Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1517-1555 is the first game in over 25 years to cover the political and religious conflicts of early 16th Century Europe. Few realize that the greatest feats of Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Ignatius Loyola, Henry VIII, Charles V, Francis I, Suleiman the Magnificent, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernando Cortes, and Nicolaus Copernicus all fall within this narrow 40-year period of history. This game covers all the action of the period using a unique card-driven game system that models both the political and religious conflicts of the period on a single point-to-point map.
There are six main powers in the game, each with a unique path to victory:
- Ottomans
- Habsburgs
- English
- Valois Dynasty of France
- Papacy
- Protestants
Here I Stand is the first card-driven game to prominently feature secret deal-making. A true six-sided diplomatic stuggle, the game places a heavy emphasis on successful alliance-building through negotations that occur away from the table during the pre-turn Diplomacy Phase. Set during the period in which Niccolo Machiavelli published his masterpiece "The Prince," backstabbing is always possible, especially because the card deck is loaded with event and response cards that can be played by any power to disrupt the plans of the powers in the lead.
Here I Stand is an innovative game system, being the first to integrate religion, politics, economics and diplomacy in a card-driven design. Games vary in length from 3-4 hours for a tournament scenario up to full campaign games that run about twice the time.
500th Anniversary Edition Enhancements include:
- 6 brand new cards added to the deck, including Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Rough Wooing, and Imperial Coronation.
- Revisions to over 15 existing cards including Copernicus, Master of Italy, and Machiavelli to allow for more exciting in-game play and additional possibilities for diplomatic deals.
- A new Chateau construction table is now used to resolve France's Patron of the Arts home card plays.
- Several Virgin Queen rule updates are incorporated back into Here I Stand, affecting minor power activation, piracy, spice trading, and foreign wars.
Here I Stand: 500th Anniversary Ediiton on boardgamegeek.com
Age: 14+
Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 180-360 min
- Four and a half full-color counter sheets
- 116 Strategy Cards
- One 22"x34" Mounted Mapsheet
- Player Aid Cards (11"x17" & 8.5"x11")
- Rules/Scenario Book
- One ten-sided die
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