Swords around the Throne

Swords around the Throne allows two players to reenact the Napoleonic Wars (1805-15) on a grand-strategic scale, with France, her dominions and allies pitted in a titanic struggle for Europe against Great Britain and assorted Coalition members. The players operate as heads of state and commanders-in-chief, not generals or even marshals. Their tools are diplomacy, politics and war. They direct military campaigns, not battlefield tactics. Setup instructions are provided for “full” games to start in 1805, 1806, 1809, 1812 or 1813. Flexible victory conditions for the full game make it possible to start in any setup year and finish in any year thereafter (though a minimum of 3 years, including the setup year, is recommended). The longer the time frame chosen, the fuller the experience. Substitute victory conditions are offered for "mini" games covering only 1805, 1806, 1809, 1812, 1813-14, 1814 or 1815. Complexity is medium, and play time ranges from 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of game chosen. Solo rules are available in the files section.