Paper Wars 111: With Fire & Sword

Publisher: Compass Games
Series: Paper Wars Magazine
Designer(s): Stephen Newberg, P.L. Hollinger & John Kula
Type: Magazine + insert game
Theme: Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)
Players: 2
Complexity: Medium
Period Covered: 1618–1648
Scale: Strategic

Overview

With Fire & Sword: The Thirty Years War appears as the complete game included in issue #111 of Paper Wars magazine from Compass Games. It offers a strategic simulation of the Thirty Years’ War, a major European conflict in the early modern era.

One player commands the Habsburg forces, while the other leads the anti‑Habsburg coalition, navigating decades of religious, dynastic and territorial struggle.

Game System

Strategic scale: 30 miles per hex.

Annual turns: Each turn represents one year from 1618 to 1648.

Units: Counters represent entire armies.

Special rules include:

Hidden strength for units before combat resolution.

Siege and field battle resolution, random events, leader casualties and recovery, and attrition.

Three scenarios: Start years of 1618, 1630, and 1636 for varied campaigns.

Components

One 34” × 22” hex map covering central Europe.

200 small counters for armies and markers.

Paper Wars #111 magazine with rules and historical content.

Bonus large counters sheet (5/8") for additional scenarios in World War II Campaigns.