"I am very much afraid that the states of the Empire, quarrelling fiercely among themselves, may start a fatal conflagration...all this will undoubtedly produce the most dangerous consequences, bringing about the total collapse and unavoidable alteration in the present state of Germany." Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in a letter to Louis XIII, King of France, March 1615 The sadly prescient words of the good Landgrave were echoed by many other leaders in Germany and surrounding lands in the early 17th century. Everyone saw the war coming, but no one could find a way to stop it. And so it came and for 30 years Germany bled, and burned, and wept.
A unique war, both for its religious and political background and for the weapons and tactics used, the Thirty Years War (TYW) has always been one of my favorite periods of military history. Our good friends at AGEOD and HQ Games have provided us with the opportunity to experience this terrible conflict for ourselves. And with that as introduction, let us to the game!
I will play as the Imperialist/Catholic faction in grand campaign. I set the AI at 'Lieutenant', give it more time and a low detection bonus. Of note I always play with 'all leaders activated' - with month-long turns things move slowly enough as it is, so I like my leaders active. We'll see how that pans out this time.
The initial setup, September 1618:
The Imperial Army, such as it is, is located in Wien under Count Bucquoy, while the obstreperous heretics have already captured Prague and are sieging Pilsen and Budweis. My options are limited at this point, so I buy three infantry replacements, set to chastising heretics in Austria (using RDCs) and await developments.
(Your indulgence is appreciated as this is my first AAR and I am still learning about screenshots, etc.)