1866: The Struggle for Supremacy in Germany
1866: The Struggle for Supremacy in Germany Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 2.0 Game Components
- 3.0 Glossary of Terms
- 4.0 Setting Up the Game
- 5.0 Sequence of Play
- 5.1 Deal Operations Cards
- 5.2 Operational Phase
- 5.3 Siege Phase
- 5.4 Supply Check and Attrition Phase (conducted simultaneously)
- 5.5 Discard Operations Cards
- 5.6 Conduct Victory Check
- 5.7 Move Turn Record Indicator (if required)
- 5.8 Advance Turn Record Indicator
- 5.9 Add in War Deck (if required)
- 5.10 Shuffle Deck (if required)
- 6.0 Operations Cards
- 7.0 Mobilization and War Phases
- 8.0 The Operational Phase
- 9.0 Movement
- 10.0 Interception and Avoid Battle
- 11.0 Combat and Coordinated Attacks
- 12.0 Retreat and Pursuit
- 13.0 Fortresses, Major Cities and Siege
- 14.0 Political Control
- 15.0 Logistics and Attrition
- 16.0 French Intervention
- 17.0 Cavalry
- 18.0 Generals
- 19.0 End of Turn
- 20.0 Allied Forces
- 21.0 Victory Conditions
- 22.0 Scenarios
- Example of Play
- Designer's Notes
- Optional Rules
- Operations Cards Explanation
- Scenarios Setup
2.0 Game Components
2.1 Inventory
A complete game of 1866 includes:
- one 24x33 inch mapboard
- one rules & play booklet
- 55 Operations Cards
- one players aid card
- one double sided counter sheet
- two six sided dice
2.2 The Playing Pieces
There are four types of counters in the game: general officer, political control markers, informational, and unit counters. With the exception of informational counters, counters are color-coded to indicate ownership by a particular faction. Informational counters contain information common to all factions and are therefore not color-coded.
2.3 Counters
2.31 The counter mix is a finite limit in regards to additional units either raised as reinforcements or through the play of an event card. Informational and control markers are not so limited. (The booklet provides examples of the various counters used in 1866 for reference purposes.)
2.32 Unit Control and Color:
- Prussian Control: Prussian - dark blue; Italian - green; Hungarian - orange
- Austrian Control: Austrian - gray; German - light blue; French - rouge red
2.4 Operations Cards
Operations Cards consists of two separate decks, a Mobilization deck and a War deck. Each Operations card is marked accordingly.
3.0 Glossary of Terms
The following are important game terms and abbreviations you should be familiar with before reading the rules:
- Active Player - The player currently conducting his portion of the Operational Phase.
- Army - A general moving or stacked with one or more combat units.
- C - Coastal
- CU - Combat unit. A marker representing a corps, division, or brigade which is capable of movement and combat. Generals are not CUs. Each CU consists of two steps, with the CU being flipped to its reduced side if it takes any losses due to combat or attrition. If a CU is already at its reduced side, it is eliminated.
- CF - Cohesion Factor. The relative ability of a unit to withstand casualties based upon strength, morale, and training.
- Country - There are four major countries on the mapboard: the Austrian Empire, the Kingdoms of Prussia and Italy, and the French Empire. These countries are not considered Provinces for any purpose.
- DRM - Die Roll Modifier
- Echelons Below Corps (EBC) - A heavy cavalry division (RCD), light cavalry division (LtCD), cavalry division (CD), infantry division (ID) or infantry brigade (IB)
- Enemy - Any general, unit, or political control marker that belongs to the opposing side.
- Friendly - Any general, unit, or political control marker that belongs to your side.
- Force - Combat unit(s), with or without a general present.
4.0 Setting Up the Game
4.1 Select the scenario to play per Rule 22 - the Mobilization to War or the Seven Weeks War scenario. Players choose which side they will be playing and sit on their appropriate side of the board - north for the Prussian player and south for the Austrian player.
4.2 Position forces per the set-up guidance per the appropriate Scenario.
4.3 Place the VP marker in the space indicated on the pertinent Scenario Card. Whenever a player gains Victory Points, the VP marker moves towards that player's end of the track (i.e closer to 15+ VPs which will result in an auto-victory). Likewise, if a player loses Victory Points, the VP marker moves towards his opponent's end of the VP track.
Example: If the VP marker is on the Prussian '3' space and the Austrian player scores +4 VPs, the VP marker is moved to the Austrian '1' space.
4.4 Separate the decks into the Mobilization Deck and the War Deck and set aside the War Deck if playing the Mobilization to War Scenario. If playing the Seven Weeks War Scenario, remove the cards as indicated on the scenario card and combine the remaining cards from the two decks.
4.5 Shuffle the cards to be used for your scenario and deal out the cards per 5.1.
5.0 Sequence of Play
1866 is played in turns, each of which comprise a number of phases or actions. A turn is played in the following order:
5.1 Deal Operations Cards
Each player is dealt a variable number of Operations Cards, beginning with the Prussian player and alternating until the required number of cards are dealt out. During a Mobilization Turn, 4 cards are dealt to each player; during a War Turn, 7 cards are dealt to each player.
5.2 Operational Phase
Each Operational Phase consists of a set number of Operational Rounds, which varies based upon whether it is a Mobilization or War Turn. Prussia always begins every Operational Phase by taking the initial Operational Round. After the Prussian player has finished his Operational Round, the Austrian player then takes his corresponding Operational Round. This procedure continues until each player has taken their required number of Operational Rounds.
5.3 Siege Phase
Beginning with the Prussian player, a free siege attempt may be made by all friendly forces that occupy an enemy fortress space or major city provided the requirements of Rule 13.32 are met. NOTE: This phase is skipped if this is a Mobilization Turn.
5.4 Supply Check and Attrition Phase (conducted simultaneously)
Any units that cannot trace a line of communications to a friendly supply source must roll for attrition with the results applied immediately. Non-fortress spaces that cannot trace a line of communications to a friendly supply source change control unless they are occupied by friendly units. NOTE: This phase is skipped if this is a Mobilization Turn.
5.5 Discard Operations Cards
Each player discards any unused Operations Cards that remain in his hand.
5.6 Conduct Victory Check
Victory Points are awarded for controlling Provinces and red-outlined VP spaces. If neither player has attained an automatic victory, the game continues to the next turn. If the current game turn is 10 and no automatic victory has occurred, the game ends with victory determined by Rule 20. NOTE: This phase is skipped if this is a Mobilization Turn.
5.7 Move Turn Record Indicator (if required)
If a Declaration of War has occurred, the Turn Record Indicator is moved from its current location on the Mobilization Record Track to the first space on the War Record Track
5.8 Advance Turn Record Indicator
If a Declaration of War has not occurred during a Mobilization Turn or it is a War Turn, move the Turn Record Indicator to the next space to the right on the appropriate track.
5.9 Add in War Deck (if required)
If a Declaration of War has occurred, combine all remaining playable Mobilization Cards with the War Cards into one combined Operations Card deck. Thoroughly shuffle all available cards together and set them aside for use during the first War Turn.
5.10 Shuffle Deck (if required)
If "Needle Guns" has been played or discarded or if there are not enough cards remaining in the deck to deal out the required number of cards to each player, thoroughly shuffle all available cards together and set them aside for use during the next turn.
6.0 Operations Cards
6.1 Description
Operations Cards consist of Event and Response Cards. Each Operations Card has two primary elements, a number between 2 and 4 in the upper left corner (called the Operations Point Number) and a designation as an Event or Response card. Cards marked with an * in the title are removed from the deck when the card is used as an event or response; an * card is not removed if the event is not used. Note that some events are only playable by a particular side. Regardless of the side depicted, either player can always use the OP Number of any card.
6.2 Uses of an Operations Card
An Operations card may be used for one of the following purposes:
6.21 MOBILIZE units. For each OP expended, a combat unit on the board may be flipped from its reduced side and mobilized to its full-strength side or a general may be mobilized and placed on a friendly unit (see 18.1). It costs one OP to mobilize a general or an echelons below corps (EBC) combat unit and two OPs to mobilize a corps CU. OP points can be expended for multiple Mobilization (restorations) provided the OP points on the card are not exceeded. NOTE: this option is only available until the DOW card is played.
6.22 ACTIVATE one general (and/or his army) whose Initiative Rating is less than or equal to the OP Number. EXAMPLE: A "2" can only activate a general with an Initiative Rating of 2. A "3" can activate a general with an Initiative Rating of 2 or 3. A "4" can activate any general. A general is activated to conduct combat operations (movement and/or combat) or conduct siege operations. Activating a general in this manner allows that general to form an army, move an army, and/or pick up and drop off combat units and other generals provided 9.3 is not violated.
6.23 CONDUCT INDIVIDUAL ACTIVATIONS of combat units and generals on the map equal to the OP Number (Points) contained on the Operations Card. Under War conditions, it costs one OP to activate a general or a cavalry division, two OPs to activate an infantry brigade, three OPs to activate an infantry division, and 4 OPs to activate a corps. OP points can be expended for multiple activations provided the OP number/points on the card is not exceeded. All activations are declared before any activations take place and each individual activation must be completed before a subsequent activation is begun. All activated combat units can conduct combat operations (movement and/or combat) and conduct siege operations. Activated generals can only conduct the movement portion of combat operations and may not form or move an army, and/or pick up any combat units or other generals during their activation.
6.24 PLAY AS AN EVENT by following the instructions contained in the text of the card.
6.25 PLAY AS A RESPONSE during an activation or battle. Playing a Response Card does not count as your normal move; you must still perform an operational round (if there are any left in the Operational Phase). Playing a Response Card is either in response to an action by your opponent or to enhance your own particular situation and can be played immediately upon satisfaction of its requirements as indicated within the text of the card. Note that some cards by the nature of the event may be used as a Response or played during your turn if the conditions are met.
6.3 Discarding
You may discard an Operations Card at the end of a turn rather than play it unless the card specifically states that it must be played. Discarding occurs per 5.5 and all discards must be placed face up in the discard pile for your opponent to see. The discard pile is subject to inspection by either player at any time during the course of the game.
6.4 Reshuffling
6.41 Reshuffling occurs when there are no more cards remaining in the draw pile to complete the required number of cards for each player's hand. The entire Operations Deck, both discards and draw pile but excluding cards that have been permanently removed from play, are combined and reshuffled together before any cards are dealt. Cards from the reshuffled deck are then dealt out to the player's to fill out their hands.
6.42 The deck is also reshuffled as called for by a particular Event Card (regardless of whether the card was played as an event, for operations points, or discarded) or if the Mobilization and War Card decks are combined into one single Operations Deck. In both cases, the deck is reshuffled at the end of the turn.
7.0 Mobilization and War Phases
7.1 The Campaign scenario (see Rule 22) consists of two distinct phase, Mobilization and War, each of which consists of a varied number of turns. The Seven Weeks War scenario consists of only a War Phase.
7.2 Mobilization Phase
7.21 Only the Mobilization deck is used during this phase. Operations cards can be used per 6.2 except a general or unit may not enter an enemy controlled space nor engage in combat (see 11.0).
7.22 The Mobilization Phase consists of a varied number of turns based upon when the Declaration of War card is played. If the DOW card has not been played by the end of Turn 4, hostilities are considered to have broken out however there is no loss of victory points to either side. If a player has been dealt the DOW card, he must play it as an event that turn. However, he may choose to delay the play of the card until his last operational round in order to maximize his mobilization and/or movement of his units.
7.23 At the end of the turn in which the DOW has been played or at the end of Turn 4, all Mobilization cards which have not been removed from play (see 6.1) are combined with the War deck, shuffled and set aside until the start of the War Phase. The Game Turn Indicator is then moved from the Mobilization Turn Track to Turn 1 of the War Turn Track. Play then progresses to the War Phase.
7.24 SPECIAL PRUSSIAN MOBILIZATION RULES. Prussia adds one addition OP to any card played to mobilize units. For example, if Prussia plays a "3" card to mobilize units, it has 4 instead of 3 Ops with which to do so.
Designer's Note: This represents Prussia's comparative advantage in mobilizing its reserve forces vice Austria that had a much less efficient structure for mobilization.
7.3 War Phase
7.31 The War Phase consists of a set number of turns based upon the scenario parameters.
7.32 The movement and combat restrictions of 7.21 are lifted however mobilization of units or generals is not allowed during the War Phase. If a player has not completely mobilized all his units, those units may not be restored to full strength except as allowed by an event card. Likewise, new generals may not be brought into play except through the use of an event card.
8.0 The Operational Phase
8.1 An Operational Phase consists of 4 Operational Rounds if it is a Mobilization Turn, 6 Operational Rounds if it is a War Turn.
8.2 Starting with the Prussian player, each player plays an Operations card and uses it for one of the purposes described in 6.0. When he has completed his actions, play passes to his opponent. Play rotates and continues until the Austrian player has taken his last Operational Round of the turn.
8.3 A player may chose not to play a card during his Operational Round and instead may use a free Operational Point to perform any action allowed by 6.0. In short, each Operational Round a player must either play an Operations Card or take a free OP, he cannot just pass for the round.
9.0 Movement
9.1 Movement is conducted along the land routes that connect the various spaces on the mapboard. There are two types of land routes in the game: roads and railroads. Each are treated exactly the same for movement purposes unless Special Railroad Movement is used (9.6). There is a varying movement point (MP) cost to enter certain types of terrain (see the Terrain Effects Chart).
9.2 An individually activated unit moves at the rate of its printed movement allowance.
9.3 A general activated as an army (6.22) has a movement allowance (MA) of 6 movement points (MPs). All units in the army move together and individual units may be dropped off at the discretion of the moving player. Units may also be picked up by a moving army, at which point they are instantly absorbed into the army and share its remaining movement allowance. This applies to armies whose units begin movement together and to armies or generals that pick up CUs during movement (see below). An individual unit in the army my not exceed its own MA and the army must stop or drop it off when that limit is reached. Other units in the army may continue to move up to the limits of their own movement allowance but my never exceed the overall MA of the army (6MPs).
9.4 If a general is activated per 6.22 while not in command of an army and subsequently picks up CUs, the movement points available to the newly-formed army may not exceed the number of unused MPs remaining to the commander.
9.5 Upon entering a space occupied by an unbesieged enemy force, activated units must end their movement and engage in combat. If the space contains only besieged enemy units inside a Fortress or Major City, no combat is required and the friendly force does NOT have to end its movement. It may continue to expend movement points up to the limit of its movement allowance.
9.51 OVERRUN. If an activated army moves into a Minor City space occupied by a single enemy echelons below corps (EBC) combat unit and it has a 5:1 superiority in SPs over the enemy unit, that enemy unit is automatically eliminated and may not attempt to avoid battle (10.5). No combat is necessary and the activated force may continue to move. If the enemy EBC unit occupies a Fortress or Major City, it may withdraw inside the Fortress/Major City and accept siege instead of being eliminated (see 13.23).
9.52 If an activated army or combat unit moves into a space occupied by a general without any units, that general (and subordinate generals if such is the case) automatically retreats to an adjacent space regardless of the presence of a hostile PC. This space however, may not be the space from which the activated force first entered the opposing general's space. The activated army or unit continues its movement, which may subsequently cause additional retreats by a general if a similar situation exists. If a general is unable to retreat, it is eliminated from the game.
9.53 If an activated army or combat unit moves into an unbesieged Fortress or Major City space, it must end its movement if besieging (see 13.22) or continue its movement if it is masking the space (see 13.41).
9.6 Special Railroad Movement
9.61 If movement is conducted entirely along friendly rail lines and no space entered contains an enemy CU or PC, any activated units (CUs and/or generals) are allotted three extra movement points. A unit is considered to be using friendly rail lines if both of the following conditions are met:
- the rail line connects two friendly spaces
- the spaces are in a province deemed friendly per 14.2
If the units moving are Prussian, then an additional three movement points are added to the railroad bonus for a total of six additional movement points.
Designer's Note: This reflects Prussia's greater level of expertise in utilizing railroads to mobilize and move forces from one assembly area to another.
These bonus MPs must be used as a block and non-rail movement may precede or follow the bonus rail movement.
Example: A non-Prussian combat unit with a MA of 3 could move one space to a friendly space that has a rail connection, move along that friendly rail route for three spaces (the RR bonus) and then use its remaining 2MPs to enter enemy controlled spaces.
9.62 The special railroad junction connecting Göttingen, Paderborn, Hildesheim and Braunschweig adds one movement point (MP) to any movement between these cities that passes through the junction. A unit may not end its movement on the space. In addition, a political control marker may not be placed on the junction; the junction is considered friendly to both players.
Designer's Note: Prussia after the Treaty of Vienna that ended the Napoleonic Wars, was given extensive territories on the Rhine. These new provinces were not contiguous with the older state of Prussia. Accordingly, there were extensive treaties governing free movement across largely Brunswickian territory in order to make this separation palatable to Prussia. This rule reflects this situation as well as preventing gamey situations where Prussian or Hanoverian forces are artificially unsupplied due to initial location.
9.63 The railroads in a province controlled at the beginning of the turn by your opponent may not be used for special rail movement until control of that province passes to you at the end of the turn (see 14.2).
Designer's Note: This represents the additional labor necessary to integrate newly obtained railroads into the existing railroad infrastructure.
10.0 Interception and Avoid Battle
10.1 Interception and avoid battle are a special type of movement engaged in by an inactive player. This special type of movement is the only movement allowed by an inactive player during an active player's Operational Phase.
10.2 An interception attempt may take place when an active player's force moves into a space adjacent to an inactive army not occupied by a combat unit (CU) of the moving force. The inactive player rolls one die, and if the result is greater than the general's Initiative rating, the inactive player moves his army into the adjacent space. The intercepting army may leave some units behind providing at least one CU accompanies the intercepting general.
10.3 If the inactive player successfully intercepts the moving force, that force may elect to return to the previously occupied space and ends its movement. No battle takes place and the moving force ends its turn. If the moving force remains in the space, a battle takes place with the intercepting force receiving a +1 DRM applied to his battle roll.
10.4 An army may attempt to avoid battle when a hostile force enters its space. In order to successfully avoid battle, one die is thrown and if the result is greater than the general's Initiative Rating, the defender moves to an adjacent space. This space must be a suitable retreat space (see Rule 12.1). After retreating, the activated hostile force may continue to spend any remaining MPs. On any other throw, the defender must remain in the space and engage in battle with the attacker. In the resulting battle, the defender has a -1 DRM applied to his battle roll.
10.5 If a hostile force enters a space containing a force without a friendly general present, a modified method of avoid battle may be exercised by the inactive player. Only one unit of the inactive player's choice may roll for avoid battle, which is successful on an unmodified die roll of 6. The space entered must be a valid retreat space per Rule 12.1. Any other units in the space may not roll for avoid battle and are subject to the rules of Combat. If the one unit fails in its attempt to avoid battle, the defender has a -1 DRM applied to his battle roll in the resulting battle. If there was only one unit in the space and it successfully retreated, the hostile force may continue to spend any remaining MPs.
10.6 If a hostile force composed entirely of infantry enters a space occupied by a single cavalry unit or an army containing only one cavalry unit, the cavalry (and any generals present) may automatically avoid battle without making a die roll. This special case only applies to forces containing one cavalry CU. A force with more than one cavalry unit, or a mix of cavalry and infantry units, that wishes to avoid battle must use the procedures outlines in 10.4 or 10.5 as appropriate.
10.7 An army that has previously successfully intercepted an active force may not subsequently avoid battle upon entry of that active, moving force into the intercepted space.
10.8 All interceptions and/or avoid battles (in that order) must be declared prior to rolling any die. Theoretically, it is possible to make one or more interceptions and an avoid battle into or out of a space.
NOTE: Unlike many other card-driven games, an army that unsuccessfully attempts to intercept an opposing force MAY attempt to avoid battle IF that opposing force subsequently enters its initial space. In short, both interception and avoid battle may be attempted by an inactive army provided the rules governing 10.2 and 10.4 are not violated.
11.0 Combat and Coordinated Attacks
11.1 Combat occurs when an activated army or unit and an enemy army or unit occupy the same space (the battle space) during the activated force's movement and after all interception and avoid battle attempts have been made. Overrun is a function of movement and does not constitute combat. The active player is considered to be the attacker and the inactive player is considered to be the defender. Terrain effects and Response cards may impact combat.
11.2 Combat Procedure
Battles are resolved using the Battle Resolution Table (BRT). The BRT is used to determine both sides' losses and the winner in any battle. Combat takes place in the following sequence:
Step 1. Determine the column used on the Battle Resolution Table based upon the strength of each opposing force.
Step 2. Determine any column shifts and die roll modifiers, offensive tactical rating, defensive tactical rating, etc. Regardless of how many column shifts apply, the lowest column used is the 1-3 column and the highest column used is the > 40 column. In addition, in the rare instance that the defending force has 0SPs, that forces uses the 1-3 column.
NOTE: Battle-related Response cards must be declared prior to the Battle Resolution die roll. The attacker declares all cards he or she will be using first, followed by the defender.
Step 3. Determine the winner. Each side rolls one die, modifying the die roll as necessary. Each result (the battle die roll) is cross-referenced against the appropriate column on the Battle Resolution Table to determine the cohesion loss factor. The resulting factors are compared and the player who has inflicted the higher cohesion loss factor on his opponent is the winner. If the result is a tie, the attacker wins.
Step 4. Take Losses. Each side must lose cohesion loss factors equal to the cohesion loss factor inflicted on him by his opponent. This is done by flipping full strength units to their reduced strength side and/or eliminating reduced strength units so that their combined cohesion loss factors equal the cohesion loss factor afflicted on it by its opponent. You may take less than the required loss if it is not possible to meet the loss exactly and would require exceeding the cohesion loss factor. In that case, you must attempt to get as close as possible to the required cohesion loss without exceeding it. If a reduced corps is eliminated, place it in the Eliminated Units box and replace it immediately with an EBC unit from the Corps Support box; this replacement unit may in turn be flipped to meet any remaining CF loss. If an EBC unit is eliminated, place it in the Eliminated Units box; it is not replaced by any other unit.
NOTE: Eliminated Austrian and Hanoverian corps are replaced with an IB of the appropriate nationality; all other corps are replaced with an ID of the appropriate nationality.
Step 5. Loser Retreats. Initiate the procedures under Rule 12.
Step 6. Winner continues movement if 11.3 applies. Otherwise, a battle ends any movement.
11.3 Attacker Impetus
If the attacker is the winner of the battle and had at least a 2:1 ratio against the defender in raw SPs prior to the battle, the attacking force may continue movement provided that it has unspent Movement Points remaining and does not occupy an unbesieged/unmasked fortress or major city. This movement can result in further battles provided the appropriate conditions are met. Theoretically, a winning force could fight multiple battles during an activation as long as it does not exceed its movement allowance.
11.4 Coordinated Attacks
Coordinated attacks are performed by the active player only and involve two or more armies that are adjacent to the battle space prior to the actual entry of one of them into the battle space. A coordinated attack takes place after any interception attempts but before any avoid battle attempts.
11.41 A coordinated attack consists of a primary attack army and one or more supporting attack armies. The primary attack army physically enters the battle space whereas a supporting attack army remains in its space, while participating in the battle.
11.42 In order for a supporting attack army to participate in the battle, the active player must make a modified die roll < the offensive tactical rating of the general of the supporting army. If successful, the strength of the supporting army(s) is added to that of the primary attack army to determine the column used on the Battle Resolution Table.
11.43 The supporting attack die roll is modified as followed:
- -1 DRM if the supporting army contains cavalry.
- -2 DRM if the Prussian player is using the "Moltke" Response card.
11.44 Any cohesion loss factors inflicted on the armies involved in the coordinated attack are distributed among the primary and supporting attack armies as determined by the attacker. If the attacker wins the battle, the supporting attack army may enter the battle space and participate in any Pursuit (see Rule 12). If the attacker losses the battle, the primary attack army is retreated per 12.1 but the supporting attack army remains in its current space adjacent to the battle space.
11.45 In order for the defending force to gain the advantage for an attack across a river, both armies involved in the coordinated attack must have either crossed a river to enter the space (the primary attack army) or have a river separating the army from the battle space (supporting attack army).
12.0 Retreat and Pursuit
12.1 Following any losses incurred as a result of battle, the losing force must retreat its surviving force to an adjacent space that is not occupied by an enemy force. The entire force must retreat together (unless 11.4 is in effect). The retreat path may include a space with a hostile PC, however, the retreating force must take one additional step loss. The only exception is if the space is under siege by friendly forces. In this case, the retreating force does not suffer the additional step loss. If the attacking force has to retreat, it must return to the space from which it entered the battle space.
12.2 Lone generals of a defeated and eliminated army end their retreat on the closest friendly space in MPs to the battle space, regardless of the actual number of spaces from the battle space.
12.3 Retreats are not subject to interception by a hostile force.
12.4 A victorious army may attempt Pursuit if it does not occupy an unbesieged fortress or major city and the defeated force retreated into a space that does not contain another enemy force. To determine if the attempt is successful, roll the die. If the die roll is less than or equal to the victorious general's Tactical Rating (offensive or defensive, depending upon who won the battle), the Pursuit is successful. The Pursuit die roll is modified by a -1 DRM if the pursuing army has more cavalry divisions than the retreating army.
12.5 If the Pursuit is successful, the victorious army joins the defeated force in its retreat space. The pursuing army may leave some CUs behind in the original battle space - it need not pursue with its entire force. If a pursuing army is split in this way, the general must remain with the force that carries out the Pursuit. The player controlling the defeated force must then roll on the Attrition Table, take any losses required, and retreat again to an adjacent space which is a valid retreat space and was not the original battle space. This concludes the battle and there is no further Pursuit allowed.
13.0 Fortresses, Major Cities and Siege
13.1 In order to convert a hostile Major City or Fortress to your political control, you must first successfully reduce that space by siege. A hostile minor city space does not require a siege operation in order to convert its PC marker to a friendly one (see Rule 14.1)
13.2 Upon first entering a Fortress or Major City space, any enemy force present must either stay and fight a battle, attempt to avoid battle, or retreat inside the Fortress or Major City (up to its capacity, see 13.5). As soon as the space has been cleared of enemy units or all enemy units have retreated inside the Fortress or Major City, the activated force has two options to exercise:
- it may besiege the Fortress or Major City.
- it may mask the fortress or Major City with a portion of its force and continue movement with the rest of its force.
- In either case, any enemy units inside the space are placed under a besieged marker.
13.3 Siege Procedure
13.31 A siege is a process whereby a besieging force attempts to successfully reduce a Major City or a Fortress. The besieger makes a modified die roll on the Siege Table. If the result is "Reduced", flip the Besieged marker over to its Destroyed side. The Fortress or Major City functions as a Minor City for the rest of the game. The space is immediately marked with a destroyed marker and a friendly PC marker.
13.32 In order to besiege a Major City or 3 level Fortress, an activated force must meet two requirements. It must 1) contain at least one corps, and 2) contain a number of combat units equal to or greater than the fortification value of the space that the active player is trying to besiege. In order to besiege a 1 or 2 level Fortress, an activated force must only contain a number of combat units equal to or greater than the fortification value of the space that the active player is trying to besiege. Major Cities have an intrinsic fortification value of 1 whereas a Fortresses fortification value ranges from 1 to 3. This value is printed on the mapboard near the Fortress. A besieging force may be composed of both corps and EBC combat depending upon the type of space being besieged. Units need not be at full strength to satisfy the conditions for a siege.
13.33 A force conducting a siege must end its movement upon entering the besieged space (unless 13.4 is being exercised) and the active player may place a besieged marker on the Major City or Fortress. If the activated force has at least two movement points remaining, it may conduct one siege attempt (one die roll) against that space provided it meets the requirements of 13.32.
13.34 If a force begins its activation in an enemy Fortress or Major City space, it may conduct one siege attempt for every two MPs expended. In order to conduct a siege attempt, the besieging force must always contain a number of friendly units such that one of the two requirements in 13.32 is satisfied. A besieging force that contains more than one combat unit but no general may be activated for a siege attempt if the controlling player plays an Operations Card with a value high enough to activate the minimum number of units necessary to make the siege attempt.
Example: The Austrian player is besieging Glatz with 4th Corps and one infantry brigade with no general present. Glatz has a fortification value of 1, so the Austrian player may play a card with either two, three or four Operations Points to activate either his brigade or corps and make a siege attempt.
13.4 Masking Procedure
13.41 A Fortress or Major City may be masked by leaving at least one combat unit of the activated force in the space and the remainder of the force may continue its movement. Place a besieged marker on the space to indicate that the space is being masked. However, the space may not be subsequently besieged unless the requirements of 13.32 are met.
13.42 A space being masked/besieged may be used as a line of communications (15.1) by the side controlling the masking/besieging force. A force on top of a Major City or Fortress is considered maintaining the siege provided at least one combat unit remains in that space. A siege is lifted the instant there is no longer an enemy combat unit in the space to maintain the siege. If this happens, the previously besieging player may no longer use the space as a line of communications.
DESIGNER'S NOTE: Masking a Fortress or Major City with a weak force is a dangerous operation IF a force inside the space is stronger than the masking force.
13.5 In addition to requiring a successful siege to convert it to hostile control, a friendly Fortress or Major City may shelter friendly generals and combat units from hostile forces in the same space. Friendly generals and units are placed under the siege marker to indicate that they are inside the city and thus not subject to combat. However, any generals and combat units sheltered in a Fortress or Major City at the instant it falls to a hostile force are eliminated, with combat units and generals being permanently eliminated. The number of combat units which can be placed within a Major City or Fortress by the controlling player equates to the fortification value of the Fortress, e.g. a Fortress with a fortification value of 2 could host a force no larger than two CUs. A Major City can host an unlimited number of combat units. An unlimited number of generals can be hosted within a besieged Fortress or Major City space.
13.6 If an enemy besieging/masking army or force is attacked by a friendly army or force that has moved to the space under siege, any friendly army or force inside the besieged space may participate in the resulting combat. This type of combat is not considered a coordinated attack (see 11.4) and no die roll is necessary. The relief force and the besieged force may automatically combine their strengths and fight together. The commander of the combined army is determined by rule 18.1. The besieged army or force does not require a separate activation to participate in the combat. A besieged army or force may also be activated during the Operations Phase in order to sortie against the besieging force. Said combat is subject to the normal rules of interception and avoid battle. If a besieging/masking army or force completely vacates the besieged space for any reason, the siege is considered terminated.
13.7 During the Siege Phase, any friendly force that occupies an enemy Fortress or Major City space may make a free siege attempt. The requirements of Rule 13.32 must be in affect in order for a siege attempt to be made.
13.8 A besieged Major City or Fortress may not receive replacements or reinforcements and is unsupplied and suffers the effects of 15.3
14.0 Political Control
14.1 A player controls a space if he/she controlled the space at the beginning of the game or has moved a friendly force through an enemy-controlled space, marking it with his/her PC marker to show the change in control. Note that originally controlled spaces are tinted on the mapboard to indicate the original owner and are considered to be marked by that power's PC marker. Spaces in France are tinted rouge as France is initially neutral at the beginning of every scenario. If France enters the game as an Austrian ally, all French spaces immediately become controlled by the Austrian player.
14.2 Players gain control of a Province (not country) by controlling the majority of the spaces in the Province at the end of a turn. Independent Minor Cities are not considered part of a Province and are not counted for purposes of determining which side controls the majority of spaces in a Province. When a Province changes control, all non-fortress spaces (except Independent Minor Cities) not occupied by an enemy CU are marked immediately with a PC marker of the controlling player.
14.3 Cut-off Spaces
Spaces that are cut off from friendly supply sources may also change control. During the Supply Check and Attrition Phase, friendly controlled spaces that cannot trace an LOC to a supply source and that do not contain friendly CUs have their control markers flipped to the opposing side (or have control markers for the appropriate nationality placed if not already present). If a friendly unit that would otherwise prevent an isolated space from changing control is eliminated by attrition, the space it was in becomes controlled by the opposing side. Prussian PC markers in Hungary that can trace an LOC to the Klapka Corps/Klapka Division may use those units as their supply source in addition to the supply sources shown on the map (Note: This applies only to Prussian PC markers). Determine the supply state for all spaces on the map simultaneously.
14.4 Characteristics of Political Control
- PC markers do not stop or slow movement of generals or units.
- You may not Avoid Battle into a space containing an enemy PC marker (10.3)
- A retreat must end in a space containing a friendly PC marker if at all possible (12.1)
- Contiguous PC markers are used to trace a line of communications to a friendly supply source (15.0)
- Allows special railroad movement within a province if controlled by you at the beginning of a turn, provided the requirements of 9.61 are met.
14.5 Control of Italy
The Kindom of Italy is the only country that can be controlled by a hostile power. To do so, the Austrian player must control the majority of the spaces in the Kingdom Italy at the end of a turn. Unlike Provinces, when control changes to Austria the VP marker is immediately moved +1 space in Austria's favor but the remaining spaces in Italy DO NOT automatically change control. In addition Italy's railroads never provide the special railroad movement bonus to Austria. Italian units may reconquer Italy by regaining control of the majority of the spaces in the Kingdom of Italy and the VP marker is immediately moved +1 space in Prussia's favor. Italy may be conquered and reconquered more than once provided the conditions of conquest (reconquest) are met.
15.0 Logistics and Attrition
15.1 A force is considered in supply if it can trace a line of communications (LOC) to a friendly supply source or to a friendly port which in turn can trace a sea LOC to another friendly controlled port, which in turn can trace to a friendly supply source. An LOC consists of a line of friendly controlled or occupied spaces (or the sea which is considered friendly to all), each adjacent to one another, extending from the occupied space to the supply source. A supply source must not be under siege in order for the controlling side to trace a LOC to it. Captured enemy supply sources may not be used to supply friendly units. The space actually occupied by a force does not have to contain a friendly PC. Units are unsupplied if they cannot trace an LOC to a friendly supply source. An unbesieged hostile Major City or Fortress blocks an LOC (see 13.42).
15.2 A force assumes a supplied or unsupplied status the instant its supply status changes. It remains in the new status until another change occurs. The only exception to this rule occurs when an unsupplied force departs a space which did not have an LOC to a supply source and enters a space which has an LOC to a supply source; in the event of a battle in the newly entered space, the moving force is considered unsupplied for the battle. However, if the moving force is victorious, it is now considered in supply unless another situation develops which would place the force out of supply.
15.3 Effects of Being Unsupplied. An unsupplied force is subject to the following effects:
- Suffers a -2 battle die roll modifier
- Suffers attrition at the end the turn
- Has a -1 modifier on the Siege Table
15.4 Off-Board Supply. French and French-Austrian forces may trace an LOC to the French supply source connected to the mapboard in Western France.
15.5 Attrition
Units suffer attrition as a result of the play of an Event Card or if in an unsupplied state at the end of the turn (15.1). The owning player makes a die roll for each applicable occurrence and consults the Attrition Table. The owning player cross-references the size of his force in the space with the die roll to determine the number of steps eliminated. Generals are never affected by attrition.
NOTE: Attrition losses are taken in steps not CFs (as in combat losses). However, the procedure for eliminating units is the same as in 11.2 STEP 4.
16.0 French Intervention
16.1 French Intervention is triggered by the play of Card #28 by the Austrian player. Prior to French Intervention, neither player my move into or through French territory.
16.2 After the event occurs, the Austrian player controls all French units and French spaces are considered friendly to the Austrian player. French units may be stacked with Austrian and German units and in all ways are treated as if they were Austrian units.
16.3 Upon the play of the event, the Austrian player immediately draws one additional Strategy Card and his hand size is increased from 7 to 8 cards per turn starting the next turn. In addition starting the next turn, the Austrian player now begins the Operational Phase and the number of Operational Rounds he has per Operational Phase increases to 7 rounds, at least one of which must be the activation of a French general or unit.
16.4 The following French forces are deployed after French Intervention:
- Immediately - Niel + (1st Corps) + 1x(CD) at Chalons; Lebrun + IG Corps at a French supply center. Place 1xIG ID and 1xID in the Corps Support Box.
- Operational Round 1, second turn following intervention - Macmahon + Bazaine + 2nd Corps + 3rd Corps + 4th Corps + 5th Corps + (6th Corps) 4xCD + 1x(CD) at a French supply center. Place 5xID in the Corps Support Box.
NOTE: ( ) indicates a reduced unit.
17.0 Cavalry
17.1 Cavalry has the following effect on various types of operations involving an army:
- An army with a CD present may add one to the interception die roll.
- An army with a CD present may add one to the avoid battle die roll.
- An army with more CDs present than its opponent may subtract one from its Pursuit die roll.
17.2 A CD that is not part of an army and is rolling for avoid battle for itself adds the die roll modifier in 17.1 to its die roll.
18.0 Generals
18.1 A general represents not only the operational and tactical ability of the named general but also the staff of an army level organization. Seniority of a general is indicated by the seniority rating displayed on the general's marker - the higher the rating, the more senior the general (e.g. an S5 general outranks an S4 general). If one general outranks another, then the ranking general must be the commander. If all generals stacked together have the same seniority rating, the owning player may decide which of his generals will be the commander and which will be the subordinates and he is free to change the commander before he activates the army. The commander's ratings are used for all purposes, i.e. combat, avoid battle, and interception attempts. Subordinate generals stacked with the commander may not use their ratings to influence any actions.
18.2 When a commanding general moves, the subordinate generals move freely with him or they may be left behind with or without a combat unit. However, if a commanding general is activated and moves into or leaves a space with a general who has a superior seniority rating, he may not pick-up or carry along the senior general; he may pick-up other units in that space provided at least one combat unit is left with that higher ranking general (see 9.3 for movement procedure).
18.3 The seniority of a general also represents the number of units that general can activate for interception, movement or siege. If there are subordinate generals present with the commander of a force, those generals add their seniority to that of the commander and thus the commander is capable of activating more units than he would normally be capable of doing. For example, if a general's seniority is "6", he could normally activate 6 units. However, if he has a subordinate who has a seniority of "3", he is now able to activate 9 units. A general may activate an unlimited number of subordinate generals.
18.4 Generals are mobilized from the General Holding Area in Seniority order from highest to lowest, by nationality (e.g. Prussian, Austrian, German, French, Italian, etc.). In case of a tie, mobilization of a general is at the player's discretion.
Example: Austria uses a 2 Ops card to mobilize some generals. He decides to mobilize one Austrian and one German general. He must pick the Austrian general Benedek, as he has the highest seniority among the Austrian generals in the Force Pool. Likewise he must select the German general von Hesse as he has the highest seniority in his respective Force Pool.
18.5 Generals always have a movement allowance of 6 MPs, whether activated as an army using their initiative rating per 6.22 or individually per 6.23. If activated per 6.22, the general's/army's movement allowance is limited to a total of 6MPs no matter how many CUs are picked up or dropped off along the way (see 9.3).
18.6 Generals alone in a space entered by an enemy force automatically retreat to any adjacent space regardless of control. This may occur as often as necessary.
19.0 End of Turn
19.1 If a province changes control per 14.2, convert all the hostile non-fortress spaces in the province to the controlling player.
19.2 If an automatic victory (21.1) has not occurred or it is not the last turn of the scenario, play continues.
19.3 If a Declaration of War has occurred, move the Turn Record Indicator from its current location on the Mobilization Record Track to the first space on the War Record Track.
19.4 If a Declaration of War has not occurred during a Mobilization Turn or it is a War Turn, move the Turn Record Indicator to the next space to the right on the appropriate track.
20.0 Allied Forces
20.1 Prussia controls the Italian units and Austria controls the German units in both the Mobilization and War Phases.
20.2 For all purposes, Italian units and spaces and German units and spaces are considered friendly to the Prussian and Austrian player, respectively. Italian units may be stacked with Prussian units and German units with Austrian units and in all ways are treated as if they were Prussian and Austrian units, respectively.
21.0 Victory Conditions
21.1 The Prussian player wins an automatic victory if he controls Vienna and has at least one VP during the Victory Check Phase. The Austrian player wins an automatic victory if he controls Berlin and has at least one VP during the Victory Check Phase. A player can also win an automatic victory if he/she has over 15 victory points during the Victory Check Phase.
21.2 If neither side achieves an automatic victory, the player with the most VPs at the end of the game wins. The Austrian player wins ties.
22.0 Scenarios
22.1 Mobilization to War
This scenario begins on Turn May I of the Mobilization Record Track and ends at the conclusion of Turn 10 on the War Record Track.
22.2 The Seven Weeks War
This scenario begins on Turn 1 on the War Record Track and ends at the conclusion of Turn 10 on the War Record Track.
NOTE: For unit set-up see the Scenario information.
Example of Play
Introduction
The intent of this section is to provide the 1866 player with a familiarization with the game system and to provide concrete examples of game play. Accordingly, two turns of mobilization followed by one turn of war will be presented and commentary provided. Players should set up their forces per the Mobilization Scenario and follow along with this example of play. Commentary will be provided to demonstrate thought processes and examples of rules applications. These play examples are not to be construed as the epitome of correct strategy or game play but are intended for learning purposes only. However, they should provide the player with a starting off point for their own development of potential strategies and overall game play.
Mobilization Turn I (May I)
The Mobilization Scenario is selected. Units and counters are deployed to the mapboard. Divide the deck into the Mobilization and War Decks, shuffle the Mobilization Deck and deal four cards (5.1) to each player. The Prussian Player (Willi) initially goes first (5.2), followed by the Austrian player (Franz).
Willi - Initial Thoughts: My first hand consists of one 4 card (Artillery Reserve), one 3 card (Disaffected Nationality) and two 2 Cards (Sound of the Guns and Kaiserjäger), all response cards. Not a particularly strong hand for mobilization purposes but this is where my Prussian mobilization bonus (7.24) comes in handy! Who can play the Response cards as events doesn't factor in either, as this is not war and there is no combat and I expect little movement of forces this turn.
Being the Prussian, I can count on my mobilization bonus to out mobilize the Austrian. In addition, I have fewer combat units to mobilize than he does so I can concentrate on mobilizing generals and positioning my forces to begin offensive operations. I can sit back and see where he mobilizes, and thus both counter his forces and decide where I will concentrate my main effort. Being behind in VPs means however, that I am going to have to make haste to correct that when war comes and that might mean initially concentrating on Northern and Central Germany vice Bohemia.
Franz - Initial Thoughts: My first hand consists of one 4 card (Garbled Orders), two 3 cards (German Allies Insist on Benedek* and Schwarzgelbe Brigade) and one 2 Card (Brigade Kalik*), all in all a fairly good hand. I can use some of the cards for events and some of them for mobilization, thus denying their use to the Prussian in future mobilization turns.
My basic strategy this turn is to mobilize as many generals and combat units as I can. The DOW card is unlikely to appear this turn but is quite likely on turn 2 or 3. That doesn't give me much time to mobilize my forces and get them into position before we go to war. Fortunately, most of the forces in Italy are already mobilized so I can initially neglect them in favor of my forces in Germany and Bohemia.
WOR1: Play Kaiserjäger (2) to mobilize (place) Frederick and Frederick Charles (1 OP each) and mobilize (flip) the (Pr CD) in Berlin to full strength. Both generals have a seniority rating of 5 (S5) which means I have to mobilize them both before anyone else. I would much rather have mobilized Goeben and Manteufel but they are too low on the totem pole. I will place Frederick at Münster with (7th Corps) and Frederick Charles at Berlin. This somewhat guards Prussia and bolsters the West.
Designer's Comments: The Prussian mobilization bonus makes this a 3 OPs card for that purpose. It costs 1 OP each to mobilize a general or Echelons Below Corps (EBC) unit and 2 OPs to mobilize a corps. Willi did it correctly.
FOR1: Play German Allies Insist on Benedek* (3) for mobilization. Since I got this card instead of the Prussian, I have the option of using Benedek elsewhere than in Bohemia. Since it can only be played during mobilization, it is now dead as an event and I am saved the loss of a VP. I am a little concerned about Germany so I will mobilize the (Hn Corps) at Hanover. I will also mobilize Benedek since he is the most senior general in the force pool and place him in Italy where he should be a match for the Italians. Flip the (Hn Corps) and place Benedek at Vicenza, where he can overwatch the other two corps, exercising the potential for interception into their two spaces.
WOR2: Well, I guess I was a little too obvious in the West! There is some benefit from this in that Austrian vice German Allied corps are not being mobilized early. Play Sound of the Guns (2) to mobilize (7th Corps) and with the 1 OP remaining, mobilize Falkenstein and place him with the (4th Corps) at Magdeburg. This beefs up what will probably be one of my primary armies and presents yet another potential army threat, this time coming out of the Thuringian States. Let's see how he responds!
Designer's Comments: It also clears out some of the more senior Prussian generals from the General's Force Pool so that the better, junior generals can be mobilized later.
FOR2: Play Brigade Kalik* (2) as an event and remove from deck. As much as I would like to keep this unit in Holstein in order to make the Prussian work for the VP, I could definitely use the properties of this event to my advantage this round. In addition, I am leading in VPs so I have some wiggle room. Move the brigade to the Eliminated Units box and move the Prussian Slw ID from Flensburg to Altona; Prussia now controls Holstein - move the VP marker from +5 Austria to +4 Austria. Flip Austrian (1st Corps) and mobilize (flip) the (Sx Corps). Not a bad mobilization for a 2 card!
Designer's Comments: We will see if abandoning North Germany and losing a VP is the best strategy at this time but Brigade Kalik does give good value as an event card. The Province VP for Holstein is given at this time since there is no Victory Check (5.6) during Mobilization turns.
WOR3: Time to really begin mobilizing my corps. Play Disaffected Nationality (3) to mobilize the Prussian (Guard Corps) and (2nd Corps) at Berlin. That extra 1 OP bonus for Prussian mobilization really comes in handy!
FOR3: I am starting to get a little concerned that I am falling behind in mobilization so I better lay some basic groundwork for later operational purposes. Play Schwarzgelbe Brigade (3) to mobilize Albrecht and place him at Vienna and flip (10th Corps) there as well.
WOR4: I will complete the mobilization of my primary army and start securing the flanks. Play Artillery Reserve (4) to mobilize (3rd Corps) at Berlin and (5th Corps) and the (CD) at Posen.
FOR4: I need to start beefing up North Germany now since I have already taken the initial steps to secure Italy and Bohemia. I need a good leader there but unfortunately to get Arendschildt, I have to mobilize Alexander of Hesse-D first. Play Garbled Orders (4) to mobilize and place Arendschildt and Alexander of Hesse-D at Hanover and Rastatt, respectively. Flip the (Bd) and (HD) IDs to full strength.
Figure 1: Situation in North Germany FOR4
Designer's Comments: The Baden ID is one of the best IDs in the Austrian order of battle.
Franz's fourth OR ends the Operational Phase of the turn. There are no Siege (5.3) or Supply Check and Attrition (5.4) Phases in a Mobilization Turn, neither player has left over cards to discard (5.5) and there is no Victory Check (5.6) during a Mobilization Turn. Since there was no Declaration of War (DOW), the turn marker remains on the Mobilization Turn Record Track (5.7) and is moved to May II (5.8).
Willi - End of Turn Thoughts: Not a bad turn for me. I mobilized five of my nine corps, some CDs and three leaders. I also picked up 1VP since the Austrian played Kalik. I think I set the stage for final mobilization and established the initial weighting of my operational axes of advance. The Austrian didn't do too badly either, but he appears to lack concentration at this point of the game. Is that intentional or just happenstance?
Franz - End of Turn Thoughts: I guess I am about as happy as I can be. I did some essential mobilization but am still not where I want to be by now. I wish my General Staff were as efficient as Prussia's! My German Allies are a two edged sword - it is great to have the forces added to my order of battle but they are scattered and poorly led for the most part. Thank God for the Saxons and the Hanoverians!
Mobilization Turn 2 (May II)
The cards are dealt out (5.1) to the Prussian and Austrian players.
Willi - Initial Thoughts: I don't have the DOW card so control of the start of hostilities rests potentially with the Austrian. I will have to be cautious as he could very well have it! I don't have Dispatches Compromised so I have no chance of getting it even if he had it! I have one 2 card (Süd Armee Reserve Division), two 3 cards (Hidden Ford, Bersaglieri and Grenadiers) and one 4 card (Rout), a slightly better hand than before. I wish had gotten either Army of the Elbe* or Main* as I could have used the three IDs each that would substitute for either the 8th or 4th Corps. That's what I was hoping for last turn and why I didn't mobilize those two corps. No events in my hand are really playable and I doubt if I'll do much movement this turn as all OPs will be needed for mobilization. With a total of 16 OPs (12 face value and the 4 Prussian bonus) to use for mobilization, I should be able to mobilize a respectable part of my Italian Allies forces and with leftovers, finish mobilizing my Prussians.
Designer's Comment: The Army of the Main* and the Army of the Elbe* events allow one corps each to be replaced by three IDs; the corps replaced can be at reduced strength. This potentially avoids spending OPs to mobilize those corps and results in netting a greater number of total SPs than if the mobilized corps remain on the board. Willi is indeed unfortunate.
Explanatory Note: The Prussian Schleswig ID historically was part of the Army of the Main (see Card Explanations) and thus should be one of the three IDs produced by the play of this card as an event. However, I simplified this particular event by using the same conditions as Army of the Elbe for both events. This is mainly to prevent a situation whereby the Swl ID had been destroyed in combat prior to the play of the card and thus three IDs were not available to implement the event. Players should think of the third ID (substituted for the Swl ID) produced by the play of Army of the Main as a composite division composed of elements provided by Prussia's North German allies.
Franz - Initial Thoughts: Well, I got the DOW* (0) card, which is a mandatory event play but the timing of its play is up to me. That fact and the fact that I know where it is are some distinct advantages. However, I will lose a VP through its play. The rest of my hand is not too bad: a 3 card (Prussian Auftragstaktik) and two 4 cards (Moltke and 8th Federal Corps*). None are playable for me as events. That, coupled with the need to mobilize will dictate how my turn progresses. I have 13 OPs (11 face value and the 2 for the DOW card) to use for mobilization which is slightly better than last time. Obviously unless some weird situation develops, the DOW card will be my OR4 card play.
WOR1: Let's get the Italians ready: play Süd Armee Reserve Division to flip the Italian (4th Corps) at Bologna and mobilize La Marmora and place him at Turin.
Designer's Comment: The Italians benefit from the Prussian mobilization bonus, not because they were better than the Austrians at mobilization but for simplicity's sake and to avoid introducing a complex set of exception rules.
FOR1: I am going to strengthen the West: play Prussian Auftragstaktik (3) to flip the (Bv ID) in Schweinfurt, and the (Ns and HC IBs) in Wiesbaden and Cassel, respectively. The Bv ID is for purely defensive purposes whereas the two weak IBs are building blocks for creating the 8th Federal Corps. That card will be returned to the deck next turn when we are at war and both decks combined and subsequently reshuffled. A longshot but if it comes off, a decided advantage in the west.
Figure 2: Situation in South Germany FOR4
WOR2: Play Hidden Ford (3) to mobilize the It (3rd Corps) at Parma and the (CD) at Turin and then mobilize Cialdini and place him at Bologna.
FOR2: Play 8th Federal Corps* (4) to flip the (4th Corps) at Brünn and the (2nd Corps in Vienna). I now have a fairly good strike force at Vienna and I feel more comfortable. Only 3 more Austrian and one Bavarian corps left to mobilize.
Designer's Comment: Corps generally pack more strength than EBC units, have more staying power due to their replacement EIB when lost, and are more efficient to move.
WOR3: Play Bersaglieri and Grenadiers (3) to flip Pr (8th Corps) at Coblenz and It (1st Corps) at Turin.
FOR3: Play Moltke (4) to flip Austrian (8th Corps) at Olmütz, (T ID) at Trent and the (1st RCD) at Oderberg. I was half-tempted to start hostilities early in order to preempt the Prussian in the West but I need to mobilize more units, since it is difficult to flip units once war starts.
Figure 3: Situation in Italy WOR4
WOR4: Play Rout (4) to flip It (2nd Corps) at Milan, and mobilize Pr (6th Corps) and Bittenfeld at Breslau. That gives the Italians a respectable full-strength army and basically mobilizes all the Prussians I real need in the near term. I can complete my mobilization next turn and begin concentrating force for offensive operations.
FOR4: Play DOW* (0) as an event: move the VP marker from Au +4VPs to Au +3VPs. I will mobilize the (Wu ID) at Stuttgart and the (Bv ID) at Bamberg as my final effort. I chose not to mobilize the Bavarian Corps or the remaining Austrian corps as I am banking on getting the 8th Federal Corps in the future and I need some staying power in the West in the short term.
Franz's fourth OR ends the Operational Phase of the turn. Again, there are no Siege (5.3) or Supply Check and Attrition (5.4) Phases in a Mobilization Turn, neither player has left over cards to discard (5.5) and there is no Victory Check (5.6) in a Mobilization Turn. Since there was a Declaration of War (DOW), the turn marker is moved to Turn 1 of the War Turn Record Track (5.7) and is moved to June 16 - 22 1866 (5.8).
Designer's Comments: The dates on the War Turn Record Track reflect the actual course of the Austro-Prussian. Therefore, unless mobilization runs exactly three complete turns, the date mobilization ends and the date the war started will always be somewhat off. Players should suspend disbelief and concentrate on the fact that war follows mobilization and it starts in the actual historical time period.
Figure 4: Situation in Bohemia FOR4
Willi - End of Turn Thoughts: So war has started! I would have liked to have had the opportunity to concentrate my forces but I think I am in a better situation overall than the Austrian. I have a greater percentage of my forces mobilized and I picked up +2VPs during the course of the last two turns. I am pretty confident that I will get the VPs moved to 0 before the end of the first War Turn.
Franz - End of Turn Thoughts: What I was most afraid of happened - war came this turn. I was unable to complete my mobilization AND was unable to spend any OPs to concentrate my forces. Overall, I think I compensated for this disappointment as well as could be expected. I covered all the obvious potential areas of operations with mobilized forces and got my necessary leaders out there. I would have felt more comfortable if I could have restricted the Prussian to fewer VPs during mobilization but -2VPs is not too bad. I somewhat feel that I am in a reactive versus proactive stance as war commences but I think I can regain the initiative sometime during the next turn.
Designer's Comments: This situation is fairly typical of an average Mobilization Phase of 1866. Players should always be conscious that war can begin unexpectedly and thus plan for the worst. Prussia has it somewhat better due to it mobilization bonus. However Austria has some advantages in that its corps in Italy are already on a war footing (historical) and the royal Bavarian (Charles) and Saxon (Albert) leaders are already on the board (this was instituted for game balance purposes and to reflect the fact that due to their status, both leaders would automatically be considered for high position in the event of mobilization and thus be "on the board").
War Turn 1 (June 16 - 22)
The Mobilization and War Decks are combined with the discard pile and are dealt out to the Prussian and Austrian players (5.1).
Willi - Initial Thoughts: Excellent, I got Army of the Elbe* (4)! That means that I can supplement my mobilization by adding some additional IDs in place of an understrength corps. The rest of the hand is not too good for movement of my main army at Berlin: Artillery Reserve (4) is the only other 4 card in my hand. I have one 2 card (Sound of the Guns), and the rest are 3 cards: Prussian Auftragstaktik, Reserves from Inner Austria, North German Reserves, and Cholera. This OP distribution means that Frederick and Falkenstein will have to do most of the heavy lifting this turn as my other general has an initiative rating of 4 and it takes a 4 card to activate a corps. I have some good response cards that could prove useful in battle.
So it looks like my cards dictate operations in the west, which is what I was planning anyway. The danger is if the Austrian gets active in the Bohemian theater of operations, as I will have little with which to respond.
Franz - Initial Thoughts: I really have a great hand: four 4 cards (Last Minute Peace Initiative*, II Reserve Corps*, Reluctant Ally*, Hungarian Revolt*), two 3 cards (Disaffected Nationality, General Klapka Forms Hungarian Legion*) and only one 2 card (Needle Guns). I would have liked to have had a replacement card to flip some of my unmobilized forces but you can't have everything. In general terms, this means that I could move all my armies and that the dangerous events that I have in my hand are not in the Prussian's hand! In addition, there will be a reshuffle after this turn so if he has some good Austrian events in his hand, I may see them in my hand next turn. I am initially planning a two front offensive - Italy and Bohemia.
WOR1: Play Army of the Elbe* as an event: replace (4th Corps) at Magdeburg with three IDs from the Corps Support section of the Force Pool and place (4th Corps) in the Eliminated Units section. This card when played as an event is permanently removed from the game.
FOR1: That card play somewhat changes the correlation of forces both in the west and in Bohemia. Let's begin the offensive in Italy. Play Hungarian Revolt* for operations: activate Benedek and 9th Corps to Padua (picking up 7th Corps, back to Vicenza and on to Quadrilateral North (pick-up 5th Corps) and all move to Custozza where movement ceases.
Designer's Comments: This is a total of 4MPs expended, which is possible since a rail line connects all the spaces entered (9.6).
WOR2: Play Cholera for ops: activate Frederick and 7th Corps. Move to Emden (placing a Prussian PC marker) to Osnabrück (placing a Prussian PC marker) to Minden. The Austrian decides not to try to intercept the move at Minden, even though he had a 50% chance of doing so (Arendschildt's 3 Initiative Rating causes an interception on a 4-6 die roll). Movement ceases since the Hanoverian rail connections can not be used until the Province is controlled by me, which couldn't happen until the end of the turn.
FOR2: I don't know what he is up to but if I had intercepted that move, I would uncover Hildesheim, whose conversion by Prussia would most likely cost me the Province at the end of the turn. So I decided discretion is the better part of valor! Besides, I don't want to get into a messy situation when I am about to invade Italy. Play Reluctant Ally* for ops: activate Benedek plus 5th, 7th and 9th Corps who use rail movement to move Vicenza, Padua, Rovigo, Ferrarra (+1MP for the river), where I pause to see if Cialdini will intercept (he declines). Drop off 5th Corps to mask Ferrara (place besieged marker) and continue on to Bologna to attack Cialdini and his 6th Corps (my 6th and last MP). Cialdini decides to try to avoid battle to Florence, rolls a 4 and is successful. I now have to stop as Bologna (place besieged marker) is my 6th MP and furthermore, I would have had to leave a corps behind to mask the space to continue moving (13.41), thus weakening my army.
Designer's Comments: The special RR allowance was exercised by the Austrian before entering the Kingdom of Italy and the basic movement allowance was then used to enter enemy territory. An enemy cannot use the railroad connections in a hostile Province until the Province changes hands (see 5.4 and 14.3/14.4). In addition, since the Kingdom of Italy is not a Province, its railroads are never converted (see 14.5). The forces in Bologna are in supply since there is the Austrian 5th Corps is masking Ferrara. This is an interesting situation for the Prussian player.
WOR3: Wow, the situation in Italy is getting dangerous. I avoided battle with Cialdini as I wanted to concentrate my forces and Florence was a good place to start; he also can't enter that space. That is also why I did not try to intercept Benedek at Ferrara, even though if successful, I would have had a +2DRM in any combat: +1 for the successful intercept (10.3) and +1 for defending across a river (9.0 Terrain Effects and 11.1); it would have taken me further away from my forces in Florence and Parma.
Regardless of the Italian situation, I am going to remain focused on Northwest Germany. Play Reserves from Inner Austria (3) for ops. Activate Falckenstein and his three IDs and move to Braunschweig; Arendschildt tries an inteception and rolls a 3, which just misses the intercept and Falckenstein's army continues to Hanover where he halts for a coordinated attack. Frederick's army is the supporting army so he must roll to see if his army will be added to Falckenstein's attacking army. I roll a 4, which is successful so the SPs of both armies (11 SPs) participate in the battle. Since Falckenstein leads the attacking army, he is in command. I will roll on the 8-14 column on the BRT and Arendschildt on the 4-7 column. The Austrians have a +1DRM for Arendschildt's defensive tactical rating. I as the attacker play Prussian Auftragstaktik as a response card which gives me a +1DRM and the defender has no pertinent cards so he declines. Therefore the DRMs rest at +1 for both the attacker and defender. I roll a 5, modified to 6 and inflict 5 CFs on the defender and the defender rolls a 3, modified to 4 and inflicts 3 CFs on the attacker.
Figure 5: Coordinated Attack on the Hanoverian Corps
I won! I have to flip 7th Corps as that is the only way I can meet the 3CF loss without exceeding that number. The Austrian eliminates the Hn Corps and replaces it with an Hn IB from the Corps Support Force Pool, which in turn is flipped in order to meet the 5CF loss. Arendschildt and the (Hn IB) retreat to Hildesheim and I move Frederick and (7th Corps) into Hanover, placing a besieged marker on the space. Attacker Impetus (11.3) and Pursuit are not options as Hanover is a hostile major city. I receive +1VP for winning a battle against a corps so the VP marker is moved to +2 Austrian VPs. In retrospect, I probably should have moved Falckenstein's army adjacent to Hanover first before moving Frederick to Minden as I would have gotten his +1 offensive tactical rating since he would have been the primary attacking army, but it worked out!
FOR3: That was a mini-disaster! I lost a corps in the West, a VP and no doubt the Province of Hanover will fall to Prussia this turn. I should have remembered about Coordinated Attacks and intercepted one of the two armies as they approached Hanover but I was fixated on defending Hanover and not leaving it open. As much as I don't want to interrupt my offensive in Italy I think I had better try to salvage something in Germany! Play II Reserve Corps* for ops: activate Alexander of Hesse-D with the Au IB at Rastatt who move together and pick up the Wu ID at Stuttgart, the Bd ID at Karlsruhe, on to Darmstadt dropping off the Au IB and picking up the HD ID and then on to Wiesbaden where he drops off the Bd ID and WU IDs and picks up the HC IB, back to Frankfurt and then on to Cassel. My army in Cassel now consists of the HD ID and the Ns and HC IBs and I am in a position to intercept into Göttingen.
Designer's Comments: This is a complicated maneuver but perfectly legal as A. of Hesse-D. when moving via rail has a potential movement allowance of 9 MPs (6 + 3). Without the RR bonus, it would not have been possible. He picked up and dropped off units in such a manner so that none of the units exceeded their own MA (3MPs) or the overall MA of the army (6MPs). See 9.3, 9.4 and 18.5. This demonstrates the efficiency of army activation (i.e. activating a general as an army) over individual activation. It is unlikely that this complicated of a move would occur later in the game when forces have reached higher levels of concentration. It is provided for the player as an illustration of the possibilities inherent in army activation, especially coupled with utilization of the RR bonus.
WOR4: I better capitalize on the situation in Hanover before I face too much opposition. Play Artillery Reserve (4) to activate Frederick who takes the three IDs with him and moves to Hildesheim. I have to leave behind the corps as Hanover is a major city and thus must be besieged by a corps. Arendschildt and the remnants of the Hanoverian army rolls a 4 and successfully avoid battle to Göttingen; I convert Hildesheim to Prussian control. I will continue to pursue Arendschildt but since I am passing through the special railroad junction, it costs me 2MPs to enter Gottingen. Hesse-D elects not to try to intercept and Arendschildt decides to attempt another avoid battle, which he does with a die roll of 5; his army joins Hesse-D at Cassel. I convert Göttingen to Prussian control but must stop with my IDs as they have reached their max MA. No bonus rail movement was involved since the spaces entered by rail were in a hostile Province. Although I could continue to move Frederick alone, I want to keep him with the CUs at Göttingen.
FOR4: That's enough distraction. I want to take Bologna for the VP but more importantly to free Benedek's army for other uses. I won't be able to move him for the rest of the turn but I could still intercept if necessary. Play Last Minute Peace Initiative* for ops to besiege Bologna. As a major city, Bologna has an intrinsic fortification value of 1 so I will face a -1DRM. I roll a 4, modified to 3 so the city is reduced; flip the besieged marker to destroyed, place an Austrian PC on the space and move the VP to +3 Austria. Benedek's units have 1MP left after the siege so I will use it to move 9th Corps back to Ferrara. I'll leave 7th Corps on Bologna to guard the VP space, with the potential for being reinforced through interception by Benedek.
WOR5: Play Sound of the Guns (2) for individual activation: activate Prussian CDs at Danzig and Berlin. (CD) at Danzig to Berlin and CD at Berlin to Göttingen - the routes really make no difference as none are subject to interception and objectives are within basic MA. This will increase my interception chances with Frederick while not uncovering my main army at Berlin. I am saving my remaining card (a 3 card) just in case.
Designer's Comments: Even reduced CDs provide the interception DRM. There is very little that can be moved with a 2 card in regards to Individual Activation.
FOR5: I wonder what he is up to? Time to concentrate my forces in Bohemia to cover contingencies. Play General Klapka Forms Hungarian Legion* (3) to activate Albrecht in Vienna. He will move with 2nd and 10th Corps along the rail line through Königgrätz, picking up 4th Corps at Brünn and all move to Prague. That should give him something to think about!
WOR6: These cards are hard to come by and it would strengthen me in the long run by restoring (7th Corps) to full strength so I will play North German Reserves (3) as an event: flip (7th Corps) to full strength.
Figure 6: End of Turn Situation in Bohemia
FOR6: Play Disaffected Nationality (3) to activate Albert for an army move: he and the Sx Corps join Albrecht at Prague. This completes my concentration in Bohemia. I am placed to cover any advance of his into Bohemia and at the same time I can threaten the Prussian in the West, Berlin and Silesia.
Siege Phase (5.3): Prussia has one siege at Hanover. He rolls a 4, which is reduced to 3 due to the fortification value of Hanover (a major city). The city is reduced: flip the besieged marker to its destroyed side, place a Prussian PC on the space and Prussia picks up +1VP so move the VP marker to +2 Austria. Austria has one siege at Ferrara. He rolls a 6, which is reduced to 4 due to its fortification value. The fortress is reduced: flip the besieged marker to its destroyed side, place an Austrian PC on the space.
Supply Check and Attrition Phase (5.4): Spaces in Hanover unoccupied by Austrian units are converted to Prussian control.
Discard Operations Cards (5.5): Austria discards Needle Guns. This will require a reshuffle of the deck per the card text.
Conduct Victory Check (5.6): Prussia now controls Hanover - VPs moved to +1 (Austria)
Designer's Comments: In addition, next turn the Prussian player can use Hanover's rail lines.
5.7 is N/A and the Turn Marker is moved to War Turn 2. 5.9 is N/A and the deck is reshuffled per 5.10
Figure 7: End of Turn Situation in Germany
Willi - End of Turn Thoughts: Although many things went right during this turn, I am disappointed overall in where the endstate lies at this point. My objective was to try to get the VPs down to 0 and whereas they did go down to +1 Austria, my plan to take all of Northern and Central Germany by turn's end was only partially realized. The problem was predominantly Austria's blitzkrieg into Italy, which cost me a VP and more importantly, distracted me from pursuing my agenda in Germany. He really bluffed me through his use of his limited 4 cards early on in the turn. I thought he had more than he did in reality. His concentration of his limited forces in Central Germany was masterful. In addition, he managed to pull off quite a concentration in Bohemia, which is quite threatening.
However, I believe that the long run favors me. I have more potential for replacing my losses than he does: Landwehr, North German Reserves, the Reserve corps and of course the Army of the Main* plus cards common to us both. His army is somewhat fragile in that his Austrian corps when flipped have a CF of 2 vice my constant 3 and his Germans with the exception of the Saxon Corps are generally weak. Also I have better leadership at the higher seniority level, having more initiative and comparable tactical ratings. There are also nine more turns in the game, plenty of time for my comparative advantages to make themselves felt.
Figure 8: End of Turn Situation in Italy
Franz - End of Turn Thoughts: I am pretty satisfied by the way things are going. Italy is his weak spot and I have started to conquer the VP spaces there. Depending upon how things progress, I may even be able to conquer Italy itself! My concentration in Prague is more than I hoped for. Depending upon the situation, I may be able to advance on Berlin and try for an automatic victory. Germany is my Italy! If he makes good progress there, I may have to divert forces from Bohemia and Austria itself to beef up the allied effort there.
I am concerned about two significant realities. First off, my hand this turn was exceptional and I don't expect to repeat it next turn or in fact, any time soon. Secondly, my mobilization was incomplete and I don't have as many chances to make up for this as the Prussian does. My Austrian-unique replacement events are not as good as his and require a higher opportunity cost to play. In addition, they often require preconditions such as the event play leading up to 8th Federal Corps* and if met, take some high value cards out of the deck - a situation that he is better able to manage than I am.
Designer's Comments: So ends this example of play. I have tried to include as many examples of play as possible within the finite space available. Players may pick-up where this example left off, deal the cards and embark upon Turn 2.
Designer's Notes
(The designer's autobiographical "Inspiration Behind 1866" essay and the selected bibliography are omitted from this transcription.)
An Unexpected Victory
Prussia's victory over Austria in the Austro-Prussian (or Seven Weeks) War of 1866 was a surprise not only to Austria but also to Europe as a whole. The Austrian Army was viewed almost universally as the better army so its defeat sent shock waves throughout the military councils of Europe. Prussia had performed poorly during its mobilization in support of Austria in 1859 whereas Austria was deemed to have learned the lessons of its defeat by France in 1859 and internalized the remedies to its shortcomings. Prussia's performance during the Danish War of 1864 appeared to bear this out as most superficial observers gave the Austrian contingent under Gablenz much higher marks than their ally, Prussia. However, Prussia had carried out a quiet revolution under the leadership of its able Minister of War, von Roon and its brilliant Chief of the Prussian General Staff, von Moltke. Issues such as mobilization, training, and operational art and effectiveness were improved through better techniques and by harnessing the benefits of technology. Austria for her part learned the wrong lessons from the War of 1859 and never came to effective grips with nagging problems such as officer inefficiency and incompetence, the speed of technological advances, and political interference in military affairs. The result was a disaster for Austria and the triumph of the kleindeutsch or small Germany approach to German nationalism and unification. Austria was excluded from Germany and a unified Germany under a militaristic Prussia became a reality that Europe had to cope with.
Mobilization
During this period, the standing armies of the major powers were relatively small and required mobilization of reserve personnel in order to flesh out the order of battle of a particular nation. Mobilization techniques and time schedules had not approached the complexity levels of 50 years in the future, when the mobilization for World War I had approached a remarkable level of sophistication. I designed 1866 to reflect that. Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of 1866 as a design is its extensive rules governing pre-conflict mobilization and deployment. When war is declared and by whom is an uncertainty and until that happens, each power must mobilize its army and appoint its leaders in an air of incertitude. In many ways, I find this the most interesting and exciting aspect of 1866.
To provide the player with some frame of reference in regards to mobilization imperatives, I will discuss the raw data involved in mobilization. The Prussian requires a grand total of 44 OPs to fully mobilize his forces before war comes (28 for Prussia and 16 for Italy). The Austrians require 45 OPs to fully mobilize their forces before the advent of war (28 for Austria and 17 for her German allies). On the surface, they appear very similar. However, Prussia has some inherent advantages over Austria in mobilization, specifically her mobilization bonus that adds 1OP to each card when used for mobilization and her ability to use her Army of the Elbe and Main cards to circumvent mobilizing two corps.
The average mobilization hand consists of approximately 12OPs (based upon an average card value of 3OPs). Based upon quick and dirty calculation, it would take Prussia approximately 2.75 mobilization turns to completely mobilize her Prussian and Italian forces. Conversely, it would take Austria 3.75 mobilization turns to completely mobilize her Austrian and German forces. These calculations do not consider the use of any cards as events, however the reality of the situation is that cards will be used as events (DOW is a required event) and thus full mobilization will probably take longer.
The final finagle factor involved in mobilization is deployment of forces. Once again, Prussia has an advantage in two areas. First of all, if mobilization lasts into the third or fourth turn, Prussia will most likely complete the mobilization of its forces and can then concentrate on deploying those forces to its anticipated areas of operation. This will happen while Austria is still attempting to complete its own mobilization and thus she will be faced by the dilemma of stopping mobilization to deploy forces to match the Prussian or continue to mobilize and forego deployment. Secondly, Prussia's railroad bonus will allow her to deploy farther and faster than the Austrian. Thus Austria can always count on an asymmetrical mobilization situation so therefore must plan her mobilization very carefully, prioritizing from the start.
Differing Organizations
The two main protagonists, Austria and Prussia, had different organizations and this is reflected in 1866's order of battle. Both armies have an infantry brigade (IB) as their basic building block. Whereas Prussia retained the old model of two IBs plus supporting arms make up an infantry division (ID) and two infantry divisions plus supporting arms making up a corps, Austria had departed from this norm after 1859. She eliminated the division as an intermediate command level in a corps (some divisions remained as separate units outside the corps structure) and subordinated the IBs directly to the corps commander. In theory, this was meant to increase the responsiveness of the IBs to corps directives but what occurred in reality was a detrimental increase in the command span of the corps commander; and as a result, responsiveness actually decreased unless the corps commander was an exceptional leader, such as Gablenz.
Corps composition among the other belligerents varied greatly. Hanover followed the Austrian model but the rest of the German States had a tendency to follow the Prussian model. The Saxon Corps, which is probably the best corps in 1866, has its CD included in the corps unit, as this is how it was employed during the campaign. I modeled French corps based upon a combination of past historical practice and design intent. French corps consist of three IDs and supporting arms. CDs have been withdrawn from the corps and are represented as separate units. The Italians had no specific corps structure in that IDs were assigned to a corps based upon its mission. Thus its 4th Corps which was under Cialdini's command was really a small army. CDs are modeled as separate units. CDs in general range from outstanding to poor. Austria had the best-trained and equipped cavalry divisions, with two types represented: light cavalry divisions for scouting and security and heavy (reserve) cavalry divisions to add shock effect during pitched battles. French cavalry divisions combined both elements. German, Italian and Prussian cavalry are the worst in the game, to reflect their indifferent use and historical performance. Cavalry during this period had declined in importance when compared to the Napoleonic Wars. While it still proved its worth in reconnaissance and security missions, its use on the battlefield as an arm of decision had eroded due to the increased effectiveness of rifled small arms and artillery.
Effectiveness of individual armies is represented by a combination of strength (SPs) and cohesion (CF). While many corps have similar combat strengths, their individual CF factors indicate how cohesive they were when battle was joined. Thus Prussia and Saxony retain their high CFs when reduced, but Austria and France have theirs reduced when the corps takes casualties. The remainder of the German armies and the Italians have the most fragile corps structure when CF values are compared with the other belligerents' armies. It does not take many battle loses for a German or Italian corps to be destroyed (i.e. become combat ineffective) and thus permanently removed from the game. Since replacement cards can only be used to restore units remaining on the mapboard and not in the Eliminated Box, units that can take greater punishment (i.e. have higher CFs) have the potential to be restored to full strength and remain in the game. EBC units carry on this differentiation. Prussian IDs are the best in the game, with some comparable units such as the French, Baden and Württemberg IDs and the Austrian Tyrolian Division.
Generals
As mentioned in the rules, generals not only represent a historical commander but also represent the staff component of an army or independent force. Accordingly, I selected the generals included based upon historical fact but also on another factor - potential. The generals included in 1866 have either in the past or future demonstrated an ability to command an army or independent force. Note that this does not mean they excelled at command but rather that they were given the opportunity to command either through seniority, ability or influence. Players will note that some of the best generals on either side have low seniority levels and thus may be difficult to promote to command.
One area in which my CDGs differ from the majority of that genre is in my definition of what constitutes a general's ability to Intercept and Avoid Battle. Most CDGs rely on the general's battle rating to define the parameters of these functions. I do not agree with this. Instead, I think a battle rating is just that - a general's ability to excel in or positively influence a battle situation. The ability to Intercept and Avoid Battle in my opinion is much more a factor of a general's initiative. Accordingly, I relabeled the term "Strategy Rating" and call it "Initiative Rating". Whether a general can anticipate an enemy move (Interception and Avoid Battle) or get his army moving (Activation) is to me a function of that general's initiative. Strategy is more a function of broad objectives and how to obtain them than operational art; the former fall in the realm of the General Staff and the Head of State and the latter the general in the field. Players should be mindful that they are either the Kings of Prussia and Italy or the Emperors of Austria and France. As such, you broadly direct the actions of your field marshals but they are responsible for converting those directives into operations.
Coordinated Attacks and the Combat System
The classic example in 1866 of a coordinated attack was the Battle of Sadowa (or Königgrätz). Frederick Charles' Prussian 1st Army attacked the Austrian position along the Bistritz (Bystrice) River from the West while the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick's 2nd Army attacked it from the Northeast. The end result was a heavy loss for Benedek's Army of the North and the eventual victory of Prussia in 1866. These types of coordinated actions did not happen very often and the action at Königgrätz almost failed due to 2nd Army's late arrival (a low die roll by Frederick). Hence the value of the Moltke Response card (a +2DRM added to Frederick's low die roll).
Player's may wonder why von Moltke is represented by a card only and not a general counter. The answer is simple - he did not have an active operational command, as he was the Chief of Staff of the Prussian General Staff. His presence was felt before operations commenced, e.g. training, war planning, mobilization, etc. and his participation during operations was largely in a monitoring, advisory and handholding capacity.
As far as the combat system itself is concerned, it is fairly straightforward and players will recognize similarities to other CDG combat systems. A subtle difference is the fact that attackers vice defenders win ties. This reflects the fact that in the majority of the actions fought during the war, the attacker did win the engagement but often at a high cost. Pursuit, while an option was difficult to pull off unless the victorious army had an able commander and a preponderance of cavalry. Prussia did not successfully pursue the Austrians after Sadowa (Königgrätz) due in part to Austria's large cavalry reserve.
Fortresses and Sieges
During this period of warfare, fortifications (fortresses and major cities) served the function of providing limited protection of a locality and served as a concentration or rallying point for armies in the field. Large sieges did happen but were a rarity, e.g. Metz and Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. However fortifications did interfere with lines of communications and thus it was necessary to take or mask the fortress in order to secure your supply lines. Deep penetrations into enemy territory will bleed off your forces as they encounter fortresses. Therefore the siege rules are designed to minimize the impact of minor fortresses but give pause to operations that encounter more complex fortifications. For those who find sieges too frequent and bothersome, try the optional siege rules.
One final word concerning Major Cities. The vast majority of the Major Cities portrayed in 1866 had had their fortifications destroyed a long time ago in order to accommodate the expanding cities. Thus they really were not fortifications in the strictest sense of the word. However, they weren't minor cities either and some effort was required by the enemy to secure them. Therefore as a compromise, I gave them an intrinsic fortification value of 1, which means that they are relatively easy to reduce but they still cannot easily be bypassed and must be dealt with by an invading army.
French Intervention
Following Sadowa, Napoleon III was afraid of Prussian hegemony in Germany and up to that point had thought all along that Austria would win. On July 4, he urged Prussia and Italy to conclude an Armistice with Austria. Drouyn his foreign Minister, urged the establishment of an Army of Observation of 100,000 men on the frontier to influence any settlement and sent an emissary Benedetti to the Prussian headquarters in the field to try to prevent an advance on Vienna. Napoleon III wanted French compensation on the Rhine if Prussia gained any territory from the war. Potential areas of compensation included possibly Belgium, Luxembourg, the Bavarian Palatinate or Hesse-Darmstadt.
Drouyn was supported by the Empress but opposed by elements at the court who supported German and Italian Unification, such as Prince Napoleon, Rouher, and La Valette. These latter figures succeeded in changing Napoleon's mind to undertake armed intervention.
Marshal Randon's plans for conducting such an intervention involved mobilizing 140,000 men on the Rhine, with another 110,000 men at Lyons for use against Prussia or Italy. A total of 150,000 men would be more realistic and it would take some weeks to form such an "Army of the Rhine". Von Moltke estimated that ~50,000 could be formed quickly within two weeks for intervention, with 23,000 men concentrated at Chalons and the ~25,000 strong Imperial Guard Corps also available to supplement those forces.
In 1863, von Moltke's estimate of potential French strength and intentions along the Rhine if war occurred was as follows:
- Army at Metz - 45,000
- Army at Strasbourg - 90,000
- Army at Weissenburg and Bitche - 115,000
He further estimated that is would take 14 days to concentrate those forces following the call-up of reserves and the cancellation of furloughs. There would be two axes of attack:
- Strasbourg into Southern Germany via Rastatt - the Neckar - Ulm, and
- Between Strasbourg and Metz ultimately to the Main via the Bavarian Palatinate and Hesse-Darmstadt, with a principal crossing of the Rhine at Mannheim
As you can see from the above, there was the potential for French Intervention provided the right situation developed. In game terms that means 6 Prussian VPs and the Austrian getting dealt and playing Card #28. For reference purposes, before the Battle of Sadowa Prussia had amassed 5VPs; her victory netted another VP for the 6VPs required for Intervention to potentially occur.
Optional Rules
Designer's Comments: The 1866 basic rules set had been thoroughly playtested and is complete in and of itself. However, during the course of playtesting and the final review of the system for publication, optional rules were developed in order to provide the player with additional avenues of approach to explore. They have not been extensively playtested and players are free to ignore any and all of them if desired. They are not essential to the play of 1866.
1. Increased Hand Size
Increase the hand size for Mobilization Turns from 4 to 5 cards and the Operational Rounds from 4 to 5 ORs. Likewise, increase the hand size for War Turns from 7 to 8 cards and the number of Operational Rounds from 6 to 7 ORs. Adjust 16.3 accordingly.
Designer's Comments: This optional rule will generally favor the Austrians during Mobilization. However the 8 card War Turn option will generally favor each side equally but result in a longer game.
2. Reduced Activation Costs
Players may wish to use the following optional rule in regards to activation costs of individual combat units or generals. It may not be used in conjunction with the Operations Queue optional rule.
It costs .5 OP to activate a general or a cavalry division, one OP to activate an infantry brigade or division and 3 OPs to activate a corps. This allows a greater flexibility in using OPs to activate units in lieu of activating an army yet continues to restrict individual activations such that it remains more efficient to activate an army vice a series of individual units. Generals and their staffs and cavalry divisions by their nature are more flexible than a corps, with infantry brigades and divisions falling somewhere in between. Infantry brigades and divisions are lumped together to avoid the Austrians having an ahistorical advantage in being able to activate their brigades at a lesser cost than Prussian divisions.
Designer's Comments: I recommend this optional rule for those who feel that individual activations are too restrictive.
3. Enhanced Replacements
During a War Turn, both sides may play one card per turn to flip a reduced-strength unit to its full strength side. Only one unit is flipped regardless of the OP value of the card. Only reduced-strength units in play on the mapboard are eligible to take replacements and they must be in supply.
Designer's Comments: During playtesting, this was proposed as a change to the basic rules. Instead, I believe it is better as an optional rule since it impacts many things in a subtle manner. It obviously helps the Austrian player.
4. Operations Queue
Players may use an Operations Queue to activate a General or unit through the play of more than one card. A player establishes an Operations Queue by playing a card of any OP value. Place an Operations Queue marker (not included) on top of this card. On the player's next turn, he or she plays another Operations Card into the Queue. This may continue for as many Operations Rounds as desired and may carry over to the next turn. When creating an Operations Queue, the player must play each subsequent Operations Card into the Queue until he uses the Queue or abandons it. The Operations Queue is abandoned if the player plays an Operations Card to perform a different activity or uses a free OP (see 8.3). This only applies to the sequential plays of Operations Cards for a player's Operational Round. Playing cards as Response Cards does not force the abandonment of an Operations Queue.
When the player is ready to use the OP points built up in the Queue, he or she activates a General with an Initiative Rating less than or equal to the total value of the Operations Cards. He or she may also activate a general or unit individually per 6.23. Any excess OP points are lost after the Operations Queue is spent. As soon as an Operations Queue has been used or abandoned, place all the Operations Cards used to create the Queue face up on the discard pile.
Designer's Comments: This also was recommended after playtesting but as an optional rule. I personally do not like ops queues but am including it for those who do. Do not use this with Reduced Activation Costs.
5. Siege Modifications
Siege resolution conducted during the End of Turn Siege Phase is different than that conducted during the Operational Phase. A fortress or major city is reduced if the besieger rolls a die roll greater than the fortification value of the fortress or Major City. If the besieger rolls less than or equal to the fortification value of the besieged space, the space remains unreduced and the besieger must flip one besieging unit to its reduced side. If that eliminates the besieging force, the siege is lifted.
A general's Tactic Rating is applied to both the End of Turn Siege Phase resolution die roll and sieges conducted during the Operational Phase. The commander of a besieging army adds his Offensive Tactical Rating (a positive DRM) to the siege resolution die roll. Also, the besieged commander of an army (or if no CUs are present, the most senior general in the besieged space) applies his Defensive Tactical Rating (a negative DRM) to the siege resolution die roll. This procedure may be used with the standard siege rules separate from the above modification to the End of Turn Siege Phase.
Designer's Comments: Fortresses were becoming less effective than they were as little as 50 years prior. As a result there were not as many prolonged sieges as there had been in earlier ages. Players should think of this optional rule as instituting a two-phase siege procedure. Sieges resolved during the Operational Phase itself can be viewed as a combination of assault and siege, whereas this revised end of turn siege procedure constitutes a full siege in the conventional sense. Using this rule will generally reduce the impact of fortifications. The use of a general's tactical rating in sieges recognizes a commander's ability to influence siege operations.
6. Political Control Effects on Interception and Avoid Battle
A force attempting to Intercept or Avoid Battle has its die roll modified based upon Political Control of the space being entered. If the space is friendly controlled, a +1DRM is applied to the die roll. If the space is enemy controlled, a -1DRM is applied to the die roll. These modifications apply in addition to any other DRMs that may apply to the action. In addition, an enemy controlled, unmasked/unbesieged fortress or Major City cannot be entered via Interception or Avoid Battle.
Designer's Comments: This rule is a little putzier than the conventional rule but it reflects two important elements in warfare of this period. Firstly, it recognizes the advantages of operating in one's own territory, e.g. intelligence. Secondly, it allows fortresses to exert partial territorial control over a space and thus serve as a base of maneuver for friendly forces.
7. Revised Leader Movement Allowance When Performing an Army Move
A general activated per 6.22 (i.e. as an army) has an MA of 4MPs vice 6MPs. Modify 18.5 accordingly. Generals activated individually (6.23) continue to have an MA of 6MPs.
Designer's Comments: This reduces the potential for gamey moves using a general in an army move, as exemplified by Hesse-D.'s maneuvers in Western Germany in the example of play. It also recognizes the cumbersome nature of an army versus a general traveling on his own without forces. This rule will limit moves and thus could slow operations.
8. Mobilization of Generals During War Turns
Generals may be mobilized during War Turns by discarding a card during an Operational Round (OR) and the resulting general is placed on the board per 6.21. If a 2 card is discarded, the general with the highest seniority must be selected (per 18.4). If a 3 or 4 card is discarded, the player may select any general available.
Designer's Comments: This optional rule gives players who find mobilization "limiting" with an opportunity to increase their number of generals in play without waiting for the vagaries of an event card. The differing costs represent the higher levels of resources applied to the situation (read Crown Interest).
Operations Cards Explanation
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Dispatches Compromised - Despite the advent of the telegraph, this was always a possibility, when a large number of dispatches were still carried by "gallopers" or couriers. The compromise of an enemy's plans could be a decisive friendly force multiplier.
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Declaration of War - While the breakdown in diplomatic relations between Austria and Prussia had been escalating since the Danish War of 1864, neither power wanted to bear the onus of being the one to formally declare war. Bismarck maneuvered Austria into declaring war and thus gained some diplomatic points with elements of the German Confederation and the European community.
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Army of the Elbe - Built around the corps staff and divisions of the Prussian VIII Corps, these elements were combined with the 14th Infantry Division of VII Corps to form a small army of three infantry divisions under the command of von Bittenfeld (VIII Corps commander). The corps headquarters in essence was deactivated and all three infantry divisions were subordinated directly to the resulting army headquarters. The Army of the Elbe operated in the Middle and Eastern portions of Saxony and to the right of the Prussian 1st Army during operations in Bohemia.
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Army of the Main - Built around the corps staff and the 13th Infantry Division of the Prussian VII Corps, these elements were combined to form a small army of three infantry divisions under the command of von Falckenstein (VII Corps commander). The two additional infantry divisions were combined (or composite) divisions and included the Schleswig Division under von Manteuffel (the pre-war garrison of the former Danish province of Schleswig), and the Division von Beyer, consisting of the pre-war Prussian garrison of the Confederation's Mainz fortress and miscellaneous troop elements within the Prussian Rhenish provinces. The corps headquarters in essence was deactivated and all three infantry divisions were subordinated directly to the resulting army headquarters. The Army of the Main operated in the Hanover, Hessian, and South German areas of operation.
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Brigade Kalik - The Austrian garrison of the former Danish province of Holstein. Upon commencement of hostilities, the brigade departed Holstein and joined the Austrian I Corps in Bohemia. The brigade could have remained in North Germany and supported the Hanoverian Army.
6, 7. Field Entrenchments - Used to improve survivability on the modern battlefield, field entrenchments (even if unimproved) served as a definite combat multiplier against an attacking force. However, they were not used that frequently in the Austro-Prussian War. A noticeable exception was their use by Austria at the Battle of Königgrätz (Sadowa). After Austria's earlier defeats along the frontier caused to a large extent by the quick firing Prussian "needle gun", Benedek ordered extensive field entrenchments along the Bistritz River and around the Chlum plateau. They proved quite effective until compromised through their unauthorized evacuation by some Austrian corps.
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Moltke - While widely and accurately perceived as the architect of Prussian victories in the Wars of Unification, Moltke in fact did not hold an active command in any of the wars but held the position of Chief of the Greater General Staff. His primary role was one of planning and coordination, in conjunction with his function as King Wilhelm I's principal military advisor. This card reflects this function as the coordinator of the 1st and 2nd Army operations, and their resulting successful attack at Königgrätz.
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Last Minute Peace Initiative - The run up to the actual declaration of war was fraught with abortive attempts to settle the dispute peacefully. This resulted in a long, and sporadic mobilization period. Intent on war, the very real possibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict threatened to derail Bismarck's grand plan of war with Austria. Neither side wanted to be perceived as being responsible for the breakdown in peace, so a peace initiative had to run its course before hostilities could commence.
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Artillery Reserve - Although still muzzle-loading rather than breech-loading, the rifled artillery of the Austrians was well served and extremely deadly, performing better than the new Krupp breech-loading artillery of the Prussians. The Austrian artillery reserve at Königgrätz was primarily responsible for the successful extrication of the Austrian army following their defeat.
11, 50. Austrian Stosstaktik - Drawing the wrong conclusion from their defeat in the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, Austria changed their tactics to that of shock rather than firepower. Attacking in dense columns against Prussian needle guns rarely succeeded and resulted in enormous casualties.
12, 52. Sound of the Guns - Trained to exercise their own initiative in the absence of orders, Prussian higher level commanders were expected to "march to the sound of the guns" when conducting operations.
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Rout - Although rare on the battlefield, a defeated and demoralized army was susceptible to panic, which could dramatically increase the potential casualties in a battle.
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Death Ride - The Austrian reserve heavy cavalry divisions were designed to launch a hammer blow against a disorganized or defeated enemy in a truly Napoleonic tradition. This proved impractical against modern breech-loading rifles. However, at Königgrätz the heavy cavalry of the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Division sacrificed itself to prevent the outflanking of the Austrian southern wing by the Prussian 1st and Elbe Armies. Their action complemented the actions of the Austrian artillery in preserving the North Army as a force in being following its defeat in Bohemia.
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Disaffected Nationality - Austria had a serious problem successfully integrating its minority ethnic groups into their army. While some proved extremely loyal such as the Croatians and Poles, others like the Hungarians, Czechs and Italians, were notorious for breaking during battle
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Garbled Orders - Always a problem in campaigning, even with the strides made in communications in the 19th Century.
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Süd Armee Reserve Division - A division formed from the garrisons of some of the Austrian forts in their Italian provinces, it served under the command of the Austrian South Army.
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Hidden Ford - Few rivers are totally impassible except at selected sites. Fords, often only known to the local inhabitants, were generally available to allow movement of a friendly force across a water obstacle.
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Hesse-Nassau Division - In the event of war, the two small central German states of Hesse-Cassel and Nassau planned to combine their brigades into a Federal division. The resulting infantry division consisted of two brigades, one from each state, and support troops from both states, the South German states, and Austria.
42, 43. General Staff - First truly developed and implemented during the Napoleonic Wars, by 1866 all major military powers had a rudimentary general staff system. Specific duties and responsibilities may have differed from country to country but the fundamental purpose of coordinating operations of far flung armies in pursuit of a common war strategy was the raison d'être for its existence.
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Cholera - Brought to their forces in Bohemia by replacements from home, a severe cholera epidemic afflicted the Prussians following the battle of Königgrätz. The epidemic greatly debilitated the Prussians to the point where the generals became more inclined to follow Bismarck's lead and conclude a non-punitive peace quickly rather than continue the war indefinitely and with an uncertain end.
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Lissa - On July 20, a larger, technically superior Italian fleet was defeated by a smaller but better led Austrian fleet off the Dalmatian coast in a relatively meaningless naval campaign. The expected Italian naval victory was intended in some way to compensate for the army's poor showing in Venetia, but the resulting defeat had just the opposite effect - Austria took comfort from the victory and the Italians had still further cause for dissatisfaction with their martial prowess in the war.
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General Klapka Forms Hungarian Legion - A Hungarian exile, Klapka was tentatively approached by Bismarck to raise an anti-Austrian force in Hungary. The intention was to divert Austrian resources from the main struggle against Prussia, especially if the war appeared to be dragging out. Peace was concluded before the plan could come to any fruition. It was in general an unpopular plan with all concerned (except Klapka!) because of its use of revolution as a weapon, but shows the extent to which Bismarck was worried about Prussian defeat and the extent to which he would go to prevent it.
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Hungarian Revolt - Hungary was always a restive province of the Austrian Empire, especially since its suppression following its revolt against Austrian rule in 1848 - 49. A source of strength but also an Achilles heal, Hungary was a cat's paw for Austria's enemies as well as source of manpower and wealth for the Habsburgs.
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Wing Commander Appointed - Both sides had good (and a few not so good) subordinate leaders "waiting in the wings", who in many cases were more capable then the more senior commanders.
Scenarios Setup
Units in parentheses are at reduced side.
Mobilization to War Set-up (Campaign Scenario)
Prussian Set-up
Prussia:
- Corps Support Box: 13 x ID
- General Pool: Frederick, Frederick Charles, Bittenfeld, Falkenstein, Manteufel, Steinmetz, Goeben
- Berlin: (Gd. Corps), (2nd Corps), (3rd Corps), (1 x CD)
- Königsberg: (1st Corps)
- Magdeburg: (4th Corps)
- Posen: (5th Corps), (1 x CD)
- Breslau: (6th Corps)
- Münster: (7th Corps)
- Koblenz: (8th Corps)
- Danzig: (1 x CD)
- Flensburg: Schleswig (Swl) ID
Italy:
- Corps Support Box: 5 x ID
- General Pool: La Marmora, Cialdini, Della Rocca, Fanti
- Turin: (1st Corps), 1 x (CD)
- Milan: (2nd Corps)
- Parma: (3rd Corps)
- Bologna: (4th corps)
- Florence: (5th Corps), 1 x (CD)
Allied Set-up
Austria:
- Corps Support Box: 10 x IB
- General Pool: Benedek, Clam-Gallas, Albrecht, Maroicic, Gablenz, Ramming
- Prague: (1st Corps), (1st LCD)
- Vienna: (2nd Corps), (10th Corps)
- Laibach: (3rd Corps)
- Brünn: (4th Corps)
- Quadrilateral North: 5th Corps
- Budapest: (6th Corps), (2nd RCD)
- Padua: 7th Corps
- Olmütz: (8th Corps)
- Vicenza: 9th Corps
- Udine: (Coastal ID); (Süd-Armee LtCD)
- Cracow: (2nd LtCD)
- Oderberg: (1st RCD)
- Grosswardein: (3rd RCD)
- Trent: (Tyrolian ID)
- Altona: Kalik IB
- Rastatt: 1 x IB
- Mainz: 1 x IB
German Allies:
- Corps Support Box: 1 x Sx ID, 1 x Bv ID, 1 x Hn IB
- General Pool: Alexander of Hesse-D. (Au), Arendschildt (Hn), von der Tann (Bv)
- Hanover: (Hn Corps)
- Dresden: (Sx Corps), Albert (Sx)
- Munich: Charles (Bv)
- Augsburg: (Bv Corps)
- Schweinfurt: 1x(Bv ID)
- Bamberg: 1 x (Bv ID)
- Würzburg: 1 x (Bv CD)
- Stuttgart: 1 x (Wu ID)
- Karlsruhe: 1 x (Bd ID)
- Darmstadt: 1 x (HD ID)
- Wiesbaden: 1 x (Ns IB)
- Cassel: 1 x (HC IB)
Scenario Information:
- Game Turn Indicator: May I, Mobilization Track
- Victory Point Marker: 5VPs (Austria)
- Operations Deck: Mobilization Deck
Seven Weeks War Setup
Prussian Set-up
Prussia:
- Corps Support Box: 7 x ID
- General Pool: Manteufel, Steinmetz, Goeben
- Brieg or Neisse: Frederick, Gd. Corps, 1st Corps, 5th Corps, 6th Corps, 1 x CD
- Görlitz or Hirschberg: Frederick Charles, 2nd Corps, 3rd Corps, 4th Corps, 2 x CD
- Magdeburg: 1 x ID
- Halle or Torgau: Bittenfeld, 3 x ID
- Altona: Schleswig-Holstein (Swl) ID
- Minden: Falckenstein, 1 x ID
- Wetzlar: 1 x ID
- Permanently Eliminated: VII Corps, VIII Corps
Italy:
- Corps Support Box: 5 x ID, 1 x Garibaldi ID
- General Pool: Della Rocca, Fanti
- Castigleone: 1st Corps
- Asola: 2nd Corps, 3rd Corps
- Piacenza: La Marmora
- Ferrara: 4th corps
- Florence: 5th Corps
- Pontevico: 1 x (CD)
- Brescia: Garibaldi Corps
- Modena: 1 x CD
Allied Set-up
Austria:
- Corps Support Box: 10 x IB
- General Pool: Gablenz, Ramming, Maroicic
- Prague: Clam-Gallas, 1st Corps
- Reichenberg: 1st LtCD
- Zwittau: 2nd Corps
- Brünn: 3rd Corps, 10th Corps, 3rd RCD
- Olmütz: Benedek, 4th Corps, 1st RCD
- Prerau: 6th Corps, 2nd RCD
- Lundenberg: 8th Corps
- Würbenthal: 2nd LtCD
- Quadrilateral North: Albrecht, 5th Corps
- Padua: 7th Corps
- Vicenza: 9th Corps
- Udine: Coastal ID
- Custozza: 1 x Süd-Armee LtCD
- Trent: Tyrolian ID
- Rastatt: 1 x IB
- Darmstadt: 1 x IB
- Permanently Eliminated: Kalik IB
German Allies:
- Corps Support Box: 1 x Sa ID, 1 x Bv ID, 1 x Hn IB
- General Pool: von der Tann (Bv)
- Hanover: Arendschildt, Hn Corps
- Dresden: Albert, Sx Corps
- Augsburg: Charles, (Bv Corps)
- Schweinfurt: 1 x (Bv ID)
- Bamberg: 1 x (Bv ID)
- Würzburg: 1 x Bv CD
- Stuttgart: 1 x (Wu ID)
- Karlsruhe: 1 x (Bd ID)
- Darmstadt: Alexander of Hesse-D. 1 x HD ID
- Wiesbaden: 1 x Ns IB
- Hanau: 1 x HC IB
Scenario Information:
- Game Turn Indicator: Turn 1, War Record Track
- Victory Point Marker: 4VPs (Austria) - Austria played Cards #2 and #5; Prussia played Card #25.
- Operations Deck: Combined Deck
- Removed Cards: #2-5, 17, 23-25