Ars belli

 France stands alone As the game go by, the victory points accumulate. And it is clear that France is taking the lead. The King of France will tell you that it is not his fault, everyone rushes to Paris to marry splendid women. Artists are recognised at court and it is rumoured that the French privateers were happy in their expeditions against Spain. But then, Europe agrees, we must make sweet France bow her head. As far as weddings are concerned, everything stops. The essential has been done the previous rounds and it would be dangerous to marry further. Spain, once again an ally of the Holy Empire, declares war on the French. The French then ally themselves with the Protestants. The sultan, disappointed by his attempts to pierce the Suez canal, again declares war on the Spanish Christians. As for the English, decidedly tenacious, he remains at war with the French. Initially, the Spanish realize that they might have problems: the French alliance allow the Huguenot to move to Holla...

 Europe in Peace We had left the powerful of this world at war. Things will calm down and give Europe a short period of peace. In terms of marital negotiations, the kingdom of France took the lion's share. The most beautiful wedding of the turn is that of Henri of Navarre and Marguerite de Valois. It is bundled with a promise of non-aggression and the French commitment to finance the wedding. The virgin queen promises herself again to a suitor but the latter has little chance of reaching  the wedding night. Spain renews its French alliance but Madrid is becoming reticent. It seems that diplomats have taken precedence over men of action as the Ottoman Empire and Spain make peace. This inspires disdainful reflections around the table about the virility of the protagonists. Declarations of war follow. England can definitely not live without Scotland and declare war on France. And that is all. No further declarations. Apart from the war against the Protestants in Holland, there wi...

 The Virgin Queen - first session During confinement, a locked wargamer needs his methadone: Vassal. We are five confined players who have decided to start a game of Virgin Queen. The game is designed for six but can be played by five, unlike Here I Stand. In this configuration, the Holy Empire is a neutral country that can be influenced by diplomacy. Its central position makes it the target of greedy bids. The players are all multiplayers games vets.The most novice is given England, an easy country to play. After five minutes of negotiation to choose the sides, we start the game via Discord/Vassal. The Ottoman launches a maritime offensive in the Mediterranean. He manages to plunder the Sicilian coast but is beaten badly in a meeting with the Spanish fleet (the dice were Christian that day). The sultan then withdrew to Constantinople where he brooded over his defeat by sponsoring artists. Alas, there too, little success. In addition to his Mediterranean problems, the Spaniard was ...