La conquête de la Hongrie, 1526

The seventh game of the Gold & Steel series, La Conquête de la Hongrie, 1526 is an Operational level historical simulation featuring one of the numerous Ottoman attempts to conquer the Kingdom of Hungary which conducts to the famous battle of Mohacs, August 29, 1526, where the army of Suleyman The Magnificent will slaughter most of the Hungarian army, their allies army and their King Laszlo II. One player plays the role of the Hungarian Kingdom and its allies (Transylvania/Walachia, Croatia, Moldavia, Poland-Lithuania, Germany, Bohemia) the other player plays the Ottoman Empire and its allies (Serbia, Bosnia, Crimean Khanate). The objectives are to take control of the different territories (Pest, the main capital), to win pitched battles or major sieges, to eliminate units, leaders and the King! This is both a strategic & tactical game with garrisons and armies evolving on the main strategic map showing the Balkan countries and units fighting on a tactical map featuring a typical XVIth century battleground. Christians units are gendarmes (heavy cavalry), hussars (light cavalrymen), mounted archers, arquebusiers, bowmen, militia, pikemen, sword & bucklers and cannons. The Ottoman units are Janissaries, Sipahis (medium cavalry), Kapikulu (heavy cavalry), mounted arches, militia from Anatolia and Roumelia and many cannons. The ambience of that period is added with tactical chits with specific application for the fights – shooting and close-combat – (cavalry charge in line od deep ranks, bulwark shield, fight to death, waggonberg (enchained chariots), cannon battery, cannon fires, feint, arrows harassment, surround) and events such as rain, disagreement between chefs, betrayal, janissaries mutiny, ineffective artillery… This a medium to high complexity 2 players game. One turn is 2 weeks, and the game is played in 12 turns, 120 minutes of play. The complete sequence of a turn: I/ Ottoman Empire 1) Reinforcement, replacement, withdrawal, recruitment 2) Strategic move 3) Attrition phase 4) Combat phase (battles & sieges) II/ Hungarian Kingdom Same sequence III/ Diplomatic phase Change of alliance Check for victory —description from the designer