Maida 1806

From Form Square Games:

By the close of 1805 the Third Coalition, which had been orchestrated by William Pitt, was in tatters following their catastrophic defeat at Austerlitz.

However, in late 1805 a tiny Anglo-Russian army, sent by Pitt and paid for by the British government, disembarks in the Bay of Naples to support Ferdinand IV, King of the Two Sicilies. This army, commanded by General Lacy with the support of General Craig, approximately 15,000 men strong, is now the only Coalition force on mainland Europe. Will they be able to defend Naples, or will they evacuate leaving the wretched Neapolitan army to its fate? Will Marshal Massena secure the Two Sicilies for his Emperor, or will the Coalition be able to save Ferdinand’s last stronghold, the island of Sicily itself?

The second game in the ‘Limits of Glory’ series explores the British campaign in Naples in 1806.

About Limits of Glory:

This series of games aims to explore the relationship between ‘Skill and Luck’ in the development of general officers in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period.

Often throughout history the outcome of a military campaign has been considered the result of an individual commanders personality or skill. On the other hand, success or otherwise in war is sometimes taken to be the outcome of luck, with less credit being given to the decision makers. Strength of character, expertise, talent and determination can be mistaken for luck; but luck can also be mistaken for those virtues. It is said that people make their own luck and the more you practise the luckier you become. A lucky general might not have been so if he had not created the situation where a lucky outcome was possible.

In Limits of Glory all the influential commanders from a campaign are assessed on the skill they exhibited and how much luck they are considered to have benefited from during the campaign. These combined factors are converted into a Glory rating for each commander and Glory allows them to influence the outcome of situations during the game. Some commanders may have high ratings due to their skills and some because of their luck, the best may have both, while others, due to mediocrity, may languish with little hope.

Playing the Limits of Glory series requires mitigation of difficult situations with the well judged use of individual commanders’ Glory, but beware, there are limits to glory and luck always runs out!