Gravelotte 1870 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • The Board
  • The Cards
• Set Up
• Sequence of Play
• Planning
• Activation
• Attrition
• Army Momentum
• Supply
• Victory Conditions
• Card Reference
  • Prussian Deck (blue)
  • French Deck (red)

Components

The board and cards can be printed out in colour or black and white. In addition, the game requires six cubes (representing fatigue), two pawns (army momentum), and three small disks (front position).

The Board

The boards is divided in three sections, from left to right:

• Army Momentum: this tracks the success of each army. The left column (marked with the red and gold crest) tracks the French, the right (marked with the black eagle) tracks the Prussian.

• Three Fronts on the map:

  • The square front represents the Prussian's Left Flank and the French's Right
  • The diamond front represents the Center
  • The circle front represents the Prussian's Right Flank and the French's Left

  Each of their extremities are Victory Positions that each faction tries to reach, shown by their Armies' symbols (red and gold crest for France, black Eagle for Prussia). The French are trying to push each front to the French Victory Positions, and vice versa for the Prussians.

• Fatigue track : this tracks the fatigue of each army. The six fatigue markers begin in the Fatigue Pool box. Markers are moved to and between the French and Prussian Fatigue boxes during the game.

The Cards

There are two decks of eight cards. Each deck belongs to a faction and can be recognized by the card back (Armorial of House Bonaparte or Prussian eagle) and the color on the front: blue for Prussia, red for France.

Each deck contains six Action cards and two Asset cards. The six Action cards form the player's hand and represent actions they can take during a turn, while the two Asset cards can each be used for a one-time bonus before being flipped face down.

Each Action card is connected to one or more of the fronts (Centre, Left, Right, or both Flanks), as marked at the top of the card and detailed in the card text. There are three kinds of card:

• A Push each for Centre, Left, and Right
• A Hold for Centre and one for both Flanks together
• A single Reserve that potentially doubles the value of the next Push card (marked as a Centre card because it can be countered with Centre Hold).

The exact effect of each card is detailed in the card text. Finally each card has a fatigue value (from 0 to 2) marked in the top left. The French and Prussian cards differ slightly, so make sure that both players have a chance to inspect each set of cards before play begins.

Set Up

1- Place the board between the players and choose a side. The French player sits on the north side of the map (with the Prussian Victory Positions closest to them). 2- Place 6 fatigue cubes in the fatigue cube pool. 3- Place a pawn on level 1 of each Momentum track. 4- Place a front marker in the centre (black) space of each front track. 5- Each player takes their 6 action cards in their hand and places their 2 assets cards face up.

Sequence of Play

1 - Planning: Play three action cards face down in front of your opponent's cards to form three columns of two cards facing each other. The cards will be played from left to right from the Prussian player's perspective, or right to left from the French player's. 2 - Activation: Reveal one column at a time, and simultaneously resolve both players' cards. Prussia then France may choose to use an Asset card when a column is revealed, but before it is resolved (exception: General Bourbaki must be played before any cards are revealed). Depending on which cards are chosen, this might shift one of the front markers in either direction and/or add fatigue to one player's pool. 3 - Attrition: Compare the total Fatigue values on every played card (including Assets). The player with more Fatigue takes a Fatigue cube from the Fatigue pool and adds it to their own pool, or from the enemy pool if there are none left in the general pool. If the values are tied and there is one cube or less remaining in the Fatigue Pool, neither player takes a Fatigue cube. 4 - Momentum: Compare the position of each front marker on the board. If one player has more fronts past the centre point, they increase their Army Momentum one step. 5 - Supply: Return the Action cards to each player's hand, and flip any used Assets facedown (they may not be used again).

Planning

Both players play 3 cards face down in front of each other to create 3 columns of 2 cards. Those constitute the played cards of the turn. They will be resolved from left to right for the Prussian and right to left for the French. See below:

[Diagram omitted: three face-down columns of two cards each, numbered #1, #2 and #3.]

Note: The French player may now decide to use their General Bourbaki Asset card to adjust the order.

Activation

Players simultaneously reveal played cards in column 1, and resolve the effect as written on the cards. Then they proceed the same way in column 2 and 3. The two Asset cards are always available for play and can be played at the moment indicated on the card (Prussia must first declare if they would like to play an asset, then France may also choose to play an Asset).

Push Cards will advance the front they are linked to one step toward their Victory Position. If both players push on the same front, the effect cancels each other.

Hold cards prevents a player from pushing and gives them fatigue. If the hold card matches the push card of the other player, the player pushing will not move the front marker and will take a Fatigue cube, from the cube pool if any are available, or from his opponent's cube if there are none left. The Center Hold card also blocks the effect of the Reserve card and causes the opponent to take a Fatigue.

Reserve cards double the push value of the following Push card. So instead of moving the front once, it would move twice. If the following Push card is either cancelled by a matching Push card or a Hold card, it would still advance the front one space.

Exception: The French Reserve card, Bazaine, has a modifier based on the position of the circle Front at the moment that the card is revealed, so if the opponent played a right Push card, potentially changing the modifier, it would not affect that roll.

Note: if at any point all three fronts reach the Victory Positions on one side, the matching player wins (Black Eagle for Prussia, House Bonaparte Armorial for France).

Attrition

Once the three cards have been resolved, each player sums the Fatigue Value of each card and adds the value of any Asset played. The player with the highest Fatigue Value takes a Fatigue Cube from the pool. If the pool doesn't contain any cubes, the player takes a cube from the opponent's pool. If the players are tied and there are at least 2 cubes remaining in the cube pool they both take a cube, if not, neither takes a cube.

Note: As soon as a player has 6 cubes in their Fatigue pool, they lose the game. This means that a player could lose during the Activation phase if the resolution of a card causes them to take a Fatigue.

Army Momentum

Once the Attrition phase is done, players check the position of each front. If a player has more front markers on their opponent's side, they gain momentum, moving their pawn one space up their Army Momentum track.

Example:

[Diagram omitted: board example with two fronts on the French side and one on the Prussian side.]

In this case there are 2 fronts on the French side and one only on the Prussian side. In that situation, the Prussian Army Momentum increases one step.

Note: if a player reaches an Army Momentum of 5, they immediately win the game.

Supply

Both players take all six of their cards back into their hand, and start planning for the next round.

Victory Conditions

There are three ways to win:

• If at any point during Activation the three fronts are on the Victory Positions of a player, that player wins.
• If at any point during Activation or Attrition a player has all 6 fatigue cubes, their opponent wins.
• If during Momentum a player reaches level 5 of Army Momentum they win.

Card Reference

The card text below is transcribed from the printed cards. The number in the top left of each card is its fatigue value; the flavour line in italics is printed on the card but has no effect.

Prussian Deck (blue)

Action cards

• Moltke's Reserve (Reserve, Centre front, fatigue 2): Double the effect of the following Push card. If this next card is blocked by an opponent's Hold or Push card, advance only once.
• Second Army (Push, Left Flank, fatigue 1): Advance the left flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Right Flank card, they cancel each other.
• First Army (Push, Right Flank, fatigue 1): Advance the Right Flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Left Flank card, they cancel each other.
• IX Corps (Push, Centre, fatigue 1): Advance the Central Flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Central Front card, they cancel each other.
• Strong Defense (Hold, Centre, fatigue 0): If the opponent played a Central Front or Bazaine's Reserve card, the effect is cancelled and they take a Fatigue cube.
• Flanks Denied (Hold, both Flanks, fatigue 1): If the opponent played a Left Front or Right Front card, the front doesn't advance and they take a Fatigue cube.

Asset cards

• Von Steinmetz (+1, Asset): Impetuous Offensive. If the opponent blocked a Center or Right front advance with a hold card, roll a dice. If 1-2 you take an additional fatigue cube; 3-4 you take an additional fatigue cube and advance; 5-6 advance.
• Prince Frederich (+1, Asset): Cautious Offensive. If the opponent advances on the same front as you, roll a dice. If 1-2 you take a fatigue cube; 3-4 opponent takes a fatigue cube; 5-6 opponent takes a fatigue cube and you advance.

French Deck (red)

Action cards

• Bazaine's Reserve (Reserve, Centre front, fatigue 1; printed "<- x2"): Bazaine commits reserve? Roll a dice (add modifier), on a 4 to 6 double the effect of the following Push card. If this next card is blocked by an opponent's Hold or Push card, advance only once.
• Gen. Frossard (Push, Left Flank, fatigue 1): Left Flank moves forward. Advance the Left Flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Right Flank card, they cancel each other.
• Gen. Canrobert (Push, Right Flank, fatigue 1): Right Flank moves forward. Advance the Right Flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Left Flank card, they cancel each other.
• Gen. Ladmirault (Push, Centre, fatigue 1): Central Front moves forward. Advance the Central Flank token one step forward. If the opponent played a Central Front card, they cancel each other.
• Strong Defense (Hold, Centre, fatigue 1): Center holds the line. If the opponent played a Central Front or Moltke's Reserve card, the effect is cancelled and they take a Fatigue cube.
• Flanks Denied (Hold, both Flanks, fatigue 0): Flanks hold the line. If the opponent played a Left Front or Right Front card, the front doesn't advance and they take a Fatigue cube.

Asset cards

• Mitrailleuse (+1, Asset): Desperate Defense. If opponent advances on a front, roll a dice. If 1-2 no effect; 3-4 opponent takes a fatigue cube; 5-6 opponent takes a fatigue cube and you block one Push.
• General Bourbaki (+1, Asset): Strategic vision. Before activating the first card of the turn, reveal one of your opponents played card and then you may change the order of your played cards..