All is lost save Honour: Campaigns of the Italian Wars 1494-1530 – Vol.1

About this board game

All is lost save Honour: Campaigns of the Italian Wars 1494-1530 – Vol.1 is a two-player operational-level wargame with an approximately 180-minute playing time, covering campaigns fought in northern Italy between Agnadello in 1509 and Pavia in 1525.

Set during the Italian Wars, the game focuses mainly on the conflict between the Hapsburgs and the Valois. Players maneuver armies across a 22″ x 34″ fine-art map representing Lombardy and neighboring states, based on historical maps, manuscripts, and research into the region’s roads and terrain.

Careful planning and maneuver are central to the highly interactive sequence of play. Combat appears in three forms: Major Battles, Skirmishes, and Sieges. Major Battles receive a detailed sequence in which each side uses different tactics, while campaign-specific rules and events give every scenario its own character.

• Agnadello, 1509: Venice defends its Republic.
• Novara, 1513: Swiss forces face the French army.
• Marignano, 1515: François I takes the Duchy of Milan from the Swiss.
• Bicocca, 1522: France loses the Duchy of Milan.
• Pavia, 1525: François I suffers defeat against the Empire.

The game includes a detailed order of battle, with combat units differentiated by strength, maximum movement, quality, and reliability. Iconic counters represent the major capitani and various combat units, while low counter density and limited play time keep the system accessible despite its historical detail.

With its focus on sixteenth-century warfare, All is lost save Honour combines cavalry, early firearms and artillery, mercenary troops, sieges, treachery, and pillaging into a focused study of the Italian Wars.