Lace Wars Series #3 - Sport of Kings - Germany 1740-45

Please note that this is a DTP (Desk Top Publishing) game designed on a desktop computer and all components, including the counters which will have to be cut and mounted, are printed on paper. These are designed by some very well-known designers and are a low cost alternative to today's professionally produced games. On rare occasions, some of these games are reproduced by other companies with higher quality components including die-cut counters but most of them are not. If you believe this game to have a professionally produced version, please contact us with your inquiry and we will help you to locate it if it does indeed exist.

Sport of Kings (SOK) covers the campaigns of the War of the Austrian Succession in the German theatres of Silesia, Moravia, Bohemia, Bavaria, and the Rhineland, beginning with the outbreak of war in 1740 and running until 1745, when Prussia withdrew from the conflict and the emphasis shifted to other theatres. From December 1740 to 1748, the War of the Austrian Succession raged on the continent of Europe. The rising state of Prussia, under her soon to be famous king, Frederick the Great, sought to obtain a place in the sun at the expense of her southern rival, the Habsburg Empire. In uneasy league with Prussia was France, with no territorial ambitions, but with the complementary desires of keeping the Habsburgs humble and establishing a strong political buffer zone in central Germany.

Auxiliary counters represent support troops and irregulars who had a major impact on operations, but cannot be adequately represented as traditional game units. Instead, a player might have a pontooneer auxiliary that he can play onto a stack to help it cross a major river, or a converged grenadier auxiliary that provides a morale bonus in combat.

Leaders have an important role to play, as befitting an era where personal command was critical. They are rated for skill or effectiveness, personality, and influence (i.e. the chance they have of retaining command despite their incompetence).

In addition to the concepts above, the supply system has been streamlined while keeping to the basic elements of foraging in tandem with the use of pre-positioned depots. River and canal movement has been taken into account and will prove as critical to success as the use of rail lines in more modern games.

The combat system has a tactical feel - while not a full sub-system with battlefield maps, it addresses the key issues of frontage, reserves, and supports, as well as firepower and morale. Winning a battle will bring you the acclaim of your noble peers, but may not gain you any strategic advantage; losing a battle can be catastrophic.

The Components:

1) Ten 12x18-inch full-color maps representing all of Central Europe, from Metz to Cracow and from Berlin to Vienna. They were derived from a mix of modern cartography and period maps dating from 1715 to 1750. While the maps are hex-based, players will find themselves keeping to the historical invasion routes most of the time - but they have the option to try alternates.

2) Thirteen countersheets, including six of combat units, two of leaders, and five of markers. The markers are 1/2 inch (standard size) and the rest are 6/8 inch. One point to note, as this is a DTP game, you will have to mount the counters yourself, but they have been printed on adhesive paper - all you need is the cardboard and a pair of scissors.

3) A set of charts and tables on 8.5x11-inch cardstock, plus three 11x17-inch HQ display cards.

4) A series rulebook (called the King's Regulations and Orders, or KR&Os) of about 40pp, a game-exclusive rulebook of about the same length, three order of battle pamphlets, and a 50pp commentary.