ALBUERA 1811: BERESFORD VS. SOULT

Albuera 1811: Beresford vs. Soult

Year of publication: 2023

Author: Adam Niechwiej

The game "Albuera 1811: Beresford vs. Soult" depicts the fiercest battle of the war on the Iberian Peninsula. Both armies involved suffered terrible casualties. Players can see if success can be achieved at a lower cost.

The basic rules of the game "Albuera 1811: Beresford vs. Soult" resemble the "old classic" "Battle of Racławice 1794", and above all "Maida 1806: Stuart vs. Reynier". These two battles were rather small. Albuera is much bigger, but minor rule changes have made it very playable.

The rules focus on infantry maneuvers on the Napoleonic battlefield. It is important to form the battalion in the right order at the right time. Intuitively, Line gives you an advantage against musketeer fire, and Column is powerful in melee combat. It is also important to deploy the infantry battalion in relation to the neighboring units. Setting flank to flank gives further bonuses in rifle fire and creates a solid formation for the entire army. An infantry battalion can allocate a tirailleur company. It can cover the battalion and harass enemy units with volleys. The best form of defense against cavalry is a square. The chip set contains rectangular chips. They represent a line with a wide front.

The cavalry aspect is not that detailed, so the cavalry is just in a linear formation.

Artillery can move or fire. Of course, horse artillery can perform both actions in one activation. The greatest advantage of artillery is the range of fire.

Proving is very simple. Players have specific activation tokens and choose some of them. Both players' activation tokens are placed in one pool. The token drawn indicates a formation that can move and initiate melee combat. Hand-to-hand combat is very bloody - both sides suffer losses, but the risk must be taken, because won clashes give victory points.

Units that are not activated do not move, but can shoot. Thanks to this, the entire board is used, and key events can take place anywhere, not just in the activated sector of the map. The most common effect of a firefight is a morale test. In the event of a failure, the unit can retreat - the decision is made by the opposing player, so both players are involved throughout the game.

In general, the random factor is large, but players can feel the realities of the Napoleonic battlefield. The winner is the player who places his units correctly and uses the opportunities given by fate.

Box content:

• one manual (16 pages);

• one board (68 x 98 cm);

• 648 die-cut chips (15 x 15 mm);

• 25 die-cut chips (15 x 30 mm);

• two scenario cards;

• one 10-sided die.

Playing time: minimum 5 hours.

The game is intended for 2 players from 12 years of age.