Soldier Kings

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Soldier Kings is a simple strategic wargame on the Seven Years' War on the worldwide stage. The main map covers Europe, with a second one that covers all the areas that the European powers had influence in at the time. Each turn is about three months and each unit is effectively a small army. It can be played with 2-8 players, but we have found that it needs more than three.


After Action Reports:
7 Years War, In Two Years Rule Britannia! Triumph of the 4-3s
Frederik the Overworked

Samples of the Soldier King Maps, showing central Europe (with some counters), and Indonesia.

A Basic Summary:

Also check the manufacturer's website and Board Game Geek links below. The latter has some reviews and 'session reports' that should be very helpful.

Soldier Kings is a high-level recreation of The Seven Years War. There are two maps, one of Europe, and one of the other parts of the world that Europeans were concerned with at the time. (It is broken into sections for the Americas, India, Spice Islands and west Africa. There is also a small naval movement diagram that shows where everything connects.) Each turn is one season, with combat not being a normal activity in the Winter turn. Each player controls one "Major Power" in the war (any power that is not controled by a player, even if it would be if there were more players, is not a Major Power).

The map is divided up into areas, which can be controlled by major or minor powers. Movement is regulated by routes between areas, with a normal move being one space (you can move two spaces if both places entered are friendly), with generals doubling this, or Fredrick the Great tripling it. Orange routes are through mountains and impose a penalty to attacks through them. Each space also has a manpower rating (soldier symbols), resource rating (coins), and fortification level (towers). An anchor symbol denotes a port or coastal area.

Board Game Geek
Avalanche Press
National Objectives variant