"Board Game "Friedrich" by Histogame" Topic

I only dropped on this one recently. Does anyone know of this board game?

link

Is it any good? Reading through their descrtiption it might serve well for a borad based campain with battles resolved on the table.

Comments much apreciated,
Christian

link

Christian,
The game looks great. I think this looks like a certain Christmas present.
Nigel

Christian… we have the game and tested its use for a campaign. It is ideal, especially with more than two players. Army build, supply and a different method of resolving battle makes this an interesting opton over a standard campaign with map and pins.

Although the map covers western Europe the number of turns needed to complete a year is very short. In effect you just may have the two or three major battles per campaign year. If that is not a concern, then operating several campaigns simultaneously with auxiliary columns moving between fronts, this game could work well.

Our final choice came down to simplifying our campaign between two protagonists and focused on a campaign season, spring 1757 in Bohemia.

Cheers,
Robert
18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com

Monsieur Chevert and I use the game as an unofficial campaign map and game. One of these days I would actually like to play the game. It is a beautiful looking game board.

I'm quite a fan. An excellent three player game.

Advocate and Thistledo of these here parts would agree as well – and they are knowledgeable about this era. I'm not…

There is an imminent follow-up called Maria: link

It's a fun… albeit sort of weird game. We've played it many times. There are no dice. Everything is done with cards, so you're taking turns playing card values to create your own "luck" in battles.

The combat system, if it even deserves to be called that, is very limited and abstract.

We noticed that it's possible for a conservative player to hang back for a while and amass a huge hand of cards (there is no limit to the size of your hand), and then become unstoppable.

On the other hand, it does a nice job of recreating the increasing desperation and exhaustion of the Prussians, who start the game all and fire, and by the end are desperately holding out for that Tsarina to die!

Even apart from the wonderful components, it is a great game. I seem always to play Frederick, and constantly feel paranoid (everyone really is out to get you) but I still love the game. Even the large hands commented on above often have a weakness in one suit or another, and if one of the attackers is playing conservatively – well the others should either start doing the same (there is no point in setting up an easy victory for another player by weakening Prussia) or be picking up their own victory points and challenging for the game.
It is a game of manouevre and truly is not over until the fat lady sings: on several occasions an unexpected series of victories has given new life to a Prussia seriously on the ropes.
I'd only say that I think it plays better with four than three – with three, the Russia/France player has more opportunity to soak up Prussia's cards, or send Sweden west to do the same to Hanover. But I've played good games with either number.

Check out GMTs Battle of Monarchs it is ideal for using as a campign for miniatures.
William

William, if you mean "Clash of Monarchs," then I hope you're just intending to use the board for campaigns. Because the game itself is so nightmarishly complex and poorly written that nobody I know has ever been able to complete more than one turn of it.

We had four guys around a table, all of whom had read the book, all scratching our heads for hours over that game. What a disaster of bad design and terrible writing! It's obviously one of those cases where the designer wanted to include absolutely everything he could possibly think of, and none of the playtesters ever told him to simplify or streamline.

Guys,

Thanks for your comments. I have made my order today. I liked the designers notes. They made me curious. Also ordering was rather simple. Game is completely sold out. He proposed to send me either a box with minor shipping damage or alternatively some sort of upgraded first edition. Anyway, all works just the good old "I-trust-you-way" without this wretched password Paypal credit card online ordering crab. They'll just send me a bill. What a nice company this is.

Cheers,
Christian

Oh… that "bill" should better read an" invoice".

You will enjoy it!