Relive the opening clash of Italy's wars as French forces under Charles VIII push toward Naples, while the Italian League rallies a coalition of Papacy, Spain, Venice, and Milan to drive them back. Played across 15 turns spanning fortnights from August 1494 to October 1495, this indie strategy game pits two players-France with its knights, Swiss pikemen, and guns against the League's initially weak but diplomatically bolstered armies. Event cards introduce shifting diplomatic, military, political, and economic challenges, including turncoat states that flip allegiances for high replayability.
France aims to seize and hold Naples, but the League faces the tougher fight through cunning alliances. Sessions wrap up in about 1.5 hours with no favored side. Strategy fans who enjoy tense, card-driven diplomacy and two-player showdowns at the dawn of the Renaissance will find a focused challenge here.
Fornovo 1495 is the story of the first 'War of Italy', with the expedition of French king Charles VIII against Naples.
The French objective is to capture the key city of Naples and keep it against their adversaries.
Their foes, the Italian League, must beat and repel the French armies outside of Italy by setting up a large coalition with the Papacy, Spain, Venice and Milan.
Fornovo 1495 is played in 15 turns, each representing a fortnight, between August 1494 and October 1495. Two players, France and the Italian League, are facing each other in the First War of Italy, at the start of the Renaissance.
- The French have an impressive army made of knights, Swiss pikemen and guns.
- The Italian League is quite weak at the beginning, but thanks to the crafty diplomacy of Pope Alexander VI Borgia, it will be able to create a large force able to push the French out of Italy.
Be careful to some turncoat Italian states that can switch sides at any time!
The game event cards allow full replay ability thanks to the numerous various situations that their create on the diplomatic, military, political or economical fields.
Estimated Playtime: 1h30
Favored Side: none
Hardest to Play: League.
