Here I Stand Forum Game: The Thread for the Aforementioned Forum Game of Here I Stand

I highly doubt you’re going to see people talking about war right now.

Ain’t that the truth. Some of us have easier paths than others.

I have no intention of letting them do that, but I also have to be concerned about a Six Wives war coming my way near the end of a turn when i’m low on gas to respond and that’s a much more serious threat than a weird Papal hand.

The Papacy and Protestants always seem most likely to sneak out a surprise victory since their mechanics are fairly unique and lots of players kind of forget about them.

To which I respond: All these worlds are yours except Europa…

Wait, wrong channel.

I’ll tell you what, monseur, if you content yourself to not answer the Scottish question, then I am content to forget Gascogne is properly Gascony. I have no continental ambitions if you let me manage my own back yard.

I think it’s more that there’s only a limited amount you can do if one of those players is better than the other. The Catholic powers can slow down the Protestants a bit but that’s about it, plus card events.

If you want, i’d be willing to take control of the Scots and sabotage their defense for you- if you decide to attack on the turn you get them, i’ll have the three regulars fight a field battle, if you don’t, i’ll spend an op moving them out of the key so you can take it ungarrisoned.

All I ask is a card for such service.

Good point. That’s probably a more accurate way to put it.

It’s very difficult to interact with the Protestants pre-Schmalkadic League as anyone other than the Papacy(who can be attacked by others). The problem for the prots is always trying to get past the hump for the last part of the win.

Most of it comes down to the luck of who gets what related event and whether the Pope gets distracted by doing stuff in Italy.

The Pope gets to execute Protestants who lose debates badly by burning them at the stake though, which is a really fun source of VPs.

Just remember the Phony War rules-if this is how it goes, it passes muster, just something to be careful of.

  1. Check for Phony War: If the declaration of war was against
    Scotland or Venice and a major power intervened, add a “Phony
    War –1 VP” marker to the Bonus VP box of the declaring power.
    That power loses this VP until the marker is removed. Remove the
    marker once a land combat or assault occurs between that declaring
    power and either the target minor or the major power who intervened
    on behalf of that minor. If peace is made with the intervening major
    power before such a combat or assault occurs, the –1 VP becomes
    permanent.

If he attacks Edinburgh, there’s no phony war. Phony war is there to prevent, say, me from DoWing Venice just so the Papacy can get it. It does not prevent me from intervening and throwing Scotland’s defenses.

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

On October 31, 1517 (November 10,1517 under the modern calendar), Martin Luther sent his Ninety-five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences to Albert of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, and posted them on the door of All Saints’ Church and other churches in Wittenberg. The theses were reprinted and retranslated, and distributed throughout Germany and Europe. The posting of the Ninety-five Theses is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, and therefore opens a game of Here I Stand.

95 Theses
The Ninety-five Theses Event

@Tom_Mc’s Protestants automatically convert Wittenberg, and place two protestant regulars there. The Protestants then get to make 5 Reformation attempts in Germany. Reformation attempts are how the Protestants convert spaces from Catholicism, and involve the rolling of a large number of dice. Specifically, the Protestant gets one die for each adjacent protestant space, protestant army, protestant reformer, and two dice if a protestant army or reformer is on the space. The Catholic player gets defense dice: one for each adjacent catholic space, adjacent Jesuit university, and adjacent catholic stack, and two dice if a catholic army or Jesuit university is on the space. The players each roll their dice, and the highest single die wins.

There are frequently ties. The Protestants win ties on reformation attempts for spaces in the target language zone. The Protestants initially win ties on Catholic counter-reformation attempts as well, but over time newer Catholic popes bring a more effective focus on counter-reformation and the Catholics begin to win ties.

The Reformation spreads like wildfire, converting Magdeburg, Brandenburg, Lubeck, and Leipzig. Only the loyal Catholics of Brunswick hold out against the Protestant heresy.


The Heart of the Reformation in Germany

We move on to diplomacy (which you can see from the thread is already happening).

Up Next: The Diet of Worms (in early 1521), where Luther is called by Holy Roman Emperor (and noted Hapsburg) Charles V to the Imperial Free City of Worms to renounce or reaffirm his views in response to a Papal Bull published by Pope Leo X.

I’m going to need a day or so to get up to the rules.

This thread has convinced me to finally take this game out of the shrinkwrap. Thanks, all!

You are in for a treat. This is not the best game I have ever played, but it is absolutely my favorite to play, if that makes sense.

Are you good?

I had done some secret negotiations talk with @CF_Kane and I suppose I never formally ended that. I think our business is done. Which would mean a chance for talks with @Panzeh

Indeed. Our business is complete for the time being.

Yes, I think I’m good

Ok I think understanding has been reached. No further from me at this time.

Sorry, was done a few hours ago but I was out with the kids looking at tulips so…

No worries. It appears there are no deals for the English to announce, so we move on to the next phase, which is another turn one only phase.

The Diet of Worms Phase

This one is for me, @Juan_Raigada, and @Tom_Mc.

The Protestants, Hapsburgs, and Papacy all choose one card from their hand to represent their level of commitment to the Diet. Higher CPs represent a higher commitment. The players may not choose a mandatory event.

Once we reveal cards, the Protestants roll dice equal to the value of their card plus 4, and the Papacy/Hapsburgs roll dice equal to the combined value of their cards. Each roll of a 5 or 6 is considered a hit.

If the Protestants have more hits, they get to convert spaces equal to the difference, which must be in the German language zone and adjacent to another Protestant space (including a space newly flipped this phase). If the Catholics get more hits, the Papacy flips spaces equal to the difference, which must be in the German language zone and adjacent to another Protestant space (including a space newly flipped this phase). If there is a tie it is a draw and nothing happens.

@Tom_Mc, it makes sense for you to pick your card first and play it face down on the board. Then I will play mine face down, then @Juan_Raigada can play his face up, and we can reveal our cards. It’ll be a little clunky in VASSAL, sorry.