The Emperor Returns is a Napoleonic board wargame published in 1986 by Clash of Arms that asks "What if Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo?".
The Emperor Returns is a Napoleonic board wargame published in 1986 by Clash of Arms that asks "What if Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo?".
The Battle of Waterloo was a narrow victory for forces of the Seventh Coalition under General Arthur Wellesely, and if several small factors had changed — for example, if French Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy had not pursued Prussian troops at nearby Wavre and had instead returned in time for the main battle — a French victory might have been very possible. [1]
The Emperor Returns is a two-player wargame in which one person controls French forces under Napoleon, and the other player controls armies of the Seventh Coalition under General Arthur Wellesely, and covers a hypothetical month-long campaign by Napoleon in Belgium following a fictional French victory at Waterloo.
Rules cover the movements and fighting of Napoleonic era armies, including features such as supply and attrition, morale, leadership, and military intelligence and administration. [2]
Only army or corps leaders appear on the map, with subordinate units (corps, divisions, battalions, regiments) placed on graduated mark sheets. This means there are few pawns to maneuver, and this system also preserves secrecy about the forces present. [3] In addition, both players can deploy decoys, raising uncertainty about the quality of soldiers in the engagement. [3]
The Emperor Returns was designed by Kevin Zucker and was published by Clash of Arms in 1986. The box cover features the painting Napoleon Returning from Elba by 19th-century Russian painter Vasily Sternberg.
Victory is not dependent on inflicting casualties but on degrading the morale of the opposing army. The player who brings the opposition's morale to the breaking point is the winner. [3]
In Issue 6 of the British games magazine Games International , Mike Siggins did not like the "what if?" aspect of the game, commenting, "On balance I cannot recommend this game to the people most likely to buy it; that is, enthusiastic Napoleonic gamers. Much of what the system offers is clever, deceptively atmospheric and it comes closer than many to its goal, but for those of you who want a true simulation the field is still wide open." Siggins concluded by giving this game a below average rating of only 2 out of 5. [2]
In Issue 59 of the French games magazine Casus Belli , Mark Brandsma was enthusiastic about this game, noting that the use of decoys meant that "It's impossible to know what's in front of you before you start the fight. Nerve-wracking." Brandsma concluded, "This simulation is superb to play. With games lasting less than 5 hours, you will have plenty of time to explore the many possible variations. I'm going back to play another game right away." [3]
Napoleon, subtitled "The Waterloo Campaign, 1815", is a strategic-level block wargame published by Gamma Two Games in 1974 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo. A number of versions of the game have been produced by Avalon Hill and Columbia Games.
War and Peace, subtitled Game of the Napoleonic Wars: 1805–1815, is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1980 that simulates ten years of Napoleonic wars.
Frédéric Bey, born 20 April 1961 at Issy-les-Moulineaux in France, is a designer of wargames and the author of books and articles on the subject of military history.
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.
Chronicles of Osgorth: The Shattered Alliance is a 1981 computer wargame published by Strategic Simulations in January 1982 for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers. Programmed by John Lyon, it relies on a new game engine, called RapidFire, intended to make faster and easier access to wargames published by the studio. During a turn, the program selects the units each in turn and the player only has to order them to move, attack or cast a spell. The order is then executed immediately before the program selects another unit. The game offers two categories of scenarios. The first is composed of medieval-fantasy confrontation, including a free adaptation of the Battle of Gondor against the Mordor forces in the Lord of the Rings. The second is composed of historical battles of antiquity.
La Bataille de la Moscowa is a board wargame published originally by Martial Enterprises in 1975, later republished by Game Designers Workshop in 1977, and by Clash of Arms in 2011.
Napoleon at Leipzig is a board wargame published by Operational Studies Group in 1979 that simulates the Battle of Leipzig.
Wellington's Victory: Battle of Waterloo – 18 June 1815 is a board wargame simulation of the Battle of Waterloo, originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976.
Tokyo Express: The Guadalcanal Naval Campaign – 1942 is a solitaire board wargame published Victory Games in 1988.
The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon in Russia 1812 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that is a simulation of the Battle of Borodino during the French invasion of Russia in 1812.
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.
Austerlitz, subtitled "The Battle of Three Emperors, 2 December 1805", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates the Battle of Austerlitz between Napoleon's French forces, and the Austrian-Russian forces of the Third Coalition.
The Battle of Raphia, 217 B.C. is a board wargame published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1977 that simulates the Battle of Raphia during the Syrian Wars. The game was the first in GDW's "Series 120", which featured shorter and less complex games containing only 120 counters that supposedly could be played in 120 minutes.
Friedland 1807 is a board wargame published by Imperial Games in 1974 that simulates the pivotal Battle of Friedland that pitted Russian forces against those of Napoleon I.
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.
La Bataille de Corunna–Espagnol is a board wargame published by Clash of Arms (CoA) in 1995 that simulates the Napoleonic-era Battle of Corunna.
Battles of the Hundred Days is a board wargame published by Operational Studies Group in 1979 that simulates the final Hundred Days of Napoleon's reign, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo. The game rights were purchased by Avalon Hill who retitled it Hundred Days Battles.
Ligny: Incomplete Victory is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Ligny. Ligny was originally published as one of four games in the popular collection Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual game.
Wavre: The Opportunity Lost is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Wavre. Wavre was originally published as one of four games in the popular collection Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual game.
Ney vs. Wellington: The Battle of Quatre Bras is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1979 that simulates the Battle of Quatre Bras.