The game plays a lot better than you would think from just looking at the rules.
Better still Richard was able to muster five players:
- Prussia: Richard
- Great Britain: Mark
- France: Simon
- Austria-Hungry: Jeff
- Russia: Russell
- Ottoman Empire: Bot
Here is the situation at the session's end and we plan to finish the game in two weeks time.
Meanwhile the unifier of Germany has cooked up this tasty melange of the proceedings for the dear reader's delectation. Bon appetite!
An Imperial Elegy
A Study of the Importance of Gastronomy in Great Power Relations.
A Ph D Dessertation by Richard
Turn 1 - The 1850s
Pre-action diplomacy, saw the Prussians heavily sell concentrating on the Italian Peninsula to the Austrians who agree this is a better option to rubbing up against a Prussia determined to consolidate their polity by incorporating the German Minor powers.
The Prussian ambassador Count Richard also calls on the Quay d' Orsay and a parley with Minister Monsieur Cateaux results in an agreement for certain cards to be played. Is this the sign of a rapprochement between these historical enemies? Will the bitterness and enmity of the Napoleonic Wars be put to one side? Time will tell. The other powers don't have much to say to each other and the action phase commences.
The Franco Prussian card play pact unfolds and the Prussians play 2nd Opium War. The British and French are ceded Shanghai and Indo-China respectively.
The French respond in turn and play Rebellions in China, seize Guangzhou and the Prussians are invited to share in the spoils. Prussia now has an entrepot on the Shandong Peninsula.
In hindsight, possibly not an ideal play for the Prussians as this gives Britain and especially France a big head start in carving up China. Still the Prussians hope their goodwill shines through for the future. (Spoiler Alert: It does not...)
The Prussians launch a war of unification against Denmark to reclaim Schleswig-Holstein and Hannover. The Prussians crush both and the march to unification begins.
Britain expands the reach of the Raj into Baluchistan and quickly pacifies the overawed locals. The Great Game is on. Who wins? Seafood delicacies will be the key to answering this question, but for now the next stop for the British is Kabul!
The French try to pacify Algeria with Zouaves, but find the mezze indigestible and fail despite the presence of their Elite expeditionary force of Zouaves and a squadron of protected cruisers supporting offshore. Pursuing Piedmont-Sardinia, France also upgrades the relationship to a full alliance to the annoyance of the Austrians. France sabres the Dom Perignon and now has a toe hold in the Italian peninsula. Will it be an Epee(ic) bout or was this just a parry or will they go further to foil the Austrians?
Metternich's legacy sees Austria gain a short lived alliance with Romania which is sabotaged by the Russians after diplomatic dispatches to Vienna were intercepted. The contents were leaked and the Austrian delegation was sent packing. (They regretted scoffing at the Sarmale and found themselves to be the only Sauer Krauts on the Orient Express back to Vienna).
In an effort to bolster their global power projection, the British establish a naval base in Oman.
The Ottomans establish diplomatic relations with an independent Egypt and then convert this to a full alliance. An astonishing coup-less coup, securing this vital Independent.
Liberal politicians make their presence felt and Germany and Russia are forced to disband their reserve armies.
The world is quiet and there are no rebellions amongst the subject nations of the Great Powers.
All powers successfully industrialise with the exception of the Ottomans. The Union wins the US Civil War after Britain and France fail to offer assistance to Dixie fearing the taint of abetting Slavery.
NB Russia actually failed their industrialisation attempt as they had incorrectly CP chained 2 cards into industrialisation which is not allowed. In the spirit of generosity for which they are renowned, the Prussians suggested and the other powers agreed, it was probably best to just move on as what was done was done. It was the right thing to do, after all, the game had moved on, cards had been played. Surely this must set some kind of precedent for any similar future scenarios....
World tensions are at benign levels, but Britain, France and Russia fill out the Triple Entente, whilst the other powers remain neutral following resolution of the diplomatic influence table.
Turn 2 - The 1860s
Prussia allies Bavaria and launches a War of Unification against Saxony. The Saxons are crushed and Bavaria sees the writing on the wall and joins Prussia. A Germany is now within reach.... just across the border in, currently, French occupied Alsace-Lorraine.
Greece seeks out a powerful protector and allies with Britain following the play of Powder keg by the Ottoman bot. They increase their army size to two full armies and feel confident of maintaining their independence with their new protector.
France gobbles up the Algerian resistance and then moves on to West Africa for the next course.
Emperor Franz Joseph goes to Budapest and receives the Crown of Szent Istvan. The Dual Monarchy is created after play of this card and the granting of full citizenship to the Hungarian minority.
The Austrians grant rights and then full citizenship to all Italian speakers in their realm. The Austro-Hungarians ally Tuscany. Pasta is declared the new national dish of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Too little too late, the Italy card event generates a Petition for Aid, which, to date remains unanswered.
Russia leans heavily into diplomatic efforts in Romania and then upgrades into a full alliance. Alas the best Caviar has been sent Eastward (more on this later) and the cold borscht offered at the celebratory banquet is as difficult to swallow as the benefits of the alliance. The Romanians shut down the Russian mission after another explosive Balkan Powder Keg is played.
Russia completes the Trans Siberian Railroad and finally subdues Dagestan, giving them control of the Caucasus flashpoint.
The Suez canal is completed and the Ottomans have access to the Indian ocean.
Those liberal politicians just won't relent and Germany and Russia again lose their reserve armies they had just rebuilt.
World tensions remain at benign levels, but Britain, France and Russia commit fully to the Triple Entente, whilst the other powers are content to remain neutral. All powers industrialise.
Turn 3 - The 1870s
The diplomats of Europe stay at their summer residences and there is not a murmur to be heard. No deals are done.
Prussia is starting to feel it is now or never in terms of Unifying into a greater Germany as they see France industrialise rapidly with an expanding card base. But do they really need to do it? Time will tell. Still uncertain and with limited cards, the Prussians build out their army with fresh reserves and a new standing army.
The French are nervous and are suspicious of the benevolence of the Prussians to date, they are worried about it all being a Red Herring instead of a Bismarck.
Britain plays machine guns and all wars are now more deadly.
France pacifies West Africa.
The Austrians incorporate Tuscany into the Empire. They are well on their way to claiming domination of the Italy flashpoint and hopes of Italian unification now seem bleak so Garibaldi retreats to the countryside, with only the plangent rustling of his crops to keep him company. Is this it for chances of an Italian Unification? Only time will tell.
The Prussians decide to go for a war of Unification to recover Alsace-Lorraine. Otto von Bismarck is played and the Prussians have a war budget of 6 and are hoping to go first. France pulls out a 3 card (which are relatively scarce) for war budget and combined with their second empire bonus of +1 to war budget and level 3 industrialisation, means they have a total of 7, so they have the initiative and go first. This is a disaster for the Prussians who were planning on a lightning strike into Alsace-Lorraine where they had a significant advantage so long as they could go first.
The French march their armies to Alsace-Lorraine and draw in support from their Piedmont allies. They have mustered the maximum possible defensive effort with a stack of three armies and an elite corps, along with 2 and a half armies in support.
The Prussians call in their reserves and stare down the French who are at a disadvantage if they attack. Another maneuver turn and the Prussians launch their assault. They achieve a decisive victory and bloody the French, but decide against following up with a further attack as the French have withdrawn in good order and now hold mutually supporting spaces. A follow up attack would be risky and a loss could jeopardise the successful capture of Alsace-Lorraine. The Germans bite there tongues and there is no further fighting. The Germans win a normal victory and Alsace-Lorraine is ceded to Germany. The German Empire is proclaimed as Germany unifies. The Second French Empire falls and France proclaims the Third Republic. The armies are then redeployed or stood down. Truce markers are exchanged and there can be no conflict between France and Germany for the rest of this turn or the next.
The ability of the French to move first due to a superior war budget was crucial to the outcome of the war and whilst not exactly a Pyrrhic victory, it could have been a lot better for the Germans and much worse for the French.
Elsewhere it's Rule Britannia as Britain plays Influence of Sea Power and gains a +1 card marker for next turn.
Continuing to shore up her global reach, Fiji is pacified and HMNB Bulla Bulla is commissioned to welcome the fleet to South Sea Isles.
Austria-Hungary has turned the Papacy into an unholy See continuing its diplomatic offensive in the Italian peninsula by allying the Papacy.
In a shocking development, a radicalised Austrian student, Gofredo Campione, believed to be a member of the secretive Envious of Hand Size Society, opened fire at the carriage of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and the Queen Consort HRH Prince Albert as it turned into Horse Guards on the way to Buckingham Palace. Neither was hurt, but it was reported that Her Majesty was not amused.
Not content with controlling half the world and having more cards than they know what to do with, the British now found the time to meddle in concluded business.
The British engaged Rules Lawyers, Waite R Meanit, to enquire into a point of order that had been made in the Commons. Peering out over his wiry spectacles, Prime Minister Haughey (an unrepentant Francophile it would seem) rose slowly to his feet and tabled the circumlocutorily named "Line of Communications Report into Irregularities following the conclusion of the War between Prussia and France over Alsace-Lorraine". The PM then gave an impassioned address to the house:
"With their surplus war credits, the French would have been able to have sent their fleet to the North Atlantic, thus setting up a potential blockade of Germany" he fulminated.
The French Ambassador who had been sitting in the gallery leapt to his feet and weeping with joy rushed back to the embassy to telegraph the good news back to Paris. It was the ultimate French wet dream. Following up on the Report, a revision to history ensued and the French fleet was deemed to have "sailed" to the North Atlantic and were challenged by the doomed, but gallant SMS Keine Hoffnung. The end result was a -1 card marker to Germany for being blockaded at the end of the War against France. These acts of perfidious, revisionist, revanchist, pedantry have since been commemorated in the foreign Ministry garden at the Wilhelmstrasse with the commissioning of the sculpture "Starvation of the Innocents" in the neo-baroque style by Reinhold Begas.
(That's the kind of thanks you get for saving Wellington's arse at Waterloo BTW...)
Meddling Mission completed, Britain continues to encroach into the Great Game area and an expedition is sent to Afghanistan. Shah Susa in tow, what could possibly go wrong?
Russia finally subdues Central Asia and wastes no time in expelling British diplomats from Tehran with offers of superior Sevruga Caviar. The British do not respond and the Russians seize the opportunity. The Shah, who developed quite a taste for the Russian delicacy, agrees to an alliance with the Russians.
Russia annexes Kuwait through the play of the Great Game card and now dominates in the Great Game flashpoint to the chagrin of the British who now rue the day they offered the Shah of Persia their own version of a seafood "delicacy" (Jellied Eels).
After the costly war of Unification against France, the Germans take advantage and play Loose Grip and the German Colonial Empire plants the flag in Tunis. The opportunity to play this card for the event, which required Germany to have unified to allow play of this card, was also a motivator in going for reunification this turn. Possibly worth it depending on National Goals, but we won't find out about that until another time.
The Ottomans barely notice the Teutons in Tunis and content themselves with their new East African colony. With Indian Ocean port access now secured and additional naval squadrons in their fleet, the Ottomans are third in Power Projection.
With the war between Prussia and France pushing France further toward the Entente and Germany towards the Triple Alliance, there is also further movement as the Ottomans start to get nervous and move to the Triple Alliance. Austria Hungary remains neutral and paradoxically Russia and Britain are unwilling alliance partners in the Triple Entente. France and Russia are fully committed, whilst the British seem to be hedging their bets moving towards neutrality.
Everyone industrialises, except the Germans as they had too few cards to invest this turn.
Turn 4 - The 1880s (part played)
The Germans, still bristling at their blockade despite their glorious victory over the French, play Folie de Grandeur and France loses control of a Qing space which they must now re-pacify if they wish to regain control of the Qing Flashpoint. They also receive a -1 card marker for next turn.
The British play Meiji Restoration bringing Japanese armies and navies into play. A diplomatic mission is quickly established and the British Ambassador Lord Hohei moves quickly. This time the Jellied Eels are a triumph and an alliance is formed.
The French return serve to the Germans via play of Colonial Conflict. They must also pacify Tunis.
The Berlin Conference green lights the Scramble for Africa which is rapidly carved up into spheres of influence.
The Austrians ally and then incorporate The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and with that, seal control of the Italy Flashpoint.
With Russian inroads into the Great Game area complete, this area is now stalemated around the ally status of Persia (currently allied to Russia). As both Britain and Russia are in the same alliance, this area cannot be settled with military action, so a costly to and fro diplomatic war over Persia is the only option to deny this area to the other.
The game was adjourned at this point with the Russian player's impulse to come as well as further card plays.
Will the British and the Russians settle into a cosy accommodation in the Great Game? All the low hanging fruit has been gobbled up by all the powers. The scramble for Africa is set to accelerate. Will France challenge British dominance of the high seas? Will they seek revanche against the Germans on their own or will they manipulate the other powers into a Great War winning coalition? Where will Austria turn? The Balkans beckon her, but what will the Russians have to say about this? Will this be the flash that finally ignites the Powder Keg and brings on that Great War? And what of the Ottomans, who have quietly been extending their empire and possess the world's second largest navy. Will they unleash Jihad?
All still to be revealed after the next session.
