Thirty Years War finishes and MMP flares up...

Bill and I finished our game of 30YW on Wednesday.  Today, on CSW, a few of the regular jerks showed their jerky sides again, making me happier than ever that my time spent there is less and less.

First, the good, then the bad (and the ugly)...

Bill and I left our last game off after Turn 10 completed.  I posted an AAR of the first 10 turns last week.  This week, we started on Turn 11, Bill as the Protestants, me as the Catholics:

Turn 11: 30 VPs.  The Catholics were in decent position, though the big stack of Swedes was looking troublesome.  The Swedes, under Adolphus, moved on the Independent city (and Electorate) of Koln, besieging the fortress there.  Cardinal Infante then moved his large, but fragile, Spanish army to Koln to relieve the siege.  The battle was a big one -- both armies were on the 20+ tables (the most potent).  Losses were horrendous, with both sides taking 14 losses (the most one can lose in a single battle!).  Then leader losses were rolled, and...  Adolphus and Infante both die!  The Swedes, even though technically the "victor" at Koln, fall back to Hesse-Kassel, taking the area, while the Spanish lick their wounds outside a still Catholic Koln.

Turn 12: 30 VPs.  The Treaty of Heilbronn is signed and the German Protestants recognize the Swedish leadership (now without Adolphus).  This is a 3 VP swing for the bad guys!  Wallenstein takes a small army and heads north, taking Dresden.  The Swedes regroup and head south, taking Donauworth.  The Bavarians, under Tilly, kick the Swedes out and kill some veterans in the deal, leaving the Swedish army quite fragile.  Additionally, Adolphus' replacement, Bernard of Sweden, dies of wounds suffered in the Donauworth battle.

Turn 13: 26 VPs.  The turn begins with Wallenstein at 19 "Wallenstein Points."  If he hits 20, the Catholics automatically lose (he gets too powerful), so he's dismissed (his points go down by 1/2, rounded down to 9, but he's out of the game for the entire turn).  Bad turn to be out of the game, as the French enter, giving 6 VPs to the Protestant cause (not to mention more Protestant armies to deal with -- damn Catholic France!).  The Spanish take Sedan, but it falls right back into French hands.  Tilly looks to destroy the Swedes at Nurnburg, and while he cripples them, he is killed in the battle.  A large Protestant army ends the turn besieging Ingolstodt.

Turn 14: 17 VPs.  This is it, the end game, the last turn.  Turn 13 was a "biggie" for the Protestants, as they gained 9 VPs.  19 VPs is a Protestant win, 20 is a draw, and 21 is a Catholic win.  Things are looking grim for the Pope's "Armies of God."  Starting the turn, Wallenstein is recalled, and he promptly takes back Saxony.  A large battle takes place in Torgau, and Wallenstein is killed as his force is wiped out by Mansfield's Protestants.  Piccolomini moves the remaining Austrians to Dresden, holding it against Mansfield's army and thus preserving Saxony as a Catholic stronghold.  On the last move of the game, a reduced strength Imperial Mercenary moves into Brandenburg, taking the area (2 VPs) and the final Electorate (5 VPs) for the Catholic side.

Game End:  25 VPs, Catholic Victory!

The game was back and forth, and a lot of fun.  I smiled writing this, remembering the game.  Bill and I plan to switch sides and try again in a week or two.  And on this good note, I'll leave the "bad and the ugly" for another time.