Components: One 22 x 34 " map, 280 counters, 20+ pages of rules.

This game is scheduled for release late this year. It uses the Napoleon at Bay system at 2 miles per hex. This map will cover the territory from Znaim and Brunn to Olmutz and Ostrava. And it will mate with the 1809 map (Victory Games), allowing for a precession of the campaign through Durrenstein and Znaim.

For Napoleon, and later, some of his better adversaries, victory on the battlefield was determined days or weeks beforehand, by ascertaining in advance where the battle would be fought, and then arranging for a preponderance of force, with mobile columns descending upon the battlefield from widely separated directions at the last minute.

Napoleon invented the operational art of war; the term was first employed later in the 19th century. Planning at this level could be most effective against an opponent who was limited in his thinking to 'Strategic' and 'tactical' levels. At his best, Napoleon concealed from his opponent exactly where the battlefield was going to be, and where the front would be. Tactical set-piece battle games do not allow for any mystery and hence, leave all but the most inept French players to reap the fruits of victory.

The Sun of Austerlitz is an operational level game, in the Napoleon at Bay/Bonaparte in Italy series.

There are four scenarios- 16 November (Bagrations's rear-guard -vs.- Murat at Schongraben), 20th and 24th November, and 1st December (Austerlitz). The main scenario will begin with the Russians in Olmutz and the French in Brunn. Where the battle is fought will be entirely up to the strategy and skill of the two players.

The Russian commanding general, Kutuzov passed through Brunn on the 18th and linked up with Buxhowden at Wischau and Prossnitz between the 19th and 22nd. Napoleon arrived on the 20th in Brunn, and on that same day at a road junction east of Brunn 6,000 Russian cavalry ran into two French divisions. On the 24th Tsar Alexander held a council of war. The Russians had no subsistence, no forage, no horses to replace losses. They could not determine the main location and size of the French army because of Murat's cavalry screen.

Kutuzov recommended that the combined Russian- Austrian army withdraw into the unforaged territory of the Carpathian mountains, back along their line of communications toward Teschen (the Polish town of Cieszyn). Such withdrawal would imply exiting the map, and will be one alternative strategy available to the allies in this game.

Generals Bagration, Dochturov and Miloradovich supported Kutuzov's proposal. However, these generals ignored the rapidly deteriorating condition of the army. Winzingerode and Dolgoruki argued that the army might never again be as strong as it then was. The Tsar decided against Kutuzov's delaying action. The army would break camp at Olmutz and move against the French, believed to be in and around Brunn.

The plan was to attempt to cut Napoleon's line of communication southward from Brunn to Vienna. Thisthe Weyrother plan-will be the other available strategy to the Russians. There was nothing wrong with the Weyrother plan, except that it misunderstood Napoleon's intentions. Napoleon meant to fight a battle regardless of circumstances, so the Russians did not have to threaten his line of communications to bring on a fight.

The second problem with the plan was implementation-once the Russians saw the French drawn up in battle array, they should have ceased their southward march instead of attempting a flank march in the presence of the enemy.

Tactical set-piece battle games do not allow for any mystery and hence, leave all but the most inept French players to reap the fruits of victory.

The French will have to act according to the strategy the Russians choose. However, what if neither side initiates the offensive? This is where it gets complicated. If we place the onus on the French to advance, will we ever see a Russian advance to the heights of Pratzen? If we place it on the Russians, will they ever retreat? The question becomes, without any offensive by either side, which army would have melted-down first?

Napoleon needed a decisive battle because of his precarious position in the middle of Bohemia, and because of the impending intervention of the Prussians. Had not the battle been fought on December 2nd, Napoleon would have had only about 30 days before the Prussians appeared. Therefore, the victory conditions will put the ultimate burden of attack on the French Player.

The problem for the Russians will be looking at an increasing attrition rate over those thirty days, the concern being that if they do nothing, their army will be so weakened that the French can wait until the end of the game and then just mop up.

The first decision to be taken in the design process is the orientation of the map. A secondary consideration in this case was the possibility of providing a map that would link with the 1809 game map already published in this series.

The orientation of the map was determined by laying the axis of the Russian Line of Communication from Teschen to Brunn down the middle of the map.

In order to give the Russians some room to pull back into the mountains, the map extends about 30 kilometers behind Olmutz and also extends about 60 kilometers in the other direction, almost to the Danube in the direction of Krems, and actually does reach Hollabrunn. The axis of the map is-tilted to the east-north-east. We maintained this tilt at 60 degrees to true north so as to retain the possibility of mating with the 1809 map.

The overall area is approximately 54 hexes in length; at 3.2 kilometers per hex, that's about 174 kilometers. And widthwise you've got 112 kilometers. For all the games in this series, that is the dimension of a map section. The only option you have as a designer is the orientation, the layout and the number of maps that you choose.

The southernmost comer reaches the Marchfeld, 15 kilometers from Vienna. In early November Napoleon had hoped to stop the Russian Army's withdrawal to Brunn, but that turned out to be impossible. Napoleon joined the advanced guard of his army on the 17th of November when it reached the important supply center of Znaim. This town is right on the edge of the 1809 map, and it's also on the Sun of Austerlitz map.

Since Znaim is on the Sun of Austerlitz map, there will be a very awkward overlap with 1809. You will be able to play the pursuit scenario starting on the 17th.

Since Kutuzov's army had already escaped, Napoleon decided to rest and resupply. The center of this reorganization would be the fortified city of BrUnn, which at that moment had not yet been passed through by the Russians.

Obviously supply is very important in this campaign. We find the Russians considering two courses of action, either to withdraw to relatively unforaged areas nearer their supply source in the Carpathian mountains, or to attack the French immediately because of the attrition they were suffering. On the French side we see Napoleon stopping to reorganize supply on the 17th, and then spending several days accomplishing this.

As a result the Forage rules from Bonaparte in Italy are going to be very important.

Victory Conditions

Victory conditions are usually the last element of a design to be completed. But they are among the first to be roughed-out in outline. Attrition is going to place a burden on the Russian Player, either to attack or withdraw. Actually the Russian player has a third option which is to simply sit still and wait for the French to come to him. That actually might be his best strategy, if he can spread his forces out widely enough to forage. But that's a risky kind of deployment and leaves the Russians vulnerable. If the Russians don't advance from Olmutz they will be no Battle of Austerlitz. We'll have to use all of our design skill to avoid straightjacketing the Russians into advancing to the Pratzen Heights, but at the same time, make it a viable strategy along with the other two.

Order of Battle

The core of the French Army will be just 27 combat units (not including the Bavarians) plus leaders, march regiments, major generals and the like.

French Army

Imperial Guard (inf., cav, art.)
I Corps-(Rivaud, Drouet, Corps Cav)
III Corps- (Cafarelli, Friant, Gudin, 4th Drag Div.)
IV Corps- (St. Hilaire, Vandamme, Legrand, Corps Cav, 3rd Drag Div)
V Corps- (Grenadiers, Suchet, Corps Cav, 2nd Drag Div.)
Cav, Murat-(1st Cuir Div., 2nd Cuir Div, 1st Drag Div., Lt Cav.)
Artillery

Austro-Russian Army

The Austro-Russian Army will be even smaller, with a core of just 15 combat divisions, (not including the Archduke Ferdinand's forces from Iglau).

Imperial Guard-(inf., cav., art.)
Advanced Guard-(inf., cav., art.)
I Column- (Kienmayer, Dokhturov)
II Column- (Olsufief, Kamensky)
III Column- (Prebyshevsky)
IV Column-(Russian Div., Austrian Div.)
V Column- (Hohenlohe, Essen)