# Congress of Vienna

Congress of Vienna is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 90–360 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. The cheapest copy in stock is $68.00 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 90–360 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 3.9 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2025
- **Categories:** Napoleonic, Political, Wargame
- **Mechanics:** Auction / Bidding, Dice Rolling, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Negotiation, Tug of War
- **Owned by:** 5 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 11
- **Unique players:** 15

**Designers:** Frank Esparrago

**Publishers:** GMT Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 68 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/congress-of-vienna/ |
| Alphaspel | 869 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/236582-congress-of-vienna |

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## Rules questions

### How is the Diplomacy Phase winner determined — what actually decides who wins and what do they get?

After six Diplomacy Rounds, Issue markers remaining on Major Powers’ National Tracks are counted as “won” and the player with the most won Issues is the Diplomacy Phase winner; Britain breaks ties. The winner gains VP (2VP for Britain/Austria/Russia, 4VP for France) and is granted the advantage of playing last in later phases. (See rulebook pp. 21–24.)

### Can I trade Character/Leader cards during the Diplomacy Phase, and can France force a trade?

On your Diplomacy turn you may offer a Character-card trade instead of negotiating; both players turn an eligible card face-down and swap if the trade is accepted (neutral cards may not be traded). The French national advantage forces an opponent to trade a French Character card to France if that opponent has one. (See rulebook pp. 24 and 20–21.)

### How do I calculate a battle’s DRM — what modifiers do I add or subtract?

Each side’s initial DRM starts with its unit/fleet count in the Army/Box, then add/subtract modifiers such as +3 per Military Support marker, Homeland or Guerilla bonuses, terrain penalties (e.g., −3 for mountain), amphibious penalties, special Leader/character effects (including the Meddling Tsar), and any Military card DRMs revealed; final 2d6 are then rolled and applied on the Battle DRM Track. Use the track and the order of application described to get the final DRM. (See rulebook pp. 36–40.)

### Can an army withdraw from a battle to avoid worse losses, and what happens if it does?

After initial DRMs are calculated, one eligible Army may choose to Withdraw (French decides first); withdrawal applies a −6 DRM to both sides and the withdrawing Army retreats one space backward, with additional movement/advance rules depending on whether both sides had Military Operation markers. Some forces (e.g., armies in Front Start spaces, the Grande Armée in Paris, War of 1812) cannot withdraw. (See rulebook p. 37.)

### How are casualties and retreats resolved after the dice are rolled — who chooses which units are lost and where armies retreat/advance?

Final pawn positions on the Battle DRM Track indicate losses each side inflicts; both players simultaneously choose which of their units/fleets to remove to satisfy those losses and move them to their Force Pools, then the side inflicting more losses (and not having Withdrawn) is the victor and advances into the vacated space while the loser retreats to the rear unless exceptions apply. There are special rules for cancelling retreats in mountains, Major Battle VP effects, and allocation of losses for multinational Allied armies. (See rulebook pp. 39–41.)

### What happens when the Grande Armée is in Paris — can it move, absorb units, and how does Napoleon’s surrender work?

Once the Grande Armée enters Paris it can never leave, immediately absorbs French units placed into Paris up to its 16‑unit limit (excess go to the Force Pool), and the French player may not strategically reduce it below four units; if the Grande Armée is reduced below four units in Paris while France is not the VP leader, the Surrender of Napoleon occurs and triggers end‑of‑game procedures. Paris is treated as French‑controlled while Grande Armée is embedded and has special co‑existence/attack/retreat rules for Allied armies. (See rulebook pp. 46–47.)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/congress-of-vienna)
- [Congress of Vienna in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/congress-of-vienna)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/296578)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._