Napoleon’s Campaigns Game Review

Passed Inspection: Good simulation of Napoleonic warfare at the high operational level. Excellent graphics and playability.

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Failed Basic: Lack of a single grand campaign covering the entire Napoleonic period. Lack of a strategic production system to allow for building of forces.

For the past several years, French developer AGEOD has built a following among strategic/operational wargamers with their groundbreaking Birth of America (French and Indian War and American Revolution) and American Civil War (Strategic level). Now, they have focused on the period favored by many, many gamers, the Napoleonic era, using their now-familiar system of detailed unit organization, historical accuracy, and ease of play. The result is a fun and successful third volume in their series, Napoleon’s Campaigns (NCP).

NCP focuses upon the ‘grand operational’ level of war, with players organizing and controlling units from regimental to army size across a two-dimensional map. Anyone even slightly familiar with traditional board wargaming will feel at home with the appearance and logical play of the game. Gameplay for NCP is highly intuitive, and for anyone already familiar with AGEOD’s previous efforts an easy transition. Most commands are executed via mouse/keyboard combinations and are simple to understand (build divisions, corps and armies, move units, etc.).

Organization in NCP, much like AGEOD’s earlier American Civil War, is the key to success. The right commander is necessary to gain the most from the units, especially in NCP. AGEOD has focused on the complexity of warfare in the Napoleonic era, such as the issue of multi-national forces being commanded by men who did (or did not) have the talents for such. Consequently, some commanders have such special skills as “British-Portuguese,” allowing them to lead a mixed force without penalty. Other skills and penalties have been imported from Birth of America (Patriot, Ranger) and from American Civil War (Training Officer, HQ Command). The result is a deep game that forces a player to think about army command and organization as much as battlefield strategy.

Unit organization is the heart of the game. Regiments form Brigades, which in turn can be organized into Divisions, Divisions into Corps, and Corps into Armies. Provided the forces exist, it is possible to build a Division of Guards, with all the combined arms of artillery, infantry and cavalry present in a strong striking force. In addition, the game system is flexible enough to allow a player to take said Guard Division and place it as a Army or Corps reserve under the senior commander, who, depending upon his skills, can turn the tide of battle with a timely attack by the Guard. Given this complexity, it is interesting to note that combat itself appears quite simple to the player, with a single screen summarizing the results of the battle.

The unit supply and production system in NCP is much like that of Birth of America—cities produce supply and replacements for the armies. Consequently, control of strategic cities is crucial in victory, as these cities are the only “resources” in the game. Sadly, AGEOD did not keep the unit production and mobilization system of their American Civil War, a facet of the game this reviewer missed. Players are forced instead to deal with a standard unit replacement/reinforcement schedule. The result is a game much more focused on grand campaigns, ala the 18th century, rather than with the issues that shaped the Napoleonic era and the rest of the 19th century—the levee en masse was just as important, if not more so, than the ‘French’ method of winning battles, such as the maneoever sur les derrieres.

Added to the focus on campaigning is the lack of a single “Grand Campaign,” covering from 1805 to 1815, much less a “Great Campaign” covering from 1796 to 1815. Instead, shorter scenarios covering Jena-Auerstadt, Ulm-Austerlitz, Waterloo and Trafalgar, along with several others, are packaged with larger scenarios covering the Peninsular War and the invasion of Russia. While all are highly playable and enjoyable scenarios, the player is often limited on possible actions and maneuver space. For example, in the Ulm-Austerlitz scenario the French player cannot invade Prussia in an attempt to strategically flank the Austrian-Russian forces. The result is a canalization of the French army in a nearly straight line from the Rhine to Austerlitz. While the scenarios are quite fun, the feeling in some, such as the aforementioned Austerlitz, is dry and repetitive. In contrast, the Russian invasion and Peninsular War scenarios are long enough to allow for flexibility and replayabilty.

Napoleon’s Campaigns is an excellent third entry by AGEOD using their original gaming system. While a grand campaign and a strategic production system would have added to the replayabilty of the game, NCP is still a highly playable and highly addictive game and well worth the value.