Albuera 1811 - Beresford vs. Soult

From Strategemata:

Albuera 1811: Beresford vs. Soult depicts the fiercest battle of the Peninsula War. Both engaged armies suffered terrible losses. Players can check if success could be achieved with lower cost.

Rules concentrate on infantry maneuvers on Napoleonic battlefield. It is important to form battalion into proper array in the right time. Intuitively Line gives advantages during musketry fire and Column is powerful in hand-to-hand fighting. Important is also placing an infantry battalion regarding to neighboring units. Flank-to-flank deployment gives farther bonuses in ranged combat and forms solid order of the whole army. An infantry battalion can detach a company of skirmishers. It is useful for screening battalion's main body and harass enemy units with volleys. The best form of defense against cavalry is Square. In the box are rectangle counters. They represent line with broad front. This simply solution shows British 2-row line historical advantage over French 3-row - rectangle counters occurs more often in allied army.

Cavalry aspect is not so detailed, so cavalry is simply deployed in line formation.

Artillery can move or fire. Of course horse artillery can do both actions during one activation. The biggest advantage is a range of fire.

Command and control is simple. Players have certain Activation Chits and select some of them. Activation Chits of both players are placed in one Activation Pool. Blindly drawn Chit indicates formation which can move and initiate close combat. Melee is very bloody – both sides suffer losses, but the risk must be taken, because won clashes give Victory Points.

Non-activated units do not move, but they are allowed to fire. Thanks to that the whole board is used and crucial events can happen everywhere, not only in activated map sector. The most common effect of fire combat is Morale Check. If unsuccessful, unit can withdraw – decision is up to the opposing player, so both players are involved for the whole gameplay.

Generally random factor is big, but players can feel reality of Napoleonic battlefield. The winner is player who properly deploys his units and uses opportunities given by Fate of War.

Game scale:

One game turn – 15 minutes of real time

One hex – 150 meters

One strength point – 100 infantrymen or cavalrymen

One artillery counter – from 1 to 8 guns

Contents

one rulebook (16 pages);

one board (68 x 98 cm);

648 die-cut counters (15 x 15 mm);

25 die-cut counters (15 x 30 mm);

two scenario cards;

one 10-sided die.