CLASH OF SOVEREIGNS: WAR O/T AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION (Special Order)

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December 1740: Young King Frederick II leads the army of upstart Prussia in a surprise invasion of Austrian Silesia. He hopes for an easy conquest of the rich province at a time when the Austrian Empire appears vulnerable following the death of Charles VI, King of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor. But despite internal opposition to the 'Pragmatic Sanction' that allowed a woman to inherit the throne, Austria's new Queen, Maria Theresa, is cowed neither by Frederick, nor by France's scheme to place a Bavarian puppet candidate on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, nor by Spanish designs on Austria's holdings in Italy. Amid these conflicting dynastic ambitions, Frederick's local territorial coup proves to be only the opening act in a major European war that none of the great powers had anticipated - but all wished to profit from. It would ultimately span eight years and half the globe.

Clash of Sovereigns (COS), GMT's 2-4 player card-driven game of the War of the Austrian Succession, has been 9 years in the making. It is a free-wheeling, faster-playing, stream-lined "nephew" of the widely-regarded Clash of Monarchs (COM).

Features:

• A 12-hour campaign game and three shorter scenarios covering 2-3 years apiece that can be played to completion in as little as three hours!

• 2-4 players.

• The French, Prussians/Spanish ("Pr/Span"), Austrians, and British/ Piedmontese ("Br/Pied") each have their own separate card decks divided into Early, Middle, and Late war periods

• Half a dozen minor powers add their own blood and diplomatic wrinkles to the tableau – and can sometimes reshape it utterly by switching sides.

• Leaders are rated for Initiative, Offense and Defense modifiers, and Action Points.

• Distinctive national tactics and troop quality factors are 'captured' by Army Battle Ratings (which evolve over time) and event and Battle Tactics cards.

• A simple, but significant, naval sub-game simulates naval operations in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, including the annual Bourbon Treasure Fleet's risky voyage home.

• Colonial conflicts in Canada and India are simulated by event cards

• Design-for-Effect economic factors are "baked into" the event and reinforcement cards and can therefore be resolved in only a small fraction of the time required by COM's more complex economic model.

The Bourbon (French, Spanish, Prussian) and Pragmatic (Austrian, British) alliances battle across central Europe from Paris to Konigsberg and Naples to London. Each year is divided into five 'seasons' (Late Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Early Winter). Play moves quickly since major campaigning is restricted to the Summer and Fall, and each power will typically activate only 1-3 forces per season. Certain event cards allow limited campaigning in the Early and Late Winter seasons as well. Each card has a Campaign Point (CP) value, which may be expended to activate Leaders and the armies they command, to perform Administrative Marches, and to conduct raids with irregular Croat/Hussar light troops (Austrian player only). Each leader has an Activation Point (AP) rating, which allows him to move, fight battles, and conduct sieges. This system produces historically valid outcomes and a rich narrative while keeping the pace of play brisk.

COS features asymmetrical armies with distinctive national characteristics and capabilities that have banded together in alliances that often struggle with conflicting goals. Both the Bourbons and Pragmatics will benefit – or suffer from – interactions among the various nations in their respective alliances.

The French player controls the largest, best-led army on the continent but is constrained by its limited logistical reach, King Louis XV's quirks and maladies, court intrigue, and periodic pressure from his Spanish ally. The French will welcome the Pr/Span player's powerful Prussian army lancing into the Austrian heartland in early/mid game but chafe under Spanish demands for cooperation and campaigning in I…