Yaquinto (1979, $18)
Designed by S. Craig Taylor Jr.
Players 2 or more
Playing time 4-10 hours
Period Napoleonic
Scale Tactical
Turn 30 minutes
Map 400 yards
Unit regiment, brigade, division

Components
1 11"x14" Yaquinto flat box
1 21 1/ 2 "x27 1/2" unmounted mapsheet 3 15 die-cut counters
1 24 page rulebook
2 identical game cards
1 record pad
2 six-sided dice
1 plastic counter tray
1 advertising flyer, color catalog

Counter Manifest
24 red
129 green (8-3/4", 55-1/2", 66-3/4"x1/2")
158 blue (8-3/4", 86-1/2", 64-3/4"x1/2")
4 blanks

Yaquinto says:

“[A] detailed tactical treatment of the Battle ... Borodino, the last Russian attempt to save Moscow, was the bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. The game duplicates the intricacies of the warfare of the period ... line, column, square, and ordre mixte formations, routing and rallying, leader effects and casualties, cavalry reaction and recall, artillery capture and recapture, hidden units, fatigue, the elan and mobility of the French attackers, and the stolid tenacity of the Russian defenders.”

The reviewers say:

“There is a certain flavor to tactical Napoleonic warfare which most board games fail to capture ... Yaquinto has brought out a couple of games which use a first rate system to let you experience the scissors-cut-paper, rock-breaks-scissors, paper-covers-rock aspect of early 19th-century warfare.” --John Olson in Campaign 107.

“From a quality standpoint this one is richly done, right down to the box art ... The map is colorful without being overpowering and at the same time quite functional ... [T]he counters are splendid, with the only problem being the rather small type size used ... From an aesthetic standpoint, TGR is hard to beat. It’s a treat just opening the box.” --Kevin Pollock in Campaign 99.

“One problem is play balance; the game favors the Russians. Not only do they have higher morale (as they should), but also equal or superior firepower. This makes it hard for the French. Redoubt’s system is difficult and challenging. To master it will require time.” --Bill Haggart (et alia) in F&M 24.

“[T]he game system itself has all the detail of Napoleonic tactics that was in La Bataille de la Moscowa (Martial/GDW), and withal manages this in a game of a much more reasonable size.” --Jim Hind in The Wargamer 13.

Comments

The Great Redoubt shares mechanics with The Thin Red Line, Yaquinto’s tactical treatment of the Battle of Waterloo.

Collector’s Notes

Boone lists low, high and average prices of 10/28/15.33 at auction and 10/ 60/24.27 for sale. Is it just me, or does anyone else get the impression that Napoleonic gamers are a “deep pocket” segment of the hobby?

Other Craig Taylor games set in the Napoleonic era

Napoleon’s Battles (Avalon Hill), Ship O’ The Line (Battleline), The Thin Red Line (Yaquinto), Wooden Ships & Iron Men (Battleline/Avalon Hill).

More G is For Capsule Reviews

Introduction
Gladiator: Man to Man Combat in the Arenas of Ancient Rome
Gladiator: Men vs. Animals and Gladiator: Men vs. Men
Grand Imperialism A Game of Discovery in the Victorian Era
The Great Redoubt A Game of the Battle of Borodino, 1812
Grunt Company Commander in Viet-Nam
Guerilla Malaysia and Indonesia from 1963 to 1966.
Gunslinger Dead or Alive