The Waterloo PBG Pack

From Against the Odds:

So what battle has been wargamed the most?

Most people would pick one of three--- Waterloo, Gettysburg, and Bulge.

Yes, even in an era spanning 20 years, with stories like Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, and the retreat from Moscow, there's something about the mix of shock, desperation, and enormous bravery at Waterloo that grabs the imagination.

Waterloo is much-traveled territory. How would we do something different? How about using our "Pocket Battle Game" format, but instead of just ONE "post card" sized game, we could have FOUR. Each one must be playable independently, but could we construct a system clever enough so that they could all be combined as well?

We challenged Paul Rohrbaugh and he picked carefully... reproducing the outcome of the entire day's actions by focusing in on the key areas of the battlefield.

• Meant to be a quick, clearing out action, the prolonged British defense of Hougoumont deprived Napoleon of an entire French corps (the IInd) for the rest of the day.
• A similarly stubborn defense of La Haye Sainte took so long to overcome there were no French troops around to exploit the success of finally taking the strongpoint.
• The shock and surprise of Prussian troops appearing at Plancenoit (to the French right and rear deprived Napoleon of yet another full corps (the VIth) to deal with that.
• Finally and dramatically, the outcome of the battle came down to just some five French Imperial Guard battalions assaulting their counterparts holding the Anglo-Allied line.

This is the second of our Pocket Battle Game sets for sale as collecting the whole set has been a challenge for gamers.

Now we will make it easy-- you can just BUY the set!

Here is what you get!

Barring the Gate - Viewed as an easy capture by Napoleon on the morning of Waterloo, the stout defense of Château d'Hougoumont ended up diverting and absorbing an entire French corps of troops! The prolonged action throughout the day completely derailed Napoleon's plans to quickly shatter the Anglo-Allied forces before the Prussians arrived. The gate is barred, can you break through?

A Hard Pounding Fight - The walled farmhouse of La Haye Sainte at Waterloo was defended by about 400 KGL (King's German Legion) troops. Hopelessly outnumbered by attacking French troops, they held out until the late afternoon. If La Haye Sainte had fallen earlier in the day, Napoleon almost certainly would have pierced the Allied center and defeated Wellington.

"Grant Me Night...or Blücher!" - As Wellington's line at Waterloo comes under pressure and starts to buckle, his prayer is answered. Not nightfall, but Prussian forces under F.M. Blücher arrive behind the French right flank at Plancenoit and impulsively attack! Napoleon is forced to commit yet another of his Corps plus the Young Guard to hold them back.

La Gârde Recule! - With time running out to win at Waterloo, Napoleon unleashes his Imperial Guard to smash through the last defenders of the Allied ridge line. A man who once launched entire armies at his foes now gambles his empire upon a mere five battalions - but what battalions! History knows few finer forces... Will they succeed, or be hurled back, raising the incredulous cry across the French Army, "La Gârde recule!"

The Waterloo PBG Pack includes:

• Map - 4 postcard size playing maps
• Counters - 80 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces
• Rules length - 1 page for each individual game, 1 page for the campaign game

Complexity - Low
How challenging are they solitaire? - Average
Playing time - Up to 1 hour for the individual games, up to 4 hours for the linked campaign game

Designer - Paul Rohrbaugh
Development - Steve Rawling
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey