Frederick's War: War of the Austrian Succession, 1741-48 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Components
• 3.0 Sequence of Play
• 4.0 Control of Powers
• 5.0 Occupation of Squares
• 6.0 Balance of Power Phase
• 7.0 Initiative Determination
• 8.0 Taxation Phase
• 9.0 Campaign Markers & The Market
• 10.0 Negotiations
• 11.0 Mobilization & Reinforcements
• 12.0 Operations
• 13.0 Stacking
• 14.0 Fog of War
• 15.0 Zones of Control
• 16.0 Movement
• 17.0 Honors of War
• 18.0 Combat
• 19.0 Fortresses & Sieges
• 20.0 Countermarch: Forced March, Ambush, & Delaying Actions
• 21.0 Pillage
• 22.0 Provisioning
• 23.0 Leaders
• 24.0 Veteran & Guard Units
• 25.0 Fleets & Naval Operations
• 26.0 Fieldworks
• 27.0 Off-Map Areas
• 28.0 Minor Powers & Declarations of War
• 29.0 Holy Roman Empire
• 30.0 Victory Conditions
• 31.0 Scenarios
• Optional Rules
• 32.0 Special Units
• 33.0 Overrun
• 34.0 Formal Sieges
• 35.0 Prisoners of War
• Player Cards
• 41.0 Designer's & Players' Notes
• 42.0 Designer's Q&A

1.0 Introduction

Frederick's War: War of the Austrian Succession (FW), is a wargame simulating the struggle for power in Europe during the highpoint of the Enlightenment, 1741-48. It was the era of soldier-kings and enlightened monarchs, when powerful states maneuvered professional armies and fought to gain rich provinces. FW is primarily intended as a multi-player player game. It can be played by two, three or four, with each player representing a different major power: Prussia, Austria, France or Britain. Other states are represented as minor powers. Each player has a variety of military and diplomatic instruments with which he can attempt to make his mark on history.

Old Hands Note: FW is based on S&T's 1066 and Hannibal's War wargames; however, there are changes to the rules to reflect the differences in scale as well as the era being covered. So assume nothing.

2.0 Components

2.1 The map shows central Europe in the mid-18th century. A square grid has been superimposed over it to regulate the position and movement of the pieces. When setting up and playing, the pieces are placed within individual squares. Also note an alpha-numeric grid has been added along the edges of the map. Using it, each square can be identified by a letter-and-number combination. Thus, for example, Prague is in square 8M. The initial control-status of a place is based on its color, as follows:

• Prussia: blue
• Austria: green
• France: light blue
• Britain: red
• Minor Powers: green

2.11 Map Notes

• Britain includes both England and Hanover.
• Austria includes Austria itself, the Netherlands, Ulm, and Milan.
• Prussia includes Brandenburg, Minden, and East Prussia.
• Saxony includes Saxony and Poland.
• Sweden includes Pomerania.

2.2 Battle Display

A convenient area to place units and markers involved in combat.

2.3 Powers

Each player controls one or more major powers. There are four major powers in the game: Prussia, Austria, France and Britain. There are nine minor powers: Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bavaria, Saxony (includes Poland), the German States, Switzerland, Spain, Genoa, Savoy, Venice, and the Italian States. Each major and minor power has its own units.

2.4 Control of Major Powers

Depending on how many are playing, divide up control of the four major powers as follows.

Two-Player Game

• Player 1: Prussia & France
• Player 2: Austria & Britain

Three-Player Game

• Player 1: Prussia
• Player 2: France
• Player 3: Austria & Britain

Four-Player Game

• Player 1: Prussia
• Player 2: France
• Player 3: Austria
• Player 4: Britain

Note: while Russia was indeed a European great power in this era, it had only a minor role in this war; so it's depicted as a minor power.

2.5 Off Map Areas represent geographic regions adjoining the main map.

2.6 The Market: is used to hold Campaign markers that are up for bid.

2.7 Playing Pieces

There are four types of playing pieces: combat units, map markers, campaign markers and information markers.

Unit Counter Errata: the Russian 1-6 Light Troops unit should have a plus-sign (+) in front of its movement factor.

The British "Marshal," "Adm. Hawke," and "Admiral" counters shouldn't have parentheses on them; they're military leaders, not political.

2.8 Combat Units are the pieces with the images of troops on them. Combat units (or simply "units") represent various types of military forces. Combat units have a combat strength and a movement allowance.

2.9 Combat Unit Values

[The combat unit values table is not reproduced in the rules text.]

2.10 Leaders

Certain units represent major leaders (for example, Frederick II). Leaders function like other units, except they have a leader value printed on them in addition to a combat factor, the latter representing elite guard troops that accompanied a commander in the field. Sovereigns are differentiated from all other leaders by having their actual portrait shown rather than a generic leader icon. Political (non-military) leaders have a parenthesized leader value.

2.11 Back Printing

Certain units are back-printed. The reverse side is their "recruit" status; their front side represents their "veteran" status. In those cases, the counter represents two different states of the same unit.

2.12 Unit Types

• Sovereign Leader
• Commander
• Admiral
• Infantry
• Veteran Infantry
• Cavalry
• Veteran Cavalry
• Light troops
• Siege Train
• Garrison
• Fleet

2.13 Map Markers

Fieldworks: a fortified base area.

Pillage: a square that's been devastated.

2.13 Campaign Markers are used to generate various military and political actions and random events. They include the following types:

• Action: played during different points in the game turn, as indicated in the marker explanations.
• Battle: played during combat.
• Mercenaries: entered during Mobilization Phases; once placed on the map, they're treated as units.

2.14 Information Markers are used to record various game functions.

• Battle Location Marker: indicates the location of the battle currently being resolved.
• Initiative Marker: indicates which player has the Initiative.

Turn and Phase markers are used to keep track of the passage of time in the game.

2.15 Scale

Each full game turn represents one year. Each Operations Phase represents several weeks to several months of active campaigning. Each military unit represents 2,500 to 10,000 men. Each square represents 50 miles (81 km) across from side to opposite side.

2.16 Player Cards

Each player has a "card" (see sections 36.0 through 40.0), which gives his power's starting deployment, special abilities and victory conditions. They also have spaces on which to place units that occupy the same squares as leaders, and to indicate control of the various minor powers. Players should feel free to photocopy and/or enlarge the cards for ease of use.

2.17 Dice

Players will need to provide themselves with one or more six-sided dice to play the game. The die is used to resolve various game functions.

2.18 The pool

Players will need to provide themselves with a large-mouth opaque container, such as a coffee mug or cereal bowl, in which Campaign markers are to be placed so they can be drawn at random.

3.0 Sequence of Play

3.1 Players set up their units and markers according to the instructions given in section 31.0 of these rules and their individual player cards. Each scenario will last a designated number of "game turns." Each game turn consists of a series of sequential phases. In some phases, all players perform actions simultaneously. Each player will also have his own "player turn," in which he will conduct various actions with his own power's units.

3.2 Turn Phase-Sequence Outline

Each game turn consists of the following phases, which must be played through in the sequence outlined below:

1. Balance of Power Phase. Players roll on the Balance of Power Table to generate random events.

2. Initiative Determination Phase. Players determine who will have the initiative for this game turn. As the designation implies, that player conducts the first Operations Phase of that game turn, with every other player then proceeding, one at a time, clockwise around the table.

3. Taxation Phase. Each player tallies up the number of thaler points of cities he occupies. That figure is added to his total number of thaler already in his treasury.

4. Market Phase. The player with the initiative randomly picks a number of campaign markers from the pool equal to twice the number of players. "Random" picking means they're all picked without looking at them. The picked markers are placed face down in the Market box on the mapsheet. Then, starting with the initiative player, players may bid thaler to gain control of those markers (one at a time).

5. Negotiation Phase. Any, some, or all of the players may make agreements with each other to trade campaign markers and/or thaler.

6. Grand Diplomacy Phase. Starting with the initiative player, each player may make one declaration of war or play one Alliance marker. Continue rotating from one player to another around the map until all players have passed once. Note that while each player may make only one declaration or play one Alliance marker at a time, each player will potentially have multiple opportunities to do so in each of these phases.

7. Mobilization Phase. Each player expends thaler to mobilize new units, place fieldworks, and/or remove Pillage markers.

8. Operations Phases.

a) First Operations Phase. The player with the initiative may now conduct operations with one force by paying one (or one-half if Prussian) thaler (or if a thaler isn't paid, by performing an attrition check). During this operation, that one force conducts the following segments in this order: 1) Move Segment; 2) Attrition Segment; 3) Honors of War Segment; 4) Combat Segment; and 5) Pillage Segment.

b) Second & Subsequent Operations Phases. The next player then conducts an operation as described above. Continue rotating around the table, one player conducting one operation at a time, until one of the following first occurs: 1) all players pass; or 2) there are no units remaining on the map. Note that the same force may conduct more than one operation in a single game turn, but the thaler cost or attrition check must be paid or made each time it does so.

9. Provisioning Phase. All players must "pay" certain units in order for them to remain on the map.

10. Sudden Death Victory Check Phase. All the players check to see if they've fulfilled both the general scenario and their own power's special victory conditions. If one or more have done so, the game comes to an end and victory is determined.

11. End of Game Turn Phase. Players mark the passage of one year. Play continues until the end of the scenario or players agree to end the game.

4.0 Control of Powers

4.1 Powers. There are two types of powers in the game: major and minor. A minor power may be in one of two states: belligerence or neutrality. Major powers are always belligerent, and are always controlled by players (see 2.3).

4.2 Belligerence & Control Status

A belligerent power is any power controlled by a specific player. That player controls all its forces, campaign markers, etc. A player may control one or more powers. In general, if a player controls more than one power, all forces of those powers are considered to be friendly for all purposes. They may move and fight together, use each other's supply, etc. (Exceptions will be explained at the appropriate places in the rules below.) If a player controls more than one power, he maintains a common treasury and a common pool of campaign markers for all of them. Players should note the territory of powers may not be geographically contiguous. For example, Britain controls Hanover, and Poland is part of Saxony.

4.3 Neutrals

Certain minor powers may be neutral. Neutral minor powers don't recruit units or receive campaign markers. Neutral forces don't require provisioning. Neutral forces may be initially deployed on the map within their own countries, but they don't move, etc., until they become belligerent. Belligerent units may not cross the borders of neutrals, nor may players in any way use their forces, until they've become belligerent. Neutrals become belligerent via the Balance of Power event, campaign marker play (see section 9.0), or a declaration of war (see section 23.0).

4.4 Borders

Borders are shown on the map, always running along square sides. You may cross the borders of belligerents. You may generally not cross the borders of neutrals.

4.5 Trivial States

As an exception to that last part of 4.4, territory marked "German States" and "Italian States" may be entered without a declaration of war. In effect, they're always in a state of belligerency. They represent the numerous minor states that served as a cockpit of war for the other powers. Any power that occupies a German or Italian state city or fortress may mobilize one of their garrison units in them, a maximum of one per such locale. You may also mobilize major power units in German State and Italian State cities. Note they have no control spaces on the Player Cards or Alliance markers.

5.0 Occupation of Squares

5.1 You "occupy a square" by having one or more of your units in it. If you completely empty a given square of all your units, you thereby lose control of that square, and any other player who moves units into it gains control of that square for as long as one or more of his units remain there. A player may regain control of a lost square by reoccupying it (any number of times per square, per game and per power). The occupation of squares with taxation value gives the occupying player additional thaler.

5.2 All types of combat units may control squares. Naval units may control coastal squares.

5.3 Fieldworks and Pillage markers by themselves don't effect or maintain the control of squares.

5.4 Generally, if more than one player's units occupy a square simultaneously, the player whose forces were in it first control the terrain features (and any fieldworks counter) in it. Exception: see the optional Siege rule.

5.5 Control vs. Occupation

It's important to understand the distinction between "control" and "occupation." Control means a player has the loyalties of the ruling elite of a power, and hence direct control of its units on the map. Occupation means the player has units inside a square, and thereby can collect its resource points. For example, the Prussian player may have his units occupying the city of Vienna. He may then collect taxes from it; however, the Austrian player would still control all Austrian units on the map.

6.0 Balance of Power Phase

6.1 During each game turn's Balance of Power Phase, players roll on the Balance of Power Table to generate an event for that game turn. Two dice are rolled and the results cross-indexed. The results are immediately applied.

6.2 Starting with the player who had the initiative the prior turn, each player rolls once on the Balance of Power Table. All such rolls take place during the same phase, and each event is implemented in the order rolled. If the same event is rolled more than once, treat the second occurrence as "No Event," and re-roll.

6.3 Regardless of who rolls a specific event, events may affect any and all players as stated in their explanations. For example, the Economic Expansion event would cause all players to gain thaler.

6.4 Certain other actions will require players to roll on the Balance of Power Table.

6.5 Monarchs are exempt from elimination due to BoP Table results. Note: on the Balance of Power Chart on the mapsheet, the Minor Power Alliance section ends with a reference to see "rules section 23.0." That reference should instead be to "rules section 28.0."

7.0 Initiative Determination

7.1 During each game turn's Initiative Determination Phase (see 3.2), players decide who will be the first player for that game turn. To do so, each player secretly bids any number of thaler from his treasury. The player with the highest bid expends the bid number of thaler; the other players keep the thaler they bid. The high bidder has the initiative and becomes the first player for that game turn. He conducts the first Operations Phase, followed by all other players in clockwise order from him around the table.

7.2 Ties

In the event of a bid tie, roll a die and the player who rolls higher becomes first player.

7.3 Balance of Power & Campaign Markers

Play of certain campaign markers may also determine who will have the initiative.

7.4 Several phases involve more than one player, such as mobilizing units. If there's any question about the order in which players should execute actions during such phases, the player with the initiative always goes first, followed by the others moving clockwise from him around the table.

8.0 Taxation Phase

8.1 Thaler is the unit of currency in FW.

8.2 Treasury

A player keeps a running total of his thaler on a piece of paper, or by using poker chips, etc. Each player's treasury total is kept openly; all players always know the amount of thaler in every treasury. No deficit spending (or bidding, lending, etc.) is allowed.

8.3 Taxation

During the Taxation Phase, players gain thaler as follows: each player totals the taxation value of every city square on the map his units occupy. Each player then receives the number of thaler corresponding to his own count. Pillaged squares count as zero thaler. If more than one player's units occupy a square, neither player gains any thaler for it. Various random events and pillage may also yield thaler.

8.4 Expenditures

Players expend thaler to bid for initiative, bid for campaign markers, mobilize new units, pay to maintain existing units, pay for operations, remove pillage markers, etc.

8.5 In two- and three-player games, the players should keep separate track of each of their major power's thaler.

9.0 Campaign Markers & The Market

9.1 Players use campaign markers to initiate various military and political actions. Before starting their first game, all the players should be sure to read thoroughly the marker explanations below, since some of them will be sure to have major effects on the course of every game.

9.2 Marker Pool & Market

At the start of play, put all the campaign markers in an opaque container (which is henceforth referred to as the "pool"). When instructed by the rules to pick campaign markers, you pick the designated number at random (without first looking at them). During the Market Phase, the campaign markers are then placed face down in the Market holding box on the mapsheet. At any other times in the game, you pick the marker and place it on your player card. Once you gain a campaign marker, you may look at it. Unless otherwise specifically instructed, you don't have to show your markers to the other players (though you may always choose to do so).

9.3 Gaining Campaign Markers

You gain campaign markers as follows.

1. Initial Set Up. The set up rules designate how many campaign markers each player has at the start of play.

2. Events Phase. A player may be instructed to pick campaign markers.

3. Market Phase. During each Market Phase, players place a designated number of campaign markers face-down in the Market holding box and then bid for them (see below). The player with the initiative bids (verbally) first in the first round of bidding; bidding then proceeds clockwise from him. After all players have had a chance to bid once, the player with the highest bid gains the marker. If a bidding round ends in a tie, conduct as many other rounds as are necessary to break the tie. In the bidding for the next marker, the second player goes first, etc. Any un-bid for markers are returned to the pool.

4. Combat Results & Pillage. Certain combat results and pillage allow players to gain campaign markers.

9.4 Campaign Marker Limits

A player may accumulate (hold in his hand) up to the following number of campaign markers: two player game – 18; three player game – 12; four player game – nine.

Rules 9.5 and 9.6 deliberately omitted.

9.7 If a player is holding the maximum number of campaign markers and some game function calls for him to gain more, he must first return to the pool the number of markers sufficient to make up that surplus before picking new markers. (So, yes, he might end up re-picking all or some of the same markers.) Additionally, you may at any time choose to return markers to the pool without having played them.

9.8 Playing Campaign Markers

There are three general types of campaign markers.

1. Action Markers are played at your option at times in the game specified by each marker's individual explanation. They're returned to the pool upon playing.

2. Battle Markers are played at the owning player's option during combat provided a friendly leader is involved in that combat. In general, they're returned to the pool if played in battle and you lose that combat; otherwise, you may keep them (exceptions are noted in the specific marker explanations). All Battle markers to be played in a given battle, by both attacker and defender, are played simultaneously and secretly (cover them with a note card or piece of paper), and then are all revealed and resolved.

3. Mercenary Markers are played during the Mobilization Phase in friendly occupied fortresses. In general, the marker is placed on the map and is treated like a friendly unit, but the following additional rules apply. Mercenary units must always be stacked with at least one other friendly non-mercenary unit. If at the end of any phase they're not stacked with a friendly non-mercenary unit, they're returned to the campaign marker pool. If eliminated for any reason, mercenary units are returned to the campaign marker pool. While on the map, mercenaries are never lost by actions calling for a player to lose campaign markers.

9.9 Generally, when a campaign marker is played, it is returned to the pool; however, if you play a Battle marker and win that battle, you (the victorious player) get to keep such campaign markers. Certain campaign markers may be played during an opposing player's turn, if so indicated in their explanations (see 9.13 below).

9.10 No Marker Play Limit

Within the limits described above, a player may potentially play any number of campaign markers in a given segment, phase, player turn or game turn.

9.11 Losing Campaign Markers

Certain game functions call for a player to lose (put back into the pool) campaign markers. They include: 1) certain balance of power events; 2) the play of certain campaign markers force the return to the pool of other campaign markers; and 3) certain combat results. To lose or give up markers, a player picks at random (without first looking at them) the designated number of markers from those he has in his possession and then immediately returns them to the pool. If a player is instructed to lose all his campaign markers, he returns all then in his possession to the pool. If a player is required to lose campaign markers but has none at that time, there is no effect or later loss.

9.12 Trading Campaign Markers

Campaign markers may be traded between players during the Negotiations Phase; see section 10.0.

9.13 Campaign Marker Explanations

BATTLE CAMPAIGN MARKERS

Charge (Battle). Triple the combat strength of all friendly involved cavalry units.

Infantry Drill (Battle). Double the combat strength of all friendly involved infantry units.

Light Troops (Battle). If you have at least twice as many involved light troops as the enemy, prior to the resolution of this combat, any or all units in that force may conduct a one square retreat as per normal retreat rules (as either attacker or defender). Retreating units aren't considered "defeated" units. If the retreat completely empties the square, no combat takes place; otherwise, the battle is resolved normally. Regardless, the Light Troops marker is returned to the pool.

Naval (Battle). May be played only if an admiral is involved. Double the combat strength of all fleet units, but not transported units.

Oblique Attack (Battle). Double the combat factors of all friendly veteran, guard, and leader units.

Pioneers (Battle). Used when combat occurs in a square in which the defender's strength is increased by terrain, fortresses or fieldworks. If played by the attacker, the attacker doubles his combat strength, or triples it if a siege train unit is also involved in the attack. If played by the defender, it negates one attacker Pioneers' marker. Both sides may play more than one marker (up to their own involved leader's leader value), and the defender negates attacking markers on a one for one basis. Aside from that, playing more than one marker per side has no additional effect.

Special (Battle). See the player cards for how each player uses these markers.

ACTION CAMPAIGN MARKERS

Alliance [name of Minor Power] (Action). Play during the Grand Diplomacy Phase. Gain control of the minor power listed on the marker if it's neutral or controlled by another player. Note: if you hold onto the marker, it doesn't go into effect. If you play it, it goes into effect but is returned to the campaign marker pool.

Command Dispute (Action). Play just prior to the start of the resolution of any battle if the enemy has units from more than one power in that battle. The enemy may not then play any battle markers for that battle.

Counter March (Action). You must have a leader with a force to play this. Play in one of three ways: 1) at the end of any of your Operations Phases, to conduct an immediate additional Operations Phase with a force that includes a leader; or 2) during another player's Movement Phase, which allows you to declare an ambush against his moving force; or 3) during another player's Combat Phase, which allows you to declare a delaying action. Any of those actions requires you to expend two thaler (or one for Prussians; see the Thaler Expenditure Table in 11.2) or make an attrition check. In the case of number one, the newly activated force may be the one that just completed your previous operation, or it may be an entirely different force (but the leader requirement always holds true).

Drillmaster (Action). Play during any Mobilization Phase in a square containing a friendly leader. You may then upgrade the number of friendly recruit units there to veteran status equal to that leader's value. If more than one leader is in a square, you choose which one will play this.

Enlightenment (Action). Playing this marker allows you to do one of the following: 1) At the very start of any Market Phase, exchange this marker for any one Action marker from the pool [not picked at random; you may sort through the markers and select the one you want]; or 2) at any time in any game turn, play this marker to negate the play of any one other Action marker [return that marker to the pool without it being put into effect]; or 3) at the start of any Negotiation Phase, pick at random one campaign marker from another player's hand and keep it; or 4) play during the Initiative Phase, before any bidding takes place, to gain the initiative for that game turn.

Fortunes of War (Action). You may re-roll any die roll made by yourself or any other player during any Operations Phase.

Honors of War (Action). Play during any Honors of War Segment. You must have a friendly leader in or adjacent to an enemy occupied square in order to play this marker. It allows you to conduct an "honors of war attack" using the strength of the marker(s). A player defending against an honors of war attack may also play one or more of these markers in defense. See rule section 17.0 for more details.

Mercantilism (Action). Play during any Taxation Phase. Receive one additional thaler for each city/fortress you occupy that has a taxation value of two or more.

Pragmatic Army (Action). Play during any Mobilization Phase to mobilize two recruit infantry and one recruit cavalry in any one fortress square occupied by a friendly leader. Also, deliberately pick one leader from your pool and place it in the same square. The units may be from any friendly powers (not necessarily the same one as the fortress). The units cost no thaler and are received in addition to the normal mobilization stacking limits. This marker may be played only once per game, after which it's removed from play.

Press Gang (Action). Play during any Mobilization Phase to mobilize one recruit cavalry, infantry or light troop unit. Place it in the same land square as any friendly leader, regardless of terrain. The unit costs no thaler and is received in addition to the normal mobilization stacking limit. The unit must be from a controlled power.

Rally (Action). Play during any Mobilization Phase to receive one friendly unit of any type, including a leader, placed on any square containing a friendly unit or a friendly off-map box. This mobilization costs no thaler.

Spy (Action). This may be used to do one of the following: 1) play during your Movement Segment to examine the units in any one square on the map; or 2) play during your Movement Segment to examine all the campaign markers of any one player; or 3) play at the start of a Market Phase to examine all campaign markers in the Market box prior to bidding; or 4) play at any time to negate the play of any one enemy Spy marker prior to it going into effect.

Thurn & Taxis (Action). Play at the start of any of your Movement Segments. You may then move two forces instead of one in that segment. Finish moving the first force, then the second. This applies only during the Movement Segment, not other segments of the Operations Phase. You may not use this to move the same force twice in one segment. Note: this is not the same as Forced March.

Truce (Action). Play at the start of any enemy Operations Phase. That player must then declare "pass" for that entire phase.

Uprising (Action). Play during any Mobilization Phase to receive one friendly recruit cavalry or infantry or garrison or light infantry unit, placed in or adjacent to any city or fortress of your power that's currently enemy occupied. The unit may not be placed in a pillaged square. Adjacency includes squares connected by sides but not by vertices alone, and it doesn't include squares separated by all-sea sides. This mobilization costs no thaler. If you place the unit in an enemy occupied square, you must immediately resolve combat there. You're the attacker, and the defender receives no terrain benefits.

Vote in the Imperial Diet (Action). This may be played during any function that calls for a Holy Roman Empire Electorate vote. You may designate any one electorate city you don't occupy and claim its vote for yourself, even if enemy or neutral occupied. No other player may gain its vote for that one function.

MERCENARY CAMPAIGN MARKERS

Place during the Mobilization Phase in the same square as any friendly occupied fortress. See rule 9.8.3.

10.0 Negotiations

10.1 During the Negotiation Phase of every game turn, players may conduct negotiations with each other, making whatever agreements they decide on within the following restrictions.

10.2 Players may openly (never secretly) negotiate any of the following: 1) trade campaign markers for thaler or vice versa; 2) if all players agree, end the game and immediately determine its victor, if any; and 3) any other agreements players find acceptable, as long as they don't violate any rules. For example, players may agree not to attack each other's units for a turn, or demobilize units, or withdraw from a captured fortress, etc. Any agreed on actions take place during the appropriate phase of the turn. So, for example, if a player agreed to withdraw his units from a captured fortress, he would move them out during one of his Operations Phase Movement Segments.

10.3 Violating Agreements

If an agreement is broken, the violating player loses half his campaign markers, picked at random (round up remainders). Every other player then rolls a die and randomly picks that number of campaign markers from the pool.

11.0 Mobilization & Reinforcements

11.1 Mobilizing Reinforcements

Players may receive (enter into play or "mobilize") additional units as reinforcements after a game has already begun. Such units are generally mobilized by expending thaler from your treasury. Mobilization occurs in the Mobilization Phases throughout the game. Also, various power special abilities, random events and campaign markers will allow you to mobilize some units for free.

11.2 Thaler Expenditure

Spending thaler to recruit allows for the purchase of units as shown on table below (11.3). You spend (deduct from your treasury total) the designated number of thaler, and then place the mobilized units in friendly occupied squares. Generally, mobilization is always done deliberately, by looking before purchasing; you don't pick units at random. Leaders are an exception, in that they're generally picked at random from their own pool. Leaders may be mobilized by playing a "Rally" action marker, or via random event, or through a general levy (see 11.4.3), all of which don't require spending haler.

11.3 Thaler Expenditure Table

[The Thaler Expenditure Table is printed on the game's charts and is not reproduced in the rules text. The source refers to it as "see next page."]

11.4 General Levy

Once per game per major power, each player may declare a "general levy" during any Mobilization Phase. It's done on an individual basis for each major power you control. You may call for any number of your controlled major powers to make a general levy during the same phase. Minor powers never conduct general levies. The declaring player does the following.

1. Roll the following number of dice: 1a) one automatically, 1b) one additional if there are enemy units currently occupying three or more fortresses or cities in that power's territory, 1c) a number of dice equal to the leader value of any one leader in the power's capital if it has a capital city on the map.

2. Total those numbers, the sum of which is the equivalent in thaler you immediately expend to recruit units and/or build fieldworks.

3. Additionally, you receive one leader, picked at random, if available. The leader is placed on any friendly unit.

4. At the end of any Mobilization Phase in which one or more players declared a general levy, roll once on the Balance of Power Table. That's done a maximum of once regardless of the number of powers or players who declared a general levy that phase. That roll is owing to the disruption of the political order inherent in any such mass mobilization.

11.5 A general levy doesn't actually cost any thaler; it's simply calculated and spent in the same terms, point for point. Any general levy thaler not spent are forfeit at the end of the Mobilization Phase. Any units mobilized via general levy are received in addition to any recruited normally that phase. Calling a general levy is always at your option. There's no requirement to do so.

11.6 Attrition & General Levy

On the turn you conduct a general levy, add one to all attrition die rolls for any force containing units of that power.

11.7 Recruit & Veteran Status

Units that have a recruit (unstarred) side are always mobilized in recruit status. They may be flipped to their veteran side by various game actions. Also see 11.11.

11.8 Demobilization

A player may demobilize any units during any Mobilization Phase, provided they're in city squares, fieldworks, towns, or friendly off-map areas. Demobilized units are removed from the map and are available for mobilization during any following turn. Demobilization may be done at any time in any Mobilization Phase; however, you don't 'get back' any thaler demobilizing units.

11.9 Placement Restrictions

You may normally place a maximum of one newly mobilized unit per square. If a square has a tax value of two or more, you may place in it units up to the number equal to that value. Units may generally not be placed in pillaged squares; however, fieldworks may be placed in pillaged squares and units that can be placed in fieldworks can be placed in such pillaged squares (but not all in the same turn). Also note that units mobilized via balance of power events and Action markers may be placed in addition to any stacking limit for a square.

11.10 Veteran & Guard Units

See rule section 24.0 for those details.

11.11 Garrison Units may be recruited at their 1-0 or 2-0 strength by expending the total number of thaler indicated on the Thaler Expenditure Table. Unlike other units, the reverse sides of garrison units don't represent recruit/veteran status; rather, the "2" side represents an increase in strength.

11.12 Major & Minor Powers

You may always mobilize major power units in any listed location on the map as given on the Thaler Expenditure Table. For example, the Prussians could mobilize Prussian units in Prague. Minor power units may be mobilized only in their home territory.

11.13 Replacements

Units that are eliminated may be remobilized later in the game by following the procedures above. Veteran units that are eliminated must first be remobilized as recruits.

11.14 Counter-Mix Limits

The number of units in the counter-mix is a historical design limit. Players may not mobilize more units than are available for a particular power. There's no limit, though, to the number of fieldworks which may be constructed; you may make more such counters if you want, or scrounge them from other wargames.

12.0 Operations

12.1 Operations Phases are interactive in that, beginning with the player who has the initiative, each player conducts one operation with one force, then the next player does so. That process continues, moving clockwise around the table, with each player taking any number of Operations Phases, one at a time, until one of the following occurs: 1) there are no units left on the map; or 2) all players declare "pass" once around the table. A player may declare a pass, but then, if another player takes an Operations Phase, that player who previously passed may take an Operation Phase or declare a pass again. Also note that the Truce marker may require a player to pass, and the Countermarch marker may interrupt the normal 'round-the-table sequence.

12.2 To initiate an Operations Phase, you must do the following.

1. Designate one or more units in the same square as the "force" with which you will conduct that Operations Phase. Not all the friendly units in a square must be in the same force, but no force can have fewer than one unit.

2a) Expend Thaler. Expend one thaler to enable the designated force to conduct that Operations Phase. A force composed entirely of Prussian units costs only half a thaler.

OR

2b) Declare You will Not Expend Thaler. In this case, the unpaid for force may still conduct an Operations Phase, but it must make an attrition check in its Attrition Segment (see 3.2).

3. Conduct an Operations Phase. See the turn sequence, rule 3.2.

12.3 Attrition Checks

Roll a die for the force to be checked, regardless of whether it moved, and see the table below. Note, though, for an attrition check to take place, the player must have designated the force as conducting an Operations Phase.

Attrition Table

Die Roll	Attrition Outcome
≤ 1	No Attrition
2	20%
3	25%
4	25%
5	33%
6	33%
≥ 7	50%

Modifiers (Use all that apply.)

• (-) # : leader value of one leader in the force.
• -1: if the force contains at least 50 percent leaders or light troops or veteran units (by number of counters, not combat strength).
• +1: if the force is in or moved into one or more mountain squares.
• +1: if the force contains five or more units.
• +1: if you declared a general levy for this force's power this turn.
• +1: if the force contains units from more than one power, major or minor.

Result: the player controlling the checked force must eliminate from it a number of units at least equal to the percentage. For example, if a force of two units is being checked and gets a "25%" result, one unit from it (owning player's deliberate choice) is eliminated.

12.4 No Limit on Operations

A player may potentially conduct any number of Operations Phases during the course of a game turn, one at a time, as long as he either pays thaler for each one or makes attrition checks, decided by him on an Operations Phase by Operations Phase basis.

12.5 Forces

A group of units moving together is called a "force." You don't have to keep forces together from Operations Phase to Operations Phases. For example, a force of three units moves into a square containing two other friendly units. On any of your following Operations Phases (not before), you could form all five units into a single new force; or you could conduct an Operations Phase with one, two, three or four of the units, leaving the others behind. You may conduct only one operation with one force per Operations Phase. If a force moves into a square containing other friendly units, that moving force may not 'pick up' those units during that Operations Phase. Given the way Operations Phases are structured, that also means you won't be able to combine units from different squares into the same attack until they're first combined into a single force in the same square.

13.0 Stacking

13.1 There is no limit on the number of units that may be in a square at the same time; however, see the provisioning rules in section 22.0 for penalties that may be imposed for stacking beyond any given square's provisioning limit.

13.2 Enemy Presence

Units may move into a square containing units belonging to other players or neutrals; however, they must then stop for that segment in that square. All such entries force combat during the ensuing Combat Segment.

13.3 Fleets may move into and through squares containing enemy or neutral land units without attacking them; however, if they end their move in an enemy or neutral-occupied square, that also works to trigger combat. If land units enter a square containing enemy naval units, they must stop and attack them. Fleets must stop in squares containing enemy fleets. See the naval rules for more details.

13.4 Coalitions. If you control units from different powers (see 2.4), you may combine them within the same forces. Note, though, that will give an additional negative modifier to any attrition check such a force makes.

13.5 Fieldworks

There may never be more than one fieldworks counter per square. Fieldworks are potentially friendly to all players, but are controlled at any given moment according to the rules set out in section 5.0.

13.6 Enemy Squares

Generally, because of the nature of the Combat Results Table outcomes, there won't be situations in which enemy forces will begin a Movement Segment in the same square. Owing to various random events and campaign markers, however, this kind of situation may sometimes occur. If, at the end of a Balance of Power Phase, there are opposing units in the same square, then, starting with the player who had the initiative the prior turn, each player in such a situation must initiate combat in such squares, using the normal combat rules. In all such cases, ignore all terrain effects on the combat. Also see the optional Siege rule.

14.0 Fog of War

14.1 Your campaign markers should be kept face down, unless a campaign marker specifically allows for other players to examine them. You may, of course, always examine your own stacks and campaign markers.

14.2 You may examine an opponent's units at the following times: 1) during movement or combat, both involved players must reveal all the units in a square at the instant any units enter a square containing opposing units; 2) as a result of the play of certain campaign markers.

14.3 A player may voluntarily reveal your stacks and campaign markers at any time if you so desire.

15.0 Zones of Control

15.1 There are no zones of control in this game. (If you don't know what that means, don't worry about it.)

16.0 Movement

16.1 Units move from square to square by paying appropriate movement point costs. Units are always moved as part of forces (And remember, a force may contain one or more units.)

16.2 Movement Procedures

A force moves from contiguous square to contiguous square. Units may generally move only across the sides of squares; they may not move between squares only connected at their corners (vertices). Units may generally not move diagonally (what's called "orthogonal" movement in Chess). Each clear square entered costs one movement point. For example, a unit with a movement factor of three could move into three contiguous clear squares in a single friendly Movement Segment.

16.3 You may generally move only one of your forces during your own Operations Phases, and you may generally move only one force during any particular Operations Phase.

16.4 Units with a movement of "0" never move from their squares of placement, except to be demobilized or if otherwise eliminated.

16.5 Force Movement

A moving force may not pick up any units as it moves. A moving force may "drop off" units as it moves, but such units may not conduct any other movement or any other operation during that same Operations Phase. Effectively, once a unit has been dropped off, it is not longer part of the activated force. If units moving together in a force have different movement allowances, the force moves with the allowance of the slowest unit within it at the start of the move. That initial movement allowance is maintained throughout that phase, even if the slower units are dropped off during the course of the move. Note, though, fleets transporting land units always use their own fleet movement allowance, not that of any transported unit (see section 25.0).

16.6 Rivers don't in any way stop, slow or deflect the movement of land units; in fact, units moving along rivers double their movement rate. See section 25.0 for river effects on fleet movement.

16.7 Mountains

All units must halt their movement for that phase when they first enter a mountain square.

16.8 Enemy Occupied Squares. See 13.2 and 13.3.

16.9 Neutrals

Your units may not cross the borders of neutrals unless you first make a declaration of war (see section 28.0).

16.10 Units required to stop in a square may resume normal movement in their next Operations Phase. Such units might then move directly into another move-inhibiting square, but they would then immediately have to stop again for the remainder of that new phase. They might also start by moving normally into non-inhibiting squares. Note that entering an enemy occupied square will lead to Honors of War and/or combat.

16.11 Cities & Towns are treated as clear terrain for movement purposes, unless they have a road or river going through them.

16.12 Straits

Adjacent coastal squares separated by all-sea sides may not be moved across by land movement.

16.13 Map Edges

Units may exit the map only to enter a friendly off-map area; see section 27.0.

16.14 Prohibited Squares

Land units may not enter all-sea squares, or cross all-sea square sides, unless they're moving via naval transport. Conversely, fleets may not enter all-land squares or cross all-land square sides. Fleets may enter coastal and/or port and/or river squares. See section 25.0 for more details.

16.15 Light Troop Diagonal Moves

Light troop units (only!) may move diagonally on land. They may do so regardless of the terrain or units in squares on either side. Other units stacked with the light troops may not do so. Light troops are shown by a plus-sign (+) in front of their movement factor on their counters.

17.0 Honors of War

17.1 Players use honors of war to attempt to maneuver enemy forces out of squares without actually having to fight them. Honors of war may be conducted during your own Honors of War Segments. You must have at least one Honors of War marker to expend to initiate an honors of war attempt. You may expend additional Honors of War markers to improve the chances of an attempt succeeding. Simply having one or more such markers in your hand, though, doesn't require you to make an attempt. Each Honors of War marker has a value of "1" or "2" printed on it, representing each particular counter's strength in terms of "honors of war points."

17.2 Procedure

To attempt honors of war, go through the following procedure.

1. You must have at least one friendly leader in the square you're targeting, which must also contain at least one enemy unit. You must also have at least one Honors of War marker.

2. You place face-down in front of you the number of Honors of War markers you want to use for that attempt. The minimum is one marker; the maximum number of Honors of War markers is equal to your involved leader's value.

3. The targeted player then places face-down in front of him the number of Honors of War markers he will expend to attempt to counter your honors of war attempt. His minimum is zero markers; his maximum number of Honors of War markers is equal to the leader value of any one leader he has in the square.

4. Both players reveal the strengths of their committed Honors of War markers.

5. The player making the attempt rolls a die for each Honors of War strength point he has committed.

6. The defender then rolls one die "for free," plus one die if he is defending in a fortress. Those die rolls don't require the presence of a leader. He then also rolls one die for each honors of war strength point he's committed.

7. If the attacker's rolled total is greater than the defender's, that Honors of War attempt succeeds. The defending player must immediately conduct a one square retreat; see 17.8 below.

8. If the defender's rolled total is greater than or equal to the attacker's, the honors of war attempt fails. The attacker must immediately conduct a one square retreat; see 17.8 below.

9. Last, all committed Honors of War markers from both involved players are returned to the pool.

17.3 Leaders

Note the attacking force must contain at least one leader in order to initiate an honors of war attempt. The defending force doesn't need a leader to use the one free die roll or the die roll for occupying a fortress. For example, say the player attempting honors of war commits Honors of War markers with a total strength of three points. He rolls three dice and gets a one, a two and a two, for a total of five points. The defending player played one Honors of War marker with a point strength of one; he rolls one die automatically, and then another die for that one expanded marker point, and comes up with a total of six. Since the attacker's total wasn't greater than the defender's, the Honors of War attempt fails. If the attacker had rolled a total of seven or more, the Honors of War attempt would have succeeded.

17.4 The player making the honor of war attempt must always play at least one Honors of War marker in order to initiate the attempt. The defending player doesn't have to play any markers to defend, though he will still always roll at least one die.

17.5 You may declare a maximum of one honors of war attempt in any friendly Honors of War Segment, and only a force conducting that Operations Phase may conduct it.

17.6 A Player whose units are targeted for Honors of War may defend against all such attempts. In games with three or four players, no player may contribute Honors of War markers to attempts against, or defenses of, any other player's units. Both involved and uninvolved players may, however, have previously traded Honors of War markers between each other during any Negotiations Phase (see 3.2).

17.7 Restrictions

Forces in off-map areas may not be targeted for honors of war.

17.8 Retreats

The loser must conduct a one-square retreat with his involved force. That's done according to the normal rules of retreat (see 18.8), except the force may retreat more than one square if the retreat would cause it to end in an enemy occupied square. In such retreats, there's no penalty for retreating into or through an enemy occupied square.

17.9 Fortress Retreats

The Honors of War retreat result negates the usual "no retreat" rule for units in fortresses.

18.0 Combat

18.1 Combat is used to eliminate enemy units and seize terrain. You must initiate combat during the Combat Segments of your own Operations Phases wherever you have units in the same square as belligerent units. The player whose Operations Phase it is, is the "attacker," the player being attacked is the "defender." There are three general types of combat in the game: 1) "battle" is fought against enemy units that aren't in cities; 2) "siege" is fought against enemy units in cities; and 3) "naval battles" are fought in all-sea squares. All types of combat are essentially the same, except as noted in the rules below.

18.2 Attacking & Defending

Attacking is mandatory when a force of yours begins one of your Combat Segments in the same square as an enemy force. All your units in that square must attack, and all enemy units in the square must defend, in one combined battle. Only units in the same square may attack; units may not attack together from different squares. Since all battles will result in one side or the other being wiped out or retreated out of the square, you won't have a situation at the end of a Combat Segment in which more than one player's force occupies the same square.

18.3 Combat Procedure

For each combat, follow the sequence below.

1. Both the attacker and defender transfer all units in the square in which the combat is taking place to the Battle Board; use the Battle Location marker as reminder of the square in which the fight is taking place on the map.

2. Each player places all of his own units on his side of the Battle Board.

3. Both players may commit a number of Battle markers to the battle up to the leader value of any one friendly leader involved. Those markers are simultaneously placed face-down on Battle Board. Players may also choose to commit face-down non-battle markers to try to deceive their opponent. Such decoy markers must be revealed at the end of the battle, at which time they're returned to the player's hand regardless of the battle's outcome.

4. Both players flip face-up all their battle markers.

5. Total the attacking combat strength, taking into account any modifications for Battle markers.

6. Total the defender's combat strength, taking into account any modifications for Battle markers and terrain.

7. Divide the attacker's strength by the defender's strength and express that as a percentage.

8. Find the corresponding column heading on the Combat Results Table.

9. The attacker rolls a die and both players cross-index that roll within the previously identified percentage column on the CRT.

10. Apply the result. The winner of the battle is indicated in the combat results explanations printed beneath the CRT on the mapsheet.

18.4 Post Battle

Upon completion of a battle, execute the following steps in the order listed.

1. Return all units of both sides that survived the battle to the main map.

2. Execute on the map any retreats called for in the combat result. The non-retreating side's units remain in the square on the main map where the battle took place.

3. The winner of the battle keeps all battle markers he used in the battle. The loser of the battle returns to the pool all the battle markers he used in that combat. Determine the number of campaign markers that will be gained and lost if the battle resulted in a victory for one side.

The winner randomly picks campaign markers from the pool, depending on the defeated force's total starting combat strength plus any leader value, according to the following formula.

• 26+: the winner picks five Campaign markers while the loser loses three Campaign markers. The winner then rolls a die and, on a one through three, randomly picks a leader from his pool.
• 21-25: the winner picks four Campaign markers while the loser loses two Campaign markers. The winner then rolls a die and, on a one or two, picks a leader from his pool.
• 16-20: the winner picks three Campaign markers while the loser loses one Campaign marker. The winner then rolls a die and, on a result of one, picks a leader from his pool.
• 11-15: the winner picks two Campaign markers while the loser loses one Campaign marker.
• 6-10: the winner picks one Campaign marker while the loser loses one Campaign marker.
• 1-5: the winner picks one Campaign marker and the loser loses no Campaign markers.

18.5 Strength Multipliers

Units may have their strength multiplied by several different factors. If units would be affected by more than one of the items below, use the following guide. If there's one multiplier, double combat strength; if there are two multipliers, triple combat strength; if there are three multipliers, quadruple combat strength. Total strength may never be more than quadrupled.

1. Terrain. See the Terrain Effects Chart. If more than one type of terrain multiplier applies, the defender gets the single best one.

2. Fieldworks double the defense strength in terrain that would normally not be doubled, and triple it in terrain that's normally doubled.

3. Siege Trains double the attacker's strength when attacking into terrain or fieldworks that in any way increases the defender's strength.

4. Battle Markers will double or triple combat strength. If more than one Battle marker would multiply a force's strength in a given battle, apply the single best one for each affected unit. A player may not play more than one of the same type of marker. For example, a "2" leader could play one Infantry Drill and one Oblique Attack marker in the same battle, but not two Infantry Drills.

18.6 Immediate Combat Results

Combat results are applied immediately at the end of each combat.

18.7 How to Retreat

Retreats will be either one square or one die roll's worth of squares, as called for by the combat result.

1. One-Square Retreat: all retreating units must retreat together.

2. Die Roll of Squares Retreat: The affected player rolls a die for each unit to be retreated. He retreats each unit individually after all have been rolled for. Note this will usually result in units ending their retreats in different squares.

18.8 Retreat Strictures

The winning player (the one not retreating) dictates the first square into which units must retreat; this must be a square into which the units could normally move without any penalty. In any subsequent retreat move, the owning player determines which squares will be entered. If the only square(s) available to be retreated into contain prohibited terrain, all retreating units are eliminated and count as battle losses for purposes of rule 18.4. Each retreating unit must retreat the indicated number of squares; it may not retreat into the same square more than once. If the square retreated into contains enemy units, a number of retreating units equal to the total number of enemy or neutral units in the square are eliminated and count as losses for purposes of 18.4. In that case the retreating force retreats an additional square and, if that additional square also contains enemy units, repeat the entire procedure. You may not retreat into squares of a neutral minor power. (Remember, through, the German and Italian States are always belligerent.) Units may not retreat into mountains. They may retreat out of mountain squares into non-mountain squares. Finally, units don't have to retreat from the opposite direction through which they entered a square. Within the strictures given above, they may even retreat back along the path of squares through which they entered the battle square.

19.0 Fortresses & Sieges

19.1 Units defending in fortresses are never affected by retreat results except as given in 17.9. Also, units that retreat into a square containing a friendly occupied fortress must generally cease their retreat when they enter that square. Exception: units in fortresses are affected by the special retreat generated by a successful Honors of War attempt made against them. See section 17.0.

19.2 Siege Trains

If the attacker has a siege train in his force that's presently conducting an Operations Phase, he thereby doubles his combat strength when attacking a fortress or fieldworks; however, defender retreat results are still negated. A defending siege train doesn't give any bonus to the defender.

19.3 You may play only Pioneer battle markers when attacking into, or defending in, a fortress or fieldworks. Other battle markers may not be used.

19.4 If the attacker inflicts a result on the defender in a fortress that would normally be a victory, but it doesn't clear all defending units from the square, he (the attacker) must retreat his force one square, regardless of the outcome of the battle. Further, in such cases, neither player is considered to have won the battle, and neither picks or loses campaign markers or promotes units to veteran status. Any Pioneer battle markers either side used in this case are lost. For example, say there are two defending units in a fortress; the attacker inflicts a TV result. One defending unit is eliminated, but the retreat is negated. The attacker must then retreat, since he failed to clear all the defenders from the square, but it's not considered a victory or defeat for either side.

19.5 Fieldworks are not a "fortress" for purposes of negating retreats; however, the other strictures for attacking a "fortress," such as siege trains and the restriction of being able to use only Pioneer battle markers, do also apply versus a fieldworks.

20.0 Countermarch: Forced March, Ambush, & Delaying Actions

20.1 Countermarch markers give players the ability to conduct certain special moves. There are three types of actions you may conduct via play of a Countermarch marker: forced march, ambush, and delaying action. Also note, however, every Countermarch marker played requires the expenditure of thaler (see 11.3).

20.2 Forced March Procedure

After you've completed an Operations Phase with a force, you may conduct another operation by playing a Countermarch Action marker. You then immediately conduct another normal Operations Phase, using any force you control, even including the force that just conducted the previous Operations Phase. You may potentially play a Countermarch marker after each and every one of your Operations Phases, and there's no limit on the number of times a given force may force march, other than that imposed by the number of Countermarch markers you possess.

20.3 One Marker, One Force, One March

You must expend one Forced March marker for each force making one forced march.

20.4 Command Prerequisite

A force must have a leader in it in order to conduct a forced march.

20.5 Costs

A force making a forced march must expend the normal thaler cost for initiating an Operation Phase or make an attrition check.

20.6 Ambush

Any player not presently conducting an Operations Phase may conduct an ambush by playing a Countermarch marker at any time during any other player's Movement Segment. That allows the marker-playing player to temporarily halt his opponent's Movement Segment, while he (the ambushing player) conducts movement with a force of his own.

20.7 Ambush Procedure

Observe the following strictures, and go through the following steps, for each ambush:

1. The force conducting the ambush must have at least one leader in it. The instant the force of the player conducting the present Operations Phase moves adjacent to a force of any other player, that other player may declare an ambush by playing a Countermarch marker. Restriction: You may not conduct an ambush into a square containing an enemy occupied city or fieldwork.

2. The ambushing force then moves from its own square into the square into which the opposing force just moved. That ends the ambushing force's movement.

3. Skip the Honors of War Segment and go directly to the Combat Segment. Combat is resolved normally, except the player who is conducting the ambush is the attacker. If there are other units in the square in which the ambush takes place, they are all also involved in the ensuing combat.

20.8 Each Ambush marker played initiates one such action by one force. A player making an ambush must expend the normal thaler cost for playing the marker or make an attrition check.

20.9 Only one ambush is allowed per Operations Phase. If more than one player is in a position to declare an ambush, whoever first declares it executes it. Ambush may be declared only against triggering forces conducting their own Operations Phase. Different players who aren't presently conducting an Operations Phase may not declare ambush against each others' forces (no ambushes against ambushers), nor may the player conducting an Operations Phase declare ambush against any opposing force. And finally here, ambushes may not be declared against forces retreating after combat.

20.10 Delaying Action Procedure

Observe the following strictures, and go through the following steps, for each delaying action.

1. A force conducting a delaying action must have at least one leader in it. Delaying actions are conducted by forces that presently aren't conducting an Operations Phase, and that have just had their own square entered by a force that is conducting the present Operations Phase. At the start of the Combat Segment in that opposing player's Operations Phase, you may declare a delaying action by your force in the square that's otherwise about to be attacked by playing a Countermarch marker.

2. The delaying force then moves from its square into any adjacent square other than the one from which the opposing force just moved. It must be a square into which the delaying force could normally move during one of its own Operations Phases. Some or all of your units may participate in the special delaying action move; however, there may be no enemy or neutral units in the square into which the delaying action units move.

3. The opposing force that had its Combat Segment interrupted by the delaying action then conducts all other operations normally. That is, if any of your units were left behind in the square, it may attack them normally. If all your units moved out of the square as part of the delaying action, no combat occurs.

20.11 Each delaying action declared enables one such move by one force. A force making a delaying action must expend the normal thaler cost for playing a Countermarch marker or make an attrition die roll (see 11.3).

20.12 No player may ever declare an ambush against a delaying action force.

21.0 Pillage

21.1 You may decide to pillage a square in order to destroy its taxation and forage value, and sometimes to gain thaler.

21.2 Pillage Procedure

You conduct pillage only during the Pillage Segment of your own Operations Phases. For each pillage attempt, do the following.

1. Total the combat strength of all your units in the square.

2. Roll a die. If the result is less than or equal to that total of combat strength, the square is pillaged; place a Pillaged marker there. At that time you may also decide to destroy any fieldwork in that square.

3. If the square contains a city, you receive the number of thaler equal to its taxation value. If it contains a town, you receive one thaler.

4. If a pillaged square contained a city or town, the player (if any) who originally controlled that square rolls a die and consults the following list:

• 1-4 = Outrage over violations of the rules of war. The original owner of the square picks two campaign markers at no cost.
• 5 = Terror spreads. The original owner of the square must put one of his campaign markers back into the pool.
• 6 = Chaos reigns. Roll once on the Balance of Power Table and apply that result. If that causes any combat situation, resolve it immediately.

5. If you pillage a city or town you originally controlled, you must roll a die and apply the following results.

• 1-4 = Outrage over violations of the rules of war: every other player picks one Campaign marker at no cost.
• 5 = Terror Spreads: every other player loses one Campaign marker.
• 6 = Cahos Reigns: roll once on the BoP Table and apply the result. If that causes combat, resolve it immediately.

21.3 Terrain & Pillage. Terrain doesn't affect pillage.

21.4 A player conducting an Operations Phase may attempt to pillage only one square per Pillage Segment.

21.5 Restrictions

A force may not conduct pillage if it's in: 1) a square that already contains a Pillage marker; or 2) an all-sea square; or 3) a square that contains enemy units.

21.6 Effects

The taxation and forage values of a pillaged square are reduced to zero. Ignore any port in a pillaged square.

21.7 Duration

A square once pillaged remains so until a player with one or more units in it expends thaler equal to its former taxation value plus one. That's done during the Taxation Phase. Immediately remove the marker, but note that no revenues may be raised from that square that same phase.

22.0 Provisioning

22.1 During each game turn's Provisioning Phase, every player must either have his units forage, trace a line of supply, or pay to provision them via the expenditure of thaler, in order to keep them in supply. Start with the player who has the initiative, then move around the board clockwise from him.

22.2 Forage

Every square on the map can support a designated number of units via forage. See the Terrain Effects Chart for those terrain-based forage values. Units beyond that number must be provisioned or are eliminated. Note that forage value is not the same as taxation value, though cities add a forage value equal to their taxation value, up to two.

22.3 Fieldworks don't need to be provisioned, and they don't count against their square's forage limit. They also add +1 to a square's forage value.

22.4 Provisioning

A player must, if he wants units above a square's forage limit to survive, spend thaler for any of his units on the map in excess of their square's forage value. The expenditure of one thaler will provision all excess units in a square. A player is never required to provision, but neither may he deficit-spend thaler in order to provision.

22.5 Fleets, and land units being transported by them, must be provisioned normally. Fleets, and any units being transported by them, may forage if in coastal squares, using that coastal square's forage value. If a fleet is eliminated owing to lack of provisioning, all units aboard it are also eliminated. Note, though, it makes more sense to first eliminate the units being transported by such a fleet.

22.6 Unsupplied Units

If you're unable or unwilling to provision units in a square, either by foraging or spending thaler, the unsupplied units are eliminated. If there is a choice of units to be eliminated, the owning player chooses which will be removed.

22.7 Pillaged Squares have their forage value reduced to zero.

22.8 Neutral Units don't need to be provisioned, nor do they need to forage.

22.9 Magazines

A fortress may provide forage to all friendly units inside of it, as well as to all friendly units that can trace a line of supply (LOS) to it. An LOS is a line of squares traced from the units being supplied to the fortress. At no point in that line of supply may there be any enemy units or terrain prohibited to land units. The maximum length of a line of supply is two squares, which is counted as if an infantry unit were moving from the fortress to the force being supplied. For example, Strasbourg could supply units in the Palatinate. If a line of supply is traced entirely along river squares, then it may extend to a maximum of four squares.

22.10 Naval Supply

If you have a fleet in a port, and there are no enemy fleet units in that square, that port can supply an unlimited number of units in that square.

23.0 Leaders

23.1 Leader counters represent a high-ranking commander along with a coterie of officers, guard troops, sycophants, etc. Leaders are treated like other combat units, with the following special capabilities.

23.2 Leader Mobilization

Scenario instructions indicate which leaders begin the game in play. All remaining leaders are placed in another pool, one for each player. When some event allows a leader to be mobilized, pick one at random and place him on any friendly unit (unless otherwise indicated). Leaders have no thaler cost to mobilize.

23.3 Leaders & Combat

At the start of each battle, both involved players designate a friendly leader in their involved force as their side's "commander" for that combat. Each player may play a number of battle markers for that combat equal to, or less than, their own commander's leader value. If player has no leader in a battle, he may not play any battle markers.

23.4 No Precedence

You always choose which leader in your involved force will command if there is more than one available. All other leaders in a combat-involved force participate as regular combat units.

23.5 Leader Survival

If a leader is eliminated for any reason, the owning player has the option of rolling a "saving" die. If that result is less than or equal to that leader's leadership value, he's removed from his present location but is then immediately placed atop any other friendly unit. Leaders may save only themselves in that way; they may not take other units with them. With the exception of this procedure, leader units are eliminated in the same way as other units in combat.

23.6 Named leaders – fully identified historic personages, such as "Cumberland," "Adm. Hawke," etc. – if eliminated for any reason, are permanently removed from play (though saving die roll attempts may still be attempted for them). Generic "Marshal" and "Admiral" leaders, when killed, are always placed back into your power's leader pool.

23.7 Leader Types

Leaders, land and naval, are otherwise treated as infantry combat units. Leaders count for stacking, supply, etc. Admirals can't go to sea on their own; they must be carried in by a fleet.

23.8 Mercenary Leaders are placed in the Campaign marker pool. They have no nationality of their own, and are brought into play only by a player picking them as a Campaign marker. If eliminated, mercenary leaders are returned to the campaign marker pool.

23.9 Sovereigns

Historically identified monarchs (Louis XVI, George II, etc.) are "sovereign" leaders. They're treated as other leaders, except when a sovereign is eliminated the owning player immediately loses all his campaign markers. He may pick markers normally thereafter. A sovereign, once eliminated (saving attempts are still OK), is permanently out of play.

23.10 Field Marshals & Admirals

Certain leaders are simply designated as "Marshal" or "Admiral." If eliminated, place them back in your leader pool. They represent the pool of otherwise talented individuals who spontaneously appear in the course of a war.

23.11 Political Leaders

Certain leaders have their leader values parenthesized. That means they may not be used as the basis for playing any Battle campaign markers. They may use their leader values for all other functions.

23.12 Player Card Army Boxes

Each leader has a corresponding Army Box on its nation's player card. They're to allow convenient places to put any units stacked with them. The boxes are used only on the basis of player preference; units in them are considered to be on the map for all rules purposes.

24.0 Veteran & Guard Units

24.1 Units that have a veteran (stronger) side may be flipped to that side as a result of the following.

1. During each game turn's Mobilization Phase, by expending the number of thaler listed on the Thaler Expenditure Table. The units must be located in fortresses, and they may not have been mobilized that same turn. For example, you could mobilize a recruit infantry in 1741, but it couldn't be converted to veteran status until 1742 by paying thaler. It could be upgraded using other means.

2. Combat Results. Whenever a friendly force contains recruit units, and that force causes an enemy force to suffer an AZ, AD, AR, MV, TV or DV combat result, flip from their recruit to their veteran sides a number of friendly involved recruit units equal to the total number of enemy units in the defeated force. Units that started the battle as veterans may alternatively be converted to guard status, or any combination of the two. For example, if there are three enemy units in the defeated force, two friendly recruit units might be flipped to veterans along with one veteran unit being converted to guard status. No unit may go through more than one promotion per combat.

3. Events & Campaign Markers. See the random events and campaign marker explanations.

24.2 Each major power has several units marked "Guard" (G). They're brought into play by upgrading a veteran unit. That's done in the same manner as upgrading a recruit to a veteran after winning a battle.

24.3 Veteran and guard units are never flipped back to their recruit side for any reason. Veteran and guard units aren't two-step or multi-step units. When they're eliminated, they may be brought back into play only via the processes described above in 24.1.

25.0 Fleets & Naval Operations

25.1 Players conduct naval operations with their fleets. Land units may move through all-sea squares via naval transport. In general, fleets are treated like other combat units but with the following strictures.

25.2 Fleets may enter only port, coastal and all-sea squares. Fleets may never enter all-land squares or cross all-land square sides. Fleets may not enter river squares that are otherwise all-land (coastal river squares are OK).

25.3 Fleet Operations

Fleets participate in Operations Phases in the same general manner as land units. Fleets attack enemy fleets in the same all-sea and coastal squares, and enemy land units in the same coastal squares. Fleet units in coastal squares may conduct every type of game function allowed to land units. Note that not all coastal cities and towns have port symbols. Fleets conduct honors of war normally in coastal hexes, but they can't be conducted in all-sea hexes.

25.4 Occupation

A fleet in a coastal square is generally considered to be occupying that square for all purposes. Exception: a fleet must actually end its move in a square of a neutral power in order for that move to count as a neutrality violation; otherwise, a fleet may move through neutral power coastal squares without triggering a neutrality violation, as long as that fleet ends its move in a square not containing a neutral force.

25.5 Naval Transport

Land units may be transported by friendly fleets. Both the fleet and the land force must start that Operations Phase in the same port or coastal square. The fleet "picks up" the land unit(s) and then moves. That's shown by placing the land unit under the fleet counter. Each fleet may transport any two land units. A land unit must have a movement factor of one or more to be transported. Leaders count as a "land unit" for naval transport purposes.

25.6 Port Embarkation

Fleets that embark land units in port squares may move normally during that same Movement Segment.

25.7 Coastal Embarkations

Fleets may embark units from coastal squares that don't contain ports; however, doing so requires an entire Movement Segment. That is, both the fleet(s) and embarking unit(s) stay in place and, at the end of that Movement Segment, the embarking unit(s) is/are placed beneath the fleet. For example, a force of land units could use one Operation Phase's Movement Segment to enter a port square that contained a friendly fleet. That same player could then play a Countermarch marker, using it for forced march in order to initiate another Operations Phase and allow that land force to be picked up by that fleet and moved via naval movement.

25.8 Contested Ports

If both enemy and friendly units occupy the same port square, neither player is considered to be controlling that port. That would mean any embarkations there would have to be made under the provisions of 25.7.

25.9 Naval Movement Costs & Sea Transits

Fleets have an unlimited movement capability within the restrictions of "sea transit." Units in the North Sea may move to the Baltic and vice versa, and units in the Western Mediterranean may move to the Adriatic and vice versa. Fleets may move from the English Channel to the Western Mediterranean and vice versa. To do so, the fleet moves off the map edge and then ends its movement on a map edge square in the other sea. It may move no farther that Movement Segment.

25.10 Debarking

At any point in a naval move, the force using naval transport may debark (leave the fleet) if it's on a coastal or port square. Place the debarking land unit(s) on top of the fleet to indicate that. Newly debarked units may not conduct further movement of any type that segment. If debarking a port, the fleet(s) from which the land units debark may continue conducting movement that segment. If debarking in a non-port coastal square, the fleet(s) must also cease moving for that segment.

25.11 Remaining Embarked

A land force may potentially remain embarked on a fleet indefinitely.

25.12 Amphibious Assaults

A debarking force that completes its naval transport in an enemy or neutral-occupied square conducts battle normally there in the ensuing Combat Segment.

25.13 Naval Combat

Fleets have combat strengths of their own. Naval combat is conducted exactly as land combat, except as noted below. Embarked land units (other than an involved admiral) don't contribute their combat strengths to naval combat.

25.14 Tactics

Only admirals may employ the Naval battle marker. If both embarked and un-embarked units are involved in the same combat, other Battle markers may be used if played by un-embarked leaders, but they would affect only the un-embarked units.

25.15 Sieges

Fleets that attack an enemy occupied city use the normal siege rules, except they may not employ a Pioneer marker unless there's at least one land unit in the attack force.

25.16 Coastal Combat

Transported land units may not attack enemy units in the same square, though they could if they disembarked. Fleets and non-embarked units are always combined into a single force when using their combat factors, except as noted below. In the event of a fleet retreating, embarked units retreat along with the fleet. Un-embarked units have to retreat on land, and that may be in a separate direction.

25.17 High Seas Combat

If naval combat is taking place in an all-sea square, the attacker must roll a die prior to the start of that battle. On a roll of one through three, combat takes place normally. On a four through six, the fleets miss each other and there is no combat. In that case, the player conducting that Operations Phase moves his fleet into any adjacent coastal, port or all-sea square that doesn't contain any enemy units and that ends its move. If naval combat is taking place in a coastal or port square, don't make that die roll; opposing fleets always find each other in such situations.

25.18 Transported Units

Land units being transported by fleets don't add their combat strengths to the strength of the fleet transporting them when in combat in an all-sea square. If a transporting fleet is eliminated in an all-sea square, so is/are its transported land unit. Transported units may not be taken as losses separate from the fleet transporting them.

25.19 Fleets and units embarked on them are generally not enhanced in their defense by fieldworks or terrain, with the following exception: they're tripled in defense if defending in a fortress city.

25.20 Provisioning

Fleets must be provisioned like land units; they count against their square's forage value. Land units being transported by fleets must be also be provisioned separately. Note that all-sea squares have a forage value of zero; so a fleet at sea, and any units it's transporting, must be provisioned in order to survive.

26.0 Fieldworks

26.1 Players place fieldworks markers on the map, during Mobilization Phases, in order to gain additional defensive and forage benefits in squares.

26.2 Procedure

To place fieldworks in a square, do the following: 1) indicate a square occupied by at least one friendly unit; 2) spend one thaler; and 3) place a fieldwork marker in that square. You may potentially emplace any number of fieldworks during each Mobilization Phase throughout the game.

26.3 Restrictions. Fieldworks may not be placed in squares already containing fieldworks, nor may they generally be placed in a fortress. Exception: see optional rules section 34.0. They may be placed in pillaged squares. There may never be more than one fieldworks counter in any given square at the same time.

26.4 Control

Fieldworks have no nationality. Fieldworks are controlled by whichever player has units in its square. If nobody has units in that square, nobody controls the fieldworks there. If you occupy a square containing fieldworks, you gain the benefit of the fieldwork while you have forces there. If more than one player has a force in a square containing fieldworks, those fieldworks belong to the one who last had uncontested units in that square. That can be indicated by placing the units of the controlling power under the fieldworks.

26.5 Effects

Fieldworks benefit the defenders in a square, if they control those fieldworks, as follows:

1. They double their defense if in clear terrain, and triple it if in terrain that would otherwise be doubling.

2. Fieldworks increase by one the forage value of their square.

3. Players may potentially mobilize one unit per Mobilization Phase in each fieldworks they control.

4. Units in fieldworks play Battle markers normally. Pioneer markers don't affect them.

26.6 Destruction of Fieldworks

Once placed on the map, fieldworks may be eliminated only if, while defending there in combat, that battle's result eliminates all the units defending in those fieldworks. The use of fieldworks is never optional in defensive combat. If you occupy a square containing fieldworks, and you're attacked there, the fieldworks are part of your defense.

27.0 Off-Map Areas

27.1 A power always controls its off-map area, if it has one. It does not need to occupy it with units.

27.2 Only units of the owning power may enter its off-map area. Units of allied powers may not do so.

27.3 Within the stricture above, eligible units may enter and leave an off-map area from any squares bordering on it. It costs one movement point to enter the area and normal terrain costs to reenter the map from the area. The Britain, Spain and Sweden off-map areas may be transited only via naval movement.

27.4 In or Out

No force may both enter and leave an off-map area during the same Operations Phase.

27.5 A player may maintain an unlimited number of eligible units in an off-map area. They aren't affected by foraging, nor do they require provisioning.

27.6 Units in an off-map area may not conduct combat, nor may they be targeted for honors of war.

27.7 Some off map areas have a port. Such ports function in all respects as a normal port.

27.8 Off map areas have a printed thaler value. The owning player gains those thaler even if the box is entirely unoccupied by friendly units.

28.0 Minor Powers & Declarations of War

28.1 The minor powers in the game are: Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bavaria, Saxony (including Poland), Switzerland, Spain, Genoa, Savoy, Venice, the Italian States and the German States. Note that the areas marked German States and Italian States aren't full-blown minor powers and, in effect, function as free campaigning grounds for all players. That is, neutrality, belligerency, declarations of war, etc., are never an issue in regard to those areas of the map.

28.2 Neutrality & Belligerency

A minor power will be either belligerent or neutral. If neutral, no one controls its forces. A neutral enters the game in one of the following ways.

1. A Balance of Power event calls for it. One player chosen via that event's instructions then takes control of that former neutral.

2. A player plays the Alliance campaign marker for it. In that case, the player playing the marker immediately gains control of it.

3. A player makes a declaration of war against a minor power. In that case, another player, chosen at random, immediately gains control of it.

28.3 When a neutral switches to belligerency, the following take place: 1) the player gaining control of it thereby also gains control of all units of that former neutral; and 2) the controlling player may recruit units of that minor power, but only within its own territory.

28.4 If a subsequent event would cause a minor power to change sides, another player gains control of it.

28.5 Declaration of War (DoW)

You may declare war against a neutral minor power during the Grand Diplomacy Phases of every game turn. Pay the number of thaler listed on the Expenditure Table and the minor power becomes a belligerent, controlled by another player chosen at random. You may make more than one DoW per Grand Diplomacy Phase, but each one requires an expenditure.

28.6 Reversion to Neutrality

Certain events may cause a minor power to revert to neutrality. In such cases do the following.

1. The controlling player notes he no longer controls it.

2. All units of all other powers are immediately removed from the territory of the minor power by their respective owning players. They're placed in the nearest fortress(es) or off-map box occupied by those players. If no such locales exist, the units are eliminated.

3. The player who formerly controlled the neutral picks up all of its units from anywhere on the map and places them within the minor power's fortresses and/or off-map box.

28.7 A minor power may potentially become a belligerent and revert to neutrality any number of times in a game.

28.8 Play of an Alliance marker may cause a minor power to switch its control status from one player to another. If that results and units of that minor power are stacked with formerly friendly units, those minor power units are retreated one square in the same manner as an honors of war retreat.

29.0 Holy Roman Empire

29.1 By this time the Holy Roman Empire was more or less moribund; however, there were is still some political advantages to being declared emperor.

29.2 The Balance of Power Table has several events that will give the player who has five or more votes in the Holy Roman Empire advantages. You gain one vote per electorate city you occupy, even if pillaged. When using the optional Formal Siege rule (section 34.0), a city occupied by more than one player supports the player who first controlled it.

30.0 Victory Conditions

30.1 Generally speaking, the game is won by dominating Europe. During each Sudden Death Victory Phase, all players look to see if any of them has fulfilled the victory conditions. There are two types of victory: 1) scenario victory conditions, which all players can achieve; and 2) special victory conditions specific to each major power.

30.2 General Scenario Victory Condition

You win if at the start of any Sudden Death Victory Check Phase, you have friendly units occupying cities whose total taxation value is equal to or more than the following numbers of thaler. For purposes of this rule, pillaged cities count as half value (retain remainders), while off-map areas count as zero and don't count minor allies. Likewise, don't count thaler you may have piled up in your treasury; only go by the situation on the map. Occupation includes units of your own power as well as those of other powers you control.

• Two-Player Game: your initial total taxation value plus 20.
• Three-Player Game: your initial total taxation value plus 15.
• Four-Player game: your initial total taxation value plus 10.

30.3 Special Single-Power Victory Conditions

See the player cards (rules sections 36.0 through 39.0).

30.4 Levels of Victory

If a player achieves both the scenario victory condition and his single-power condition, he's thereby won a "Continental Victory," which is the highest kind of victory. If a player achieves either a scenario victory or his special condition, he has won a "Marginal Victory," which is a lesser kind of victory.

30.5 Stalemates

If, at the end of a scenario, any of the following are in effect, that game likely ends in a stalemate: 1) no player has fulfilled any victory condition; or 2) more than one player has fulfilled the same kind of victory condition; or 3) more than one player has fulfilled both kinds of victory condition. Note, however, otherwise stalemated games may become British marginal victories; see the British Player Card.

30.6 Treaty

Any time prior to the normal end of a game, players may agree to end it via treaty (drawn game).

30.7 Two-Player & Three-Player Details

In two-player and three-player games, you combine the thaler value of all occupied cities by all the powers you control, major and minor, in order to check for the general scenario victory conditions. You must fulfill the victory conditions of all your controlled powers in order to win the game. Note that if you control both Austria and Britain, the British special victory condition can be fulfilled only if the Austrian condition is not fulfilled.

30.8 Occupation

For the general scenario victory condition, any friendly units count for occupation. For a major power's special victory condition, only units of that specifically named power count for occupation.

31.0 Scenarios

31.1 Players decide which scenario they'll play, and who will control which major powers according to rule 2.4, then each sets up his own forces in the order given below in 31.4. Once the game has been set up, play starts with the normal turn sequence. Players should sit in the following orientation: Prussian player off the north map edge; Austrian player off the east map edge; French player off the south map edge; British player off the west map edge.

31.2 Scenario Lengths

• First Silesian War: two game turns (1741 & 1742).
• Fontenoy: five game turns (1741 through 1745).
• War of the Austrian Succession: eight game turns (1741 through 1748).

31.3 Starting Campaign Markers

Starting with the initiative player and going clockwise, players pick Campaign markers at random from the pool. The number of markers picked is designated on the player cards.

31.4 Major Power Deployment

Players set up in this order: Austria, France, Britain, Prussia. Starting units and locations are on the player cards.

31.5 Minor Power Deployment

See rule section 40.0.

31.6 Restrictions

Unless otherwise noted, units must be set up in their home countries. Forces may not exceed their square forage limits during initial set up.

31.7 1741 Restriction

Historically neither France nor Britain were actively involved in the war during its opening stage. Therefore, in 1741 neither France nor Britain may mobilize units by expending haler. They may still mobilize units via event and Campaign marker play. Starting in 1742 they mobilize normally.

Optional Rules

32.0 Special Units

32.1 Light Troops

In addition to being able to move diagonally, as given in the basic rules, light troops don't need to stop when moving into mountain hexes. They may also retreat into and through mountains. Further, double the combat strength of all friendly light troop units when attacking in mountains; triple it when they defend in mountains.

32.2 Countermarch

In addition to other requirements for countermarch (see section 20.0), you must now have at least one cavalry or light troop unit in a force in order to execute an ambush with it. Further, you must have at least as many cavalry and/or light troop combat factors in a force as are in the enemy force against which you're trying to conduct a delaying action. This is checked before the Countermarch marker is played. There are no additional requirements for forced march.

32.3 Siege Trains & Combat Results

If an "Attacker Defeat" or "Tactical Victory" result is inflicted on a force, siege trains must be the first units lost in that combat.

33.0 Overrun

33.1 Whenever a force enters a square and that force contains at least 10 times as many combat factors and/or leadership points as the force defending that square, the defending force is eliminated immediately, regardless of terrain (but see 33.4 below) and without recourse to the CRT.

33.2 An overrun costs the moving force one extra movement point.

33.3 A moving force may conduct any number of overruns during a move, as long as it has sufficient movement points to expend.

33.4 A force occupying a fieldwork or fortress may never be overrun.

33.5 Overrun doesn't count as combat; no Campaign markers are lost or gained by either player, nor may any promotions to veteran or guard status be made, due to them.

34.0 Formal Sieges

34.1 You may declare a "formal siege" when you have a force containing at least one siege train in the same square as an enemy occupied fortress, during the start of your Operations Phase's Combat Segment. When you declare formal siege, you don't have to attack the enemy force in the besieged fortress. All units friendly to your siege train are the "besieging force." All enemy units inside the fortress are the "besieged force."

34.2 A formal siege has the following effects.

Movement. Besieged force units may not exit the square. Additional besieging units may enter the square, and besieging units may always leave freely.

Besieging Combat. The Besieging force doesn't have to attack. If you choose to attack with the besieging force, use normal rules of siege combat (section 19.0).

Sortie Combat. The besieged force may "sortie" to attack the besieging force. The besieging force defends as if it were in a clear square, unless there's a fieldwork in the square, in which case it would gain advantage of the fieldworks defense.

No Retreat Negation. A besieged force that suffers a retreat result is eliminated.

Fieldworks. If none are there, you may build fieldworks in the square in which a formal siege is taking place.

Provisioning. A besieged square is considered to have a forage value of zero for the besieging force. For the besieged force, it's considered to have a forage value of equal to the square's thaler value. Besieged units may not be provisioned by expenditure of thaler. An outside force may not trace a line of supply into a besieged fortress.

Taxation. Neither player may collect thaler from a besieged city.

Multi-Player Games. In three-player and four-player games, only units controlled by the besieged and besieging players may enter a besieged square. For example, if the Prussians are besieging an Austrian force in Prague, a French force could not enter the Prague square. (This is mainly to keep a lot of really complicated rules situations from cropping up.)

34.3 Duration

A formal siege remains in effect as long as at least one besieging siege train unit is in the square. New siege trains may be added and (possibly) the original siege train removed, etc., as long as at least one such unit is in place at all times.

34.4 Relief Forces

The player controlling the besieged force may move a force from outside the fortress square into the square. That is a "relief force." Relief forces must attack the besieging force; however, sortie and relief force attacks may not be combined into a combined attack. If a relief force attack fails to clear all besieging force units from a square, the relief force is retreated normally.

34.5 Honors of War

If the besieging player has a fieldworks in the same square as a besieged fortress, he rolls one additional die if/when conducting honors of war against the fortress.

34.6 Storming Cities

If an attacker inflicts a BB (Bloodbath) result when attacking a fortress, clears all defending units from that fortress, and has one or more surviving units in his attack force, he must pillage it in the Pillage Segment of that same Operations Phase. That holds true even if he wasn't conducting a formal siege.

35.0 Prisoners of War

35.1 Units may become prisoners of war under the following circumstances.

1. If in an honors of war attempt, one side rolls a total of at least twice as much as the other side. All involved units and leaders of the losing side become prisoners of war.

2. When a force suffers a result of "Attacker Annihilated" or "Decisive Victory," or is eliminated via overrun, 50 percent of those units (not combat factors) are eliminated and the other 50 percent become prisoners of war. Round remainders in favor of units eliminated. For example, if three units are overrun, two are eliminated and one becomes prisoner.

35.2 Status

Units that become prisoners of war are held off-map by the capturing player. They may not be recruited by the original player, nor do they have any impact on play, while they remain POWs.

35.3 Prisoner Exchanges

During Negotiations Phases, players may agree to exchange, pay for the release, etc., of POWs. They may broker any deals they desire. Returned POWs are placed on any fortress occupied by the originally controlling power or its allies.

35.4 Mercenaries

If a mercenary unit (campaign marker) is taken prisoner, the capturing player gains control of it. He may immediately place it with his capturing force.

35.5 Sovereigns

If a sovereign is involved in a situation described above in 35.1, he/she must become a POW if there's a choice.

Player Cards

[Sections 36.0 through 40.0 (the Prussian, Austrian, French and British Player Cards and the Minor Powers Set Up Summary Card) are separate printed sheets and are not included in the rules text. Their headings are listed here as printed.]

36.0 Prussian Player Card

37.0 Austrian Player Card

38.0 French Player Card

39.0 British Player Card

40.0 Minor Powers Set Up Summary Card

41.0 Designer's & Players' Notes

41.1 Designer's Notes

The idea behind Frederick's War was to do a wargame set in the era of the Age of Enlightenment. Actually, I've covered that era several times previously in S&T, in Seven Years War, On To Moscow, Seven Years World War and Marlborough. I took a different approach in making FW a multiplayer game, using a system derivative of my 1066 and Hannibal's War designs. Because this is a multiplayer game, you have to think in terms of interacting with the other players not only militarily, but also politically, by cutting deals with both your foes and allies.

As befitting war in the Age of Enlightenment, player objectives are limited. Prussia and France need grab only a few frontier cities or fortresses in order to win their special conditions. Austria needs to consolidate its hold on the electorate cities or grab a piece of Poland. And Britain wins if no other player wins, and thus the continental balance of power is maintained. The victory conditions don't include capturing enemy capitals. Nobody wants to do anything too radical because it might unleash the forces of chaos. There are a couple random events that players who are running amok ala Napoleon.

The CRT reflects the nature of battles in that era. The attacker has a slight edge at the middle range because the attacker did indeed win in the majority of cases. So it's generally a good idea to try and get in the first blow, but not always, because you may be handed a defeat by the enemy's play of Battle markers. It's difficult to win a single decisive battlefield victory unless you're at the extreme end of the CRT. While armies often took horrendous casualties on the battlefield, there would still be enough survivors to "live to fight another day." You didn't have battles of annihilation, such as Cannae or Jena-Auerstadt. That was, in part, owing to the limits commanders imposed on pursuit out of fear that, if you lost control of your army, the troops would desert.

Tactical Victory and Attacker Defeated results cause you to roll separately for the retreat of each unit in a square. That represents the tendency of routed armies to become dispersed across the countryside. That means it may take several Operations Phases to reform a defeated army.

A major change from Hannibal's War is that FW depicts minor powers as separate forces. That's because in the 18th century the minor powers were independent states more or less. Rather than adding a separate diplomacy rule to win control of the minors, players bid for them via Alliance campaign markers. That integrates diplomacy into an existing game system and makes the design cleaner.

The thaler value of cities and fortresses represents their economic value as well as the wealth of the surrounding countryside. Several of the fortresses on the map represent fortified zones, not just the named city.

Players can mobilize major power units just about anywhere because armies in that era made considerable use of mercenaries and impressments. That makes recruiting easier, but the downside is players have to deal with attrition checks when playing Countermarch markers, representing the tendency of the troops to desert when any kind of fancy maneuver was attempted. If I ever adapt this system to the Napoleonic era, I'd mitigate the attrition results somewhat, since the more patriotic armies of that era showed less of a tendency to suffer from desertion.

Leaders are useful in combat via their ability to play Battle markers. The idea is a general in that era was effective insofar as he could exploit an already existing tactical system.

Only certain units gain the advantage of each type of Battle markers; so you have to think about the composition of any force you field in order to use your markers properly (for example, you need cavalry to use the Charge markers). It also adds another level of limited intelligence to the game since, even if you know the composition of any enemy force, you may not know what Battle markers it may have.

You get to keep Battle markers you played when winning a battle on the grounds that a good tactical system will remain in place until someone beats it. That's a change from past procedure, but it makes sense as it allows you to push your tactical system as long as it wins. It also reflects army morale. If you lose a battle, your troops won't be as tactically proficient the next time around. On the strategic level, gain and loss of campaign markers for winning and losing battles reflects overall shifts in the political balance. Battles in that era decided more than just who controlled a piece of terrain; their effects "cascaded" (to use a modern term) across Europe. Thus, you might win a "famous victory" and change the political map.

The interactive operations system allows players the opportunity to push a force as far as they can take them by expending thaler (that is, money expended on supplies, bonuses to the troops, etc.) or suffering attrition. Given the yearly turns, an army could have moved any distance; it's just a question of how far you're willing to push the troops. The Prussians pay less for operations to reflect their greater efficiency.

Countermarch markers give players the opportunity to execute subtle maneuvers and ensure there's no such thing as a "sure move." They're expensive to play (two thaler or an attrition check) because – again – the armies of the era tended to suffer desertions when any kind of fancy maneuver was pulled.

Rivers are treated differently from the way modern gamers might think of them. In the pre-industrial world, rivers tended to be highways as much as barriers. The doubling of movement along them reflects the use of river craft to move relatively rapidly and bring supplies forward.

The Alliance markers reflect the complex diplomacy that occurred throughout the span of the campaign without having to add in a lot of complexity.

You might ask why the Prussians don't have the Oblique battle marker as their special tactic. The reason is Frederick's use of the oblique attack really didn't come to maturity until a decade after the Seven Years War was over. In the 1740s, the lack of a cadenced infantry step made oblique maneuver difficult. So the Prussians get the Infantry Drill special tactic instead, reflecting their superior fire control and iron ramrods.

The rules for light troops represent their use in this era. They really weren't skirmishers in the Napoleonic sense, but rather semi-regulars who could move more independently than the otherwise rigidly disciplined regulars. They were often used for raiding, reconnaissance and screening; so their special abilities are more on the operational than tactical scale. The Russian light unit has a higher movement factor than the others as this represents a mix of Cossack cavalry and infantry.

I made some changes to the system for FW. Players can upgrade recruit units to veteran status by paying thaler. That reflects the training regimens of the 18th century, where high-quality troops could be turned out by parade ground drills.

Logistics are modeled into the thaler cost to move an army without attrition, which represents paying for supplies en route. You also have to pay for over-stacked units during the Provisioning Phase, as the troops can no longer live off the land or the local economy. That eliminated the need to include separate supply train units. Given the game scale, each unit would have an organic train of supply wagons.

Units can trace a line of supply back to friendly fortresses. 18th century practice was to base supplies on fortress magazines, and armies could operate about a week's march from them, which in game terms is about two or three squares.

I added the optional Formal Siege rule because much of the campaigning revolved around protracted sieges. The rule adds complexity owing to the necessity to write it up to cover anomalous situations where enemy forces occupy the same square.

The balance of power is reflected in the various events. They tend to work against a player who's getting too strong. The Riot event shows the difficulty in ruling a large multi-ethnic empire, such as the Habsburg domains, or when you conquer too much for your system to absorb.

National differences between the various powers are reflected in different ways. One is in the special abilities on the player cards; another is in the evaluation of the economic value of cities. Prussia, with its highly efficient and centralized administration, gets relatively more income for Berlin than its actual economic value would indicate. In comparison, the Austrians, who were less than efficient in that regard, get relatively fewer thaler from Vienna. The French player can trade one of his campaign markers with another player because France set the style in Europe.

41.2 Players' Notes

Understand and exploit your special abilities. The Prussians, for example, can build up a well-disciplined infantry force and exploit it using special tactic markers. They can also get more mileage out of operations, as they cost them fewer thaler than the other players. The British have considerable income and thus can often subsidize their allies.

Generally, you will find yourself running out of money before you run out of things you need to do. You have to expend thaler to mobilize units, buy campaign markers, conduct operations and provide supply. A lot of the game is in knowing when to cease operations. It's often useful to spend an entire year on the defensive simply to build up a reserve of thaler so you can strike on a following turn.

You may also find yourself running out of troops. The armies are not that large, and a couple lost battles and attrition results can rapidly deplete your forces.

Leaders are vital because they're required to play the campaign markers and to reduce attrition die rolls. Having the right leader at the right place can make the difference in the outcome of a battle and a campaign. They're also important because of the modifiers they provide to attrition checks. A good leader, such as Frederick, allows you to extend your campaigning because they reduce losses due to attrition.

Read the campaign marker descriptions because they're your keys to victory. Depending on the campaign markers you have, your position may be strong militarily (Battle markers) or politically (Alliance markers). Use your Spy markers to figure out what is worth bidding on in the Market.

This isn't Napoleonic warfare, where you try to engage the enemy at the earliest opportunity in the biggest battle. You have to build up a hand of campaign markers before launching an offensive. Forced March and Honors of War markers will let you outmaneuver a foe, and woe unto you if the enemy has them but you don't.

You have to think of the implications of fighting battles. Winning will give you more campaign markers; losing means loss of campaign markers, including any Battle markers you may have used. Use your Spy markers to figure out what the enemy is holding, and then ensure you can outfight him both in terms of combat factors and marker play. One tactic is to send in an expendable unit against an enemy force to figure out the enemy's capabilities. Then use another operation, or a Forced March, to make the main attack.

It's easy to mobilize units, but hard to build up a veteran army. You may want to "blood" your forces in a few easy battles to upgrade recruit units rather than expending thaler to train them up.

It may seem as if you have a lot of thaler, but they can be easily depleted. You may find yourself being caught short if the other players are continuing to initiate operations and you don't have sufficient funds to counter them. Then it comes down to how much of your army you're willing to burn up in attrition checks. The ability to expend thaler to initiate operations has direct military implications. A power with many thaler will move its armies farther and use them to hit harder, since it won't be losing units to attrition.

Alliance markers are useful for turning around a situation by changing the control of a key ally.

Naval operations may seem peripheral, but the British and French have an opportunity to use them to make sweeping strategic maneuvers by landing forces in the enemy rear areas.

The system has a degree of entropy built into it, as befits an era of limited warfare. You can't conquer the map in a single year, or even over several years. If you try to do so, you will find your army melting away owing to combat losses and the need to garrison captured fortresses and cities. Rather, you have to plan to attain limited objectives that are, over time, enough to win the game. You also have to watch what the other players are up to, since each player has two different ways to win the game. You also can pull out a victory by attaining your specific victory condition while everyone else is pursuing the general conditions.

42.0 Designer's Q&A

Q1. If a mercenary unit is part of a Prussian force, how much is paid to activate that force?

A1. One thaler.

Q2. Concerning rule 9.13: if a Truce marker is played during an operations phase, and all other players have parsed but one, will that end the phase?

A2. Yes.

Q3. Concerning rule 12.3: The Attrition Table modifiers allow for a minus-one if a force contains at least 50 percent leaders and/or veteran units. Should Guards units be involved in that count?

A3. Yes.