Thirty Years War (wargame)

Thirty Years War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a "quadrigame" — four separate board wargames packaged in one box that use a common set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976.

The devastation caused widespread destruction, killing an estimated 4 to 8 million soldiers and civilians, leading to significant depopulation in German states and the end of the Hanseatic League as an economic power.

[9] Bruce Quarrie, writing for Airfix Magazine, said of SPI's quadrigames that "This entire series concentrates on the overall impression of the subject battles at the expense of tactical accuracy.

Nevertheless, he concluded on a positive note, saying, "In a hobby that sometimes seems to be overwhelmed by panzers and esoteric complexities, the Thirty Years War quadrigame is a pleasant, playable alternative.

Hatton concluded, "A workmanlike system whose only challenges in portraying specific battles of the seventeenth century come from English Civil War (Philmar) and Cromwell (SDC).

"[10] In a special edition of Fire & Movement, Joseph Miranda wrote, "Thirty Years Quad demonstrates that a wargame does not have to be complex to be a realistic simulation....

It catches the flavor of 17th century warfare; infantry is ponderous, cavalry a mobile striking force, and artillery definitely a poorer relation on the battlefield.

"[11] In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nick Palmer noted that Thirty Years War "has all the virtues of nearly all the Quads: easy rules, rapid games and lot of combat with little messing about with staff work."

"[12] In Issue 25 of the UK wargaming magazine Phoenix, Chris Bramall commented on the lack of historical accuracy in these games, saying, "the folios hardly merit the title of 'simulations' as any student/historian of the period will realise."