With this new My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.

Card #44: Roxelana from Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1555-1571 from GMT Games

Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1517-1555 is an experience packaged in a game that attempts to boldly cover the political and religious conflicts of early 16th Century Europe. The game focuses on the struggle of religious reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli as they battle the Papacy for changes in their views of God and religion. But it is more than just the Holy War as it deals with the other European countries involved in the affairs of the time including France, England, the mighty Hapsburg Empire and the Ottoman Empire in the east. They all played a role in the process of the Reformation and the design brilliantly weaves this all together into an interesting and engaging experience. The game also covers other plot lines and events of the period, including wars, marriages and ascendancies to thrones, using a unique Card Driven Game (CDG) system that models both the political and religious conflicts of the period.

Today, I want to take a look at a very interesting and strategic card in Roxelana that can make a huge difference in a game for the Ottomans as they are making progress on conquering Hapsburg held Vienna as a part of their eastern campaigns. But first, you must understand how the process of Siege works in the game to get the power of the card. Land units in a fortified space are placed under siege if they withdraw into fortifications during enemy movement or after a field battle. Fortified Spaces can include Fortresses, Keys or Electorates and these are important spaces that players will struggle over during the game. The only other real requirement for a Siege is that the enemy land units in that space outnumber those of the defender in the Fortified Space.

Then, the power that is besieging the space must spend 1 CP on the Assault Action to attempt to gain control of the space. But, this Assault cannot normally take place in the same impulse in which the Fortified Space was first put under Siege. I like to think of this as the process and time required by the besieging power to build trenches and fortifications to protect their troops from attacks out of the space while also interrupting supply and trade with the space to begin the process of starving the defenders out. The way that the Roxelana card affects this process is that the player doesn’t have to wait a full impulse to initiative the Assault Action and can move into the Fortified Space and start the Siege immediately and then not have to pay the 1 CP to initiate the Assault. Very powerful and if used at the correct time, the Hapsburg player can be caught off guard and not have the opportunity to reinforce Vienna or move another army nearby to attempt to break the Siege. This is like a free chance to knock them out of the space. Now, this is much harder than I have made it sound as the besieging player will gain a number of dice to roll equal to half of their Strength Points (when Assaulting) plus any additional for their Leader Rating and Battle Cards that have been played. This will mean that the besieging player will be rolling half as many dice as normally rolled in a Field Battle and to score a hit you must roll a 5 or 6. But, the strategic value of this card is huge for the Ottoman player. Being able to move and Assault in the same impulse can be very important, particularly near the end of a turn or in the case the player has not been dealt a friendly hand of cards.

Also, if I have correctly understood the text, and during a recent play our group agreed with me, the power in the card is also that it allows the Ottoman player to use the 4 CP’s as well as get the printed Event benefit. I have made this assumption because the card refers to “even on a Fortress not under siege at the start of the impulse”. This leads me to believe that you still have to move into the Fortified space to start the process of a Siege and this would require at least 1 CP to be spent to do so. I am amazed that I am still discovering things and learning the cards for Here I Stand even after nearly 20 plays over the past 8 years or so. Such a deep and engaging game that I truly love!

Portrait by Titian titled La Sultana Rossa, c. 1550.

Hürrem Sultan, also known as Roxelana, was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother of Suleiman’s successor Selim II. She became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history, and the first of a series of prominent Ottoman women who reigned during the period known as the Sultanate of Women. Roxelana, while not directly participating in battles, significantly influenced the Ottoman military through her relationship with Sultan Suleiman and her involvement in political affairs. Roxelana’s close relationship and correspondence with Suleiman during his lengthy military campaigns provided him with emotional support and kept him abreast of affairs at home, potentially enhancing his focus and determination. Sultan Suleiman, was known to often consult with her on matters of state, including military strategies. She gathered information from foreign embassies through her network within the harem, providing valuable intelligence to the Sultan. While she wasn’t a military commander in the traditional sense, Roxelana’s shrewdness and position as a trusted advisor and influential figure allowed her to significantly impact the Ottoman Empire’s war efforts through various political and diplomatic channels. 

In the next entry in this series, we will take a look at Progress, Not Politics from Votes for Women from Fort Circle Games.

-Grant