Introduction by Congress of Vienna Assistant Designer & Editor, Fred Schachter: Game Designer Frank Esparrago continues his InsideGMT exposition of CoV Major Power Strategy pieces, the last presented through a “Strategies for Austria” piece: How to Play with Each Major Congress of Vienna Game Power: Austria (2024 Edition) | Inside GMT blog . This link will bring you to other material regarding this fun and exciting GMT P-500 offering.

Please note this article, as its preceding France and Austria segments, presumes a four-player standard Congress of Vienna Full Campaign game without any Optional Historical Rules.

We believe it best to follow-up the Austria article with Russia since those two Congress of Vienna Major Powers are both simultaneously partners and rivals as only one player can win the game.  Consequently,  Russia and Austria are, to use a popular reference, “frenemies”. When should Russia actively partner with Austria versus taking a more cautious approach in seeking its own game victory? That’s an intriguing and  fascinating game play challenge Frank explores.

With that, take it away Frank!

Strategies for Russia

An Overview of Russia’s CoV Situation

In Congress of Vienna, the Russian player controls Russia and Prussia. Thus, when we talk about Russia in this game, we may forget that this player handles the historical motivations, military forces, political characters and generals from both Powers, as well as the political and diplomatic goals of these two nations.

Russia has powerful potential, with excellent military leaders, diplomats, three unit replacements every even numbered turn, the unconditional support of Prussia and its army with deeply rooted, and in some cases fanatically anti-French attitudes accompanying its own highly professional military leaders. Furthermore, when the Sweden at War Issue occurs, you will also have the small Swedish Army and its leader Bernadotte. So, it’s nice having the power of Russia, Prussia, and eventually Sweden at your command… ah the power, the seemingly boundless unbridled power!

Ahem… time to calm down… for Russia has a big problem: a lack of Resources, that is Resource markers, Congress of Vienna’s “fuel” for accomplishing both diplomatic and military objectives. To achieve all Russia’s ambitious goals prioritization is required and this will absorb all your CoV skills as a player.

This is not Russia’s only challenge, your first problem as a CoV player of Russia is that until the Armistice occurs you will have to fight alone in Europe against Napoleon’s military genius and the powerful French Empire … and this is a tough task… a tough task indeed. France has very good military leaders (in addition to Napoleon), a high replacement rate: 6-7 military units during even-numbered turns early in the game: before it hopefully begins losing troop-raising territories to Allied offensives, and many controlled Minor Countries capable of producing more troops when their Issues are Diplomacy Phase won by France that turn. These advantages make the extraordinarily weakened Grande Armée capable of recuperating after France’s catastrophic Russian 1812 Campaign.

With CoV, I don’t despair in face of all this potential French power! I am extraordinarily confident, capable, and comfortable playing Russia and you should be as well. There are good reasons for this: your military leaders are amazing, your statesmen are excellent and appropriate to Issues of greatest interest to Russia (with bonuses for these) and your Leader, the illustrious Tsar Alexander I, except for some Issues where he has a bit of “paranoia” (and for which you should practically never use him for) is a 7 card of practically unbeatable value!  Please reference this InsideGMT piece which focuses on Russia’s statesmen and military leaders: Meet the Statesmen of Congress of Vienna – The Russian Contingent, 2024 Edition (Part 3 of 4) with their Prussian and Swedish Allies | Inside GMT blog . What a nice array of cards for a Russian CoV player!

Beware! Opportunistic Allied players who are Russia’s “supposed” partners, can beat you if you do not remain vigilant, wary and ensure in addition to the military might affording Russia battlefield victories and their attendant VP; a proper collection of “Diplomatic”-sourced VP are also accrued. So how to best proceed towards a Tsarist and Prussian “junkers” Congress of Vienna triumph?  Here’s what I can share:

At game start, Russia has defeated Imperial France’s massive 1812 Invasion and your two Armies, Track A’s Army of Silesia and Track B’s Northern Army, begin weakened from the ordeal, but they are more powerful than the two weak skeletons of French armies acting as a screen between your borders and the heart of Europe. The once vaunted Grande Armée is now composed of a single unit!

Russia has one sound path towinning this game: advance fast and deeply towards Paris; especially in fully liberating Prussia as soon as possible and being in a powerful situation when the Armistice is established so you can gaze across the table at your opportunist Austrian partner from a higher level of VP superiority.

Two Possible Russian Game Winning Strategies

Remember: “We are Russian … God is with us![1]” as your national motto! However, the Russian player must contend with severe manpower limitations and, above all, gets a base allocation of but three Resource markers per turn compared to the six, yes SIX, Resources her archenemy Imperial France receives! Yet a Russian victory is achievable through two possible strategies:

• The first is to force the Surrender of Napoleon as your historical counterparts did.  This is accomplished by reducing the Grande Armée in Paris to the point his marshals compel the emperor’s abdication… less than four units.
• Second by ending the 10^th turn in a superior victory point position than the remainder of the Allies… and, of course, France.

However, these strategies have clear implementation challenges. Emulating the lack of tact and sometimes mystical character of your leader, the Tsar Alexander I, around a Congress of Vienna gaming table goes against you. Furthermore, the superb group of Austrian diplomat cards can leave you “with the honey of victory on your lips” with either of these strategies and that’s not counting potential treacherous last-minute performances by the French and British players. Only when your armies have the upper hand (reflected by a huge number of VPs) will you be able to face these two strategies’ obstacles with comfortable peace of mind!

Of course, to fulfill your motto “… God is with us!” your pawn must get to the end of the Absolutism Track at its “Holy Alliance” space and try to make certain, as much as possible, that your hated “Liberalism / Democracy” rivals, France, and Britain, have made little progress on their Liberalism Track. In this way, in addition to the moral satisfaction achieved, both Russia and Austria will get a huge number of cumulative VP! This incidentally leaves Britain and France without a great harvest of their own VP from the Liberalism Track (See Figure 6).

Like CoV’s three other players, you have Minor Countries in Europe inclined to you. When Diplomacy Phase won and activated through expenditure of a Resource, these provide you VP, specifically Poland and Saxony… or perhaps I should better say that the weight of your armies upon their soil places them under your orbit? When the appropriate situation arises; you can obtain more military units to make Russia’s armies surpass those of your French adversary. Possessing Minor Countries and Diplomacy Phase winning and activating their Issues gives you military units along with VPs (while denying them to France). Bavaria, Hanover, and Norway can be the next countries coming under Russian-Prussian orbit as a game proceeds!

Finally, remember your National Advantage, that you have the “Imperial Staff” (see above Figure 2 with the Russian National Track and this Advantage in white text). What does that mean? For the Initial Issues Selection Wager, a Russian or Neutral card played by Russia has its value increased by +1. Furthermore, if either of the Allies (Austria or Britain) wins the wager; the Russian player may substitute a higher value Russian national card (which includes that +1 Advantage) to replace the previous bid card to win the wager. The originally bid card is returned to the Russian hand and Russia gains the wager’s Issue selection as well as the benefit of going last each Diplomacy Phase Round… nothing different than what your historical Tsar Alexander usually sought.  Be that as it may, the “God is with us” attitude should be yours. Don’t you yet believe, oh budding Russian player getting into the game’s spirit?

This special advantage along with the large number of Issues that cumulatively start on the Russian National Track during the early game turns could easily allow you being in an excellent position to win a turn’s Diplomacy Phase and get another 2 VP.

Can you lose the game by achieving the preceding-described CoV triumphs? In theoretical principle no, but, and this is a “big but”: you have Napoleon and his still potent French Empire to frustrate Russia’s designs. To successfully oppose this powerful enemy; you must prioritize how to gain Russian map VP and most effectively each turn apply your set of politicians and generals, despite any limitations.

From the game’s beginning you must be fully cognizant that to weaken your deadly French antagonist you must have the significant aid of Britain. Your lack of financial resources is an appalling impediment to carrying out fully effective military operations and diplomatic triumphs. Consequently, you should seek to “receive” British Financial Aid Issues by winning one or both during the Diplomacy Phase to help put into practice the strategy of expelling the “Corsican Ogre” from his French throne.

Those are paths to Russian-Prussian victory. I will now examine in greater detail how you can put these factors into practice. As always happens in a multiplayer game such as Congress of Vienna; your decisions always are influenced by the idiosyncrasies, goals, and collaboration of the other players. What fun!  What an intriguing challenge!

The War in Germany

Germany was the main military theater during the climatic 1813 campaign intended to combat, wear down, and decisively defeat Napoleon. Your Russian-Prussian army with its small Swedish contingent, after you win the Sweden at War Issue, combined with your excellent set of generals, should take you into the heart of Europe. During the war’s first phase Blücher’s card can be devastating; but you also have Kutuzov (until he dies old and ailing after a long and illustrious career). Barclay is a magnificent leader when you don’t have his arch-rival Blücher in your hand and committed to the same battle.

That is why it is essential that your allies trade the Blücher and/or Barclay cards to you if they have them. Therefore, be generously reciprocal with each trade and beware France’s “Persuasion by Force” National Advantage which can compel you to trade a powerful French card to your arch enemy!

The amount of VP you can get for capturing Track A and B territory is huge. See Figure 4 below.  Furthermore, Track, B (Northern Europe) can provide Russia with up to three more cards for each turn’s hand and if you conquer Prussia (the space where Berlin is) you cease losing 1 VP each turn. This eliminates a source of real psychological torture to your gamer psyche!

You must prioritize conquering map spaces. Russia has access to Track A and Track B. Most VP are on Central Europe Track A; but those VP must be shared with your Austrian ally-rival. However, for Track B, Northern Europe, only you receive those VP. A Russian CoV player can brutally obtain VP for conquered map spaces as well as for winning Major Battles: defined as having at least four units engaged on each side. In a game, you can reach 26 VP (and avoid the -1 VP per turn  loss for a French-controlled Prussia!). That’s almost 50% more than the British player could get for successfully fighting its Peninsular War!

Furthermore, if Russian and Austrian armies’ advance into France to reach the goal of Paris; there is an additional 10 VP through occupying the French capital: 5VP each for your Northern Army & Army of Silesia!

As I pointed out in the “Strategies for France” article (How to Play with Each Major Congress of Vienna Game Power: France (2024 Edition) Part 2 of 2, Emphasis on War | Inside GMT blog), a key Track B space is that of Prussia, which must be conquered by Russia as soon as possible. A second vital space is Track A’s Alsace, which is a very strong French defensive position that can only be overcome through decisively defeating the Grande Armée.

Yes, Alsace is tough when compared to battling in Bavaria or Saxony! You need to contend with initial French DRM advantages (French Home Country +3DRM and being a mountain space for a -3DRM inflicted upon the Allies). Finally, when “a defending a mountain space” such as Alsace, a French Army may cancel a retreat by losing an additional unit when the difference in losses is one.  Therefore, overwhelming strength is needed in terms of your and your Austrian partner’s units and military cards under a Generalissimo to inflict two or more-unit losses to block this French “cancel a retreat” ability.  Heck, it may even be to your interest in letting the Austrian player be Generalissimo!  

In addition to this Track A attack against Alsace, the Russian player can utilize an indirect approach through Northern Europe Track B. Here, there is no mountain barrier facilitating a fierce French defense. It’s a sweet feeling to compel an automatic mandatory retreat of the Grande Armée from Alsace or beyond into Paris by the Russian Northern Army seizing the space of Belgium and forcing integration of the Army of Elbe with the main French Army due to CoV’s rule which forces the Grande Armée to fall back to defend the capital when it is endangered!

The main potential problems for an Allied advance in Germany are, apart from those already mentioned; four vicious military cards that if in French possession are a mortal threat: Napoleon, Berthier, on Track A and Eugene and Davout on Track B. Then there’s Murat, as well as neutral battle cards #63 and #66: “Ally Lack of Coordination” and, finally, the #64 neutral battle card “French Guard” that gives +4 DRM if it is used with Napoleon’s card! All these, when used alone or much worse combined, can make a battle with Blücher in command of a mighty Russian-Austrian Army, seemingly destined for certain victory, turn into a shocking bloody Allied defeat. The French can and must be attritioned in terms of their military units… ah, but their magnificent leadership cannot be ignored!

Fortunately, not all conceivably detrimental to Russia battle cards will be available to the French player and, furthermore, as the game progresses and the French hand size diminishes; this deadly nightmare of French cards shall become more and more unlikely… and don’t forget that even if you’re occasionally defeated in battle, the French will lose increasingly hard to replace units.  Bleed them white and the road to Paris gets pried open!!!

Absolutism, Other Diplomatic Issues, & Russia as the “Hammer of the Coalition”

A main goal for Russia is achieving military victories with seizing related control of the map’s VP spaces; but those are not enough. A Russian player cannot hope to win a Congress of Vienna game without paying methodical dedication to diplomatic and political affairs.

Like all players, Russia can win the Diplomacy Phase through gaining the most Diplomacy Issues. Furthermore, during the first game turns, the Initial Situation Card places two or three Issues on the Russian National Track; so, it’s easier for Russia to win the Diplomacy Phase and get its 2 VP reward.

The other obvious route to VP, as previously stated, is the Absolutism Issue, which has increasing VP yields for both Russia and Austria each time its green pawn is successfully advanced along its Track. Russia has an advantage in achieving success here. Formidable Russian cards and especially their leader Tsar Alexander I… are dedicated to advancing the holy cause of Absolutism. You may also have the formidable help of Austrian Statesmen cards, especially Metternich and Kaiser Franz I. Don’t forget the 3VP bonus which occurs if at the end of the game the green pawn of Absolutism is in the “Holy Alliance” space and the British and French players have not gotten their red pawn of Liberalism to its last dark red Track space. Remember, Russia and Austria can cumulatively obtain 13 VPs for Absolutism: almost as many as those conceivably achievable through a Track’s military victories and conquering territory from France.

Another source for gaining VP through diplomacy is to focus on winning your Minor Country Issues, as they can yield 1 VP each. They also could provide you an extra military unit if you, as Russia, currently hold the map space territory the Issue corresponds to. For example, Poland is a fine Minor Country Issue for Russia since you occupy it with the game’s first turn. When your armies advance to capture Saxony and Hannover; you will then have two other Minor Countries from which to potentially obtain VPs and additional military units. Keep in mind you can get either a Russian or Prussian unit for a controlled Minor Country; but to accomplish this you will need additional Resource markers to activate them.

Then there’s the Future Government of France Issue which yields very high profit to Russia, possibly 9 VP: 3 VP, if the blue pawn ends in the French Peers Regency space, 1 VP more in the chaotic No Agreement central space; and finally, 5 VP if your “puppet” Bernadotte as King Jean III of France is crowned.  See Figure 7 above.

Finally, for all players, there’s Sound Government which delivers 1 VP in exchange for a Resource. The problem is that on most turns Russia does not have any leftover Resource marker available for exercising this option. But don’t worry: since when does an autocrat like the Tsar care about such a trifle?!?

The Russian Great Strategies’ Elements

The Russian player must be clear and focused about his strategy, a strategy based on maximum VP accrual from different sources: these come from controlled Central and Northern Track spaces, major battlefield victories… especially against Napoleon which reaps 2VP rather than the usual 1VP for each victory); Absolutism, Future Government of France, and Diplomacy Issues (e.g. winning the Diplomacy Phase, Minor Countries, Sound Government minus Recruitment VP losses).

Usually, you will not be able to attain all VP sources to maximum, since by doing so an overwhelming Russian game victory could be obtained.  This will draw all the other players’ unwelcome obstructionist attention to you. Therefore, seek a reasonably unobtrusive balance between these paths to Russian victory which could vary each turn.

The Armistice and Austria at War Issues from a Russian Perspective

Let’s recall concepts relating to the ArmisticeIssue. Normally, France seeks delaying its implementation as Russia and Britain strive to accelerate Austria’s entry into War, which requires the Armistice as prerequisite. When that occurs, the Austria at War Issue is automatically placed on the Negotiating Table each ensuing turn.  Once Austria at War is activated, which you should presume the French player will again do everything possible to foil, since France would then face Russia and Austria’s powerful Central Europe Track A Armies as well as Austria on a new Track F which threatens Italy and beyond.

However, the Austrian player may want to delay Armistice for whatever reason (e.g., Austria receives 2 VP each turn it remains at Peace, and which also provides time for it to build up its armies). Do not try too hard to leave Armistice in the middle of the Negotiation Table, which is the unique, Resource unneeded, way this Issue becomes activated.  For as with other Congress of Vienna matters, “timing is everything”!

Regarding timing, you should not promote Armistice until Track B’s Prussia space is controlled by Russia. The penalty in cards and -1 VP each turn Prussia is controlled by France is an onerous toll. Similarly, in the main Central Europe Track A, you must occupy Poland to have a Minor Country controlled by you (a Prussian or Russian military unit is always welcome when you win this Issue). Silesia, being a Home Prussian space, allows you to fight on many occasions with a +3 DRM (homeland bonus) if you have enough Prussian units in the Army of Silesia to trigger it… that is, half or more of total Allied units engaged are Prussian. These accomplishments should prepare Russia to launch its offensive into Saxony and beyond.

With those prerequisites accomplished, enact Armistice with the Austria at War Issue being implemented as swiftly as possible.  You should be thoroughly engaged in this critical diplomatic effort. You will always have the support of Britain, and in most cases of Austria, so you can without undue effort get Austria’s early entry into war. However, I have seen games when Austria’s entry into the Coalition is delayed by one turn or more through Napoleon’s twisted and unanticipated performance or some strange and suspicious Austrian delaying strategy. Such procrastination can seriously undermine Russia’s chances for victory. Beware!

Why should Austria at War be implemented quickly? There are four sound reasons for that:

First, it brings into the fray Track A’s Austrian Army of Bohemia, the Generalissimo HQ marker (+3 DRM) and through Generalissimo Austrian Battle cards that can help you and your Austrian partner achieve military superiority over Napoleon and his Grande Armée.

Second, once Austria is at war it stops receiving 2 VPs each turn for being at peace. This may ultimately provide Russia a competitive edge.  Furthermore, as Austria starts spending its limited Resources on Military Operations, Recruitment and military support for battles; she has fewer Resources available for securing diplomatic Issues.  These grant many VPs through which Austria could dispute your final victory.

Third, the French army will cease having the potential to outgrow a Russian army which was standing alone in Central Europe. Until Austria joins the war, French replacements, reinforcements from controlled Minor Countries, as well as extra units from the Caulaincourt, Poniatowski, and Napoleon cards are to France’s best Armistice advantage. Compare those to your Russian ability to generate units: 3 Russian and 1 Prussian from replacements, parity with France regarding Recruitment, and perhaps more from the King Friedrich Wilhelm III card or from winning the Poland Issue. It’s nice having Austria’s not inconsiderable military join your struggle against France.

Last but not least, is the Fourth and most important reason of all: not taking too long getting Austria into The War; for overly delaying that can make Paris a far too distant objective as you must be in Paris to completely defeat Napoleon before the end of the 10^th turn. Count the spaces that separate your armies from Paris to calculate if one or both of your Russian Armies can arrive on time. See the below Figure 8 for the many VP Russia could reap in what could be its final, and victorious, attacks upon Paris.

Milestones in Any Russian Strategy

Getting Resources, Units, and Your Allies’ Cooperation

The “Russian” Financial Aid Issues: Make clear from the start to both your Coalition partners that if you don’t have British treasure, the Coalition against France and its ogre of an emperor is doomed! You have adequate manpower, but heroic Russia lacks money to acquire military support markers to execute the offensive operations that take Russian and Prussian armies into the heart of France’s empire and to the Parisian lair of the great ogre himself. Plucky Russia’s scarce three Resource markers each turn provides the Allies no good chance to win the game.  If there’s ever a time to be pleadingly persuasive, this is one of them!

For when you use Russia’s Army of Silesia (Track A) and Northern Army (Track B) to advance towards Paris each Military Operation Issue costs one Resource to activate… and that’s just enough for each attack.  What about Military Support markers, Recruitment units to refill your armies’ bloodied ranks, and need to activate won diplomatic Issues? You will not have enough Resources to achieve your objectives.

As you have hopefully learned; the key to implementing a victorious strategy for Russia, is to get additional Resource markers to meet funding Issues. There are only two ways to get them: the first is to get a British Financial Aid Issue onto the Russian National Track at the end of a Diplomacy Phase. You have great cards to accomplish this; although some of those cards are also excellent military leaders, so on numerous occasions you should preserve them for the War Phase to push your DRM to win battles and advance deep into Germany.

Yes, you must be a convincing beggar with Britain. You should plead: “What better use for British money than to finance huge multinational armies of Russians, Prussians, Austrians and Swedes for liquidating French power in Europe?” Therefore, do not neglect collaboration with the British player. You must obtain part of his pound sterling surplus and, to earn Britain’s good will, trade their battle cards to them to fight France. If in your possession, trade Gambier, Sherbrooke and/or Tecumseh to aid their War of 1812 effort or British Battle Cards to bolster Britain’s War in Spain… I well recall a game when the Russian player traded Wellington to Britain and got Blücher in return!

The second way to gain a Resource is through the Arakcheyev card (see Figure 9 above). This is a medium 3-value card which allows the Russian player to receive an always needed additional Resource when this card is used for one of its designated Issues.

In some games, when Russia is selected through the Initial Environment Table, Arakcheyev’s card is an appropriate Initial Situation Card for Russia to choose … or perhaps not?

Russian/Prussian Battle Cards

I already described some Russian cards, but now focus specifically on their ten Military/Battle cards. These cards are divided into four groups:

Group One – “The Allied High Commander cards”: these include Blücher, Kutuzov and Barclay. Undoubtedly the best card among them is the redoubtable Blücher with his +6 DRM which can be further increased by any of the four Neutral Battle cards, particularly #66 which specifically names him and provides a +4DRM for Russian Heavy Cavalry. Furthermore, and this is very important, Blücher can serve on either Track A or B.

The second remarkable Russian High Commander card is Kutuzov; an excellent military leader who has a fearsome +5 DRM; with three salient “buts” associated with him: the first is that the venerable Kutuzov is old and could soon die (via a die roll). The second problem is that Kutuzov only works on Track A and, third, he does not get along with the fiery Blücher (who can serve on Track B to keep them away from one another).

Finally, Barclay de Tolly can get +3 Russian and -2 French DRM but only for the Army of Silesia (Track A) and provided Blücher is not in the same Track A battle.  Why separate them? Historically, their personalities were acrimoniously incompatible and their grating upon one another approached the legendary… Barclay was thoughtful and prudent – while Blücher, to Barclay’s chagrin, was seemingly thoughtless and impulsive, but exceedingly brave and inspiring to his Prussian troops.

Group Two consists of the Wittgenstein and Bennigsen cards, which may be called “Reliable” battle cards, since they do not guarantee victory; but when you don’t have the previously noted High Commander cards available, they can save the day, especially if they’re combined with any remaining Russian battle cards (and Austrian cards when they go to war on Track A with a Generalissimo). Group Three has three cards labeled Prussian “Stubborn” generals: Yorck, Bülow and Scharnhorst (each with the aristocratic “von” prefix). They can help you achieve many victories as companions to the previously mentioned cards.

To finish, you have Group Four, two Russian cards considered “Evil Cards” (see Figure 10). The first is Bernadotte, a card that in your hand can get up to a +5 DRM when in Coalition command with Swedish units and an inspired day for that mercurial personage (as occurred in the battle of Dennewitz – September 1813) or you are penalized with an annoying -3 DRM when this card is in French possession (perhaps to simulate his dilettante behavior during the Battle of Leipzig – October 1813).

The second “Evil Card” is your own Leader, Tsar Alexander I. His behavior more than occasionally wavered between mystical and paranoid. His desire for glorious military leadership repeatedly hampered allied efforts.

When his card is used to negotiate or debate some interesting Russian impacting Military Issues that action results in triggering the “Meddling Tsar” rule, which inflicts a -2 DRM penalty on all battles with Russian units. Unless absolutely critical, NEVER, I repeat NEVER, should the Russian Alexander I Leader be used for these three “forbidden” Issues (they are indicated on his card)!

Now that you’re in the fray with Austria; try to gain Russian control of the Generalissimo. In addition to the Allied military advantages the Generalissimo brings; you receive 1 VP each turn he’s under your control. But your rivals for that Issue are the mellifluous Austrian player and the hated Napoleon´s intrigues in the form of the French player. Beware!

Diplomacy Phase Dangers Which Jeopardize Russia’s Military Success

Not having the Generalissimo compels both you and your Austrian partner to EACH have a Military Operation marker to make a Track A attack and you cannot play an Austrian Military Card out of your hand to influence a battle.  Imagine having in hand a good Austrian War Phase card such as Schwarzenberg and not being able to use it due to a Generalissimo’s absence!   This prohibition effects your Military Cards in the Austrian player’s hand as well.

Then there’s the danger of having the French player, or a jealous Ally seeking to impede your path to Congress of Vienna victory, making a late Diplomacy Phase Round’s negotiation or debate to move a critically needed Russian Military OperationIssue marker from your Track onto that rival player’s.  If that ploy is ultimately successful, you still must pay a Resource for it and subsequently suffer having that Military Operation beingsent to the infamous Russian Persian War Box where it’s rendered useless for your time-pressured European military efforts.

A reason to keep your Leader Tsar Alexander I held back in a kind of “debate reserve” during a Diplomacy Phase is the nasty use of France’s NapoleonLeader to seize the Austria at War Issue and keep the Armistice in place to prevent for a turn Allied Track A & B attacks towards Paris.  Remember that a Leader can only be debated by another Leader.  The same principle applies to the Armistice Issue itself.  What War Phase use would a French player have for Napoleon if the emperor can be successfully employed for a major coup such as keeping your beloved Russia facing alone the nefarious might of his empire?

Now don’t despair regarding these threats since Russia, Austria, and Britain have more cards than France to block such interference.  However, keep your Allied Team cognizant of such potential French initiated diplomatic mischief and these dangers can be contained.  

Trading Cards to Improve your Russian Hand

When you obtain a Russian card in trade during the Diplomacy Phase; you can create an improved Russian hand with additional and necessary battle (military) and/or good diplomatic cards such as those previously described.

However, when the race for VPs gets tighter (usually during the mid and late games) you can even voluntarily trade with France when you’re not compelled to due to the French Player’s “Persuasion by Force” National Advantage. What a devious master play it could be trading the Andrew Jackson or Soult card to France to lower the British player’s victory expectations in America or Spain.

This approach could also be applied against the Austrian player and his cunningly insidious diplomacy striving to surpass you in VP. After Austria at War, you trade to France the Eugene card and deny trading to Austria his Bellegarde card, or other applicable military cards, to ensure the Italian Track (F) continues in an interminable stalemate.  Austria’s Army of Tyrol is frustrated in its efforts to gain the Venice and Italy spaces’ VP and an additional card for its hand! How the Austrian player could win a game is extensively explained in the “Strategies for Austria” article (see link at the beginning of this article).

Final Features of Fine CoV Russia Play…

As this exposition has sought to convey, achieving victory with Russia is a matter of careful perseverance with several viable paths to success. It is certainly possible to gain a seemingly elusive Russian Congress of Vienna game win.  Let me reiterate HOW this can be accomplished.

You must advance Russia’s Army of Silesia (Track A) and Northern Army (Track B) in as many ways possible towards victory, receiving their respective VP enroute to Paris. You don’t have to thoroughly beat the rest of the players – including the French player- just be further along than any of them on the VP Record Track by game end!

To achieve a Russian victory and glory for your Tsar, you have excellent diplomacy cards and superb military leaders: particularly Blücher, and while you have him, Kutuzov.

Your main handicap is a lack of Resource markers, and for this, through silver tongued diplomatic negotiation, you should seek winning British Financial Aid Issues. Always keep in mind that when you use the Arakcheyev card to secure a British Financial Aid Issue, you could get 2 additional, most welcome Resources!

You have a great empire, decisive battles to seek winning turn after turn, meritorious and charismatic generals, imposing statesmen, a pusillanimous and shy King of Prussia, and a leader in the Tsar with his messianic and paranoid shades…. what more can you ask for?  Playing Russia in a Congress of Vienna game certainly doesn’t lack for challenge, fun, and excitement!

Concluding Remarks by Congress of Vienna Assistant Designer & Editor, Fred Schachter: Hopefully, readers have found Frank’s advice enlightening and enjoyable to consider in anticipation of playing the game.  We so enjoy gaming, but with so many different tempting titles vying for the limited time we have to devote to our beloved hobby, how to learn a game such as Congress of Vienna’s nuances of play, not only for Russia, but all four of the game’s Major Powers?   There’s such a lack of time to learn the “tricks of the trade” in playing a particular game before moving on to the next.  Well, this InsideGMT series of articles seeks to remedy that by sharing the CoV play test team’s experiences.

As the fourth and final chapter of this series, “Strategies for Britain”, is being readied for publication, as an old wargame “Grognard” who basked in the glory days of our hobby when the Avalon Hill Game Company reigned supreme with its “classics”, I can’t help drawing the analogy of this series to the multitude of “Perfect Plan” articles which graced the pages of the Avalon Hill General Magazine.  Ah, those were the days of my innocent youth and so many many hours of gaming pleasure. 

For those of my generation, these articles hopefully enable you reliving those times, at least for a bit, and to those younger… these pieces help enhance your appreciation and pleasure in playing Congress of Vienna.

Next up, “Strategies for Britain”.  Rule Britannia, eh?

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Footnotes:

[1] This phrase is attributed to Marshal Suvorov at the end of 18th century and is now a lyric of a very popular Russian Army song!

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Previous Articles:

How to Play with Each Major Congress of Vienna Game Power: France (2024 Edition) Part 1 of 2, Emphasis on Diplomacy

How to Play with Each Major Congress of Vienna Game Power: France (2024 Edition) Part 2 of 2, Emphasis on War

How to Play with Each Major Congress of Vienna Game Power: Austria (2024 Edition)