{"product_id":"won-by-the-sword","title":"Won by the Sword","description":"\u003ctable width=\"100%\" padding=\"1\" margin=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesigner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.vaibhavhospital.com\/collections\/ben-hull\"\u003eBen Hull\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.vaibhavhospital.com\/collections\/all\/gmt-games\"\u003eGMT Games\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlayers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlaytime\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e360 mins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSuggested Age\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12 and up\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr id=\"bgg-row\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd id=\"bgg-column-info\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdditional Info\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd id=\"bgg-column\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"bgg-url\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003e22606\/won-sword\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"bgg-forum-url\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003ehttp:\/\/boardgamegeek.com\/forum\/264859\/won-sword\/reviews\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSituation:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe war raged across Germany from 1618 to 1630 with the Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor retaining the upperhand. Then the tide of war changed when King Gustav Adolf of Sweden, the \"Lion of the North,\" revitalized the cause of the Protestant princes of Germany. Bankrolled by France, the Swedes pushed their advantage towards the Emperor's most valuable ally, Maximilian of Bavaria. Though Catholic, France sought to keep the power of the Habsburgs in check by financially supporting the Swedish King.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom 1632 to 1648, Bavaria and the surrounding area became a crucial battlefront to knocking Bavaria out of the war. The Swedes enjoyed success until fate removed their King and their over-extended forces could not hold onto their gains. After the Swedes suffered a sharp defeat at Nördlingen in 1634, France was forced to play a more active role or lose all she had paid for. A series of seesaw campaigns ensued as the French Armée d'Allemagne secured crossings of the Rhine and pushed the war back into the heart of Bavaria. The area became the proving ground of the greatest generals of the age - Turenne, Condé, Mercy, de Werth. Neither side possessed a clear superiority of forces so it was a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, march, counter-march, siege, and surprise attacks. After several years, a combined French-Swedish campaign finally broke the back of the Bavarians in 1646 and Maximilian made a separate peace. It did not last long; after a year he reluctantly rejoined the Imperial cause. Repeating the winning combination of 1646, the French-Swedish army ended Maximilian's enterprise at Zusmarshausen in 1648.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Game:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWon by the Sword\u003c\/strong\u003e is the first game in Ben Hull's Great Campaigns of the Thirty Years War series. It is a two-player game of operational warfare in the 17th Century. Armies maneuver on a point to point map of Southern Germany based on the road network available at the time. Each game is centered around a major battle or full campaign season. A Turn is a month divided into a variable number of impulses. Each army has a hand of Campaign Cards that control the amount of activity it may perform, the supplies it must expend, and a special action. Each impulse features one card play per army. Forces are concealed off map so players are faced with limited knowledge of the enemy. The major activities are maneuver, foraging, besieging fortifications, and an occasional battle. \u003cstrong\u003eWon by the Sword\u003c\/strong\u003e is a low-complexity game with emphasis on the players maneuvering their forces, but many decisions await. The low rules complexity allows each player, rather than being encumbered with rules, to focus on choices regarding how to manage his campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBattle Games:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNördlingen 1634\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuttlingen 1643\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFreiburg 1644\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMergentheim 1645\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlerheim 1645\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull Campaigns:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1632 - The Lion of the North Goes South - Gustav Adolf's Campaign against Bavaria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1634 - Swedes are pushed out of the South\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1638 - Weimar's Triumph - Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar leads his German corps in French service to turn the tide of the war in the South\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1644 - French battle to secure the Breisgau and Baden, Bavarians defend masterfully\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1645 - Struggle for Württemburg - French and Bavrians fight a seesaw battle for control of Württemburg and Nördlingen area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1646 - Turenne's Triumph - French and Swedes launch a joint campaign to bring Bavaria to her knees\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1648 - The Bitter End - Zusmarshausen, again a combined French - Swedish force strikes into the heart of a resurgent Bavaria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTIME SCALE: 5 to 7 days per Turn \u003cbr\u003eMAP SCALE: Point to Point\u003cbr\u003eUNIT SCALE:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInfantry Regiments = 800-1000 men\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCavalry Regiments = 400-500 men\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetachments = 200-300 men\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtillery Units = 8-10 guns\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCOMPONENTS:\u003cbr\u003eOne 34\"x22\" map\u003cbr\u003eFour countersheets\u003cbr\u003eOne deck of 55 cards\u003cbr\u003eOne Rules Booklet\u003cbr\u003eOne Campaign Booklet\u003cbr\u003eOne 8.5\"x11\" Battle Board\u003cbr\u003eTwo 8.5\"x11\" Player Force Cards\u003cbr\u003eTwo 11\"x17\" Player Aid Cards\u003cbr\u003eOne 10-sided die\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GMT Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":957522241,"sku":"957522241","price":37.74,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9631\/products\/Won_by_the_Sword_a93bdcad-a7aa-47e5-ac9b-b7479ce6eac3.jpg?v=1578608955","url":"https:\/\/www.vaibhavhospital.com\/products\/won-by-the-sword","provider":"vaibhavhospital","version":"1.0","type":"link"}