Empire Crumbling: A Hapsburg Eclipse AAR

[BanzaiCat]

From the game box:

The catalyst for World War One was the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, providing the Austro-Hungarian leaders with the perfect opportunity to strike back at the various forces attempting to tear down their empire. Austria-Hungary entered the war on poor footing, facing major Russian advances from the East and finding themselves unable to progress against the Serbians, who they blamed for the assassination. Things went from bad to worse as the war went on, and the German Empire began to exert more control for the aid they provided.

Hapsburg Eclipse is a solitaire game, utilizing the State of Siege system, created by Darin Leviloff and published by Victory Point Games. In this game, you control the fortunes of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and attempt to survive World War I as you are assaulted from all sides by Allied powers, and at the same time, try to retain your national identity in the face of German control. There's also the little issue with maintaining the status quo within Austria-Hungary's borders as various nationalities chafe under Hapsburg control.

You can read more about the game itself, including getting a copy of the rules and other resources, directly from Victory Point Games' website, here: http://www.victorypointgames.com/hapsburg-eclipse.html

In this AAR, I will play a full game of Hapsburg Eclipse. This will be similar to the Ottoman Sunset AAR that I completed a few months back (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=13024.0). It will utilize a great deal of graphics, so I may require a few days between posts.

Here is the main map:



Vienna is the central point of this map, with five 'tracks' radiating outwards - each of these tracks represents the various enemies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the Italian, Polish, Carpathian, Romanian, and Balkan Fronts. At game start, only the Polish and Carpathian Fronts begin on the map; the other three enter the game later.

The game is driven by Event Cards. Here is an example:



These Cards regulate the game by introducing history and headlines, as well as what enemy Fronts activate and how many Actions I may take in a Turn, and other information. These Cards are divided into three "Epochs" - Morning, Mid-Day, and Dusk. At game start, the Morning Cards are played; the others are added to the deck through game play.

I will explain more about how the game plays as this AAR progresses. For now, expect the first move in a day or so.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I'm looking forward to it!

[Barthheart]

B_C, are you going to use the cards in order this time or random order?

[BanzaiCat]

Probably in random order. I think the rules allow for historic but I prefer to mix things up more.

[BanzaiCat]

000 - Set Up

Facing the glorious Austro-Hungarian Empire are various threats, both external and internal. Our external threats are represented by opposing Allied Fronts that will do their best to advance on Vienna. The internal threats are represented by the Czech, Croat, and Hungarian markers. At game start, both Allied fronts are at the furthest space from Vienna, and all three Loyalty Markers are in the 'Loyal' space.

The enemy Fronts are as follows:
- Polish Front
- Carpathian Front
- Balkan Front
- Italian Front
- Romanian Front

As mentioned previously, both the Polish and Carpathian fronts are located on the game map at game start. The other three Fronts come into play due to Event Cards.

There is only one way to truly win this game, and that is to survive ALL Event Card draws, all the way through the last one. Since there's only one way to win, there's many ways to lose. These include:

- When all three nationalist groups (Hungarian, Croat, and Czech) go into Revolt. This constitutes an "ethnic collapse" and instantly ends the game in a Crushing Defeat.
- When a Front advances into Vienna. There are levels of defeat, and points are totalled to determine how badly we lose. In game terms, it IS possible to achieve a Victory result in defeat. Like I said, there is only ONE true way to win the game - to survive. If we don't make it through the final card draw, there are levels of victory that are possible to achieve; essentially, the longer we last, the higher our Victory level. More on that when we get to the end of the game.
- When Austro-Hungarian National Will collapses. A National Will marker keeps track of our national morale. As victories are achieved by other Central Powers (Germany, etc.), our morale increases; losses means it will decrease.

Here is the map, with the beginning markers in place.



I will begin the game tonight with Turn 001.

I did have some luck with Ottoman Sunset by surviving a while. This game can end quickly or go on for a while. The longer it goes on, the more of a juggling act it becomes and the odds pile up against you. Hopefully the game will last long enough for me to give you an idea of how well the game plays.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 001

Headline Phase:
Mackensen Takes Command

General August von Mackensen, a pioneer in the use of artillery, often took charge of combined German-Austrian forces in attempts to beat back the Russian armies. In the Gorlice-Tarnow campaign of May, 1915, Mackensen directed a short concentrated burst of artillery fire that was followed up rapidly by an advance. He was one of the most famous and effective Generals on the Eastern Front and was involved all over the theater.

This is a fortuitous draw for the first round. You'll see why below.

Event Resolution Phase:
Receive 5 Mackensen markers. They can be used to roll two dice on any one attack per marker.



This gives me five 'double rolls' where I throw two dice and pick whichever result I want. However, a Mackensen marker can only be used on one Front at a time, and only one marker may be used for any one Offensive.

For now, I'm going to place them all in the lower right corner of the game map.



Army Movement Phase:
- Balkan Front
- Italian Front

Neither are in play, so I can ignore this order.

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
This is where the loyalty of the Czechs, Croats, and Hungarians are tested. (The game manual does recognize that these are not the only groups making up the Austro-Hungarian Empire that might take umbrage to Hapsburg rule, but for game purposes, these three represent the largest factions, and therefore, the ones that could cause the most trouble.)

This particular Event Card says "Random," so I need to roll a die to see whom is getting riled up this first Turn.

NOTE: I am using the Die Roller mechanism in the Forums here. The issue with this, though, is that when I preview my post or goodness forbid make a change to any part of it, it comes up with a nice obnoxious message that says I tampered with the roll...even though I did not. I promise on the Solitaire Gods of Gaming that these rolls are correct and accurate and what the Forum function came up with. Take them as holy writ from this point forward.

Rolled 1d6 : 4, total 4

The result is a 4, so the Croats are tested. The Croat's marker has a National Identity Rating of 3. I need to roll a 4 or higher to keep the marker where it is; a 3 or less means the marker is moved one step closer to 'Revolt.'

Rolled 1d6 : 4, total 4

Thank goodness...the Croats grumble a little but stay in the 'Loyal' space.



Action Phase: 2
In this Phase, I take my own Actions to hopefully help stave off disaster. The Actions I can take each turn are:

- Launch Offensives against enemy Fronts. This is used to push back enemy Fronts that have advanced.
- Allocate Resources to other Theaters. This created DRMs (Die Roll Modifiers) for future use in Off-Map Battles. These can also be burned permanently in order to gain one extra Action for a Turn.
- Repair the Przemyśl Fortress. This applies if said Fortress is behind the Allied lines. Each turn it is behind their lines, it suffers one Damage, but as long as it exists, I get a +1 DRM with any Offensive against the Carpathian Front, when that Front is in the 1 or 2 boxes.
- Attempt to improve National Loyalty. This is self-explanatory.

Since I cannot push enemy Fronts back further than their furthest space, I cannot conduct Offensives this Turn. I cannot repair the Fortress either, as it is nowhere near behind enemy lines right now. And since National Loyalty is at an all-time high (for now), and cannot be raised any further than 'Loyal,' that's a waste of time.

So, I have two Actions, and conveniently, I can spend two Actions to gain a +1 DRM Resource Marker. I will do that now, and add it to the Western Theater box.

I can add up to two of these DRM Resource markers to each Theater box. Later, I can permanently remove one from play if I want an extra Action during a Turn (these count as "German Staff Operations," indicating a use of German staff to help organize and execute plans).



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase:
Here, our National Will marker is moved. Off-Map Battles that have been won count as +1, Stalemates as zero, and lost Off-Map Battles count as -1. Also, Strategic Sites (locales with flags on them) count as -1 each; Strategic Sites with TWO flags count as -2.

Our National Will remains at zero for this Turn.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 002

Headline Phase:
Czechoslovak Legion

The Czech Legion was a group of Czech and Slovak nationals that fought with the Allies against the Central Powers. Led by future Czech President Tomas Masaryk, the Legion served with distinction in the Imperial Russian Army. Trapped within Russia when the Bolshevik Revolution broke out, the Legion became a major pawn in the politics of the conflict as it sought to escape Russia via Siberia.

Event Resolution Phase:
No Event this turn.

Army Movement Phase:
- Carpathian Front
- Polish Front

Of course, both of these Fronts are on the map, so each one moves forward one space.



Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Czech (x2)

The most rebellious of the three Nationalities, of course, gets to be checked not once, but twice. Yay social progress!

Rolled 1d6 : 6, total 6

NOTE: From this point forward, I'm just going to remove the "total #" info at the end - it's redundant on a 1d6 roll. I'll keep it if more than one die needs to be rolled.

Rolled 1d6 : 3

The first check succeeded in keeping the Czechs in the fold, but the second one failed (the Czech National Identity Rating is 4, and a '3' is below that, and this isn't Bizzaro World or SpongeBob Opposite Day, so it is a fail). This means the Czech marker moves one space to the left. The Czechs are beginning the long slide to National Identity naughtiness!



Action Phase: 2
I'm going to spend one of these two Action Points on trying to improve the Czech National Identity. Can't have revolts going on whilst attempting to conquer the world! What would the other bastardized kings and queens say? Goodness.

Rolled 1d6 : 1



Oof. That went well! The Hapsburgs apparently made a really bad joke and went and offended the Czech populate into totally ignoring us.

I think I could do that again, but I'm instead going to try to push back the Carpathian Front. If they occupy Przemyśl that's two Strategic Sites that will go down at once, and a -2 hit to our National Will.

Rolled 1d6 : 3

Great. Thanks, virtual dice. Were you for real, I'd melt you on a hot plate for these travesties. Since the roll is less than the Carpathian Front's Battle Value of 4, that's another fail.

I could have used one of my Mackensen markers to roll twice instead of once, but I have the feeling there may be more desperate situations in the future, so I'm saving them for now.

Great turn! Let's not do that again.

Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase:
No adjustments are made - no Off-Map Battles are yet fought, and no Strategic Sites are yet occupied. For now, in either case.

Here's the situation at the end of Turn 2. (Note that I forgot to place the Fortress marker in the Przemyśl space; I rectified that, here.)

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 003

Headline Phase:
German Aid

As the war continued the Germans became more and more active in bolstering Austro-Hungarian military fortunes. German forces participated in a number of Austrian offensives, particularly those fought on the Romainian front and on the Italian front.

Event Resolution Phase:

Receive 3 German Aid markers to be sued as a +2 DRM against a Front for an entire turn.

This is nice to receive now, on top of my Mackensen markers. It's great to be able to build up a reserve of these for more desperate times later. I place them next to the aforementioned markers in the lower right part of the game field.



Army Movement Phase:
- Italian Front
- Romanian Front
- Balkan Front

None of these are fortunately on the map yet, so none of them move!

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
None

No Loyalty checks this turn - another good thing!

Action Phase: 1

One Action is not a lot, but I'm going to spend it attacking the Carpathian Front, to push it back one space. I'm going to go ahead and use one of my Mackensen markers to help bolster the attack, getting to roll TWO dice instead of just one. Since its Battle Value is 4, I need to get a 5 or 6 on either die roll to succeed.

Rolled 1d6 : 5
Rolled 1d6 : 2

Success! And on the first roll, too, so technically I didn't need to spend a Mackensen marker. Still, peace of mind is a good thing. I like what this marker brings to the table. I have four left now, so I'll have to be careful how I spend them in the future.

Brusilov's army is pushed out of Space 5 (Lemberg) and back into Space 6 (Rovno).



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: 0

National Will remains at zero as there is nothing to bounce it in one direction or the other. So far, the Empire is surviving, and has some tools in its clutches that will help make life a bit easier in the future. It looks like it's been an easy ride so far, but in all honesty, it's just going to get more challenging as the game progresses.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 004

Headline Phase:
Battle of the Falkland Islands

On December 8, 1914, British naval forces became entangled with supply raiders commanded by German Admiral Maximilian von Spee off the South American coast near the Falkland Islands. Avenging a prior defeat of British forces at the Battle of Coronel a month earlier, the British squadron annihilated the German force, leading to the deaths of 2,200 sailors, including Admiral von Spee and his two sons.

Event Resolution Phase:

Here it is...our first Off-Map Battle.



And it's going to be a doozy. This is a Naval Theater battle, and of course I do not have a DRM Resource assigned to it; I had previously added one to the Western Theater.



And as this one has a Battle Value of 5, I need to roll a 6 to get a victory (unlikely) or a 5 to get a stalemate (another unlikely). If I roll a 1 through 4, it'll result in a Defeat, and will hurt our National Will.

Enough worrying, let's get it over with.

Rolled 1d6 : 3



Looks like the Germans in this game lost the battle almost as badly as they did in real life. This Off Map Battle Marker goes into our Defeat box, unfortunately.



That's gonna hurt later. Right now, we have more turn to get to.

Army Movement Phase:
- Italian
- Carpathian

The Italian Front doesn't exist so it goes nowhere, but the Carpathian Front gets right back into the swing of things by advancing into Space 5, again.



Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Hungarian

If it had to happen, it's best that the Hungarians are the ones to roll against. Their National Identity Rating is 2, so a roll of 3 through 6 will mean they stay loyal to the regime.

Rolled 1d6 : 5

That's fortunate...the Hungarian Support marker remains right where it is, in the Loyal space. Whew.

The Czechs are still leaning towards naughtiness, though.



Action Phase: 2

I'm going to spend my first Action to try to improve Czech loyalty.

Rolled 1d6 : 2

Ha, well that was a waste of time. Their National Identity Rating of 4 means that was a rather pathetic and totally ignored attempt. The Czechs remain slightly less than loyal to the Empire.

I will spend my last Action to push back the Carpathian Front. Or try, at least.

Rolled 1d6 : 4

So close, yet so far. The Carpathian Front remains solidly in Space 5 (Lemburg).

Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: -1

The news of the Germans having their butts handed to them in the Falklands has diminished the will of the people somewhat. Hopefully we can get it back on course - I'd much rather have a surplus National Will than a deficit.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 005

Headline Phase:
Second Army Out of Position

When the war broke out, Austrian plans were in a confused state. The High Command was divided between Plan "B" that contemplated war against Serbia alone and Plan "R" covering the scenario of war simultaneously against both Serbia and Russia. General Conrad was unsure of which option to pursue and at the last moment dispatched the Second Army to Galicia, ensuring that it would not be available for fighting on either front.

Event Resolution Phase:
No Event this turn.

Thank goodness, because the card's description sounds just a tad anti-Austria-Hungary. :)

Army Movement Phase:

- Carpathian Front
- Polish Front

So my two buddies move forward one space each. The fortress of Przemyśl is now invested, but it cannot be reduced until the Carpathian Front advances past Przemyśl (Space 3).

The main issue is that Przemyśl has TWO Strategic Sites, which will mean a further -2 to my National Will if I don't kick them out this turn.

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Random +1

Let's see which 'random' Nationality gets tested...

Rolled 1d6 : 5



The Croats are now being tested. Their National Identity Rating is 3, and I roll a...

Rolled 1d6 : 2

Welp, so much for that.



The Croat's support has dropped to mirror the Czechs.

Action Phase: 1

Great, one action only.

I need to push back the Carpathian Front, so I'm going to use my Action this turn for that.

I'm also going to spend one of my Mackensen counters so I can roll twice instead of once. The Battle Value of this Front is 4, so I need to roll a 5 or 6 to succeed.

Rolled 1d6 : 6
Rolled 1d6 : 5

And once again the Mackensen marker is wasted because my first roll would have done the job. Oh well - it succeeded, and that's what's important. Now, I won't take that huge hit to my National Will...for now.



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: -1
We remain at -1 thanks to the Falklands defeat, but that could have been -3 if my Offensive didn't work. If National Will ever drops to -5 or lower, the game immediately ends.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 006

Headline Phase:
Second Army Out of Position

When the war broke out, Austrian plans were in a confused state. The High Command was divided between Plan "B" that contemplated war against Serbia alone and Plan "R" covering the scenario of war simultaneously against both Serbia and Russia. General Conrad was unsure of which option to pursue and at the last moment dispatched the Second Army to Galicia, ensuring that it would not be available for fighting on either front.

Event Resolution Phase:
No Event this turn.

Thank goodness, because the card's description sounds just a tad anti-Austria-Hungary. :)

Army Movement Phase:

- Carpathian Front
- Polish Front

So my two buddies move forward one space each. The fortress of Przemyśl is now invested, but it cannot be reduced until the Carpathian Front advances past Przemyśl (Space 3).

The main issue is that Przemyśl has TWO Strategic Sites, which will mean a further -2 to my National Will if I don't kick them out this turn.

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Random +1

Let's see which 'random' Nationality gets tested...

Rolled 1d6 : 5



The Croats are now being tested. Their National Identity Rating is 3, and I roll a...

Rolled 1d6 : 2

Welp, so much for that.



The Croat's support has dropped to mirror the Czechs.

Action Phase: 1

Great, one action only.

I need to push back the Carpathian Front, so I'm going to use my Action this turn for that.

I'm also going to spend one of my Mackensen counters so I can roll twice instead of once. The Battle Value of this Front is 4, so I need to roll a 5 or 6 to succeed.

Rolled 1d6 : 6
Rolled 1d6 : 5

And once again the Mackensen marker is wasted because my first roll would have done the job. Oh well - it succeeded, and that's what's important. Now, I won't take that huge hit to my National Will...for now.



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: -1
We remain at -1 thanks to the Falklands defeat, but that could have been -3 if my Offensive didn't work. If National Will ever drops to -5 or lower, the game immediately ends.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 007

Headline Phase:
Russian Cypher Cracked

The First World War saw the first use of radio in war on a massive scale. This made coordination much easier but allowed the enemy to intercept orders and plans. On September 19, 1914, Austrian cryptographers broke the Russian digit cipher and were able to decode Russian transmissions. They used this intelligence to plan for and counteract Russian attacks. They enjoyed similar success over the Romanians and Italians, but not the West.

Event Resolution Phase:
Receive 3 Radio Intercepts markers. These can be used to cancel one enemy advance on the Romanian, Carpathian, Polish, or Italian fronts.

These will definitely come in handy. I'm going to place them down with the other counters.



Army Movement Phase:

- Italian
- Balkan

Neither are on the map, so neither get to move - thank goodness.

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Croat

Again the Croat's will is tested! This isn't good...

Rolled 1d6 : 6

That's a success! The Croat loyalty marker remains in place.



Action Phase: 2

The Polish Front is something of a threat; it's only one space from a Strategic Site (Krasnik). So too is the Carpathian Front. The latter is more of a threat since Przemyśl is worth two Strategic Sites instead of Krasnik's one.

I could, though, spend both Actions to get another DRM Resource marker for another Front. Since we've already had a Naval Theater Off-Map Battle, the odds are less that I will draw another one; it might behoove me to get one for the Eastern/Near East Theater. There are three more Naval battles, while the East Front has five.

I think that's what I'll do - spend two Actions and get one Resource marker for the Eastern/Near East Theater. Might be crazy but later in the game there's a lot more Action-spending to regain traction. Here in the early game, it's important to try to get as far ahead as possible.

And with that decision I'm betting the next Off-Map Battle I draw will be a Naval Theater one.



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: -1
Same as last turn, except I have a +1 DRM for the Eastern/Near East Theater. With a National Will of -1, people are grumbling about the poor state of the War. The Croats and Czechs aren't as happy as the Hungarians.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 008

Headline Phase:
Battle of Mons

The British "Old Contemptibles," the flower of the pre-War British Army, made a heroic stand at Mons, Belgium, against the German First Army. Cut down by the rapid rifle fire of Horace Smith-Dorrien's 2nd Corps, the Germans were defeated. However, after discovering that the French forces anchoring their flank had retreated, the British Expeditionary Force withdrew the evening after the battle.

Event Resolution Phase:
Conduct this Western Theater Battle.



The Battle Value is 4.

Rolled 1d6 : 6

The DRM of +1 makes this a 7, but that's moot. Since it exceeds the Battle Value, this means the Germans managed to win the Battle of Mons. This one goes into the Victories space! It also means...at least for now...that our National Will will go back up to zero.



Army Movement Phase:

- Polish
- Balkan
- Italian

Only the Polish Front moves this turn as the others aren't on the board yet.



The Polish Front now occupies Tarnow, a Strategic Site (and a -1 hit to National Will at the end of the turn). Not only that, but they're only two spaces from Vienna, which means another game-ending event if any Front gets there.

Loyalty Adjustment Phase:
Random

Rolled 1d6 : 6

This result means the Hungarian's loyalty is going to be tested. This is the 'easiest' one of the three to test, as a result of 3 through 6 will result in the Hungarians remaining in the Loyal space.

Rolled 1d6 : 5

And so they remain. The National Loyalties Track remains unchanged.



Action Phase: 2

With the first Action, I'm going to attack the Polish Front.

Rolled 1d6 : 5

The Offensive is successful, and the Poles are pushed back to Space 3 (Krasnik).

I'm going to take a chance with the remaining Action and conduct an offensive against the Carpathian Front.

Rolled 1d6 : 3

That was less than their Battle Value of 4, so it is a failure. The Russians remain in Space 5 (Lemberg).



Kaiserschlact Phase:
Only occurs after the Kaiserschlact Event happens.

Fortress Reduction Phase:
Only occurs if it is behind the Carpathian Front.

National Will Phase: 0

We're back up to zero, where the population is decidedly 'meh' about the war. At least they're not grumbling like they were. The Croats and Czechs certainly are rumbling a bit, but the threat in-game is minor at this time. That can change within a few turns, though!

[Barthheart]

So now yer 8 turns in.... is the game any different than Ottoman? Or is it the same just a different skin?

[BanzaiCat]

So now yer 8 turns in.... is the game any different than Ottoman? Or is it the same just a different skin?

Different flavor, slightly. The bonus markers are pretty prevalent so far but I think that's luck of the draw; there's not nearly as many in Ottoman Sunset.

I'd have to merge the two and play a full game of that before passing judgement. I think the two of these were made to be played together. Too bad there isn't a German version that could make it a three-way. :)

[bayonetbrant]

could make it a three-way. :)

^-^