I've given this one a lot of thought -- I even thought a lot about where to post this given the melange of game platforms involved -- but I now put forth this query:
What is the "Mount Rushmore" of Waterloo games, i.e., the four best ways to play the campaign and/or the battle? All platforms are eligible.
These are mine (in no particular order...this is Mount Rushmore after all!):
1. "Napoleon", 4th Edition by Columbia Games. Combined with "Eagles", a complete set for which can be acquired relatively reasonably, this one has nigh-endless replayability, modest complexity, and is great fun.
2. John Tiller's "Campaign: Waterloo": Doug and I have juuust started the grand campaign and I forgot how truly grand, despite its evident limitations, this system and game still are.
3. "The Flight of the Eagle", Pratzen editions: I would never put it past the mad folks on the Kriegsspiel board to try a traditional brigade-level KS for the battle, but, failing that, this is a fine alternative. The disorganization, fog of war, frustration, and friction that this bakes into the cake really makes one far more sympathetic for both Napoleon and Grouchy, among others. The 1815 campaign is available as a free download from the Pratzen site.
4. OK, this one is highly specialized, but it's how I feel: Glenn Drover's adaption of Command and Colors to epic Napoleonics. This is not straight C&C: Napoleonics -- Glenn was too impatient to wait for Richard -- but both his Leipzig and his Waterloo games are beautiful, fun, fast-moving, and play to conclusion in an afternoon.
Waiting review and possible admission to this pantheon are both SoW:W (especially as it evolves through patches) and Waterloo 200, although I, personally, am put off by area movement at this scale.
Vive L'Empereur!!
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
I rather liked the small Hundred Days Battles from AH back in the mid-80s. It was great b/c you could easily finish it in one sitting.
I had Fields of Glory (?), but I'm not sure I ever "graduated" to the full battle.
Quote from: Cyrano on June 18, 2015, 09:36:09 AM
3. "The Flight of the Eagle", Pratzen editions: I would never put it past the mad folks on the Kriegsspiel board to try a traditional brigade-level KS for the battle, but, failing that, this is a fine alternative. The disorganization, fog of war, frustration, and friction that this bakes into the cake really makes one far more sympathetic for both Napoleon and Grouchy, among others. The 1815 campaign is available as a free download from the Pratzen site.
Speaking of Pratzen, their recent multigame package (QB, Ligny, Wavre and Waterloo) seemed pretty fun. I put out some action photos down in the AAR section.