Quatre Bras: Stalemate on the Brussels Road is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Quatre Bras, one of the engagements leading to the Battle of Waterloo. Quatre Bras was originally published as one of four games in the popular collection Napoleon's Last Battles , but was also released as an individual game.
On 16 June 1815, the Anglo-Allies under Wellington were holding Quatre Bras, a strategic road intersection in Belgium. They were attacked by French forces under the command of Marshal Ney. This was a preliminary engagement that led to the Battle of Waterloo two days later.
Quatre Bras is a two-player board wargame where one player controls the Allied forces, and the other the French forces. Having a small 17" x 22" hex grid map, basic rules and only 100 counters, this game is relatively short and simple, where "players can usually discern the winner in one evening." [1]
The rules are based on the system developed for Napoleon at Waterloo published by SPI in 1971, [2] which uses a simple "I Go, You Go" system of alternating player turns:
This completes one game turn, which represents 1 hour of game time. In addition, stacking of units is prohibited, and there are no supply rules. [3] Zones of control are both "rigid" and "sticky": a unit moving adjacent to an enemy unit must stop there. Combat is mandatory, and units thus engaged cannot move away from each other except as a result of combat.
In 1975, SPI published the "quadrigame" Blue and Gray , which contained four different American Civil War games and one set of rules in the same box. The concept proved popular, and SPI quickly produced more. Napoleon's Last Battles, designed by Kevin Zucker and Jay Nelson, with cartography and graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen, was published the following year and proved to be one of SPI's most popular quadrigames. [1] One of the four games in the box was Quatre Bras, which was also released as an individual "folio game", packaged in a cardstock double LP-sized folder.
As related by Nick Palmer, Quatre Bras generated some controversy in the gaming community – in the game's "Designers' Notes", Zucker and Nelson decried rival games Waterloo by Avalon Hill and 1815 by Game Designers' Workshop for adding what they believed was a nonexistent hill to their maps of the Battle of Waterloo. GDW responded by issuing game errata for 1815 that doubled down on the hill, allowing Wellington's forces to shelter behind it. Palmer added, "The truth appears to be that there was a gentle slope, sufficient to offer some concealment." [4]
After TSR took over SPI in 1982, they attempted to get a quick return on their money by republishing several popular SPI titles such Quatre Bras, which reappeared within a new edition of Napoleon's Last Battles.
In the 1990s, Decision Games acquired the rights to Quatre Bras and the other games in the original Napoleon's Last Battles collection, and republished all four games with revised and streamlined rules and new components. [1]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer called Quatre Bras "A gripping battle for the crossroads, which swings dramatically to the French and back again." [3] In his 1980 sequel, The Best of Board Wargaming , Palmer modified his opinion slightly, stating "Exciting, but not the sort of game you play a dozen times, since the course of play varies little." He concluded by giving the game an Excitement grade of 60%. [4]
In Issue 53 of Moves , Ian Chadwick called Quatre Bras "short and sweet" and concluded by giving the game an "A" for playability, an "B+" for historical accuracy, and an "A" for component quality, saying, "A delight and a must in the collection of Napoleonic and tactical buffs." [2]
In a retrospective review twenty years after publication, Monte Gray felt that Quatre Bras tended to swing in France's favor due to defensive limits laid on the Allied commanders. Gray concluded on a positive note, saying, "Time has been kind to Kevin Zucker's design. It remains easy to learn, difficult to master." [1]
Cemetery Hill, subtitled "The Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as part of the "quadrigame" Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles that simulated four battles of the American Civil War. Cemetery Hill was later released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Napoleon's Last Battles is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications in 1976 that simulates the last four battles fought by Napoleon. It was one of SPI's most popular games, and also received many positive reviews.
Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four battles from the American Civil War.
Island War: Four Pacific Battles is a collection of four board wargames published in 1975 by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) that simulates various battles between American and Japanese forces during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
Marengo: Napoleon in Italy, 14 June 1800 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as one of four games packaged together in the Napoleon at War "quadrigame". Marengo was also released as a separate game the same year. The game simulates the Battle of Marengo between Austrian and French forces.
Napoleon at War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates various battles fought by Napoleon.
Napoleon at Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo. The game, which features simple rules, was designed as an introduction to board wargaming, and was given as a free gift with each subscription to SPI's Strategy & Tactics magazine.
Bloody Ridge, subtitled "Turning Point on Guadalcanal, September 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Island War: Four Pacific Battles "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Bloody Ridge was also published as an individual "folio game."
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Nordlingen, subtitled "6 September 1634 – Triumph of the Imperialists", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1634 Battle of Nordlingen during the Thirty Years' War. Nordlingen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame". Many critics called it the best game of the four, and Nordlingen was also published as a separate game.
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Freiburg, subtitled "3–9 August 1644 – Conquest of the Rhine Valley", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1644 Battle of Freiburg during the Thirty Years' War. Freiburg was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received poor reviews from critics, who called it the weakest of the four games in the Thirty Years War box, "a series of slogging matches", "not much fun", and "relatively boring."
Breitenfeld, subtitled "Triumph of the Swedish System", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1642 Battle of Breitenfeld during the Thirty Years' War. Breitenfeld was a free game that appeared in Strategy & Tactics, designed to promote SPI's soon-to-be-launched wargame Thirty Years War. Breitenfeld proved popular and was also published as part of SPI's "folio" series of games.
Blue & Gray II, subtitled "Four American Civil War Battles", is a collection of four board wargames originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that each simulate a battle from the American Civil War. It is the sequel to Blue & Gray published earlier in the year. Each of the four games was also published as individual "folio games."
La Belle Alliance: The Battle of Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo in 1814. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio.
The Battle of Nations, subtitled "The Encirclement at Leipzig, 16-19 October 1813", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but was also released as a "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio. It was popular in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, and critics also gave it favorable reviews.
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