The Games You Want to Play – Part XIV…

No Peace Without Spain
The War of Spanish Succession 1702-1713

We had not played this excellent game, designed by a good friend of mine – Don Herndon, in some time. But a quick play this week reminded me of why this elegantly designed game is such fun to play.

When King Carlos II of Spain died in 1700 without an heir, it set in motion a dynastic struggle between the Bourbons and Hapsburgs. This game covers the entire war.

Don spent years designing and fine-tuning this game to make it work so smoothly. In fact, its design was such a success that the system is now being used by two other game designers for at least two more games. These games are:

Nine Years War, the published ‘prequel’ to NPWS (it uses the same map, and can be linked to NPWS on a grand campaign):
https://boardgamegeek.com/…/nine-years-war-grand-alliance-1…

A Pragmatic War, the not-yet-published ‘sequel’ covering the War of Austrian Succession:
https://www.compassgames.com/preorders/a-pragmatic-war.html

Finally, due to its popularity, Compass Games has released a Deluxe 2nd Edition with a mounted board and upgraded counters (see the link below for the Publisher)!

This was a war that ranged across Spain, Italy, Austria, Bavaria, the Low Countries, and France; included massive fortifications and the constant sieges needed to advance beyond them; involved numerous field battles – many with their own fortifications and up to 100,000 men; had a poor logistics system that was highly dependent upon local supplies; and ranged across a dozen years. Additionally, the forces of multiple nations contributed to the struggle.

The designers goal was a game that could be enjoyed in a single sitting, yet still capture the flavor of that complex war. He succeeded and created a system that is flexible and playable enough to become a go-to choice for designers of games for other horse-and-musket period wars.

The game includes card-driven actions, cards that reflect actual events, historic leaders, beautiful period artwork, and a point-to-point movement system. The elegant battle system allows rapid resolution of both sieges and field battles. Victory points are awarded for successful sieges, historic victories in large field battles, and the capture of key cities.

We are going to have a selection of top-notch, two-player games like this one available for open gaming included in the Game Library. Be sure to vote for it when you register (though it may find its way onboard, anyway)!

Publisher: https://www.compassgames.com/no-peace-without-spain-86.html

See you onboard,

Gaming By Sea

www.gamingbysea.com

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