The Prussian/Spanish player has a spikey role in COS, filled with dichotomy, exultation, and frustration. On one hand, you control the Enfant Terrible Frederick the Great (thirty-something version) and a potent Prussian army facing little threat, eyeing up multiple targets (Silesia, Prag, and Hannover city…). But the Prussians are politically naïve, set up to be diplomatically tricked out of the game twice, and, to the Prussian player’s chagrin, probably one campaign season and a tantalizing VP or two short of Decisive victory!
On the other hand, with a Spanish tricorne on, the player is cast in the role of constant poor relation to France; you have to negotiate and beg for Campaign Points, your army is solid but very small, and your leaders are a mixed bag. The Worms Alliance duo forces can usually diffuse your efforts, unless you get grudging help from … France. From 1745 onward, once the Prussians are shut off, you need to amp up your begging, hounding, and persuasion skills on that neurotic Bourbon cousin Louis to get your share of war resources, and snag a Victory level.
Prussian Strategy: Go, Go, Go! – But Smartly
Go, Go, Go:
The Prussians have five clear goals – 1. Grab Silesia first and secure it; 2. Go for Prag IF it makes sense – otherwise push hard for Vienna! Vienna is in some ways easier, if….(let’s pause there) 🙂 3. Threaten Hannover city often, and take it if you can (you can, but it depends on your priorities at the time) 4. Keep due diligence in ensuring the Austrians don’t get an easy VP by catching you sleeping, and neglecting measures to guard Berlin and Magdeburg, and 5. Attack Austrian forces as often as you can, especially in mid-War when your several juicy Battle cards are available, you’ve gotten huge 35+ SP army size boost, and Fred gets promoted to his 3-3 version.
But Smartly:
Maria and the Austrians, of course, aren’t going to open the doors and beckon you in. Your French allies may be hammering with you in ‘41-42, but may soon be distracted by easier VP targets. And to paraphrase Rob Roy, when the Duke of Argyll’s talking about Rob’s enemy Archie, it may be said, “that Queen’s no dunce with a blade!†The Austrians, as we’ve noted in the last article, have a solid army and 4-5 good leaders, and will probably have several facing you. Croats, Hussars, and Hostility are going to be three words you may develop a Pink Panther boss Inspector Dreyfuss eye twitch over, if you don’t pay careful attention to supply paths, garrisoning to the degree possible, and developing a healthy sense of Acceptance. On that card-counting note, PAY DUE ATTENTION to how many CHH cards have been played, and where the Aus have their CH units/markers at the start of a given campaign season (any in armies facing you? Some in the CH Raid box, or not? Or (lucky you) all seem to be deployed in Italy and Flanders (don’t hold your breath!).
And on that note, it is very much in Prussia’s interest to encourage the Bourbons to launch aggressive campaigns in Italy; the Austrians and Pieds have a lot of VPs to guard in that theater – so make sure your ally exerts effort to draw significant Austrian forces south!
And Have Fun Pillaging!:
On your side, appreciate the value and timing of play of those Pillage the Enemy and Further Pillage the Enemy cards to hamstring Austrian efforts. Pillage is a One-Time shot that on a dr 1-5 forces the Austrians to discard two cards of their choice, crimping their operational capability. Timing this nicely can cripple an Austrian Summer or especially Fall campaign season, when they’re lower on cards to begin with. Both cards allow for a dr6 result of one RANDOM discard – which, luck depending, can be catastrophic to Austrian hopes – if say a key Diplomatic Safety Valve card like Treaty of Berlin or Treaty of Dresden gets lost – which then keeps Prussia out of neutrality, and still battling!
What’s going to be the hinge between “pretty good†and “decisive†Prussian success? Prag. It’s very hard to take, but yields an extra “get out of town†VP when the Austrians play Treaty of Dresden on you. Grab as much as you can in Austria, but always with an eye to going for Prag at the start of any Summer. Barring Austrian incompetence (no garrison, no leader) it’s going to take a siege army both Summer and Fall to do it. Frederick may still be best employed in the lead army, threatening Vienna and keeping the enemy busy, while a second army does the sieging. Prussian CP values usually allow for Fred and a second army to be activated each campaign season. Easy? No. Possible? Yes.
Get the Saxons in — For Access!
The French have to get the Saxons in, but they can be very useful to you. Saxony as an ally allows Prussia (and France) to threaten Prag from the north as well as the east/west. If you can play Augustus Over-awed in a slack event phase, you can incorporate them into the Prussian army for little or no penalty.
Punch the Saxons in — For VPs!
In mid-game, Saxony may go neutral, then join the Austrians. This can be turned into a positive with the Revenge! Card. Saxon territory of itself offers no VPs, but the event does. Study it, hold it, and be prepared to enact it if you can.
Spanish Strategy: Italian Ambitions, And Dubious Friends:
As the Spanish, your one and only concern is Italy – all of it. You must keep your VP in southern Italy (you get the Naples VP if/when Naples joins the Bourbons > hint; get Naples to join the Bourbons<, and ensure the Austrians don’t get there and grab it for 3 VPs (!)). On the northern end of the boot, you want to grab more VPs in Lombardy, and, dream of dreams, your own VP pot of gold at Milan :). Your chief problem is, you don’t control the cards that get your forces launched! As the Spanish, you have to remind, negotiate, schmooze, or bully the French player to release CPs for your campaigns, and sometimes play the exclusive “Italian theater only†major CP cards – Buena suerte! You don’t need many added VPs to win, but getting this small amount is still a challenge given your junior partner status in the Bourbon coalition.
First Consideration — One Coast or Two?
In early war, Spanish event cards can get most of the Spanish army shipped out of Barcelona to Italian west coast ports. Some or all of your army can also march east across the French southern coast and approach Lombardy from the west (but beware the Brit Fleury’s Jealousy card, eh?). So, your choice: You can enter Italy as split forces – this is easier to do (barring extraordinary British luck on Fleet Intercepts), but it’s harder to make headway without French help, because you’ll end up with two 8-10 sp corps in play. Or, you can send everything through Naples and march up the peninsula with a single 15-20 sp army, gratefully augmented at times by Naples and Modena infantry. This avoids the -1 AP mixed force penalty of a combined Franco-Spanish army for campaigning (though you may and will want to do it for battles much of the time).
Second — You Probably Want Friends:
With a modest-sized Spanish army that averages 15-20 SPs total in play most of the time, you want any additional help you can get. The minor states of Naples, Genoa (as a French ally) and Modena all reside in Italy, and they can all be your friends.
Naples provides a welcome 7 SP corps of troops for the Spanish, and if used adroitly, can make a south-based army credible, help absorb losses, then be resurrected to full strength by well-timed play of the Offends the Interests of My House event. But Naples itself is also a liability, as a tempting 3 VP prize for the Austrians if they are willing to take on the exertion. To do this, the Austrians need to string an extensive supply line. Your first, low cost protection method for Naples is to ensure you seed a few 1 SP garrisons in along the Italian coasts. The Austrian can’t then automatically “chain†depot placements through them during the supply segment, ahead of his moves, as your SP will block the supply line trace. If you forget, well, see if you get away with it! If the Aus-Pieds get it in his head to go south for Naples, and you aren’t in position to block, try to cut across his supply line behind him. Failing that, can the French/Spanish make the Austrians pay up north in Lombardy? In this regard, the optional Fleet Bombardment rules may come into play, taking out Austrian Depots if the Bourbon fleet sorties –and gets some dice luck.
Genoa – though a French ally, the Genoese also offer 5 SP that are often grouped with Spanish forces. Genoa territory and movement paths greatly expand Bourbon campaign axes in Lombardy, and offer an easier route of attack then through the formidable Piedmontese mountain passes.
Third – Your Fleet As leverage
The Spanish have a 4 section fleet in the Med. Depending on British play, and typical Atlantic fleet Treasure Voyage results, the French player may be losing some ships. Building more ships (3+ CP card, one year wait) is expensive and slow. COS allows transfer of sections from the Med to Atlantic, and you may see a win-win opportunity evolve, wherein you loan the French some fleet sections in exchange for increased land efforts (CPs and French SP commitments) for you. You also control IF those sections are used in any Fleet Intercept attempts. Make no mistake, the Bourbons are going to need help with their Atlantic fleet for Treasure Voyages sooner or later, so you’ve got a good bargaining chip in hand – er, in PORT there. 🙂
There’s more to say about both Powers for the Prussian/Spanish player, but I gotta go – mom’s calling me home for supper! 🙂
Clash of Sovereigns Design Thoughts #1: Some “Big Picture†Canister Shots
Enemies North, West, and South: Playing Maria Theresa in Clash of Sovereigns
Author: Bob Kalinowski
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