Battles of 1866
In just seven weeks in the summer of 1866,
the newly-modernized Prussian army defeated
its larger and better-experienced Austrian
rival and completely overturned European
power politics. Germany would become a united,
ambitious empire, Italy a united kingdom,
and Austria a multi-national empire shorn
of her economic strength. The seeds of world
war were sown on the fields of Königgrätz.
Battles of 1866 is one of the largest games
we’ve ever produced, a set of seven
battle games all in one box. There are eight
maps and five sheets of game pieces. The game
system is the same as that in our War
of the States games, with a few modifications
for the European way of war. Units represent
infantry brigades, cavalry regiments and artillery
batteries. The game pieces come in two sizes.
“Long” pieces are 1 and 1/3 inches
long and 2/3 inches wide, a very large piece.
These represent infantry brigades. Other pieces
are squares 2/3-inch across each side. These
represent cavalry regiments and artillery
batteries. Prussian, Austrian, Italian and
Saxon units are all present.
 Units
are rated for combat strength and morale,
losing both as they take losses in combat.
Each battleground is recreated as a topographic
map divided into irregular areas rather than
the hexagons used in traditional board wargames.
These are not chosen randomly, but rather
conform to the lie of the land to channel
movement the same way folds, rises and gullies
do on an actual piece of ground.
A unit must fit in the area it occupies,
in the direction it faces. If the area is
too narrow for one of the large pieces, it’s
not allowed to occupy the area, or at least
not stay there and face the direction the
player might like. Thus troops are placed
along ridge lines, for example, not across
them. Flanks become even more important; if
you leave a unit “hanging” in
a position where it can’t turn to defend
itself fully against an approaching enemy
because it can’t be placed in the area
facing that direction, be prepared for serious
losses.
 Combat
can take the form of assault, cavalry charge
or bombardment. Each player rolls a number
of dice equal to the total combat strength
of his or her units involved. For each result
of 6, one hit is achieved. For each hit suffered
by a unit, it loses one “step,”
or level of strength.
But before it can make an attack or move,
a unit must be activated. Better leaders are
better able to activate their units more easily,
giving them a significant edge. Austrian leaders
generally add more to combat, reflecting their
army’s emphasis on personal courage,
while the Prussians are better organized and
will do a much better job bringing their forces
to bear.
Austria has better cavalry and artillery,
but Prussia brings the needle gun with its
devastating short-range firepower. Prussian
players will want to seize key terrain and
force the Austrians to attack them.
The seven battles are:
Königgrätz
3 July 1866. One of the largest battles fought
in Europe up to that time. The combined Prussian
First, Second and Elbe armies against the
Austrian North Army and the Saxons. Early
Austrian defensive success was undone by over-eager
generals and Prussia won the right to unite
Germany under the black eagle banner.
Custoza
24 June 1866. Hard fighting between Austrians
and the new Royal Italian Army near the fortress-city
Verona. A key Austrian maneuver unhinges the
Italian position.
Trautenau
27 June 1866. “A slap that rocked the
whole Prussian Army,” according to Otto
von Bismarck. The Austrian X Corps of Leopold
von Gablenz defeats Eduard von Bonin’s
Prussian I Corps.
Nachod
27 June 1866. A bloody fight between Wilhelm
von Ramming's Austrian VI Corps and Karl von
Steinmetz’s Prussian V Corps leads to
a narrow Prussian victory.
Skalitz
28 June 1866. Steinmetz’s troops defeat
their second Austrian corps in as many days,
driving back Archduke Leopold’s VIII
Corps.
Soor
28 June 1866. Gablenz has much less luck
against the Prussian Guard when poor communications
ruin another flank attack.
Gitschin
29 June 1866. Crown Prince Albert of Saxony
leads his army and the Austrian I Corps against
the Prussian First Army.
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Price: $199.99
Status: Coming Soon!
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