It’s been awhile since the last InsideGMT article concerning The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble, henceforth referred to as 7YW:FG.  This piece is an update of the game’s development progress as well as solicitation of InsideGMT readers of whether the game is on the right track in considering certain content.

First, designer Greg Ticer and I were thrilled to learn the broad acceptance of our admission regarding the need to overhaul 7YW:FG’s Field Battle and Siege systems.  This is explained by an InsideGMT post: The 7 Years War: Frederick’s Gamble: Remodeling a 19th Century Field Battle and Siege System for the 18th Century.

The positive feedback from InsideGMT readers, the play-test teams, those giving the game a whirl during a convention such as this past Summer’s WBC, and increasing P-500 pre-sales (7YW:FG is getting ever closer to “making the cut”) are most encouraging.  Thanks!

As true with many games’ development, each play testing, while reinforcing participants’ perception of the game being fun and exciting to play, seems to reveal need to “tweak” something in the rules and/or the game’s 110 cards.

There’s nothing wrong with that.  It does result in rule/card updates needing communication to 7YW:FG play-testers.   What progress has been made to date?  To provide that, a replacement 7YW:FG Tutorial/Overview has been posted within GMT’s P-500 site for the game.  This reflects the latest concerning the game’s rules.  If reader feedback indicates, a successor edition (if needed), can have edits color-highlighted to clearly indicate what’s new from the prior version.   For now, this document, dense packed that it is with text, did not seem to benefit with color being used more than it is.

Another aspect of what continued play testing is providing are various Players Notes.

With so many games vying for players’ attention; it’s often difficult to not only learn a new title in terms of how to play, but to do so taking best advantage of the rules to be successful in achieving victory.  Back during my youthful Bronx grognard days of so many years ago; when Avalon Hill games were the sole offerings for my friends and my voracious appetites for new games, we had time to fully explore each new title and learn its nuances and “perfect plan strategies” (at least so we thought, but heck, that was the fun of it).

Real Life pressures and priorities, such as job, spouse, children etc., made our group’s gaming time more precious than ever.  It was often only a few hours a weekday after work on a given evening that we could war game.  We no longer had time to garner the kind of in depth knowledge of a game which we previously enjoyed.

Those of you who appreciate the richness of play THE NAPOLEONIC WARS offers may sympathize with the 7YW:FG team’s conundrum in imparting comparable levels of understandings in light of players’ limited time and, perhaps, patience, to truly “get into” this game…. particularly that 7YW:FG has a completely different approach from TNW’s “Bucket of Dice” system for resolving Field Battles and a very different way to resolve Fortress Siege: one allowing pieces to be within a Fortress as garrison while an enemy Formation besieges that Fortress from without while needing a secure line of communication back to friendly territory in order to resolve a Siege (which is very 18^th Century and something not appropriate to TNW’s 19^th Century environment).

The answer would seem inclusion of Players Notes.   Ten samples of which follow this text.    There’ll also be Players Notes for certain key rules. Furthermore, an in-depth illustrated example of play will be within 7YW:FG’s Play Book.  Are we are the right track providing them?

7YW:FG Players Notes (as of September 2016)

(To best appreciate the Players Notes below, feel free to reference the 7YW: FG Playtest Map, Field Battle Rules, Siege & Siege Assault Rules, After Action Report, and the updated Game Tutorial on the 7YW:FG P500 page.)

1. Remember to use “Impulse Complete” markers to eliminate possible confusion as to which pieces moved when a high CP card is in play.  We had a situation when a French Army overran a British Formation in India’s Ft. St. David Duchy… but the French lost a Sepoy SP in the process.  The French wanted to retrieve a Sepoy SP in Pondicherry to move to reinforce Nally’s Army in Ft. St. David and then, with that Army back to full strength, attack the British in Madras.  The frustrated French could not do this since an “Impulse Complete” marker had to be placed on Nally’s Army when that SP in Pondicherry moved.

2. Be certain a line-of-communication for a siege is secured with 1SP pieces lest an enemy “Kleiner War” play make siege resolution impossible.  Experienced play testers do this, or do not commence a siege due to that vulnerability, lest the ability for siege resolution got foiled by “Kleiner War”.  Associated with this is Beware having an enemy Mustering Center siege in place late during a turn… the besieging Army can be hit with returning Honors of War SPs (and any Leader) as well as Reinforcement Formations…. a kind of one/two punch.  The players avoided risk of this during our game.  The best course is to successfully execute sieges early during a Year to avoid this risk.

3. A card-counter, should appreciate this: if you suspect the enemy having one or more Events which do you harm… hold onto any “Hand of God” Event for as long as possible during a turn and keep 4CP of card(s) as “reserve” in case your opponent breaks a friendly Pact with “Ear of the King” or “Diplomacy”.  Another good use of a “Hand of God” is to cancel one of your opponent’s good events such as “His Britannic Majesty’s Army” (which brings a new British Army into play) to keep the European situation stable for the Imperial Camp

4. Pay attention to the Diplomacy Tracks… it’s far easier to forestall your opponent getting a Pact than arranging circumstances to allow one to form for your Camp. Remember, each Pact Ally is worth a VP at game end.

5. As the Imperials, attrition the Prussians at every opportunity even if it risks battlefield defeats.  Although the “Bottom of the Barrel” penalty is -2DRM, It’s acceptable if Austria “Scrapes the Bottom of the Barrel” as long as Prussia is also compelled to do so.  Send a second French Army, as soon as possible, to put pressure on the British and to at least indirectly support Austria.  Soubisse’s French Army, which starts 1757 in Roermond for a northern Hanover campaign, can need help. Yeah, Prussia may send an Army to smash up the French… but if they lose SPs in the process, along with SPs fending off Austria and Russia (once Fermor is built and Russia has an Army to advance into Poland with): life can get very tough for Prussia.  France will do right by building a 1-8 Leader if neither French Army reinforcement card is chosen through the entirety of the game (nor receive “Russia Fully Commits”).

6. 6. Prussia needs to lash out early in the game to secure a 10th Key, so its 1758 Card Hand is five rather than four cards.  That means either Prag or 2SP garrisoned Frankfort needs to be captured.  In a recent play test game, Austria halted Frederick’s offensive on Prag (butchering his Army in the process), but Ferdinand was able to seize Frankfort (which the French were eventually able to recapture when we halted play due to time constraint).  Warsaw would also be a possibility, but that requires the pre-requisite of Russia violating Poland’s neutrality.  Russia wisely did not do so until 1758 when a 6SP Russian Army under Fermor was able to capture Warsaw for the Imperial Camp.

7. To prevent a 1758 10th Key fifth Prussian Card Hand possibility, Russian capture of Konigsberg may be the best Imperial Camp option until strengthened Austrian and French strength can be brought to bear.  That makes a 1757 Foreign Aid play to Russia attractive, although that’s a dilemma for France who has pressing issues in the Colonies.  Yet a Russian-controlled Konigsberg, combined with their seizure of Warsaw when the time’s right, increases Russia’s annual card deal from two to three cards.

8. Never give up, despite a set-back! Here’s another play test game example. Although Britain luckily got Wolfe’s North American British Army during 1757, two years earlier than historically (!); French focus on the Naval Track and keeping its Marker low, made certain Wolfe’s route to Quebec had to be overland. Remarkable Field Battle dice temporarily saved to day for France with the game’s sole ‘Rout” Field Battle (five British SP lost to a 1SP loss to France).  Yet, Britain was able to rebound from this crushing defeat by licking its wounds in a friendly Flagged Montreal, rebuilding Wolfe’s Army with Colonial SP, and after another repulse, going on to besiege and capture Quebec during the 1759 turn.

9. If there’s a chance for victory, don’t stint sacrificing a Next Year Card to influence the Peace Die Roll and keep the game going: Particularly for the Coalition, if Russia is in the game, surviving the year could see Russia leave the war through “The Death of Czarina Elizabeth”. Conversely, for the Imperial Camp, if Russia is still in the game, and there are unselected Army Cards in the deck (e.g. the two French Armies) why deny the possibility of a game turn-around?

10. Spend Your Resource Points with care: If you’re the sole player expending Resources while your opposition does not… this can bode ill when the game ends since each Resource is worth 1VP.

Your feedback to the updated “Tutorial” and this article’s proposed use of 7YW:FG Players Notes would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Author: Fred Schachter