Campaign Eylau-Friedland

by

John Tiller Software

 

 I have been waiting for this with bated breath for so long that I should be a cadaver. All other battles, including my least favorite Waterloo, pale in comparision to Eylau, in my mind. The desperate battle in a snow storm is the stuff of legends. Augereau, who should have been on sick leave, is ordered by Napoleon to attack the Russians. In the swirling snow storm his corps is led astray into the belching mouth of numerous Russian artillery. His corps devastated, Napoleon then orders Murat to attack with all 10,000 of the available cavalry. The greatest cavalry charge in Napoleonic times then takes place. The Russian center is then sliced through. Numerous Russian units are ridden down or dispersed. Then the cavalry regroups in the middle of the Russian Army, and cuts its way back out. Now that would be something to see in CGI in a film. Then of course we have Friedland. The Russian general Count von Bennigsen loses all caution, and apparently his mind. He crosses a river into a bottleneck that not only has his army trapped by the river behind, but his two flanks are pretty much cut off from each other by the topography. He does this with Napoleon somewhere on the other side of the river. His attempt to sneak into the tiger cage works all too well. A rejuvenated Grande Armee proceeds to utterly destroy his army. Eylau is the first real time that Napoleon is held at bay by another army. It sent shock waves through Europe, until his completely lopsided victory at Friedland. The Russian troops who had earned a reputation in the Seven Years War as incredibly tough only add to their glory.

 So what comes in the game:

Scenarios

• Twenty-two battles and over two-hundred and twenty scenarios, to include the battles of Eylau, Friedland, Heilsberg, Guttstadt, 1st and 2nd Ostroleka and Mohrungen
• Tutorial scenario that helps the player learn the game system.
• A wide range of scenarios which allow the players to command an entire army or just a few brigades.
• A select group of campaign scenarios available for play as stand alone battles.
• Bonus battles that add in forces that were not used in the campaign or standard scenarios.

Campaigns

• The 1806 Winter Campaign - Includes the Battles of Pultusk and Golymin.
• The 1807 Winter Campaign - Includes the Battle of Eylau.
• The 1807 Spring Campaign - Includes the Battles of Heilsberg and Friedland.
• The full 1806-07 Campaign - Covers the entire campaign in Poland.

Features

• Turn scale is either 10 or 15 minutes.
• A Design folder includes files and information that will aid the customer in learning how to build their own scenarios.
• A Terrain Effects Chart is included that helps the players determine the effects of terrain and the movement allowance of their units.
• A Weapons Chart is included that allows the players to determine the range and effects of all weapons in the game.
• Over sixty-two maps (to include submaps) are included covering the famous battles such as Eylau, Heilsberg and Friedland
• Scenario and Campaign Editors.

Changes

• New 2D Magnified view
• Night turn length extended to 4 hours (240 minutes)
• Maxium visibility range can be extended up to 180 hexes

I have had my say about the changes in the games since they came out. The graphics are totally updated and while not state of the art are still fully functional on 2D, and eye pleasing on 3D. I usually play on the 2D magnified view now, unless I need the big picture for a moment. As far as the AI, again I have pontificated enough about it. There are now many scenarios that were built from the ground up as single player ones. They are tough to win, and not because the computer cheats or has extra troops by the ton (this is the usual practice in computer games to try and make single player worthwhile). Napoleonic tactical warfare was a sophisticated game of rock, paper, and scissors. For those of us who are sticklers for historical battles down to the last musket and grenadier, this game delivers. The campaign games adds a little of what if for players who enjoy that aspect of a game. In a day and age when the amount of scenarios that come in a game can be counted on two hands, this game comes with over 220! To put that in layman's terms, that is enough to be stranded on a desert isle for a very loooong time.

 For those of us who suffer from enjoying reading an encyclopedia or a PDR (Physicians Desk Reference, yes I liked to read through it as a child), the game comes with all these extras:

Preview Documents

• The Armies of Campaign Eylau-Friedland - pictoral display of the uniforms and soldiers of the various nations and minor allies which fought during the 1806-07 Polish Campaign.
• The Battles of Campaign Eylau-Friedland - a listing of each historical battle in the game to include a jump map image, strength comparison and historical briefing.
• Terrain Effects Chart - lists each terrain type and the movement costs for each troop type.
• Weapons Effect Chart - lists all of the weapons in the game and their firepower value by range.
• Parameter Data File Guide - breaks down each line in the PDT files and is for the customer in designing their own battles.
• Situation Maps - helps the players understand the history of the campaigns in CEF and acquaints them with the locations where the battles were fought.
• Order of Battle Guide - gives a detailed explanation of the units in the order of battle files.
• Order of Battle Compendium - a PDF of all of the order of battle listings for the battles in CEF.
• Campaign Eylau-Friedland Artwork - lists all of the units in the game and their location in the graphics files.
• Leaderlist for Campaign Eylau-Friedland - lists all of the leaders in the game and their location in the leaders graphics file.
• Turn Tracks - useful for the long battle and campaign scenarios.
• Special Rules - used in the certain scenarios where certain restrictions need to be applied for more historically accurate game play.
• NEW: Unit Listings for Campaign Eylau-Friedland - lists every unit's order of battle line entry for review by the players or in building new OB files for custom scenarios.

  So for those of us who are only happy when steeped in minutiae this is a game for us. For the casual gamer of Napoleonics, it has many shorter scenarios for your gaming pleasure. You can play by Direct-Play, Email, or Hot-Seat among others. I have been a fan of John Tiller games since they were first brought out by HPS (HPS Simulations). As I mentioned, the bar of the games keeps rising. Not only that, but all of the updates on the newer games are always implemented for the consumer on the older games. Imagine other companies updating almost twenty-year old software. Thank you, John Tiller Software for the chance to review my new favorite game of theirs.


This is a link to the game page:
http://www.johntillersoftware.com/NapoleonicBattles/CampaignEylau.html

A link to John Tiller Software:
http://www.johntillersoftware.com/index.html

A review of Petersburg from John Tiller Software:
https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2019/03/petersburg-by-wargame-design-studio-and.html

A review of Panzer battles North Africa 1941 by Wargame Design Studio and John Tiller Software:
https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2018/12/panzer-battles-of-north-africa-1941-by.html


Review of Panzer Battles of Normandy by Wargame Design Studio and John Tiller Software:
https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2016/07/john-tillers-panzer-battles-of-normandy.html#

Review of Panzer Battles Kursk Southern Flank by Wargame Design Studio and John Tiller Software:
https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2016/12/panzer-battles-kursk-southern-flank-by.html

Robert











                                                                                                     

The Peninsular War

Expansion for Napoleon and his Marshals

by

Two Generals Games

  Napoleon was sitting on top of the world in 1808. He had just compelled Russia to become an ally, and join the Continental System. This was a confederation of European states that Napoleon set up to stop all trade with England. Then hubris raised its ugly head. Napoleon coerced Spain to allow a French army through its territory to invade Portugal. The invasion went pretty much like clockwork. Then Napoleon got the bright idea to actually invade and conquer Spain. Napoleon made similar statements about invading Spain as Hitler did before invading Russia. Spain would turn into the 'Spanish Ulcer' that would suck in men and material at an alarming rate. Thanks to English intervention and the Duke of Wellington, Spain became an abattoir for the Frenchmen posted there. It was a brutal nasty guerrilla war that saw horrific war crimes committed by both sides. No matter how many times the French defeated the Spanish forces, they arose again from the dead within days to weeks. It was a Napoleonic version of whack-a-mole. The war in Spain became a blueprint for guerrilla warfare still used to this day.

 With that introduction there should be no doubt where our review is taking us. This is an add-on for the excellent Two Generals game, 'Napoleon and his Marshals'. With this addition to the game you get the chance to fight just the war in Spain, or to add the map to the base game and fight larger scenarios. However, you do need the base game to play this expansion. Two Generals describes the game as "a dice-less game of skill. No luck is involved". I have to agree with their description.

 This is what comes with the game:

One map of the Iberian Peninsula

Two counter sheets

 The components are as top notch as the base game. The map is printed on plastic coated reinforced 'banner' paper. The size of the map is 20.75" x 16". It includes Spain, Portugal and some of southern France. The hex scale is 38 miles per hex.The counters are also reinforced and are slightly larger than normal at 0.6" square.

 While it may not seem like it, many wargamers are very interested in what others consider a sideshow to the main Napoleonic campaigns. The campaigning in Spain was entirely different to what the French troops were used to. This add-on plays much like the actual campaign. As someone said, "In Spain a large army starves while a small army is swallowed up". Wellington and the French fought a seesaw war much like the Campaign for North Africa in WWII. So the Spanish campaigns in this game have a very historical feel just like the main game.

 Two Generals are looking for a person to make a Vassal version of the game Napoleon and his Marshals. Anyone who is capable and interested, please get in touch with them on their website.

 These are the links to the main game and my review of it along with the games other expansions:

https://www.twogeneralsgames.com/index.php/our-games/79-napoleon-and-his-marshals

https://www.twogeneralsgames.com/index.php/our-games/98-unconquered-lands-expansion-for-napoleon-and-his-marshals

https://www.twogeneralsgames.com/index.php/our-games/100-the-ottoman-empire-expansion-for-napoleon-and-his-marshals

Link to the updated rules and scenarios:

https://www.twogeneralsgames.com/index.php/news/109-update-napoleon-rules-and-scenarios

 My review:

https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2018/07/napoleon-and-his-marshals-by-two.html

Robert

Waterloo 200

by

Vento Nuovo Games

I can hear the groans now. Playing a wargame about Waterloo is like hearing 'Stairway to Heaven' on the radio in the 1970s. How many times do we have to do this? Well, it looks like we are going down the rabbit hole more time. This game from Vento Nuovo is just on the battle itself. There is no chance to make different earlier decisions than the principles already did. The ridge with the Anglo-Allied Army behind it is awaiting the French attack, and the Prussians are coming. It is now or never time. Napoleon had better forget about his piles and get this battle won. 

 I have to mention the box art. It is one of the best ones I have seen. If he wasn't leaving a path in the flora, I would say it was the ghost of Napoleon walking the battlefield. 

 Let us look at the basics of the game:

Each turn is two hours long.

One cm is approximately seventy meters

A game lasts five turns; from 11:00AM to 9:00PM.

Playing time is from one to two hours.

 These are the game components:

1x Mapboard 86 x 62 cm
1x 12 Page Rules Manual
121x PVC Stickers
116x Wooden Unit Blocks
30x Wooden Area Control Cubes
2x Rules Summary and Player Aids
1x Blue Wooden Initiative Disc
1x Yellow Wooden Turn Track Marker

 The victory conditions are:

The death of Wellington/Napoleon.

Ten units of either side are eliminated.

One side controls all seven victory areas (Mont St. Jean, La Haie Sainte, Chateau de Goumont, Papelotte, La Belle Alliance, Placenoit, and Rossome).

 The rule book is only twelve pages long. As with other block games from Vento Nuovo, this does not mean it is a beer and pretzels game. The game is easy to learn, but is full of Napoleonic flavor. You need to use the correct tactics to win. The map is the standard Vento Nuovo: well done, colorful, and easy to read. The blocks are small at 1.5cm. So this means that the stickers are also small. They are very well done, but are too small. You can see what you need to to play (the value). However, you cannot really appreciate these little works of art. Maybe Vento Nuovo will re-release the game with larger blocks and offer them for sale for owners of the original.

 How does it play? In a word-great. The rules are easy to understand like all of Vento Nuovo's games. However, they always leave you on the horns of a dilemma. What do I do now, or do I do nothing and wait? As the French Player you have three turns before the Prussians show up. So you have to win the battle or put a hurting on the Anglo-Allied Army in a hurry. Next question, do you go for the victory areas, or do you try to destroy ten enemy units? As the Allied player, you have to hang onto where you are, even by your fingernails if need be. Once the Prussians show up you can start breathing again. The Napoleonic player will then be placed between a rock and a hard place. Many historians believe that without the Prussian assistance, the Anglo-Allied Army could not win the Battle of Waterloo. The theme song for the Anglo-Allied Army should have been 'Hang on Sloopy'. The Napoleonic one is 'Now or Never'. The Initiative and Tactical Action phases of the game are pretty standard. The Initiative Disc goes from player to player once used. Tactical Action totally depends on how well your  Strategic Leader (Napoleon/Wellington/Blucher) is doing. Applying losses after a battle is a bit more complicated and seems to give some people trouble. This is the table to use to figure out your losses:

Black (Dots/Pawn/Cannonballs/Stars): 1 Hit
White (Dots): 2 Hits
Red (Dots/Leader Heart): 3 Hits
The strongest unit(s) must be reduced first.
The Leader's Heart and Red/White Dots may be used to shield other units of the same strength.

 There are rules to show the different armies' use of artillery. The French can add any number of artillery units to each battle. The Anglo-Allied/Prussians can only add a maximum of one artillery to each battle. The game also comes with ten Optional Rules to make the game more historical. These include:

Free Setup
Cavalry Charge
Grand Batterie
Scouting
Combined Attack
Morale
etc.

 Napoleonic warfare was a very large tactical game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. So a good Optional Rule to play with is Combined Attack. The attacker loss is decreased by one if he uses all three types of units (Artillery/Cavalry/Infantry) in an attack. Morale is also a large part of warfare in any age. So you can pick all ten to play with, or just your personal poison.

 So, even if it is a game about Waterloo it is still a good game. If you like this game you will definitely want to check out 'Bloody Monday' which is the Vento Nuovo game about the Battle of Borodino. 

Robert