BORODINO 1812: The Bloodiest Day In Napoleonic History

If you are interested in the Napoleonic period of history and like boardgames then this book is for you. The battle of Borodino 1812 is creatively reproduced within its pages, it contains all that is required to reproduce a boardgame that is intended to tactically test your gaming skills and strategically expand your planning abilities. Borodino is a chess game of the grandest scale, pieces flow about the battlefield with deliberate or reactive movement, like any battle you never have complete control. The battle of Borodino is between the French Grande Armée commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte and two Russian Imperial Armies under Commander-in-Chief Prince Mikhail Kutuzov. Having invaded Russia, Napoleon finally gets the set battle he has been chasing since June. This is the last defendable position before Moscow, the small village of Borodino with a steeped banked river on one flank and the dense woodland village of Utitza on the other. In between the Russians have constructed earth works to protect their troops and field guns. These Redoubts and Redans, the fléches they call them because of their arrowhead shape would be the locations of untold casualties. The date is the 7th of September 1812 and today on the battlefield of Borodino there will be the greatest loss of life that Europe has ever seen in a single day of conflict. The gameboard is separated into quadrants that fit together to recreate the battlefield of Borodino. Counters and game markers will show the location and current state of all formations across the battlefield. An ingenious game turn sequence allows for a balanced gameplay without giving an evident advantage to either side. Victory is achieved by seizing objectives, causing attrition or capturing Napoleon. Rules of engagement have a basic and advanced level of gameplay, the latter introduce, detachment counters with their specialist roles, formations and optional reactive movement. The inclusion of unique historic events that occurred within the battle can be played out with an event card, this adds depth and realism to each game. Borodino is part of the Grand Empire series of battles that is creative board gaming in a book, it's when boardgames becomes wargames. Produced to fit on a small tabletop, its ideal for a rainy day or just a weekend of enjoyment. All you need to recreate history are some six-sided dice and imagination.