(From the publisher)
Napoleon’s Triumph is built on the same foundations as its acclaimed predecessor, Bonaparte at Marengo, but is bigger and grander in scale. It uses two boards to make a double-size 44" x 34" map of the Austerlitz battlefield and has twice as many pieces as the earlier game, but defying the tradition that big wargames must also take a long time to play, Napoleon’s Triumph can be played from start to finish in a single evening.
From Back of Box
On December 2, 1805, on the battlefield of Austerlitz, an outnumbered French army led by their newly crowned emperor, Napoleon, waited to receive an expected attack by a Russian and Austrian army commanded by the Russian Czar, Alexander. Napoleon lured the Allies into attacking with their left wing, and when the Allies did so, a surprise French counter-attack smashed the Allied right and centre, and then surrounded and destroyed the Allied left in one of the most famous and decisive battles in military history.
Napoleon's Triumph re-creates that historic battle. Befitting its epic subject, Napoleon's Triumph is played on a double-sized 44" x34" map of the battlefield.
In spite of the game's size, it is easy to learn and fast to play. The rules are only nine pages long, and the playing time is only two hours. Napoleon's Triumph is unique among big wargames in that players can learn the game, set it up, and play it to completion in a single evening.
The game system is derived from its award-winning forebear, Bonaparte at Marengo. Like that game, Napoleon's Triumph breaks with almost all of the standard wargame conventions. It has no hex grid and terrain effects chart; terrain effects are designed into the map itself. It has no combat results table; combat is resolved through strength differential. It has no dice; tension comes from limited information and the outcome only depends on the players' decisions.
Napoleon's Triumph is a unique wargame experience. It is large, yet fast-playing. It has simple rules, but deep game play that rewards both boldness of conception and attention to detail. It stays close enough to history to engross wargamers and other students of the period, while still being entertaining enough for even non-wargamers to enjoy.
Napoleon's Triumph is not only easy to learn and fast and exciting to play, it also is a great looking game due to its exceptional component quality. The map is mounted on a heavy board cut in the German style so that the playing surface is durable, stable, and flat, without the valleys of American-style mounted boards or the buckling of paper boards.
To represent opposing armies, the game comes with 140 wooden blocks, blue for the French and red for the Allies. Painted on each block are symbols that identify the type and strengths of the unit. The senior commanders of the opposing armies are represented by 18 metal flags; stickers are applied to mark the nationality and name of each commander.
In play, Napoleon's Triumph combines the visual appeal of 19th century battle maps and military minatures, with columns and rows of units lined for movement and attack, accented by flags to indicate corps. The effect is simply stunning.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love half the that game I think half that game is as good as anything in the hobby period and the merger mechanism I actually had this conversation with Yun back at uh the Gathering of friends I think it was last year and I was like how has nobody taken that merger mechanism in Indonesia and then used it in their game he goes it surprises me and yours all the time that nobody has blows me away no idea
- Bonanza is my number 10 game of all time
- The juice the juice wasn't worth the squeeze
- F James you know he's not getting it he's not doing anything to the point where it was just I was like why don't you just bring your your hat
- I think the game the manual even says like don't go too close to each other on setup and we were all just like oh that looks like a really good spot it's like yeah that does look like a really good spot I'm going there too
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- They ended really strong in book three. It was a good ending of sorts and I really liked it.
- I don't care about it.
- They have multiple multiple uh points of view which I was fine following the one person.
- I just found it to be maybe the last book will bring everything back together, but I doubt it. I just don't care anymore.
- Look, I'm okay with characters dying and things that you need that to progress a story sometimes, but good grief. Does it have to be that bad all the time?
- The mobs are out there and the mobs are going to hunt you down and no matter what you say.
- It has definitely become a witch hunt in many ways where people like as soon as they hear the word the letters AI, they're like, 'I'm out.'
- I think the backlash is and people going and rating games one on BoardGameGeek is kind of ridiculous.
- That has nothing to do with the game. It really doesn't. That's that's just nonsensical.
- I'm kind of mind-boggled with how much people complain about prices of games.
- Yes, games are expensive. They're really expensive to make.
- You don't go yell at your gas station attendant, you shouldn't when gas goes up. That's not them who are doing it.
- It should be a friendly place to go to.
- I always try to put some monkeys in my zoo, period. Just so I can say I have some monkeys.
- I dislike the cat character a lot and I found it to be okay.
- But I will warn you, I noticed that a lot of people when they do this, they also forget about the part where they you should make money.
- Wash it in the shower?
- If I ran BoardGameGeek, if I saw someone rate a one with a comment of 'I hate what they did here.' I would just delete that rating instantly.
- I think are you kidding me? This is so nonsensical.
- I love going to bookstores.
- Any place that has unique interesting thing, a hot sauce store, a a beef jerky store, whatever.
References (from this video)
- Jamie would never play this
- Military strategy
- Napoleonic Wars
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Block wargame — Tactical level block war game simulating the battle of Austerlitz
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually