It is the year 1470. In Amboise, France, King Louis XI and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy, welcome the birth of their son Charles. Louis goes by the nickname “the Spider” for his ability to weave conspiracies against those who oppose him. Such plotting is critical in a land threatened on all sides by enemies (Burgundy, Brittany, England, and Austria) and one where much of the power resides with the noble houses, not the monarchy. Slowly but steadily Louis and then the charismatic Charles (who succeeds him at age 13) increase the power of the French crown, pushing out their borders to the English Channel, up against Spain, and even into Italy. They can only count on a few allies: the Catalan rebels fighting against Aragon and the Portuguese (who are supporting a rival faction for the crown of Castile).

And so, it is this fierce civil war in Aragon between the king’s supporters and those who want to establish an independent Principality of Catalonia that takes center stage as our game opens. The desperate rebels look for the support of France — going so far as to offer the crown of the Principality to the French nobleman René de Anjou. The French player, like each of the others in the game, thus controls two powers. You may even coordinate military actions between France and Catalan when you use a force led by Anjou. You will want to retain control of Barcelona as long as you can to maximize the victory points you can score with these Catalan forces. But loss of Barcelona removes the Catalan forces from the game entirely — so the stakes are high!

France starts Turn 1 allied with Portugal and both players have a secondary faction fighting alongside their main power against Castile and Aragon. Having the same common enemy typically helps coordinate their efforts. However, the French player must be aware that he is in command of a far-flung kingdom fighting a complex series of border wars — not just this one civil war in the south. In the Western Pyrenees, France starts with an army under the leadership of the House of Albret that can choose to invade Castile in a coordinated action with the Portuguese. In the north, France must maintain a significant garrison of land and naval units until the final peace treaty with England to end the Hundred Years War is signed. And perhaps the greatest French enemy is the Emperor Maximilian of Austria whose possessions in Burgundy and the Holy Empire surround France to the east and north. The campaigns of the Duke of Burgundy have been especially troublesome to French interests over the years. Finally, there is Brittany, a fiercely independent land that does not want to submit to the mandate of the French monarch. France has quite a full plate throughout the initial turns of the game as they work to conclude each of these foreign wars successfully. However the payoff is large if they can stabilize all these fronts for then the VP riches of Italy await.

What other considerations are important to a French player?

• The size of each of your hand of cards depends not only on the charisma of your ruler, but also on the support the French monarch currently enjoys from the great noble houses of the kingdom. Each turn you should take actions to bring those houses in line with the king’s campaigns, boosting your hand size and earning you VP for each noble family that declares full support for the crown.
• The French fleet is not as large as those of your opponents but is still an important asset to face any enemy. The French fleet can be used to support the Catalan rebels, to assist French campaigns in Italy, and — once the naval leader Casenove is available — in piracy actions.
• Though French player has only limited options on the Exploration Map you are compensated by trade relations in the Mediterranean and the North Sea. Investing in the development of a North Sea commercial fleet and in alliances with key Italian city states can gain you extra naval resources to assist your efforts.
• Carefully consider the use of your three Home Cards: one that supports the Catalan cause, one that allows you to consolidate the noble houses (or cancel Spanish play of their Tanto Monta home card), and a final one – perhaps the most powerful – that allows you to deploy an army immediately mid-turn (probably to Italy).

France is the sleeping lion, poised to strike hard once it awakes in a game of Tanto Monta. Initially the French may be sorting out their internal politics and may appear a bit on the sidelines. But once those affairs are in order they can roar south, threatening the Iberian and Italian peninsulas with conquering armies.

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