"Using Napoleon by Columbia Games as a Campaign" Topic
7 Posts
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greenknight4 | 01 Jun 2022 12:36 p.m. PST |
Using Napoleon by Columbia Games as a Campaign I have re-posted a great article written by y good Richard McMahon M.D. a few years ago. VR Chris aka GK4
INTRODUCTION Columbia Games wooden block game "Napoleon" is a classic, and quite honestly my favorite board game of all time (and my memory stretches as far back as Tactics II). link Few games have achieved a strategic play that is so elegant in its simplicity. The wooden blocks provide uncomplicated but effective fog of war and step reduction. The mechanics are straightforward group activation for town-to-town movement, with road limits affected by crossing rivers, and can be learned in minutes. However, the free deployment, wide open map, faster speed for cavalry and horse artillery, as well as forced marches can lead to sweeping maneuvers that can take years to master. No two games are alike. It is a great strategy game. When enough forces have coalesced and both commanders agree to a battle, the blocks are moved, with their step reductions, to a stylized battle mat. The subtle "paper/scissors/rock" differences of the Horse and Musket and Cannon era are preserved. The campaign map allows for reinforcements to be brought on adding to the tension. The movement of the blocks on to and across the "battlefield" have a tactile sense that no other board game can match. It gives a feel more akin to a miniature battle than any cardboard counter/tweezer game could possibly provide. The Background: As satisfying as these battles have been, and I've fought hundreds, I've always thought "How cool would it be if I could move this battle to the table top instead of this little mat?". The game provides an instant order of battle, with effective fog of war and a definite strategic context. With a proper table top road network set up, the reinforcements arrive at times unknown to the enemy, and on the flanks rather than just as a general Reserve-"Hey, what's the dust on that road mean?". What more can you ask for in a campaign vehicle? More Of The Post link
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arthur1815 | 01 Jun 2022 1:54 p.m. PST |
Very useful. Thanks for posting! |
GamesPoet | 01 Jun 2022 3:29 p.m. PST |
If I recall correctly, The Snappy Nappy Campaign in a Day group in CT used that very map for their campaign several years back. It worked very well. Also, I recently purchased Quatre Bras 1815 By Hexasim because I saw the game being used for a campaign series games relatively recently. The map is great both in looks, and in scope. The pieces can be used for the units, and whatever happens on the map can be picked up in a game on the table top. I see the smaller nature of the Quatre Bras area as being a good approach to having a smaller campaign for folks just beginning to amass their Napoleonic era forces. Folks could then build up their units from there to expand into larger events. |
DisasterWargamer | 01 Jun 2022 4:43 p.m. PST |
I also use the maps from Shenandoah and Sam Grant/Bobby Lee for ACW campaigns |
greenknight4 | 01 Jun 2022 8:18 p.m. PST |
Thanks everybody, it is a great game and I appreciate the kind remarks for the work the author did. We have known and gamed with each other since 1990 :) |
Decebalus | 02 Jun 2022 4:59 a.m. PST |
I have done the same some years ago. It really is an excellent game to make a campaign. We used the 2nd edition, which had the benefit, that blocks represent divisions. We had a simple matrix, what each block with its points meant. |
donlowry | 02 Jun 2022 9:28 a.m. PST |
There have been several iterations of that game, including an Avalon Hill Gaming Co. version. But all are great. I agree that it, and any of the block games, would make great foundations for campaigns! |
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