Fourteen Days in June: the Waterloo Campaign

Fourteen Days in June: the Waterloo Campaign

Year of publication: 2023

Author: Stephen Pole

"Fourteen Days in June: the Waterloo Campaign" is a two-player war game played on a hexagonal board representing northeastern France and (now) southern Belgium. The game focuses on the struggles taking place in June 1815 between the French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington and von Blücher.

Although the Battle of Waterloo has been the subject of many wargames, few have covered the entire campaign. Thanks to this, and thanks to innovations such as the "starting order system", the game reflects the range of strategic options available to each side. For example, the French can decide where and when to strike, while the Allies can take risks by guessing the French axis of attack and selecting their forces to meet it. Another option, as Blücher and Wellington have done in the past, is to take a more cautious approach and allocate sufficient forces to each likely invasion route along the French-Belgian border. The goal of this strategy was to delay Napoleon long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

This uncertainty or "fog of war", which played a key role in the campaigns of the period, is further simulated through mechanics that allow players to hide the strength of their armies. The detailed composition of the army is revealed only when the battle is resolved. Although even then it may happen that not all units will be revealed. This doubt about the enemy's intentions and strength echoes throughout the historical record of discussions at headquarters about strategy. Many of these discussions concerned more mundane – but no less crucial – aspects of warfare, such as planning marching routes. Such issues are also reflected in the game. "Route Blocked" tokens are used to reflect the fact that an entire corps marching on a secondary road would be dispersed over several miles.

Thus, when ordering units to concentrate on a specific area or planning a combined attack, players must ensure that two (or more) bodies do not block each other by trying to occupy the same road square at the same time.

Other realities of warfare before the advent of airplanes and radio are also simulated. For example, the game contains simple mechanics that reflect the risk of a corps losing its way if it leaves the main road network and tries to march cross-country. It also symbolizes the temporal delay between the issuance of an order by a supreme commander and its receipt and execution by a junior officer when communication was maintained by mounted couriers.

So will the Emperor rewrite history by defeating Wellington and Blücher and raise the French tricolor over Brussels? Or will the Allies win again, leaving Napoleon to regret what might have been?

The decision is in your hands!

Box contents:

• board with dimensions of 68x98 cm,

• 225 die-cut tokens with dimensions of 15x15 mm,

• 29 die-cut tokens with dimensions of 15x30 mm,

• 26 wooden bases,

• rules of the game (12 pages),

• colorful example of the game (8 pages);

• two A5 starting order cards,

• two "fog of war" screens,

• four screen mounts,

• a set of stickers,

• two six-sided dice: one red, one blue.

Game time: 4 to 8 hours.

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