Battles of Napoleon
Description
Battles of Napoleon is a historical wargame that lets you play either side in four of Napoleon's famous battles -- Auerstadt, Borodino, Quatre Bras, and the infamous Waterloo. Additionally, the game features a detailed scenario construction set that will allow you to design your own battles; everything from maps, to troop types, to weapon ranges and damage.
Gameplay is turn-based, each turn consisting of different phases. During your turn, you can establish various objectives (map squares to occupy) for each unit or commander, move commanders between units, move a unit, change formation, and, of course, attack or retreat. The Borodino scenario is the smallest, and can be used as a "tutorial" of sorts before moving on to the larger, more complex scenarios. This is a game that fans can legitimately spend several hours on.
The construction set allows, as you might expect, the creation of new scenarios for the game. In it, you will find the standard map and unit editors -- however, SSI allows you to make changes down to the weapon and unit type. This allows you to create scenarios for virtually any type of battle you can think of. As a silly example, it is possible to take the stock weapon "musket", change the damage and range, and rename it "laser rifle" -- you then have the makings of a futuristic battle on your hands. (Of course, you would need to modify just about everything else to complete such a scenario... but you get the idea.)
The learning curve for this game is steep; it is probably not for the faint of heart. Anyone who enjoys getting shoulder-deep into battlefield strategy and tactics, though, will feel very comfortable with this game.
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Credits (Apple II version)
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 87% (based on 3 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 5 ratings with 1 reviews)
Very detailed and complex; challenging, but fun
The Good
This was the first computer wargame I ever bought and played (I was probably 12 or 13 at the time). At that age, I was more concerned with jumping in and blowing the bad guy up -- so I largely ignored most of the thick manual, and just began wildly throwing my units around the map, waiting for my imminent victory.
I didn't do very well.
This is not a fast-paced action game... this game requires you to give each scenario both high-level (strategic) and low-level (tactical) consideration. Your field commanders skill and proximity can be just as important as number of men and weapons. Even though I never personally participated in any warfighting in the Napoleonic era, this "feels" realistic to me.
Once you get the hang of it, the game is fun, if a bit long. It is very much a thinking person's game; the level of detail, while extreme, adds to the realism.
The Bad
To a casual wargamer, the level of detail is probably too high. As an example, here are some of the things which can affect how well a given unit does when attacking:
**The Bottom Line**
Gameplay is fun, but not quick and not easy. Chances are, all but the most combat-hardened battlefield commanders will have to replay the scenarios a few times in order to get the hang of it all. Oh yeah... there is also a construction set with this game. But I didn't even touch on that part in my review. Suffice to say that you can exercise minute control over almost every single statistic in the game, and then create your own scenarios. Some of the game mechanics can't be changed (formations, terrain modifiers, map graphics), but you can still do a lot. This might be good practice; design a one-sided battle to play through and win, then gradually add more bad guys.
DOS · by Mirrorshades2k (274) · 2007
Trivia
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- October 1989 (Issue #64) – Wargame of the Year
- November 1996 (15h anniversary issue) - #91 in the "150 Best Games of All Time" list
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Mirrorshades2k.
Additional contributors: PCGamer77, formercontrib, Patrick Bregger.
Game added February 26, 2007. Last modified February 23, 2024.