Ars belli

Nec Pluribus Impar  At the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, England is wounded but not dead. The successive defeats generated a large stock of bonus points (Treaty points). The management of these points is essential to get back in the race. Wasted on minor theatres, they won't be enough to reverse the tide.  One of the major stakes of the Seven Years' War that is about to begin is the Battle of the Atlantic (already). This is the moment when English naval superiority will serve ( finally ). A success at sea can break the naval power of the other side for good. My opponent has understood this and he will try to pile on as many bonuses as possible to achieve this goal. He takes two bonus tiles and plays the "Byng" event which gives an extra +2 bonus. Faced with this combined power, I decide not to try to win but to do some crisis management by looking for a draw or a minor defeat that gives only a few victory points to the other side.  In India, the situation...

From the War of the Spanish Succession to the War of the Austrian Succession In the second round, the demand for sugar, spices and fish explodes. I choose to leave the fish to England for two reasons: the Pvs won by the English will allow me to stay low in the score, always with the objective of playing first. The second is the point of debt that this resource inflicts on its controller. The debt always looks manageable but it slowly accumulates and can become a weapon in the hands of the other side. In the 18th century, rulers used to waste public money. Fortunately, nowadays, our experienced politicians are much better managers of state finances...  For my part, I invest in spices that reduce the level of debt. This scissor effect when it comes to spending will soon prove its importance.  The English decides to concentrate on the West Indies while I am courting Spain and Austria. The bonus tiles acquired thanks to Savoy and Sardinia allowed Bourbon to keep the Habsburgs alli...

 Imperial Struggle Or the art of wearing a powdered wig. I am going to relate here a game in which i'm opposed to a player from Georgia, USA. This game is one of the many played during an email tournament. We are now in the second round. The choice of sides   In spite of a few "hardliners" who persist in asserting that the game is balanced, one can only note the high number of French victories ( 60 to 80 % according to the experience of the players ). As a result, a system of bets for the French camp is organized. Each player gives the number of treaty points he gives to his opponent to play the lilies. Strangely, nobody offers any points to play the perfidious Albion (as much for the "harliners" previously cited). It seems to be agreed that one treaty point is too few and three is too generous. Two points seem to be the right price. Having suffered with England during the previous round, I pay this price and settle down to the destiny of France. The ministers T...