Thursday, June 9, 2011

AAR: Here I Stand (For A Few Minutes)

Here I Stand
Full 9 Turn Scenario 1517-1555
Ottoman: Michael R
Protestant, Pope, England, France, Hapsburg: Rich, Tom, Jim, Mike, Bob

This weekend was another full game of Here I Stand hosted by Rich S.  Aside from Rich and myself, the additional four players were all new to me, so it was nice to meet an expanding base of local gamers.  This was the first time playing a live game for a number of the the group, so the atmosphere was understood to be friendly and educational.  We all arrived ready to commit the day to diplomacy and conquest; little did we know it would all be over by lunch.  By the end of turn 3, France was declared Master of Europe. 

There is little point in giving a detailed account of such short game.  Essentially, my Ottomans and the Hapsburg squared off in Hungary and in the Mediterranean resulting in a stalemate.  The French prosecuted a war with the Pope in Northern Italy.  The Protestant was in no position to intervene in the early rounds and the English remained uncommited until Turn 3 when, realizing the potential for French victory, launched an abortive raid on Paris from Calais.  Through a series of New World successes and a nearly perfect draw of cards to complement his Italian strategy (Master of Italy), France hit the 25 vp's needed to win at the end of Turn 3.  I have yet to participate in a game that goes past 4 turns; I would like to see how a more typical endgame plays out.