Here I Stood

Game over.

The following has been provided by Richard who hosted the game, played the Hapsburgs and stormed to victory on Turn 6.

Thanks very much for participating in our first game of Here I Stand. The first outing of a big game like this can be daunting since no-one really has any idea of how things play out. I think everyone now has a much better understanding of what all the powers can do, and how the game plays out.

I hope you all enjoyed playing it. It was certainly a lot of fun playing with you all. It was a close run thing, which is always a good thing. Despite a few minor rules misunderstandings, I don't think any had a material effect on the game and we were able to apply most of the rules which will be a benefit in future games.

I must say I was shocked at how quickly the Protestant power went from last to first and to within a whisker of victory in a single turn. Aided by his printing press, Mark H did an outstanding job of chipping away at translating and spreading the Reformation. Perhaps with a decisive debate win, things might have turned out differently.

The Papacy was literally under siege from all sides right from the beginning of the game. The poor old Pope was fending off not only the Reformer, but also having to contend with France and then being viciously cut down by the Ottomans. Also having to contend with meddling by the Hapsburg (should probably have been grounds for excommunication!) , Pope Stephen did a great job of holding the line against all odds. I think the Papacy is probably the most difficult to play. Limited resources and having the dual challenges of containing the spread of the reformation and holding and gaining territory. I was slightly disappointed in the limited number of debates and not having a disgrace or burnt at the stake result, but it's always nice to have something to look forward to!

Being locked into a war situation made things tricky for both the English and the French. The English becoming mired in the wars with Scotland didn't help, allowing France to seize Calais and fight a successful two front war with the English and the Papacy. Looks like France is a major swing power and also came within striking distance of the win. The English made a surge for victory aided by the birth of a healthy Edward VI and the spread of the reformation, however,  the loss of Calais crippled them in having access to fewer cards. France in turn was weakened by rebellions in multiple locations, one of which gave the Hapsburg a third critical key in Italy. With so much to do and so few cards the precious extra VPs for exploration and conquest were out of reach for both France and England. It looks like a state of war between the English and French can become somewhat of Mexican stand off, so perhaps the equivalent of the Field of the Cloth of Gold is the best option if things drag on for too long.

In somewhat of a phony war, the Hapsburgs and Ottomans spent more time glaring at each other from the Battlements than fighting, with the risk of losing a major land battle being considered too great and with the play of the Barbary Pirates and the ensuing naval arms race, the focus was at sea. After several turns of circling at sea, Hapsburg naval power was crippled at the first encounter, and I think everyone got a fright by seeing how nasty piracy can be when played in an optimal location. The Ottoman spirit, if not their power was broken, by an unlikely source, the Knights of St John and the Venetians, who must have run out of hot oil in defending their fortresses fending off the Ottomans. The only land battle between Hapsburgs and Ottomans in the whole game was in Algiers.

As the Hapsburg player (as I'm sure you will recall) I found it very difficult to decide what to do. A lot of it was reacting to the other powers to be honest, as despite the great resources available, it's just not possible to do everything everywhere and there are threats across the map. I think I was lucky to avoid any major entanglements and this meant being able to build up a lot of units in the early turns which I was able to draw on in mid game. One of the things which I didn't really appreciate to a greater extent,was the ability to retain cards. For those powers that have that ability, it  can certainly swing things your way, but then on the other hand you might not have that luxury depending on what it going on.

The game end VPs were:

Hapsburgs - 25

France - 22

Protestant, England and Ottoman - 20

Papacy -12

As Mark H has said in his posts on multi-player games, that the victory is actually in playing the game. I certainly feel that is true. I hope everyone enjoyed the game and will be interested in a further game in the near future.

Did you know...  to leave a party without telling anyone is called, in English, a “French Exit.” In French, it’s called a “partir à l’anglaise,” to leave like the English.