NAPOLEON AT WAR

INTRO:
The Napoleon at War game system is an operational simulation of warfare during the era of the Napoleonic Wars. This QuadriGame included Marengo, Jena-Auerstadt, Wagram, and The Battle of Nations. I only own the folio, Wagram.

DEVELOPER'S NOTES {edited}:

The Napoleon at War game series is based on the game system developed in 1972 for the SPI Introductory Game, Napoleon at Waterloo. Despite the popularity of NAW and its well received descendants, Borodino and Austerlitz, limited interest in the pre-Twentieth Centruy eras prohibited the publication for additional Napoleonic games until the QuadriGame and Folio concepts were initiated by SPI in 1975.

GAME SCALE:
Each turn is between one and two hours, each hex is between 400 and 800 meters, each strength point is between 500 and 1000 men.

MINI-REVIEW:

MINI-REVIEW: The QuadriGame idea was interesting in its time. The Quads are now just for collectors and play by email. The game system is over-simplified and more of a game than a simulation. The locking zone of controls are artifical restrictions that DO NOT simulate real life. The strengths of the QuadriGame concept is the ease of learning, bringing new gamers into the hobby and a fun time in a short time. Wagram is the best game in Napoleon at War.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY:

	1. FIRST PLAYER-TURN
		A.  Movement Phase 
		B.  Combat Phase 
	2. SECOND PLAYER-TURN
		A.  Movement Phase 
		B.  Combat Phase 
	3. GAME TURN RECORD INTERPHASE

WAGRAM

INTRO:
WAGRAM is a simulation of the battle which took place between the armies of the Hapsburg Empire under Archduke Charles and the French-Allied armies under Napoleon on July 5th and 6th, 1809.

CREDITS:

Designer: Irad B. Hardy

Graphics: Radmond A. Simonsen

Developers: Irad B. Hardy, Frank Davis

MINI-REVIEW:

MINI-REVIEW: This is a finely balanced game and the best of the QuadriGame. Napoleon has just crossed the Danube River and is facing the Austirans on an open plain with their left flank firmly established on a hill. A successfull attack by the Austrians would crush the French against the river. The French have the center position and can use his mobility the best. This game has a simple game system of maneuver and attack with locking zones of control. Wagram is all game, no simulation.

HISTORY
Wagram was the final decisive battle in the Campaign of 1809, which pitted Napoleon and the forces of the French Empire against the Hapsburg Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army. This war had begun on April 9th, 1809, with an Austrian invasion of French-allied Germany. Initially successful, this thrust was soon blunted and repulsed in a series of battles along the upper Danube by Napoleon and a hurriedly raised army. By mid-day the French had driven the main Austrian forces out of Vienna and seized all Hapsburg territories west of the Danube, but had failed to destroy the Archduke's army which now lay on the east bank of the Danube, opposite Vienna. On May 21st and 22nd, Napoleon tried to cross over the Danube and strike the off-balance Austrians. However, the French were thrown back in the battle of Aspern-Essling and the situation along the Danube stabilized while Napoleon laid the logistical foundations for a later, more massive crossing through Lobau Island, southeast of Vienna.

On the early morning of June 5th, under the cover of heavy batteries, the French erected pontoon bridges across the last remaining channel of the Danube and debouched from Lobau Island onto the eastern plain of the Danube. This crossing met only light resistance, for the Archduke's plan was to give battle on the plain, or Marchfield (which, by coincidence, was the Austrian autumn maneuver grounds). This plan envisioned the French being held by forces rooted on the heights overlooking the plain, while a strong counterattack would cut them off from their bridges. Napoleon, confident in his ability and his army, planned to crush the Hapsburg foe by a classic flanking and penetration battle.

The next day saw the Austrians attacking first, with a pinning attack on the French right wing. This caught the French off-guard and if the Austrians had been able to coordinate this move with a simultaneous assault on the French left, they might have created a disaster for Napoleon. As it was, they delayed the French flank attack for some hours during which a see-saw battle in the center raged. Finally, at mid-day, the French under Davout began to drive along the flank of the Austrians, drawing reserves to the threat. It looked as though Napoleon's plan was on track when disaster struck in the center and left flank of the French line. Bernadotte's Corps, composed mainly of Saxons, dissolved in panic while the long awaited Austrian flank attack materialized on the French left (which had been stripped of troops to shore up the center). Demonstrating his remarkable touch, Napoleon committed his reserve artillery and cavalry to hold the breach in the center, while dispatching just enough reserve infantry to contain the flank attack short of the vital bridges. Once again the failure of Austrian command control robbed them of victory as Charles was unable to support his success with uncommitted troops. With the line now stabilized and Davout's attack gathering momentum, Napoleon launched a huge column of assault under MacDonald. At the expense of horrendous losses, this column broke the line. Faces with inevitable defeat, Charles ordered his army to retreat, yielding the field to the French. Within a week, the Austrians asked for an armistice.

COUNTER LIST:
In case you need to replace a counter.

 FRENCH  

	Cavalry		Infantry	Artillery 

	6-6		9-4		10-1 
	Res		Clap		Gd
			Marm		1/Res
	4-6 		Thar		2/Res
	Gd				3/Res
			8-4 
	3-6 		Dhil		 8-4 
	Lasa		Dupa		1/IV
			Sax		2/IV
	2-6 				II
	Grou		6-4 
	IX		Boud		6-4 
	Mont		Demo		1/III
			Fria		2/III
	1-6 		Gran		IX
	Colb		Gudi		1/Ital
	Gera		Legr		2/Ital
	Pull		Moli
			Mora
			Reyn
			StCy

			5-4 
			OlGd
			Wred

			4-4 
			Brou
			Lecc
			Pact

			3-4
			YoGd


 Austrian 

	Cavalry		Infantry	Artillery 

	5-6		9-4		9-4 
	SR		1/II		I
			2/II		II
	3-6 		3/II		IV
	1/Res				VI
	2/Res		8-4 
	3/Res		2/II		8-4 
			3/II		III
	2-6 
	2/AG		7-4		7-4 
	VI		1/I		SR
			2/I
	1-6				6-4 
	1/AG		6-4 		AG
	1/II		3/I		Res
	IV		1/III
			2/III
			1/IV
			2/IV
			3/IV
			1/VI
			2/VI
			1/AG
			2/AG
			1/Res
			2/Res
			1/SR
			2/SR
			3/SR

			5-4
			3/III
			3/VI

Values are Combat - Movement

Game introductions and history in italics are directly from the game rules or game box.

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