Napoleon’s Triumph (Simmons Games)

Overview
Now this a wargamer’s game. If you have ever seen the Kriegspiel maps and systems used to train the Prussian Army in the 19th century you will start to see elements of that in this game. Using an attractive large map and wooden armies you can refight the Battle of Austerlitz widely thought of as Napoleon's greatest battle

In the Box
The game board reproduces the battlefield of Austerlitz on a quite beautiful hard board of 44” by 36”. It includes dozens of red or blue wooden units and some very nice metal flags and signs for Corps commanders. The units have strengths (1,2 or 3) and unit type in simple symbols on one side only so they can be hidden to the other side. Laid out with all the pieces on it it’s a treat to see.

The game board breaks the board up into locales – or polygons but fairly subtly with light grey boundaries. Each boundary – or “approach”- may have symbols which show that one of the three arms (cavalry, infantry or artillery) is disadvantaged attacking across it. Some symbols also show approaches that are impassable.

The game is setup with players deploying their wooden divisions into Corps on the board. You are given the historical armies with one wooden piece per division as well as a number of Grand Battery pieces. You are given a number of Corps Commanders. You must give each commander a minimum of 4 units but beyond that the organization is up to you. You have the choice of two scenarios. One reproduces the battle with historical setups and the other starts a day before and so allows for the approaching columns to advance and move to your own choice of deployment.

The allies start the game.

Game-play
Play is actually quite simple. Generally each side can only move a certain number of Corps. The allies are more restricted than the French. Each unit may move 1 locale unless it is on a road where 2 or even 3 locales can be crossed. Units can be on the approach or in reserve in the locale center. Attacks are simply resolved with the symbols on the game board affecting the result along with the till now hidden unit strength . There are lower denominations of unit strengths to use if losses occur. There are no dice in this game and no chance element. It all comes down to how good your deployment and movement was and how good you are at carefully reading the terrain.

In many ways this game reproduces the basics of Napoleonic strategy very well. For example an attacker does well by using a Battery in the first wave of an attack to reflect softening up the enemy and then gets an advantage in the subsequent infantry assault. Cavalry can move further and are the only units that can move swiftly into a deployed position along a road axis encouraging their use around the flanks and in the open spaces. Just like in the actual wars.

Summary
So what we have here is an attractive looking Kriegspeil type wargame where the rules are pretty light and mostly the game mechanics are incoroprated in easily understandable symbols on the board. Once a few combats have been fought it is easy enough to play without the manual.

Some players of old 1970s and 80s board wargames with thousands of card counters and complex attack and defense charts (and I have played a number over the years but I think I am getting too old and can't find the energy to setup the games and wade through the manuals) might not like this game and label it as too simple but I think it does well at simulating the feel of grand strategy without getting bogged down in 80 page rule books. It also looks great!