Breitenfeld, subtitled "Triumph of the Swedish System", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1631 Battle of Breitenfeld during the Thirty Years' War. Breitenfeld was a free game that appeared in Strategy & Tactics , designed to promote SPI's soon-to-be-launched wargame Thirty Years War . Breitenfeld proved popular and was also published as part of SPI's "folio" series of games.
From 1618 to 1648, a series of religious conflicts between Protestant and Catholic states broke out in Europe, killing an estimated 4 to 8 million soldiers and civilians. In 1631, an Imperial-Catholic League Army led by Generalfeldmarschall Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly besieged the Protestant town of Leipzig. A joint Swedish-Saxon army led by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Saxon Elector John George I engaged Tilly's army outside the village of Breitenfeld in an attempt to lift the siege. [1]
Breitenfeld is a two-player wargame in which one player controls the Swedes, and the other player controls the Imperial army.
The game includes: [2]
Breitenfeld uses the same "I Go, You Go" alternating system of turns originally used in SPI's 1971 game, Napoleon at Waterloo :
This completes one game turn, which represents 45 minutes of game time. [2]
However, in a change from the Napoleon at Waterloo rules: [3]
After the success of SPI's first quadrigame, Blue & Gray , released in May 1975, the company quickly produced more quadrigames, including Blue & Gray II, Napoleon at War , and Modern Battles . Their next quadrigame, Thirty Years War, was to be published in May 1976. In order to promote this launch, the March 1976 issue of Strategy & Tactics featured an article by Albert Nofi about the war's historical background. Accompanying the article was a free pull-out game designed by Jay Nelson titled Breitenfeld. Using the same game system as the four games in Thirty Years War, Breitenfeld was what Nelson characterized as "the flagship game" of Thirty Years War. [3] Breitenfeld proved to be popular, [5] and was also published as a standalone "folio" game (a game packaged in a cardstock folio.)
Writing for Jagdpanther , Daniel S. Palter found several faults with the rules, the most egregious being that the swamp and river in the middle of the map were historically inaccurate and should be ignored. (Salter added that SPI had acknowledged the error and had apologized for it.) Salter noted the unlimited range of the artillery was historically unrealistic for armament of the time. Salter also pointed out that the Saxons, when they were demoralized in the original battle, ran at full speed from the battlefield, and suggested that if Saxon units become demoralized during the game, that the Saxon counters simply be removed from the game. [6]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nick Palmer called it "a good brisk game using the system of the Thirty Years War Quad." [5]
In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion noted that this game "allows the Imperialists to make short work of the Saxons as was done historically." He also recommended that "Since the mapboard of this game contains a nonexistent marshy stream, anyone who plays the game ought to simply ignore that terrain feature." [7]
American game designer Chris Crawford called Breitenfeld "the best of the Thirty Years War Quadrigames, which featured a combat system guaranteed to produce desperate battles." Crawford found the game very balanced, saying, "The battles always ended with each general desperately looking for one last undisrupted regiment to throw into the fight and turn the tide. The resolution of the game was always in doubt up until the last turn, and the ending was always dramatic." [8]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman noted that at a time when "more and more games require a great investment in time to play to conclusion," the short and simple Breitenfeld "thus serves a need too often neglected in wargaming." Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Good", saying, "It's a simple, fast-moving game suited for the novice or an experienced gamer looking more for fun than for a challenge." [9]
In Issue 20 of Simulacrum, Tom Johnston and Luc Olivier found that "The game is easy and fun to play. It is well balanced and both sides have a good chance to win. All in all, Breitenfeld is a good game with high replay value." [10]
Cemetery Hill, subtitled "The Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as part of the "quadrigame" Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles that simulated four battles of the American Civil War. Cemetery Hill was later released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Chinese Farm, subtitled "Egyptian-Israeli Combat in the '73 War", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates operational level ground combat between Egypt and Israel at the Battle of The Chinese Farm during the just completed Yom Kippur War of October 1973. Chinese Farm was originally published as part of the "quadrigame" Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts.
Golan subtitled "Syrian-Israeli Combat in the '73 War", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates operational level ground combat between Egypt and Israel on the Golan Heights during the just completed Yom Kippur War of October 1973. Golan was originally published as part of the "quadrigame" Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts.
Napoleon's Last Battles is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications in 1976 that simulates the last four battles fought by Napoleon. It was one of SPI's most popular games, and also received many positive reviews.
Marengo: Napoleon in Italy, 14 June 1800 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as one of four games packaged together in the Napoleon at War "quadrigame". Marengo was also released as a separate game the same year. The game simulates the Battle of Marengo between Austrian and French forces.
Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four modern-day battles set in the early 1970s.
Napoleon at War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates various battles fought by Napoleon.
Thirty Years War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a "quadrigame" — four separate board wargames packaged in one box that use a common set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976. The four games simulate different battles during the Thirty Years' War, and were sold individually as well as in the quadrigame format. Some of the games were well received by critics, but overall, the quadrigame did not sell well.
Nordlingen, subtitled "6 September 1634 – Triumph of the Imperialists", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1634 Battle of Nordlingen during the Thirty Years' War. Nordlingen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame". Many critics called it the best game of the four, and Nordlingen was also published as a separate game.
Lützen is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1632 Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years' War. Lützen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame". Many critics called it one of the better games of the four, and Lützen was also published as an individual game.
Rocroi, subtitled "19 May 1643 – The End of Spanish Ascendancy", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1643 Battle of Rocroi during the Thirty Years' War. Rocroi was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom called it a "bland tactical problem", while others declared it was the best game of the four in the Thirty Years War box.
Freiburg, subtitled "3–9 August 1644 – Conquest of the Rhine Valley", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1644 Battle of Freiburg during the Thirty Years' War. Freiburg was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received poor reviews from critics, who called it the weakest of the four games in the Thirty Years War box, "a series of slogging matches", "not much fun", and "relatively boring."
Blue & Gray II, subtitled "Four American Civil War Battles", is a collection of four board wargames originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that each simulate a battle from the American Civil War. It is the sequel to Blue & Gray published earlier in the year. Each of the four games was also published as individual "folio games."
La Belle Alliance: The Battle of Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio.
The Battle of Nations, subtitled "The Encirclement at Leipzig, 16–19 October 1813", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but was also released as a "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio. It was popular in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, and critics also gave it favorable reviews.
Jena-Auerstadt: The Battle for Prussia is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt in October 1806. It was one of four games that were part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but it was also released as an individual "folio game" packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardstock folio. Jena-Auerstadt was rated highly in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, but critics questioned whether its simplicity was capable of simulating a complicated two-part battle.
The Great War in the East, subtitled "Four World War I Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates four battles of World War I on the Eastern Front and the Italian/Austrian front.
Modern Battles II: Four Contemporary Conflicts is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates three hypothetical contemporary battles as well as the battle for Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. This collection was a sequel to SPI's popular Modern Battles published two years before.
Battle of the Wilderness: Gaining the Initiative, May 5-6, 1864 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of the Wilderness during the American Civil War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Blue & Gray II, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Wagram: The Peace of Vienna, 5–6 July 1809 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Wagram in July 1809. It was one of four games that were part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but it was also released as an individual game with a set of metal miniatures. Wagram was rated highly in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, and critics called it the best of the four games in the Napoleon at War box.