ITALIAN WARS

INTRODUCTION
Card game for 2 players.
The Italian Wars 1512-25.
French vs an alliance of the Spaniards and the Holy Roman Empire. 
An International War for control of Italy. 
Italians from rival city states fought on Both sides. 
Both sides made extensive use of Mercenaries from all over Europe.
Open Battles were usually the result of the need to raise a siege. 

VICTORY
The first player to win 8 total hands or 3 hands in a row, wins the battle. 

THE DECK
Players share a common deck. 
The deck contains 1 copy of each card on the card list. 

TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn has 3 phases: 
Tactics Phase
Deployment Phase
Battle Phase

TACTICS PHASE
Each player draws 8 cards. 
(The player who won the previous hand draws 9 cards)
Players may discard up to 4 cards and draw replacements. 
(The player who lost the previous hand may discard 5 cards)
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it. 

DEPLOYMENT PHASE
Players reveal their hands face up on the table. 
Each Player can play a max of 1 Leader card. 
The player who won the previous hand cannot play Defense cards. 
Some cards can only be used be either the French or Italian player. 
Cards that cannot be used are immediatetly discarded. 

BATTLE PHASE
Players take turns using card Negate Effects if they have any.
Flip a coin to see who goes first. 
Negated cards are discarded.  
Players add up the Force value of all their remaining cards, including 
Bonuses given by one card to other cards of a certain type. 
The player with the highest Force value wins the Hand. 
All cards are discarded at the end of the turn.


CARD LIST NOTATION
A = Artillery 
I = Infantry
C = Cavalry
D = Defenses
L = Leader
M = Missile
K = Shock
F = French Only
S = Spanish Only
X = Morale
T = Tactics
LOST = Play only if you lost last hand
WON = Play only if you won last hand

COMMON DECK CARD LIST
Card Name				Force	Type	Notes
Ditch					5	D 	Enemy Cavalry gets –3
Parapet					6	D	IM get +3
Goad Enemies to Attack			6	A	
Excellent Artillery			7F	A	
Brilliant General			8	L	Tactics get +3
Impetuous Commander			6	L	
Enfilading Fire				6	A	Artillery gets +3
Entrenchments				5	D	
Fire at Unprotected Cavalry		6	A	Negate Cavalry card
Uneven Terrain				3	D	Enemy Cavalry gets –3 
French Horsemen				7F	C
Countercharge				5	C	Cavalry gets +3
Crossbowmen				6	IM	
German Landsknecht			6	IK	
Drive Them Off				5	C	Negate Cavalry card
Call Forward Troops			5	T	
Scale the Parapet			4	IK	Negate Defense card
Cross thru Fire				4	IK	IK gets +3	
Pass Thru Gaps				4	C	Negate Defense card
Charge Thru Gap				5	C	Cavalry gets +3
Field Fortifications			7	D	Defenses get +3
Lie Prone				3	IT	Negate Artillery card
Fire at Massed Troops			7	A	Negate IK card
Spanish Heavy Cavalry			6S	C	
Arquebus Fire				5	IM	
Spanish Heavy Infantry			6S	IK	
Spanish Swordsmen			4S	IK	Negate an IS card
Close-Quarter Advantage			4	IK	IK gets +3
Tight Formation				4	IK	IK gets +3
Discipline & Drill			4	IK	IK gets +3
Resist Cavalry				6	IK	Negate Cavalry card
Swiss Pikemen				8	IK	
Swiss Halberdiers			7	IK	
Swiss Square				8	IK	Enemy Cavalry gets –3
Wooden Palisades			5	D
Pursuit					6	C	WON Cavalry get +3 
Hand Gunners				5	IM	
Hill					4	D	Artillery get +3
Good Position				5	D	Defenses get +3
Rolling Fire				6	IM	IM get +3
Attack Rear				8	C	Cavalry get +3
Ill-formed & Unready			5	T	Negate an IK card
Falcons & Sakers			5	A	
Use Captured Artillery			8	A	WON
Prolonged Fire				7	A	Artillery gets +3
All Around Defense			5	IK	Enemy Cavalry gets –3
Acute Adversary				8	L	Enemy Leader gets –3
Sunken Road				5	D	
Earthworks				7	D	
Light Cavalry				4	C	
Bastions				6	D	Artillery gets +3
Bronze Cannons				7	A	
Volley Fire				6	IM	IM get +3
Form Lines				6	IM	
Countermarch				5	IM	IM get +3
Line of Contravallation			6	D	Negate Tactics card
Hold the Field				6	IK
Rallying Point				5	IK	LOST Cavalry get +3
Take Refuge				3	IK	LOST IM get +3
Deep Formation				5	IK	IK get +3
Steady Fire				5	IM	IM get +3
Surrounded				5	T	Negate Leader card
Skirmishing				6	IM	IM get +3
Prestige				6	X	Leader gets +3
Confidence				7	X	Tactics get +3
Belligerent				7	X	WON
Stubborn				5	X	Defenses get +3
Hatreds					8	X	
Drummers				5	T	Morale gets +3
Great Ferocity				8	X
Wrought Iron Cannons			4	A	
Flank Attack				7	T	WON
Battlefield Mobility			6	T	
Hedges & Trees				2	D	IM get +4	
Courageous Commander			7	L	Morale gets +3
Matchlocks				5	IM	
Vigorous Captain			6	L	Negate Tactics Card
Capture Leader				4	T	Negate Leader Card
Enemies Allies Flee			4	X	Negate IK card
Rout Enemy Cavalry			5	X	Negate Cavalry card
Disordered				6	T	WON Enemy IK gets –3
Cross Stream				6	T	Negate Defense card
Trench					5	D	
Famous Captain				7	L	Negate Morale card
Men-at-Arms				6	C	
Vanguard				7	C	WON
Great Captain				8	L
Cavalry Charge				6	C	Cavalry get +3
Culverins 				6	A	
Rearguard				5	C	LOST	
Footsoldiers				6	IK	
War Wagons				6	D
Sortie					5	C	Cavalry get +3
Lancers					7	C	
Block of Infantry			7	IK 	
Careful Soldier				8	L	Defenses get +3


LINKS
Handgonnes and Matchlocks