Hi guys,
what a turn!
Here some highlights:
The Bourbon-Habsburg War (i.e. France against the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs) has seen mixed fortunes on either front. Louis' armies have invaded the Iberian peninsula, yet his navy was soundly defeated off Cape Finisterre. As for France's other frontline, Swabia could be held, whereas the Austrian army that had fled down to Naples is once again in command of the eternal city. The Emperor has shifted his entire troops towards the west and might bring considerable numerical superiority to bear in a continued war.
Anglo-Danish hostilities have cost the House of Oldenburg their ancestral domains in Lower Saxony. English landings in Norway were however repelled. Perhaps at the cost of Denmark's efforts to unite the Scandinavian realms under her leadership.
Sweden managed to offset the loss of Courland by taking Warsaw.
What to make of Turkish support to Poland's presence in the Crimea coupled with Turkey seizing Moldovia?
Cromwell has finally brought the Celtic realms under his control. It has to be noted that no other power overtly interfered in thus efforts.
The Sultan's arsenal and training-grounds are operating at max-capacity. Three builds. Not too shabby.
Well, a lot more going on here. But see for yourself!
Now on to another matter:
I'm grateful for all the feedback I've received from players and observers alike regarding my v3.6 draft I sent you.
You guys liked the basic idea of having Switzerland and Venice separated by Lombardy/Tyrolia. Yet Baron Powell (designer of the stellar 1900, Ambition & Empire (the variant that pioneered the DP system and inspired me to design both my 1648 and 1936 variants) and the recent medieval "Cardinal of Colleges) called me out on fudging with Venice's mid-17 century borders, me having simply sliced off a piece and added it to Lombardy. So I did some more thorough research regarding that area's historical geography. I learnt that the Freestate of Graubuenden (basically corresponding to the modern-day Swiss canton) wasn't part of the Swiss Confederacy back in 1648. While allied to the leading Swiss canton of Berne (and thus de facto to the whole Swiss Confederacy as a whole), bonds of alliance were actually stronger with the Spanish Duchy of Milan (aka Lombardy), with the Spanish Crown actually holding a measure of sovereignity over Graubuenden. So merging Graubuenden into the Lombardy makes historically speaking good sense and helps avoid historical inaccuracy. Wouldn't have arrived at this solution without critical feedback. The next draft will see this redrawn.
BTW, here are the reasons for the altered adjacencies. I wanted to offer more manoeuvre options in the HRE-Italy central cluster. I might add that early variant versions didn't include the Luxemburg, Hesse and Franconia buffers. More SCs were adjoining another. This made initial conquest of those minor power SCs easier (due to more DP support options). Too easy for my liking. Yet once conquered, too few buffer provinces were there too help create easily maintainable lines of demarcation between two powers. Now, historically speaking both the HRE and Italy were the key battlefields of Europe. As until 1859/71 (Italian and German unification) the relative power vacuum there sucked the major powers into a power struggle for these territories. That dynamic definitely is present in the variant, but needed to be moderated by making it practicable for powers to settle a mutual border running through this region.
In regards to individual powers, the change strengthens France's leverage over Switzerland and also Tuscany, while making Venice a little more difficult for Austria to take and once accomplished, this does not immediately grant Austria leverage over Switzerland. I'd also argue that France and Austria will find it much easier to amicably settle their respective spheres of interest. If France were to gain Lorraine, Switzerland, Savoy and Tuscany, while Austria secures Saxony, Bavaria, Venice and the Papal States and Swabia were left as a handy minor power buffer between the two, their SCs would only touch in one place (Tus-Pap).
As for my reworking of Spain, opinion has been divided over these changes. I wanted to make Spain's Iberian SCs more vulnerable. With them no longer adjoining, these cannot mutually support another. An opening move by A Madrid to Leon gives Spain the opportunity to conquer Portugal (together with F Sevilla). Should no other power interfere with such operations, gaining Portugal is guaranteed. But opening in such a manner also exposes Spain to attack, so Spain will have to consider that tradeoff.
This change also makes all of Spain's initial SCs non-contiguous (much as the other 4-SC power, Sweden). Note that the powers beginning with fewer units at their disposal enjoy more compact starting positions. The most compact (and thus easier to defend) position is that of France. All her initial SCs touch another. One might consider this also representing the fortress defences Vauban built in the second half of the 17th century.
I also solicited any suggestions you might have. One idea related to enhance the value of Southern dimension of the map. The Indian and Atlantic Ocean spheres. Say adding an Indian, Omani/Yemenite, South African, or one in the African Gulf of Guinea Coast or indeed New World SC. Making the Indian/Atlantic Oceans less (relative) strategic backwaters/peripheral zones. I feel those powers on the Southern periphery already have plenty of SCs to go after, so I didn't want to give those yet more. Besides, the map is designed to pull everyone more to the centre. The Maghreb, the Asian minor powers and the Celtic fringe are of course at the periphery, but those clusters won't win anyone the game alone. You need to succeed on the European mainland to win. So I doubt I'd go for "off-map SCs". Intriguing as that might be.
Retreats and Adjustments are due on Friday. But please get them in as soon as you can. Just to be on the safe side.
Happy dipping!
Charles
HEADLINES:
EUROPE IN TURMOIL!
PRESS:
None. :(
ORDERS:
Austria:
A Bavaria - Swabia (*Fails*)
A Franconia Supports A Bavaria - Swabia
A Naples - Papal States
A Prague Supports A Silesia - Saxony
A Silesia - Saxony
A Venice Supports A Naples - Papal States
A Vienna - Tyrolia
Denmark-Norway:
F Baltic Sea - Courland
A Lapland - Christiania (*Bounce*)
A Mecklenburg - Lower Saxony (*Fails*)
A Royal Prussia - Brandenburg
A Scania - Stockholm (*Fails*)
F Skagerrak Supports A Lapland - Christiania
F Stettin - Baltic Sea (*Bounce*)
England:
F Cantabrian Sea - Ireland
F German Sea - Christiania (*Bounce*)
F Irish Sea Supports F Cantabrian Sea - Ireland
F Norwegian Sea Supports F German Sea - Christiania
F United Provinces - Lower Saxony
France:
F Brest - Cantabrian Sea (*Fails*)
A Gascony Supports A Marseilles - Aragon
A Marseilles - Aragon
A Papal States Hold (*Dislodged*)
A Swabia Hold
A Switzerland Supports A Swabia
Poland-Lithuania:
A Crimea Supports A Volhynia - Ukraine
A Podolia - Cracow
A Samogitia Supports F Baltic Sea - Courland
A Vilna - Polish Livonia (*Fails*)
A Volhynia - Ukraine
Russia:
A Astrakhan - Turkestan (*Bounce*)
A Moscow Supports A Voronezh
A Polish Livonia - Vilna (*Fails*)
A Voronezh Hold
Spain:
A Aragon Supports A Portugal - Leon (*Dislodged*)
F Morocco Supports F Seville - Cantabrian Sea
A Portugal - Leon
F Seville - Cantabrian Sea
Sweden:
A Courland Supports A Samogitia - Ducal Prussia (*Dislodged*)
A Cracow - Warsaw
F Gulf of Bothnia - Baltic Sea (*Bounce*)
A Stockholm Hold
Turkey:
A Azerbaijan - Armenia
F Black Sea Supports A Crimea
A Bulgaria - Moldavia
A Persia - Turkestan (*Bounce*)
A Transylvania Supports A Bulgaria - Moldavia
F Tunis Hold
Minor Powers:
F Algiers Hold
A Ducal Prussia Supports F Baltic Sea - Courland
A Ireland Hold (*Destroyed*)
A Rhineland-Westphalia Supports F United Provinces - Lower Saxony
A Saxony Supports A Silesia - Brandenburg (*Destroyed*)
A Tuscany Supports A Naples - Papal States
A Ukraine Hold (*Destroyed*)
RETREATS:
France:
A Papal States
Spain:
A Aragon
Sweden:
A Courland
ADJUSTMENTS:
England:
Build
Build
France:
Build
Build (if A Papal States disbanded)
Poland-Lithuania:
Remove
Spain:
Build
Build (if A Aragon disbanded)
Sweden:
Build (if A Courland disbanded)
Turkey:
Build
Build
Build
SC OWNERSHIP (Winter 1650):
Austria: Bavaria, Papal States, Prague, Swabia, Trieste, Venice, Vienna.
Denmark-Norway: Brandenburg, Christiania, Copenhagen, Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg, Stettin.
England: Bristol, Flanders, London, Scotland, United Provinces.
France: Brest, Lorraine, Marseilles, Paris, Savoy, Switzerland.
Poland-Lithuania: Cracow, Crimea, Moldavia, Voronezh, Warsaw.
Russia: Moscow, Novgorod, Turkestan, Vilna.
Spain: Madrid, Naples, Portugal, Seville.
Sweden: Abo, Courland, Riga, Stockholm.
Turkey: Belgrade, Candia, Constantinople, Damascus, Transylvania, Wallachia.
Minor Powers: Algiers, Ducal Prussia, Ireland, Morocco, Persia, Rhineland-Westphalia, Saxony, Tunis, Tuscany, Ukraine.
PROJECTED SCHEDULE (6 PM CET):
Winter 1651 Retreats/Adjustments: 4 July
Spring 1652 Moves: 9 July
Summer 1652 Retreats: 11 July
Winter 1652 Retreats/Adjustments: 13 July
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