March 9, 1999 - Out of the Wrapper
THE LAST DAYS OF THE GRANDE ARMÉE Makes a Stunning Debut
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March 9, 1999 - Out of the Wrapper |
Original release date: February 1999
Kevin Zucker has returned to the battlefield that he knows best — that of Napoleon — with his latest and definitely most flashy release since the reissue of his highly-acclaimed NAPOLEON AT BAY. The overall graphic presentation orchestrated by Masahiro Yamazaki is top notch. Consider this a dose of welcome medicine following the hotly-debated LA GUERRE DE L'EMPEREUR release which struggled from mixed results among the gaming public. Of course, the extremely popular topic of the game is not half-bad as well. It looks like OSG may have produced a real winner here, especially based on the modest price tag.
THE LAST DAYS OF THE GRANDE ARMÉE is based on the popular and highly-playable SIX DAYS OF GLORY/1806 game series. This latest installment covers the full four days of Waterloo, 15-18 June 1815, certainly one of the most gamed topics around.
For further details regarding this title, we refer you to this excerpt taken during a recent ConsimWorld interview with game designer, Kevin Zucker:
THE LAST DAYS OF THE GRANDE ARMÉE is really the 1806 design, 6 DAYS OF GLORY design, and I have simplified it in its basic version even from 1806, although we will provide Vedettes and Hidden movement as options in this game, so if you use all the available options, it will be a game that will be very, very similar to 1806. There are rules on Leaders, Reorganization, Command, Initiative, March Orders, Road March, Repulse, and Pontoon Bridges. There are artillery units in the game and we've devised some new rules for bombardments.
I have taken a new approach to Initiative and Command. I've sort of combined the two ideas of Movement Commands and Initiative into one short little rule, called 'Initiative.' But it combines concepts, in order to get away from the all-or-nothing nature of Initiative in the Napoleon at Bay series. In the battle scenarios in those games-where you don't have Administrative Points and you don't have to buy Movement Commands-you have an assigned number of Movement Commands every turn. Well, in Last Days of the Grande Armee you have an assigned number of Movement Points, which is determined by a chit draw. A chit will have, for instance, the numbers "4/6" which means your infantry, when you draw that chit, all of them, are going to move up to four, and your cavalry are going to move up to six Movement Points. You start out with a couple of chits in your hand, and each turn you have to draw a chit from the cup, and play that. Then if you want to 'Force March,' you can play a chit from your hand. But you can Force March only every-other turn.
The French Army had some problems with traffic jams at the outset of the campaign, simply because of the limited number of routes north leading to just a few bridges. The Army's new chief of staff, Marshal Soult, wasn't up to the challenges this operation posed, and some formations were delayed. One cannot tell whether these delays might have made the difference in the battles on the 16th. The French Player will have to cope with these delays. To make matters worse, the French Player may not draw the regular Chit on the First Turn, (Morning of June 15th) but may only Force March. The perfect solution to the starting French deployment has yet to be uncovered in playtesting!
An Optional Rule on Exhaustion (Attack Effectiveness) shows the ability of some elite units to continue attacking turn after turn, while others could sustain only one attack per day. (The Exhaustion Rating is the middle value on the unit counters.) After resolving combat, attacking players must cross-reference the unit quality with the odds and then roll the die. For Example, a unit with a quality of "2" attacking at 1-2 odds must roll a "five" or less to be able to attack again that day. If it attacks at 2-1, it must roll a "four" or less; at 4-1, "three", at 6-1 "two" or less.
Game Overview
+ Division and brigade level
+ 280 counters
+ Road March, Demoralization, Unit Reorganization
+ one mile per hex, 6 hours per turn
+ uses the popular Six Days of Glory / 1806 game systemThere are three Scenarios - Ligny/Quatre Bras (6 Turns), Waterloo (3 Turns), and the full campaign (18 Turns).
Placing your Order
THE LAST DAYS OF THE GRANDE ARMÉE is available for $29. You may order direct on the OSG Product Order Page (free shipping within the Continental U.S.). You may also place your order by calling (610) 935-7622 orsales@clashofarms.com. Please note that Clash of Arms is handling distribution and direct sales of this OSG release.
Kevin Zucker
Operational Studies Group
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Copyright © 1999-2002. ConsimWorld.COM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited. Web Masters are encouraged to link directly to this page, this URL is not subject to change. For general site information: kranz@consimworld.com
Headline News | Archives | New Products
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Copyright © 1999-2002. ConsimWorld.COM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited. Web Masters are encouraged to link directly to this page, this URL is not subject to change. For general site information: kranz@consimworld.com
Headline News | Archives | New Products
Game Ratings | Clubs | Events | Discussion Board
Copyright © 1999, 2000 ConsimWorld.COM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited. Web Masters are encouraged to link directly to this page, this URL is not subject to change. For general site information: kranz@consimworld.com
