War of the Austrian Succession - Released!

We are pleased to announce the release of the next title in our Musket & Pike series of games: War of the Austrian Succession! Below you will find an overview, a sampling of the content and some screen shots to give you an idea of what is included. (All following images can be clicked for full-sized viewing.)

Notwithstanding his careful plans for the eventuality, the death in 1740 of the Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI without a male heir created the pretext for a linked series of conflicts that would end up spanning much of the globe. Through the so-called Pragmatic Sanction, Karl expected to be succeeded in the Habsburg domains by his daughter, Maria-Theresa, and as Emperor by her husband Francis of Lorraine. However, the Elector of Bavaria contested the succession on the basis of his marriage to the late Emperor’s niece. In due course, with French backing, he would – briefly – become Emperor as Karl VII. With such a blatant challenge to Habsburg dominance, war was inevitable.

Around Europe, other powers sought to take advantage of the turmoil. In Prussia, the newly-crowned Friedrich II – not yet ‘The Great’, but with definite ambitions – sought to gain the territory of Silesia at Austria’s expense. Bourbon Spain, already embroiled in a colonial war with Britain, sought to expand her position in Italy. The exiled House of Stuart saw a European war as the ideal opportunity to reclaim their lost crown, and with the support of the Bourbon powers would launch the last of the Jacobite Risings. Only after an epic eight-year struggle, and the death of Karl VII, would Maria-Theresa be confirmed in her inheritance – but it would be an inheritance shorn of some of its lands, and in the peace settlement were sown the seeds of the even greater conflict that would break out less than a decade later. In the meantime, Friedrich II would make his name, Maurice de Saxe would give the Bourbon monarchy its last great string of victories, and ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ would bring his rag-tag Highland Army to within 130 miles of London before going down to defeat at Culloden.

With such a sprawling conflict, and even after omitting the colonial elements, there has been a great deal to fit in. Amongst other things, key components include:

• The campaigns in central Germany, with actions like Prague, Sahay, Dettingen, and Simbach.
• De Saxe’s rampage through the Low Countries, with the sprawling battles of Fontenoy, Rocoux, and Lauffeld.
• The First and Second Silesian Wars, including the major battles of Mollwitz, Chotusitz, Hohenfriedberg, Soor, and Kesselsdorf.
• Battles in Italy, from Campo Santo down on the plains to Casteldelfino and Assietta up in the mountains, as well as actions at Madonna dell’Olmo and Velletri.
• The ’45 Rising, with historical battles of Prestonpans, Clifton, Inverurie, Falkirk Muir and Culloden, as well as a hypothetical campaign that imagines what might have happened had Charles chosen to over-rule his advisors and press on southwards in December 1745.

Want to read more of what's included with the game? Check out the ~100 page Design Notes file.

If you are looking to pick up some books on the topic, we included several recommendations in our preview blog post back in September. And the bibliography in the above-linked Design Notes has many more.

War of the Austrian Succession features Battalion scale battles with 15-minute turns and 100-meter hexes.

Like the rest of the series, a Scenario Editor, Campaign Editor and Submap Editor are included. There is also detailed documentation on the Parameter Data files (PDTs) and Order of Battles files (OOBs) to facilitate editing if you so desire, included in the Scenario Editor Manual.

Also like the rest of the series, play against the computer AI, Play by Email (PBEM) and Live play (over a LAN or the web) are all supported.

War of the Austrian Succession includes 85 Scenarios covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head-to-head play and vs. the computer AI. An additional 43 scenarios are available in the Campaign feature.

A range of maps are included covering all the significant locations fought over during the war, as well as some lesser known locations.

The order of battle files cover the various forces that participated in the campaign with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.

There are extensive 3d unit graphics covering all of the major armies involved.

Development of the AI continues with more programming refinements and enhancements. Additionally, the scenario design has kept gameplay against the AI at the forefront during the development process, so we just want to assure those who desire to use this style of play - it has not been ignored in this release.

Here is a sampling of the included battles:

Mollwitz
Prague
Chotusitz
Sahay
Campo Santo
Simbach
Dettingen
1st & 2nd Velletri
Madonna dell'Olmo
Habelschwerdt
Fontenoy
Hohenfriedberg
Soor
Hennersdorf
Kesselsdorf
Rocoux
Lauffeld
Assietta

And from the Jacobite Rising of '45:

Prestonpans
Clifton
Inverurie
Falkirk Muir
Culloden

All in all, this is a content-packed release that is sure to bring you many hours of enjoyment as you explore the various battles and learn about this not-so-highly publicized time period of history. 

Here's some additional screen shots. There are three 2D views and two 3D views included with the game. Additionally there are three different 2D symbol sets to choose from.

If you would like to see what others are saying about the game you can check out our forums, in the Musket & Pike section.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to the product page and pick up a copy for yourself!