# Wallenstein (Second Edition)

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2012
- **BGG Rating**: 7.6
- **BGG Rank**: #1980
- **Players**: 3-5 (Best with: 5)
- **Duration**: 90-120 min
- **Weight**: 3.23 / 5
- **Designers**: Dirk Henn
- **Artists**: Oliver Schlemmer
- **Publishers**: Queen Games
- **Categories**: Economic, Pike and Shot, Renaissance, Territory Building
- **Mechanics**: Action Points, Action Queue, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Cube Tower, Simultaneous Action Selection, Variable Phase Order

## Verdict
If you love historic strategy with tactile choices, Wallenstein grabs you from the first turn.deep tacticsfun cube towerintegrated expansionsneeds 3‑5 playersrules can feel denseRECOMMENDED

## Description
The 2012 second edition of Wallenstein revives Dirk Henn's classic with two built‑in expansions—Emperor's Court and Landsknechte—and a few rule tweaks. Set in 1625 amid the Thirty Years' War, princes, generals and counties vie for land, resources, and prestige. Each game spans two "years" of campaign, divided into spring, summer and fall action phases, followed by a winter that may bring grain shortages and revolts. During the action seasons, ten action cards are dealt—five face‑up and five face‑down—along with five bonus tiles that provide extra money, grain or troops. Players secretly assign one of their county cards (or a blank) to each of the ten action slots on their personal board, bid for turn order, and pick a bonus tile. After the round's event card is revealed and turn order set, actions are executed in the pre‑planned sequence, gradually uncovering the face‑down cards and giving players partial foresight.

Collecting taxes and extracting grain are vital, but over‑exploitation can spark winter revolts. Combat and uprisings are resolved using the iconic cube tower: army and peasant cubes are dropped from the top, some get trapped in the baffles while others emerge at the bottom, representing the forces that actually fight. The expansions add strategic depth: in Emperor's Court, armies that fall in the tower become courtiers competing for imperial favors; Landsknechte provides a four‑card stack per player that, when a player controls counties in four different regions, lets them draw the top card and claim bonuses such as money or troops. Although the box lists 2‑5 players, the game plays properly with 3‑5. With a 3.2/5 weight, it blends resource management, area movement, and simultaneous decision‑making, delivering a deep yet approachable experience for fans of historical strategy games.

## FAQ
### How many players can play?
The game works best with 3‑5 players; although the box lists 2‑5, playing with only 2 is not recommended.

### How long does a game take?
Typically 90‑120 minutes, depending on player count and whether you use the expansions.

### What is the complexity level?
BGG weight 3.2/5 – medium; it requires planning and attention to phases, but the rules are straightforward.

### What are the standout components?
The wooden cube tower, bonus tiles, action cards, county cards, and colorful army/peasant cubes.

### Who is the game for?
Fans of historic strategy games, especially those interested in the Renaissance and Thirty Years' War, who enjoy simultaneous decisions and area control.

## Price Comparison
### Best International Offers
- **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 87.95 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=489618&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com)
  - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/708/wallenstein-second-edition?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com