Carolingian Twilight: Decline of an Empire AD814 2023

Carolingian Twilight: Decline of an Empire AD814 is a two to six-player game covering the decline of the Carolingian Empire following the death of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) in AD 814. The Salic Law of the Franks required that at a man’s death, his property was divided among all his sons, which led to civil wars among Charlemagne’s descendants when the inheritance in question was the Empire itself. From the various wills, wars and treaties dividing and redistributing the Empire during the 800s, emerged the nuclei of the modern states of France, Germany, and Italy.

Each of the 10 scenarios depicts the period following a particular division of the empire, with each player taking on the role of one of the heirs. The object of the game is to reunite the Empire under a single ruler, while fending off not only fraternal Frankish rivals, but also the hostile surrounding foreign powers. Each game turn represents 1 year. The map scale is one inch to 75 miles. Each area is an historical region. Each unit represents 100-5000 soldiers (plus camp followers, etc.).

Published in S&T #342 Sept-Oct 2023.