This is the fifth turn of the war in Spain. Sir Wellesley continues to play a game of cat and mouse with Napoleon in the rolling hills of Castile. Winter is setting in and unless something drastic happens quickly, It looks like this will be a long war. WHAT HAPPENED THIS TURN The French in Castile are starving due to lack of supplies. They begin to desert in even greater numbers. This is soon alleviated though, when the small French force sent back to France last turn, re-establishes the French supply lines. As a result of the newly arrived food, Napoleon's men force the British into an open field battle in which the British are thrashed. Wellesley retreats back into Portugal with his defeated army, leaving his Spanish allies to dangle in the breeze! WHERE EVERYONE IS French: France - 1 small army Madrid - 1 small army, Murat Castile - 1 large army, Napoleon 1 very Small army, Junot British: Portugal small defeated army, Wellesley Portugese guerrilla Andalusia guerilla, El Incognito Leon - 1 guerilla Valencia 1 guerilla Catalonia 1 guerilla, Don Camillo THE MATRIX Normal March Victory/Defeat Forced March Morale Increases/Drops Rest Prepare Fatigued Rally Halt Ambush Retreat Skirmish Rout Open Battle Recruit/Desert Tactical Advantage Terrain Effect Large Formation Small Formation Weather Effect Supply Lines Motivation Battle Cry Anger Fear Shame Love Wild Card Wild Card Wild Card THE ARGUMENTS THAT WERE TURNED IN THIS TURN Marvin Scott Action: The French supply line is cut. Reason: Guerilla morale Is rising. Guerillas can ambush supply trains. The supply line is long and exposed Result: French troops desert at an even higher rate. Chris Blair Action:Open Battle: Napoleon catches up with Wellesley and forces him to fight an open batt Result:Defeat: Wellesley is thrashed and must retreat into Portugal. Reason: Large Formation: We outnumber the Brits massively. Tactical Advantage: We still have Napoleon in command. Supply Lines: We still need to win a decisive victory before winter sets in. Nicholas Falzon Action Wild Card: Get supplies for Napoleon's army from the small force in France, which gets them ready for a march into Catalonia to meet up with the rest of the army. Result Wild Card: Napoleon's army will be replenished for December and the winter and they will be fresh for an assault on Don Camillo's lines. Reason Motivation: We will motivate our troops to fight hard and eat well. Fatigued: We will no longer be fatigued and men won't desert. Battle Cry: We will prepare for a battle cry into Catalonia. Chris Engle Action: Retreat: Napoleon leaves Murat in charge of the Army of Spain and returns to France. Result: Wild Card: Napoleon is out of the game. Reason: Large Formation: The Austrians are acting up again. Motivation: The army in Germany needs him. Tactical Advantage: Even Murat should be able to beat Wellesley's army with THIS many resources! AFTERWARD Next turn will be the last turn of the war In Spain. So if anyone wants to Jump In and try something weird now is the time to do it. Early in the game Al Macintyre tried to have Turks invade from North Africa. Maybe something like that will happen, or if the players chose the game can end on an historical note. Historically, Napoleon left the war in Spain to his underlings - mainly General Soult. The situation in this game looks very similar. The British are pushed back but not defeated. By leaving, Napoleon would be repeating his historical mistake of not crushing the Spanish Ulcer quickly. Back to Experimental Games Group # 17 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Chris Engle This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com