Seven Weeks (2012)

Designers Note: Have found a potentially interested publisher, and several changes to the design have been made. I'm very pleased with them, but this may mean that the description here will change. - Alex SEVEN WEEKS is a 2 to 3 player Euro-style war game that aims to recreate the maneuvering, bloodshed, and events of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 in the German and Bohemian theaters. (The Italian front is also represented as an influence upon forces available and overall morale.) Players represent the Prussians and their North German allies, the Bavarian and Federal German forces (including Baden, Hesse Darmstadt, Nassau, and Wurttemburg amongst others) , and the Habsburgs (who also control the Saxons, Hanoverians, and Kurhessen/Hesse-Kassel forces). The Bavarian and Habsburg forces must work together to stop the Prussians from achieving the historical victory - a crushing blow for the Habsburgs, a defeat for independent states in Germany, and the beginning of a long era of Prussian hegemony over German affairs. The game utilizes hand management and card driven mechanics. The map is a traditional hex map, depicting major population centers, fortresses, and rail lines. The combat system uses a system of "tactical cards" and battlefield deployment, implementing some fresh ideas intended to represent the player's role as the commander in chief of a military establishment and the necessity of relying upon the battlefield doctrine practiced by his/her forces. Prussian forces, for example, heavily rely upon open order formation and "Schnellfeuer" technique, while the Habsburgs are fond of the "Stosstaktik" approach and rely upon a superior artillery arm. The game is completely diceless. The aim is to produce an exciting wargame that can easily be played within two hours. The game is currently in playtesting, and hoping for a "Sooner than Later" publication date as we look for a publisher.