I designed the game to be a deterministic, signaling, tight contest about positioning, momentum, and building an engine for running the war effort. What was supposed to be Pursuit of Victory will be most probably published under another title.
The Engine
At the core of my design is the "Perform/Prepare" economy . I wanted to simulate the grueling reality of 19th-century logistics. When you take an action, you place a coin onto your Action Tableau, "jamming" that slot. To unblock your actions and regain your momentum, you must pause and "Prepare" . This creates an agonizing rhythm: do you push your exhausted troops for one final, decisive strike, or do you stop to breathe, giving your opponent a window to strike back?
The Emperor vs. The Coalition
The mindset required for each side is quite different:
• Napoleon: You must play an aggressive game. Using your unique Interrupt Card, you can break the turn order, ambush enemies, and rapidly expand your empire . Your goal is to shatter enemy nations and build the Arc du Triomphe before the political will of France collapses .
• The Coalition: You know that taking down the Corsican Ogre might be a lengthy business. You will use British gold to fund the naval blockade, enforce the Continental System, and slowly mobilize the continent against the Emperor . If you can survive Napoleon's early onslaught, your numerical and industrial superiority will become overwhelming.
Combat Without Spreadsheets
I decided for a quick, deterministic combat: you roll a custom Command Die to progress through a continuous loop of six metrics: Command, Punch, Position, Napoleon, Vigour, and Readiness . Where your die lands dictates how that battle is decided. If you face a devastating defeat, you might be forced to retreat—unless you sacrifice your “cannon fodder” or national Resolve in order to stubbornly hold a vital area .
Geography & Diplomacy
The map is divided into grand theaters of war governed by specific movement rules. The diplomatic game will see nations become belligerent, forced to surrender, and eventually become resurgent to rise against Napoleon again.
The game shares the Delux set of miniatures found in the "Coalitions" published by PHALANX.
Vive l’Empereur!
RdM
—description from the designer
Miniatures, Napoleonic, Wargame · Action Retrieval, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Interrupts, Once-Per-Game Abilities, Sudden Death Ending, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers
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