The game is very accessible, and plays quickly. The single-day scenario can easily be completed by two players in two to three hours. At 11 pages, the rulebook is well written, clear, and full of colorfully illustrated examples. The game is slightly more complex than your average entry-level game, but even those new to the hobby should not have any trouble grasping the concepts. There are no charts, and everything the player needs to resolve combat is either in the rules or printed on the board. Of course, hardened grognards looking for a highly detailed depiction of the battle will not like NT’s abstracted approach. But even veteran gamers will appreciate that NT does a great job in depicting the sweep of the battle and the nuances of the grand-tactical situation.
Napoleon’s Triumph comes with components that are of the highest quality. The board is very nicely mounted. There are two copies of the rules, so that players don’t have to trade one dog-eared copy back-and-forth during play. The troops are represented by long thin wooden pieces, evoking the image of a Napoleonic battalion in line formation. Commanders are represented by metal stands with the commander’s flag and name. Simmon’s Games has even included extra pieces so that if your dog chews up Murat during your pizza break, the great cavalryman can be quickly replaced to keep the game going.
With the release of Napoleon’s Triumph, Simmon’s Games has given the gaming world exactly what we need more of: a high quality, exciting game that is accessible and fast-playing. This is a great game for new wargamers and those looking to play a light, fast game. Veteran gamers will appreciate the role that strategy and the "fog of war" play in NT. Grognards will be looking for more detail, but even they might fall for Triumph‘s sweep. It has been just a little over 200 years since Napoleon’s epic victory at Austerlitz. Napoleon’s Triumph is a great way to relive the excitement and pageantry of the Battle of the Three Emperors.
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