Nordlingen, subtitled "6 September 1634 – Triumph of the Imperialists", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1634 Battle of Nordlingen during the Thirty Years' War. Nordlingen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame" (a box with four related games that use the same rules). Many critics called it the best game of the four, and Nordlingen was also published as a separate game.
From 1618 to 1648, a series of religious conflicts between Protestant and Catholic states broke out in Europe, killing an estimated 4 to 8 million soldiers and civilians. In 1634, a coalition of Imperialist troops and Spanish soldiers led by Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand and Ferdinand of Hungary besieged a Swedish force garrisoned at Nordlingen in Bavaria, and dug themselves into a strong entrenchment around the town. A Swedish-German army led by Gustav Horn and Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar arrived and tried to lift the siege by means of a frontal assault against the entrenched Imperialist-Spanish forces.[1]
Nordlingen is two-player wargame in which one player controls the Imperialist-Spanish army, and the other player controls the Swedish-German army.
The game includes:
Nordlingen uses the same "I Go, You Go" alternating system of turns originally used in SPI's 1971 game, Napoleon at Waterloo:
This completes one game turn, which represents 45 minutes of game time.
However, in a change from the Napoleon at Waterloo rules:
After the success of SPI's first quadrigame, Blue & Gray, released in May 1975, the company quickly produced more quadrigames, including Blue & Gray II, Napoleon at War, Modern Battles, and Thirty Years War, which was published in 1976 and included Lützen, Rocroi, Freiburg, and Nordlingen. The latter was designed by Tom Walczyk, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. Thirty Years War debuted at #6 in SPI's Top Ten Games list the month it was published, and Nordlingen was also well-received, with several critics calling it the strongest game of the four. Nordlingen was also released as a separate "folio" game (packaged in a cardstock folio rather than a box), but it did not crack SPI's Top Ten list.[4]
In Issue 9 of Fire & Movement, Roy Schelper called Nordlingens map "easily the most interesting of the [four games of ''Thirty Years War''], with eight major hills, rough terrain, woods, and four towns." He noted that, because the Swedish force is split into two groups early in the game, "Most of the game's real decisions will be made by the Imperialist player, who must decide how much to commit against the two Swedish groups." Schelper concluded "Nordlingen favors the Imperialists, but a Swedish victory is possible."
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer called Nordlingen "The best of the Thirty Years War Quad, with strategic problems rearing their ugly heads beside the usual tactical questions in Quad games." He concluded, "If the Imperialists get their calculations right they probably have an edge, but both sides have nail-biting dilemmas throughout."[5] In his 1980 sequel, The Best of Board Wargaming , Palmer admitted that "Nordlingen is one of my favourites. [...] the game continues to defy total analysis. Pacing of attacks is vital, since the side whose losses first exceed the demoralization level will melt away in a couple of turns."[6]
In Issue 25 of the UK wargaming magazine Phoenix, Chris Bramall commented that "the issue invariably remains in doubt for much of the game; in combat factors, the two sides are well matched." In terms of strategy, Bramall recommended that "The key to success in Nordlingen is undoubtedly balance. Both players must ensure that their defensive wing is strong enough to deal with any possible attack, but not so strong as to prevent the attacking wing from being successful." He concluded, "Nordlingen is probably the best balanced game in the quad. Indeed it is one of the most exciting of all the folio games SPI has produced, and not the least because luck is less important and skill moreso."[7]
. Nick Palmer . The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming . Sphere Books . 1977 . London . 163–164.