Pocket battle Games, so far....

UPDATED - July 20, 2025. Anniversary of the failed bombing attempt on Adolf Hitler (20 July 1944)

This is a review "of sorts" on all the pocket battle games (aka pbgs) from the original publishers,  LPS, Inc and High Flying Dice Games, Ltd.

Up to now (Nov 10, 2019 April 27, 2021, Mar 31 2023), (Oct 15, 2023) Dec 21, 2024, June 6, 2025, LPS, Inc has put out (30) (32) (34) (36) 39 various pocket battle games (PBGs) under two different companies - Turning Point Simulations and Against the Odds magazine.  High Flying Dice Games, Inc has put out so far 9 under their company logo, but I believe more are on the way, 😉.

Now, I am not going into an in depth review or point out which is the best design or play, as what I like and believe is very good, you may not, but I am listing the PBGs that are available and what each game covers. Also note that those pbgs underlined and in blue do have a review that is linked.

Turning Point Simulations (LPS) Pocket Battle Games
#1 2nd Ed Rattankrieg* Assault on the Tractor Factory - WW2, Stalingrad.
#2 Nothing So Well Lost. The Siege of Rhodes 1022.
#3 Fateful Days, The Marne 1914 - Opening of WW1
#4 Operation Pedestal - WW2, convoy to Malta
#5 A Hard Pounding Fight* - Napoleon 1815, La Haye Sainte
#6 Rattenkrieg 2 Battle for the Barrikady Factory

ATO Magazine (LPS) Pocket Games
#1 Stand At Mortain - WW2, The stand of the 30th Infantry Division
#2 Some Poles Apart - WW2, German invasion of Poland 1939
#3 Showtime Hanoi* - Nam, Lt Cunningham's victory over Colonel Toon
#4 Morgan's A' Comin- ACW, Rebel raider Morgan crosses the Ohio
#5 The Toast of the Town - Boudica takes Londinuim 61 AD
#6 Paying The Peiper - WW2, Battle of the Bulge 1944.
#7 A Dash of Peiper - WW2, Battle of the Bulge 1944
#8 The Bagged Peiper - WW2, Battle of the Bulge 1944
#9 Just A Piper Dream - WW2 Battle of the Bulge, 1944
#10 La Garde Recule!* - Napoleon 1815, Old Guards at Waterloo
#11 The Union Forever*- ACW, the entire Civil War
#12 Operation Cerberus - The Channel Dash* - WW2
#13 Marschall Vorwarts - Napoleon, Battle of Leipzig 1813
#14 A Matter of Honor - Napoleon, Battle of Leipzig 1813
#15 The Nations Assemble - Napoleon, Battle of Leipzig 1813
#16 Trapping the Ogre - Napoleon, Battle of Leipzig 1813
#17 The Siege of Alesia - Caesar's classic battle 52 BC
#18 Behold A Pale Glider - WW2, Eben Emael, 1940
#19 Not Men, But Devils - Mexico, Battle of Camarón, 1863
#20 Imua - Unification of Hawaii, 1795 - Hawaii Civil War
#21 The Utah Beach Landings* - WW2, D-Day
#22 The Omaha Beach Landings* - WW2, D-Day
#23 The Gold Beach Landings* - WW2, D-Day
#24 The Juno Beach Landings* - WW2, D-Day 
#25 The Sword Beach Landings* - WW2, D-Day
#26 Goto Hell - US and IJA tank battle on Saipan
#27 Barring the Gate* - Napoleon 1815, Hougoumont
#28 Operation Kita - WW2, Pacific, 1945
#29 Grant Me Night… or Blücher! - Napoleon 1815, Waterloo
#30 Mind the GUIK - Cold War 1988, USSR and NATO in the Ocean
#31 Guarding the Land* - ARW 1781, Ft Griswold 
#32 Masterpiece - The 3rd Battle of Kharkov 
#33 Cherry Blossoms At Night - The raid on Yontan Airfield May 25 1945 (NEW)

High Flying Dice Games (HFDG) Pocket Games
#1 Dueling Eagles Over Malta* - WW2, British Air Defense of Malta
#2 Rock and a Hard Place* - WW2, what if German invasion of Malta
#3Thunder Gods* - WW2, Pacific, Kamikazes
#4 Lines in the Sand vol. 1: Operation Compass, December 9-11, 1940
#5 Lines in the Sand vol. 2: The Assault on Bardia, Jan 3-5, 1941
#6 Lines in the Sand vol. 3: Operation Brevity, May 15-16, 1941
#7 Lines in the Sand vol. 4: The Battle of Bir Hakeim, Jun 8-11, 1942
#8 Lines in the Sand vol. 5: The First Battle of El Alamein, Jul 1-5, 1942
#9 Lines in the Sand vol. 6: Battle of Kasserine Pass, Feb 19-20, 1943  

Note: Games in italics have reviews on this blog and are linked to those reviews.  Games in this color can actually be joined together to create the entire battle. Please note that the pbg # for HFDGs is my numbering system to keep things organized. 

Big Games?

The PBGs above in yellow can be joined together and played as bigger games - for example #6, #7, #8, #9, create the Battle of Bulge; #13, #14, #15, #16, the entire battle of Leipzig; and #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, make up all five beach landings on D-Day. I have played them all, but my favorite "big" game is #21 to #25, the D-Day set. One can get advance rules to play the games combined.

Well, what are they?

In all honestly, these are not monster games with 4 or more large game map sheets covering a 4' x 6' or larger table with 1000's of counters, pages of errata, volumes of rules or the complication of said rules, and  taking months if not years to play.  Nor are they like a standard size game with an 11"x17" (or larger) game map, 80 to 100+ counters and 6 to 20 pages of rules. But, three can be considered "monster" PBGs as they have four game maps and can be join together. 😁

These are nice, simple to play games.  Complicated enough not to be able to figure out the ultimate "win all the time" game plan strategy within a few plays if at all.  If I had to say what the games are like, they would be akin to the old SPI Capsule Games or Meta-Gaming Micro games, though, much smaller, better graphics,  and a more variable play result - Easy to play, but hard to master.

Four inches by six inches (post card size), heavy duty poster board with 16 to 20 counters (most have 17 counters) each. Nicely printed with a game map on one side and rules on the other. I have noticed that each seem to have a clear coating, too.  Dice may be needed for some of the PBGs and some use a playing card system for movement and/or combat.

The games are not slapped together in a haphazard fashion, but truly planned out with attention to detail. I was once told by Paul Rohrbaugh that "it is harder to design these pocket games to be as true to history and fun, than it is to design a larger game.  Only 4"x6" of playing surface and 20 or less counters.  Fun is the key word here, as with any game, if it is not "fun" to play, then why play it?".  I agree.

Clear, concise rules that cover everything has to be provided. Units must equal what was at the particular battle.  For example, ATO #11, The Union Forever, covers the entire American Civil War to include blockade runners, Lee's invasion of the North, C.S.A. state militia and armies, Union Armies, and carpet baggers (i.e. Federal control of Southern states) (and this is one of my favorites). Another PBG, TPS #1, "Rattankrieg" (also 2nd Edition) and Rat #2 (TPS #6) covers the German attack at the tractor factory and Barrikady Factory during the Battle of Stalingrad. Design for solo play, it is not a walk over for the Germans. As a bonus, these three games are designed and developed by two of the nicest and devoted to history game designers out there - Steve Cunliffe and Paul Rohrbaugh.  Again, a lot of thought and probably a lot of hair pulling went into these games.

Ok, what about the cost and how do I get them?

The games, are inexpensive, with the LPS (ATO/TPS) series being free with a purchase (this also gets you mounted die-cut counters for your PBG as well), or if you have an ATO magazine subscription, I believe you will get a few as part of your subscription. 

High Flying Dice Games now offers 9 PBGs. 

 
Three ways to get HFDGs PBG #1 "Dueling Eagles Over Malta" -

1. When one purchases four games from HFDGs, ask for it. 
2. It is included in ATO magazine #45, the issue with "Red Dragon: Blue Dragon game. 
3. It is available for $* with a custom card set and a set of mounted counters from HFDG.  

It is an excellent little game and worth what ever it takes to get it, especially since it is a fairly easy to play air combat gaming system, that is exciting. Both have reviews on this site.

HFDG's pbg  #2 "Rock and a Hard Place" can be purchased for $* and comes with a custom card set (worth it right there as I have this card set and it is nicely done).

HFDG's #3 "Thunder Gods" can be purchased for $* and a custom card set can be bought. 

HFDGs #4 thru #9 is a set of 6 games called "Lines in the Sand Volumes 1 to 6".  This set of small format games covering six various battles in North Africa. Cost of each is $10.95.   

 

Well done, and these are just my type of games.  

 

Operation Compass (Vol 1)is the largest with a 8.5" x 11.0" game map and 44 counters. All the others (Vols 2 to 6) have 4"x6" game maps with 20 counters each.
 

Also available is a custom card set for use with each game. I have no idea on cost as I ordered all 6 games and took the card set as my freebie. :)

 

Click here to view the Lines in the Sand mini-games on HFDG web site.

 
NOTE - ATO is now selling different, hmmm, how to say, PBG Packs.   You can find more about them here. 

HFDG card replacement for PBGs and others...
I need to make a special note that High Flying Dice Games has a lot of card sets made up for the PBG's that uses cards. These card sets are used to replace the normal playing deck one may need in a PBG. You can click here to order.  Price is $* and shipping.  Are they worth it? Yes, as all the info one will need to play the pbgs are on those replacement cards.

note - $* - means there is a cost for them, but at this time, I have no idea what it is now (prices have gone up). Best to go to High Flying Dice web site and check it out for yourself.

So how does one play them?
Once one figures out which PBG to play, cut out the counters as carefully as one can, grab a card deck if needed and/or a die, and read the rules then sit down to play. 

I blow the game up to 11x17 and may make new counters. I also make a copy of rules on the back, glue/mount and cut out the new counters (click here for instructions on how to mount counters), and find all the addenda I can (below are links, but there is not much). 

Note: Addenda for the Games can be downloaded from ATO or TPS for their series of games and contact High Flying Dice Games for their addenda. 

Note: The rules for combining all of the Five for Fighting PBGs has been updated and contains now the rules for the all the variants, including the USA Paratroopers. You can download them here.

 

Errata for the pocket battle games from ATO, download here.

Errata for the pocket battle games from TPS, download here. 

 

Link to the different pocket battle games from ATO, click here.

Link to the different pocket battle games from TPS, click here.

Since I know I will play the PBG a lot of times, I make sure to take care of the counters and map. These little games are well printed on very stiff poster board and can take a beating, but like anything paper, if it gets wet or mistreated, will fall apart.  

Note: Just remember, these games just like their big brothers are COPYRIGHTED by the publisher.   Not for copying to give to your friends or loved ones. And if you give your pocket game to someone else, then you need to give what you copied/made to the same person or destroyed it. It is only fair and right.

If you have made it this far, that's it.  As stated above, I have reviewed a bunch of these games for the blog and each game that I play, impresses me just that more. They are fun, they don't take a lot of resources in playing, they don't take up a lot of room (good, if you are a traveling person) and best of all, don't take a lot of time to play.  And perfect for introducing someone to the world of military conflict gaming.

 

A side note if I may - I like these little games. They keep me entertained for an hour or so and I keep coming back to them.  Some I have play tested and found nothing to report on, as they were well designed before getting them. A few I have drawn the play testers maps and counters from descriptions. And the latest #33 Cherry Blossoms at Night, the designer's uncle was in this combat action and thank goodness was not injured. I know there are still a few more to come and hopefully LPS will still produce these from time to time, as I know High Flying Dice Games will. 

 

A FYI - I removed my updated counters and house rules, etc for these small games, due to namby-pamby jack wagons posting their XXX crap on my google drive.  If and when I can figure out how to stop these jerk wads from posting on my google drive, I may put these back up.

thanks for reading,
-ab

 

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, it was Google who removed them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guarding the Land

Another PBG, one of the newer ones, and a very spiffy game it is, "Guarding the Land, The Battle for Fort Griswold".

Title: Guarding the Land, The Battle for Fort Griswold
Price: $ free when bought with something
Designer: Paul Rhorbaugh
Graphics Designer: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: LPS, Inc
Published Date: 2023

A Little History: 

Headed by that infamous traitor to this country, Benedict Arnold (a Brigadier General btw, as the British were silly pogs for accepting him. Arnold pretty soon shown his true colours as a whinger), he commanded the infamous attack on New London, CT area with attacks led by Lt Colonel Edmund Eyre across the Thames River against Groton, CT and Fort Griswold, on Sept 6th, 1781. 

The actual attack on the fort has several names, but the most infamous is "The Fort Griswold Massacre".  The story goes that when the militia force led by Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard surrender, he was killed by a British Officer's sword and the British continued firing on and bayoneting the defenders.  Unfortunately, this story is backed up by several survivors.

There is a pdf of a historical book written on the Battle of Groton Heights that is available for free. If you would like to read it, please  click here to download. 

Be warned, it is 439 pages of reading, written on March 25, 1882 for the Groton Heights Centennial Committee. I couldn't get away from the computer while reading because it is interesting and goes into a whole lot more history than what I can or will do in this review. If you are stuck with reading it, mea culpa.

Abbreviations Used:
IU=Infantry Unit, AP=American Player, BP=British Player, BASA=British Assault Staging Area, ARL=American Resistance Level, BRL=British Resistance Level,  AM=Assault marker (the back side of the British IU), AC=Artillery Crew (treat as IU), CF=Combat Factor, CD=Card Draw, LDR=Leader, TM=Turn Marker (use a coin or make your own), TRT=Turn Record Track. I am going to do my best to use these in the review.

Subject:
The British attack on Fort Griswold, Sept 1781. (dang, we already know this. sorry for the repeat.)

Scale:
Area movement.  I am thinking about 250 yards or so for each area.

Player Supplied Components:
1D6 and 1 set of playing cards is needed. 

Components and Physical Quality:
Yes, a bigger than life 4" x 6" in size game and the standard high quality that most game companies can't match with their overpriced games, pretty much for free. Amazing.

Counters:
The game has 17 counters that need to be cut out. The breakdown is as follows - 8 British counters (7 BP IUs and 1 BRL marker) and 9 American counters (6 AP IUs (2 of these are Artillery Crew, treated the same as infantry), 1 ARL marker, and 2 LDRS (Col Ledyard and Capt Latham)).

The counters have a front side and a reduced backside, except the BP IUs, who have an AM on their backside.  Important to know as the British must be flipped to their AM side to be able to assault - cold steel up da bum. Hear about the peanut walking down the street? It was assaulted.  Of course that makes an ass... a... ah, never mind.

Card Deck Setup:
For regular card deck - Divide the deck into black and red.  Remove all face cards (Jack, Queen and King) and 9 to 10 cards. Give black cards+1 joker to the American player (AP) and red cards+1 joker for the British (BP).  Each player shuffle their cards.

YES!  There is an HFDG card set available.  From HFDG, cost is $*. Order from them by clicking here. Enter which card set you want on the last page in the box at the bottom.

Do you need it? Why not!!! 😀  Has all the imperative information on the correct cards and you don't have to hunt for a card deck and set it up correctly.

Complexity:
Introductory, but a nice intro game. Perfect for teaching younger people a fun game AND history to boot (but don't tell them that they are learning!).

Game Map:
A nice overhead view showing the fort, with the area divided in zones. The fort areas have a red circle with a white number, while the white circles with black numbers are general non-fort areas. 

There are two red circles that are NOT Fort Griswold proper (for setup), but are part of the American fort defense complex and do count for the BRL and ARL changes. These are areas 1 (River Battery) and 13 (V shape redoubt). You can see these on the game map above.  

And last but most important, there is a red zone marked British Assault Staging Area, where all British IUs start the game.

Mark, as always, does a very pleasing job on any graphics that he puts his name too and this is no different. If you look at the game map, one will see the ground is not solid green but has shadows.  Nicely done.

Playing Time:
About 20 to 30 mins if that long.  This is one short game, once one has it figured out. 

Addendum: 
None, none at all.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):
I found it works pretty well solo and it is about 65% to 35%, in favor of the British winning whether 2 player or solo.

Here are the rules.  Probably not much help to you, but  you should be able to print these out. 

the rules of the game

Game Play:
The game has 8 Turns, each with many Rounds. In general, play occurs with the side winning the Round declaring which ACT(s) it will undertake, then moving, firing at targets, conducting Assaults, and checking for success, followed by the other side.

To start a Round, players turn over the top card from their decks. The highest Card Drawn (CD) wins the Round. If the winning CD is odd (ace, 3, 5, 7), that side can do 1 Activation (ACT) or pass, then the loser may do 1 ACT, or pass. If the winning CD is even (2, 4, 6, 8) that side can do up to 2 ACTs, then the loser may do just 1 ACT. On ties, neither side can do any ACTs.

First side to draw a joker gets no ACTs that Round, but the other side gets 1 ACT.  When the second joker is drawn, the Turn ends immediately (with no ACTs performed). 

Remember, the first round of the 1st turn, the BP rolls 1D6 and has that many acts. The American player gets no acts for the first round. On the second round, do a CD as normal.

Activations:
A unit can perform only one activation per CD but can do so multiple times in   a turn. For example, either move 1 unit or fire 1 unit (see Movement, Fire Combat) and/or Assault (BP only, see Assault) or and the BP can also recycle IUs during his portion of a Round (bring back the dead) or voluntarily remove them from an area and return them to the BASA (no ACT required).

Each ACT allows a side to perform one of the following:  Move 1 IU/Leader (AP and BP) (See Movement),  Fire with 1 IU (AP and BP) (see Fire Combat), Assault (BP only).  Assaulting requires 2 ACTs and allows BP to flip all his IUs in one Area to their AM side. (See Assault), Re-enter a previously eliminated British IU to the BASA (BP only) or Voluntarily removed a BIU from any area and return the BIU to the BASA  for NO ACT COST.

Movement:
Both sides can move an IU/Leader from one Area on the map to another adjacent Area via an ACT. A Leader moves for free with any friendly IU he is stacked with (no ACT needed) or 1 ACT if alone, can move to the nearest friendly IU on the next American ACT.

Up to 3 IUs or AMs can stack in any one Area (Leaders don’t count). Neither side can move/deploy an IU/Leader to an Area occupied by the other side. Only the BP can move units to and from the BASA to and from any adjacent Area.

Exception: AP player (only) can directly move an IU/Leader to/from Area 1 and Areas 8, 9, and 12 using an ACT; units do not have to move through Area 4 (this models “the covered way”).

Fire Combat:
Both sides IUs may conduct Fire against adjacent enemy IUs/Leaders. Indicate a single firing and target IU. Roll 1D6. 

For the BP, add +1 for an unwounded Leader in the same Area and +1 if the target is in a red # Area. A roll < (equal to or less than) the current BRL is a hit, flip the American IU to its reduced side, otherwise no effect. If already reduced, either reduce the ARL by 1 level or eliminate the IU (AP’s choice). 

On a roll of 1 (regardless of modifiers) flip a Leader (BP’s choice) in the Area to his wounded (0 modifier) side; if already wounded, eliminate the Leader. 

When the AP fires, he also roll 1D6. Subtract -1 if a Leader is in the Area with the firing IU. A roll < (equal to or less than) firing IU’s CF eliminates the target IU, otherwise no effect.

Assault:
The BP (only) may attempt the Assault ACT against defenders in red # Areas (only) by expending 2 ACTs for one assault.

Flip all IUs adjacent to the target Area to their AM sides. Use the CF printed on the IU side as the AM’s CF value.

Add them all together and subtract all defending AP’s IU and Leader CFs in the Area to find a net + roll modifier. Subtract 1 from the BP’s total if attacking a Fort Area. BP then rolls 1D6. A roll of 1-2 is 0, a 3-4 is +1 and a 5-6 is +3. Add this # result to the net + roll modifier.

The Assault succeeds if final total is > (greater than) the current ARL. Reduce 1 defending AP IU (flip over) or remove from play if already reduced. A roll > (greater than) than twice the current ARL reduces 2 AP IUs (or remove 1 if it has 2 steps). For even rolls, if a Leader is present, flip him to his wounded side; if already wounded, eliminate him. If the Area is now empty, the BP can advance his assaulting AMs, up to stacking limit (3), into the Area.

The Assault fails if final total is < (equal to or less than) the current ARL. Flip 1 AM to its IU side and remove it from play (and again, it can be re-entered by the BP).

Before the Assault is made, the AP can try to move 1 Leader from anywhere to the Area under Assault (free move) to improve his chances (once per Assault per Round per Turn). Roll 1D6. Add +1 if the Leader is wounded. A roll < to the current ARL is successful, otherwise the Leader cannot move. Flip all AMs back to their IU sides when Assault is resolved.

BRL Changes:
Increase the BRL by 1 level, but never above 4, for every 2 red # Areas that have at least 1 AM on them at turn end (and no AP units present). Reduce the BRL by 1 for every combination of 3 IUs or AMs eliminated by the AP.

ARL Changes:
Increase the ARL by 1, but never above 4, if there are no British IUs/AMs on the map at the end of any turn. Reduce the ARL by 1 the instant when: Leader Ledyard unit is eliminated. For every 2 American IUs, or Leader Latham, eliminated.

At the start of even numbered Turns only, the AP must check his overall morale. Roll 1D6. Add +1 for every 2 (round down) red # Areas with at least 1 BP IU in them. A roll < 4 is no effect, otherwise reduce the ARL by 1 level.

you will need this.

Play-Balance: 
I found the game is about 65% British to 35% American.  Hopefully you can do better. It is a battle where the defenders were overwhelm. Think "Alamo".  But it can be won.  I am not going to say how to play, as that is why you are playing and need to figure out, but either side can win or lose.  

Summary:
I like this little gem of a game.  I was invited to play test this game and stuck it out.  It was fun and I learned a lot about the workings of game publishing.  LPS, Inc and HFDG are bringing out more of these pbgs, so it can be safely said that pbgs are not a fad anymore due to amount and types of them now.

If you need assistance with this one, let me know. I will try my best to help you out. 

Thanks for taking the time to drop by, always a pleasure.  And I will probably add more to this review, but right now... no. 

oh yeah, one of my favorite jokes - What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?  "SUPPLIES!"

-ab

UPDATE: There is a very good expansion for this game included with the recent ATO Annual 2022.  Worth the price of the annual for the main game is "Stalingrad: Verdun on the Volga".  A nicely done updated re-print.

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong.

 

 

"Grant me Night... or Blücher!"

 

Title: "Grant me Night... or Blücher!"
Price: $0 free with a purchase or buy The Waterloo PBG Pack from ATO
Series: Pocket Battle game #29
Designer: Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: LPS, Inc
Published Date: 2022

A little history:  The absolute essential ingredient for a French victory at Waterloo was for the Prussians not to arrive, as the Prussian assault on this village of Plancenoit was the single biggest factor that cost the French a victory at Waterloo.

Up until now Wellington was on the back foot and would have been beaten without Blucher's army. In the second stage of the battle, the Duke said: "Give me night or give me Blücher"*.  The Duke got his wish, finally the green uniformed Prussians and their allies arrived in the afternoon.

To halt the Prussians Napoleon first dispatched Lobau's corps, and two cavalry divisions, and then part of his Imperial Guard. Napoleon's force available for attacking Wellington was instantly reduced by over 10,000 men. Napoleon had started this day with an infantry reserve of 36 infantry battalions, keeping Plancenoit cost him 25 of them. Only 8 battalions of fresh troops were committed to the last attack on Wellington's ridge, of these only 5 were in the front line.

For the main battle, which had yet to begin in earnest, Napoleon had less men than Wellington. If Plancenoit was lost, the battle was lost, if the battle was lost, so was the campaign and with it the Emperor's throne."(Adkin pp 381-382, 390-391, Adkin - "Waterloo Companion)".

*Note: the actual quote is "give me night or give me Blücher", a prayer during Battle of Waterloo at about 5.45 pm on 18 June. Book reference is "The Military Maxims of Napoleon by Napoleon Bonaparte" by David G. Chandler and William E. Cairnes on page 143.  Though alternate wording may have been "Night or the Prussians must come", as quoted by David Howarth, "Waterloo: Day of Battle" on  page 162.  I tend to go by  Dr. Chandler's writings. 

Subject:  This pbg concerns the actions of Napoleon's attack against the Prussian's at Plancenoit.

Abbreviations used:  inf = Infantry, arty = artillery, AF = Attack Factor, DF = Defense Factor, PBG = Pocket Battle Game, MP = Movement Points, CD = Card Draw, ACT = Activations, "Allies" = Prussians & Silesians, mp = movement point, bldgs = buildings, GT = game turn, counters = units, "d" or 1d6 = six sided die, ">" = greater than, "<" = less than, ">" greater than or equal to, "<" less than or equal to math symbols.

Scale:  A quick guesstimate, if I may, considering that the infantry units can fire up to 1 hex away,  a hex is aprx 100 yards with the units representing battalions. Why only 1 hex? The area is actually a mess, with gullies, small hills, brush, farm fields, town, etc.  But, this is really not important.

Complexity:  Introductory!!!

Description of Play:  Either player draws a card (CD). The color and type of card allows one player to activate up to 3 units. Once activated, the unit can either move one hex or preform fire combat or flip a unit over from a reduce state to full strength. When the joker is drawn, the game turn is over.  Reshuffle the deck, advance the turn counter and play up to 5 complete game turns.  

Note: I am assuming that anyone who plays these games, at least takes them to a print shop and blow up the back side of the game incase of 1 or 2 things - 1) to have the rules in a more readable format and 2) to have a copy of any terrain aid (as in this pbg).  One can't pick up the game to double check while playing!

Components and Physical Quality: The game comes as on a standard size 4" x 6" postcard. The card is very nice and can take a lot of plays.  Printing is very good. The rules along with a small player's aid listing the terrain with it's corresponding card modifiers and unit breakdown are on the backside with the game map on the front.  Counters need to be cut out for playing.

Counters:  The game has 17 counters. Prussians have 9 (7 inf, 1 arty, and 1 leader (von Muffling)) counters and the French have 7 (6 inf, and 1 arty) counters and 1 game turn marker. Allies are green and use the "red" cards and French are blue and use the "black" cards.

Note: There is no difference in the game between the Young Guard or Old Guard except the AF and DF. There is a difference between the Prussians and the Silesian Rifles (SR) as von Muffling cannot stack with the SR.

Rather than write down all the rules, here they are.  Pretty self explanatory. There may be a couple of areas that might need clarification, these are the following:

1) To be able to use the arty units in support (+1 CD modifier) (either French or Prussian) does require 1 activation for the use of.  If arty is used and the combat CD is either an "even" or a Face card, the arty support marker is no longer available for that turn. It will be available again starting on the next turn.  Hmmm, do I use the arty for this attack or do I save it for later?

2) All terrain costs 1 mp to enter, but terrain does have an attack CD modifier of -1 CD with a possible  DR check, except clear.  The DR check is for units in stone bldgs - if attacking a unit in a stone bldg hex and it is hit, another DR is needed to see if they are affected - on a 3 or less, the unit is not affected and on a 4 or better, they are hit and reduced or if reduced, eliminated.  (those European stone bldgs are strong stuff). 

Roads do not have an effect on game play and there are no Zones of Control.  Fire combat range for inf units is 1 hex. For arty, add a +1 to the combat CD and can be used anywhere on the map.

And you may notice in the rules under "combat", it is stated "All infantry and cavalry units have a fire range of 1 hex."  What?!? 😲 What cavalry?  There are no cavalry units in the game. Well, knowing ATO, they probably have some type of add-on planned for the game in a future issue of Against The Odds, magazine.  Sneaky little devils.  

Play-Balance:  It looks and plays like another finely balance PBG.  It can go either way for Prussians or for the French, especially if von Muffling is killed early. 

In reality, it was a horrific bloody battle that could have gone either way. 

Summary:  I like this little pbg.  It is fun, has a few great new rules that can be added to other Napoleon pbgs such as flipping a reduce unit back to full strength with an added DR on whether is successful or not, or attacking a unit in a stone bldg with it's added DR frustrations.  

I do hope you will grab this little game and play it. If so, let me know what you think about it, as I am interested in hearing how you do with either side.

And sorry, it has taken me so long to get out this review. As it is said in Rocky Horror's "Time Warp" - "time is fleeting", life has been challenging lately, but it is getting better.  I hope to get out more reviews on different other type of games.  

Thanks for reading!

-ab 

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong.

Notice anything different?

Well, white instead of a dark background, font has changed and made larger.  Maybe this will help folks who need larger print to read better. And for folks who are color-blind, the colors won't disappear into a dark background.  Also, putting back when I can remember the graphics into the correct review.  However, rest assure, I may not remember who gave me permission, but every graphic I use has permissions.  

I do need to state that I don't format for smart phones of any type. Sorry, but since I don't use one, it never entered my mind that people would squint their eyes to read anything so small.  Monitors, laptops, even iPad type should be do-able.  I only use black or color lettering against a white background now, not as many graphics, and honestly, until Blogger does this automatically in reducing text or whatever is needed for those who do use smart phones, I am guessing I am out in the dust.  It's fun being a Luddite, but I do have a new battery power Toro mower!

Still, can't find where Google has put the photos when put into a blog post, but I found most of them on a dvd disc.  Yea for back ups.

And I bet you think I only play HFDGs or LPS. Well, I do branch out to other various designers and companies. And I have a new Compass Game coming Friday, WW1 Air Combat, "Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-1918" by Greg Smith and I am looking forward to it. 

 

Update: It came and it is very good and fun!

Lots of good reviews for this game, plus the fact I have been playing his "American Tank Ace" game, even taking it with me to the hospital in August. Nurses thought I was nuts with dice rolling instead of sleeping.  Though I have yet to play a Sherman, I like the M-10 and the M-18 Hellcat tank destroyers too much. Greg provided the two different mats and rules on BGG for the M-10 and M-18. This game is addicting and brutal!!! 
 

ATA is very well designed, not with a lot of the down in the dirt rules like Patton's Best (yes, I got that one too, still), or like ASL (I really dislike ASL and SL because those who play it, think that is combat - HA!). 

 

ATA uses a simple system that gives a lot of historical feeling while playing.  I really recommend this game.  And you can get it from "A Gray Rooster Sales LLC" too. If you are overseas, use their Ebay store.

I have most of Greg's games, especially all of his solo games, I just like them. But to be honest, I think the most brutal solo game he has out is "The Hunted: Twilight of the U-Boats, 1943-45".  This was not the "heyday" of the U-Boat, but their ending. 99% of the games out there are just games, however, this game truly makes one wonder why did the young men in the Kriegsmarine become submariners (and hopefully you pronounce this word correctly!).  Errata and rule book for both Compass Games can be found either on Compass Games website or BGG where Greg actively supports all his games. 

There is also a new solo WW1 flying game "Aces of Valor" from Legion. Looks to "one up" on the DVG Leader series.  Rules are here.  

 

Lots of goodies for those who solo game.

Well, enough on all that.  Time to get off the butt and finish up the last PBG on Waterloo.  Soon.  I've been a house husband far too long with the healing. Doc yelled at me and said, no walking outside, take it easy, take the pain pills (that I am glad to say I am OFF of them! So thank you Miss Oxy for making me feel good, but you and I have to part company.  No wood working, no getting any kind of cuts or scrapes, but I see him on Sept 12 to get cleared and watch out! I got to winterize the house, garage, and the feral cat house.   

 

Update: I passed the Doc's test, and yes, I got back into walking and wood working. Plus I got my house, garage winterized and working on the new cat house, too.

Take care and if the site doesn't look ok, send me an email or a comment about where it is sucking.  :)

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog.

New idea from "Against The Odds" magazine

For years people have been after ATO to sell them just their Pocket Battle Games (if you don't know what these are, here is a link on this blog that yaks about them). Finally the time has come and ATO has listen to us.

UPDATE: Here it is almost a year since ATO began selling these and now more of these PBG packs are available.  Here is the link!

Available now are three different PBG packs for shipping:

1) The Trouble Waters PBG Pack
Comprised of 5 postcard size playing maps with 100 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces, 1 page of rules for each individual game and 1 deck of playing cards. Don't forget the zip lock bag!

2) The Waterloo PBG Pack
This pack is comprised of 4 postcard size playing maps with 80 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces, 1 page of rules for each individual game, 1 page of rules for the campaign game and 1 deck of playing cards. And a zip lock bag to keep it all together.

3) The Peiper PBG Pack
This pack has all 4 postcard size playing maps with 40 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces, 1 page of rules for each individual game, 4 pages of rules for the campaign game, all Charts and tables on 1 card-stock sheet and 1 deck of playing cards. Plus the special ATO zip lock bag (ok, I am joking, it's a regular zip lock bag 😁 ).  

This set I bought, not because I didn't have everything all ready, but wanted to see how well the packs were put together. The packs are very nice. But do me a favor, tell ATO when you buy these where you saw them available (HERE).  Trying to prove a point to ATO.

And if you are a follower of this blog, then you know I like 'em, the PBGs, a lot. 

Right now I got my eyes set on the Waterloo and Trouble Waters, but I have a couple of lawns to mow to get the money.  That will be in a few weeks as I am still under the care of my surgeon for the new left hip replacement I received in August 2023. 

Take care and good gaming. IMHO, you can't go wrong with these PBG packs.

-ab  

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog.

Barring the Gate: The battle for Château d'Hougoumont

"Closing the gates at Hougoumont by Robert Gibb 1903"

 

Yes, another small pocket game, Against the Odds Pocket Battle Game #27 "Barring the Gate: The Battle for Château d'Hougoumont", the French morning assault on the fortified position of the Château d'Hougoumont, Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815.

The fighting at Hougoumont has often been characterized as a diversionary attack to draw in Wellington's reserves which escalated into an all-day battle and drew in French reserves instead.

In fact there is a good case to believe that both Napoleon and Wellington thought that holding Hougoumont was key to winning the battle. Hougoumont was a part of the battlefield that Napoleon could see clearly, and he continued to direct resources towards it and its surroundings all afternoon (33 battalions in all, 14,000 troops).

Similarly, though the house never contained a large number of troops, Wellington devoted 21 battalions (12,000 troops) over the course of the afternoon in keeping the hollow way open to allow fresh troops and ammunition to reach the buildings. He moved several artillery batteries from his hard-pressed center to support Hougoumont, and later stated that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont". (wiki/battle of Waterloo)

Title: Barring the Gate: The Battle for Château d'Hougoumont
Price: $0 free with a purchase or buy The Waterloo PBG Pack from ATO
Series: ATO PBG #27
Designer: Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: LPS, Inc
Published Date: 2021

Subject:  This pbg concerns the morning French assault on the Hougoumont. 

Abbreviations used:  inf = Infantry, arty = artillery, AF = Attack Factor, DF = Defense Factor, PBG = Pocket Battle Game, MP = Movement Points, CD = Card Draw, ACT = Activations, "Allies" = Prussians & Silesians, mp = movement point, bldgs = buildings, ASA = Assault Staging Area, GT = game turn, counters = units, "d" or 1d6 = six sided die, ">" = greater than, "<" = less than, ">" greater than or equal to, "<" less than or equal to math symbols.

Scale:  A guesstimate if I may, considering that the infantry units can fire up to 2 hexes away (-1 when attacking 2 hexes),  a hex is aprx 100 yards with the units representing battalions.  But, this is really not important. 

Complexity:  Introductory!!!

Description of Play:  Either player draws a card (CD). The color and type of card allows one player to activate up to 1 to 3 units. Once activated, depending on the card, the unit can either move one hex or preform fire combat or flip a unit over from a reduce state to full strength. 
 

The die is used by either player during their attack to see if hits against an opposing unit is effective. Roll 1D6. If the DR is < units DF, the unit is not reduce. If the DR is > units DF, it is flipped or eliminated if already flipped.

Note: If you have played TSP's pbg #5, "A Hard Pounding" or ATO's "La Garde Recule" #10, then you will know how to play this one.  

Components and Physical Quality:  The game comes as a standard size 4" x 6" postcard cardboard. The card is very nice and can take a lot of plays.  Printing is very good. The rules along with a small player's aid listing the terrain with it's corresponding card modifiers and unit breakdown are on the backside with the game map on the front.  Counters need to be cut out for playing.

Counters:  The game only has 15 counters. Allies have 7 infantry unit counters that start the game. The French have 8 counters with 6 starting the game in the ASA and 2 units starting in the ASA at the start of the 3rd Assault Period and one Assault marker. Allied units are red (British) with black lettering and the French are blue with white lettering.  

 
Note: There are no differences between Guard units and regular line (foot) infantry.

Game Map:  For such a small game map it is well design. I can see why LPS, Inc uses Mark as their GD.  

Player added Component:  Players will need to provide a normal deck of cards and 1 D6.  

Card Deck setup:   Shuffle a standard card deck with 1 Joker,  A CD is perform with the French using black cards and Allies using red cards.  An activation allows a unit to either move or perform fire combat.

Each type of card does the following:

• An even CD allows up to two units to activate.  
• An odd CD allows up to three units to activate. 
• A face card CD allows one unit to activate or to flip one unit from reduced to full strength.
  
• An Ace is treated as a one for combat or odd for activation.
• For combat when a face card is drawn, it is an automatic "miss".
• The Joker signals the end of the game turn when it is drawn for either activation or combat resolution, unless it is drawn before both sides have activated units. In this case, bury it and continue play until the end of the deck.

Note: Of course, High Flying Dice Games has their own card set for this game. Click on the jpg to the right to go to the card sets.  And no, it is the not the same for La Garde, recule.  Basically each of the 4 pbg in this series all use different card setups. 

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):  This is like A Hard Pounding.  I give it a 7.  It can be played as solitaire, as just about any game can. 

Versions/Scenarios:  Only one version, no extra rules or scenarios.

Setup Time:  Once everything is cut out, what, maybe 3 mins for setup? It will take longer to shuffle the card deck.

Playing Time:  This one is quick.  My games last 30 to 45 mins if that long. Maybe 45 mins to 1 hour to learn the game the first time, but after?

Rules:  The rules are simple and flow nicely from the various areas of "Setup" to "Play" to "Combat" and to "Reinforcements".  After looking over and playing this little game, I found these rules to be very logical, concise, and can see why all 3 PBGs on Waterloo plays so well. Most important - NO ZONES OF CONTROL and combat is voluntary. 

Addenda:  "none" as I can't find any.

Description of Play:  Play is very easy, almost as if the designer was using a formula that he perfected in the past, sweet. This game has the following:

• Setup:
• 7 British units setup in any light red or medium green coloured hexes. 
• 6 French units (6th and 9th Divisions) setup in the bluish ASA area.
• No stacking
• Play:
• A card draw (CD) activates units for either moving 1 hex or fire combat.
• It doesn't matter who draws the card, as it is the color and type of card that  depicts which unit(s) are activated.
• Combat:
• Units may fire up to 2 hexes away.
• Infantry have a -2 CD modifier if firing at a non-adjacent hex.
• Terrain on combat
• Wooded or Orchard terrain has a -1 CD modifier.
• Chateau has a -2 CD and a DR check (see above under "Description of Play").
  
• No firing thru other units, Chateau, or woods, but can fire into such hexes.
• To perform a combat resolution, the attacker picks out the lucky defending target.
• a CD is performed (any color or suite is used), adding this to the AF. 
• Subtract the DF and hex terrain and/or range.
• Face cards are an outright miss. 
• A hit is scored on the defender if the final modified value is greater ">"than the target units DF. 
• If the unit was full strength, it is flipped over to it's reduced side. 
• If the unit was reduced from before, it is eliminated and removed from play.
• If the modified value is less than or equal to " < " the target's DF:  No Effect.
• Reinforcements:
• Only the French receives reinforcements. 2 French units (5th Division) enter at the start of the 3rd Assault Period.

Game Length:  The game lasts up to 6 turns of card deck shuffles. The French immediately wins if there are no British units left in both Chateau hexes. The British wins the game if the French fail to achieve victory by the end of the last turn.

Special Unit Counter:  There are no special counters. 

That's it, pretty much everything one would want to know about this game. 

Play-Balance:  This pbg, imho, is finely balance as any pbg. Out of the 20 or so games played, the Allies won 55%, with the French winning 45%. 

Not sure what heading to use:  I had two full paragraphs on possible strategies but you know, the game is small enough that you, "yes, you laddie", can come up with your own. Besides my non-ability to win very many of the games as the French disqualifies me from offering advice. :D  However, if I may suggest that you get all 3 (now 4) of these little Battle of Waterloo pocket battle games, it will be worth it. 

Summary:  This is the 3rd pbg on the Battle of Waterloo.  There are many books written on this battle.  I have ten big thick books myself from the quint-essential bible on Napoleon "The Campaigns of Napoleon" by Dr Chandler to Scotty Bowden's masterpiece "Waterloo" and all in between.  Also, I have all the Osprey books on the various units of this battle, including several French books on uniforms and tactics (these are out of print) and the pride of my art prints collection - the old Heritage Miniature set of all the uniforms at the Battle of Waterloo. 

 

There are literately dozens of websites not only on Napoleon and the Battle of Waterloo, but on the different regiments, battalions, brigades, and other leaders. 

 

This time period is covered more than the Roman Empire or Germany versus Soviet Union.  Games are very numerous too.  For example, I have 15 board games, three sets of miniature rules, and the seven pocket games. Though most tend to take hours (and hours and hours and...) to play, these little pocket battle games take only 45 mins or less. A bargain these little games are and the price is right too.    

 

A web site that I with all sincerity recommend, is "The Napoleon Series".  Napoleonic history galore. And there is also "The Waterloo Association" that one can join.

 

And I see that I went to much greater game detail than what I want to do these days.  This may be the last....

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.

[edited Sept 19 2023 - Added newly found painting and corrected a few things]

La Garde recule!

Yes, another small pocket game, Against the Odds' Pocket Battle Game #10 "La Garde recule! Attack at Waterloo" the retreat of the Imperial Guard, the final French attack at Waterloo, 18 June 1815.

Title: La Garde recule! Attack at Waterloo
Price: $0 free with a purchase or buy The Waterloo PBG Pack from ATO
Series: Pocket Battle game #10
Designer: Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: LPS, Inc
Published Date: 2011

Subject:  This pbg concerns the last actions of Napoleon's Guards in the final French attack on the Allied center. 

Abbreviations used:  AF = Attack Factor, DF = Defense Factor, MP = Movement Points, CD = Card Draw, ACT = Activations, PBG = Pocket Battle Game, "Allies" = British and Dutch, "French" = Old, Middle and Young Guard,  " > " is the Greater Than math symbol.

Scale:  A quick guesstimate, if I may, considering that the infantry units can fire up to 2 hexes away,  a hex is aprx 100 yards with the units representing battalions.  But, this is really not important. 

Complexity:  Introductory!!!

Description of Play:  Either player draws a card (CD). The color and type of card allows one player to activate up to 3 units. Once activated, the unit can either move one hex or preform fire combat or flip a unit over from a reduce state to full strength.

Note: If you have played TSP's pocket battle game #5, "A Hard Pounding", then you will know how to play this one. Differences is no French Arty marker or Major Baring, but the Allies do have the "Duke", himself and all cards are used in the deck, no 9 or 10 cards pulled. 

Components and Physical Quality:  The game comes as a standard size 4" x 6" postcard cardboard. The card is very nice and can take a lot of plays.  Printing is very good. The rules along with a small player's aid listing the terrain with it's corresponding card modifiers and unit breakdown are on the backside with the game map on the front.  Counters need to be cut out for playing.

Counters:  The game only has 17 counters. Allies have ten (9 infantry units and 1 Duke of Wellington leader) counters and the French have six and one game turn marker. Allied units are red (British) or green (Dutch) with black lettering and the French are blue with white lettering.  

 
Note: There are no differences between Guard units and regular line (foot) infantry.

Game Map:  For such a small game map it is well design. I can see why LPS, Inc uses Mark as their GD.  

Player added Component:  Players will need to provide a normal deck of cards.  

Card Deck setup:   Shuffle a standard card deck with 1 Joker,  A CD is perform with the French using black cards and Allies using red cards.  An activation allows a unit to either move or perform fire combat.

Each type of card does the following:

• An even CD allows up to two units to activate.  
• An odd CD allows up to three units to activate. 
• A face card CD allows one unit to activate or to flip one unit from reduced to full strength. 
• An ace is treated as a one for combat or odd for activation.
• For combat when a face card is drawn, it is an automatic "miss", exception is Duke of Wellington, as he can be eliminated on a CD of a black ace or king. See "Special Unit Counter" below).
• The Joker signals the end of the game turn when it is drawn for either activation or combat resolution, unless it is drawn before both sides have activated units. In this case, bury it and continue play until the end of the deck.

Note: Of course, High Flying Dice Games, has their own card set for this game. Cost is $8 plus postage. Click on the .jpg to the right.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):  This is like A Hard Pounding.  I give it a 7.  It can be played as solitaire, as just about any game can. 

Versions/Scenarios:  Only one version, no extra rules or scenarios.

Setup Time:  Once everything is cut out, what, maybe 3 mins for setup? It will take longer to shuffle the card deck.

Playing Time:  This one is quick.  My games last 30 to 45 mins if that long. Maybe 45 mins to 1 hour to learn the game the first time, but after?

Rules: The rules are simple and flow nicely from the various areas of "Setup" to "Play" to "Combat" and to "Reinforcements".  After looking over and playing this little game, I found these rules to be very logical, concise, and can see why "A Hard Pounding (TSP's pbg #5) plays so well. Most important - NO ZONES OF CONTROL and combat is voluntary.  No stacking except for the Duke.

Addenda:  "none" as I can't find any.

Description of Play:  Play is very easy, almost as if the designer was using a formula that he perfected in the past, sweet. This game has the following:

• Setup:
• Six Allied units setup on the red diamonds, and three units on any "R". 
• Two "1st wave" French units on any blue diamond.
• No stacking, except if the Lord Wellington counter is used as an allied reinforcement.
• Play:
• A card draw (CD) activates units for either moving 1 hex or fire combat.
• It doesn't matter who draws the card, as it is the color and type of card that  depicts which unit(s) are activated.
• Combat:
• Units may fire up to 2 hexes away.
• Infantry have a -2 CD modifier if firing at a non-adjacent hex.
• Allied Artillery firing at a French unit in an adjacent hex has a +1 CD modifier.
• Allies "Lord Wellington" adds +1 CD modifier for attacking and +1 DF for any Allied unit he is stacked with.
• Terrain on combat
• Hill terrain has a +1 CD modifier against clear terrain.
• Units in woods have a -1 CD. 
• No firing thru other units, hills, woods, but can fire into such hexes.
• To perform a combat resolution, the attacker picks out the lucky defending target.
• a CD is performed (any color or suite is used), adding this to the AF. 
• Subtract the DF and hex terrain and/or range.
• Face cards are an outright miss (exception: the Duke of Wellington is killed if the unit he is stacked with has a combat CD of black Ace or King)
• A hit is scored on the defender if the final modified value is greater than the target units DF. 
• If the unit was full strength, it is flipped over to it's reduced side. 
• If the unit was reduced from before, it is eliminated and removed from play.
• If the modified value is equal to or less than " < " the target's DF:  No Effect.
• Reinforcements:
• Only the French receives reinforcements. 
• There is a number on the lower right side that indicates the earliest turn the French reinforcement can arrive. They can always enter on later game turns.

Game Length:  The game last up to 5 turns of card deck shuffles. Victory is dependent on the French securing their victory conditions - either eliminate all Allied units or exit three non-reduced units (or four units if one of them is reduced) along the north edge of the game map. Otherwise the Allies win.

Special Unit Counter:  There is one special unit, the Duke himself, "Wellington". He enters the game on game turn 2 by spending any red CD and placed on any allied unit.  Once in play, he cannot exit the game. He doesn't have to enter the game. He has to be stacked with an Allied unit at all times. And confers a +1 to a CD and +1 to the DF to the unit that he is stacked with. 

If the unit the Duke is stacked with is eliminated, the Duke is moved to another unit. If all Allied units are eliminated, the Duke of Wellington is captured and the game ends in a French victory.  If the Duke is eliminated on a card draw of a black ace or king for combat, there is no adverse effect for the Allied player.

That's it, pretty much everything one would want to know about this game. 

Play-Balance:  This pbg, imho, is finely balance as "A Hard Pounding". Out of the 20 or so games played, the Allies won 60%, with the French winning 40%.  Now some may say "well, thats not balance", but think about it, did the French really have a chance with such few battalions of the Guards attacking?  

• At Ligny, Napoleon used 19 Infantry btns (11 btns of Guards and 8 btns of Gerard's Corps), with 28 squadrons cavalry (4 squadrons. of Guard Cavalry and 24 squadrons of Cuirassiers) to break thru the Allies line and was successful.
• At Waterloo on the western wing against the British (inc KGL) and Dutch, only 16 Infantry btns (8 btns of Guards and 8 btns of Donzelot's division), with 3-5 squadrons of cavalry (1-2 squadrons of Guard and 2-3 squadrons of Cuirassiers was used).  This was not enough. 
• And on the eastern wing, fighting the Prussians in Plancenoit, 10 btns of Guards and 9 btns of Mouton's Corps with no cavalry was used and again, this was not enough.

In the battle, when the Guards broke thru the first line, they were spent, but the follow up Guard btns were almost as spent and just didn't have the men or stamina to carry the attack. Not enough men assign to the task at hand shows that fighting on two fronts is a solid and loud "Non!". And was Napoleon's biggest fear. 

Which begs the question, "what if Napoleon had a B-52 at the Battle of Waterloo?"

Not sure what heading to use:  I had two full paragraphs on possible strategies but you know, the game is small enough enough, you can come up with your own. Besides my non-ability not to win many of the games as the French disqualifies me from offering advice. :D 

Summary:  This is a sister pbg to "A Hard Pounding Fight", the battle for La Haye Sainte.  There are many books written on the Battle of Waterloo. I have ten myself from the quint-essential bible on Napoleon "The Campaigns of Napoleon" by Dr Chandler to Scotty Bowden's masterpiece "Waterloo" and all in between. There are literately dozens of websites not only on Napoleon and the Battle of Waterloo, but on the different regiments, battalions, brigades, and other leaders. This time period is covered more than the Roman Empire or Germany versus Soviet Union.  Games are very numerous too.  For example, I have 15 board games, three sets of miniature rules, and the six pocket games. Though most tend to take hours (and hours and hours, and...) to play, these little pocket battle games take only 45 mins or less. A bargain these are and the price is right too.   

It would be nice to see a six pbg series that all joined up on the Battle of Waterloo, like the four pbg games on Leipzig 1813 and using that scale. 

 

I kept my line above as I got my wish - four different smaller battles in one large one (Waterloo). If one looks at the 4 different areas that Paul  made as PBGs, then one can see the entire battle.  

Now that is something....

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.