANDARD GAME Congress of Vienna Replay Article to grace the pages of InsideGMT. To date, each AAR used optional rules favored by CoV veteran grognard play testers… which encompasses all the “Wargame Flavor” rules the game offers. For those AAR’s and other related material to provide a rich background to best appreciate this article, see: GMT Games – Congress of Vienna .
These Wargame Flavor elements include those purple color-highlighted rule cross-references on CoV’s map (see above image) as well as other rules solely within the Playbook. While these are fun and add historiocity (such as including the Norway/Denmark Box)… the more things to consider does slow the pace of play down… not that our grognards mind! Designer Frank’s CoV play testers in Spain, however, consist of many a Eurogamer and they vastly prefer the smoother and less rule knowledge needed Standard Game. We now embark on the latest Congress of Vienna game replay adventure… enjoy!
The Saturday Sessions Team, excitedly “psyched” to be play testing Designer Frank’s latest Congress of Vienna scenario creation, “The Clash of Armies”, a four turn contest capturing the heart of the game’s historical time period which includes the Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig in Congress of Vienna (CoV) – Inside GMT blog. This time, unlike prior play-tests, these veteran wargame “grognards” would be taking CoV’s Standard Game, rather than playing with its Wargame Flavor rules, out for a spin.
The “Clash of Armies” scenario begins with Game Turn 5, Aug. 1813, and concludes with Game Turn 8, Nov.-Dec. 1813. The winner would be the Major Power having the most Victory Points (VP) with one special Victory Condition… for independent of VP scoring, France automatically wins if it controls Gascony, Bavaria, and Holland at the end of the game. This means Napoleon avoids his historical fate… for at the end of Turn 8, France itself was historically menaced with direct invasion by mighty Allied Armies closing in on the homeland.
“Clash of Armies” Game Start Preliminaries (Initial Situation Resolutions)
For this game, the Major Power player roles would be… France – Chris, Britain – Mirek, Russia – David S. (we’ve more than one play tester named “David” on the CoV Team), and Austria – Ty.
The Initial Situation card and Environment Table (see Figure 1) dice roll results were a 3 and a 5. Which means Austria gained an extra card for its hand… Ty selected the Diplomat card Stadion, who when played to negotiate certain Issues, earns an extra Resource for Austria. This was done secretly to the other players’ knowledge. The “5” die roll generated NO EFFECT. 3 US Militia units were added into the War of 1812 Box, which now had a total of 4 units.
With that resolved, each Major Power received its hand of cards for the turn (see Figure 10 towards the end of this article) and wagered one of them to learn who’d win an extra Issue for their National Diplomatic Track. When the four cards were turned face-up (Figure 2) three of them were of 3-value. It was France who won by wagering the 5-value Wellington card (much to Britain’s chagrin, although France was none too pleased to see Jackson, who’d have been quite useful for a War of 1812 battle, out of play for the turn!). Since the difference between the highest value wagered card and lowest was two, Chris selected the Absolutism/ Liberalism Issue for placement on France’s Diplomatic Track’s 2-Space.
You can observe Mandatory Issues indicated by Initial Situation Card A-5 (Figure 1) being placed in the Diplomacy section of the Vassal screen. This includes France starting with one of its two Military Operation markers placed on its Track’s 3-Space.
On the Diplomacy Table itself are the French Recruitment Issue, which if won by France would allow two new French military units’ entry into the game (at the price of -1VP), as well as the important to the Allies’ Generalissimo Issue.
The key Issue for this turn is Austria at War which is placed on the British Track’s 2-Space. If it remains at this position, or on Russia’s Track, Austria will certainly join the Allies in opposition to France… just in time for the turn’s War Phase, to wreak woe upon Napoleon!
On the other hand, if Austria wins this Issue, it means Ty would have the choice of whether to enter the fray (there are bonus VP for Austria staying at peace plus opportunity to further build up its military strength). France winning this Issue assures Austria staying out of war!
Both British Financial Aid Issues are tantalizingly placed on the Russian and Austrian tracks, but they are temporally hidden by the Austrian and Russian wagered cards!
The players then, in a clockwise sequence with Russia going first since France won the wager, choose two Issues each for the Diplomacy Table. These are in addition to those (six) dictated for placement by the turn 5 Historical Initial Situation Card A-5 (see Figure 1).
Interesting to Frank and myself as observers was that Austria and Russia, between them, only selected two of their four Military Operations Issues. If Austria enters the war, they won’t have sufficient Military Operation markers to address all possible battle possibilities… and that presumes France won’t throw a wrench into their plans!
Diplomacy Phase
With these preliminaries concluded, the action moved to Congress of Vienna‘s Diplomacy Phase.
Highlights were…
There were 4 card trade actions by the players… ah, if only I as an observer could have recorded what cards were traded in real time! The Vassal screen only shows traded cards face-down.
Round One saw Mirek, as Britain, use Berthier to debate the Absolutism/Liberalism Issue. This annoyed France since it meant Chris could not use France’s “forced trade” National ability to possibly gain Berthier, who is valuable for increasing France’s Strategic Movement capacity and allows a Napoleon battle dice re-roll ability.
Britain played the James Gambier card to force France’s US forces in the War of 1812 Box to attack Britain (Figure 4).
Why? Mirek, as Britain, wants to fight in America, taking advantage of the USA’s perceived weakness since Jackson’s card is out of play as it was removed during the turn’s initial wagers. Furthermore, Mirek presumes France is going to be sorely pressed by mighty Russian and Austrian attacks in Germany!
Through British play of the Gambier card, a US Military Operation marker is placed accordingly (see Figure 8’s War of 1812 Box).
Leader Play: Metternich was used to take the Absolutism/Liberalism Issue from Britain’s Track. Britain countered. Then the Tsar Alexander I card was used for a negotiation move to bring the Issue to Russia’s Seat (its Track’s 7-Space) which was immediately debated by Castlereagh, who brought the Absolutism/Liberalism marker back to the Negotiation Table (for the game’s Leader cards, see the below Figure 5). Note: only a Leader may debate another Leader’s negotiation!
CoV 1 or 2-player vs. the 4- player Game Note: An Allied player in the 2-player or Solitaire game can optimally coordinate Allied cards in his possession (at least in theory); while a 4 player game is relatively chaotic and prone to dramatics due to player personalities. Which, of course, adds to the fun!
The 2-player game lacks the potential for blundering that the 4-player game environment provides. “The two first turns of this Congress of Vienna game situation are frantic. Wow! What a circus!”. This was David’s comment after this, his first 4-player game experience, since to that point he had only played 2-player and 1-player Congress of Vienna games. However, the more experienced of our CoV Play Test Teams already know that when there is disunity among Allied players France may prevail!
Please recall how players (Major Powers) are partnered when it comes to the Absolutism/ Liberalism Issue (see Figure 6). Austria & Russia are proponents for Absolutism while Britain and France (Yes, France!) seek the advancement of Liberalism.
This particular Congress of Vienna game was remarkable in how players fixated on the Absolutism/Liberalism Issue to the neglect of so many other opportunities. Multiple actions and a huge cumulative value of cards got burned for an Issue France ultimately snatched away from the Allies. 60% of the turn’s Diplomacy Phase’s activities involved Absolutism/ Liberalism. (18 of 30 negotiations and debates… Vassal is a great recorder of such data!) So much Allied emphasis was given this one Issue that it enabled France to accrue an impressive quantity of Issues upon its Negotiation Track.
The final “last licks” of Turn 5’s Diplomacy Phase Round 6 took place after Austria did a negotiation move for the Austria at War Issue. That Issue had been left undisturbed on the British Track since the Phase’s beginning. It moved the Issue from the British Track with intent of controlling Austria’s own destiny. This allowed Chris, as France, to take a rare opportunity to use his Napoleon Leader, who could not be debated as all three Allied Leaders had already been used, to grab the Austria at War Issue. Chris brought it to the French Track’s 2-Space with no Allied way to stop it.
Thus, in one dramatic move, France kept Austria out of the war! The Armistice would continue. There’d be no battles possible on Central European Track A, Northern European Track B, or the Italian Front Track F. Furthermore, Chris had expertly played so Austria’s sole Military Operation marker remained on the Negotiation Table while both British Military Operation Issue markers, as well as the one Russian, wound up on France’s Track.
This meant that while the owning player still had to pay a Resource for each of his Military Operation markers, it would be France, Chris, who’d decide WHERE to place them. With Austria remaining out of the war and Russia under Armistice; this would result in the only meaningful Allied attacks being the British Military Operation markers France controlled.
As there was no Pax Britannica Table die roll possible since it required a pre-condition of the War of 1812 Track’s pawn being in the +1 Britain space or higher; play therefore moved to resolution of the Liberalism Issue won by France. Britain & France agreed that neither of them would spend the additional Resource for a +1 die roll modifier which would assure their pawn’s progress into the Liberalism Track’s “Free Market” space for a gain of 3VPs each. Afterall, Britain’s play of Huskisson and France’s play of the Gaudin card during the Diplomacy Phase were already providing a +2 modifier. They’d win on a die roll of “anything but a one”, eh? So, with a figurative anticipatory drum roll France rolled the Vassal die and the result… WAS A ONE!
Thus, the Diplomacy Phase concluded with France securing a remarkable seven (7) Issues on its Track… more than the three Major Allied Powers managed to collectively accrue! Mirek (Britain), David (Russia), and Ty (Austria) gave a kind of collective slap to their respective foreheads and exclamations of “Oh my what have we done?!?” when realizing their mistakes in not effectively playing together to thwart France’s Diplomatic gains. For winning the Diplomacy Phase, France received 4VP’s (see Figure 7). Wow!
Government Phase and War Phase
A bright spot for the Allies was denying France its Recruitment Issue… the only one on Britain’s Track. France did gain Holland for 1VP and a military unit. Russia gained Poland for a VP and military unit and Austria won Saxony for a VP (with no military unit possible since France controlled the space).
Britain would have liked to place one of its Military Operation Issue markers to enable its Track C Army of Portugal in Castile to attack France’s Army of Spain in the French homeland space of Gascony. However, since France controlled both British Military Operation markers, one was placed to force Britain’s Track D Eastern Army in Valencia to attack France’s Mediterranean Army in Catalonia. The other British Military Operation marker compelled Britain’s Army of Sicily to Amphibiously Attack France’s Track E Army of Naples. Chris placed his one French Military Operation marker to enable a Spain Track D attack from Catalonia on Valencia.
The turn’s Strategic Movements saw forces removed from the Armistice quiescent European Fronts to where the actions would be (see below Figure 8).
Next was resolution of the August 1813 turn’s battles.
Southern Spain Track D: The “Battle for Catalonia & Valencia (Figure 9):Both sides attack each other! France has 5 units in its Army of Mediterranean with Suchet in Catalonia while Britain’s Eastern Army in Valencia has 2 BR & 4 SP units led by Graham, Hill, and Castanos. To these cards’ DRM was added the effect of mountainous spaces as well as a +3 for a French military support marker which was countered by Britain gaining the +3 drm for Spanish Guerillas.
The dice rolls were France “10” and Britain “7”. This resulted in 2 Allied losses vs. 1 French for a French victory! This precipitated the French Army of Mediterranean advancing to capture Valencia while Britain’s Eastern Army was compelled to retreat from Valencia into Southern Spain… from whence it commenced the campaign! Britain lost -3VP (-1VP for a Major Battle loss with -2VP for Valencia changing hands) with France gaining +3VP.
Naples Track E: A full strength French Army of Naples with 4 units was amphibiously attacked by the 1 Fleet and 1 BR unit of the British Army of Sicily. Neither side played military cards. Britain, in hopes of limiting possible loss, chose to Withdraw for a -6 DRM on each side. This still did not prevent a high French dice roll from eliminating a British Fleet with no loss to the Army of Naples. There were no Victory Point consequences to this battle.
War of 1812 Box G: Britain’s 3 Fleets and 1 Canadian Militia were attacked by 4 US Militia units. No military cards were played by either side and each player’s battle dice roll was “7” for a result of 1US unit and 1 British Fleet’s elimination: a stalemate. With turn end, US enlistments expired so a single US unit will carry-over into the next turn.
End of Turn 5, August 1813, VP and Post Turn Observations
Since this is a Standard Game, no map Wargame Flavor purple colored highlighted Victory Point turn end awards apply. This pause caused the players to reminisce about their starting card hands for what proved a dramatic first turn of this “Clash of Armies” scenario play…
The end of turn VP awards were: Austria +2VP for Austria at Peace (France will get this award each turn for the duration of the game only when Austria at War occurs, and Austria permanently loses this VP source!) and Britain +1VP for control of Castile. This resulted in the Major Powers’ VP markers placed as follows: FR 64VP, RU 27VP, AU 24VP, and BR 13VP.
David (Russia) provided the following post-game turn statistics from the Vassal record… which included some record of trades successfully made.
Number of Negotiations + debates: FR 10, BR 7, AU 7, RU 6
Trades: There were six trade attempts made with four successfully accomplished: Those successes involving Russia were Gambier for Bernadotte from Britain, Kaiser Franz I for Blucher from Austria, and Fernando VII for von Humboldt… also from Britain. David was quite the card trading “wheeler-dealer” in this game. France and Austria had a trade as well.
It should be noted if a trade attempt fails; the player can still conduct a normal negotiation.
Total Card Points Played (wager + negotiation + debates): FR 49, AU 39, BR 30, RU 23
Issues Won: FR 7, RU 2, AU 2, BR 1
Total Negotiations + Debates: 30. There were 18 negotiations, 12 debates, 4 trades, 1 pass, and the special play of Gambier to place that US Military Operation marker in the War of 1812 Box. Two-thirds of negotiations (12 of 18) were debated! A feisty group of players indeed!
Notice how France was able to prevail despite being confronted by opponents with TWICE the number of negotiations/debates and card points than it possessed. Congress of Vienna is one of those games where it’s not how much a player has, but HOW that player uses what he has.
Negotiations and debates of the Absolutism/Liberalism Issue constituted 18 (60%) of the turn’s Diplomacy Round actions. Furthermore, 9 of this Issue’s negotiations were debated (e.g. opposed). Britain debated Russia 3 times for Absolutism/Liberalism and France debated Austria 3 times for this Issue. Sheesh!
The three Allied Leaders were used for this Issue, which France ultimately won by well-timed card play, thereby signifying the epitome of the Allies’ collective failure.
Interesting stuff, eh? Readers should keep in mind this was a fun learning experience for all and the preceding described play would unlikely be repeated based on the Allied players’ hard won experience.
But the Allied bed has been made. Will they be able to recuperate from this turn’s set-backs or will Napoleon go on to victory? The upcoming September 1813 turn, may tell the story… or at least add another chapter to it.”
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