1796: Birth of a Legend 2027

Upcoming installment of the Marshals and Quartermasters series, covering Napoleon's First Italian Campaign from April 1796 to February 1797.

In April 1796, a 26-year-old general with no experience of army command takes over the ragged, unpaid and demoralized Army of Italy. For years it had fought the Austrians and Piedmontese along the Ligurian coast with little lasting gain. Within months, the same army would knock Piedmont out of the war, besiege Mantova, overrun most of northern Italy and loot it thoroughly for the benefit of the Republic. Four times Austria sent an army to relieve the fortress, and four times it failed.

1796: Birth of a Legend is an operational card-driven wargame of the campaign, from the opening blows in the Apennines to the aftermath of Rivoli and the fall of Mantova. It builds on the M&Q system with a point-to-point map, hidden strengths and secret orders. The Italian theatre shapes the rest: while the French mostly live off the land, the Austrians stay close to their magazines. Rivers must be bridged with pontoons. Mantova cannot be stormed, only starved. And across the Alps, the Directory watches closely, ready to recall Bonaparte if the victories or the loot stop coming.

The game is for two players (France vs. the Coalition), with a three-player variant for the April 1796 scenario that splits Austria and Piedmont, each with its own victory conditions. Scenarios range from a single month to the full campaign.

-description from designer