Battles of 1866
War of the Empires
Battles of 1866
In just seven weeks in the summer of 1866, the newly-modernized Prussian army defeated its larger and better-experienced Austrian rival and completely overturned European power politics. Germany would become a united, ambitious empire, Italy a united kingdom, and Austria a multi-national empire shorn of her economic strength. The seeds of world war were sown on the fields of Königgrätz.
Battles of 1866 is one of the largest games we’ve ever produced, a set of seven battle games all in one box. There are eight maps and five sheets of game pieces. The game system is the same as that in our War of the States games, with a few modifications for the European way of war. Units represent infantry brigades, cavalry regiments and artillery batteries. The game pieces come in two sizes. “Long” pieces are 1 and 1/3 inches long and 2/3 inches wide, a very large piece. These represent infantry brigades. Other pieces are squares 2/3-inch across each side. These represent cavalry regiments and artillery batteries. Prussian, Austrian, Italian and Saxon units are all present.
Units are rated for combat strength and morale, losing both as they take losses in combat.
Each battleground is recreated as a topographic map divided into irregular areas rather than the hexagons used in traditional board wargames. These are not chosen randomly, but rather conform to the lie of the land to channel movement the same way folds, rises and gullies do on an actual piece of ground.
A unit must fit in the area it occupies, in the direction it faces. If the area is too narrow for one of the large pieces, it’s not allowed to occupy the area, or at least not stay there and face the direction the player might like. Thus troops are placed along ridge lines, for example, not across them. Flanks become even more important; if you leave a unit “hanging” in a position where it can’t turn to defend itself fully against an approaching enemy because it can’t be placed in the area facing that direction, be prepared for serious losses.
Combat can take the form of assault, cavalry charge or bombardment. Each player rolls a number of dice equal to the total combat strength of his or her units involved. For each result of 6, one hit is achieved. For each hit suffered by a unit, it loses one “step,” or level of strength.
But before it can make an attack or move, a unit must be activated. Better leaders are better able to activate their units more easily, giving them a significant edge. Austrian leaders generally add more to combat, reflecting their army’s emphasis on personal courage, while the Prussians are better organized and will do a much better job bringing their forces to bear.
Austria has better cavalry and artillery, but Prussia brings the needle gun with its devastating short-range firepower. Prussian players will want to seize key terrain and force the Austrians to attack them.
The seven battles are:
Königgrätz
3 July 1866. One of the largest battles fought in Europe up to that time. The combined Prussian First, Second and Elbe armies against the Austrian North Army and the Saxons. Early Austrian defensive success was undone by over-eager generals and Prussia won the right to unite Germany under the black eagle banner.
Custoza
24 June 1866. Hard fighting between Austrians and the new Royal Italian Army near the fortress-city Verona. A key Austrian maneuver unhinges the Italian position.
Trautenau
27 June 1866. “A slap that rocked the whole Prussian Army,” according to Otto von Bismarck. The Austrian X Corps of Leopold von Gablenz defeats Eduard von Bonin’s Prussian I Corps.
Nachod
27 June 1866. A bloody fight between Wilhelm von Ramming's Austrian VI Corps and Karl von Steinmetz’s Prussian V Corps leads to a narrow Prussian victory.
Skalitz
28 June 1866. Steinmetz’s troops defeat their second Austrian corps in as many days, driving back Archduke Leopold’s VIII Corps.
Soor
28 June 1866. Gablenz has much less luck against the Prussian Guard when poor communications ruin another flank attack.
Gitschin
29 June 1866. Crown Prince Albert of Saxony leads his army and the Austrian I Corps against the Prussian First Army.
Battles of 1866
War of the Empires
Battles of 1866
In just seven weeks in the summer of 1866, the newly-modernized Prussian army defeated its larger and better-experienced Austrian rival and completely overturned European power politics. Germany would become a united, ambitious empire, Italy a united kingdom, and Austria a multi-national empire shorn of her economic strength. The seeds of world war were sown on the fields of Königgrätz.
Battles of 1866 is one of the largest games we’ve ever produced, a set of seven battle games all in one box. There are eight maps and five sheets of game pieces. The game system is the same as that in our War of the States games, with a few modifications for the European way of war. Units represent infantry brigades, cavalry regiments and artillery batteries. The game pieces come in two sizes. “Long” pieces are 1 and 1/3 inches long and 2/3 inches wide, a very large piece. These represent infantry brigades. Other pieces are squares 2/3-inch across each side. These represent cavalry regiments and artillery batteries. Prussian, Austrian, Italian and Saxon units are all present.
Units are rated for combat strength and morale, losing both as they take losses in combat.
Each battleground is recreated as a topographic map divided into irregular areas rather than the hexagons used in traditional board wargames. These are not chosen randomly, but rather conform to the lie of the land to channel movement the same way folds, rises and gullies do on an actual piece of ground.
A unit must fit in the area it occupies, in the direction it faces. If the area is too narrow for one of the large pieces, it’s not allowed to occupy the area, or at least not stay there and face the direction the player might like. Thus troops are placed along ridge lines, for example, not across them. Flanks become even more important; if you leave a unit “hanging” in a position where it can’t turn to defend itself fully against an approaching enemy because it can’t be placed in the area facing that direction, be prepared for serious losses.
Combat can take the form of assault, cavalry charge or bombardment. Each player rolls a number of dice equal to the total combat strength of his or her units involved. For each result of 6, one hit is achieved. For each hit suffered by a unit, it loses one “step,” or level of strength.
But before it can make an attack or move, a unit must be activated. Better leaders are better able to activate their units more easily, giving them a significant edge. Austrian leaders generally add more to combat, reflecting their army’s emphasis on personal courage, while the Prussians are better organized and will do a much better job bringing their forces to bear.
Austria has better cavalry and artillery, but Prussia brings the needle gun with its devastating short-range firepower. Prussian players will want to seize key terrain and force the Austrians to attack them.
The seven battles are:
Königgrätz
3 July 1866. One of the largest battles fought in Europe up to that time. The combined Prussian First, Second and Elbe armies against the Austrian North Army and the Saxons. Early Austrian defensive success was undone by over-eager generals and Prussia won the right to unite Germany under the black eagle banner.
Custoza
24 June 1866. Hard fighting between Austrians and the new Royal Italian Army near the fortress-city Verona. A key Austrian maneuver unhinges the Italian position.
Trautenau
27 June 1866. “A slap that rocked the whole Prussian Army,” according to Otto von Bismarck. The Austrian X Corps of Leopold von Gablenz defeats Eduard von Bonin’s Prussian I Corps.
Nachod
27 June 1866. A bloody fight between Wilhelm von Ramming's Austrian VI Corps and Karl von Steinmetz’s Prussian V Corps leads to a narrow Prussian victory.
Skalitz
28 June 1866. Steinmetz’s troops defeat their second Austrian corps in as many days, driving back Archduke Leopold’s VIII Corps.
Soor
28 June 1866. Gablenz has much less luck against the Prussian Guard when poor communications ruin another flank attack.
Gitschin
29 June 1866. Crown Prince Albert of Saxony leads his army and the Austrian I Corps against the Prussian First Army.
Retail Price:
62,83 €
Max. Discount Price:
50,27 €
Preis inkl. MwSt, zzgl. Porto in Abhängigkeit von Bestellmenge und Versandadresse.
(This sentence must be here for reasons of german bureaucracy.)
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