We have not played a ton of Napoleonic Era wargames. Really just a handful focused on the Nappy 100 Series from Victory Point Games, several of the games from Shakos (Napoléon 1806 and Napoléon 1807), the recent released Limits of Glory – Campaign I – Napoleon’s Eastern Empire from Form Square Games and some card games from Worthington Publishing (Napoleon Returns 1815). There are many of them out there and real wargamers usually play them a lot but we have just really only scratched the surface on getting into the genre. But, there is something with these games that does draw me in. Even though I am not into the history or feel a connection to the subject matter, they are somewhat magical in my humble opinion. Typically, these Napoleonic Era wargames are large hex and counter affairs with lots of units, large stacks, deep CRT’s, even sometimes using a base 6 math equation to divine combat results (I am looking at you La Bataille). They are REAL wargames and I am very glad that there are so many titles out there as there is a lot of fertile ground to expore! Recently, we played a very fine example of a Napoleonic Era wargame in a new offering called Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – Eylau 1807 from Sound of Drums. This game is a fantastic example of a deep and interesting simulation of the period but with very approachable rules and mechanics designed to be able to appeal to any level of wargamer. 

If you are interested, we posted a full First Impressions post on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2025/02/05/first-impressions-battles-of-napoleon-volume-i-eylau-1807-from-sound-of-drums/

We also focused on the beautiful board and highlighted the work of the talented Marc von Martial in a Beautiful Boards of Wargaming! post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2025/05/22/the-beautiful-boards-of-wargaming-battles-of-napoleon-volume-i-eylau-1807-from-sound-of-drums/

-Grant