Waterloo 20

About this board game

Waterloo 20 is a Napoleonic campaign game for 1–2 players, designed to play in about 50 minutes. It recreates Napoleon’s return from exile and the struggle to stop his Grande Armée at Waterloo, where Anglo-Allied forces under Wellington face the Prussian army under Blücher.

As the first game in the Napoleonic 20 series, Waterloo 20 focuses on low unit density and medium complexity. With 20 pieces or fewer per side, the game presents an accessible operational-level view of the campaign while keeping the map focused on major maneuvers and decisions.

Veteran designer Joseph Miranda’s system combines operational movement with uncertainty from random event cards and night game turns. These elements represent some of the “friction of war” that affected both armies, ensuring that plans may be shaped by more than straightforward movement and combat.

Morale is a central resource for both sides. Players can spend morale to force march their pieces, help rally stragglers, or urge troops onward as they advance in battle. Choosing when to conserve morale and when to commit it adds important weight to each campaign decision.

• Designed for 1–2 players
• Approximately 50 minutes of play
• Operational-level Napoleonic maneuvers
• Random event cards and night game turns
• Morale management affecting movement, recovery, and attacks

Waterloo 20 includes 9 pages of rules—8 pages of standard rules and 1 page of game-specific rules—along with 40 die-cut 5/8-inch counters, an 11-by-17-inch map, and 12 random event cards. Its compact format delivers a focused Waterloo experience built around maneuver, morale, and uncertainty.