After briefly recounting some of the editorial choices for the publication of the game, today I begin to explain a little about what the game is like.

The name ‘Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars’ is not accidental, because it places the emphasis on the places where the battles whose names we still remember today were fought more than two hundred years ago: Rivoli, Marengo, Austerlitz, Waterloo…

Each battlefield will therefore be represented by a map and a folder in which this map is accommodated.

The maps will be of different sizes depending on the dimensions and scale of the battle. There will be maps of Small size (A3 format: 42*29.7 cm), of Medium size (A2 format: 59.4*42 cm) and of Large size (A1 format: 84*59.4 cm). The maps will be heavy paper, colorful but with functional graphics for the game, and large hexagonal spaces (about 5 cm in size).

The battlefield folder, in addition to protecting the map, has other functions. Before the battle the text on the cover provides a historical overview of the battle, and the figure on the back describes the starting deployment of the two armies.

After setting up the map and the pieces (a matter of minutes), the folder is then opened next to the battlefield map to be used during the battle as a playing board. The inside of the folder contains all the information, special rules, reinforcement spaces and everything else that will be needed either to to keep track of the outcome of the battle. Most importantly, it contains the Order Spaces that players will use during the game to command their units on the battlefield (more on this in a future episode!).

In the box of Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars there will already be four Battlefields with their respective maps and folders: 1 Small map (Hegelberg), 2 Medium ones (La Coruna and Rivoli) and 1 Large one (Austerlitz).

But the great thing is that – if the game has any luck – it is very easy to expand it with new Battlefields (several are already ready or almost ready!). For each new battle, all you will need to add is a new map and its Folder. A solution that is easy to produce, cheap to buy and to ship, and – not unimportant – space-saving on the shelf.

In the next post I will talk a bit about the units and the things they can do on the battlefield. So long!