Maria: Silesia Gambit Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. The Politics Gambit
  • 1.1 Return face-down TCs to the players
  • 1.2 Reveal 2 Political Cards
  • 1.3 Determine the political trump suit
  • 1.4 Place TCs on the political display
  • 1.5 Determine order of influence
  • 1.6 Select Political Cards
• 2. Silesia Gambit
  • 2.1 General rules
  • 2.2 Victory in the Silesia Gambit
    • Austria is NOT ceding Silesia
    • Austria is ceding Silesia

1. The Politics Gambit

These rules modify the Maria rules for politics. With these rules, bluffing will not be a no-brainer anymore. Instead, the cards used for bluffing are missing for one complete turn.

Most of the rules for politics (section 17) are left unmodified. Some detail rules are changed and the segment "politics" is expanded by 1 phase:

1. From the political display, return face-down TCs to the players.
2. Reveal 2 Political Cards.
3. Determine the political trump suit.
4. Major powers place TCs on the political display.
5. Determine order of influence.
6. Select Political Cards.

1.1 Return face-down TCs to the players

In this phase, players return their face-down TCs from the political display back to their hand.

NOTE: Face-down TCs are remnants from the previous turn.

1.2 Reveal 2 Political Cards

This phase is unmodified.

1.3 Determine the political trump suit

This phase is unmodified.

1.4 Place TCs on the political display

This phase is unmodified.

1.5 Determine order of influence

In this phase the following detail rule is changed:

• TCs not of the political trump suit are not returned to the hand of the power that played it. Instead, flip these TCs, so that they are now lying face-down on the political display. For determining the political influence, only face-up TCs are counted.

NOTE: These face-down "bluff-cards" are returned to the player at the beginning of the next turn (during phase 1 of the politics segment).

1.6 Select Political Cards

In this phase the following detail rules are changed:

• A major power may only select a Political Card when she has at least one face-up TC on the political display.
• If a major power selects a Political Card, only her face-up TCs go to the discard pile.
• As soon as both Political Cards are selected, all major powers whose turn is still to come do not take their TCs from the display back to their hand. Instead, they flip these TCs, so that they are now lying face-down on the political display.

NOTE: These face-down cards are returned to the player at the beginning of the next turn (during phase 1 of the politics segment).

2. Silesia Gambit

2.1 General rules

From the introductory game the rules 1 to 13 are in effect. Section 14 is not used. The expert game rules (sections 15 to 24) are not used, too.

Use both the Flanders and Bohemia map. Use all playing pieces. EXCEPTION: Do not use both the Prussian general in the off-map box "Ostpreussen" and the Prussian supply train in victory box "Silesia".

At the beginning of the game, the Flanders map is only semi-active. That means:

• Pieces on the Flanders map may move, but they may not leave that map and they have to end their movement always in their own home territory or in the home territory of an allied power.
• On the Flanders map, combat is never executed (even if enemy pieces are adjacent to each other).

These restrictions are in effect until Silesia is ceded to Prussia (see below).

France receives her standard TC income, but has to put aside 2 randomly chosen TCs from its TC income every turn. These TCs are collected. France keeps putting aside 2 TCs until Silesia is ceded to Prussia (see below).

The Pragmatic Army receives her standard TC income. However, her TCs are of no effective use until Silesia is ceded to Prussia, since the Pragmatic Army may not fight.

The victory boxes and the electoral college are not used. The elector fortresses Köln, Mannheim, Trier and Mainz (on the Flanders map) are unimportant for victory purposes. They still block force marches, however.

2.2 Victory in the Silesia Gambit

In the Silesia Gambit there are 2 basic courses the game will take. In one course, Austria is ceding Silesia to Prussia; in the other it is not. Therefore, there are 2 different sets of victory conditions.

Austria is NOT ceding Silesia

The game ends immediately when a player fulfills his victory conditions. The victory conditions are exactly the same as in the introductory game, that is:

• Louis XV: Control of 9 fortresses in Austria.
• Frederick: Control of 12 fortresses in Austria and/or Silesia (NOTE: 2 fortresses in Silesia are already Prussian controlled at game start).
• Maria Theresa: It is the end of turn 9, and no other player has won.

Austria is ceding Silesia

At the end of round six, Austria has to decide whether it is making peace with Prussia or not. If it makes peace, Silesia is ceded to Prussia. Furthermore:

• Prussia counts how many fortresses are missing for her victory. Also France counts how many fortresses are missing for her victory. Austria, however, counts how many fortresses in Silesia are currently Austrian controlled. These values are called P, F, and A, respectively.
• After that, take all Prussian and Saxon pieces and control markers from the board (they are out of the game now). All Prussian and Saxon TCs go to the discard pile. Prussian and Saxon territory may be entered by all pieces. However, all fortresses in Prussia and Saxony are considered normal cities from now on.
• The Flanders map is activated. From now on, all pieces may move and fight on that map normally.
• France takes the TCs which were put aside in the previous turns and sorts them immediately into her hand. Furthermore, France stops putting aside TCs from its regular TC income.

The victory conditions change. The game ends immediately when a player fulfills his victory conditions:

• Friedrich: Control of (5 + P) fortresses in France (with the Pragmatic Army).
• Louis XV: Control of (9 + F) fortresses in Austria on the Bohemia map or Control of (5 + F) fortresses in the Netherlands/Austrian Netherlands (Flanders map).
• Maria Theresa: Control of (8 − A) fortresses in Bavaria and/or France.
• Furthermore, if no player has won until turn 15, Louis XV wins.

NOTE: 1.) Usually it is better for Louis XV to go for a defense victory. 2.) The turns 13 to 15 must be counted by any convenient method, for instance by using the boxes 1 to 3 of the time track.

Example: Maria Theresa cedes Silesia to Prussia at the end of game turn 6. Currently Prussia is lacking 3 fortresses for victory, France is lacking 4 fortresses, and Austria is still controlling 1 fortress in Silesia. Therefore, for victory:

• Maria Theresa must conquer 7 fortresses in Bavaria and/or France.
• Friedrich must conquer 8 fortresses in France with the Pragmatic Army.
• Louis XV has to hold out until turn 15, or has to conquer 13 fortresses in Austria on the Bohemia map, or has to conquer 9 fortresses in the Netherlands/Austrian Netherlands.