Introduction by Congress of Vienna Designer – Frank Esparrago: This detailed example of play shows how battles in CoV unfold. Due to a different historical period and military perspective; these use a system more complex than Churchill’s. This battle system, whose basics are well-described by a fine and entertaining video by two of our talented play testers ( How to Resolve Battle in Congress of Vienna: An Animated Voice-Over PowerPoint | Inside GMT blog) receives a layer of richness for generating additional influence in how battle is resolved. This is accomplished through introducing Tactical Chits to generate a new modifier for determining a potential battle victor.

This article is based on this piece’s previous installment – A Congress of Vienna Option: Adding Tactical Flavor to Battles (A Tactical Battle Matrix) by Frank Esparrago & David Schoellhamer: A Congress of Vienna Option: Adding Tactical Flavor to Battles (A Tactical Battle Matrix) Part 1 of 2 | Inside GMT blog .This optional Tactical Battle Matrix rule is based on the tactical battle matrixes of the excellent Avalon Hill games 1776 and War and Peace published in the distant years of 1974 and 1980 respectively. However, playing with this optional rule does increase the amount of time needed for battle resolution. What is clear is that the CoV Tactical Battle Matrix does add an additional element of fun, uncertainty, tactical flavor, and “fog of war” to resolving battles. It does this by presenting simple choices regarding the general tactics an army could use.

Additional background regarding Congress of Vienna should help readers best apprecite this optional offering. For that, please reference GMT Games – Congress of Vienna . Now back to our exposition!

The Tactical Matrix for CoV Battles

The Tactical Battle Matrix option adds a new modifier to CoV’s Battle Dice Roll Modifiers (DRM). These are based on both sides’ grand tactical deployment choices through selection of tactical chits, one for each combatant, to allow greater uncertainty and interaction of players in battle. To use this Optional Rule, once Military cards have been played, but before battle dice rolled, each side (Allied and French) secretly chooses a tactical chit. Once selected, the Allied and French chits are simultaneously revealed and a result determined by the “Tactical Battle Matrix”. This can be additional DRM modifiers for the French and Allied sides.

A Detailed Example of how this Works…

During May 1813’s War Phase, the Grande Armée under Napoleon attempts an advance into Saxony (enabled by a French Military Operation marker placed there from the previous Diplomacy Phase).

The first calculation to make is recognizing that during the Diplomacy Phase, the Russian player used his leader card (Tsar Alexander) on the “British Financial Aid” Issue. The good news is this got the Russian player a much-needed Resource; but the bad news is this play caused the -2 DRM “Meddling Tsar” battle penalty to be enacted (this is indicated by illustration A as “1” in a square white edge green).

Next, in a CoV battle, the Military units of each army are tabulated. In this example, La Grande Armée has 9 Military Units in its box (dark blue cubes). It is confronting Russia’s Army of Silesia which contains 4 Russian and 3 Prussian Military units (dark green and black cubes respectively). These battle effects are indicated by the illustration’s white squares 2 and 3.

During the previous Government Phase, both players acquired Military Support markers which they placed by their respective armies at the beginning of the War Phase. These represent supplies, staff units, special units such as a massive artillery grand battery or a cavalry reserve in this theater of operations. The two French Military support markers, as opposed to the usual limit of one per army, reflect Napoleon’s superior organizational skills at the start of the campaign and give him +6 DRM to the upcoming battle dice roll. The sole Russian Military Support marker grants a +3 DRM to the Allied player (respectively squares 5 and 4 in illustration A).

Now each player selects several of the military cards saved during the turn’s Diplomatic Phase (the others remain in each hand to be used in battles that will occur in other battlefronts!). Each player respectively chooses to use three cards, which are flipped over simultaneously) – The Russian player uses Blucher +6 DRM (a very powerful battle card). The other two Russian cards are von Scharnhorst and Wittgenstein (which the Russian player decides to use to subtract DRM from the French scoring) -6 French DRM with both cards (this net modifier is indicated for the 6-white square with green border on the figure A). Such a negative modifier reduces the chances of France inflicting military unit loss upon the Allies.

The French player uses the Napoleon leader card (+6 DRM), Soult (+2 DRM) and Ney (+3 DRM before the Armistice, which is the case here!). This net French modifier is indicated for the 7-white square with blue border of illustration A. This cumulative +11 DRM should increase France’s ability to inflict a loss on their adversary.

Therefore, the DRMs before selecting Tactical Chits are respectively 14 Allied and 20 French. The advantage is seemingly with the French… at least for now!

The final DRM to be determined is that of tactical chits. Both players secretly select their tactical deployment chits. The Russian player selects “Defend” and the French player “Echelon”. In this sense, the players choices are logical: “Defend” favors the defending player (since orange DRMs are mostly positive, except if France chooses a defensive deployment option… but that does not appear to be chosen here).

On the other hand, the choice of “Echelon” by the French player minimizes the possibility of extreme results. Furthermore, this selection activates Napoleon’s option to give France +2 additional DRM!

The players then consult the Tactical Matrix and its result provides +2 DRM to the Allies (B illustration note 8) and a -1 DRM to France (B illustration note 9).

As Napoleon has been played in the battle and the French player selected the “Echelon” tactical chit, the above footnote in the Tactical Matrix indicates that +2 DRM additional is added to the French player (note 10). The DRM gap before each player rolls 2D6 is now +16 DRM Allied versus +21 DRM France: a difference of only 5 that does not “assure” the decisive victory the French player was hoping for. 

However, when “Echelon” is chosen, Napoleon’s special ability allows the French player to make both sides reselect chits. However, the French player decides against such a chit reselection because the next pair of tactics chits could be slightly worse for him. For example, if the Russian player chooses “Charge”, he will receive an additional +1 DRM (for having Blücher and using Blücher’s favorite tactical deployment).

This Allied DRM would be in addition to the usual modifiers for a new Tactical Matrix selection … and if France does not use “Echelon” or “Defend” it would not receive the +2 DRM for Napoleon (see below B illustration Note 10). Consequently, the French player lets the initial chit selection result stand and it is now time to roll battle dice! Drum roll please!!!!

Although this battle example has taken a lot of text to explain, readers should be reassured that the game time this takes in actual play is very fast. It would consume perhaps less than two minutes to calculate the initial DRM of each army, play military cards and adjust the DRM pawns. Then, tactical chit selection time arrives! That may vary between only few seconds or several minutes (with deliberative players who like to take their time making what is for them an agonizing decision to choose a chit!). When chits are revealed, the final adjustment of the final DRM before dice rolling is very fast.

With experience, a battle such as this can be resolved in 2-3 minutes and in an afternoon of Congress of Vienna gaming; the players can enjoy 15-20 exciting battles. The players will regret not having withdrawn, not using a military card which was held back for another battle, a bad tactical chit choice, and of course, the inevitable final dice rolls! Oh the pain hindsight can bring!

As Conclusion…

An army’s cumulative DRM is primarily influenced by terrain, nationalities, lack of coordination, army strength, commanders, supplies, elite and special units (neutral cards and support markers used). So, the effect of a tactical chit is dampened by these other factors. The tactical chit choice in conjunction with the dice roll and the DRM Battle Losses Table can be a minor matter in some battles, but in others it can be decisive.

Readers, if you’d like, roll 2D6 once for the French and again for the Allies to determine the result of this battle. If one side inflicts even one military unit loss more upon its enemy than it sustains: a battle victory results.

In the above example, let’s assume the Allied player rolls a “6” to advance its pawn into the orange track’s 22 space and inflict a two unit loss on France. The French player rolls a “7” to move its pawn into the blue track’s 28 space and inflict a three unit loss on the Allies for a French victory!

As a consequence, the Russian Army of Silesia, per the Russian player’s choice, removes 2 Russian and 1 Prussian military unit from that Army’s Box and retreats from Saxony into Silesia. The Grande Armée loses 2 units from its Army Box and advances its Army Block into the Saxony space. 

The Russian player loses 5VP for this disastrous battle outcome: 2VP for being defeated by Napoleon and 3VP more for losing Saxony. France gains 5VP for those reasons and an extra card for the next turn by taking Saxony back into the empire! Oh but for that lost -1DRM the tactical chits result caused! It changed what would have been a tied battle of 3 unit losses each into an Allied defeat.

The Allies are now seriously mulling over the merits of an Armistice for next turn…

We hope you enjoyed reading of this battle resolution-example using the Tactical Chits Option for Congress of Vienna!

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