Tabletop gaming is built on the gradual accumulation of systems knowledge. How a hand of cards plays, what a die roll can determine, how to place a worker, etc. Playing a more basic game to establish those fundamentals lets you dive into more complex titles without worrying about, well, those basics. Wargaming takes this to the next level, extending core rulesets over several or even dozens of different battles, letting you enjoy whole historical eras without having to do much more than glance at the rulebook.
And there’s few historical eras as well-defined in wargaming as Napoleon’s.
The Library of Napoleonic Battles, from the Operational Studies Group (OSG) is attempting to create games for 88 of Napoleon’s battles using largely the same ruleset. So far, you can dive into 82 of them, in titles that link 4-5 battles together in grand campaigns or standalone scenarios. These are beautiful productions, with maps, counters, player aids, and optional cards to introduce a little event chaos should you desire. If you and a playing partner, or your solo self, want to dive into a grand experience without needing to dig into new rules with every game, then The Library of Napoleonic Battles is worth a closer look.
Playing Napoleon’s Wars
At their core, OSG games like Napoleon’s Last Gamble offer a classic war gaming experience. We’re talking big maps, bold counters, and an I-go-You-go turn style. That venerable setup flies in these games, though, as the rules are otherwise written with an emphasis on playability. By that I mean you’ll find copious and fascinating research notes, but won’t be required to weed through arcane rituals just to fire a cannon. The speed of play is a good thing here, as the CRTs are designed for strategic conflict, meaning you’ll be pushing the defeated enemy around more often than outright slaughtering them. This puts the onus on good strategy, using things like zones of control and entrapment to destroy units rather than grinding attrition. What you might like more is subjective, but it does mean these games tend not to be grinding lines of step losses, with more fluid conflict instead.
Individual commanders make their presence felt on the battlefield here too, and their abilities lend the games a lively feel. It’s not just a bunch of faceless soldiers, but Junot’s brave band holding the line while Napoleon himself sweeps in for the devastating flanking maneuver. These stories arise best during the linked campaigns in these titles, as you and your opponent dance from one battle to the next, crafting legendary advances and retreats in equal measure.
You’ll be throwing dice as you shift counters in reasonable volumes, though not the towering stacks found in some other war games. Nor are the counters themselves so densely packed with attributes as to make studying the field at a glance require both a magnifying glass and a tome to parse tiny icons. This all speeds up play, important with the I-go-You-go system to keep both sides engaged. Supply, control, line of sight, and all the usual bits and bobs of wargames at this level is present, but accounted for with a minimum of faff. Any rules that you find disagreeable, too, likely have copious alternatives available on Boardgamegeek and elsewhere.
Such is the benefit of a game series this large and developed – you can tweak to suit your own preferences. A popular shift, for example, takes the CRT and makes it bloodier, ensuring casualties come more from straight out fighting than trapping and crushing. It’s your game, play it as you want.
I noted above that these productions are generally good, matching and exceeding war game standards. You’ll get your matte paper maps, counter sheets, and cards with excellent artwork. Each box, too, contains several battles meant to link together, so you can pick and choose the campaigns that interest you. Or, you know, dive all the way in and play from start to finish, at which point you might as well change your name to Bonaparte.
Where to dive in with The Library of Napoleonic Battles?
Should that be your goal, or if you’re wanting to try out a campaign or two, how should you start with a series this large?
While the newest title in the series is Napoleon’s Counterstrike, with several unique battles, that drops you towards the end of Napoleon’s career. If you’re an
aficionado or want to try some scenarios likely not seen on your table before, it’s worth your time. Otherwise, consider a few other entries:
You could aim for Napoleon’s most famous battles, like Austerlitz, captured in Napoleon’s Wheel at the end of a four battle sequence. Napoleon’s Wheel also comes with a universal event card deck that can then be tossed into any other OSG setup (should you prefer, you can also acquire the card deck separately). Given those, I’d suggest Wheel as a solid starter, with plenty of fun elements like hidden units, weather effects, and more to play with as a two player or solo affair.
If you’re looking for a different setting, or to start earlier in Napoleon’s career, Bonaparte in the Quadrilateral pits the French against Austria in the late 1700s, in Italy. Sieges, river crossings, and dynamic scenarios that produce more interesting action than a scrum in the map’s middle, these battles are likely ones you or your opponent haven’t played before. The varied facets here make it a shade heavier than some of the other titles in this series, so bear that in mind if you’re newer to wargaming.
Another wargaming pleasure is trying to out-general history, and you’ll find a great opportunity for that with Napoleon Against Russia, with four linked scenarios playing out the Grand Armée’s rush to Moscow. Napoleon and his commanders made some disastrous decisions, can you try something different? Large maps offer more opportunities for flanking maneuvers, while the Russian player gets to defend their home turf with nervy action. By removing some of the sieges and complexities in the other two titles above, the ruleset runs a little lighter too.
And lastly, you can start at the finish, with Napoleon’s End, which plays out the concluding battles leading to Bonaparte’s exile. These might not be the grand smashes you’ll see elsewhere, but you’ll see terrible mistakes and have to recover, or try and deliver a mortal blow earlier than history. It’s original, engaging, and, if you combine it with Napoleon Retreats and La Patrie En Danger, you can play out an entire 12 battle campaign.
Get Napoleon out of that one victorious, and you might as well call yourself Emperor.
Other systems like Operational Study Group (OSG)?
Okay, so you love the idea of a series of war games following the same system, or perhaps the same historical figure or period, but want to branch out from Napoleon. Where to begin?
The systems model is the easiest – we’ve done pieces on Mark Simonitch’s ZOC Bonds series, Volko Ruhnke’s Levi and Campaign, and others. Each of these presents a broad selection of conflicts leveraging a similar rules setup, making it easier to table the next once you’ve learned the core rules. I’d browse a few of the above and pick one that falls in with your preferred complexity level and theme, then get to playing.
If you’re more interested in focusing on a historical figure, look next to GMT’s Great Battles of History series. While the series as a whole crosses the world and spans
centuries, you can zero in on figures like Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, or Alexander the Great to dive into their military campaigns. Because these tend to be tactical level games, you’re getting a boots-on-the-ground view that plays fast and furious. You’ll see more or less first-hand the sorts of problems, strategies, and forces these legendary generals had to contend with, and, if you’re on the other side, get the chance to play spoiler.
After all, who among us hasn’t dreamed of being a pillaging Goth?
Period play is easiest to do with the largest historical wars, like the US Civil War, both world wars, and so on. Numerous publishers have put out games and systems hitting on major battles, whether naval or land, that you can, more or less, string together to get a picture of the conflict on your tabletop. Titles like Warfighter, Purple Haze, Combat Commander, Command and Colors, and Memoir ‘44 (a fork, essentially, of the Command and Colors system) all give you a relatively inclusive way to battle through an entire war, albeit through their specific gameplay lens.
All told, adventures like OSG are part of what makes war gaming so special. Turning every one of these battles into, say, a euro or a massive miniature game (though systems like Black Powder and Bolt Action come close) would be difficult. Instead, you can play through history, and even change it.
Napoleon would approve.
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