Here is a first collection of thoughts on French strategy in COS. I hope to write at least one article on strategy for each Power, and may get to a second if I just skip sleeping for the next year. Er, so, don’t hold your breath on that….

To start with a one-line look over the shoulder at Clash of Monarchs (COM) before we move on: The French are fun to play in COS; I repeat, for the benefit of all COM players [lifting megaphone] THE FRENCH ARE FUNNNNNNN TO PLAYYYYYY IN COSSSSSSSS. Who’da thunk it? A mere ten years later, the French are falling all over themselves in the Seven Years War, as a running comedy (Clermont as your CIC, anybody? :)).  In COS, the French are RUNNING THE GAME. Yeah, baby – francophiles rejoice! The French have got big teeth, and the French are the THREAT.

How so? Let us count the ways… 

Largest Army

The French can field the largest army (up to 135 SP total), and have many excellent generals. Belle Isle, Maillebois, Noallies, and Conte are front rank leaders with great initiative and high ap ratings. De Saxe, in both his infant terrible 500 lb gorilla 3-3-7 and then 900 lb gorilla  4-4-8 personas :), is in a class by himself, a force of nature, and the bane of the Pragmatics in Flanders.

  Central Position, and Lots and Lots of Forts, Nemo (:))

The French are also blessed with a central position versus enemies that have to maneuver and attack from a wider circumference, and penetrate an extensive and formidable line of fortresses guarding the frontier.

Easy Reinforcements, Without Event Card Angst (at least until Anson and Hawke show up)

The French get most of their reinforcement SP – up to 20 a year, via their Treasure Fleet voyages, which are automatically enacted by the guaranteed pull of one of three Fortunes of War chits each year. To make the voyage, the French player does have to play one 3+ CP card, or a Fleet Sortie card – but he does not have the dilemma of having to play this card as an Event in one of the Sequence Of Play’s 4 yearly Event segments. He can play this when the chit is drawn, and so does not sacrifice any of those other Event play opportunities. So, early on, one might think French players will be positively beaming when that Treasure Voyage chit is pulled!

As said before, and I will say repeatedly (until you are muttering, “Lord, make him stop about all the cards already, make him STOPPPPPPP!”), COS has a LOT of cards, and a lot you want to play. The game SOP grew to enable generous Event play opportunities, without setting up the false choice of “do I play a Diplomatic event, or do I move an army?” Even so, I wager that in an average game, you are only going to get 90% of all those cards you want played. You will experience significant Event card angst, wherein you have 5-6 events you want to play, and only 4 slots to use. Decisions, decisions… 🙂 And actually, I lied, you will have to sometimes ask, “do I play a Diplomatic event, or do I move an army?” (Foot stomp, foot stomp, take note British players! :))

SIDE NOTE: “Treasure Voyage” No, it’s not one voyage. It is a “let’s skip all the bean counting economics” abstraction that represents the cumulative resources the French got from their overseas endeavors – Canada, the Caribbean, India. You should be able to make them largely unhindered until 1745; from there, your income pipeline from around the world stands increasing danger and likelihood of being crimped, and then crushed – with a -1 MW major fleet loss as a final insult. So, as my neighbor says about 60-70 degree weather in St. Louis – “Ha!  Enjoy it while you can!”

And by 1746-7, if he’s played his cards right, one might think British players will be positively beaming when that Treasure Voyage chit comes up!  (hey, wasn’t that line different the first time? :))

But regardless, make no mistake; France’s bread, butter, and marmalade is its Treasure Voyages. Make sure you keep an eligible card to launch them every year, no matter what else is happening on map or on the Diplomatic track. And in ‘47-48, when there’s nothing staring at you in the Spring Reinforcement box besides the Kingdom’s resources, you know the jig is up!

Strategy – Lots of Muscle, but Lots to Do:

However, the French have a lot to achieve to get a victory; they need to make VP inroads on the Austrians, Dutch, and/or Empire, while holding Bavaria as long as possible, and avoid losing ground in southern France in late game. So, how do you do this? Here are some ideas…

Early War

The primary French Early War goal should be to put your Bavarian puppet on that Holy Roman Empire Throne! Why? VPs. You get one for putting him there, and one for each Later Winter segment that he’s still warming that seat.

First, you have to play diplomatic events to get in the war and allied to Bavaria – that will bring their 3 geographic VPs into your tally. Marshal Belle Isle was the man who orchestrated this alliance, so he gets the credit on the card. 🙂

Then the French need 2 Additional VPs to claim enough temporary influence to get Charles VII crowned King of the HRE, and that’s spelled out on the card – one French army needs to grab Frankfurt, and another Passau. Why? Because these cities had HRE Electors, who voted for who would be the next HRE. With French regiments occupying your castle courtyards, who would you vote for? French get an immediate VP out of it, and the Aus and Brits get dinged -1 VP. Oh, the embarrassment for them!

After that, your follow on goal is to hold enough of Bavaria to earn as many Late Winter HRE VPs as you can. 

Now, pay attention — At the campaign start, you are front-loaded with Depots to be able to supply this push into Bavaria and Austria, but this capacity fades by 1743, unless you are a magician, or game fortune allows you to steadily replenish Depots (bon chance  — they cost you 2 cards each). So, you have a viable but narrow window to get that HRE crown; the Austrians start out with modest forces, and will have the Prussians breathing down their necks until mid-1742. It’s imperative you seize that opportunity before the Prussians go neutral, and Austrian/Brit Reinforcement cards swell the enemy ranks. Marshal Belle-Isle is the natural spearhead of this effort, while Noallies and Maillebois can collect Empire VPs and hold off a growing Brit/Dutch presence.

Wider War:

In the Wider War, 1743-45, the field expands. You want to hold Bavaria, but press on the British/Allies, and start mining the VP gold in the Austrian Netherlands. Play of Renewed French Recommitment, getting De Saxe promoted, is No Brainer imperative. De Saxe is Da Bomb in COS; use him at every opportunity. As a 3-3-7 initiative 1 junior leader, he can take 12 sp on darting, dangerous side offensives vs. the Austrians in Bohemia, stabbing at Prag, for instance. And in late game, De Saxe is probably the only leader for whom a mega army may make sense. He can still achieve 6 ap activity rates with a 70 sp army, and at even 5 % losses, that ensures 4 sp losses to the enemy every time. If you happen to have a rare Tac card in hand, and roll a 5-6, you may indeed achieve a rare, crushing Major Victory in the field.

And don’t forget to take Antwerp! Per your player mat, if you don’t hold Antwerp by 1745, you’re going to forego 5 SP per turn reinforcements. This represents the French expectations of exploiting the rich resources of the Austrian Netherlands for their war effort. 

Maurepas’ Descent –  Mega Risk, High Reward? This is an enticing and frustrating lure for the French player; low probability of enactment, high probability of disappointment, but high chance of huge reward. You have to get and hold both Descent cards in hand, which may entail waiting for that 2^nd card over two years; you have to park a corps in a French port with a good leader, all of which could be used well elsewhere on map; you have to play that first card – and discard two more big CP cards at the same time, AND then get lucky on that die roll to get out of port vs. the Brit fleet. If you get to sail, you may still be intercepted and suffer a minor tragedy of losses. But if you sail AND you land… you should be able to rake in 3 VP for causing the worldwide shock of entering London, and perhaps a bonus VP, the jewel in the diadem, of forcing George II to flee with his bodyguard out the north end when you are entering from the south! This is an epic grand prize, 3-4 permanent VPs that can’t be lost; your invading corps will wither and die, but oh, the forlorn grandeur, to say you have planted the Fleur De Le in front of Parliament!

But if it doesn’t quite work out that way? Well, you’ve held two cards for a while, you’ve burned two more high CP cards, and then you’ve either been stuck in the port, aborted, or lost your entire corps and a good officer, and that entire campaign year of the attempt is at best slowed, and most likely crippled. So, your choice, Louis XV! 🙂

Late War

The Pragmatics will want to keep you out of the Dutch Netherlands with their Velvet Glove event; you counter it with yours. Late war will also bring increased off-map event activity in India. You should be able to the Brit/Allies reeling with De Saxe in the Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Netherlands, with a flank army in Germany to oppose Allied/Aus grabs at Empire and Bavarian VP spaces. But will you have enough SP to hold off the Aus/Pieds in Italy too? Decisions, decisions…

Geographic Note:  Paris – defend it! This shouldn’t be inordinately difficult. Your main Austrian Netherlands army is also a primary blocking force, but you’d do well to have a small secondary army (maybe it’s your siege army in a dual hat role) ready to block as well. A 5+ SP garrison and some sort of leader are of course a nice to have third layer of protection. Lose Paris, you give the enemy 3 VP for entry, and if they hold it over winter, you’ll lose half your reinforcements for the upcoming year. Yeah, that sucks, so don’t lose Paris!

There’s more – Launching and running “The 45,” how to handle the war in Northern Italy, and dealing with Louis’ desire to Command, and tendency to get Small Pox, but on that last suave and subtle closing note above, I gotta go – I have a pie in the oven (does anyone actually use that excuse anymore?) 

Next time – Everywhere I look, someone’s attacking me!: Playing Maria Theresa in COS…

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Other Clash of Sovereigns Articles:

Clash of Sovereigns Design Thoughts #1: Some “Big Picture” Canister Shots