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Spotlight Articles

Outstanding articles that are not necessarily linked to one particular game, but may have broad appeal to gamers.

Alumwell Wargame Show 2024

Spotlight Article Graphic

"...I actually enjoyed this show more than any other that I have been to in the past couple of years." Norm Smith, in Battlefields & Warriors, regales us with sights and surprises from this show, along with some great pictures! And check out the source of an insight that led Norm to conclude "It made me realise that considering these things went into the air in their thousands, the financial investment in longbow archers must have been huge."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 3/22/2024


Fields of Corn & Rye

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"...I was pretty sure that I had found something that might do the job." Norm Smith, in Battlefields & Warriors, discusses a way he's found to address an old itch, namely adding texture and/or crop fields to tabletop settings. Check out what he finds to be a reasonable, cost-effective approach, considering that "...sometimes I think we have made ourselves a picture perfect world and lost something along the way."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 3/11/2024


On wargames campaigns (after Polemarch)

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"If one is to do this, it is quite useful to read Caesar to see the kinds of things he considered important when choosing if or when to give battle." Prufrock muses about the value of running campaigns for the ancients gaming he prefers. See why "It turned out I'd rather refight Zama for the tenth time than try to sustain interest in endless minor encounters between similarly equipped neighbours over local concerns."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 2/28/2024


Lord Stanley arrives at Piggy Longton 1472

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"...Piggy Longton is under the certain threat of Yorkist attack." Norm Smith, in Battlefields & Warriors, sets the stage for our next Piggy Longton encounter. Why must Lord Darcy cautiously accept help from one who is "...gaining a reputation of duplicity based upon political expedience."?

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 1/29/2024


More Spotlight articles...


Gaming Conventions

Gaming Conventions

Another new feature for Grognard.com, the Gaming Convention calendar will make it a snap to keep up with all the latest gaming conventions in your area. But we need your gaming convention information, so please contribute.



Grognard News

Grognard Challenge - Expanded Room for Comments! (6/25/2023)

The Comments entry area has been resized to 512 characters.

Grognard Opponents Wanted (9/14/2022)

New Opponents Wanted function. You can now set your ad expiration date, up to one year. Requires site registration.

Gaming Conventions

New Gaming Conventions calendar. You can see all upcoming gaming conventions worldwide.

If you are sponsoring a board gaming convention of some type, or know of one that is not listed on Grognard.com, then please contact us and let us know!

Gaming Clubs/Organziations

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If you belong to a gaming club, or know of one, please drop us a line and let us know so we can get it listed on Grognard.com!

New Search Features

Now you can search for specific games (or games by publisher) using the new Game Search feature, located at the top right corner of the this page. In addition you can now harness the power of Google to search the entire Grognard.com site for any specific information you'd like. Just enter a search word or phrase into the Google box labeled "Search All of Grognard.com" and click magnifying glass button. Search features will continue to be improved and enhanced going forward so check back often to see the latest stuff.

Grognard Originals

In addition to our links to great content all around the internet, expect to see more Grognard.com "originals" in the future.

Fast, simple, not expensive, little errata, but only reasonably fun. (War game Review)

In his review on BoardGameGeek, Brendan Whyte first turns a critical eye towards the components and rules and lists their shortcomings. Game play fares better: “…the game is fast and quite fun”. Whyte then goes into comprehensive details covering game mechanics and spares no criticism for the game opponent (AI). His discussion concerning solitaire board games vs solitaire computer games is very interesting.

PE TANG 1900 Q&A with Marco Campari

Some Q & A between myself and Marco Campari, designer of Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

PE TANG 1900 Strategy Tips

This is the strategy I developed after playing Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

PE TANG 1900 Optional Line of Sight Table

Here is an optional table to make it a little more difficult to eliminate the Boxer artillery.

More Grognard Originals...


Grognard Challenge

Latest Challenge

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Grognards Lost

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A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z '-9

Game: Congress of Vienna



(c10078)
 
 




Publisher: GMT Games
Series: Great Statesmen Series
Game Type: Board
Designer(s): Frank Esparrago
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Description:


We are pleased to announce an exciting new P500 offering: Congress of Vienna (CoV). Congress of Vienna is a diplomatic Strategy CDG for one to four players. It is based on Churchill, the superb, award-winning Mark Herman design, and was well received during GMT’s Spring 2019 Weekend at the Warehouse and June’s CSW Expo in Tempe, Arizona. It is the third game after Churchill and Pericles in GMT’s “Great Statesmen” series. CoV creates an enthralling gaming arena. It allows players to become the main characters of the dramatic, titanic struggle between the struggling Napoleonic Empire and the coalition of Russia, Austria, and Great Britain (with their Prussian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish allies). The game starts after Napoleon’s disastrous 1812 retreat from Moscow, covering the decisive years of 1813 and 1814. The abstract game map involves a strategic theatre portraying Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the boundaries of Poland and Prussia. It also includes the secondary front of Italy, an area for depicting maritime warfare and the British/American War of 1812. This game by designer Frank Esparrago and developer Dick Sauer (with much appreciated input from Mark Herman) has been created to be played as both a diplomatic and strategic military conflict without losing the taste of the Napoleonic era’s great battles.


Articles


Article ID
Pub Date
Article Description
9
Date: 11/18/2022
Poster: Doug Holt
Designing the Congress of Vienna Solitaire Game, Part 1of 2: Diplomacy and The French Bot

"Challenge: How to retain some of the variability four independently minded players seek in attaining personal victory?" Frank Esparrago and David Schoellhamer begin a series looking at solitaire adaptation for GMT Games' Congress of Vienna. Check out why they make the claim that "We found the Sorcerer’s Stone to solve our game’s Diplomacy Phase challenge!"
8
Date: 12/10/2021
Poster: Doug Holt
Congress of Vienna’s Tactical Battle Matrix Option Part 2 of 2 – An Example of Battle

"...players will regret not having withdrawn, not using a military card which was held back for another battle, a bad tactical chit choice, and of course, the inevitable final dice rolls! Oh the pain hindsight can bring!" Frank Esparrago and Fred Schachter continue discussing the tactical expansion for GMT Games' Congress of Vienna, this time with an example of play. They demonstrate the richness the expansion brings with a well laid out example, and then point out that "…readers should be reassured that the game time this takes in actual play is very fast."
7
Date: 12/8/2021
Poster: Doug Holt
A Congress of Vienna Option: Adding Tactical Flavor to Battles (A Tactical Battle Matrix) Part 1 of 2

"Some play testers wanted an option to study what could happen if they decided the big tactical choices in a decisive battle...". Frank Esparrago and David Schoellhamer begin an effort to make GMT Games' Congress of Vienna more grognard friendly. Check out the results when they "…could not resist the opportunity to address their desire!"
6
Date: 10/20/2021
Poster: Doug Holt
War or Diplomacy? The Struggle Between the Wargamer vs Eurogamer Soul in the Design and Development of Congress of Vienna

"When you create a game like Congress of Vienna with its major political and diplomatic elements; you know some of the 'certainties' of a standard wargame which must be exceeded...". Frank Esparrago and Fred Schachter discuss the character of GMT Games' Congress of Vienna card driven game, in terms of how players view it. There seems to be a classic divide, in which it's "…almost like Designer Frank had two angels perched on his shoulders as he labored on his game creation… one a 'Wargamer Angel' and the other a 'Eurogamer Angel' each whispering their imprecations into his ears. Whom did he heed?
5
Date: 9/22/2021
Poster: Doug Holt
Congress of Vienna Standard Game After-Action-Report: “The Clash of Armies” Scenario (Turn 1 of 4 – Aug. 1813)

"...the more experienced of our Congress of Vienna Play Test Teams already know that when there is disunity among Allied players France may prevail!" Frank Esparrago and Fred Schachter begin a scenario AAR for their GMT Games' Congress of Vienna card driven game. Check out how this first game turn delivers a lopsided result in which "…the Allied bed has been made. Will they be able to recuperate from this turn’s set-backs or will Napoleon go on to victory?"
4
Date: 4/5/2021
Poster: Doug Holt
Congress of Vienna: Designing Its Solitaire Game

"...how can a good solitaire system be devised?" Frank Esparrago begins a series describing efforts to create a solitaire system for GMT Games' Congress of Vienna. Things look promising, in that Jim Gutt has already been creating flowcharts that "…sometimes generate better play results by his [Congress of Vienna] Bots than an average human player can accomplish!"
3
Date: 8/26/2020
Poster: Doug Holt
Interview with Frank Esparrago Designer of Congress of Vienna from GMT Games

"With this title, I want players to be reminded that Clausewitz’s maxim 'war is politics with other means' is very true...". Grant Kleinhenz interviews designer Frank Esparrago about his GMT Games' Congress of Vienna, a card driven simulation of the close of the Napoleonic wars. Frank is clearly focused on both a sound design and fun: "…you have to endow the cards with characters containing 'soul'…"!
2
Date: 7/27/2020
Poster: Doug Holt
Congress of Vienna July 2020 Development Update

"...the effort to edit and 'professionalize' Congress of Vienna‘s Rulebook is well underway...". Frank Esparrago and Fred Schachter relate the progress being made on GMT Games' Congress of Vienna, now that it has made the P500 "cut". Updates include changes to the map board, combat balancing, the card deck and the solitaire game system. Looking good!
1
Date: 1/31/2020
Poster: Doug Holt
A Historical Introduction to the Congress of Vienna Period Part 2 of 4: Napoleon Resurgent (Spring 1813)

"At the beginning of April 1813, the French withdrawal in Central Europe caused the Allies to acquire a false sense of security...". Designer Frank Esparrago continues a series of articles familiarizing readers with the historical background for his GMT Games' Congress of Vienna, which covers the intense dynamics of the period after Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. Check out some awesome history intended to whet your appetite: "…it was time to spring Napoleon’s trap."