[This is the conclusion to Mark's article which will appear in issue Nr. 7 of Wargame Design Magazine.] The games I've played in this series have nearly always been astounding, both in historical terms and in enjoyment. Particularly in situations where the opposing sides' exact movements can't be absolutely determined, the game generates a great amount of suspense and excitement. One must really try to get inside the opponent's thoughts. Where might the opponent arrange the LOC? Where would that LOC become and in how many turns? There is excitement in attempting to time a descent on the opponent when the opponent has been planning the same thing. Have you moved the COO to the position which favors your planned movements? How much strength should be set aside to guard the LOC from attack? Revel in the planning! Probe for the opponent's main force. Lay out your administration and safeguards as Napoleon himself might do, poring over the maps to examine the road network and river lines. Where can you delay the foe at a bridge? Where can you use your longer Dispatch Distance to confound the opponent by sweeping away a too advanced force like Napoleon himself did to the hapless Olsufief? Can you feign weakness to draw your opponent into a vulnerable position, a la Austerlitz? Many operational level activities of the Napoleonic era spring to life on the game board before your very eyes. There are few things finer than anticipating your opponent's move and meeting him with the massed batteries, the hoarded cavalry reserve and your most capable cavalry commanders, to meet, defeat, and pursue the survivors! Enjoy the operational Napoleonic experience on the grand canvas of Europe! Back to OSG News November 2002 Table of Contents Back to OSG News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Operational Studies Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com