Game Design and Concepts: Christopher Moeller Game Graphics: Christopher Moeller Number of Players: Two Playing Time: Varies, but approximately half to two hours per battle Complexity Level: Simple Packaging: Clear plastic sleeve Scale: Division/Battery. Time is unspecified, and not really relevant, but is probably about 15 minutes to an hour per turn. Map and Playing Pieces: This is a card game, and thus there is no map. Terrain is supplied by cards which have the characteristics of units for the side that holds them. There are a total of 152 cards, which represent the military units, commanders, and terrain of the Waterloo campaign in 1815. Rules: There are two rule books. One of two-pages outlines the Loaded Deck card game. This is essentially an expanded version of the card game "War". Napoleon's Eagles uses this game system as its basis, and places a Napoleonic historical veneer on it. The forty-six page rule book explains these changes. Scenarios: Four — Quatre Bras, Ligny, Wavre, and Waterloo. Historical Background Information: None really, but each scenario has a brief historical commentary noting major terrain features and strategy tips. Publisher: Napoleon's Eagles, 210 Parkside Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15228. Phone 412-531-3629. Publication Date: 1995 List Price: $24.95 Summary: Napoleon's Eagles is a card game with a veneer of history, rather than a historical game or simulation in a card format. Modeled on an English pub card game called Loaded Deck, Napoleon's Eagles builds on that foundation to create an entertaining, fast-moving game of the Waterloo campaign of 1815. The pattern of play and outcomes are often ahistorical, but within those limitations, the game does have appeal. It is a simplified version of Napoleonic warfare, which gives players the feeling of controlling the artillery and cavalry charges of the day. The Basics of Loaded Deck The game system used to play Napoleon's Eagles is a card game called Loaded Deck. It is played as follows. Players each have their own deck of regular playing cards. Face cards have the following point values: Jacks = 15 points, Queens = 20, Kings = 25, and Aces = 1. After drawing two cards, players pick their soldier card, which they now attack or defend with four card hands. The player with the higher discard is the active player and he plays a card (higher being better). The passive player then plays a card of the same color in an attempt to defeat it (by equaling or exceeding the attack value), or absorbing it (by having the modified attack become less than or equal to the soldier's face value). If the passive player is unable to match or reduce the attack, and the soldier card is flipped, he loses the game. If the attack is defeated or absorbed, the roles are reversed and the passive player now attacks. A turn ends when a player's soldier is destroyed, or there are no cards left in the active player's hand, or the passive player plays the last card in his hand in a successful attack. At the end of the turn, players switch roles, all cards are discarded except the soldiers, and new hands are drawn. The player who destroys the other's soldier wins the game. Making Loaded Deck Work for Napoleonics From this simple basis, Napoleon's Eagles then adds a few concepts. Instead of soldier cards, the players use divisions and batteries. These units have values for the following attributes: movement, charge/artillery, damage, reduction, resiliency, combat, and pursuit which essentially add to the value of the cards played. Commanders are critical in the game. Rated as army, infantry corps, or cavalry corps commanders, they can change aces to their much higher "aces up" value (Marshal Ney, for example, changes an ace to a queen). Some commanders can color shift, determine melee card availability, and their leadership value gives the player's "wing" an advantage if he is better than the opposing commanders. Terrain cards may not allow charges (such as Hougoumont), have values for artillery modification, a defense strength, color shift and melee, combat modifier, and resiliency. Resilient units are usually elite formations, as this rating normally allows them to absorb damage up to the value indicated with no ill effect once per battle. Asterisked resilient units have this capability without limitation (such as the French Old Guard with a two rating). The sequence of play consists of phases, and games continue until one player achieves his scenario victory conditions, or the game reaches the turn limit. The phases are: disadvantaged player movement, advantaged player movement, battle declaration phase, bombardment phase, battle phase, breakthrough phase, and reinforcement phase. The most interesting facet of the game is using the available modifying cards to build a potent hand. Advantage cards include: artillery superiority adds a card, special leaders in the reserve may add cards (i.e., Napoleon or Wellington), Wing Commanders can add cards if their ratings exceed their opponent's (but there is a risk of elimination for that leader), and flank attacks. After building your hand within the scenario being played, players then place their attack and defense. Successful attacks can be met by absorbing the strength point loss by destroying or reducing combat units, disrupting a corps, giving up a terrain card, by using one or more resiliency factors, or playing the advantage card. This continues until the one of the battling wings is destroyed, retreats into the reserve, the active player runs out of cards, or the passive player plays his last card in a successful attack. There are several historical touches which help give the game a military feel. For example, artillery can bombard, either separately or in a "grand battery". An artillery "hit" causes either elimination or disruption among the target wing. Cavalry can "charge" either separately or in a "grand charge" which must involve a leader, and the latter allows the active player to include additional cards to his attack card without regard to color. Against the cavalry, the passive player's units with resiliency can form "square" which lets them also include an additional card. "Blown" cavalry can rally and re-enter the battle. Face cards used by the defender in battle are melee cards, which always stop the attacking card, regardless of the numbers involved. If the attacking card is another face card, or of equal or higher value than the melee card, there is a face off — players draw cards until one total is greater. That player wins the melee, and removes the losing melee card from play. Victory comes through forcing one or all of your opponent's wings back and thus permitting you to attack his reserve. This causes "demoralization" which reduces the number of cards in your opponent's hand thereby making it more difficult for him to defend. Demoralizations are cumulative and when the total reaches nine demoralizations, he loses the battle. Napoleon's Eagles is a fast-paced, interesting game with a facade of history. It is not a simulation of Napoleonic battle, but it makes no pretense to be more than a modified version of a popular card game. The rules, charts and tables are well done, and the design incorporates most of the important tactical interactions of Napoleonic armies of the period, including artillery support, cavalry, and leadership. The cards are well-drawn, but must be cut out by hand by the players. The designer admits that he is not striving for historical accuracy, but is trying to create an effect. If you can accept a stylized approach to Napoleonic warfare, and want to have some quick fun, Napoleon's Eagles is for you. Back to Table of Contents -- Napoleon #12 Back to Napoleon List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Emperor's Press. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. The full text and graphics from other military history magazines and gaming magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com