The Holy Roman Empire (HRE) board game by Mark McLaughlin has elements, including a great map, which make it a good basis for a miniatures campaign. A Mapless Campaign is simple to run and encourages on-going participation by the players. This is my stab at combining the two.
Thirty Years War Flavour
The campaign has to capture the essence of the Thirty Years War.
- Reflect the historical geography. The map of Holy Roman Empire Board Game is a good start.
- Option for 2-6 players representing the major powers: Austria, Spain, Bavaria, France, Sweden and the Palatine.
- Include the minor and/or peripheral powers, e.g. Denmark, Swiss Confederation, Brandenburg, Poland, Hanseatic League, Dutch Republic, Saxony, and a proportion of the hundred of tiny German states.
- Give the minor states shifting loyalties through diplomacy / bribes.
- Reflect historical religious and political allegiances.
- Austria (RC), Spain (RC), Bavaria (RC), France (RC), Sweden (LU) and the Palatine (CV)
- Mercenary forces outnumber national forces.
- Make mercenaries risky with rules covering:
- Mercenaries going on the rampage as “marauders”
- Mercenary leaders are open to bribes
- Mansfield, Saxe-Weimar and, in particular, Wallenstein, are greedy and require land to employ
- Employers of mercenary leaders (but not other players) can attempt to assassinate the mercenary leader
- Alliances are either the “Catholic League”, “Protestant Union” or “German Entente” but it is up to the players which name is used when.
- Combat options include field battles and siege
Map
The Holy Roman Empire Board Game map is divided into provinces. Most states comprise one or more provinces. Many provinces contain cities. Sweden and the Hanseatic League have no provinces but do have cities.
In a Mapless Campaign the provinces as territories. I’m not sure yet whether the cities are significant or not.
The only major change I would make is to:
- Divide Bavaria into Upper Bavaria and Lower Bavaria. Upper Bavaria is the western portion and contains Munch and Ingoldstadt. Lower Bavaria is the north-eastern section of the province on the Map.
- For multi province states divide the income between the provinces.
Holy Roman Emperor (HRE)
One of players will be the Holy Roman Emperor (HRE). At the start of the game this is the Austrian player. It is possible that the HRE will die during the campaign. In that case the Electors, the players controlling Trier (RC), Mainz (RC), Cologne (RC), Saxony (LU), Brandenburg (CV), Lower Palatine (CV) and Upper Bohemia (RC), vote for a new HRE. The player with the most votes becomes the new HRE. Electors that are not controlled by a player will vote along religious lines, i.e. a RC elector will vote for a RC candidate. If there is more than one candidate of the same religion then a non-aligned elector will not vote. A non-aligned CV elector will vote for a LU candidate if there is no CV candidate; and vice versa.
Religion
The Thirty Years War had a religious element. The religions are:
- RC: Roman Catholic
- LU: Lutheran
- CV: Calvinist (Reformed)
- M: Muslim
- Mixed: Responds to either religion shown, e.g. CV / RC
Battle Phase
Unlike in a normal Mapless Campaign where it doesn’t matter who is attacking and who is defending, for each battle randomly determine which player is the attacker. The attacker may optionally target a specific territory held by the enemy. This forces their opponent to field that territory in the resulting battle.
The Cards
A Mapless Campaign is based on a set of cards each of which represents a territory of interest. For this campaign I’ve added three other types of card: Event, Intrigues and Mercenary.
Event Cards
If an event is drawn in the post-battle phase:
- Randomly allocate it to one of the players involved in the recent battle and . The effect of the event is applied immediately. If a player gets an event that cannot affect them then they ignore it.
- Generate a another territory so that the correct number of territories are in play. Ignore further event, intrigue or mercenary cards and draw cards until a territory card is drawn.
| Card | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders, Brigands, Corsairs, Privateers | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Famine | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Plague | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Revolt | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Mutiny | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice from those providing mercenary troops, but not national troops. If none then ignore. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Heresy | 1 | Lose one territory of your choice from those of a different religion. If none then ignore. If you have less than three territories in total, generate a random territory to replace it. |
| Leader Dies | 1 | ?? TODO ?? |
| Religious Conversion | 1 | One territory of a different religion of your choice is converted to your religion. |
| Economic Boom | 2 | Replace this event card with two territory cards rather than one. |
| Edict of Restitution | 1 | A Diet is called. The Electors and the HRE each get a vote. If the Edict of Restitution is passed all RC players draw one new territory. |
| Edict of Reversal | 1 | A Diet is called. The Electors and the HRE each get a vote. If the Edict of Reversal is passed all LU and CV players draw one new territory. |
| Ban on Foreign Troops | 1 | A Diet is called. The Electors and the HRE each get a vote. If the Ban on Foreign Troops is passed then territories providing Spanish, French and Swedish troops cannot be fielded in a battle within a territory within the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire is considered any territories controlled by Austria, Palatine and Bavaria. |
Intrigue Cards
If an intrigue is drawn in the post-battle phase:
- Randomly allocate it to one of the players involved in the recent battle. It is retained for use in later battles.
- Generate a another territory so that the correct number of territories are in play. Ignore further event, intrigue or mercenary cards and draw cards until a territory card is drawn.
Intrigues are used in battle like territories. One intrigue, and only one, can be used instead of a territory in the pre-battle phase. If a player uses an intrigue but loses or draws the battle the intrigue is discarded. Generally player that win their battle retain any intrigue they fielded and can use them again in subsequent battles; the exception are two spy rings which cancel each other out. Return discarded intrigue cards to the pile.
| Card | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spy Ring | 5 | Spy rings are worked out before other intrigues. If both players field a spy ring they cancel each out and both cards are discarded. If one player fields a spy ring and the other player fields a different intrigue, the enemy intrigue is discarded but the first player retains their spy ring. If one player fields a spy ring and the other player fields only territories and/or mercenaries, the spy ring negates one enemy territory or mercenary chosen by the other player. Both the spy ring and other card are retained by their players. |
| Spy Master | 1 | A spy master negates two enemy territories and/or mercenaries. The first is chosen by the spy master and the second by the other player. |
| Saboteurs | 1 | A saboteur negates the value of one enemy territory chosen by the saboteur. |
| Diplomat | 1 | If you you field a diplomat and win the battle, then in addition to the usual territory allocation, you can swap one of your territories for one of your enemy’s territories. You are not limited to the territories used for the battle – you can swap any territory for any other. |
| Religious Agitator | 1 | A religious agitator negates the value of one enemy territory or mercenary chosen by the religious agitator. The chosen enemy territory must be of a different religion to the other player. |
Territory Cards
Many territories are single province states.
The state column is used for those territories which are part of a larger entity.
Location is from the Holy Roman Empire Board Game map.
All territories supply mercenaries unless national troops are explicitly mentioned.
Value is used for both the number of troops supplied and for victory points.
| Value | Example | Value | Victory Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Artois | 3 points of troops if territory is fielded in a battle | 3 | |
| “3” | Champagne | Original owners gets full value (3) but other players get half value rounded up (2) | 3 | |
| (4) | Friesland | Only provides troops if the territory is attacked | None | |
| 12+ | Sweden | 12 points of troops if territory is fielded in a battle | None | Off the map. Cannot be attacked. A winning opponent cannot select this territory |
Points values differ in different rules but as a guideline:
- 1 point for light artillery
- 2 points for Light Cavalry, Reiter, Regular Infantry
- 3 points for Elite Cavalry, Elite Infantry, Heavy Artillery
- 5 points for Gendarmes
The territory cards are:
| Card | State | Location | Religion | Value | Troops | Alignment | Cities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace | 5-110 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Anhalt | 14-47 | CV | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Anspach | 11-14 | LU | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Artois | Spanish Netherlands | 119-102 | RC | 3 | Mercenary | Spanish Control | Dunkirk, Bruges, Brussels | |
| Augusburg | 12-37 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Austrian Hungary | 25-39 | RC | 2 | Mercenary | HRE Control | Pressburg | ||
| Baden-Durlach | 7-102 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | ||||
| Bamberg | 13-42 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Bayeruth | 14-43 | LU | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Berg | 5-102 | CV | I | Mercenary | ||||
| Berry | France | 117-113 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | France Control | ||
| Bourbonnais | France | 117-116 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | France Control | ||
| Brabant | Spanish Netherlands | 1-102 | RC | 2 | Mercenary | Spanish Control | Antwerp | |
| Branbenburg Electorate | Brandenburg | 18-50 | CV | 3 | Mercenary |
Brandenburg hereditary |
Berlin | |
| Bremen | 10-96 | CV | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Brunswick-Luneberg | 11-96 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | ||||
| Brunswick-Wolfenberg | 10-98 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | ||||
| Burgundy | France | 120-112 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | France Control | ||
| Carinthia | 19-32 | RC | I | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | |||
| Carniola | 20-30 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | |||
| Champagne | France | 120-108 | RC | “3” | French | France Control | Rheims | |
| Cleves | 4-100 | CV | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Cologne (Electorate) | 4-101 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus Influence | |||
| East Prussia | Brandenburg | 27-53 | CV | 1 | Mercenary | Brandenburg control | Konisberg | |
| Franche-Comte | 1-111 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Spanish Control | |||
| Friesland | United Provinces (Dutch) | 3-96 | CV | (4) | Dutch |
pro-Palatine anti-HRE/Spain |
Groninger | |
| Geldern | United Provinces (Dutch) | 2-97 | CV | (4) | Dutch |
pro-Palatine anti-HRE/Spain |
Deventer | |
| Greater Poland | Poland | 26-47 | RC | (2) | Polish |
pro-HRE pro-Brandenburg Anti-Sweden |
Warsaw | |
| Halberstadt | 12-48 | LU | 2 | Mercenary |
pro-Protestant anti-Catholic |
HRE/Spain must garrison if conquered / influenced or it revolts. Never controlled by Catholics | ||
| Hanseatic League |
8-95 11-93 12-92 15-54 |
LU | 4 | Mercenary | pro-Swedish / Danish | Bremen, Hamburg, Lubeck, Straslund | ||
| Hesse-Cassel | 9-101 | CV | 2 | Mercenary |
pro-Swedish anti-Catholic |
|||
| Hesse- Darmstadt | 8-102 | RC | 2 | Mercenary | pro-HRE | – | ||
| Holland | United Provinces (Dutch) | 1-96 | CV | (4) | Dutch |
pro-Palatine anti-HRE/Spain |
Amsterdam | |
| Holstein | Denmark | 12-92 | LU | 5 | Mercenary | Pal Influence pro-France pro-Protestant anti-HRE/Spain anti-Swedish |
Copenhagen | |
| Ile de France | France | 118-105 | RC | “4” | French | France Control | Paris | |
| Little Poland | Poland | 28-44 | RC | (2) | Mercenary |
pro-HRE pro-Brandenburg Anti-Sweden |
Cracow | |
| Lithuania | Poland | 27-51 | RC | (2) | Polish |
pro-HRE pro-Brandenburg Anti-Sweden |
||
| Lorraine | 2-107 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Nancy | |||
| Lower Austria | Austria | 22-36 | RC | “2” | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | Vienna | |
| Lower Bavaria | Bavaria | 18-38 | RC | “2” | Mercenary | Bavaria Hereditary | ||
| Lower Bohemia | Bohemia | 22-42 | CV | “3” | Mercenary | Pal. control anti-HRE/Spain | Budweis | |
| Lower Palatine (Electorate) | 6-104 | CV | 2 | Mercenary | Pal hereditary | Heidelberg | ||
| Lusatia | 18-47 | RC | 2 | Mercenary |
HRE Control pro-Bohemia |
Bautzen | ||
| Luxembourg | 5-102 | RC | 4 | Mercenary | Spanish Control | Luxembourg | ||
| Lyonnais | France | 120-116 | RC | “3” | French | France Control | Lyon | |
| Magdeburg | 11-46 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | Magdeburg | |||
| Mainz (Electorate) | 9-104 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus Influence | Frankfurt | ||
| Mark | Brandenburg | 7-100 | CV | I | Mercenary | Brandenburg Control | ||
| Mecklenburg | 13-53 | CV | I | Mercenary | pro-Danish | Rostock | ||
| Metz | 2-104 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Metz | |||
| Milan | 8-116 | RC | 2 | Mercenary | Spanish Control | |||
| Moravia | 22-40 | LU/RC | 2 | Mercenary | pro-Bohemia | Brunn | ||
| Munster | 8-78 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Nassau | 5-103 | CV | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Nivernais | France | 119-113 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | France Control | ||
| Nurnberg | 13-41 | LU | 1 | Mercenary | HRE Imperial city | Free Sanctuary. Any attacker pays double to influence German states until end of game | ||
| Oldenburg | 7-95 | LU | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Orleanais | France | 117-110 | RC | “3” | French | France Control | Orleans | Provides French national troops. |
| Osnabruck | 8-98 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Ottoman Hungary | 26-34 | M | (10) | Turkish |
pro-France pro-Protestant anti-HRE/Spain |
|||
| Picardy | France | 118-103 | RC | “3” | French | France Control | Amiens | Provides French national troops. |
| Pomerania | Brandenburg | 20-55 | LU | 1 | Mercenary |
Pro-Brandenburg Brandenburg Influence |
Stettin, Kolberg | |
| Pomeralia | Poland | – | RC | (2) | Polish |
pro-HRE pro-Brandenburg Anti-Sweden |
Danzig | Provides Polish national troops. |
| Poznan | Poland | 22-50 | RC | (2) | Polish |
pro-HRE pro-Brandenburg Anti-Sweden |
Thurn | Provides Polish national troops. |
| Salzburg | 17-35 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Savoy | 3-116 | RC | 4 | Mercenary | anti-HRE/Spain | Geneva | ||
| Saxony Duchy | Saxony | 12-44 | LU | 2 | Saxon | Saxon control | ||
| Saxony Electorate | Saxony | 16-45 | LU | 4 | Saxon | Saxon hereditary | Leipzig, Dresden | |
| Schleswig | Denmark | 8-92 | LU | 3 | Mercenary | Pal Influence pro-France pro-Protestant anti-HRE/Spain anti-Swedish |
||
| Silesia | 23-43 | LU | 2 | Mercenary |
HRE control pro-Bohemia |
Breslau | ||
| Spain | – | RC | 10+ | Spanish | Sp Reserve | Cannot be attacked. | ||
| Strasburg | 5-107 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Styria | 20-34 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | Graz | ||
| Sweden | – | LU | 12+ | Swedish | Sweden Reserve | Stockholm | Cannot be attacked. | |
| Swiss Confederation | 7-118 | RC / CV | (5) | Mercenary | Berne | Provides Elite Infantry. Cannot be attacked | ||
| Transylvania | 29-42 | LU/CV | 1 | Mercenary | anti-HRE/Spain | Provides Light Cavalry | ||
| Trier (Electorate) | 5-103 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus Influence | Coblenz | ||
| Tyrol | 13-34 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | |||
| Upper Austria | Austria | 20-36 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | Aus. hereditary | Linz | |
| Upper Bavaria | Bavaria | 15-38 | RC | “6” | Mercenary | Bavaria Hereditary | Munich, Ingoldstadt | |
| Upper Bohemia | Bohemia | 19-42 | CV | “5” | Mercenary | Pal. control anti-HRE/Spain | Prague | |
| Upper Palatine | 15-42 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | Pal hereditary | |||
| Val Telline | 11-115 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | pro-Catholic | Only controlling player may move through. Others (including Conquer / Influence) must stop when entering. | ||
| Venice | 15-30 | RC | 5 | Mercenary | Pro any player who opposes HRE or Spain anti-HRE/Spain | |||
| Wurzburg | 10-104 | RC | 1 | Mercenary | ||||
| Wurtemburg | 9-39 | LU | 2 | Mercenary | Stuttgart |
Mercenary Cards
Mercenaries are used in battle like territories. One mercenary, and only one, can be used instead of a territory in the pre-battle phase.
| Card | Religion | Value | Alignment | Notes | Replacement | Religion | Value | Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George von Arnim | halves maintenance costs | Franz Albrecht | ||||||
| Erich von Mansfield | RC | pro-Palatine | 1 card 1 x Crown income halves maintenance costs |
Geo V Brunswick | ||||
| Bernard von Saxe-Weimar | pro-France | 1 card; halves maintenance costs | Schomberg | |||||
| Albrecht von Wallenstein | pro-HRE | 1 card each turn; can raise his own army; free maintenance | Goetz |
Initial Deployment
Campaign Game
?? TODO ?? at the moment this is straight from the original game. Needs to be reworked.
| Player | Controlled States | Influenced States | Mercenary Leaders | Military Forces | Special Rules | Dynastic Bonus Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | France |
Paris: Crequi, 3 x Gendarmes
Picardy: 2 x Fleet |
May not move French leaders/units outside of France on turn 1 or unless France is invaded. May, however, bid for and mvoe mercenary units and bid for other cards. |
+1 per state adjacent to France occupied by French Units +2 per channel/North Sea/OBZ occupied by French units |
||
| Spain | Spain, Alsace, Luxembourg, Spanish Netherlands, Milan, France-Comte |
Brussels: Spinola, 2 x EInf
Milan: Cordoba, 2 x EInf Antwerp: 2 x Fleet |
May not attack the united Provinces on turn one due to treaty. |
+1 per French province occupied by Sp units +2 per Channel/North Sea/French OBZ or United Province province occupied by Sp units +5 if the emperor is a Catholic power +5 for the Spanish Road (an unbroken chain of controlled or influenced states between and including the Spanish Netherlands and Milan) |
||
| Bavaria | Bavaria | Munich: Maximillian, Pappenheim, Tilly, 1 x EInf, 1 x Merc RInf, 1 x Merc ECav |
+2 per Protestant state card controlled/influenced +3 per Catholic sate card controlled/influenced +5 per electoral crown card controlled/influenced +10 for the Imperial HRE card |
|||
| Sweden | Sweden | Hanseatic League |
Stockholm: Gustavus, Horn, Torstensen, 4 x EInf, 2 x ECav, 2 x LArt., 1 x Fleet
Hanseatic League: |
Begins the game at war with Poland. Swedish units may only enter Swedish controlled/influenced states and Polish provinces (and the Baltic) until of the following conditions has been met: (a) Sweden conquers, influences, or controls Poland (b) Swedish units/provinces/cards have been attacked or entered by non-Polish hostile units, or (c) non-Polish units hostile to Sweden have entered Poland |
-1 per Polish province not occupied by Swed. units/markers +1 per province bordering Baltic occupied by Swed units/markers +1 if Baltic occupied by Swedish controlled fleets +5 if the emperor is a protestant |
|
| Palatine | Lower Palatine, Upper Palatine, Bohemia, Anhalt, Brunswick-Wolfenberg, Halberstadt | United Provinces, Denmark | Mansfield |
Prague: Thurn, 1 x EInf
Halberstadt: Christian of Brusnwick, 1 x Merc RInf Anhalt: Christian of Anhalt, 1 x Merc RInf Upper Palatine: Mansfield, 3 x Merc RInf, 1 x Merc Reiter Dutch: Danish: Saxons: |
The United Provinces and Denmark may not be bid for or attacked on on Turn 1. These states become controlled by Palatine in the maintenance phase of Turn 2, for free. |
+1 per Protestant state card controlled/influenced +2 per electoral crown card controlled/influenced +10 for the Imperial HRE card |
| Austria | HRE, Moravia, Hungary, Styria, Silesia, Austria, Carinthia, Carniola, Lusatia, Tyrol, Poland, Nurnberg | Mainz, Trier, Cologne | Vienna: Bucquoi, 1 x Merc RInf | -10 if not the emperor | ||
| Brandenburg | Berlin: George William, 1 x RInf | |||||
| Swiss Confederation | Geneva: Swiss Leader, 4 x EInf | |||||
| Poland | Warsaw: 2 x RInf, 2 x Reiter, 2 x LCav, 2 x ECav, 2 x Gendarme |
?? TODO ??
Nurnburg
Victory Conditions
Minor States, e.g. Poland and United Provinces. What happens when they are attacked? What cards can be used?
Decide how to treat cities on the map.
Think about assiging each territory as one of the types from Mapless Campaign e.g. farmland, town, etc. This would probably mean losing the points of the Holy Roman Empire Board Game.
References
Board Game Geek: Holy Roman Empire
McLaughlin, M. G. (Sep 1984). Holy Roman Empire: A political-military game of the Thirty Years War. The Wargamer, 33, 21-36. 3W Inc.