Das Festung Baues Spiel

Das Festung Baues Spiel, an early 18th century military fortifications board game, comprises 52 engraved playing cards numbered sequentially. The cards use the French suits — with the suit being an image of a fortification, many rather intricate and some quite attractive — along with a paragraph of explanatory text. Along the top of the sheet additional panels list the game's rules, and a panel along the left edge contains an index of important terms. A central panel bear the "Peter Schencken" imprint against an architectural backdrop adorned with military hardware. The sheet could be dissected for use as a traditional deck of cards or left intact for use as a board game, using the rules printed at the top. These rules appear to be fairly straightforward, involving the rolling of dice to determine one's moves, the victor being the first to land on panel number 53, the Complete Vestung ("Complete Fortification"). Additional rules add spice to the game; for example, anyone landing on panel number 16 — the Aussenwercke ("Outworks") — must sit out two turns. By progressing through all the panels, players are exposed in sequence to the various elements of fortification, from basic geometry through the digging of counter approaches.