EUROPE 1755:

England and France are already at war in North America. Can war with Prussia be far behind? Ever since the end of the War of Austrian Succession, Prussia have become ever more isolated. Now it faces a coalition of France, Austria, Saxony and Russia. Only England and Holland stand with her.

DRESDEN, SAXONY:

Just south of Prussia lies the lovely land of Saxony. The Elbe River flows through the middle of the land but there are no other natural barriers. This is unfortunate for Saxony since it will be the first battlefield should war come. Saxony is allied with Austria against Prussia but it will stand alone when war starts. Saxon generals know this and are making plans to defend. They have a good army and a strong fortress at Dresden. But the Prussians have the best infantry in Europe! It looks like it will be a long war.

THE SPIES:

Frederick commands that a careful survey be done of Saxon military preparations. He wants to know the strength and location of military units, in what state of repair the fortress is, who the commanders are and what their plans are. And he wants this yesterday!

THE COUNTER SPIES:

Saxony is an open enlightened society. Which means that spies can come and go much more easily than in Prussia. Security is supplied by Provost who patrol for deserters from the army (there are always deserters from the army) and mounted dragoons who enforce the law. This is the French model of policing, found throughout much of Europe. The Saxon army is in barracks in the fortress and only comes out to train. The generals want all possible spies followed and apprehended if they do anything. Of course this is impossible. Good luck!

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Count Hesselbach: A Saxon lord of intellect and wit. He is the lieutenant of police (i.e. the magistrate of Dresden). He commands the Dragoons and regulates public health. He is the judge in all court cases.
Colonel Balbi: A Genoese Military Engineer in the employ of Prussia. He is said to be Frederick's friend. He is possibly incompetent; he certainly dresses like a fool. Clearly he is here to spy!
Baron Von Blucher: A Saxon lord, Provost Marshall of the Army. He is a nasty little martinet who enjoys hurting people.
The Provosts: Military Police whose job it is to round up deserters and stop looting.
The Dragoons: Mounted Policemen who enforce civil law.
Colonel Louven: A Dutch Military Engineer in the employ of Saxony. He is charged with the repair of Dresden.
Sir Fritz Von Maxen: A Saxon gentleman who serves on the army staff. He is a good man but a little slow. They say he gambles poorly.
Captain D'Angelo: A Venetian soldier of fortune now serving in the Saxon army. He has debts in Italy and can not return home till they are paid. They say he likes women and horses.
Captain Herental: A Walloon soldier of fortune now serving in the Saxon army. Is he pro French or pro English? No one knows.
Captain Sudrovich: A Polish soldier of fortune who once served in the Prussian army, now employed by Saxony. He is an excellent officer well liked by his men.
Kunagunda: A buxom Saxon madschen who is in search of a good man. She is a peasant.
Lady Von Maxen: The wife of Sir Fritz. She is Austrian and longs for the day she can leave this wretched city and return to Vienna.
Sister Maria: A Carmelite Nun who works with the poor in Dresden.
Magdelena: Daughter of a Dresden merchant. She enjoys music, reading and riding.
Hans the stable boy: I'll tend your horse sir. Read? No I can't. Count? Only up to ten.
Zorba the Gypsy: Sing Gypsy. Dance Gypsy. Spy Gypsy. Steal Gypsy! But first we drink!
Karl der Postman: I'm sorry sir, this needs to have the correct postage on it.
Baron Von Munchausen: The Austrian envoy and notorious liar. Don't gamble with him, he cheats!
Minister Ludwig: We were saved from the eternal fires of Hell by Martin Luther. Remember that!
Private Dog: A Saxon soldier of little brain and less imagination.

THE LOCATIONS

The Fortress of Dresden: A fort in the style of Vauban. It will be besieged in 1759 and 1760.
The Palace: The location of all polite society in the town. Also the general staff HQ.
Dresden: A wonderful little city. It contains a fortress and a palace.
Saxony: Lovely rolling countryside. Productive and rich, It contains Dresden.
Prussia: A cold hard land full of war crazed mad men. Of course that is from a Saxon perspective.

THE TREASURES

Plans to the fortress: These are located in the Palace.
The table of organization of the Saxon Army: Located in the Palace.
The general's plan of defense: Known by Von Maxin.

HOW TO USE THE PROPS

Copy the information of the characters, locations and treasures to 3x5 cards. The location cards are laid down on a table to form a "map" of the play area. Each location is an "area". Character cards are set down near the location they are in. Treasure cards are also put down. (NOTE: The general's plans are put under Von Maxin because they are in his head.)

Players can substitute figures for character cards and pretty maps or terrain for location cards. This makes the game a lot more fun to look at.

MOVEMENT

At the beginning of each turn player get a free move. They can move the characters they control anywhere they want to inside the area they are in. It takes an "Action/Argument" to move characters to a new location. (NOTE: The palace and fortress are inside Dresden so one can move from one to the other without an action. BUT unless you are "the right sort of people" you may not be let in!)

RECRUITING CHARACTERS

Players start with one character each. The players secretly decide which side they are on. They may take control of additional characters by using an "Action/Argument". Players may steal control of characters from one another.

STEALING SECRETS

To steal a secret a character must have access to it. If he does, then a player can make him go get the item by using an "Action/Argument."

ARRESTING PEOPLE

When something illegal happens, the authorities can arrest someone for it. Since this is the "Age of Reason" the arresting player must have evidence that the person did the crime! Players make up the evidence using their "Action/Arguments." Players arrest a character using an "Action/Argument".

CONFLICT

Whenever a player does an action that will cause a conflict, the referee looks at the situation and decides which side is in the stronger position. That player then makes a free "Action/Argument" to describe the outcome of the conflict. If this fails, then the next strongest player makes an "Action/Argument." This continues until an argument succeeds.

ACTIONS/ARGUMENTS

Each turn each player gets to make one action/argument about what he wants to happen next. They player can try to do anything. One player, who has no character, is the referee. The referee decides how strong the action/argument is. This determines the roll the player must roll on one six-sided die for the argument to happen.

Very Strong 2,3,4,5,6
Strong 3,4,5,6
Average 4,5,6
Weak 5,6
Very Weak 6
Stupid 7!

SECRET ACTION/ARGUMENTS

Players may do secret actions by saying "Someone is doing something, but no one sees it happen". While handing the referee a written argument. The referee rules on the argument and the player rolls normally. The player's secret is a new treasure that other players may want to steal.

MATRIX GAME VERSUS ROLE-PLAY GAME

The game described above can be done as a role-play game or a Matrix Game. The idea of using one action per turn that is ruled on by a referee to determine what happens is a Matrix Game. It is simple and straightforward. It gives a quick fun game that is highly unpredictable but always logical. There are many more rules to Matrix Games not included here but these rules should work for a beginners' game.

Role-playing could also be used, but my feeling is that that will entail a lot more work on the part of the players and referee.

NEXT TIME AN EXTENSIVE EXAMPLE OF PLAY SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS GAME REALLY WORKS!

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