[1.1] In case anyone wants to expand the campaign, here are the other suggested changes. Posen, Finland, West Galicia and Masovia are Russian provinces, Romania is a Russian free state and consists of Wallachia plus Moldavia, capital Bucharest. Serbia is a Russian free state. Egypt is a British free state. Sweden consists of Sweden and Norway. The Hamburg area should be detached from the rest of Denmark (but is still owned by it). The Suez canal is under construction. The American Civil War runs from 1861 to 1865, and don't forget France's Mexican fiasco 1863-7 or so.
[1.1.2] If this makes no sense to you, take a look at a map. The distance from Genoa to Toulon (one space in Empires in Arms) is about the same as the distance from Toulon to Perpignan (four spaces in Empires in Arms). In reality, Toulon is in the same area as Marseilles and Nice is where the map shows Toulon is.
[4.4.8.1] Piedmont may fall but another Italian state picks up the torch. This should still be a game-crippling disaster for Italy, however.
[7.2.3.2.4] Suggested by Richard Gadsden.
[10.1.6.1] Anything a deranged hyperpatriot could call Italy, in other words.
[11.A] These come from free state creation, initial setup, the commune special event card and Prussian creation of Germany.
[11.C.3.3] I think this is impossible, but better safe than sorry.
[14.2.2.4] Formalised in 1867 but in practice at least as early as the 1859 war with France and Italy, it seems.
[14.8.5.3] Romagna actually belongs to the Pope, so maybe should be French, but it fell so easily to popular revolt I'm calling it neutral.
It's a lot easier to do this period in Empires in Arms than it was to do the early eighteenth century. There are three major wars in this period -- France (with Italy) versus Austria, Prussia (with Italy) versus Austria (with some Germans), and Prussia (with some Germans) versus France -- plus some retail risorgimento. In a game there will almost certainly be more -- Prussia, for instance, was historically quiescent for the first half of the game, like that will ever happen over the board.
A key feature of this game is the small number of great powers involved (at least by the standards of Empires in Arms). That's a problem, for the obvious group-dynamic reasons -- too much stability from the
One reason there are few players involved is that the rest of the world has its own distractions. Any energy Russia has to spare after a pointless Crimean war with France, Britain and Turkey is needed to suppress Polish revolts. The United States of America (plural) are preparing to fight their civil war, which will create the United States (singular). Spain is choosing to a new king again, which Bismark will find a useful pretext. Turkey, the "sick man of Europe", is distracted by rising Balkan nationalism; Britain by the Taiping and Sepoy rebellions. The great non-geographic powers of science and religion are divided over the theories of a timid English naturalist named Charles Darwin; the great continents of Asia and Africa are about to be divided by the Suez canal, which Doctor Livingstone can only presume to have been built.
Cavalry is still prevalent if not especially useful, but large cavalry formations are a thing of the past. Infantry use breech-loading rifles in advanced armies, muzzle-loaders elsewhere. Armies have become more organic -- there is a standard combined-arms structure for a corps and it is replicated dozens of times across Europe.
Don't be fooled by the archaic picture on the front of the fleet marker. These navies are steam-powered, often armoured and typically firing hollow explosive shells from turrets. Only Wilhelm von Tegetthof is weird enough to want to ram his enemies, perhaps only Wilhelm von Tegetthof could win battles that way. They're fast, but dependent on coaling stations.
It wasn't much fun being Austria historically, and it won't be in the game. Prussia has all the advantages and everybody hates you. Your indifferent leadership, muzzle-loading rifles and smooth-bore artillery aren't much to put in the road of even a Franco-Italian alliance, let alone the Prussian military machine's. You do start out with a lot of territory but it doesn't seem likely you'll get much chance to do things with it. Well, better you than me.
France doesn't have the obvious historical aims of the other powers: other than Savoy and Nice there's no more country to incorporate. But what sort of excuse do you need to kill Germans? You're number two of the big three in this campaign.
Prussia will inevitably face a solider coalition than ever existed historically, unless you use the secret weapons rules. Italy, at least, can probably be relied upon to niggle away at the Austrians. Your victory conditions basically require you to beat up on everyone, so pound early and pound often.
Italy has one big advantage -- nobody has to be afraid of you, and nobody gets much out of killing you. All right, two big advantages. The first new province is the hardest one. Unless something horrible happens to you or you do spectacularly well you'll probably be fighting Austrians most of the time. Which is good, because they're the one army you might be able to beat. Use Garibaldi's mob as a gadfly, stealing provincial free states and conquered minors you can't get ``honestly''.
Caveat: I haven't played this game. What would I know?