AGAINST THE ODDS # 59: Blind Faith

1-ATO059

In A.D. 1415, at the Council of Constance, Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague, two church reformers from Bohemia, were burnt at the stake for heresy. In the years that followed, outrage over the execution convulsed civil society in Bohemia, a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. Now, with Bohemia in rebellion as well as consumed by heresy, the Emperor Sigismund must wage war to both extirpate the heresy and secure his throne.

The Hussite player's forces are largely Bohemians (i.e. Czech) and others, who, inspired by the teachings of Jan Hus, supported the taking of Communion with both bread and wine, along with other reforms of the Roman Catholic Church. The Hussites are in turn divided into two to three factions: the Calixtenes (Moderates), the Taborites (Radicals), and a later splinter group called Orphans. Moderates preferred to reform the church, while radicals wanted more comprehensive reforms, not only of the church, but of the state and society. Some even rejected church and monarchy.

The Imperial player controls those forces under the Emperor and King, Sigismund of Luxembourg. (Note: Sigismund was still only King of the Romans in 1420. Although he was not crowned emperor by the Pope until 1433, he was still the ruler of Germany, in a nominal sense anyway.) They support the execution of Hus and oppose the taking of Communion with both bread and wine. Royal Crusaders, including both the Catholic minority in Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary are also under the direct control of the Imperial player. Papal Crusaders from the Holy Roman Empire (i.e. Germany) are under the indirect control of the Imperial player.
Blind Faith and issue #59 of ATO
Maps - One full color 22'x34' hex mapsheet
Counters - 180 assorted full color die-cut 9/16' pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Low
Playing time - 4 to 5 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Average