Le Vol de l'Aigle Vol. 1

A Napoleonic campaign game system using nineteenth century maps
Scale: variable, from one turn an hour to one turn a day
Number of players: 2 to 10 with an umpire
Difficulty: easy for the players, medium for the umpire

Le Vol de l’Aigle is a game simulating Napoleonic era campaigns. It is double- blind based, as the players can communicate with each other only through messages carried by the umpire. It is played on nineteenth-century maps with a quite simple system. The players are really acting the part of the general, who barely knew where the enemy, as well as his own army, was. The game needs only paper and pens, with a few dice. It is the first volume of a three-volume series eventually covering all the issues of Napoleonic warfare.

Main features
The general course of a campaign is the succession of turns varying with the proximity of the enemy. Each player gives his orders for the whole day (or more), but if his troops encounter the enemy, turns are split in hours or even less. Only the Umpire sees these encounters and then stops the time. Practically, the commander-in-chief sends his orders by Aides de Camp or by direct contact with a subordinate. Each player writes the orders for his units and the Umpire collects all orders and the maps where the planned moves are drawn. The Umpire then solves the moves, informs the players if they have any patrol reports, or if they actually see something. If no combat occurs, the day is over and the next day starts with computing losses, supply, and so on.

When an enemy formation is spotted, the day is split in hours. The involved players can react based on the information they get to concentrate their troops, or withdraw, and/or send messages. Finally the fight is resolved face to face with a simple but precise system, primarily based on the troop’s morale.

The players communicate only through the Umpire by writing messages, thereafter transmitted to other players by liaison officers. In fact, the fog of war is a main feature of this system, as it was during the Napoleonic era. Most of the information is incomplete and some armies are almost blind before meeting the enemy. See an example of the game. For instance, remember the opening moves of the 1806 campaign against Prussia. Even Napoleon for some time did not know the enemy position, sending patrols everywhere to gather information.

Organization of the series
The campaigns of the Napoleonic era were very long, usually several months, but in a few cases the decisive event occurred after only a few days, as in Ulm, Ratisbon, and Jena. The first volume of this series focuses on the “opening moves”, a few days time including the army concentration and the decisive event (Jena, Eckmuhl, Pultusk…). The present set of rules is well suited for a few-days campaign, from the first move to the decisive event. Indeed, in the three campaigns presented here, the wind of victory was caught in only a few days.

The first scenario is the campaign against Prussia in Saxony in 1806. The historical event was the double victory of Jena and Auerstaedt, leading to the total destruction of the Prussian army. In the campaign of 1809, which starts with the invasion of Bavaria by the Austrians, the few first days include the battles of Abensberg, Landshut, Echmuhl and Ratisbon. The third campaign, Poland 1807, includes three scenarios: Pultusk, Friedland, and Eylau. In each, the armies are set up as they were a few days before the decisive battle.

A second volume of the series will include more complete rules, and three additional campaigns: 1812, 1813 and 1814. These rules will take into account issues like the weather (and its effect on movement and combat), the supply and its effects, ammunition supply, the wounded and the recovery of losses after combat, the hospitals, and the prisoners. It will also include a more complex combat system; optional but more realistic.

Finally, a third set of rules will be a more strategic vision: mobilization and training of troops, equipment purchasing, political and diplomatic rules, and finances and economy. The three last campaigns (1805, 1815 and Spain) will be included. An additional set of rules will link this system to the tactical set called “Le combat de l’Aigle”.

Content:
1 rulebook (28 pages)
7 sheets recto back of players’ information and aids
3 maps A4
15 colorful countersheets (cardstock)