Games
F:AT Game 3 has wrapped up, with a fourth turn VP victory for Dogmatix (Hapsburgs). I think this is the first one to actually finish (so Game 3 is a misnomer), and was my first HIS game.
It went down to the wire at the end of Turn 4, with the Pope (MattDP), the Hapsburgs, and England (me) all scratching around near 25 points. In the end, some sloppiness regarding the application of Schmalkaldic League let Dogmatix pull a couple of VP out of his hat for the win, after an assault of Bordeaux by the English was 1 hit short of an auto-win.
Other dramatis personae: Dr_Mabuse (Ottoman), lollocaust (France), stonecutter (Protestant), and Partizan (Hapsburgs for turn 1 and 2, resigned.)
I'll reconstruct this as well as I can, but some of this is reaching waaay back:
Turn 1:
England allies with the Hapsburgs, invades Scotland successfully.
Protestant does decently with 95 Theses, most of that is undone by Diet of Worms.
Ottomans take Belgrade, Chuck V takes Metz.
Prots finish German NT, win lots of spaces.
Hapsburgs activate Genoa.
France build Chateux.
Pope takes Florence.
Cartier attempts to circumnavigate, but gets eaten by cannibals.
Orellana discovers the Amazon for the HRE.
Willoughby discovers the Mississippi for England.
Cordova learns that conquest is a hard business and dies.
Victory Points: O 10 H 13 E 12 F 14 Pa 19 Pr 2
Turn 2:
Pope and Hapsburgs buddy up.
England allies with both Hapsburgs and France, gains Metz from Hapsburgs. No new wars.
England asks for a divorce.
Hapsburg assault Lyon, taking heavy losses.
After reinforcements from both sides, eventually Lyon falls and Montmorency captured.
France takes a mostly unguarded Besancon.
Ottoman bring a horde and a half to Buda, destroy everyone in one roll, march on to Vienna.
Vienna falls to the Ottoman horde.
Prots complete German Bible, get most of their spaces from it.
Prots snarf "A Mighty Fortress" from the discard pile.
Pope burns Carlstadt.
Barbary Pirates come into play.
De Vaca discovers the St. Lawrence River for the Hapsburgs.
Montejo subdues the Incas.
Hapsburgs establish a colony, picks up two cards from the Inca and colony.
Victory Points: O 18 H 16 E 14 F 12 Pa 18 Pr 4
Turn 3:
France sues for peace with Chuck V, regains Lyon for a card draw. Hpasburg throw in Montmorency for free.
Hapsburgs sue the Ottoman for peace, regaining Vienna and granting 3 VP total to Suleiman.
Ottoman declare war on Venice, Pope intervenes to activate Venice.
Dogmatix takes over as Chuck V.
England sneak-attacks France, takes Rouen. Also establishes a colony and sends an explorer.
Hapburgs sink English explorer.
Protestants play "A Mighty Fortess", take more spaces.
Ottomans go to war in Egypt, and hit the Hapsburg for some Piracy VPs.
Cortez conquers the Aztecs, Ponce de Leon circumnavigates.
Hapsburgs pull three cards out of four chances from the New World.
Victory Points: O 20 H 22 E 16 F 14 Pa 19 Pr 6
Turn 4:
Hapsburg ally with England (critical event here, folks). Chuck declares war on Ottomans.
Divorce granted, card draw paid by Hapsburg in complicated three-way deal.
Heir roll is 5, sickly Edward for 5VP.
France sues England for peace, gives card draw for Rouen.
Hapsburg raise a horde of their own and start marching into Hungary.
Ottoman intercept in Pressburg, are beaten back to Buda. 4 units hide, 1 unit runs like mad.
Hapsburg hassle the Ottoman with every move-interrupting card there is.
Hapsburg take Buda with "Treachery!"
Pope wins a huge debate, flipping four spaces and burning Melancthon.
France builds Chateaux.
Hapsburg march on Belgrade, Suleiman and a mini-horde rush to defense, are forced to retreat.
Belgrade falls, England stops dicking around and realizes the game is about to end.
England (allied with the Haps, remember), declares war on France, who is very short of cards.
Henry, Brandon and all the troops they can muster bum-rush Paris. French leaders attempt to run, fail.
French army is completely destroyed on the field, Francis and Montmorency captured.
An undefended Paris falls, Henry and most remaining troops march to Lyon and take that.
Hapsburg send an explorer. England draws two cards with Fuggers.
Pope plays Andrea Doria to take Genoa from Chuckles, putting himself on 24 points, and reducing the Hapsburg to 23. (England at 24)
Protestant play ops to publish in English and French. 2 spaces converted, including one in England to put England at 25VP.
Pope burns books and obliterates Protestantism in England, but can't struggle back to 24 points.
England continues the French tour (now brought to you by Fuggers!) by storming Bordeaux.
Last card play is "Master of Italy", a free VP for the Pope. England assaults Bordeaux, hoping for the auto-win. 5 dice, needing two hits, it's a 54% chance. Only one hit comes up.
England has an explorer out, as do the Hapsburgs. Hapsburgs also have a conquest in play.
In the wrap-up, Schmalkaldic League triggers, and Trier and Wittenburg (flipped this turn) net the Hapsburg 2 points (for 25). A good exploration roll makes it 26, canceling the England explorer.
Hapsburgs win.
Final scores:
Ottoman: 16
Hapsburgs: 26
England: 24
France: 13
Papacy: 24
Protestant: 17
Notes:
Afterwards, I think my allying with the Hapsburg was the critical event here. Through diplomacy I knew he had a war-making hand, and I didn't feel like being on the wrong end of it. I wrangled a divorce out of that deal, but in the end the alliance meant there was very little I could do to put the brakes on him. I ended up being forced to go on a rampage in France trying to keep up in the VP total, which would have been impossible if France had given the VP I'd asked for in the suit for peace instead of a card draw.
The combination of the France/England card differential and the Fuggers meant ACTS is showing nine cards for England. In truth, I'd hoped to bleed the last card out of France's hand near Paris, as then I could play "Mercenaries Demand Pay" and mop up the two keys I needed for the auto-win easily. However, he stubbornly held onto it, and I eventually had to use it for ops near Lyon.
