Napoléon 1870

Napoleon III's Second Empire is on the brink of collapse in 1870. After hastily declaring war on Bismarck's Prussia, the French armies will be overwhelmed and trapped in Metz. This is your opportunity to write something different. Napoléon 1870 is the fourth installment in the Napoleon’s series, a series devoted to the great strategists of history. Following on from Napoléon 1806, Napoléon 1807 and Napoléon 1815, Napoléon 1870 brings its own unique challenges to this well-tried and highly acclaimed campaign system. In Napoléon 1870, two players, assume the role of Napoleon III or Bismarck, making the key decisions that will determine the fate of Europe. As Napoleon, will you manage to escape the trap set by your opponent and avoid being locked up in Metz, or like Bismarck, will you manage to surprise the French armies and outflank them? Multiple scenarios with a playing time ranging from 40 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes will allow you to discover the battles on the borders up to the final assault for Metz. Napoléon 1870 is intended for both the seasoned grognard as well as eager young conscripts with a desire to understand how history is made. A simple but historically faithful set of rules means that all the key aspects of campaigning in the Napoleonic era are present for players to interact with. Both subtle bluff and the blunt application of massive force will have their place as events unfold. Napoleon 1870 follows the rules of the Napoleon series created by Denis Sauvage, but two authors well-known to the general public have teamed up to produce this new installment: Fred Serval, a specialist in the Second Empire and author of Red Flag over Paris and A Gest of Robin Hood. Brian Asklev, an expert in Napoleonic strategy and operations, author of 1812, Napoleon’s Fateful March. Can you lead your men to victory? —description from the publisher