I’m privileged to be Game Developer for The 7 years War: Frederick’s Gamble (henceforth referred to 7YW:FG).

This is a wonderful game based on the innovative and still ever popular card driven game engine from Designer Mark McLaughlin: The Napoleonic Wars.  If you’re familiar with TNW or its successor games, Wellington and/or Kutuzov; you’d have little difficulty getting into enjoying this debut Game Design effort by Greg Ticer.

The game’s title stems from Frederick the Great, King of Prussia’s 1756 land grab of the independent central European State of Saxony, right on his arch-rival Imperial Austria’s doorstep.  Frederick “gambled” he could get away with this annexation without triggering a general European War.  He failed, and when Austria was joined by its Ally France (Imperial Camp) and the Prussia had Ally Britain (Coalition Camp) with its mainland interests in Hanover/Hesse join the fray, that European War expanded into one of history’s first Global Conflicts.

To reflect the global nature of this conflagration, 7YW:FG has “mini-maps” off to the side of the main European theatre: one for North America and two areas of the Indian sub-continent.  These maps use a point-to-point map of “Duchies” similar to TNW.  An abstract “Naval Control Track” accommodates the war on the waters so players can concentrate on the exciting action ashore.

There are aspects of the game cards and rules which make this very much an Eighteenth Century rather than TNW Nineteenth Century gaming experience.  Future pieces within “InsideGMT” will provide more background and descriptions of what 7YW:FG has to offer. 

For now, with this article’s play test map before you along with your war gaming imagination, we hope you’ll enjoy this After Action Report of a 7 Years War: Frederick’s Gamble contest by the Metro Seattle Gamer guys play-test team, with yours truly supervising… somewhat akin to a line judge during a championship tennis match.  What makes this AAR unusual is the game starting as a two player contest, then, as more gents arrived at the club, growing to a 3 and then full 4 player version of the game.

Enjoy and feel free to pose questions interim to the next “InsideGMT” piece concerning this yet-to-be P-500 listed game. – Fred Schachter, Developer

September 2014 The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble Playtest

Initial Participants:

Britain & Prussia: Jeff Marksz

Austria & France: Steve Graham

Note: The first year of the war, 1756, when Frederick’s Armies seized Saxony is an optional game start.  The regular game begins with the 1757 turn (no peace die roll is possible until conclusion of the 1759 Turn), with Prussia ahead and winning the through possession of Saxony’s two Keys… ah, but retaining that lead in face of the Imperial Camp’s military might is what makes this game, as one wag put it during this past Summer’s WBC, “a steel cage knife fight”…

1757 

Britain lent one card to Prussia. The British first move was in India, a successful attack on Chandranagore. The French responded with an offensive in Mysore, but were unable to take Madras. The Prussian’s first play was the Balkan Uprising Foreign War card against the Austrians, who had to send only 1 SP to the war. Austria responded with Russia Fully Commits. Russia moved to take Warsaw. Later in the turn, France benefited from Army of Westphalia (a reinforcing 4SP Army and Leader placed in France), eventually moving troops up to take the isolated level one Prussian fortress at Wessel and threatening Britain’s mainland Europe possessions from that direction.

The Prussians directed a subsidiary army into central Germany, enacting a painfully long siege of Frankfurt am Main (Oh the horrible dice rolling!)  but eventually taking it. A 7YW:FG standard Austrian offensive into southern Silesia yielded a battle at Neisse that eliminated the invading Prussian force, giving the Austrians an additional loot resource. Ultimately, Austria spent two resources and Prussia one drawing cards. Austria manipulated its card hand to hold over one card at the end of the turn (and what a card it was: The Hand of God – an understandable card to retain). During the interphase, Austria sent an additional 1 SP to the Balkan Uprising Foreign War.

1758 

Britain again lent one card to Prussia. Russia was the first Power to move this turn and moved a full strength Russia Fully Commits 3-8 leader led Army to take the two level Prussian Fortress of Konigsberg. The British attempted to retake Fortress Wessel but failed.

The French launched an offensive in North America with Montcalm’s full strength Army out of Canada.  The invaders quickly drove on Albany and captured this Colonial Militia/Native Mustering Center… the gateway to both New York and Boston. (Native Indians, e.g. Mohawks, Colonial American/Canadian Militia, and Indian subcontinent Sepoys are Units unique to 7YW:FG).. Montcalm’s Army of European troops, Canadian Militia, and Indians then went on to attack and via siege take New York: a one level fortress. Boston, Britain’s sole remaining North American Key, then came under siege; but held out until the end of the year. The price of this French activity in the New World was a neglect, that is almost no cards played for Northwest Europe, where a French force was eventually eliminated after an unsuccessful attack on Munster. (At this point, Mike Snively joined as Austria in mid-turn. Making it a three player game.)

Austria and Prussia continued to fight over and around Silesia, with a Prussian army taking Braun. It advanced perhaps too deeply into Austrian territory and by end of the year was surrounded by Austrian Armies and hostile Fortresses… fortunately for the Prussians, this Army lost no units through Attrition due to lacking a friendly Duchies line of communications back to an unbesieged Prussian Key.

Play of the Drought card required the discard of Extorted Loans by the French player (Ouch! That card, if played, would have allowed draw of two cards!). Difficult Winter eliminated the French SPs besieging Boston, leaving just Montcalm.

Austrian retention of a card from the prior turn came into dramatic use when they used it, as the final card play of the turn, to Hand of God cancel their own play of the “William Pitt” Mandatory Event Card which would have placed Leader Wolf and 4 British SPs into a friendly North American Port (it would have been Boston, where another immediate battle versus Montcalm would have been triggered).

During the interphase, the British built colonials at Boston, triggering a battle which they lost, but enabling that force to retreat to vacant Albany. The Austrians sent 1 SP more to their Foreign War. The great surprise was British leader Cumberland and a full army relocating clear across Europe to the Prussian Duchy adjacent to Kunersdorf and Poznan on the Polish border (!).

1759 

(Cory Rueb joined the game as Britain. We now had a four player contest with two players for each Camp, The Coalition of Prussia & Britain and Imperials of Austria, France with their Pact Allies of Russia and the weak Imperials, what’s left of the Holy Roman Empire). The Prussians opened by playing Bypass Stronghold to get Schwerin and his army out of the potential Austrian trap at Braun. The British raised troops, more Colonial Militia, in North America and drove Montcalm away from Boston.

The French shifted their overseas attention to India and launched a desperate attack that took Madras, thereby deactivating that Indian theater as the British now had no way to get forces into it.

The Prussians attacked the Austrians at Prague in a massively climactic battle, playing March to the Guns to bring in Frederick’s 8 SP Army in addition to Schwerin for a “bucket of dice” conflict which would make the game system designer, The Napoleonic War’s Mark McLaughlin, proud. That battle exterminated the Austrian army. The Prussians then played Massed Field Guns to besiege and take Prague. The British, good partner that they were, played of Captured Supplies which gave Prussia an additional card and resource. This generosity would prove to be an issue later.

In response to all of this, the Russians, now getting three cards per turn in their hand thanks to the capture of the Warzaw and Konigsberg Keys; moved south to attack Cumberland and his Hanoverian army and were repulsed. This diversion of Russian forces from East Prussia allowed the Prussians to retake Konigsberg. The Austrians then attacked Cumberland, in his “Polish Marches” position (we joked) and were, against the odds, repulsed. The final Austrian card play of the turn was Death of Empress Elizabeth. This removed Russia from the game and completely altered the players’ positions.

The British were able to retake New York on their final card play. Europe Exhausted had been played during the turn; the Prussians gave up a card to end the game, the French gave up a card to continue and the Peace die roll was unsuccessful. During the interphase, Austria had to send 1 SP more to their still percolating Balkans Uprising Foreign War. Cumberland, his dramatic expedition into eastern Europe concluded, redeployed back to British territory in the West now that the East was safe with Russia’s withdrawal from the conflict.

1760 

Austria started the turn by play of Saxony Defects. The loss of Manpower from Prussia and gain by Austria was of notable impact since those countries had been heavily digging into their Manpower capacities during the game’s previous years (Yes, a Manpower Track is a 7YW:FG feature.  Remember, extensively trained soldiers were a finite commodity during 18^th Century warfare… the time of mass conscript and massive Napoleonic Army Groups is yet to come.  Being aware of their Manpower, which includes an “Honors of War” track to facilitate prisoner exchange, is another game sub-system.).

Spain entered the war via Danish card play of Spain Enters the Fray. The increase to the British Naval Track, along with prior card plays influencing the Naval Track, brought the British to level 7 and control of the seas.

In North America, the British concentrated on a campaign to take Montreal during the turn. The French campaigned in central Germany, capturing Frankfurt from the Prussians and re-establishing a threat in the north.

The Prussians, able to amass a considerable force due to Russia’s departure from the war, launched an attack on Vienna, which triggered the French play of Epidemic for 3 SP lost to Attrition. The Prussians were subsequently defeated at Vienna. The Austrians were unable to successfully follow up on this battlefield victory.

The Prussians then ventured into Imperial territory, taking Augsburg, the sole Imperial Fortress Mustering Center on the map. This effectively put the Imperials, a negligible force to begin with, out of further game action for the interphase.

The Austrian’s dice rolling for the persistent Balkan Uprising Foreign War took a dramatic turn and they had to send 5 SP (!) to that Foreign War, for a total of 9 SP committed to that card.

1761 

Austria started the turn. The Imperials had the Mandatory Play Louisbourg/Quebec Assault as their card, opening the waterway path to the level two Fortress of Quebec. Denmark played Early Snowfall but it ended following the British Impulse. The British, with a force of primarily British Colonial Militia assaulted Quebec but were beaten off by the French force, primarily French Colonial Milita there.

It should be noted the North American game action compelled the British to raise so many Colonial Militia from their North American Manpower Track to reconstitute their battered forces that they were on the edge, by building one SP more, of losing a VP for over-recruiting (causing colonial resentment which would come back to haunt them during the American Revolution.. another game that!). The British would return later and but not take the powerful Quebec fortress.

The Prussians and the Austrians continued to pound each other in Austrian territory. A Prussian attack at Iglau involved the play of Oblique Maneuver and Commander Incapacitated cards and resulted in a decisive Prussian victory. Seeing the Prussians were well on their way to winning, and miffed at a lack of reciprocity in card play (e.g. the Prussian’s played a card which would have given the British a powerful 4SP Army in Central Europe was instead played for the card’s 5CP’s by the Prussian player, not for the Event), the British played Royal Largesse, designating Britain and Imperial Austria, the Coalition’s Imperial Camp enemy, as the countries to draw a new card each.

The Prussians played Extorted Loans and drew William Pitt as one of the cards. Prussia then played Pitt for the event in the hopes of healing the rift with Britain. British Leader Wolf and his 4SP Army was placed in North America.  Austria then used the card they just received through British generosity and rolled to end their Balkan Uprising Foreign War and was successful, regaining 9 SP, which they badly needed. A series of massive battles at Vienna then followed.

In the first, the Austrians were routed through Prussian play of Flanking Maneuver. A second battle followed with another Austrian defeat, though most casualties were 13 disrupts for both sides so actual losses were low. What remarkable dice rolling we marveled! Three Level Fortress Vienna finally fell to Prussian siege on the last impulse of the turn.

Europe Exhausted had been played again. Prussia gave up a card to end the game; the British gave up a card to continue the contest (what an Ally, eh?). The actual Peace die roll was a 1 so the war went into its final turn. During the interphase, the Prussians hit their counter mix limit and could not build any more pieces.

1762 

France started the turn by building Montcalm at the Ohio Forks Muster Center. The North American theatre was not yet done (although with Wolfe’s massive British Army present, it seemed just a matter of time).

Austria attacked at Vienna again in hopes of liberating it, but was defeated in a two round battle. This largely ended the Austrian ability to fight.  Their Manpower was exhausted by the massive casualties it sustained.

Consequently, the Coalition was able to turn its attention to the west.  Frederick’s and a British Army launched an offensive against the French at Venlo and continued on to take the Austrian Netherlands with its two Keys, as well as Frankfurt. A French counterattack was unable to take Roermond.

The game ended with a Prussian victory by key count.

The determining factor in the Prussian victory appeared to have been regular favorable combat results for both Prussia and Britain beginning in 1759.  We all knew the game could feature some remarkable luck with dice and cards and that was certainly the case with this exciting game of The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble!

As a two player game early on, it took under a bit over 30 minutes to play each turn.  By the time the  game grew to a four player fun fest (the interplay between Britain and Prussia as they each vied to be sole victor of the game was amusing to all) the turns, with all their battle/siege resolutions took approximately one hour each.

This was aided by player’s growing familiarity with the game, the map, and many of its cards. “Trash Talking” may have added time to each turn’s play, but hey, why not add to the fun of this wonderful Greg Ticer design! Play-testing is not all work, eh?