First Victories - Wellington versus Napoleon

First Victories Wellington versus Napoleon is the first in the new Glory and Empire game series. Glory and Empire is a fresh look at grand tactical command, maneuver, and combat during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Period. The system is focused on command, maneuver, and combat which is fast-playing yet accurate and rich with detail.

The game is 125m per hex. Units are battalions and companies for infantry, regiments, squadrons for cavalry, and companies for artillery. Each strength point is 100 men for infantry, 50 men and horses for cavalry or one section, or 2 guns for artillery. Counters are 5/8".

The rules consist of a Soldier's, Battalion, and Brigade rule set. Players can learn the basics with the Soldier's rules, move to a full-fledged simulation with the Battalion Game and pick and choose rules from the Brigade Game to suit their tastes. Or players can jump right into the Brigade Game and understand how grand tactical maneuvering was practiced on the battlefield during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Soldier's Game gives players new to the era an introduction to foundational concepts of tactics in the horse and musket era. In the Soldier's and Battalion Games, there are the usual Line, Column, Square, and skirmishers. The Battalion game has two types of Skirmishers, introduces important concepts for maneuvering forces on the battlefield, and has more detailed close combat procedures. The Brigade Game adds close columns, attack columns, closed squares, and Austrian division masses. Artillery is simplified for the Soldier's and Battalion Games, but the Battalion Game adds artillery ammunition. The Brigade Game adds bombardment zones, bounce through, howitzer fire, and separate ammunition tracking for a round shot, shell, canister, and shrapnel. The Brigade Game also gives players more tools to react to enemy moves.

The piece de resistance of the Brigade Game is the command rules. Players choose to form their brigades into Grand Columns or Lines of Battle. To deploy for battle, the player must decide which evolution to use to form a Line of Battle and shake his men into fighting order. To cross a bridge or move through a defile in the face of the enemy will take careful planning to avoid being embarrassed by the enemy when the columns emerge on the other side. Keeping the troops in good order is all-important if the day is to be won.

The system's debut will feature Wellington's first victories against Napoleon's forces in the Peninsula, with the battles of Roliça and Vimeiro.

Play Glory and Empire and learn the trade of fighting Napoleonic period battles and earn your marshal's baton.