Napoleon's Last Campaigns
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Napoleon's Last Campaigns is a board wargame published by Rand Game Associates (RGA) in 1974 that simulates the final campaigns of Napoleon in 1814 and 1815.
After defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in late 1813, Napoleon and his devastated army retreated to France in the face of the massive forces of the Sixth Coalition. In 1814, as the Coalition invaded France, Napoleon managed a series of brilliant victories in the Six Days' Campaign. While these repulsed the coalition forces and may have delayed the capture of Paris by at least a full month, they were not significant enough to turn the tide, and in April, Napoleon abdicated the French throne and was exiled to Elba. In March 1815, he escaped back to France, raised another army and began the campaign of a Hundred Days that would end at the Battle of Waterloo.[1]
Description
Napoleon's Last Campaigns is a two-player grand tactical wargame in which one player takes the role of Napoleon, and the other takes the role of the Allies. With only 72 counters, a small map and only 6 pages of rules,[2] this game has been characterized as "relatively simple."[3]
Gameplay
The game uses a simple alternating "I Go, You Go" system, where the French player moves and fires, then the Allied player has the same opportunity.[3] The game requires use of a Turn Recorder (a turn record track for up to 30 turns) and TAC Cards (6 white cards and 6 red cards numbered from 1–6) that were not sold with the game. If the players do not have these components, they have to devise replacements for both.[4]
Movement
The small 16" x 14" map is divided into areas rather than a hex grid. Units may move from one area to an adjacent area each turn.[3] Only the French may move two areas in one turn by means of a "forced march."[2]
Combat
Each unit has two Combat Power numbers on its face, one for 1814 and the other for 1815. When one unit moves into an opposing unit's square, both the attacker and defender play one of the TAC cards, which displays a number from 1 to 6. After adjustments for leaders are made, the two numbers and a die roll are cross-referenced on a 6 × 6 matrix to determine the combat result.[2]
Scenarios
The game includes two scenarios: "1814" (24 turns) and "1815" (25 turns).[3]